Many
years ago the perception of abnormal behavior was in various diverse means. For
the ancient Egyptians as well as the Christians, evil spirits and demons
possessing the bodies of the individuals acting abnormally was the main cause
of the abnormality. The individuals who are regarded as possessed normally
treated in the highest suffering level in which case the evil spirits, as well
as the demons possessing them, were thought to leave their bodies. The
utilization of flogging as well as starvation was one of the main procedures
employed which refer to trepanning (Hansell & Damour, 2008). In this case,
a small hole would be made on the head of the individual believed to be
possessed for the evil spirits to use it for escaping. In 1800, there was the
introduction of asylums where any individual demonstrating signs of illness
would commit. A resembling lunacy by capital punishment accompanied any
individual showing any signs of the illness committed in the asylum and the
main treatment that was applied.
In
the 1900s, there was the case of overcrowding in the asylums, and there was
believe that little could be employed to help the sick individuals. Presently
the position that holds regarding mental illness is that it is normally a myth
since the term implies that there is something that is physically wrong. The
suggestion follows they believe that the mind is not something physical thus
cannot be classified being ill. The diagnoses that normally make in the
relation to mental illnesses are different from psychologists to the next in
the sense that there are not two diagnoses that are normally the same (Comer, 2011).
The models of abnormal behavior are normally the general hypotheses trying to
explain the nature of the prevailing psychological abnormalities. In the past
people normally used to believe and suggest that superstition as well as
witchcraft as being the root of the abnormal behavior being evidenced. In the
current environment, we have come to realize that the positions are normally
not realistic. There are six principal models that are used to explain the
abnormal behavior by trying to suggest and explain the causes of abnormal
behavior. These models include psychoanalytic model, medical model, behavioral
model, humanistic model, a cognitive model as well as the social, cultural
model. The abnormality models assist in offering us with a diverse outlook
relating to the mind frame thefts.
The
medical model of abnormality implies that hormonal imbalances, childbirth,
genetics as well as menopause are the main cause of the abnormal behavior. It
definition of abnormal behavior is as a result of physical illness in which the
individual does not have any actual control over. They hold that the cause of
abnormal behavior is due to hormonal imbalance, brain injury or a chemical
deficiency. In this case and individual caught while shoplifting could be as a
result of a brain injury, or hormonal imbalance making be unaware that stealing
is normally wrong. In this case, any abnormality that an individual has is normally
perceived to be as a result of an illness or a disease (Hansell & Damour, 2008).
The main treatment for the patient regarding this model is via
electroconvulsive therapy, chemotherapy as well as psychosurgery.
The
psychoanalytic model derived from childhood challenges regarding aggression as
well as sex. The evidence of the abnormal behavior is as a result of the
underlying psychological issues whereby the individual is most probably
unaware. Its main focus is the unconscious mind as well as the position held by
Sigmund Freud that should a child fail to complete the psychosexual stages;
they will be abnormal. In trying to explain the logic behind and individual who
is caught stealing, the model could imply that the stealing is a demonstration
of aggression by the individual. The main treatment mode is via the use of talk
therapies as well as tests such as free word association and Rorschach (Comer, 2011).
The behavioral abnormality model relates the behavior affecting the individual
as being the main problem, in the sense that it is a learned response. It
argues that the abnormal behaviors normally learned maladaptive responses to
the environment which have the ability to replace with more adaptive behaviors.
The behaviors are as a result of classical conditioning, social learning as
well as operant conditioning. In trying to explain an abnormal behavior, the
model believes that the actions of the individual are as a result of learning
and believe that what they are doing is the normal thing to do. The main
treatment methods are the use of positive as well as negative reinforcements as
the token economy.
The
cognitive abnormality model holds that individual’s thoughts, as well as
beliefs, are the principal cause of abnormal behaviors. The model asserts that
the cause of abnormal behavior is as a result of illogical or else irrational
thought process during the abnormal functioning. To explain an abnormal
behavior, the model holds that the individual with the abnormal behavior thinks
or rather believe that their actions were right. The utilization of therapies
that normally modify the thoughts as well as the use of emotive behavioral
therapy can help in assisting the individuals with the abnormality (Hansell
& Damour, 2008).
The
perspective on the social, cultural model of abnormality argues that the cause
of the abnormal behavior among the human being is as the result of learning in
their social context. The learning in the social context normally ranges from
the family setting to the individuals community and final culture. It argues
that the cultural variables are normally attained via cognitive processes as
well as learning and are significant in the production of the abnormal behavior
(Hansell & Damour, 2008). Bulimias as well as anorexia nervosa are the some
of the sample psychological disorders normally found in the western culture and
said to value females with thin bodies. The
final model that is the humanistic model argues that the cause of the
abnormality is due to the poor decisions that human beings normally make
regarding their lives.
The
poor decision that they normally make is in the context of their perception of
the world surrounding them. The choices that the abnormal people make are
normally in the direction of them trying to attain a sense of self-worth as
well as fulfillment. The decisions people normally make in this context
nurtured by the significant people who are in their tender ages such as their
parents. The model holds that on condition that love, acceptance, as well as
praises, accorded freely and unconditionally, the child develops a strong sense
of self-worth and acts normally (Comer, 2011). The children who normally award
negative regards such as blame and criticism, they develop a strong sense of
low self-esteem that is thought to be a strong contributing factor in
developing abnormal behavior. The
treatment of patients regarding this model entails the person-centered therapy
that is meant to concentrate on treating the person and not the problem. The
therapy attempts to empower the individual into becoming autonomous, confident
as well as spontaneous within them.
References
Comer,
R. (2011). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology. (Sixth ed., pp. 32-65). New
York, New York: Worth.
Hansell,
J. & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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