ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal Psychology

Introduction

Abnormal Psychology is a field of psychology that investigates people who can either not adjust themselves or function efficiently in a diverse situations (Butcher, 2010). It deals with abnormal behavior. A lot of disorders are covered under the scope of abnormal psychology, such as; depression, sexual deviation, obsession-compulsion, etc.

Discussion

Origins of Abnormal Psychology

The explanation of abnormal behavior was given in the biblical history. The earliest explanation of abnormal behavior was based upon the spiritual approach. It was believed that the spirit has gotten inside the human body, or the spiritual world has an effect on the apparent world. To treat the illness, hole were bore on the skull of the sufferer, to let the spirit out.

It was In 460 B.C. when Hippocrates had proposed the biological explanation of mental illness. According to Hippocrates, the imbalance in the four fluids; yellow bile, phlegm, black bile, and blood, had caused abnormal behavior. Although his reasoning was flawed, yet it had laid the foundation of scientific discipline in studying the discipline of abnormal psychology.

Evolution of Abnormal psychology as a scientific discipline

The first diagnosis and prescription of hysteria was given by the ancient Greeks. The symptoms of hysteria or conversion disorder include; confusion, several pains, paralysis, illness, loss of feeling and sometimes neurological damage is followed. Since the symptoms of hysteria were more common in females, it was considered that the uterus had moved in the body, and blocking the fluids.

In 1896, Sigmund Freud, had proposed the theory of psychodynamics, which could explain the psychological reasons of hysteria. According to Freud, the conflict between the conscious and the subconscious had led to the strange physical signs of hysteria ((Damour, 2008). Yet this theory was partly subjective, yet it was a comprehensive theory of abnormal behavior.

To study the psychological ...