FACTORS UNDERLYING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR
· Psychologists used different approaches.
· Each approach in use today emphasizes a different aspect of human
behaviour, and explains and treats abnormality in line with that aspect.
· These approaches also emphasize the role of different factors such as
biological, psychological and interpersonal, and socio-cultural factors.
I. Biological Factors
· Influence all aspects of our behaviour.
· Biological factors such as faulty genes, endocrine imbalances,
malnutrition, injuries and other conditions may interfere with normal development
and functioning of the human body. These factors may be potential causes of
abnormal behavior.
· According to this biological model, abnormal behaviour has a biochemical
or physiological basis.
· Biological researchers have found that psychological disorders are often
related to problems in the transmission of messages from one neuron to another.
· A tiny space called synapse separates one neuron from the next, and the
message must move across that space. When an electrical impulse reaches a neurons
ending, the nerve ending is stimulated to release a chemical, called a
neurotransmitter.
· Studies indicate that abnormal activity by certain neurotransmitters can
lead to specific psychological disorders.
· Anxiety disorders have been linked to low activity of the
neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid (GABA).
· schizophrenia linked to excess activity of dopamine, and
· Depression linked to low activity of serotonin.
II. Genetic factors
· Linked to mood disorders, schizophrenia, mental retardation and other
psychological disorders.
· Researchers have not been able to identify the specific genes that are
the culprits.
· It appears that no single gene is responsible for a particular behaviour
or a psychological disorder.
· In fact, many genes combine to help bring about our various behaviours
and emotional reactions, both functional and dysfunctional.
· Although there is sound evidence to believe that genetic biochemical
factors are involved in mental disorders as diverse as schizophrenia, depression,
anxiety, etc. and biology alone cannot account for most mental disorders.
1. Psychological model
· Provides a psychological explanation of mental disorder.
· As per this model Psychological and interpersonal factors play an
important role in abnormal behaviour. These factors include
Ø maternal deprivation (separation from the mother, or lack of warmth and
stimulation during early years of life),
Ø Faulty parent-child relationships (rejection, overprotection, over-
permissiveness, faulty discipline, etc.),
Ø Maladaptive family structures (inadequate or disturbed family), and
Ø Severe stress.
· The psychological models include the psychodynamic, behavioural,
cognitive, and humanistic-existential models.
The psychodynamic model is the oldest and most famous of the modern psychological
models.
Psychodynamic theorists believe that
· Psychological forces within the person of which he/she is not consciously
aware, whether normal or abnormal, determine behaviour.
· These internal forces are considered dynamic, i.e. they interact with one
another and their interaction gives shape to behaviour, thoughts and emotions.
· Abnormal symptoms are viewed as the result of conflicts between these
forces.
· This model was first formulated by Freud who believed that three central
forces shape personalityinstinctual needs, drives and impulses (id), rational
thinking (ego), and moral standards (superego).
· Freud stated that abnormal behaviour is a symbolic expression of
unconscious mental conflicts that can be generally traced to early childhood or
infancy.
2. The Behavioural Model
· This model states that both normal and abnormal behaviours are learned
and psychological disorders are the result of learning maladaptive ways of
behaving.
· The model concentrates on behaviours that are learned through
conditioning and proposes that what has been learned can be unlearned.
· Learning can take place by
Ø Classical conditioning: temporal association in which two events repeatedly
occur close together in time.
Ø operant conditioning: behaviour is followed by a reward, and
Ø Social learning: learning by imitating others behaviour.
· These three types of conditioning account for behaviour, whether adaptive
or maladaptive.
3. The Cognitive Model
· This model states that abnormal functioning can result from cognitive
problems.
· People may hold assumptions and attitudes about themselves that are
irrational and inaccurate.
· People may also repeatedly think in illogical ways and make
overgeneralizations, that is, they may draw broad, negative conclusions on the
basis of a single insignificant event.
The humanistic-existential model
· Humanists believe that human beings are born with a natural tendency to
be friendly, cooperative and constructive, and are driven to self-actualize, i.e.
to fulfill this potential for goodness and growth.
· Existentialists believe that from birth we have total freedom to give
meaning to our existence or to avoid that responsibility. Those who shirk from this
responsibility would live empty, inauthentic and dysfunctional lives.
III. Socio-cultural Factors (war, violence, group prejudice and
discrimination, economic and employment problems) create stress and can lead to
psychological problems.
(i) Family system likely to produce abnormal functioning in individual members,
e.g., enmeshed structure in which members are over involved in each others
activitieschildren have difficulty becoming independent.
(ii) Social networks in which people operate (social and professional
relationships) people isolated and lacking social support likely to become
depressed.
(iii) Societal labels and roles assigned to troubled people influence abnormal
functioning. For example, person, who breaks societal norms called deviants and
mentally illlabels stick so that the person is encouraged to act sick, gradually
accepts and plays the role and functions in a disturbed manner.
IV. Diathesis-Stress Model:
Psychological disorders develop when a diathesis (biological predisposition to
disorder) is triggered by a stressful situation; three components
(i) Diathesism presence of a biological aberration which may be inherited.
Diathesis may carry a vulnerability to develop a psychological disorder person is
at risk or predisposed to develop the disorder.
(ii) Presence of pathogenic stressors, i.e., factors/stressors that may lead to
psychopathologyif an at risk person is exposed to these stressors,
predisposition may evolve into a disorder, e.g., anxiety, depression,
schizophrenia.
