What Is Abnormal Psychology?

Perhaps the term abnormal psychology is not the most popular, even within the world of psychology, due to the connotations that this name may have. However, as we see in this article, their field of study is well known.

To understand abnormal psychology, it is essential to first understand what we mean by the term “abnormal”. At first glance, the meaning seems obvious: abnormal indicates something outside the norm.

Abnormal psychology focuses on the study and treatment of those mental and emotional disorders that interfere with a person’s ability to feel and carry out everyday activities.

These disorders can be the result of physical or emotional trauma, genetic inheritance, or imbalances in the chemical components of the brain. People who experience these disorders often need treatment with medication, psychotherapy, or both.

In this sense, abnormal psychology studies people who are “abnormal” or “atypical” in comparison to members of a given society.

Abnormal psychology: approaches

There are different perspectives within abnormal psychology. While some psychologists or psychiatrists may focus only on one point of view, many use elements from multiple areas to better understand and treat psychological disorders.

These perspectives are the psychoanalytic approach, the behavior approach, the medical/biological approach and the cognitive approach.

psychoanalytic approach

The psychoanalytic approach to abnormal psychology has its roots in the theories of Sigmund Freud. Major assumptions include Freud’s belief that abnormality stems from psychological causes rather than physical causes, that unresolved conflicts between the id, ego and superego can contribute to the abnormality.

The psychoanalytic approach suggests that many abnormal behaviors stem from unconscious thoughts, desires and memories. Although these feelings are outside of consciousness, it is believed that they still influence conscious actions.

Professionals who adopt this approach think that by analyzing memories, behaviors, thoughts and even dreams, people can discover and manage some of the feelings that led to dysfunctional behaviors.

behavior focus

The behavior focus of abnormal psychology focuses on observable behaviors. Behaviorists believe that our actions are largely conditioned by experience rather than the underlying pathology of unconscious forces. Therefore, the abnormality is considered to be the development of dysfunctional (ie, harmful) behavior patterns for the individual.

This focus places emphasis on the environment and how abnormal behavior is acquired. Behaviorism states that all behavior (including abnormal) is learned from the environment and that any behavior that has been learned can also be “unlearned” (which is how abnormal behavior is treated).

In behavior therapy, attention is focused on reinforcing positive behaviors and eliminating any reinforcement that dysfunctional behaviors may have. Thus, the behaviorist approach leaves aside the influence of information processing itself and focuses on antecedents (stimuli/reinforcements) and consequences (behaviors).

Medical/biological approach

The medical/biological approach of abnormal psychology believes that disorders have an organic or physical cause, so it focuses on the possible biological causes of mental illness. This approach emphasizes understanding the underlying cause of disorders; thus, the origin can be found in genetic inheritance, in related physical ailments, infections and chemical imbalances.

This approach argues that mental disorders are related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain. Therefore, medical treatments are often and essentially pharmacological in nature, even though medication is often used in conjunction with some form of psychotherapy.

cognitive focus

The cognitive focus of abnormal psychology focuses its attention on thoughts and their power to influence how we behave and feel. This approach studies how information is processed within the brain and the impact of this processing on behavior.

The basic assumptions are as follows:

• Maladaptive behavior is caused by faulty and irrational cognitions.
• Behavior is how you think about a problem, rather than the problem itself, which causes mental disorders.

• Individuals can overcome mental disorders by learning to use more appropriate cognitions.

The individual is seen as an active information processor. The way a person perceives, anticipates and assesses events – their contribution to reality – is what will condition their behavior. Furthermore, this focus says that many of these thoughts happen automatically, without us realizing it.

Abnormality as atypical behavior

Abnormal psychology may focus on atypical behavior, but its focus is not on ensuring that all people fit an exact definition of “normal”.

In most cases, it focuses on identifying and treating problems that may be causing distress or deterioration in some aspect of a person’s life. Thus, by identifying the “abnormal” – understanding as abnormal what causes harm – researchers and therapists can improve the interventions they propose in consultation.