Historical Perspectives on Abnormal Psychology

Historically, the search for combating or controlling abnormal behavior landed in three primary categories: the biological, the psychological and the paranormal (Hansell and Darmour, 2005). The paranormal approach sought to explain and to cure culturally perceived abnormal behavior as that caused by demons or evil spirits that needed to be cast out. At several points in history, the mentally infirm were thought to be under the sway of witches or sorcerers. Torture was among the advocated forms of discouraging the demon's possession. Paracelsus, a Swiss physician in the 15th and 16th centuries disputed the idea of demonic possession, by offering an alternative, albeit paranormal explanation for abnormal behavior. He believed that abnormal behavior was a result of planetary movements, the position of the moon and the stars themselves. Astrology still seeks, in the modern day, to offer insights into the workings of the mind and behavior (Fabrega, 1990).

Like the paranormal, the biological and psychological approaches have their roots in the distant past. Hippocrates, the Greek physician who is often touted as the father of medicine, wrote that abnormal behaviors could and should be treated as any other disease or illness of the body. In his Hippocratic Corpus, written between 450 and 350 BCE, Hippocrates argued this idea. He saw the brain as the center for intelligence, emotion, wisdom and consciousness. The logical conclusion to this belief was that abnormal behaviors must also have their roots in the brain and its functioning.

Hippocrates' work would be later cited by the Roman physician Galen (Hansell and Darmour, 2005) and influence other physicians in the biological treatment of abnormal behavior on and off until the mid-19th century when it would resurge once more. The birth of psychology in the late 19th and early part of the 20th century as a discipline unto itself created a deeper understanding of not only defining ‘abnormal' behavior, but also treating it.

Treatments

Treatment of abnormal behaviors is wholly based on the cultural perception of the abnormal. For ancient cultures that saw demonic possession, torture was an option as was trepanation or the drilling of a hole into a person's skull and allowing the demon or spirits to escape. In later centuries, individuals exhibiting abnormal behavior would be confined away from others giving rise to the asylums around the middle of the 16th century.

During the inquisition, individuals displaying deviant or abnormal behavior were subject to the Inquisition. The Malleus Maleficarum, a document drafted by two Catholic Inquisitors provided the reference manual to defining abnormal behavior in the Middle Ages. The Inquisition burned, pressed, hung and murdered hundreds of people deemed ‘deviant' or ‘abnormal' by those standards.

In the early part of the 20th century, asylums still existed, however the work of Sigmund Freud and others led to the development of psychotherapy to help treat those with ‘abnormal' behaviors. Modern science and physicians began to understand that ‘abnormal' behaviors were based on cultural relativism and were not always significant of a mental illness or a disease (Kowalski and Westen, 2005).

Models

Studies in abnormal psychology follow three different theoretical models. These models are used in the identification and in the theoretical approaches to treatment for abnormal behavior, if any treatment is required. These models include psychosocial, biological/medical and sociocultural.

The psychosocial models deal with an individual's personal interactions with their environment. Psychosocial reasoning behind abnormal behavior includes, but is not limited to, the study of stress triggers in aberrant or self-destructive behavior. For example, road rage and other anti-social and abnormal reactions to daily interactions. The biological/medical model studies the effects of neurological damage, hormones and neurotransmitters with regard to behavior and cognitive function. Some areas of abnormal behavior that fall under biological/medical include Alzheimer's disease, Attention Deficit Disorder and depression.

Sociocultural theories study the effects of urban living and other social, cultural effects on general living. For example, obesity is considered an abnormal state of being in a world that is promoting physical fitness and positive health choices. Studies explore why people choose soft addictions such as smoking and social drinking as well as social stressors associated with everyday living (Hansell and Damour, 2005).

Perspective

The study of abnormal psychology begins with an understanding of what is ‘abnormal.' Seeking to understand, cope and treat others with abnormal behavior is as old as society itself. The Greeks believed the brain to be the seat of reasoning and consciousness, as well as the seat of abnormal behaviors. While belief in the paranormal is largely contradicted by the biological and psychological fields of study, cultures throughout the world that believe the stars and the moon influence their behavior still exist.

To label a behavior as abnormal, a psychologist must take into account what the definition of ‘normal' is whether the context is sociocultural, biological or psychosocial. If society agrees that a mother nurtures and cares for her children, then a mother who murders her children must be considered ‘abnormal.' It is that definition that allows for the study, the treatment and the care for abnormal behaviors to begin.

References

Fabrega H: Psychiatric Stigma in the Classical and Medieval Period: A Review of the Literature. Comp

Psychiatry 1990, 31, 4, 289-306

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2005). Abnormal psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Kowalski, R. and Westen, D. (2005) Psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley