In: Psychology
Dexcribe at least three different paradigms that are covered by abnormal psychology in a changing wolrd .
How do each explains the onset of mental disorders?
How each seeks to provide treatment for those who are suffering?
1Psychologists may use different perspectives to try to pursue the question about the behavioral, emotional or cognitive issues in the development, maintenance as well as treatment of mental disorders. These include:
Behavioral- the perspective focuses on defining abnormality in terms of deviant or socially maladaptive behaviours due to faulty learning, experiences with greater reinforcement for behavioral problems, observation of deviant behaviours in significant others, peers and other models. According to this perspective, the effective treatment procedures entail behavioral modification using the principles of classical and operant conditioning, obesrevationla learning through aversive conditioning or punishment for problem behaviors such as substance abuse, delinquency, impulse control disorders, bullying in adolescents etc, as well as reinforcement of adaptive and more productive behaviours such as assertiveness training, greater instances of cooperative behaviours in peer situations, pursuing greater social contact with others in case of social phobias, etc.
Medical perspective - This approach focuses on the biological causes on mental illness. Generally, psychiatrists are trained in advancing a genetic cause and/ or a neurobiological explanation for the symptoms of a mental condition. For instance, affective or mood disorders such clinical depression are understood to be related to the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA , and the excitatory neurotransmitter dopmanine in patients of depression. By localising the disorders in terms of the activity of the specific brian areas, biological theorists propose that psychopharmacology, Brain surgery may be the best treatment approaches for reducing the symptoms of a mental disorder.
Cognitive approach- the perspective focus on how internal thoughts, perceptions and reasoning contribute to psychological disorders. According to the Rationla Emotive Therapy (RET) Model of Albert Ellis, maladaptive and negative thoughts create beliefs of self-doubt and in turn influence emotions and behaviours by creating feelings of worthlessness and self-defeating behaviours, low motivation, etc. Thus, the cognitive view such as RET lays out the emergence of cognition or thoughts as the root cause behind mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, aggression, and impulse control disorders. The cognitive view presents the use of psychotropic drugs along with psychotherapy based on RET/REBT, ABCD models wherein the focus is on challenging the patient’s false beliefs through direct confrontation and directing them to reconstruct their thoughts and therefore change the emotional and behavioral experiences of the target situations or problem relationships.
In abnormal psychology, some psychologists may just concentrate on a single perspective. But most professionals prefer to adopt an eclectic approach which combines two or three perspectives together in order to get significant information for generating a better treatment plan for their patients.