PSYCH270:

Lesson 1: Abnormal Behavior

Introduction

Welcome to Psych 270, Introduction to Abnormal Psychology. We will be exploring the world of abnormal psychology over the next several months and along the way will encounter a large amount of content starting with baseline information in the first three lessons and eventually touching upon various families of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. We will also learn about mental health-related topics such as suicide and a few more obscure yet very interesting topics such as dissociative disorders.

One advantage that we have on our journey is that the subject matter is inherently interesting to most people. Mental illness is a fascinating and engaging topic that can promote a great deal of thought and discussion.

This course was created by Dr. David J. Wimer during the summer of 2016, but an on-line course such as this one is like a relay race with many scholars cultivating it over time. Your instructor may not be the original creator of the course and if not then he or she will provide their own unique perspective by putting their own spin on the subject matter.

I am choosing to write in first person because the narrative will be less clunky and more engaging that way; also, I am a published science fiction author and parts of my novels and many of my short stories are in first person so it is a format that I'm comfortable with. Thus, when I say "I", I am referring to Dr. David J. Wimer.

Our exposure to the subject matter in this course will be a combination of the textbook, media such as the Depression: Out of the Shadows documentary, and the online commentary. In the online commentary I see my role as that of a "tour guide" in that I will add context above and beyond the textbook while also pointing out important subject matter that may receive more emphasis on exams.

So what is "abnormal"? As we will learn in this first lesson, "abnormal" is a highly subjective term and there are many factors that need to be considered when determining abnormality.

Why do people behave in abnormal ways? For example, why would a celebrity like Ariana Grande do something like lick a donut and put it back on the shelf?

Deciphering the cause (or "etiology") of abnormal behavior is an important aspect of abnormal psychology.

Lesson Objectives

After completing this lesson you should be able to:

1. Define key terms and concepts.
2. Understand the concept of abnormality.
3. Differentiate among the various standards and criteria for determining abnormality.
4. Understand the basics of psychotherapy.
5. Think critically about the current and future trends in abnormal psychology.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 1 Course Schedule.