1. Abnormal And
Clinical Psychology:
“The Politics of Madness”
By: Rachel T. Hare-Mustin & Jeanne Marecek
Presented by Lauren Cheff & Brie Pierro

2. The Social Construction of
Psychological Knowledge
Knowledge rests heavily on social consensus
What we believe as truth is subjective based on our social interactions and experiences
Language has the power to structure social reality
Language makes it possible for the system to be non inclusive
How we perceive the world is formed by commonly used language
We gain knowledge from our surroundings
How we present our experiences entail what we are internally feeling
Psychology today is an institution of late 20th century culture maintaining the ideologies of the
dominant group or culture
Relates to: Standards of mental health, practices and treatment

3. Psychological Interventions
Some of Freud’s ideals still exist within psycho-
analysis today
Such as: women are untruthful, women are
flattered and aroused by male advances, women are
psychologically defective males, women are the
seducers

4. Diagnosis : Judging and Naming
Assessment leading to formal diagnosis
Conditions are then standardized by name(s)
Diagnoses from psychologists are based on feelings
or experiences explained by patients
Clinicians determine who is entitles to medication,
healthcare, etc.

5. The Ideological Pull of Diagnosis
With diagnoses comes certain connotations
Psychological and psychosocial disorders are
described using medical language
Symptoms and syndromes of patients define disorders
Symptoms are described as an external manifestation
of internal turmoil
Treatment focuses on reducing symptoms

6. The DSM
1952: First Edition contained 198 categories of disorders ; 2nd: 221 conditions ; 3rd (1980): format
change that was more medicalized and listed 340 categories that were also included in the 4th revision
(1994)
In the DSM, physical disorders are linked to psychological disorders. Life circumstances and social
locations “do not” affect these
The more they diagnose the more “valid” the disorders become
The criteria of disorders (such as symptoms, etc.) serve to normalize the classifications of patients.
Clinicians often disagree on diagnoses
With the passing of time comes new-found knowledge
Diagnoses are created to maintain the power of upper class citizens
Have PMS? You’re crazy

7. Are Clinical Judgements Biased?
Yes! Due to varying social locations such as gender
and class, this leads to over- and under-diagnosing
which have grave negative effects

8. Alternative Approaches To Treatment
Feminist Therapy
- Questions the social norms and demands of conventional gender roles
- Feminist family therapists advocate two main points:
1. Therapists should stop blaming mothers for the majority of problems
2. Clinicians should ask men to change as much as they do women
Family Therapists
- Work with entire families basing their strategies off of change and an intersectional issue rather than an
issue of a sole member
Psycho-educational model of Intervention
- The clinician is more of an educator and collaborator to the client, than an expert in a “one-up” situation.
- In the treatment of severe & chronic mental illness, psycho-educational therapists focus on specifics such
as the management of relapse and coming to terms with the prospects of permanent diminished functioning
Social Change Efforts
- Very popular in the community mental health movement of the 1960’s-1970’s
- Aims for prevention of problems in poor urban areas

9. The Power Hour
Also known as a therapy session
Therapist is the expert
Feminist therapists agree that the power-r0le in
therapy stops female clients from gaining their
self-confidence
Psychotherapy is a client seeking out an expert for
assistance

10. Focus on the Individual
Psychotherapy’s goal (when focused on the
individual) is to relieve distress and disability
Problems stem from the individual, not situational,
circumstantial or external issues and forces

11. Assumptions of Knowledge
The assumption that abnormal and clinical psychologist can be objective in their research
Social-construction deems this not possible
The researcher chooses what they want to include or omit; this creates a skewed idea of what the diagnosis should
be based off of
The DSM is problematic for many reasons but largely because it negates countless alternative treatments yet has
become the most credible source
Results of studies that are printed as generalizations, are in fact focused on white middle-class, educated patients.
Other social groups end up under the category of “Special Populations”
Many researchers are bringing to light the effects of :
- Being a single mother
- Divorce
- Immigration
- Effects of war
- Oppression of women
- Unemployment

12. QUESTIONS
How could we make “alternative approaches” to
diagnoses the normative?
What do you believe the effects will be on society
if we continue to misdiagnose individuals?