2. INTRODUCTION TO ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY
Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology
that studies unusual patterns of behaviour,
emotion and thought, which may or may not be
understood as precipitating a mental disorder.
The field of abnormal psychology identifies
multiple causes of different conditions,
employing diverse theories from the general field
of psychology.
3. There has traditionally been a divide between
psychological and biological explanations,
reflecting a philosophical dualism in regards to
the mind-body problem.
Abnormal includes three different categories,
they are:
a) Subnormal
b) Supernormal
c) Paranormal
4. The science of abnormal psychology studies two
types of behaviours; adaptive and maladaptive.
Psychopathology is a similar term to abnormal
psychology but has more of an implication of an
underlying pathology, and more commonly used
in medical speciality known as psychiatry.
5. ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR IN ANCIENT
TIMES
Although human life presumably appeared on
earth some million years ago, written records
extends back to a few thousand years.
Two Egyptian papyri dating from the sixteenth
century BC have provided some dues into the
earliest interest in the treatment of diseases and
behaviour disorders.
6. The Edwin Smith papyrus contains of the
treatment of wound and other surgical
operations.
Ebers papyrus provides another perspective on
treatment. It covers internal medicine and the
circulatory system but relies more on explaining
and curing diseases that had unknown causes.
7. DEMONOLOGY, GODS AND MAGIC
The Chinese, Egyptian, Hebrews and Greeks often
attributed abnormal behaviour to a demon or God
who had possessions of a person.
The decision as to whether the possession
involved good spirits or evil spirit usually
depending upon the symptoms.
If a person’s behaviour appeared to have
religious components then he or she was
possessed by good spirit else he or she was
possessed by bad spirit.
8. Most possessions were considered to be the work
of an angry God or evil spirit. Among the ancient
Hebrews, such possessions were thought to
represent the wrath and punishment of God.
The primary type of treatment for demonic
possession was exorcism, which included various
techniques for casting an evil spirit out of the
affected person.
9. The techniques varied considerably but typically
included magic prayers, incantation noise making and
the use of various horrible tasting such as purgatives
made from pig’s dung and wine.
Exorcism was originally the task of a shaman’s or
person regarded as having healing power, but it was
eventually taken over by priests in Egypt and Greece,
who apparently served as holy people, physicians,
psychologist and magical rites.
10. Hippocrates “early medical concepts”
The Greek temple of healing unshered in the
golden age of Greece under the Athenian leader
Pericles(461-429 BC). During this time,
considerable progress was made in treatment
and understanding of mental disorders.
During this period the Greek physician
Hippocrates(460-377 BC) often referred to as
Father of modern medicine, received his training
and made substantial contributions to the field.
11. Hippocrates denied that deities and demons are the cause
of illness and insisted that mental disorders had natural
causes and required treatment like other diseases.
He believed that brain was the central organ of intellectual
activity and mental disorder were due to brain pathology.
He also emphasized on heridity and predisposition and
pointed out that injuries to the head could cause sensory
and motor disorder.
12. Hippocrates classified all mental disorders into three
general categories- MANIA, MELANCHOLIA and
PHRENITIS(brain fever).
The treatments advocated by Hippocrates were far in
advance of the exorcistic practices.
Hippocrates emphasis on the natural causes of diseases,
clinical observation and brain psychology as the root of
mental disorders.
13. EARLY PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTIONS
OF CONSCIOUSNESS
The problem of dealing with mentally disturbed individual
who have committed criminal acts was studied by the
Greek philosopher Plato(429-347 BC).
Plato viewed psychological phenomena as response of the
world organism, reflecting its internal state and natural
appetites.
He also seems to have anticipated Freud’s insight into the
function of fantasies and dreams as substitutes
satifactions.
14. In “the Republic”, Plato emphasized the importance of
individual difference in intellectual and other abilities,
pointing to the role of sociocultural influence in shaping
thinking and behaviour.
The celebrated Greek philosopher Aristotle(384-322 BC)
who was a pupil of Plato, wrote extensively on mental
disorder.
He too anticipated Freud in his view of thinking as directed
string towards the elimination of pain and the attainment
of pleasure on the question of whether mental disorder
could be caused by psychological factors.
15. GREEK AND ROMAN THOUGHT
Hippocrates work was continued by some of the later
Greek and Roman physicians. Particularly in Alexandria,
Egypt medical practices developed to high level.
Once of the most influential Greek physicians was Galen
(130-200 AD)who practiced in Rome. He made numbers of
original contributions concerning the anatomy of the
nervous system.
The contributions of Hippocrates and the later Greece and
Roman physicians were soon lost in the popular
superstitions.
16. CONCLUSION
History of psychology dates back to centuries ago with the
many philosopher’s teachers whose words spoke word of
intelligence.
Philosophers every time relied on methods such as
observations and logic however psychologist inn this age
used scientific method in the study of human thought and
behaviour.
Ancient societies attributed abnormal behaviour to divine
or supernatural force. In ancient Greece people who
behaved abnormally were sometimes sent to special
temples where divines effect were used to cure.
