Abnormal psychology is one of the branches of psychology which determines the unusual patterns regarding the emotions thoughts as well as the behavior. Further, the essence of this aspect is because it may not be understood as a form of precipitating a mental disorder. Even though there are many behaviors which can be considered as abnormal, this understanding can deal with the context of clinical aspects. The history of psychology often attempts to control and understand behavior which can be deemed to be deviant in various ways (Alloy, Riskind, and Manos, 2005). As a result, different psychologists have given provided their definitions regarding their perspectives on the concept of psychological abnormality. The understanding of the distinct meaning of psychological abnormality is vital in providing the different context of the topic.
The science of abnormality psychology attempts to study various types of behaviors which consist of maladaptive and adaptive behaviors. These concepts have been defined differently considering the perceptions of many psychologists. The definition of abnormal is simple through various sources although its application to psychology is considered to be complicated in regards to some given context (Braff, Freedman, Schork, and Gottesman, 2006). Primarily, this context entails what should be normal, the existing norm for which age and culture.
According to Durand, and Barlow, abnormal psychology is considered s among the most popular fields of study in which the understanding of psychology for a good reason is enumerated (2012). Additionally, the problems it expresses are immense social and personal importance. These challenges address the lives of people in one way or another and consist of being pervasive such as obesity, depression and sexual dysfunctions (Durand, and Barlow, 2012). Notably, these problems which are explained often affects the majority of people who experience them in their endeavors.
On the other hand, abnormal psychology is a representation of the formidable challenges in reviewing a breadth of research which exist across the number of subfields (Alloy, Riskind, and Manos, 2005). The explanation illustrates the abnormal psychology as the study in which the understanding of behavior is expressed through the deviation of what is expected among people. The essence of this is to describe the probable imaginary aspects which entail the agony of displaying the problems associated or affecting people.
Conclusively, the understanding of psychological abnormality is defined in various perspectives according to different authors. However, the common aspect which exists among these authors is the fact that it is the study of unusual patterns of emotions, thought, and behavior (Alloy, Riskind, and Manos, 2005). The ultimate goal may or sometimes not be on the understanding of precipitation of a mental disorder. The difficulties regarding psychological abnormality primarily consist of the problems of behavior among people.
Task two
Eating disorders are often the description of the illnesses which have characteristics of irregular habits of eating with severe distress or concerns regarding the body weight and shape of people. Further, eating disorders consist of inadequate or excessive food intake that can ultimately affect the well-being of an individual (Castellini, Trisolini, and Ricca, 2014). There are common forms of disorders which can be experienced and include bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa. The understanding in comparing and contrasting the biological and psychological factors are essential to express the eating disorders. Research provides that there is evidence which establishes for an inherited tendency which develops towards eating disorders (Braff, Freedman, Schork, and Gottesman, 2006).
The biological aspects are often experienced from the families who genetically contributes towards the development risk on eating disorders. For instance, an individual with the parents having an eating disorder have higher chances of getting the condition than people without a history of the disease within the lineage of their families. The biological factors which cause eating disorders consist of genetics, the constitutional features which comprise of prenatal risk factors, low birth weight, older maternal age, and convulsions (Castellini, Trisolini, and Ricca, 2014). The other aspects in biological factors entail the physical characteristics such as propensity for obesity and the neuroendocrine as well as the metabolic abnormalities such as disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
The biological explanation also regards abnormalities in the structure of the hypothalamus and the brain structure which are responsible for the regulation of eating disorders (Edwards, 2013). Notably, studies suggest that the hypothalamus of bulimics cannot trigger a response of normal satiation. As a result, these individuals often do not feel full even after having a meal. The essence of this is developed by the existence of various neurotransmitters which are involved in eating disorders. The neurotransmitters assist in carrying messages from the cell throughout the brain and nervous system to a cellular space and attach the receptors to the cell (Edwards, 2013). Moreover, the neurotransmitter serotonin affects the development of behavior in bulimics making the individuals concerned to have a craving for foods.
The psychological aspect of the eating disorder, on the other hand, is dependent on the understanding of cognitive theory. The essence of this theory is to explain the network connection of the brain and the information processes within the body. As a result, this is characterized by the president disturbance of patterns of eating which can lead to poor physical health to an individual (Castellini, Trisolini, and Ricca, 2014). Conversely, the people who suffer from the eating disorders can also be experiencing a wide range of physical complications due to kidney failures, heart conditions that are part of psychological development towards eating disorders (Brytek-Matera, and Czepczor, 2017). The persistence disturbance of eating-related disorders in regards to changes in behavior leads to abnormalities as well as psychosocial impairments. For instance, the anorexia nervosa and bulimia are considered as self-induced starvation which can bring about changes in the body weight.
The development of culture influences the understanding of the eating disorder and the process of diagnosis. The modern westernized countries models and the establishment of media have created a way in which people eat their food as well as the diagnosis system. Studies have suggested that the development of eating disorders across time has been affected by the establishments and practices which alters their physical health (Miller, and Pumariega, 2001). The reflection of culture is observable in cuisine, social habits which are considered as the available options which surround individuals. Further, the family structure is a vital aspect which influences the cultural elements in eating disorders because it shapes the food culture among people. For instance, some families have an emphasis on the type of historical background on the culture (Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley, 2013). The gender also has an impact on eating disorder among people within society.
Studies suggest that it is eating disorders which takes place across the time have noted ideas of beauty to change considering their need to keep the shape of their bodies (Striegel‐Moore, Rosselli, Perrin, DeBar, Wilson, May, and Kraemer, 2009). Besides, men who are doing personal fitness also have been influenced by the need to partake their particular diet. As a result, this has immensely affected the incidences of diagnosis and eating disorders among different genders. Significantly, it is noted that more women are reported to have felt that they cannot control how and what they eat (Striegel‐Moore, Rosselli, Perrin, DeBar, Wilson, May, and Kraemer, 2009). The development of social, economic groups has also influenced the incidents of diagnosis and eating disorders in various ways.
The essence of this has been experienced given the fact that there is the provision of treatment which has neglected the other demographic groups (Mulders-Jones, Mitchison, Girosi, and Hay, 2017). Overall, the eating symptoms of eating disorders are equally distributed across all the levels of socioeconomic status. The need for specialization of universal access to specialized services in detecting and diagnosis of eating disorders among different subgroups is imperative to consider the best type of treatment of the condition. The cases of unemployment have also been associated with many instances of psychiatric disorders (Mulders-Jones, Mitchison, Girosi, and Hay, 2017). Different factors cause the prevalence of eating disorders among various socio-economic groups. These consist of varying levels of education, employment opportunities, levels of income as well as access to services which exist between them.
Reference List
Alloy, L.B., Riskind, J.H. and Manos, M.J., 2005. Abnormal psychology: Current perspectives (Vol. 278). McGraw Hill.
Braff, D.L., Freedman, R., Schork, N.J. and Gottesman, I.I., 2006. Deconstructing schizophrenia: an overview of the use of endophenotypes to understand a complex disorder. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 33(1), pp.21-32.
Brytek-Matera, A. and Czepczor, K., 2017. Models of eating disorders: a theoretical investigation of abnormal eating patterns and body image disturbance. Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 1, pp.16-26.
Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S. and Hooley, J.M., 2013. Abnormal psychology. ^ New York New York: Pearson.
Castellini, G., Trisolini, F. and Ricca, V., 2014. Psychopathology of eating disorders. Journal of Psychopathology, 20(1), pp.461-470.
Durand, V.M. and Barlow, D.H., 2012. Essentials of abnormal psychology. Cengage Learning.
Edwards, L.M., 2013. Theoretical analysis of binge eating disorder through the perspectives of self-psychology and cognitive theory/cognitive behavioral therapy, and an explanation of blending these perspectives.
Miller, M.N. and Pumariega, A.J., 2001. Culture and eating disorders: A historical and cross-cultural review. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and biological processes, 64(2), pp.93-110.
Mulders-Jones, B., Mitchison, D., Girosi, F. and Hay, P., 2017. Socioeconomic correlates of eating disorder symptoms in an Australian population-based sample. PloS one, 12(1), p.e0170603.
Striegel‐Moore, R.H., Rosselli, F., Perrin, N., DeBar, L., Wilson, G.T., May, A. and Kraemer, H.C., 2009. Gender difference in the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42(5), pp.471-474.
