Psychology 170:  Abnormal Behavior

JW P. Heuchert/Joshua Searle-White

Welcome:

Welcome to PSYCH 170: Abnormal Behavior. Together we will study the different aspects of what is considered 'normal', and particularly what is considered 'abnormal', human behavior. This syllabus will provide you with essential information about the course. Please read it carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear.

Course description:

This course will be an introduction to concepts and contemporary categories of abnormal behavior presented from biological, cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic and sociocultural perspectives. Additional topics include consideration of how theoretical orientations guide contemporary research and reflect therapeutic techniques. The disorders included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) will be covered, but we will also consider the utility of this diagnostic system and discuss the accuracy and usefulness of diagnostic systems in general. Along the way, we will discuss a number of therapeutic techniques in the context of the disorders in question. We will also examine legal and ethical issues that arise in the mental health system.

Course objectives:

" to familiarize the student with the theories of abnormal behavior;
" to present research findings in the study of abnormal behavior;
" to present models of classification of abnormal behavior;
" to study specific disorders as described in the DSM-IV;
" to study the treatment of abnormal behavior;
" and to consider the legal and ethical issues in abnormal psychology.

Required texts:

Comer, R. J. (2007). Abnormal psychology. (6th ed.). New York: Worth.

Comer, R. J. (2007). Abnormal psychology. (6th ed.). [CD-ROM] New York: Worth.

Supplemental readings:

Carpenter, F. (1974). The Skinner primer: Behind freedom and dignity: What the B. F. Skinner debate is all about. New York: The Free Press. [pp. 3-35]

Freud, S. (1966). Introductory lectures on psychoanalysis (J. Strachey, Ed. & Trans.). New York: W. W. Norton & Co. (Original work published 1917) [pp. 15-24]

Napier, A. Y., & Whitaker, C. A. (1978). The family crucible: One family's therapy - an experience that illuminates all our lives. New York: Harper & Row. [pp. 1-11, 44-58]

Pitman, R. K. (1993). Posttraumatic obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case study. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 34, 102-107.

Other readings may be assigned later in the semester.

Course requirements:

You will be required to read and study the texts, videos, and readings mentioned above and those presented in class, you will be expected to participate actively in class, you will take four examinations, and you will hand in several written exercises. The details of the above requirements will be discussed in class and in separate handouts. All materials in the texts, in assignments, as well as those presented and discussed in class, may be on the exams. The exams will consist of objective questions.

Class attendance:

It is expected that you will attend all class meetings. During class meeting the important concepts in your texts will be discussed, and new material will be presented. Demonstrations and examples will be presented to help you understand the material. All materials presented in the course (including films, information from the CD, case material, videos, and assignments) can be on the exams, so it will be useful to participate and be attentive in class.

Case presentation exercises:

You will be asked to select teams of four people for these exercises. We will provide you with details about a particular person with a psychological disorder, and your team will then be given several questions to answer. Some of you will then be called upon to report your team's finding to the rest of the class. You will be asked to hand in your reports to us so that we can record your attendance and participation. Each exercise can help you earn one point, for a maximum of 20 points.

CD-ROM assignments/Video Case Enrichment:

Your text book includes a CD-ROM that has video case histories. You can watch the videos by putting the CD into any Windows computer that has Quicktime 6 installed (it is also included on the CD if you want to install it yourself.) To run the program just open the CD-ROM, then open the "Runtime - Windows" folder and double-click on either "Comer 6e AP - desktop" (if you want the videos to be small) or "Comer 6e AP - fullscreen (if you want the videos to take up your whole screen). When you get the opening screen, click once, and then click on "Video case enrichment" and then choose the video that is assigned for that day. You can also install the program on your own computer if you want, and the performance will probably be better. You need to have the CD-ROM in the computer to run the program, whether or not the program is actually installed on your computer.

Each CD-ROM assignment is worth 2 points and involves watching a brief video segment and then answering a short series of questions that are included with the video. Below are the dates that each assignment is due. Please note that they are due at the beginning of class on the due date. We will not accept late assignments.

Note that these are only a few of the video cases on the CD-ROM - we encourage you to watch more of them, since they give some very good additional examples of the material we are studying.

Honor code:

It is expected that you will adhere to the honor code in all respects.