Good Research Paper On Abnormal Psychology: Past And Present

The views about the psychogenic and somatogenic perspectives of psychological abnormality began to develop in the 1800’s, and have been continuing to progress since their introduction. According to the somatogenic perspective, abnormal psychological functioning is due to physical causes, whereas the psychogenic perspective considers the main causes of abnormal functioning to be psychological (Comer, 2014). As more biological studies were performed, this opened the door for researchers and doctors to think that there were many physical factors that were linked to mental disorders. For example, Emil Kraepelin discovered that syphilis, which is an organic disease, was believed to lead to general paresis (Comer, 2014). Although this was a great step for the somatogenic perspective, many of the biological methods that were established for patients in mental hospitals were unsuccessful. Unfortunately for those suffering from mental disorders, the tactics used to treat them were quite brutal. For example, doctors used methods such as tooth extraction (Comer, 2014). Unlike these procedures, those following the psychogenic perspective handled matters quite differently. Hypnotism was a popular technique used for treatment since 1778, which “places people in a trance-like mental state during which they become extremely suggestible” (Comer, 2014, p. 14). Those who used hypnotism even experimented with healthy people, making them believe that they had physical problems such as deafness and numbness. After this, the participants were likely to return to their normal state so it was believed that other problems, such as hysterical disorders, were psychological (Comer, 2014). Although there have been improvements throughout the years for each prospective, there is more research that needs to be done for each.
Not all behaviors that are deviant are considered abnormal by everyone, such as shoplifting. Also, mourning the loss of a loved one is a distressful behavior that most believe is normal, and people might not view the dysfunctional behavior of a teen that stops speaking with their parents for a week as abnormal behavior. In addition, carrying guns is dangerous but is often considered normal.

References

Comer, R. (2014). Abnormal Psychology – DSM. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.