Psychopathology

Week #2 - 9/6/2006
Prof. Baliotis

Journals
- 3 of them, due anytime
- 2-3 pages
- At least one a reaction of a reading
- Maybe the rest about something that has come up in class
- Anything we talk about in class or readings

Etiology of psychopathology from a viewpoint of interest paper

- pick a theory/model (relational, systems, self, biological, diathesis-stress… )
that explains how psychopathology develops
- each theory focuses on types of psychopathology
o self leads to narcissistics
- psycho-biological
o manic depression, schizophrenia
- family, systems models
o development of eating disorders
- pick the theory and detail some of the disorders
- have an idea of what to work on by 9/14
- 7pgs
- Not strict APA style, but use APA for references
- Use some background to lay foundation, but not too much that it becomes all
about the theorist or model
- If its strong now, if its up for debate, if it has gaps, how its viewed now, where
it might go, define theory, relate theory to psychopathology, Strengths and
weaknesses

Psychoanalytic Theory
- Freud
o First one to talk about the UC in terms of motivational behavior
o Majority of experience is in our unconscious
 Psychoanalytic theory (classic Freudian theory)
• Dynamics btw conscious (CS), preconscious (PCS) &
unconscious (UCS)
 UCS has no rules, a logical, amoral, rules our dreams
 CS has rules (because its been socialized)
 Dynamic energies that motivate us come from our past and
present
o Dynamic viewpoint
 Primary process
• More primal, amoral (UCS)
 Secondary process
 • Constrained by logic & reality (CS)
• A refined version of the primary to what is more
socially appropriate
o Genetic viewpoint
 Young children have preoccupation w/ sexuality
 Experience is primarily sensory
• Don’t have language yet, don’t have verbal sense of the
world (internal linguistic thought)
• *Patients may regress and not have words to describe a
feeling, maybe be back to this stage
 Each eroticized parts goes along with a developmental stage
(oral, anal, phallic)
 Healthy people pass through all the stages and work through all
the needs of that stage
• If developmental needs aren’t met at the stages,
psychopathology starts
• People tend to regress under stress to times of issues
 The earlier the stage in a disruption occurs, the worse the
destruction and the lower the functioning
 Most personality disorders develop by 3 years old
 Btw birth & 6 months, disruptions tend to lead to psychosis and
severe depression
• 6 months & 3 yrs – character & personality disorders
• > 3 yrs – neurosis
 Oral Stage
• Birth – 1.5 years
• First eroticized region is mouth
• Exploring by putting stuff in mouth, feeding through
the mouth
• No rules
• Not a lot of socialization
• All about the baby’s needs
• Attachment – at 3 months
• Main needs to fulfill- loving & aggressive oral drives
o A need to fulfill the aggressive drive
o A need to be taken care of
• Id in control (animalistic, only concerned w/ wants)
• Reality exists in two extreme planes
o Catastrophic
 World in chaos, strives to get calm & get
oceanic feeling
o Oceanic
 All is good, blissful feeling
 o Disruption in this phase fits with substance
abuse & borderline
• Oral based disorders are very severe
o Schizoid (odd, eccentric, no affect, removed &
not connected to people)
o Severe depression (giving up on getting needs
met)
o If one’s basic need for gratification & love is not
met, they will have difficulty with the ability to
love in the future
 Anal Stage
• 1.5 – 3 yrs
• Intense socialization
• Issue is related to toilet training – being in control
o Physically – about being able to control one’s
own sphincter muscles
• Derive physical and erotic pleasure pooping
o Now much show control over these drives
• Child tries to show control over significant others
o Loves the word “no”
o The child wants to become powerful
 Struggles with narcissism & gets
reminded of its dependence on others
• Child begins to internalize parental wishes and makes
them their own
• An immature version of the superego develops
o Moralistic, harsh, only form of justice
o If the child breaks a vase
 Fears punishment and rejection by
parents
 Thinks “I am all bad”, instead of just a
mistake
 Overly harsh
• Disruptions can lead to
o Anal retentiveness
 Comes from earlier damage in stage
 Super-ego overly harsh
 Hold everything in (doesn’t cry, show
anger, show happiness)
 Can’t deal with impulses
 Can’t forgive themselves for anything
o Anal expulsive
 Comes from later damage in stage
  Doesn’t want to be toilet trained
 Messy
 Someone who has a hard time with
restrictions
o Relates to OCD, OCPD & eating disorders (anal
retentive) as well as narcissistic & borderline
disorders (anal expulsive)
o *Borderlines have a hard time with an
integrated view of themselves (can’t see all the
sides of themselves) experience themselves and
others as all good or all bad
 Phallic Stage
• 3 – 6/7 yrs
• Height of Oedipal complex
• Maturation of superego
o Can not have mother, gets used to social values
and norms
• Gender identity consolidation
• Unsuccessful resolution leads to
o Unhealthy superego
 Does not learn that they need rules,
become less rigid & a relaxation of
standards
 Latency
• 7 – 11/12 yrs
• Focus on the outside (skills, sports, art, friendship)
 Genital Stage
• Puberty
• Goal: to build healthy & appropriate relationships