Explanations of Abnormality

What are some of the various explanations of abnormality? In history there were three group theories one was that abnormality was supernatural, another said it was natural and still another theory said it was psychological related to stress theories. The supernatural theories thought that abnormality was abnormal divine interventions like demonic possessions or caused by personal sin, and cure was to show a form of atonement. While the natural theories suggested that abnormality was related to diseases of the physical sense where some breakdown in the body systems occurred. The cure was to restore the body to good health. The psychological stress theories were a result of traumas or personal losses such as bereavement or even chronic stress, and the cure was to be rest and relaxation with maybe a change in environment and maybe the use of some herbal medicines.

Supernatural theories mainly dealt with evil spirits in the pre-modern times till even now in the modern times depending on where a person lives. The supernatural theory of animalism shows the power and existence of a spirit having possession of a body. One way that was used to rid the body of these evil spirits was 'trepination' with a tool called a 'trephine' that was used in drilling a hole in the skull of the person with the problem. Another way to deal with evil spirits was through having an exorism and driving out the evil spirits in the body. There are what are known as 'Shaman's healers' that offer prayers and incantations over a person to make the physical body uncomfortable. There is 'bleeding, beating, starving the person or even killing the person, as what happened at the Salem Witch Trials.

There are natural theories as from the Ancient Greeks that have biological and scientific causes. Hippocrates says that mental disorders were like other diseases of the body. The body has four basic humors that are blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. There are imbalances or excesses of these humors and careful observations made. There are four classifications also and they were epilepsy, mania, melancholia and brain fever that were also of different kinds.

A main one was known as 'hysteria' where physical symptoms appear, but there is no organic basis. Freud studied these and today they are known as somatoform disorders. They are stress induced and biological mechanisms were physically intrusive and being 'bled' was the cure or just to get rest and to follow a proper diet, relax, and/or changing lifestyle and environment.

There are psychological theories from Plato that madness came to a rational mind was overcome by impulse, passion and appetite. To restore rational processes and emotional control was to see what was going on with the person. One disorder was known as Tarantism or dance mania when convulsions happened. This usually occurred during the summer months when hysterical behaviors were exhibited like when St. Vitus Dance spread to be an epidemic. Another disorder is known as lycan therapy where the person believed that they were bitten by a werewolf and show behaviors of a wolf to others.

Modifications of these theories were made by the Dianthus Stress Model we will not inherit this disorder, but we do inherit a predisposition to the disorder. There are certain environmental pressures that can cause problem and the triggers, and precipitating causes, stressors, predisposing causes and disorders happen. Abnormal psychology is a subject that has been one of my favorites to study.

Next lesson: What is the relationship of the body and mind?

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