Seven Psychological Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior Each of the seven major pe

Question

Seven Psychological Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior Each of the seven major perspectives in psychology emphasizes different factors believed to contribute to abnormal behavior, but in practice they overlap. Consider the phenomenon of compulsive hoarding, Everyone sometimes makes an impulse purchase, and most people are reluctant to discard some possessions that are of questionable value. But when the acquisition of and inability to discard worthless items becomes extreme, it can interfere with basic aspects of living, such as cleaning, cooking, sleeping on a bed, and moving around one's home. This abnormal behavior is associated with several psychological disorders, but it is most commonly found in people who have obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Review the psychological perspectives below and see how each of the seven major perspectives heips to explain compulsive hoarding. Sociocultural (Problems reflect cultural values and beliefs) Biological (Problems with brain function, genetic predisposition biochemistry) Cognitive (Faulty thinking) Evolutionary (Exaggerated form of an adaptive reaction). Behavioral (Faulty Conditioning or modeling) Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (unconscious, unresolved conflict) Humanistic (Blocked personal growth)

Explanation / Answer

Sociocultural perspective: One's social environment provides people with certain values and beliefs. In a society which suffers from scarcity of resources may autmatically give rise to people believing it is alright to stock resources. Parents somtimes may be extremely parsimonious leading to children inculcting that behavior . further shopping as a leisurely acivity promotes acquisition.Further collecting stuff is cosidered a hobby and classy which could also promote such a behaviour. Elongated exposure to these beliefs may lead to compulsive hoarding.

Biological: There is neuropsychological evidence for hoarding behaviour. Certain imaging studies find that different brain areas are activated for in brains of hoarders, people with OCD, and human controls. The anterior ventromedial prefrontal and cingulate cortices play a major role. Hoarding also seems to have some genetic basis.

Evolutionary: Early Man used to hunt and save for future. Hoarding behavior comes fro there. There are numerous studies on animals which show that hoarding is common in animals too including rats, ants, certain birds, cows, bees, monkeys and many other primates. This reflects a naturally selected urge to hoard resources for times when hey could be scarce.

Cognitive: Studies have shown that hoarders have impaired cognitive funcitoning including faulty executive functioning, information processing deficits, behavioural avoidance and distorted beliefs. The decision making has been found to be impaired and attention has been found to be often selective.

Behaioural: If parents or cerain role models or signifacnt others may ehibit such a behavior, hoarding may take place.Sometimes unfulfilled emotions may also be a cause for hoarding. When children are not allowed to spend or there is no equal distribution of resources in the house or school or society, including love care and attention it could lead o hoarding. Childhood trauma could also be a cause.

Psychoanalytic: According to Frued, when parents give harsh toilet training to chidren, chidren may learn to hold their feaces, eventually as the child grows it may turn into hoarding behaviour.

Humanistic: When there is a social or environmental pressure on children to behave in ways they may not wish too, they withdraw.They have been made to part with their possessions as children or even worse may not have been given the emotional comfort through care, company, toys and this creates a vacum. Their perosal and emotional growth may have been blovked leading to hoarding behaviour.

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