The Case of Saddam Hussein

The Case of Saddam Hussein

            Narcissism is defined as the excessive love or admiration of oneself. This definition is not far from the psychological meaning of narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a disorder listed in the DSM and is characterized by personality traits such as grandiosity, need for admiration, exploitative attitude, and a lack of empathy. They require admiration and dream of power. Narcissists have a feeling of entitlement, even at the expense of others. They talk mainly about themselves and have very little interest in others. Narcissists have a hard time accepting any type of personal criticism. Narcissists can make people feel intimidated, miserable, or angry (MacDonald, 2011). Narcissism is nurtured from deep rooted feelings from as far back as childhood. Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, is one example of narcissism.

            Saddam Hussein had an unhappy childhood. His father either died or abandoned the family. His mother attempted to abort him and then psychologically rejected him (Meyer, Chapman,  & Weaver, 2009). His mother attempted suicide several times leaving Saddam in the care of others. His mother eventually remarried giving him a stepfather. However, Saddam’s stepfather also mistreated him. Hussein’s stepfather insulted and abused him. Hussein was also forced to steal livestock for his stepfather (Meyer, Chapman,  & Weaver, 2009). Saddam also was not allowed to attend school and was illiterate until age ten. However, his cousins were allowed to attend school; a fact that Saddam was angry and jealous of. Saddam was labeled as angry, quiet, and lonely by his peers. At age ten, Saddam went to live with an uncle. Saddam showed evidence of being violent extending into his teen years. At age fourteen, Saddam claimed to have tried to kill his teacher; he was linked to the murder of a teacher and a cousin (Meyer, Chapman,  & Weaver, 2009).

            When Saddam became president, he had statues and images of himself placed around Iraq. He also gave himself numerous titles and powers as he saw fit. He demanded admiration and even killed those who did not. In 1993, Saddam broke peace terms and in 1998 he failed to abide by the United Nations weapons inspector mandates (Meyer, Chapman,  & Weaver, 2009). Saddam’s speeches were generally about himself and his accomplishments. His speeches were written with the intent to boast his importance and achievements while not mentioning others around him. When Saddam lived with his uncle, he was encouraged to dream of becoming a hero (Meyer, Chapman,  & Weaver, 2009). All of this pointed to narcissistic personality disorder.

            When speaking of narcissistic personality disorder, there are psychodynamic and cognitive – behavioral components. It is the belief that the vanity, arrogance, and self – centeredness found in narcissists is an attempt to counteract the individual’s underlying feelings of being inadequate (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Narcissists often idealize themselves in order to not feel inferior. The individual’s caregiver in childhood may have been depressed or emotionally neglectful. The narcissist may have a distorted view of the self; can either be superior view or worthless view. These components are evident in the case of Saddam Hussein. Growing up, Saddam felt inadequate and inferior. His mother attempted suicide many times, left Saddam in the care of others, and ultimately rejected him. He was illiterate until he was ten which fueled his feelings of worthlessness. In the beginning, Saddam had a view of himself as worthless. However, when he rose to power the view turned to a superior view.

            Saddam Hussein was a narcissistic man and ruler. He viewed himself as being superior and important. He murdered many from his own party and people who did not agree with his ideas. He dreamt of power and then more power. When it came to rules such as peace terms and weapons mandates, he felt the rules did not apply to him and he refused to follow them. Much of Saddam’s childhood reveals his narcissistic development. Since he was not allowed to attend school, he was jealous of the accomplishments of his cousins in school. He was violent and linked to two murders when he was an early teen. According to Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, Saddam’s “childhood, family background, and early acts of psychopathic violence all played a part in nurturing a future malignant narcissist” (2009, p. 229).

                

References

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

MacDonald, P. (2011). Narcissitic Personality Disorder. Practice Nurse, 41(1), 16-18.

Meyer, R., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case Studies in Abnormal Behavior (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S. (2010). Understanding Abnormal Behavior (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Plagiarism: Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it. 

The Case of Anna O.

                                        The Case of Anna O.

     Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personality Disorder, is the most severe dissociative disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) involves two or more distinct personalities that exist in one person. Each of these personalities maintains its own pattern of behavior, thinking, and relationships (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). The relationship between personalities is often complex. Only one personality is dominant at a time and in most cases the core personality is unaware of the other personalities. However, some personalities may be away of the others. The individual maintains his or her own original identity (Hansell & Damour, 2008). The host personality is the one which usually retains the legal name, helps in maintaining employment, relationships, and responsibilities. 

     The etiology of Dissociative Identity Disorder can be explained through several components. These components include biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and social/sociocultural. Psychodynamic researchers believe that dissociative disorders are the result of the individual’s use of repression to block unpleasant or traumatic events (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). The belief is that dissociation of mental processes occurs when complete repression does not occur. Dissociation may also explain the disruption of personal identity. Dissociative Identity Disorder also involves the mechanism of splitting (Hansell & Damour, 2008). In DID, splitting refers to the splitting of the good and bad of an individual. Thus, different personalities are developed. Dissociative Identity Disorder can occur after traumatic childhood events, such as abuse, as well as the inability to cope with them. Biological components involve the brain structure and processes. Some research has shown a link between DID and NMDA receptor antagonists, serotonergic hallucinogens, and cannabinoids (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Other research focuses more on the brain structures such as the hippocampus and amygdale. The hippocampus is associated with memories. Inhibition of this region is believed to be associated with the switching of personalities. It is also believed that a chronic activation of a stress response in childhood trauma can result in permanent structural changes in the brain (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). This results in a reduction of volume of the hippocampus and amygdala and hampers the ability of the brain to integrate emotional memories. This explains why memories are not shared between personalities. Behavioral, cognitive, and social/sociocultural components have less prominence in etiology than psychodynamic and biological. Behavioral components are based on the role of operant conditioning. Behaviorists believe that a disruption of the reinforcements causes a split in personality. In the past, cognitive psychologists used the self – hypnosis theory to explain dissociative disorders. Modern cognitive psychologists believe dissociative disorders are the result of disruptions in memory and attention. The Sociocognitive Model of DID is the basis of the sociocultural perspective (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). This model states that patients may learn about DID through the mass media and then enact the behaviors. In 1973 there was a publication released entitled Sybil where the main subject had sixteen personalities (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). Thus, the mean number of personalities in DID patients grew from three to twelve.

     The Case of Anna O. tells the story of a woman with DID. Anna first sought treatment for a persistent cough (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). By using hypnosis, Anna’s physician Josef Breuer attempted to have her remember events leading up to the initial visit. Some researchers believe that this hypnosis was the cause of Anna’s DID. This assumption would fall in line with the psychodynamic perspective. Anna discussed events such as her childhood and the distress of caring for her ailing father. These events also could have contributed to Anna’s disorder. Some researchers believe that DID is a learned response within the family (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Due to this, at least one parent is disturbed. Individuals most likely to develop DID include those abused as children, those under significant stress, and those that have experiences maternal rejection. Anan fit into all of these. It is the belief that Anna was generally emotionally abused in that her father and mother, among other factors, stifled her emotional need of independence (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). During the course of Anna’s treatment, two different personalities emerged. Personality 1 was a melancholy personality because of the gaps in consciousness, mood swings, and possible hallucinations (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Personalities differ and sometimes even are complete opposites of one another. This was the case with Anna. Personality 2 had more antisocial qualities, including being abusive towards others, and displaying odd and rebellious behaviors; Anna called this personality “naughty” (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 61). Breuer ended his treatment with Anna. She was later hospitalized for morphine addiction. However, she exhibited symptoms of DID: inability to speak her native language, absences of consciousness, and a feeling of missing time (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Anna was able to make a recovery from her disorder and live a productive life.   

 

References

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Meyer, R., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case Studies in Abnormal Behavior (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S. (2010). Ubderstanding Abnormal Behavior (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Plagiarism: Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it. 

The Case of Virginia Woolf

 The Case of Virginia Woolf

            Mood disorders are a disturbance in an individual’s emotions. These disturbances can cause discomfort or hinder function. One mood disorder is bipolar disorder. In bipolar disorder, depression is accompanied by manic episodes. Bipolar has a generally slow onset. However, the onset of manic episodes may be sudden (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Evidence shows that an individual’s life history may feature symptoms in childhood or adolescence. These symptoms may become more intense during the lifespan. Many creative individuals, such as Virginia Woolf, were believed to have bipolar disorder. The Case of Virginia Woolf demonstrates the severity of bipolar disorder.

            Virginia Woolf began exhibiting symptoms of bipolar disorder in her early teens. Virginia was very close to her mother and took her death hard. Around this time, Virginia had what was considered her first breakdown (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). After her father’s death, Virginia had a more extreme breakdown. Virginia suffered from breakdowns during adulthood as well. These breakdowns usually occurred during the final stages of her writing projects. Her husband, Leonard, began to detect when episodes were beginning and enforced rest for Virginia. This helped her from having relapses. However in 1941, Virginia suffered from another attack and took her own life.

            There are several characteristics related to bipolar disorder. These symptoms fall under affective, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological. The affective symptoms include elevated, expansive, or irritable moods, boundless energy, enthusiasm, and self – assertion. If the individual becomes frustrated, he or she may become profane or belligerent. In Virginia’s episodes, it was reported that she had intense irritable moments. Cognitive characteristics include grandiosity, flightiness, pressured thoughts, lack of focus, and attention, and poor judgment. Speech is accelerated. The individual may change topics mid – sentence and use irrelevant phrases. It was reported that Virginia Woolf often talked rapidly during her episodes. Behavioral characteristics include inhibition and episodes of mania. The classification of bipolar depends on the type of manic episodes experienced; manic or hypomanic. Virginia Woolf experienced manic episodes. In these episodes, the individual exhibits disruptive behavior, pronounced overactivity, grandiosity, hallucinations, and delusions. During her episodes, Virginia believed her nurses were evil and at one point, believed she heard birds chirping in Greek and King Edward VII was hiding in the bushes (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Physiological characteristics include decreased need for sleep and weight loss or gain. Those individuals with manic episodes are much more debilitated than those with hypomanic episodes. Several characteristics of mania may be confused with schizophrenic episodes. However, there are differences between the two. For instance, schizophrenics are controlled by internal thoughts and ideas; whereas, manics are controlled by external stimuli (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). A complication of untreated bipolar is suicide. Statistics show that 15% of these untreated cases end in suicide. Virginia Woolf lived during a time period where most bipolar cases were treated with only rest. Therefore, Virginia committed suicide believing there was no relief from her symptoms. At the time of her death, Virginia had what was classified as Bipolar I.

            The etiology of bipolar depression involves components such as biological, cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, and sociocultural. Most studies focus on depression more than mania (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). The most prominent factor appears to be biological. Biological factors include genetics, neurochemical, and hormonal. Some reasons that depression may occur are dysfunctions in neurotransmission, brain structures affected, and dysregulation in the brain activation system. Mania may be caused by elevated serotonin transporter availability (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). Cognitive causes include how the individual views certain aspects of his or her life. These aspects include themselves, world, and futures. This is called the negative cognitive triad. Behavioral causes include interruption of reinforcements, as developed by Skinner, from the environment. Freud developed the psychodynamic components of depression. He believed that depression was similar to grief. In his research, Freud concluded that depression has roots in the experiences of loss or disappointment (Hansell & Damour, 2008). These experiences resulted in anger. Sociocultural causes include low self – esteem and a weak social support system. Based upon the etiology of depression, Virginia Woolf’s bipolar disorder could have biological or psychodynamic components. Without the proper research and studies on Virginia, biological factors cannot be ruled out. According to Freud, depression has roots in grief. Virginia’s first attack occurred after her mother passed away. She then spent time torn between loving her father and despising him for his actions (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Freud’s theories involved anger at the disappointing person. Virginia suffered her second attack after her father passed away. She had a strong support system through her husband who loved her and took care of her even when she did not reciprocate his feelings.

            Bipolar disorder interferes with an individual’s functioning. Symptoms and characteristics are similar to other disorders. However, there are ways to distinguish them. Virginia Woolf lived in an era where there was little treatment for her disorder. While bipolar disorder spurred Virginia’s creativity, it was also what cost Virginia her life.

References

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Meyer, R., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case studies in abnormal behavior (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S. (2010). Understanding Abnormal Behavior (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Plagiarism: Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it. 

Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology

Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology is a controversial and fascinating area of study. There is no universally agreed upon definition of abnormal psychology; only approximate definitions. Abnormal psychology, also called psychopathology, is the scientific study with the objectives of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling those behaviors considered to be strange or unusual. Abnormal psychology has evolved over time including the development of criteria to define abnormality.

Origins and Evolution of Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology has changed throughout its history. Many of the current attitudes and ideas of abnormal psychology have been influenced by earlier beliefs. Beliefs associated with abnormal psychology date back to the prehistoric and ancient eras. During this period, abnormal behaviors were believed to be evil spirits. These evil spirits were believed to be inhibiting and controlling an individual’s body. Behaviors were treated with methods such as trephining and exorcism. Trephining is a surgical method in which a part of the skull was chipped away. This allowed the evil spirits to leave the body (Sue, Sue,  & Sue, 2010). Much of this period involved the belief that illness was caused by demonic possession or sorcery. During the next period, the Greco – Roman period, naturalistic explanations were developed. These explanations differed from the supernatural ones from before. Hippocrates was one of the earliest thinkers who developed a more rational and scientific explanation for mental disorders (Sue, Sue,  & Sue, 2010). Researchers of this period believed that organic causes explained mental illness rather than demons. Hippocrates believed that the brain was the center of intellectual activity. Therefore, deviant behavior was caused by a dysfunction of the brain. In the Middle Ages, supernatural explanations were once again prevalent. During the Dark Ages period of the Middle Ages, supernatural and naturalistic explanations were fused together. During this period, illnesses were believed to be the result of supernatural forces but also from natural causes. Many people believed illnesses to be a punishment from sin. During the Witchcraft period, people believed that mentally ill individuals were witches although there was little evidence to prove it. During the Renaissance, there were advances in science and humanism. From this period to modern times, reforms were made to the causes and treatments of abnormal psychology. Treatments were more humane than in previous eras. More organized and scientific research was developed in the study of abnormality.

Challenges to Defining and Classifying Normal and Abnormal Behavior

Five criteria for defining abnormality were developed. These criteria were help, seeking, irrationality and dangerousness, deviance, emotional distress, and significant impairment (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Criteria used in defining abnormality use a statistical deviation of a normative standard. This creates some challenges. First, the criteria fail to take differences in place, time, and community standards in account. Second, the criteria does not provide any basis for distinguishing between desirable and undesirable deviations from the norm (Sue, Sue,  & Sue, 2010). Another challenge is that people who go in different directions, such as artistically, politically, or intellectually may be seen as abnormal simply because they do not conform to what is considered the norm. Another challenge statistical criteria may present is that widely distributed yet undesirable characteristics may be defined as normal. Culture also poses a challenge in defining abnormality. According to Sue, Sue, & Sue, “If deviations from the majority are considered abnormal, then many ethnic and racial minorities who show strong subcultural differences from the majority must be classified as abnormal” (2010, p. 9). According to the criteria developed, abnormality may be identified by determining those individuals who seek help. This criterion is not always accurate. Most people with significant problems do not seek help. On the other hand, many people seek help for normal life stress. Under the criterion of irrationality and dangerousness, mental illness involves irrational, dangerous, and out – of – control behaviors. In actuality, self destructive behaviors are only associated with a few disorders. Predicting dangerousness is not always easy. No criterion is directly correlated with it (Sue, Sue,  & Sue, 2010). Not all mental disorders involve extreme behaviors as deviance suggests. Emotional distress is one of the best criteria for defining abnormality. Emotional distress is a central feature in most illnesses and a minor feature in others (Hansell & Damour, 2008). However, many forms of emotional distress, such as grieving, are normal. Significant impairment is the best defining criteria of abnormality. However, some psychological impairments can be caused by physical injuries or diseases.

Theoretical Models Related to the Development of Abnormal Psychology

Theoretical models were established to explain the etiology, or causes, of abnormal behaviors. The common models consist of biological, psychological, social, and sociocultural. Biological etiology involves genetics, brain anatomy, biochemical imbalances, the central nervous system functioning, and autonomic nervous system reactivity. Psychological etiology involves personality, emotions, stress coping, learning, self – esteem, cognition, developmental history, self – efficacy, and values. Social etiology involves family, relationships, social support, belonging, love, marital status, and community. Sociocultural etiology includes religion, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, culture, and ethnicity. While one – dimensional models are important, multi – path models provide a better and more organized framework for understanding the etiology of abnormality (Sue, Sue,  & Sue, 2010). Multi – path models combine the individual models to determine the numerous causes of an illness.

Conclusion

Abnormal psychology is a complex field of study. Abnormal psychology has roots from prehistoric and ancient eras. From those early roots, abnormal psychology has developed more advanced and scientific methods of research. These methods have helped form a better definition of abnormal psychology. The etiology of illnesses is vital in classifying and treating the illnesses.

References

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S. (2010). Understanding Abnormal Behavior (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Plagiarism: Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it.

Six Core Concepts in Abnormal Psychology

**What six core concepts continue to shape the field of abnormal psychology?  What is the purpose of these concepts?  What role do they play in abnormal psychology?**

There are six core concepts that continue to shape the field of abnormal psychology. The six core concepts are tools that aid us in the field of abnormal psychology by helping us to answer questions about behavior and the person performing the behavior.  These concepts help us to explore and answer questions such as how we decide who is abnormal, the kind of abnormality, causes, and treatments.  According to Hansell and Damour, the six core concepts are:

-         The importance of context in defining and understanding abnormality.

-          The continuum between normal and abnormal behavior.

-          Cultural and historical relativism in defining and classifying abnormality.

-          The advantages and limitations of diagnosis.

-          The principle of mutual causality.

-           The connection between time and body. (Hansell & Damour, 2008, p. 5)

These concepts help the psychologist to understand the differences between what is “normal” and “abnormal”. Without this, there would be no guide to help discover the abnormality of a behavior or person.

Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.