What Is Abnormal?: The Individual, Diagnostics and Society (CO2006Z)

Content

Clients come to counselling for a variety of reasons including distress. When discussing distress we must realise that it has biological, psychological, behavioural, and social correlates. We must therefore be precise when describing distress. Furthermore, not all distress is “bad” or “abnormal”. Given this, you will learn about normal human responses to abnormal situations and that diagnostics implies a socio-political context. As a consequence your case conceptualisations will become more holistic. Then you will be ready to engage the aetiology, presentation, and treatment of various mental health conditions. Such conditions include: mood disorders; arousal-based disorders; psychosis; eating disorders; neurodevelopmental disorders; substance use disorders; and personality disorders.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Offering: This unit is to be taught in year 2, semester 2 (term 3).
Prerequisites: CO1007Z Introduction To Psychology

Pedagogy

Scaffolded learning In practice: This is a collaborative way of learning that takes note of the learner’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). By repeatedly extending the learner’s ZPD they develop a comprehensive and integrated system of knowledge/skills. Scaffolded learning is achieved through the provision of online modules which clearly guide a student’s learning; through activities of increased complexity during intensives; by face-to-face seminars which are tailored to induce academic/professional growth in an ordered and coherent way; and by assessments which not only seek to identify that key knowledge/skills have been learnt, but that the student is developing an integrated understanding of counselling.

Indicative Bibliography

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Association.
2. Barlow, D., Durand, M., & Hofmann, S. (2017). Abnormal Psychology: An integrative approach (8th edition). Cengage.
3. Davis, J. (2012). The importance of suffering: The value and meaning of emotional discontent. Routledge.
4. Douglas, J., & Olshaker, M. (2000). The anatomy of motive. Pocket Books.
5. Foucault, M. (2006). Psychiatric power: Lectures at the College de France 1973-1974. Palgrave Macmillan.
6. Kottler, J. (2006). Divine Madness. Jossey-Bass.
7. Nesse, R. (2019). Good reasons for bad feelings. Dutton.
8. Oltmanns, T., & Martin, M. (2018). Case studies in abnormal psychology (11th edition). Wiley.
9. Rasmussen, S. (1995). Spirit possession and personhood among the Kel Ewey Tuareg. Cambridge University Press.

Textbook is: Barlow, D., Durand, M., & Hofmann, S. (2017). Abnormal Psychology: An integrative approach (8th edition). Cengage.

Assessment