Theories and Causes of Abnormal Development



Developmental Considerations for Healthy Adaptation



Psychological disorders are indications of adaptational failure in one or more areas of development



Considerations for understanding abnormality



Normal and abnormal development




Context (proximal and distal relationships)




Behavior is multiply determined




<Reciprocal influences of child and environment






Developmental Psychopathology Perspective



Macroparadigm for organizing the study of abnormal child psychology around milestones and sequences in development

To understand maladaptive behavior, must view in relation to what is considered normative




Children’s development



structured and hierarchical




 evolves over time in a predictable manner


“sensitive periods” during which environmental influences are enhanced







Assumptions about Abnormal Development



Child behavior is multiply determined




The child and the environment are interdependent and interact dynamically





Abnormal development involves continuities and discontinuities







Abnormal child behavior best studied from multi-dimensional, developmental perspective




 

Biological Perspectives



Neural Plasticity and the Role of Experience:











Genetic Contributions:












Family Incidence studies


Schizophrenia in Relatives

 

2 Sz parents

 

1 Sz parent

 

1 Sz sibling

 

1st cousin

% developing Schizophrenia

 

30-48%

 

10-12%

 

8-9%

 

8-9%

 


Twin Studies of schizophrenia

Error! Bookmark not defined.

Concordant %

MZ twins (100% common genes)

~25-48%

DZ twins (50 % shared genes)

~6-8%

Adoption studies


Error! Bookmark not defined.

Concordant %

Adoptees with 1 Sz parent placed in "normal" home:

8-11%

Adoptees without Sz parent placed in "normal" home:

<1%



 

Neurobiological Contributions

different areas of the brain regulate different functions and behaviors






limbic system, basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, and frontal lobes of particular relevance to psychopathology





endocrine system regulates certain processes through the production of hormones

Neurobiological contributions

 

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis implicated in anxiety & mood disorders

neurotransmitters make biochemical connections between different parts of the brain







Psychological Perspectives



Each area differs in importance depending on disorder and individual






Emotional Influences








Behavioral and Cognitive influences



behavior analysis






classical conditioning








social learning





Family and Social Influences





Ecological models









 

The Family and Peer Context










 

Child-Caregiver Attachment



 


attachment theory emphasizes the child-caregiver relationship









patterns of attachment, which reflect different types of internal working models, have been identified