How to Understand Psychological Causes of Abnormal Behavior ?
How to Understand Psychological Causes of Abnormal Behavior | Psychology Insights
Abnormal behaviour never occurs suddenly in a person, rather it has a definite
history. Three types of approaches have been adopted to explain the causes of
abnormal behaviour: Biological viewpoint, Psychosocial viewpoint and
Sociocultural viewpoint
Each Approach has made a successful attempt to explain abnormal behaviour from a different perspective. Studies conducted by clinical psychologists and other specialists have made it clear that apart from these specific causes of abnormal behaviour, there are some general causes too, for instance Primary Causes, Predisposing Causes , Precipitating Causes Reinforcing Causes.
Psychosocial factors play an important role in the origin of abnormal behaviour. Psychosocial factors refer to developmental influences that disturb a person psychologically to such an extent that he is unable to adjust himself properly with the social environment and gradually his behaviour becomes abnormal. Following are some such major psychosocial factors that make a person's behaviour abnormal
1. Cognitive Factors
Cognitive factors influence what a person thinks about themselves.Cognitive factors have been identified as a major factor in the origin of abnormal behavior. What a person thinks about himself, what he thinks about his surrounding environment and then what he thinks about the relationship between these two, etc., influences and directs the behavior of the person to a great extent. All these types of thoughts are called cognitive map or schema in the technical language of psychology.
Self-identity is an important part of the cognitive map through which a person maintains a special kind of image about himself and has his own special kind of belief and feeling.
There are some aspects of the cognitive map that make a person rigid. These aspects play a significant role in producing abnormal behavior in a person. On one hand, the rules for processing information and choosing the right option or behavior from behavioral options are stored in the person's Self, while on the other hand, the Self itself is a result of these rules. A deficiency or deviation in any of these two aspects of the self causes the behaviour of the individual to become abnormal.
🧠According to Mischel (1986): when a person is unable to learn the appropriate rules and principles in cognitive organisation for some reason, then the possibility of his having mental disorder in the future increases significantly..
According to another study, about 75% of the mentally retarded persons who are more likely to have mental disorder are intellectually suppressed because their brain tissue is not defective but their neural tissue is not programmed properly to deal with the complexities of modern life.
🌈 Mischel (1977): has identified certain learning-based areas that a person learns in childhood and which later develop a particular style in them in adjusting to the demands of life which remains effective even in adulthood.
In some children this style is quite commendable but in some children this style is deplorable. And when it persists even in adulthoodThe child is not able to evaluate the child's personality properly, due to which mental disorders develop, especially depressive tendencies. It has also been found that when children have a lot of contradictory feelings, no coherent cognitive map develops in them and such a child later develops Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).
2. Early Deprivation or Trauma
Early deprivation or trauma can disrupt personality development.If for some reason children have to face deprivation or have to face some traumatic experiences in the initial formative period of personality development, then their personality development gets affected and they develop many types of abnormal behavior. Following are some major factors related to deprivation and traumatic experiences which lead to abnormality.
3. Inadequate Parenting
Inadequate parenting includes over-protection, excessive restriction.
Many studies confirm that when the interaction of parents with children is inadequate from the psychological point of view, it adversely affects the personality development of children and the possibility of abnormal behavior in them increases significantly. Following are some such inadequate patterns which lead to abnormality.
(a) Over protection : This refers to parents monitoring the activities of children in such a manner that by not allowing the children to do the work, parents themselves protect them from the responsibility of doing the work. By providing such over protection to children by parents, their normal personality development becomes defective and abnormal tendencies develop in them. For example, Jenkins (1968) has found in his study that the mothers of overly anxious teenagers were overprotective. Poznanski (1973) has found that children growing up in such an environment develop phobias.
(b) Excessive restriction:This refers to the pressure exerted by parents on children to follow certain rules. Although this kind of pressure motivates children to remain well controlled and to behave in a socialized manner, on the other hand it also develops fear, dependency, submissiveness, repressed hostility and intellectual decline in them. This fact has been supported by the studies of Baumrind (1971) and Megargee (1966).due to income behavior
(c) Unrealistic demands: When parents keep unrealistic demands or expectations from their children, which can be very high or low, distorted or strict, a feeling of inferiority and inadequacy develops in the children, which increases the possibility of mental disorder in them. This fact is supported by the studies of Coopersmith (1967) and Cosby (1989). Coopersmith (1967) has found in his study that the level of achievement and self-esteem in such children is very low, due to which a negative self-concept develops in them gradually. As a result, the possibility of mental disorder in them increases significantly.
(d) Overpermissiveness:This refers to the tendency of parents due to which they are very cautious to fulfill even the smallest need or desire of the children. Children growing up in such an environment are often selfish, wicked, uncooperative and those who want to get their way in any situation. Sears (1962) has found in a study that if there is more generosity from the parents at home and there is lack of discipline among the children, then later on the tendency of anti-social behavior becomes more intense in such children.
According to Baumrind (1975), such children show more rebellious behavior towards the authorities when they become adults, because they have their own special way of getting work done.
Such children develop interpersonal relationships soon, but they start exploiting such people in the same way as they used to exploit their parents at home. But they do not get much success in this, due to which dissatisfaction and frustration develops in them, which makes their behavior maladaptive.
(e) Faulty discipline: Inconsistent behaviour shown by parents in disciplining children also leads to the development of abnormality in the child. For example, punishing children one day and rewarding them the next day for showing the same kind of behaviour is such inconsistent behaviour. Due to this, children are not able to learn what is appropriate behaviour. As a result, tendencies like aggression, indifference etc. develop in them. According to a study by Baumrind (1975), if parents follow very strict discipline, it leads to the development of lack of trust in others, fear, hatred towards parents etc. in them.
(1) Inadequate and Irrational Communication:In some families, scolding children when they ask questions is an example of inadequate communication and the answer given by parents to the questions is not logical for the children, which is an example of irrational communication. Both these types of communication are considered faulty communication. In studies related to this type of communication, it has been observed that this type of communication is more common in families with low socio-economic status than in families with middle and high social status, due to which the development of necessary skills and abilities is slowed down and the possibility of developing maladaptive behaviour increases in them. According to the studies of Carson & Sanillow (1992) and Goldstein & Strachan (1987), this type of faulty communication is found in the families of most schizophrenic patients.
(g) Attachment:Bowlby (1952), who considers this factor to be a strong factor in the origin of abnormality, has said that children develop a close attachment with their parents or any other substitute person. And when this attachment is not normal but anxiety-producing, then distrust and frustration arise in children, which culminates in abnormal behavior. Anxious attachment arises only when parents behave inconsistently and uncooperatively with children. According to the study of Ainsworth (1988), anxiety-producing attachment leads to dependency in children.
Acts of abnormal behavior and a feeling of being despised also develops, which motivates children to indulge in anti-social behaviour in the future.
(h) conclusion, it can be said that due to inadequate parenting, the normal personality development of children gets hampered and various types of abnormal behaviour arise in them.
The description of all these is as follows.
4. Pathogenic Family Structure
Pathogenic family structures include discordant, disturbed, and disrupted families.This refers to a family structure in which many types of family disturbances are present in such a large amount that the adjustment of the family members is badly affected and the person gets caught in the realm of abnormal behavior. On the basis of studies done in this regard, the following three types of pathological family structures have been identified which give rise to abnormal behavior.
(a) Discordant Family:It refers to a family in which either one or both the parents are not satisfied with each other. There are frequent disputes between them and their views on family problems are not only different but also strongly opposed. Their values are also mutually contradictory and there is a lot of mutual aggression towards each other. These people keep teasing each other deliberately, which creates frustration in them. According to Carson and Butcher (1992), both children and adults growing up in such a family are more likely to develop anti-social behavior.
(b) Disturbed Family: It refers to a family in which one or both of the parents behave in such an eccentric or eccentric and abnormal manner that the entire home environment is filled with emotional tension. According to Cox & Cox (1997), children from such families have more depressive tendencies.
Lidz and his colleagues (Lidz. el. at.. 1955) have identified two other family structures which resemble the mismatched family and the skewed family. These families are - Marital schism family and Marital skewed family.
In the marital schism family, both the husband and wife face very intense mental conflict due to many reasons, which is similar to the skewed family. And in the marital skewed family, both the husband and wife avoid open conflict between them by repeatedly believing and behaving in some unique way. This is quite similar to the skewed family. Lidz found that the possibility of developing schizophrenia is very high in such a family.
(c) Disrupted Family:Disrupted family refers to a family which is incomplete due to many reasons like death, divorce, separation and other similar reasons. Children of such families do not get enough love due to which their personality development gets hampered and adjustment related difficulties arise in them which gradually makes their behaviour abnormal. Adjustment related difficulties arise more due to untimely death of mother or father or both. Perhaps in very few cases children are able to withstand this mental shock and develop an adjusted personality. Hetherington, Cox & Cox (1988) have found in their study that compared to mother, father is more affected by the death of father.
In the absence of the abnormality, children develop more abnormalities. According to Balaan (Wallerstein 1954)
A sense of protection and contempt is more developed which gradually alienates them. Rutter (1981) has found that criminal tendencies are more prevalent in children born to separated parents or to children who are separated from each other.
5. Maladaptive Peer Relationship
Negative peer influence can foster abnormal behaviours.Missocial friends influence the behaviour of their friends in such a way that their behaviour also becomes abnormal.
Studies conducted by Coie (1900) make it clear that when children do not get popularity among their friends but get contempt for some reason, then social isolation is created due to which children are not able to learn other rules of social behaviour.
As a result, such children repeatedly face social failure due to which their self-esteem breaks and they turn towards abnormality. This fact is also supported in the studies of Dodge (1983), Puttalaaz & Gottman (1983). In a recent survey by Kupermidt, Coie & Dodgs, 1990, it has been found that social problems related to estrangement in childhood have a higher correlation with maladjustment disorders in adulthood, especially schizophrenia, dropping out of school or college, delinquency, etc.
Conclusion
Among the various psychological factors, early deprivation, inadequate parenting.In conclusion, it can be said that there are many types of psychological factors that cause mental disorders. Among these, early deprivation, inadequate parenting and pathological family structure are comparatively more important factors.
psychological tips with question answer format
Psychological Tips with Question Answer
🧘How do cognitive factors contribute to abnormal behavior?
Cognitive factors shape how individuals interpret themselves and their environment. When cognitive schemas become rigid or distorted, they can lead to maladaptive behaviors and emotional responses, potentially developing into psychological disorders.
📌What distinguishes institutional deprivation from home deprivation??
Institutional deprivation involves lack of care in group settings with limited individual attention, while home deprivation occurs within families where emotional needs aren't met despite physical presence. Both create attachment issues but through different mechanisms.
Inconsistent discipline prevents children from developing stable understanding of behavioral expectations and consequences. This creates confusion, insecurity, and can lead to emotional dysregulation and testing of boundaries through problematic behaviors.
🌿How do pathogenic family structures differ from typical family conflicts?
Pathogenic structures involve chronic, severe disturbances that fundamentally impair family functioning and member development, whereas typical conflicts are temporary disruptions that families resolve through healthy communication and problem-solving.
🎯Can peer relationships outweigh family influence?
During adolescence, peer influence often intensifies and may temporarily overshadow family influence. However, family foundations established in childhood typically reassert their importance in adulthood, though maladaptive peer relationships can cause significant developmental harm.
🎯What protective factors can mitigate these risks?
Resilience factors include: secure attachment with at least one caregiver, development of problem-solving skills, positive school experiences, supportive adult relationships outside the family, development of talents/interests, and access to mental health support when needed.
4 Sources
Caston,Buthcer & ColemanAbnormal Psychology and Modern Life
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