Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PS 354"
COURSE NAME: "Abnormal Psychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring Semester 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Luti Elaine
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00-11:15
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: PS 101
OFFICE HOURS: before and after class, and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The aim of the course is to stimulate critical thinking about the definition of psychopathology itself and various forms of categorization of psychopathological conditions, the influence of theory on the approach to these conditions and the experience of the patient and its importance in the study of pathological states.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will present the issue of "abnormal" psychology or psychopathology, with an emphasis on the causes of psychopathological conditions. The classification system of DSM-IV, which has become standard in North America and in many other parts of the world, will be examined critically, and a new diagnostic manual (PDM) will be presented. Through required extra readings, the student will become familiar with contemporary work in the field and will learn to read professional articles in a critical way. Some research will be done in groups and presented to the class.

Emphasis in the course will be on the understanding and not simply description of psychopathological states and their multiple complex determinants, and will be based on the premise that every psychological disorder has its specific content for the person suffering from it and is experienced in a specific way..

There is a significant amount of extra reading beyond the textbook in this course.

Class lectures are an essential part of the course material. Students are expected to complete the assigned reading before each lesson, and are responsible for finding out what the reading is, if there were handouts or material on the website, and if there were other assignments, even in case of absence. Class lectures are essential and in case of absence students should get the notes from someone in the class. Papers should be handed in on time or the grade will be automatically reduced.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The student should have gained an understanding of psychopathology and the influence of theory on the ways of speaking about pathological conditions. Students who have successfully finished the course should be familiar with a number of pathological diagnostic categories and be able to read critically from research in the field. They should have a deeper understanding of the causes of these conditions and of the experience of them from the patient's point of view.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second edition	Nancy McWilliams	The Guilford Press	ISBN-10: 1609184947 \| ISBN-13: 978-1609184940

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	ISBN number	Comments
PDM Psychodynamic Diagnistic Manual	alliance of psychoanalytic organizations	ISBN-10: 0976775824 ISBN-13: 978-0976775829	this needs to be on reserve for required readings
The Abyss of Madness	Atwood, George	ISBN-10: 0415897106 \| ISBN-13: 978-0415897105
Towards an Emancipatory Psychoanalysis	Brandchaft, Bernard	ISBN-10: 0415997844 \| ISBN-13: 978-0415997843	paperback edition is fine
Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice	Gabbard, Glen	SBN-10: 1585621854 \| ISBN-13: 978-1585621859	paperback may be available

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
short homework essays (about 300 - 800 words)	Required short papers (300 - 500 words) on topics to be assigned.  Together they will count for 20% of the grade.    .	20%
optional homework essays	Optional homework assignments will be suggested in the periods before exams for practice and for extra credit for those who need it.	extra credit
paper and presentation	A 500-1000 word paper on a diagnostic category that compares two theoretical approaches to a pathological condition based on research from professional journals.  A simple version of this paper will be presented in class..	20%
Midterm exam	A midterm essay exam in class during one class period (1 hour 15 minutes).  <br /> If the exam is not satisfactory a makeup exam will be offered.	20%
final exam	A final essay exam during exam week lasting 2 1/2 hours.	40%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

A will go to superior work that shows not only knowledge but mainly understanding of the basic material, consistent application of theoretical principles, the implications of theory on understanding of data, and critical reading of the material. Work at this level should show an understanding of the implications of the material to other contexts.

B will go to work that shows all the above but to a lesser degree;

C will go to work that shows a reasonable knowledge of the material but incomplete understanding of the way theory and knowledge interact;

D will go to work deficient both on theory and knowledge

Late papers and rewrites will be graded down.

Unsatisfactory work will be re-done.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance will not directly affect the grade. However, it is unlikely to be able to pass the course without attending classes. Students will also be responsible for class material and additional assignments when they are absent.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Note-EACH UNIT IS OF VARIABLE LENGTH AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY CORRESPOND TO A SINGLE CLASS MEETING. The actual number of class sessions given to each unit will depend on the time it takes to cover the material, answer questions, hear presentations, and for class discussions as they come up. Like development, we can predict the sequence, but not the actual timing! Students can know what the reading is by referring to the unit being presented. Once that unit is finished, the next unit will be begun.

Unit, reading		Topics
1	Readings: “normality” Szasz “myth of mental illness” posted on myjcu; Atwood, "Exploring the abyss of madness" (Chapter 2 of The Abyss of Madness); pages 1-10 Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (both on reserve in library)	Importance of theory. Normal and abnormal; healthy and pathological: statistical and functional definitions Assignment: read Szasz, Atwood and PDM and prepare comments to discuss in groups next time.
2	“Theory” “theoretical approaches”, “self psych.”notes in course packet and online; PDM pgs 483 - 507; Text ch 2	Specific theoretical perspectives in psychopathology. Reading & interpreting findings in psychopathology. Description vs Explanation, knowledge vs understanding. Major theoretical approaches to psychopathology; a brief introduction to the Biological, Cognitive and Psychodynamic approaches. Body-mind interactionism. Implications of the approach for the therapy chosen.
3	Text ch. 1, PDM p 11-31	Diagnosis and psychopathology: why classify categories of mental illness? How should these categories be classified: descriptive, subjective and causal classifications. How does the diagnostician diagnose?
4	PDM p 483-509	“The irrational, the peremptory and the unbidden” Standard nosological categories of psychopathology: DSM-IV by symptom clusters: advantages and disadvantages; theoretical implications. Diagnosis as label.
5	“Pathogenic conditions” (class notes)	Pathogenic conditions versus healthy development
6	Text ch 3, 4, “levels of pathology”; Atwood: Shattered worlds	Levels of pathological organization: Neurosis, Psychosis and Borderline levels.
7	text ch 5, 6;	defensive styles of each level, therapeutic implications
8	Text pp 145-150, ch 15 reading: Davies/ Frawley ch 10; Ferenczi confusion of tongues; Atwood ch 5 "the unbearable and the unsayable"; Liotti "understanding dissociative processes"	Types of character organization Dissociative personalities. The unbearable trauma and the creation of the “other” self. Dissociation in general and its use in other disturbances.
9	Text ch 14 Freud: Katharina (from Studies in Hysteria)	Hysterical and histrionic personality: Freud's discovery, repression and hysteria, beyond Freud: forms of hysteria. Theoretical considerations – repression vs dissociation
10	Readings: Gabbard anxiety; Bowlby anxious attachment	Anxiety neurosis, or panic disorders, phobias. True vs. pseudo-phobias. Biological elements in anxiety. Childhood roots.
11	Text ch 13; Brandchaft chapter 11 "Obsessional disorders"	Obsessive and compulsive personalities – beyond the anal phase – biological predispositions
12	Text ch. 11 reading: PDM p 44-47 & 108-115 Bowlby: "sadness & depression" from Attachment and Loss Atwood "The dark sun of melancholia" (The Abyss of Madness)	Depressive and manic personalities- depression and loss, mourning, unshared sorrow, depression and guilt – biological elements of depression. Elements of dissociation in cyclothymic disorders.
13	Text ch.12	Masochistic or self-defeating personalities: the trauma sought and repeated; suffering to prevent loss – its tie to depression
14,	Text ch. 8, reading: Miller: gifted child Kohut: "The Two Analyses of Mr. Z" (Int J Psychoanlysis)	Narcissistic personalities: two views of narcissism and two types of narcissistic personality: Kernberg's oblivious, self-centered and Kohut's hypervigilant, depleted narcissist. The self in narcissism. Narcissism and shame.
15	Gabbard: "eating disorders" from Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice; Sands, “Bulimia, dissociation and empathy”	Eating disorders – the "hunger artist" and the search for the lost self: Anorexia Nervosa. Guilt and self-loathing: Bulimia Nervosa and the purging of badness; Dissiociative aspects of bulimia and other forms of self-harm
16	Text ch 9 PDM pp 33-34 & 142-146	Schizoid personalities- and the range to schizophrenia. Loneliness and the schizoid person. Schizophrenia and its cognitive symptoms.
17	Text ch. 10	Paranoid personalities: paranoia and guilt: the mechanism of projection in paranoia..
18	Text ch. 7	Psychopathic or antisocial personalities. Acting instead of talking. The absence of shame or guilt. Disintegrated families of origin, emotional deprivation. Attachment and the lack of it.
19	reading: Firestone (Suicide and the inner voice): p 35-58, 94-103, 219, 278-296, Atwood "The tragedy of self-destruction" (The Abyss of Madness)	Suicide – causes, prevention, suicide and the "inner voice"