Foundation Of Psychopathology

The search for a explanation in behavioral changes, is nothing new and can be traced back to ancient civilizations, it is clear that the Egyptians, Chinese, Incas, Aztecs, Mayans and other cultures were familiar with the disordered behaviors that we now identify as pathologies or the definition of mental well-being. I must clarify that in the first data we have about what we could call the early history of psychopathology, people who suffered some type of alteration were either praised or ridiculed, in a marginal sense, and the majority of symptoms were attributed to supernatural causes. as demons, possessions or punishments from gods or other deities.

More than 2000 years ago greek philosophers They dealt with aspects in this context, such as the case of Plato or Hippocrates, called the father of medicine, the two of them attributed mental well-being to two common causes: for Hippocrates, physiological dysfunctions, for Plato, psychological conflict. A fact worth highlighting is the influence of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a disciple of Plato, who believed the mind was an untouchable entity, that is, it could not suffer any harm, whether or not this later influenced the slow development of psychopathology.

After them, during 1500 years of the so-called Middle Ages or Dark Age, this knowledge was almost lost or rarely developed. In the Middle Ages, all sciences faced a decline and returned again to primitive superstition, the church immersed in all activities. of human life, he decides what is good and what is bad, and by his own concepts he turns the human body into a field of struggle between Angels and demons. Every psychopathological disorder that occurred at that time was attributed to demonic possessions and the most common was mistreatment and even burning at the stake for those who suffered it.

The concept of mental well-being or mental discomfort first appears in large cities in which municipal governments mostly had the power to imprison people with mental problems, in some places they were even considered an attraction so that visitors could observe the behavior of these people with certain types of strange behaviors.

Back in 1700 with the lights of the French Revolution and thanks to the French doctor Philippe Pinel’s review of asylums for the mentally ill, the so-called moral treatment was created, which would slowly change the way the mentally ill were handled in Europe. Following the course of psychiatry, psychopathology also followed a wide-ranging process, moving from non-medical aspects and primitive well-being processes. The next step was the creation of a systematic body of knowledge by medical men. (Ellenberger, 1974, p. 4), psychology, medicine, among many other branches, have been interested in these aspects. Despite how difficult these topics tend to be for most psychopathologists, it is not an easy task, starting with defining the concept of normal and abnormal. The concept of normality and mental health has always been an object of controversy since the beginnings of psychology and psychiatry, the interpretation of how these forms should be defined has been the subject of strong discussions, in any case the concept of mental health and Policies in this regard have more implications today than at any other time in history. (Offer & Sabshin, 1984, p. null7). And this is because without a proper definition, psychology and psychiatry would stagnate in an inadequate way.

Define the concept of psychological disorder or disorder It has always been a tricky aspect for most psychologists and psychiatrists, this caused by the enormous number of terms that have been used throughout its history, to designate some of its many components or in some cases the general concept. but without the proper firmness for a single concept to be maintained.

Obviously, even today, neither psychology nor psychiatry has reached a climax in this definition, especially when it comes to defining the characteristics of people who suffer from these disorders with those who do not go through the same situation. Diagnostic errors are very common with all of these types of disorders. (Johnson & Leahy, 2004, p. 4). Traditionally throughout history these disorders have been studied from three points of view main ones, these are:

• The supernatural model: that present in most cultures, the most primitive and still present today along with the concepts of religion, was the one that included the concept of demons or witches to try to explain mental disorders, and that required magical rituals. and supernatural to try to solve them.
• The biological model: It is assumed that it originated in Greek culture and since then it has remained in conjunction with medicine, under the concept of considering mental disorders under biological causes, disorders are associated with biological causes normally associated with the brain or the system. nervous system, psychiatry is the branch of medicine that, taking advantage of medical specialties and knowledge of anatomy, attempts to alleviate problems of this nature, especially with the use of psychotropic drugs.
• Finally this the psychological model which considers that disorders are caused by human experiences throughout their lives, which are organized in mental forms and other behaviors that can be considered abnormal.

If we look at it from the WHO concept of health, which defines health as the complete state of physical, mental and social well-being. Perhaps we would reach more accurate conclusions. In any case, psychologists have always specified that psychological disorders involving aspects related to behavior under this guide have classified them as infrequent and maladaptive. This includes a mix of biological, psychological and social factors.

• Uncommon: It is that behavior of a person that is considered disordered and statistically strange. Under this concept, no one would claim to be the devil for being branded under the parameters of this classification that, despite everything, does not include intellectual geniuses who almost always present strange or infrequent behaviors compared to the traditional average, therefore this concept is not valid. completely reliable.
• Maladaptive: infrequent behaviors that are considered abnormal because they do not adapt to the predominant social rules, that is, in addition to not being common, they do not adapt to the entire social system that human organization has created as a model of coexistence.

It is based on this that some psychologists add certain characteristics to their concepts of psychological disorder, but after studying multiple factors it is determined that the main characteristics are not important when considering a definition. If we want to understand the concepts of psychopathology in their full extent, we have to go back to the past, forever, remember that magic, religion and science were three great methods by which man has tried to understand his place in the cosmos, in religion. In the first texts of literature one finds descriptions of behaviors that modern psychopathologists could interpret as psychotic or psychoneurotic, sometimes only sometimes giving the name of the problem in question. (Brown & Menninger, 1940, p. 24), as is the case of some people in the Bible for example, or in other sacred books of many other cultures, which were always or almost always involved in magical-religious aspects and were treated as such.

To find the origins of psychopathology It is necessary to trace back to the very origins of the human being, since mental disorders are of course as old as the human race. If we search through the archives that we have left from two thousand or three thousand years ago, we can find some types of disorders. abnormal such as the most typical case of King Saul’s depression when the spirit of God had abandoned him. Or the delusions of King Nebuchadnezzar who saw himself turned into an ox eating grass in the field, or like a bird, to name a few examples.

It was consequential that a little later Hippocrates defined many theories concerning the nature and variety of mental disorders. From that moment and leaving aside what the Middle Ages represented, the history of psychopathology can be traced in two paths, the popular conception and the scientific conception. Spiritualist conceptions were one of the oldest conceptions and still predominate to a certain extent today along with pseudo sciences that use them to advertise or along with the religion that today promotes their belief. The belief in dominions in divine punishments, in the fury of gods was something very popular in all cultures, disorder was almost never attributed to physical causes but almost exclusively to forces outside of human control. The unawareness of mental illnesses was a predominance that humanity shared for a long time.

The demonological period represents just a vague variation of the spiritualist concept polished only by renewed ideas about evil; individuals who were found with some type of disorder were subjected to torture, whipping, sacrifice, hunger, they were believed to be dominated. by evil forces and it is necessary to make them come out of them. They were also used as oracles to speak with the dead or with any other supernatural entity. (Hollingworth, 1930, p. 24).

The satanic period itself is the late development of some ideas influenced by Christian theology. Satan represents the enemy of God, the leader of the legions of demons who come down to earth to touch people. It gives rise to unparalleled persecution by the church, some priests become exorcists with the help of the most advanced methods of torture, cells, executions, and persecution, about 6,500 people are exterminated in a few years for abnormal behavior or accusations from others. It is a black episode that cannot be left aside in the general history of psychopathology. The concept of sin also under theological influences is later, in this case it no longer gives rise to possession but to a voluntary alliance with the devil, the symptomology represents an escape from the hands of God, and many people with serious disorders are annihilated. .

He concept of unconsciousness Strictly speaking, it is more recent and was first adjusted to the abnormal conditions of good and evil. This is a concept of mythology that still persists in modern popular definitions of psychological disorders. With the reform movement in the 18th century with its broad interest in knowledge, there were infinite reforms in the attitude regarding mental abnormalities, advances in mental studies, Descartes developed the idea of ​​reflection and body-mind duality, among others. great advances in most branches of knowledge.

The modern period begins in the vicinity of the 19th century, psychology begins its development as an independent science and the first psychological laboratory is installed, the experience of psychiatry experiences a remarkable development, Herbert’s psychological concepts and Kraepelin’s psychiatric system appear. . These facts added to the great advances of both psychiatry and psychology and in more recent years neurosciences have allowed the development of modern psychopathology, first with different conceptions and more recently psychopathology has advanced until it is reunited in the biopsychosocial model, broadening the horizons. of disorders to unsuspected limits.

Currently Psychopathology is a science in increasing development In accordance with psychiatry and psychology, although there is much criticism about the definition of psychological disorders, since the concept of abnormal or normal is a relative and changing term, it is expected that in the coming years the definition as well as the treatment will improve to a certain extent. .

We have checked The historical bases of psychopathology, from the known origins and in which it has been established, it is interesting to discover the concepts that ancient cultures had on this topic and the way in which they have influenced the development of modern psychopathology, it is essential for all science to know its origins to from there glimpse his present and the path he must follow. Psychopathology, whether we like it or not, will continue to have a validity of special importance for psychiatrists and psychologists, and for anyone who wants to understand the reason for the behavior in its normal or abnormal facets of their peers. This text is a good beginning towards understanding psychopathological science as it is.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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