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Unit description
Explores the various causes of human emotion (positive and negative) and behavioural dysfunction from genetic, social, cultural, psychological and biological perspectives. Systems for classifying or diagnosing disorders of behaviour, mood and thought such as depressive and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, addictions and sexual dysfunction and their limitations will be discussed. Factors associated with effective coping with life's challenges in various cultures will be discussed in terms of a continuum of effective adaptation and perceived wellbeing. The unit will also focus on the research regarding evidence-based treatments for various psychological disorders.
Unit content
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Contemporary theories of abnormality and wellbeing
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Anxiety disorders
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Mood disorders and suicide
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Schizophrenia Personality disorders
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Treatments for clinically significant distress or maladaptive behaviour
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Childhood disorders
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Cognitive disorders and lifespan issues
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Sexual disorders
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Substance-related disorders
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Mental health and the law
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
GA1: Intellectual rigour,
GA2: Creativity,
GA3: Ethical practice,
GA4: Knowledge of a discipline,
GA5: Lifelong learning,
GA6: Communication and social skills,
GA7: Cultural competence| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 |
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| 1 | demonstrate knowledge of types and uses of formal and informal diagnostic approaches across cultures and professional disciplines, including categorical and dimensional perspectives | Intellectual rigour | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | Cultural competence |
| 2 | demonstrate an understanding of societal, cross-cultural and ethical issues surrounding theories of psychopathology | | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | Cultural competence |
| 3 | understand methods, and their limits, for categorising and assessing individuals for the purposes of formal clinical psychological research | Intellectual rigour | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | Cultural competence |
| 4 | demonstrate knowledge of the literature on a range of cognitive and psychological disorders, including cross-cultural concepts of wellbeing | Intellectual rigour | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | Cultural competence |
| 5 | write a clear, concise description, informed by the clinical research literature, of diagnostic criteria and treatment options for a mental disorder. | Intellectual rigour | | | | | | |
| 6 | reflect on and describe in writing one’s personal view of abnormality, including comments on the objective cues used and cultural or personal origins of one’s views. | Intellectual rigour | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | |
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of types and uses of formal and informal diagnostic approaches across cultures and professional disciplines, including categorical and dimensional perspectives
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- GA7:
Cultural competence
- demonstrate an understanding of societal, cross-cultural and ethical issues surrounding theories of psychopathology
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- GA7:
Cultural competence
- understand methods, and their limits, for categorising and assessing individuals for the purposes of formal clinical psychological research
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- GA7:
Cultural competence
- demonstrate knowledge of the literature on a range of cognitive and psychological disorders, including cross-cultural concepts of wellbeing
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- GA7:
Cultural competence
- write a clear, concise description, informed by the clinical research literature, of diagnostic criteria and treatment options for a mental disorder.
- reflect on and describe in writing one’s personal view of abnormality, including comments on the objective cues used and cultural or personal origins of one’s views.
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
Prescribed texts
Session 2
- Note that this is the revised, updated version of the text: Nolen-Hoeksema, S, 2017, Abnormal Psychology, 7th edn, McGraw Hill. ISBN: 978-1-260-14775-9.
Prescribed texts may change in future study periods.