Abnormal Behavior Case Study

A person’s behavior should be considered abnormal if it adheres to one or more of the following criteria:

• Behavior deviates from social norms or is unusual (reflective of cultural standards).
• Faulty perceptions of reality; including hallucinations (hearing/seeing things that aren’t there), and ideas of persecution (i.e. people are out to get you).
• Significant personal distress caused by emotions, especially if they are prolonged or persist even after the source of pain is removed, and if they impair one’s ability to function.
• Behavior is maladaptive or self-defeating; actions that knowingly lead to unhappiness and impair one’s ability to function and/or adapt to an environment.
• Behavior is dangerous to oneself or others, depending

Behavioral:

His father drank heavily almost every day, which is most likely why Earnest became susceptible to alcohol in adulthood as well. The means by which a parent dealt with their inner turmoil is transferred onto the child because of observation, otherwise known as learned behavior. Learned behavior is a process through which experiences produce a relatively lasting change in behavior. For example, often children who are neglected by their parents learn to pay more attention to their inner fantasies rather than the outside world. Therefore, they have trouble separating reality from fantasy. This may be related to the distinction between Earnest’s image of himself and who he really is.

Cognitive :

This model focuses on mental processes. Therefore, it claims that the interpretation of events that occur in our lives determines our emotional states. So, when Earnest comes to the faulty conclusion that his wife is cheating on him because of the insecurities he’s facing, it’s sending him in a downward spiral of depression and is straining their relationship both emotionally and sexually. Through this example it is clear he is