A History of Abnormal Psychology: From Demons to DSM-IV.
This paper reviews the history of abnormal psychology as a history of mental illness, and the various influences that have advanced the research and treatment of mental illness. Beginning with primitivism, and concluding with the technological and specialized classification and diagnostic tools of 21st century psychology, this review examines the recursive cycles of humanitarian approaches to psychology. The fleeting appearances of a morality and value system in psychology indicate a change in modern techniques is over-due. This paper concludes with a summary of structural and functional approaches to psychology, and emphasizes the lack of interconnected theories that might illuminate treatments of abnormal psychology. 10 pgs. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
