Topic title: Psychopathology
Year group: 12
When taught: Term 3
What are we learning?
- Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.
- The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias: the two-process model, including classical and operant conditioning; systematic desensitisation, including relaxation and use of hierarchy; flooding.
- The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck’s negative triad and Ellis’s ABC model; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), including challenging irrational thoughts.
- The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD: genetic and neural explanations; drug therapy.
Why is this important to know?
- NHS data tells us that one in four adults and one in 10 children experience mental illness, and many more of us know and care for people who do. This unit allows students to study explanations and treatments for phobias, OCD and depression.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
- There are strong links back to the Approaches in Psychology topic as Behaviourist, Cognitive and Biological explanations and treatments of mental illnesses are explored.
- It further develops the application of theory to real life scenarios.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
- Students will sit a formal exam on this topic in the summer. This section makes up 24 marks and 30 minutes of Paper 1 at AS and of Paper 2 at A Level. They will be asked questions varying in size from multiple choice up to 12 mark essays at AS and 16 mark essays at A Level.
- There will also be mid topic and end of topic tests on the unit when we study it.
- Students will also have recap tests / questioning / exam questions on this topic during most lessons.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- A detailed description of the content.
- Sustained evaluation that is fully ‘PEEEL’ed.
- Using specific research examples to support the points they are making.
- Using correctly key terminology.
What key words are there in this topic?
Quizlet. Click here
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
- There is an extension challenge set for this unit. This consists of 4 interesting tasks such as videos to watch, podcasts to listen to, articles to read and online courses to complete with a feedback task at the end. Please see your subject teacher to access this sheet.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
- There are several Psychology Review Magazine articles relevant to this topic that you can read to extend your knowledge. Please speak to your subject teachers to access copies of these.
- The mental health charity MIND has a wealth of additional information on the illnesses studied in this topic:
