History of Abnormal Psychology

Moral Weakness

Jan 17, 1500

Illness was caused by a moral weakness: Spiritual/religious-exorcisms were used to "cure" mentally ill patients.

Witches

Jan 17, 1600

Mentally ill were treated as witches: Spiritual/religious and sociocultural-exorcisms were used to "cure" mentally ill patients and the witch hunts were a social phenomena that affected multiple regions of the world.

Benjamin Rush

Jan 17, 1769

Benjamin Rush used inhumane methods to treat patients while trying to improve standards of care: Psychology-Use of crude devices to "cure" patients.

Hypnosis

Jan 17, 1774

Beginning of hypnosis: Psychological-helped people focus on psychological events that may be triggers in a patient's life.

Better care

Jan 17, 1789

Increased care of patients: Psychological-began to treat patients as sick people and not animals.

Philippe Pinel

Jan 17, 1793

Philippe Pinel released the first mental patients from confinement in the first massive movement for more humane treatment of the mentally ill.

Franz Gall

Jan 17, 1802

Franz Gall wrote about phrenology (the idea that a person's skull shape and placement of bumps on the head can reveal personality traits.

Phineas Gage

Jan 17, 1848

Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierces his brain. His personality was changed but his intellect remained intact suggesting that an area of the brain plays a role in personality.

Paul Broca

Jan 17, 1861

French physician Paul Broca discovered an area in the left frontal lobe that plays a key role in language development.

Feminism

Jan 17, 1945

Beginning of feminism movement: Sociocultural-women began to show their views within the psychology field.