Abnormal Psychology

12 CHAPTER 1

have a life force, called qi (pronounced “chee” as in cheetah), which fl ows through

the body along 12 channels to the organs. Illness results when qi is blocked or seri-

ously imbalanced. This is one of the oldest biological explanations of psychologi-

cal disorders. Even today, Chinese treatment for various problems, including some

psychological disorders, aims to restore the proper balance of qi. Practitioners use a

number of techniques, including acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Ancient Greeks and Romans

Like the ancient Chinese, the ancient Greeks viewed mental illness as a form of

bodily illness (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2005). According to their theory,

mental illness arose through an imbalance of four humors(that is, bodily fl uids):

black bile, blood, yellow bile and phlegm. Each humor corresponded to one of four

basic elements: earth, air, fi re, water. The ancient Greeks believed that differences in

character refl ected the relative balance of these humors, and an extreme imbalance

of the humors resulted in illness—including mental illness (see Table 1.2). Most

prominent among the resulting mental disorders were mania (marked by excess un-

controllability, arising from too much of the humors blood and yellow bile) and

melancholy (marked by anguish and dejection, and perhaps hallucinations, arising

from too much black bile). The goal of treatment was to restore the balance of

humors through diet, medicine, or surgery (such as bleeding, or letting some blood

drain out of the body if the person had too much of the humor blood).

Element Humor Material and Function Character

Earth Black Bile A dark liquid that causes other

fl uids and parts of the body

to darken (such as stool,

hair, skin)

Gloomy or sullen

Air Blood A red liquid that promotes

vitality

Lively and energetic,

but easily angered

Fire Yellow Bile A gastric fl uid that promotes

digestion

Irritable and biting

Water Phlegm A lubricant and coolant that is

most evident in excess (as in

tears or sweat)

Indifferent and

apathetic

Table 1.2 • The Four Humors

Beginning with the physician Hippocrates (460–377 B.C.E.), the ancient Greeks

emphasized reasoning and rationality in their explanations of natural phenomena,

rejecting supernatural explanations. In many ways, Hippocrates was a visionary: He

suggested that the brain, rather than any other bodily organ, is responsible for men-

tal activity, and that mental illness arises from abnormalities in the brain (Shaffer &

Lazarus, 1952). Today, the term medical model is used to refer to Hippocrates’ view

that all illness, including mental illness, has its basis in biological disturbance. Nev-

ertheless, regardless of how insightful the Greeks’ basic theory of disorders may have

been, their treatments were not sophisticated by today’s standards. Such treatments

included music, bathing, diets, and bleeding.

Galen (131–201 C.E.), a Roman doctor, extended the ideas of the Greeks.

Galen proposed that imbalances in humors produced emotional imbalances—and

such emotional problems in turn could lead to psychological disorders. His view of

the importance of emotions extended to treatment: Just as the humors must be bal-

anced for physical health, so too must the emotions (U.S. National Library of Medi-

cine, 2005). However, the fall of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity