Developmental psychology.pdf

Adjustment and Maladjustment 453
13. The concept of cultural relativism indicates that certain abstract concepts
have meaning only in relation to the standards of a given culture. But the
standards within any culture can change with the passage of time. Any
definition of adjustment or maladjustment indicates a preference for a
certain social or ethical order.
Critical Terms
Adjustment
Conflict
Multiple approach-avoidance
Learned helplessness
Displaced aggression
Defense mechanism
Repression
Anxiety disorder
Somatoform disorder
Secondary gain
Dissociative disorder
Psychotic disorder
Schizophrenic disorder
Schizophrenia in remission
Affective disorder
Predisposing factors
Precipitating factor
Antisocial personality disorder
Cultural relativism
Cross References
Aggressive Reactions (433). The frustration-aggression hypothesis has been
discussed in the context of acquired motivation (319).
Defense Mechanisms (434). Repression is also considered basic to certain forms
of forgetting, bungled actions, and even life-styles (249, 337, 402).
Suggested Readings
Baker, B. L., & Goldstein, M. J. (Eds.). (1981). Readings in abnormal
psychology. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. First-person accounts of
psychopathology and research papers on origins of abnormal behavior.
Belkin, G., & Nass, S. (1984). Psychology of adjustment. Newton, MA:
Allyn & Bacon. A research-based text.
Bruno, F. J. (1982). Adjustment and personal growth: Seven pathways
(2nd ed.). New York: Wiley. The perspectives include psychoanalytic,
behavioral, cognitive, and existential-humanistic.
Meyer, R., & Salmon, P. (1984). Abnormal psychology. Newton, MA:
Allyn & Bacon. Includes cross-cultural perspectives.
Tarter, R. E. (Ed.). (1983). The child at psychiatric risk. New York:
Oxford Press. Discussions of diverse disorders.