Читать книгу Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology - Robert Weis - Страница 39

Prototypical classification is based on the degree to which the individual’s signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture or prototype of the disorder (Westen, 2012). This approach assumes that individuals with a given disorder may show some variability; not all people with the disorder will manifest it in exactly the same way. For example, if you were asked to generate a mental picture of a bird, you would likely conjure an image of a small, flying animal with a beak that looks like a sparrow or robin. It is much less likely that your initial image of a bird would be something like a penguin or ostrich. A sparrow or robin is closer to the prototype of bird than a penguin or ostrich, although the latter two animals are certainly birds.

Similarly, DSM-5 recognizes that most people with a specific disorder show signs and symptoms similar to the prototype for that disorder; however, DSM-5 also allows for some variability in the way people can manifest these diagnostic features.

You can see elements of the prototypical approach to classification in the DSM-5 criteria for major depression. Although there are three essential features of the disorder, children can manifest the signs and symptoms of the disorder in nine different ways. Only five of these signs or symptoms are required for the diagnosis. For example, some depressed children experience cognitive difficulties, such as problems concentrating on their schoolwork, beliefs that they are worthless, or recurrent thoughts about death. Other children with depression experience physical problems, such as decreased appetite, insomnia, and fatigue. The prototypical approach allows flexibility in the way children experience each disorder.