Chapter 16 Looking Back and Looking Ahead

At first sight, the psychological disorders discussed in this chapter are profoundly puzzling. How could people think the TV is talking to them, speak in random jumbles of words, injure themselves, or callously harm others? But now that you have finished this chapter, the disorders should look different. You have seen that disorders, rather than being mysterious oddities, often result from breakdowns in simple, understandable psychological abilities that you normally take for granted—such as the ability to figure out what is real and what is not, to order information in memory in a logical manner, and to control emotional states and their influence on thinking and behavior.

Now that you have seen this, you can also see the connection between psychological disorders and the rest of psychology: the study of thinking, memory, emotion, and their biological underpinnings. Basic research in these other areas of psychology not only teaches lessons about the mind and brain. It can also provide understanding of—and, in the long run, benefit to—people who are experiencing psychological disorders.

Chapter Review Now that you have completed this chapter, be sure to turn to Appendix B, where you will find a Chapter Summary that is useful for reviewing what you have learned about psychological disorders.