Abnormal psychology has been studied for about 100 years, but the recognition of what society deems to be abnormal behavior goes back further than that, to the primitive and pre-modern societies (Damour & Hansell, 2005). One of the most common approaches in explaining abnormal behavior was a form of animism which indicated that an individual inflicted with a mental disorder was possessed with an evil or malevolent spirit. A primitive form of surgery associated with animism, trephination, was performed. This surgery consisted of cutting or drilling a few holes in the skull of the patient.
This was believed to release the evil spirits that were causing the abnormal behavior (Damour & Hansell, 2005). Evidence showed that a large number of these patients even survived the procedure. Exorcism was also associated with animism, and was a ritual carried out by religious authorities. Exorcism was a means of casting out evil spirits believed to be the reason for an individual’s pathological behavior (Damour & Hansell, 2005).
In the Greek and Roman civilizations, a more scientific view of mental illness began to emerge. The basis of a systematic approach to psychological and physical disorders began with Hippocrates. He was a Greek philosopher who believed that all diseases, including mental disorders, were caused by an imbalance of four fluids, or humors, that were believed to circulate throughout the body (Damour & Hansell, 2005). Hippocrates theorized that an excess of black bile would cause one to become melancholic (or depressed), and an excess of yellow bile would cause one to become choleric (anxious or irritable).
An excess of blood was believed to cause sanguine (moodiness) and excess phlegm was blamed for lethargy (indifference) (Damour & Hansell, 2005). Hippocrates believed that reestablishing balance among the four humors through dietary and behavioral changes would also stabilize behavior and health. Asclepiades disagreed with Hippocrates’ view on imbalances in body substances. He believed that psychological disorders could occur as a result of emotional difficulties (Damour & Hansell, 2005).