PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AS ADAPTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG DISTINCTIVE PATHWAYS

Contrary to the standard assumption that psychopathology stems from de velopmental immaturity (retardation, fixation, regression), people dia gnosed with psychopathology typically develop along distinctive pathwa ys in which they build complex, advanced skills. These pathways are ba sed on adaptation to trauma, such as maltreatment, or to problems in a ffective-cognitive regulation, such as those in autism. They do not fi t normative developmental frameworks. Research has characterized sever al types of distinctive pathways, especially those arising from maltre atment; they are marked by normal developmental complexity but distinc tive affective-cognitive organization. In one study sexually abused de pressed adolescent girls admitted for treatment in a mental hospital d escribed themselves-in-relationships with age-appropriate, complex dev elopmental levels equal to those of both nonabused depressed girls and other adolescents. At the same time, they showed a powerful negativit y bias contrasting with the positivity biases of other girls. Many of them produced dramatic switches in affective-cognitive organization ac ross assessments contrasting with the similar organization showed by o ther girls. In another study toddlers from maltreating families showed a consistent negativity bias in play and representations of interacti ons. We show how to portray these distinctive developmental pathways t hrough the example of Hidden Family Violence, in which people dissocia te their private violent world from their public, good-citizen world.