psychopathology

• what is abnormal behaviour?


  it is behaviour that is considered statistically unusual, considered strange or undesirable by most people and a source of unhappiness
• what are the factors associated to defining abnormal behaviour?


  • biological
  • psychological
  • socio-cultural
• definitions of abnormality:


  • statistical infrequency
  • deviation from social norms
  • failure to function adequately
  • deviation from ideal mental health
• what does statistical infrequency refer to:


  it refers to the conditions that are rare in comparison to the norm, which are seen using the normal frequency distribution.
• what is the normal frequency distribution?


  it is a graph that can tell us what is common or normal and what is uncommon or abnormal. It is in the shape of a Bell curve.
• limitations of statistical infrequency:


  unusual characteristics can be positive - for every person with an IQ below 70 there is another with an IQ above 130 but we wouldn't assume people with a high IQ score as abnormal. This shows that being unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily make someone abnormal.

  Meaning statistical infrequency is not sufficient as the sole as the sole basis for defining abnormality.
• benefits of statistical infrequency:


  • real world application - it is used in clinical practice, both as part of formal diagnosis and a way to assess the severity of an individuals symptoms. An example of statistical infrequency used in an assessment tool is the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
  • Some people benefit from being classified as abnormal - eg someone who has low IQ can get extra help.
• define deviation from social norms:


  when a person behaves in a way that is different from how we expect people to behave