abnormality .

• what is statistical infrequency ?


  • any relatively usual behaviour can be seen as ‘ normal ‘ and anything different to this is ‘abnormal’
  • can only deal with reliably measured characteristics
  • 1 and +1 = ‘ normal ’, -2 and +2 = ‘ unusual ’, -3 and -3 = ‘ abnormal ’

  
• what is abnormality ?


  when a person’s behaviour is sufficiently unusual ( abnormal ) to diagnose and treat them with a psychological disorder
• what is statistical infrequency in terms of iq ?


  • average iq is 100
  • 68% of people have iq between 85-115
  • only 2% have lower than 70 – ‘ abnormal ’
  • liable to intellectual disability disorder

  
• what are the strengths of statistical infrequency ?


  • it has real life-application in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder.
  • it is objective.
• what are the limitations of statistical infrequency ?

  • some characteristics can be desirable.
  • where someone is living a happy and fulfilled life, there is no benefit to them being labelled as abnormal.
• what is the impact of culture on social norms ?


  • social norms may be different in cultures and generations
  • few behaviours can be considered universally ‘ abnormal ’ when considering social norms

  for example : homosexuality

  • brunei ( 2019 ) – homosexuality punishable by death
• what is cultural relativism ?


  when one culture may label something as abnormal using their standards of normal whereas another culture may see this as normal. social norms are defined by a dominant culture and then applied to people from other cultural groups.
• what is antisocial personality disorder ?


  • classified by impulsive,

  aggressive, and irresponsible behaviour

  • the DSM-5 lists one important symptom as an ‘ absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour ’
• what are the strengths of deviation of social norms ?


  • it has real-life application.
  • it is holistic.
• what are the limitations to deviation of social norms ?


  • social norms vary from generations and cultures.
  • can lead to systematic abuse of human rights.
• what is deviation of ideal mental health ?


  a different approach is to look away from abnormal and consider ‘ normal ‘.

  an absence of any ideal mental health characteristic can be considered as ‘ abnormal ’.

  deviating from ideal mental health = abnormality
• what is the criteria for ideal mental health ? jahoda ( 1958 ) 


  • we are symptom-free – no symptoms or distress
  • we are rational – can perceive ourselves accurately
  • we are self-actualised – we have achieved our potential
  • we are unstressed
  • we are realistic – we have a realistic view of the world
  • we have good self-esteem
  • we are independent of other people
  • we can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
• what are the strengths of deviation of ideal mental health ?


  it is very comprehensive.
• what are the limitations to deviation of ideal mental health ?


  • the idea of cultural relativism.
  • it sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health.
  • the idea of labelling.
• what are the signs that somebody is not coping ? rosenhan and seligman ( 1989 )


  • personal distress – feeling upset
  • maladaptive behaviour – behaving oddly
  • unpredictability – erratic behaviour
  • irrationality – doing illogical or dangerous things
  • observer discomfort – others don’t like what is happening
  • violation of moral standards – breaking societies and interpersonal rules
  • unconventionality – not following normal standards
• what are the strengths of failure to function adequately ?


  it does attempt to include the subjective experience of the individual.
• what are the limitations of failure to function adequately ?


  • the uncertainty of the definition.
  • the use of subjective judgements.
  • the conditions are presented in normal behaviour.