DFSM/SI

• Ao1


  deviation from social norms -abnormality is defined as behaviour that goes against the standards of socially acceptable behaviour that are adhered to by those socialised into that group.

  social norms are unwritten rules or exceptions when a person violates a social norm they may be considered abnormal but this often depends on the time, context and culture

  statistical infrequency is identified as any value that is 2 standard deviation points away from the mean on a normal distribution
• ao3 :strength -deviation from social norms distingues desirable/un desirable behaviours

  distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviours which other definitions do not

  E-the social deviancy model considers the effect that behaviours have on others. Deviance is decribed in terms of transgretion of social rules and these rules help people live together peacefully

  k-deviation from social norms offers a a practicle way of identifing undesirable and damaging behaviours so those people can get the help they need
• another strength is its real life aplication

  E-dfsm-is used in clinical practice for example one of the key defining characteristics of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to normal ethical behaviour ie)aggression.

  k-This shows that the DSN criteria has real life applications due to it's
• AO3 weakness' statistical infrequency it can be positive as well as negative

  individual with an IQ above 130 are statistically infrequent, however it's not considered abnormal to have a high IQ which shows that that being at one end of the phycological spectrum doesn't make you abnormal

  A-another issue is that behaviours that are statistically infrequent in one culture might ne fore frequent in another for example one symptom of schizophrenia is hearing voices which is an experience that is common in some cultures

  k-this therefore shows that statistical infrequency shouldn't completely define abnormality
• another weakness of SI is that it applies general lables to poeple

  E-some one may be living a healthy fufilled life so there is no benefit to them as being labelled as abnormal regardless of how abnormal they are. For example someone with a low Iq who can cope with their chosen life style wouldn't benefit from label's

  k-There is social stigmas attached to such labels so not all statistically unusual people benefit from label's