defining abnormality

• What is psychopathology?

  The scientific study of mental disorders
• Why is it difficult to define abnormality?

  There is no single characteristic for all cases
• How can social and cultural factors affect judgments of abnormality?

  Different backgrounds may disagree on abnormality
• What are the four definitions of abnormality?

  1. Statistical infrequency/deviation
  2. Deviation from social norms (DSN)
  3. Failure to function adequately (FFA)
  4. Deviation from ideal mental health (DIMH)
• What does statistical infrequency mean in the context of abnormality?

  Behaviors that are numerically rare are abnormal
• Give an example of statistical infrequency.

  Being extremely anxious compared to most
• What does a low standard deviation indicate?

  Scores are clustered tightly around the mean
• What is a normal distribution curve?

  A graph showing how data is distributed
• What is meant by a skewed distribution?

  A distribution that is not symmetrical
• What type of tests produce positive and negative skews?

  Tests with extreme high or low scores
• How can IQ and intellectual disability be measured using statistical infrequency?

  By comparing IQ scores to the population mean
• What percentage of the population is located one standard deviation from the mean?

  34.13%
• How is Amanda's social skills evaluated in relation to statistical infrequency?

  She is in the bottom 2.5% of the population
• What is a limitation of the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality?

  Unusual characteristics can be positive or desirable
• Why might labeling someone as abnormal be problematic?

  It may not reflect their actual life quality
• What is a challenge in determining abnormal behavior?

  No clear cutoff between normal and abnormal
• How do cultural factors influence the definition of abnormality?

  Statistical norms vary across cultures
• What are social norms?

  Unwritten rules guiding societal behavior
• Why does society need social norms?

  To maintain order and predict behavior
• What does deviating from social norms mean?

  Not conforming to expected societal behavior
• Why might someone with antisocial personality disorder be considered abnormal?

  They exhibit behavior unacceptable to society
• What is the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF)?


  A method to measure daily functioning

  
• What does adequate functioning mean?

  Coping with everyday life demands
• What are Rosenhan and Seligman’s features of failing to function adequately?

  Criteria to assess everyday life coping
• What is a strength of the FFA definition of abnormality?

  It recognizes subjective experiences of individuals
• What is a limitation of the FFA definition?

  Abnormality can exist without dysfunction
• What is Jahoda's definition of ideal mental health?

  Criteria for achieving optimal mental health
• What are Jahoda's six criteria for ideal mental health?

  1. Positive attitude towards self
  2. Self-actualization
  3. Autonomy
  4. Resistance to stress
  5. Environmental mastery
  6. Accurate perception of reality
• What is a strength of the DIMH definition?

  It covers many criteria for good mental health
• What is a limitation of the DIMH definition?

  Few people meet all criteria for ideal health
• How does cultural relativism affect the DIMH definition?

  Ideal mental health varies across cultures
• How have perceptions of reality changed over time?

  What was once ideal may now be abnormal