Abnormality

• Who are norms created by?

  society
• What do social norms represent?

  what is considered to be acceptable or expected ways of behaving
• What does it mean if an individual deviates from these social norms?

  Their behaviour is considered abnormal
• What are these rules of behaviour?

  Implicit - unspoken

  Explicit - defined by law
• Why do psychologists need methods for distinguishing normal from abnormal behaviour?

  So that those who are suffering from psychological disorders or mental illnesses can be identified, supported and offered treatment
• What can functioning adequately be described as?

  Being able to manage tasks necessary for day to day life
• When would a persons behaviour be abnormal?

  If they were unable to cope with these daily demands
• When is failure to function adequately seen to be abnormal?

  If distress is caused to ones self or others
• What did Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggest?

  That there are 6 features of abnormality and the more features that are present the more abnormal the individual is
• What are the 6 features of abnormality?

  1. Personal distress
  2. Maladaptive behaviour
  3. Unpredictability
  4. Observer discomfort
  5. Violation of moral and ideal standards
  6. Irrationality
• What are weaknesses of failure to function?

  • It does not take into account an individuals circumstance (e.g. exam, bereavement)
  • It is not clear how extreme the behaviour has to be in order to be considered abnormal - how much do we need to fail to function
  • It is based predominantly western cultural perspective
• What is a strength of failure to function?

  It has useful practical applications - clinicians use it when making judgements about the need for treatment, individuals given overall score after completing questionnaire designed by WHODA, provides an objective and quantitative measurement of functioning
• What are the weaknesses of deviation from social norms?

  • It can be a lifestyle choice, not a sign of abnormality
  • Social norms can change over time and place
  • The definition could be used as a form of social control and could be open to abuse
• Why is behaviour that is statistically infrequent considered abnormal?

  Because it is very rare and very few people have it
• What does a normal distribution curve look like?

  A bell-shaped pattern
• What are descriptive statistics?

  Mean, Median, Mode
• What does a frequency graph of behaviours tend to show?

  A normal distribution, where most people are in the central group, clustered around the mean, and fewer people are at either extreme
• What do the extreme ends define?

  What abnormal behaviour is
• What are weaknesses of statistical infrequency?

  • It does not account for desirability
  • Some abnormal behaviour is not rare
  • The cut-off point between normal and abnormal is subjective
• What is a strength of statistical infrequency?

  It has real life applications as all assessments of patients include some kind of measurement on how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms
• What are 6 characteristics of ideal mental health that Jahoda (1958) identified?

  1. Positive self attitudes - high self esteem
  2. Self actualisation - motivated to reach full potential
  3. Resistance to stress - ability to cope with stressful situations
  4. Autonomy - independent and self reliant
  5. Having an accurate perception of reality
  6. Mastery of the environment
• What are weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health?

  • Most people would be considered abnormal because it represents an idealised set of expectations
  • Not clear how many of the criteria need to be lacking in order to be considered abnormal
  • The inclusion of self actualisation as a criterion for mental health
  • It is culturally biased based on western ideas of self fulfilment
• What is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health?

  It offers a positive approach to identifying mental illness, more ethical way of approaching mental health
• What is one weakness that is common for all definitions of abnormality?

  All culturally relative
• What does cultural relativism mean?

  It is only possible to think about peoples normal behaviour in the context of the societies and cultures in which they live, their behaviour is related to their culture
• How can abnormality be defined?

  By comparing peoples behaviour with what is conventional or accepted in their own culture