occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic e.g. being more dressed or less intelligent than most of the population
define deviation from social norms
concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in our community or society
define failure to function adequately
occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living
deviation from ideal mental health
occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
AO1: statistical infrequency
according to the statistical definition of any behaviour that is unusual can be thought of as 'abnormal'
example: in a normal distribution, most people have a IQ score range from 85-115, and the 2% than score below 70 are very unusual or 'abnormal' - they are liable to receive a diagnosis of IDD
AO1: deviation from social norms
example: an important symptom of antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy) is an absence of prosocial internal standards that don't conform to our moral standards (DSM-5)
social norms are specific to the culture we live in, and so there are relatively few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal on the basis they breach them
AO1: failure to function adequately
ROSENHAN & SELIGMAN - additional signs:
no longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules
experiencing severe personal distress
behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
example: intellectual disability disorder (IDD)
AO1: deviation from ideal mental health
JAHODA - must follow the criteria of:
no symptoms or distress
rational
we self-actualise
can cope with stress
good self-esteem and lack guilt
independent
AO3: statistical infrequency
(-) infrequent characteristics can be positive as well e.g. we would not think of someone with an IQ above 130 as abnormal
(+) can be used in clinical practice, both as a part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individual's symptoms
AO3: deviation from social norms
(-) cultural and situational relativism - one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards rather than the person's standards
AO3: failure to function adequately
(-) it is easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal e.g. not having a job or permanent address might seem like failing to function but some people have alternative lifestyles = discrimination and social control
AO3: deviation from ideal mental health
(-) may be cultural-bound - some of JAHODA'S criteria for ideal mental health are firmly located in the context of the US and Europe, but different elements are not equally applicable across a range of cultures