Failure to Function Adequately

• What is failure to function adequately?

  Inability to meet basic needs or function effectively in daily life.
• What does FFA behaviour cause?

  Personal distress/anguish
• What is behaviour like in those who FFA

  Maladaptive

  • Irrational
  • Dangerous
• Where did Idea come from?

  Rosenhan and Seligman 1989
• What are the criteria's?

  • Personal Distress
  • Maladaptiveness
  • Irrationality
  • Unpredictability
  • Unconventionality and Statistical Rarity
  • Observer Discomfort
  • Violation of Moral and Ideal Standards
• What does Personal Distress mean?

  Experiencing unpleasant emotional experiences such as guilt, anxiety and depression to an excessive degree
• What does maladaptiveness mean?

  Behaviour that interferes with ones ability to meet everyday responsibilities and cope with everyday demands of family, work, and social life.
• What does Irrationality mean?

  Behaviour that has no rational basis and is unconnected to reality
• What does Unpredictability mean?

  Behaviour that is impulsive and seemingly uncontrollable - especially when it disrupts other people's lives
• Weakness of FFA

  • Judging person as distressed or distressing relies on subjective assessment.
  • Not all abnormal behaviour is associated with distress/failure to cope [PSYCHOPATY]
  • Not all maladaptive behaviour is an indicator of mental illness.
• Weakness of FFA expanded

  Not every abnormal behaviour is associated with distress. For example, psychopathy is an abnormal behaviour that endangers people, but it does not cause distress to others.

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  FFA tries to recognise the patient’s perspective – this is important because it means that the patient worldview is not entirely ignored, and one viewpoint is not classified upon all patients who fail to function adequately.