statistical infrequency

• statistical infrequency - how often we come across something, if behaviour is rare or uncommon in the general population we consider it to be abnormal. eg - only small number of people have a fear of belly buttons
• evaluation - real world application

  used in clinical practice both as part of a formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individuals symptoms.
• evaluation (n)- unusual characteristics can be positive

  • for every person with an iq below 70 there is another with an iq above 130 - this is uncommon however we wouldn’t consider it abnormal like we would low iq
• evaluation - labelling helpfulness

  • some unusual people benefit from being classed as abnormal - for example people who have low iq is likely to benefit from therapy. someone with low iq would not benefit from labels especially if there is a social stigma attached