Defining Abnormality

• what are the six criteria in failure to function adequately?

  - Suffering/ person distress

  - Maladaptive behaviour ( prevents someone from achieving life goals )

  - Vividness

  - Unpredictable & loss of control

  - Irrationality/ incomprehensibility ( behaviour does not make sense to others)
• who created the six criteria to digested someone is failing to function adequately?

  Rosenham and Seligman
• Define Failure to function adequately in terms of abnormality:


  a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to to come with the demands of everyday life.
• What is the counterargument for real life application in deviation of social Norms?

  NOT A SOLE EXPLANATION - other factors to consider, distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder, so it is never s sole explanation for defining abnormality.
• how does DSN have real life application?

  - in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder; someone who struggles with an social environment can get therapy.

  - therefor there is a place in thinking about what is abnormal
• what is a strength of using deviation of social norm to understand abnormality?

  real life application ( however it does not have a sole explanation )
• An example of DSN having cultural relativism

  hearing voices is socially acceptable in some cultures but as a sign of abnormality in another
• how does DSN have Cultural relativism?

  - social norms vary tremendously from one generation/culture. creates a problem for people from one culture living in another culture group
• Historical examples of DSN leading to human rights abuse:

  - Black slaves would be diagnosed with DRAPETOMIA if they tried to run away

  - Women would be diagnosed with NYMPHOMANIA is they were sexual attached to working class men
• How can deviation of social norms lead to human rights abuse?

  -looking at historical examples, diagnoses were made to maintain control over minority ethnic groups and women

  - therefor making it dangerous
• Weaknesses of deviation from social norms as an definition of abnormality:

  1. can lead to human rights abuse

  2. cultural relativism
• Define Deviation from social norms:

  Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society.

  - Focuses on Desirable and undesirable behaviour
• how is not everyone benefiting from a label a weakness of statistical infrequency?


  -sometimes there is no benefit from being labelled abnormal, regardless of how unusual they are.

  - being labelled as abnormal might have a negative effect on the way others view them and the way they view themselves
• how is the issue of unusual characteristics being positive a weakness for using SI?


  - IQ scores above 130 are just as unusual as those below 70

  - just because a few people display behaviour does not mean it is abnormal and does not mean it requires treatment

  .- means it would never be used alone to make a diagnosis
• Two weaknesses of using Statistical Infrequency to define abnormality:

  1. Unusual characteristics can be positive

  2. Not everyone benefits from being labeled
• One strength of using Statistical infrequency to describe abnormality:

  Real life application
• What does a normal distribution graph show?

  - majority of the people being in the middle ( normal )

  - a few people fall either side ( abnormal )
• when does Statistical deviation occur?

  when an individual has a less common characteristic.
• Define statistical infrequency in terms of abnormality:

  if it is statistically unusual, it is classed as abnormal
• What are the 4 main definitions of abnormality?

  1. statistical infrequency

  2. deviation from social norms

  3. failure to function adequately

  4. deviation from ideal mental health (Maria Jahoda)