definitions of abnormality 2

• failure to function adequately?

  when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living
• deviation from ideal mental health?

  when someone doesnt meet a set of criteria for good mental health
• signs that person is failing to function adequately?

  -when a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules

  -when they experience severe personal distress

  -their behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to everyone
• what did jahoda say ideal mental health looked like?

  -have no symptoms or distress

  -are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately

  -can self actualise

  -can cope with stress

  -realistic view of the world

  -good self esteem and lack guilt

  -independent of other people

  -can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
• strength of failure to function adequately?

  P- represents a sensible threshold for when someone needs professional help

  E- most of us have symptoms of mental disorder to some degree at some point. mental health charity mind says around 25% people in UK experience a mental health problem in any given year. however many people press on in the face of fairly severe symptoms. it tends to be at the point that we cease to function adequately people get professional help.

  L- this criterion means that treatment and services can be targeted to those who need them most.
• limitation of failure to function adequately?

  P- easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal

  E- hard to say when someone is failing to function and when they've simply chosen to deviate from social norms. not having a job or permanent address might seem like failing to function. people with alternative lifestyles choose to live off-grid. or those who favour high risk leisure activities or unusual spiritual practices can be classed as irrational and dangerous

  L- people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and their freedom of choice may be restricted.
• strength of deviation from ideal mental health?

  P- highly comprehensive

  E- jahoda's concept of ideal mental health includes a range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder. covers most if the reasons why we might seek help with mental health. so an individuals mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who might take different theoretical views.

  L- provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others and discuss psychological issues with a range of professionals.
• limitation of deviation from ideal mental health ?

  P- its different elements aren't equally applicable across cultures.

  E- some of jahodas criteria for ideal mental health are firmly located in context of US and Europe. concept of self-actualisation would be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world. even in Europe there's bit of variation in value placed on personal independence e.g. high in Germany, low in Italy. what defines success in our social. working and love lives is very different in different cultures.

  L- difficult to apply concept of ideal mental health from 1 culture to another