AO3 failure to function adequately

• subjective judgements are still required for each of the main indicators. what one person may see as observer discomfort, another may not. consequently, definition can be unreliable as not everyone will perceive someone as abnormal.
• dysfunctional behaviour could be adaptive and functional for the person. some disorders like eating disorders may lead to extra attention to individual being the reason for why they get treatment. behaviour is not bad for survival which contradicts main idea.
• definition not completely useful because failure to function may not be linked to psychiatric disorder. for example someone might be unemployed due to disability rather than mental illness.
• definition views the disorder from the point of view of the person experiencing it which is considered more humane than deviation from social norms that considers the person's behaviour in its effects on others
• cultural relativism - aspects of a normal functioning life in one culture will vary from culture to culture. for example not working is seen as abnormal in our culture but may not in another. however we do agree on some behaviours being abnormal e.g. failure to eat