Defintions of Abnormality

• what is statistical infrequency?

  a is mathematical way of identifying and explaining abnormal behaviour if its frequency is more than two standard deviations away from the mean incidence rates represented on a normally-distributed bell curve.

  • majority / 'normal' people cluster in the middle
  • fewer people are further away on both sides of bell curve considered abnormal as it is rare
• what is deviation from social norms?

  abnormality is when a person violates a set of unwritten rules of expected / acceptable behaviour within a particular social group where they make collective judgement based on the degree the norm is violated at + its importance
• Strength: Statistical infrequency

  P- usefulness

  E - intellectual disability disorder requires IQ below 70

  E - applicable to real world sitch as it is used in clinical practice as part of formal diagnosis or way to assess severity of an indi symptoms

  L - value of statistical infrequency as a criterion to define abnormality is useful in diagnostic and assessment processes
• Limitation: Statistical infrequency

  P - infrequent characteristics can be positive aswell as negative

  E - abnormality wouldnt usually apply to those with a high IQ similarly with how people with low depression scores on the BDI

  E - eg's show being unusual or at the end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily mean abnormality

  L - although can form part of assessment and diagnostic procedures , never sufficient as sole basis for defining abnormality
• why do not all statistically unusual people benefit from labels?

  some people with a low IQ can cope with their chosen lifestyle so it is not beneficial to add such labels as their are social stigmas around label
• how do some unusual people benefit from being classed as abnormal?

  low IQ = can be diagnosed with intellectual disability and access support services

  very high BDI score = benefit from therapy
• Strength of deviation from social norms:

  P - usefulness

  E - used in clinical practice e.g used to diagnose diff personality disorders such as schizoptyal and antisocial

  E - the signs shown for these disorders are deviations from social norms

  L - DFSN criterion has value in psychiatry
• what is the key to defining characteristics antisocial personality disorder?

  failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour such as recklessness , aggression ,, violating rights of others + deceitfulness
• Limitation of deviation from social norms:

  P - cultural and situational relativism (define both)

  E - hearing voices may be the norm in some cultures (messages from ancestors) but may be viewed as a mental disorder / strange to outsiders , aggressive behaviour more acceptable in context of family life rather than in corporate deal making

  E - shows there is variability between social norms in diff cultures + situations

  L - difficult to judge DFSN
• what is cultural and situational relativism?

  Cultural - one cultural group may class someone as abnormal using their own standards and beliefs

  Situational - differ depending on the situation
• what is failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?

  occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day livings such as maintaining basic hygiene and nuitrition
• according to Rosenhan and Seligman , what are the additional signs showing someone is not coping?

  • when a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules e.g respecting personal space
  • experiencing severe personal stress
  • behaviour becomes irrational pr dangerous to themselves or others
• what is deviation from mental health as a definition of abnormality?

  occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental and being psychologically healthy
• what does Marie Jahoda suggest about ideal mental health?

  when we meet the following criteria:

  • no symptoms of stress
  • rational and perceive ourselves rationally
  • self actualise
  • cope with stress
  • realistic view of world
  • good self-esteem and lack guilt
  • independent of others
  • can successfully work ,love and enjoy our leisure
• Strength for failure to function adequately:

  P - represents a sensible threshold for when people need pro help

  E - mental health charity mind say around 25% of people in the UK experience a mental health problem in any given year

  E - people seek help when they're symptoms restricts them from being abler to function adequately , it is until then others notice

  L - treatment and services can be targeted at those who need help the most
• Limitation of failure to function adequately:

  P - easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices abnormal

  E - people who live 'off the grid' do not have permanent addresses or people who favour high risk leisure activities which can be dangerous

  E - hard to differentiate if a person is not mentally healthy or just made the preferred choice to deviate from social norms

  L - unusual choices = risk of being labelled abnormal and heir freedom of choice may be restricted
• Strength of deviation of ideal mental health:

  P - criterion is highly comprehensive

  E - Jahoda's concept includes range of criteria to distinguish between mental health and mental disorder

  E - individual's mental health can be discussed meaningfully with range of pros e.g medically trained psychiatrist focuses on symptoms whereas humanistic counsellor can focus on self-actualisation

  L - provides checklist to assess ourselves and others and discuss psychological issues
• Limitation of ideal mental health:

  P - diff elements not equally applicable across a range of cultures

  E - Europe has quite a bit of variation on the value placed on personal independence (high in Germany but low in Italy)

  E -can vary depending of location and culture

  L - difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another (example of culture relativism)