Deviation from Social Norms

• Groups of people choose to define behavior as abnormal on the basis that it offends their sense of what is 'acceptable'
• Social norms may be different for each generation and in every culture, so there are relatively few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal.
• Homosexuality was considered abnormal in our culture in the past and continues to be viewed as wrong or abnormal in others.
• To diagnose ASPD we rely on the absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful and culturally normative ethical behaviour - Making judgments because they don't conform to our moral standards.
• Strength - Real World Application

  • Clinical practice - ASPD - Failure to conform to culturally normal ethical behaviour.
  • Clinical Practive - Schizotypical Personality Disorder - Thinking, behaviour and appearance.
• Limitation - Cultural differences

  • A person from one cultural group may label someone from another as abnormal using their standards. For example hearing the voices of ancestors may be seen as normal in some cultures but abnormal in the UK
• Using deviation from social norms may lead to human rights abuse

  • Nymphomania - Women's uncontrollable sexual desire was used to control women
  • Drapetomania - Black slaves running away - Control slaves

  On the other hand it is used to diagnose conditions such as ASPD.