Psychopathology

• What is statistical infrequency ?

  Defines an abnormality as behaviour or thinking that is considered numerically uncommon
• What does this mean ?

  It is statically rare , in the way that most people wouldn't behave in that way
• Give an example


  SZ only affects 1% of the population
• Explain in terms of the distribution graph

  the further away a behaviour is from the mean , the less common it is
• Explain SZ in terms of a normal distribution curve

  therefore SZ would be more than 3 standard deviations away from the mean
• What are the strengths of the statistical infrequency definition (1)

  + real world applications
• Give an example to support


  Such as clinical practice and assessing the severity of someone's symptoms
• Give an example of this

  a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of less than 70
• What does this mean ?

  that the use of a normal distribution curve is useful as the psychiatrist doesn't have to just use their judgement to decide on a diagnosis
• What can psychiatrists do instead ?

  they can determine this by considering how frequent or infrequent this behaviour is using the curve
• What are the limitations of the statistical infrequency definition (3)

  - Some rare behaviours are not considered abnormal

  - some behaviour is not rare

  - MIND
• Why is the fact that some rare behaviours are not considered abnormal , a limitation ?

  A small % of people have a high IQ (eg 130) which is seen as desirable rather than abnormal
• Why is this a limitation ?

  It demonstrates that being 'unusual' does not make someone abnormal
• Give evidence support the limitation that some abnormal behaviour is not rare

  the NHS predicts that since the Coronavirus outbreak, 1 in 5 people have experienced depression
• What does this suggest ?

  That depression is so common that is it not seen as abnormal under this definition
• Why is evidence from MIND a limitation ?

  They estimate that on average people are experiencing more symptoms of mental illness
• Give evidence to support this ?

  Reports show that instances of common mental health issues rose by 20% between 1993 and 2014
• Why is this a limitation ?


  These figures create problems for the definition as they suggest that some mental disorders are becoming more frequent and would not fall 2 standard deviations away from the me
• What is the deviation from social norms definition ?

  an abnormality is seen as someone who breaks implicit or explicit rules of society
• Give an example to support this

  Symptoms of psychopathy that are described as non conformity to moral standards (lying)
• What is a strength of deviation from social norms definition ? (1)

  + practical applications in clinical settings
• Give an example to support

  a key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is failure to conform to 'normal' behaviour
• Further develop this point

  Similarly, schizotypal personality disorder involves behaviours which are 'strange' and clearly deviates from the norm
• Why is it a strength ?

  It illustrates the usefulness of considering socially normative behaviours when considering what is classed as an abnormality
• What are the limitations of deviation from social norms ?

  - norms vary between cultures

  - behaviour that deviates from social norms is not always a sign of psychopathy
• What is the idea that norms vary between cultures , known as ?

  Culture relativism
• Give an example to support this

  one difference between cultures is whether it is viewed as acceptable for a person to hear voices

  In some cultures this may be viewed as a respected and gifted ability, however in others the person would be referred to a psychiatrist. someone who has different cultural standards
• Why is this a limitation ?

  as there is always the risk that one culture's standards are being used inappropriately to judge the behavior of
• Further develop this statement

  Society has mixed cultural groups and therefore accurately applying this definition of abnormality is very difficult.
• Why is the fact that behaviour that deviates from social norms is not always a sign of psychopathy?

  This is because some people may be classed as eccentric because of their behaviour or their appearance, but this doesn't always mean that they are psychologically abnormal
• Why is this a problem ?

  as this definition doesn't distinguish between behaviour which is a sign of psychological abnormality and behaviour that is deviant
• What is failure to function adequately definition of abnormality ?

  Sees abnormality as an inability to live a normal life
• Who suggested there are features to this definition ?

  Rosenhan and Seligman
• What did Rosenhan and Seligman suggest ?

  That F2F has 7 features
• What are the 7 features ?

  - irrationality

  - observer discomfort

  - unpredictability

  - maladaptive behaviour

  - personal distress

  - violation of moral standards

  - unconventionality
• what is irrationality ?

  when a persons behaviour doesn't make sense to others
• What is observer discomfort ?

  Where others find that a persons behaviour is uncomfortable to watch
• What is unpredictability?


  behaviour that is unexpected in the particular circumstances
• What is maladaptive behavior?


  behaviour that interferes with general mental and physical health
• What is personal distress ?

  Behaviour that causes the sufferer distress