Definitions

• 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year
• 8/100?

  mixed anxiety and depression
• 6/100?

  generalised anxiety disorder
• 4/100?

  PTSD
• 3/100?

  depression
• 2/100?

  phobias
• 1/100?

  OCD
• 1/100?

  panic disorder
• Deviation from social norms?

  Social norms are implicit rules about how we ought to behave in society. Social norms set by social groups and are a collective judgement on what is right e.g. wearing clothes, attending school, drinking tea, eating with a knife and fork, manners
• Abnormality is defined as any behaviour that violates these unwritten rules, can be desirable or undesirable behaviour (acceptable and unacceptable)
• Cultural relativism - norms are only norms in the culture they are from e.g. culture bound syndromes - parts of the world where hearing voices is desirable/ eating disorders don't get diagnosed/ deaths from not reported.
• Social norms change over time - e.g. 25 May 1985 Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years hard labour - 50s/60s sent to mental hospital - 2014 = legalised

  Creates an abuse of human rights - labelling people - treatment that abuses human rights - lobotomy
• Context - there is a time or place for everything e.g. when showering you don't wear clothes. Should we conform to all norms - could become a conformity neurotic - abnormal
• Too simplistic in comparison to other definitions - reductionist - not holistic in considering all approaches
• p: Deviation from social norms is a culturally biased definition

  e: This is because norms change between cultures, so the definition cannot be applied globally

  e: For example, in some countries it is seen as desirable (South east Asia and Africa) to hear voices - like God is talking to them

  l: This means that the definition is limited in it's application as it cannot be used to provide a nomothetic explanation of abnormality
• p: Deviation from socials norms is bound by context

  e: This is because behaviours that would be considered abnormal in some circumstances and contexts would be considered the social norm in others

  e: For example, in most cultures, wearing clothes is seen as the social norm, but in certain contexts, such as in the shower it would be considered abnormal

  l: This means that the definition is limited in its application as it cannot be generalised to every context, it is therefore not nomothetic
• Failure to function adequately: an inability to carry out everyday tasks and lead what would be considered a 'normal life'
• A failure to function adequately means that a person is unable to lead a normal life or engage in normal behaviour. For example, they may be unable to hold down a job or take part in everyday activities such as shopping or work.
• An agoraphobic would be considered abnormal because their fear of leaving the house
• There are various indicators of failure to function adequately, the greater the number of these indicators a person has the more likely they are to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder and therefore be labelled 'abnormal'.
• Rosenhan and Seligman decided on 7 criteria for 'failure to function'. It is important to remember that any one or even a small number of these, is by no means unusual, however if a person is experiencing many or all of them, then this would constitute cause for concern
• Criteria:

  1. Suffering - the patient may themselves by suffer as a result of their condition e.g. depression or may inflict suffering on others
  2. Maladaptiveness - behaviour prevents the person reaching desired goals
  3. Irrational - Behaviour seems to defy logical sense
  4. Observer discomfort - behaviour makes those around feel uncomfortable e.g. swearing
  5. Vividness - Others find the behaviour odd e.g. all over tattoos
  6. Violation of moral codes - not behaving in accordance with society's norms e.g. public nudity
  7. Unpredicability - behaviour is unexpected or unpredictable
• Maladaptiveness of behaviour - according to Darwin's principles of natural selection, any behaviour that is adaptive should be retained through the process of natural selection and survival of the fittest. Behaviour is maladaptive if it interferes with an individual's ability to lead a normal everyday life. Behaviour is abnormal if it is maladaptive, that is it has adverse effects on either the individual or society e.g. not going to school, staying inside all the time, not having relationships with friends
• Personal distress: a failure to function adequately might be due to personal distress. Personal distress can be a sign of many psychological disorders e.g. distress is the main symptom of depression. People suffering from depression may experience disturbed sleep, headaches and constant tiredness. However, some very serious mental disorders cause sufferers absolutely no personal distress because they lack insight into their own condition
• Less reductionist/ much more detailed - more holistic than deviation from social norms
• Considers the patient experience
• Gives a criteria to work with and define abnormality
• Subjective - who decides what is 'functioning'
• There is a measurement of functioning - GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) - scale from 1-100 but someone has to decide when it tips over
• Cultural relativism - depends on norms of culture
• Some people choose not to function - new age travelers, base jumpers, spiritualists
• p: Failure to function adequately is a subjective definition

  e: This is because it uses a scale to measure functioning called the GAF scale, giving people a score of 1-100

  e: At some point someone has to choose what is considered a failing to function score

  Although GAF is an objective measure, the decision on the cut off for abnormality is subjective limiting the usefulness of the definition