Definitions of abnormality

• Deviation from social norms

  > Standards of acceptable / expected behaviour are set by a social group

  > Anything that deviates from acceptable behaviour is considered abnormal as the behaviour is unexpected by other group members or causes offence to society

  > For example, in OCD individuals may use their own cutlery at restaurants due to fear of contamination
• Deviations from social norms AO3 -

  :( Limited by cultural relativism

  > Social norms are created within cultures

  > Some cultures have different norms

  > For example receiving messages from spirits may be a symptom of schizophrenia in western cultures whereas in a non-western culture it may be classed as a spiritual gift

  > Therefore DSN may not be appropriate to define abnormality outside of a specific culture
• Deviation from social norms AO3 -

  :) Real life applications

  > Antisocial personality disorder (ADP)

  > Mental health practitioners can look at what is deemed acceptable and use cultural norms to diagnose abnormal behaviour

  > For example truant behaviour or lack of remorse is unexpected within society

  > Useful definition when differentiating between normal and abnormal behaviour
• Failure to function adequately

  > Not being able to cope with the demands of everyday life

  > Looks at abnormal behaviour that interferes with everyday life eg. basic hygiene standards

  > Rosenhan and Seligman - maladaptive behaviour, irrational behaviour, severe personal distress

  > For example an individual with depression may be unable to keep a job due to having to get up in the morning. Therefore showing inability to cope with everyday demands
• Failure to function adequately -

  :) Acknowledges the personal experience of the individual

  > Although some of the criteria may be difficult to measure it takes into account an individuals subjective experiences and their severe personal distress

  > Therefore it captures the experience of many people - useful definition for assessing abnormality
• Failure to function adequately AO3 -

  :( Easy to label non-standard life choices as abnormal

  > It can be hard to say if an individual is really failing to function adequately if they are just choosing to deviate from social norms

  > Eg high risk activities or unusual spiritual practices, this could be classed as unreasonable and therefore abnormal

  > Therefore, an individuals freedom of choice may be restricted
• Deviation from ideal mental health -

  > Jahoda says there are six criterial to define mental healthiness

  > Failure to meet one or more of these criteria would suggest an abnormality

  1. Negative self-attitudes
  2. Problems with self actualisation
  3. Unable to resist stress
  4. Lack of autonomy
  5. Inaccurate perception of reality
  6. Poor environmental mastery
• Deviation from ideal mental health -

  :) Covers a broad range of criteria for mental health

  > Covers most of the reasons someone would seek mental health advice

  > Contrasting DSN as it only focuses on one criteria for defining abnormality

  > Appropriate definition of abnormality
• Deviation from ideal mental health AO3 -

  :( Some may argue the six criteria is too strict

  > People may not realistically be able to meet all six characteristics that define mental healthiness

  > Eg someone who lost their job may not be able to cope with the stresses, this may mean they are considered abnormal even though it may be a rational response for many

  > Limiting the use of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition
• Statistical infrequency -

  > Must look at behaviours that are typical of the general population and any behaviour which is rare is abnormal

  > On a distribution curve any behaviour that is 2 or more standard deviations from the mean is statistically rare and is therefore abnormal

  > Eg OCD affects 2% of the population so is therefore abnormal as it is statistically rare
• Statistical infrequency AO3

  :) Practical applications

  > used in clinical practice as part of a diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individuals symptoms

  > For example a diagnosis of intellectual disability requires an IQ of below 70 (bottom 2%)

  > Important part of applied psychology as it is a useful part of clinical assessment
• Statistical infrequency AO3

  :( Just because it is rare doesn't necessarily mean abnormal

  > Doesn't differentiate between desirable and undesirable behaviour

  > A high IQ is desirable but would be classed as abnormal as it is statistically rare

  > This limits the definition and means it could never be used solely to make a diagnosis and a treatment plan