abnormality

• What are the four definitions of abnormality

  
  

  1. Deviation from social norms
  2. Deviation from ideal mental health
  3. Failure to function adequately
  4. Statistical infrequency
• Statistical Infrequency (SI)


  When an individual has a less common characteristic than most of the population eg- being more depressed or less intelligent
• According to statistics, any relatively usual behaviour/ characteristic is normal; any relatively unusual behaviour/ characteristic is abnormal
• Normal distribution


  The average (where the majority is). The further we deviate from this, the fewer people/ data there are
• Strengths of Statistical Infrequency (SI)

  • It is useful (used as part of formal diagnosis and a way to assess the severity of an individual's symptoms eg in the Beck depression inventory)
• Limitations of Statistical Infrequency (SI)

  • Infrequent characteristics can be positive as well as negative. (eg you would not think people with a below average depression score as abnormal or someone with an above average IQ as abnormal)
• Deviation from social norms


  Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
• Groups of people choose to define behaviour as abnormal on the basis that it offends their sense of what is acceptable or the norm (making a collective judgement as a society on what is right)
• These norms may be different for each generation/ culture (means there are very few behaviours that are considered universally abnormal eg- homosexuality)
• Psychopathy


  One symptom of people with antisocial personality disorders is an 'absence of prosocial internal standards associated with the failure to conform to lawful and culturally normative ethical behaviour'
• Strengths of Deviation from social norms

  • Is useful (used in clinical practice and used to successfully diagnose antisocial and schizotypal personality disorders)
• Limitations of Deviation from social norms

  • Social norms are different for all cultures (one culture may label something abnormal while another may label it as normal)
• The DSM

  A classification system for mental disorders, including a detailed description of their symptoms and characteristics. The most recent version is the DSM-V
• 4 major groups in the DSM

  • Depressive disorders
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
  • Feeding and eating disorders
• Failure to function adequately


  When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day living. Might decide that someone is like this if they are unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygiene or can't hold down or maintain jobs/ relationships with people
• Additional signs of abnormality (Rosenhan and Seligman)

  • Does not conform to standard interpersonal rules eg eye contact
  • Experiences severe personal distress
  • Behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves/ others
• Strengths of Failure to function adequately

  • Represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help (treatment and services can be targeted to those who need them the most)
• Limitations of Failure to function adequately


  • Allows for the labelling of non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal (hard to say when someone is really failing to function supposed to when they have simply chosen to deviate from social norms)
• Deviation from ideal mental health


  When someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
• Jahoda suggested we are in good mental health if we meet the following criteria:

  • Positive attitudes towards one's self 
  • Self actualisation
  • Autonomy
  • Integration
  • Accurate perception  
  • Environment mastery