Deviation from social norms

• Definitions of abnormality

  • Deviation from Social Norms (DSN)
  • Failure to Function Adequately (FFA)
  • Statistical Infrequency (SI)
  • Deviation from Ideal Mental Health (DIMH)
• Deviation from Social Norms (DSN)

  Defines abnormality in terms of behaviour that goes against (deviates) the unwritten rules and norms in a given society or community
• Psychological behaviour

  • Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) - a person with APD is impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible
• According to the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual 5, one important symptom of APD is that people with APD are abnormal because they do not conform to our moral standards
• Deviation from Social Norms (DSN) definition

  • Supports general ideas of abnormality
  • Social norms change over time, so it is era-dependent
  • Culturally relative, as social norms vary tremendously from one community to another
• Homosexuality was once considered abnormal behaviour because it broke the social norms of the day, but was only removed from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as a mental disorder in the 1970s
• Hearing voices is socially acceptable in some cultures but would be seen as a sign of mental abnormality in the UK