statistical infrequency

• occurs when an individual has a less common /rare characteristic. We use statistics to define what is normal by referring to typical values therefore we have an idea of what is considered abnormal. eg. an average female UK shoe size is 6, therefore size 3-4 or 7-8 is considered abnormal.
• • doesn't count desirable traits. eg. an IQ over 130 would be just as unusual as those below 70 but wouldn't count as undesirable and needing treatment. Therefore, this definition alone wouldn't be used for diagnosis.
• • culturally relative. eg. depression is rarely reported in China as people deal with it privately, leading to a low statistic but in the US it is reported more frequently. This leads to a false result that people in china suffer from depression less
• • cut off point subjective, eg. symptom of depression is difficulty sleeping but some people may say the cut off point is less than 6 hours a night but others may say 5.