Definitions of abnormality

• What are the 4 definitions ?

  1. failure to function adequately
  2. statistical infrequency
  3. ideal mental health
  4. deviation from social norms
• What is ideal mental health ?

  Jahoda- must have all 6 to be normal
• what are the 6 ideal mental health?


  1. Self attitude

  2. personal growth

  3. perception of reality

  4. autonomy

  5. environmental mastery

  6. integration
• What is failure to function adequately ?

  ability to cope with day to day living
• What does GAF stand for ?

  global assessment of functioning scale

  questionnaire on how well u cope 0-100
• What is deviation from social norms ?


  If behaviours / beliefs do not fit into society's norms
• What are social norms ?


  Expectations on how people should behave

  if you break these you are abnormal
• What is statistical infrequency ?


  any behaviour that is statistically infrequent ?

  uses the normal distribution curve
• What is the normal distrubution curve ?

  • People normally Sit around the mean
  • further from the mean more abnormal.
  • anyone more than 2 deviations from the mean is abnormal
• What is standard deviation ?

  Measure or average distance from the mean
• What is evaluation of ideal mental health ?

  • varies between cultures
  • not many ppl have all 6
  • subjective
• What is evaluation of failure to function adequately ?


  + easy to judge (hygiene)

  _ people can do day to day life with a mental illness

  _ some people are unaware they aren’t coping
• What is evaluation of statistical infrequency ?


  _ relies on an arbitory cut off point

  _ statistics aren’t correct as not everyone is diagnosed

  _ gender issues
• What is evaluation of deviation from social norms ?


  _ social norms vary between cultures

  _ social norms change over time

  _ just because people don’t follow social norms doesn’t make them abnormal