Deviation from social norms

• Deviations from social norms (AD)

  Society collectively decides what is 'normal' or 'acceptable', any behaviour that does not fall into these categories is considered a deviation from social norms
• Culture + context-specific norms (AOD)

  • Different values cultures have different morals, values and social norms, therefore this definition is culture specific and varies from culture to culture depending on their social views
  • The values can be changed over time
• Antisocial personality disorder (APD)

  The DSM-5 states that someone with APD (psychopath) fails to conform to societal and culturally normative ethical behaviour, they are usually aggressive and hostile, therefore they are considered abnormal because they deviate from society's moral code
• DSM-5: Diagnostic and statistic manual for mental disorders


  A manual that lists all the different psychological conditions and their symptoms
• Real world application

  social norms deviation is key in diagnosing disorders like antisocial personality disorder and schizotypal personality disorder in clinical practice. It helps spot behaviors that go against norms.
• Cultural and situational relativism

  social norms differ across cultures and situations, making it hard to judge deviation. Hearing voices can be normal in some cultures but abnormal in the UK. Norms vary within a culture.