AO3

• statistical infrequency is useful because of its real world application as it is used in clinical practices for example the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of below 70. This shows the value of statistical infrequency is useful in diagnostics and assessment purposes
• a strength of statistical infrequency is that it is objective as it uses scientific and quantitative data so is therefore more reliable
• a weakness of statsitical infrequency is the issue of misdiagnosis as some abnormal behaviours are viewed as desirable or some behaviours are common such as depression
• a weakness of statistical infrequency is that it is subjectively determined
• a weakness of statistical infrequency is that is causes labelling which is giving a label of abnormal might not be helpful and restrict people
• a strength of deviation from norms is that it is useful as it is used in clinical practices which hows that deviation from social norms has a value is psychiatry
• a strength of deviation from social norms is that it is visible to others so it is objective and makes it easier to diagnose disorders
• a strength of deviation from social norms is that it can adapt with age as we can create context for behaviour
• a limitation from social norms is that the norms are specific to the culture that we live in. These can be different for each generation and different cultures. There are relatively few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal on the basis that they breach social norms
• a limitation of deviation from social norms is that there is a lack of temporal validity as there is hindsight bias. For example homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness until 1973 in the UK which often resulted in institutionalisation but is not considered normal. This can also be used as an example for cultural relativism
• a limitation to deviation of social norms is how far an individual deviated from the social norms is mediated by the degree of severity and the context. For example when someone does it once may not be deviant but by doing it constantly could be evidence of psychological disturbance. This definiton fails to offer a complete explaination in its own right since it is related to degree and context
• a strength of faliure to function adequatly is that it represents a threshold for help. According to mind 25% if people in the UK experinece mental health problems in a year. It only tends to be when we cant function adequatly that people seek professional help or are noticed by others. This means that treatment and services can be targeted to who needs them the most.
• a limitation is faliure is function adequatley is that it can cause discrimination and social control as it is easy to label non standard life choices as abnormal as it can be hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they have chosen to deviate from social norms. People who make unusual life choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and their freedom of choice may be restricted
• a limitation of failing ti function adequatley is that it is subjective
• another limitation of failing to function adequatley is that it doesn't explain small periods of failing to function
• a strength of ideal mental health is that it is highly comprehensive as it includes a range of criteria distinguishing mental health from illness and it ca be discussed meaningfully with a range of medical professionals
• a strength of the ideal mental health us that it takes a positive and hollistic approach as it focuses on the positive and desirable behaviour instead of negative
• a strength of the ideal mental health is that it accounts for different factors that can effect your mental health and wellbeing
• a limitation of the ideal mental health is that it has an imposed etique as it is culture bound. It may not be applicable across a range of cultures due to some of the critera being very Westernised. This means that its difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another
• a weakness of ideal mental health is that it has unrealistic criteria. This is because there are time where everyone will experience stress an negativity. But, according to the definition these people would be considered as abnormal. With this high standard by the criteria it leaves the question of how many need to be absent for a diagnosis to occur