(1)Psychopathology - DEFINITIONS OF ABNORMALITY Flashcards
Ao1-definitions of abnormality-DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS
-‘social norms’ = expected rules of behaviour that are seen as acceptable/normal
Deviation from social norms—>behaviours that break the expected rules that exist in society- all society’s have norms, if not followed, person classified as deviant or abnormal.
E.g - wearing clothes In public
AO3- deviation from social norms.
(+) EASY TO USE
-difficult for people to hide behaviours, easy for clinicians and society as a whole to spot/identify when a behaviour ‘breaks’ the unwritten/written rules
—> effective definition of abnormality
AO3-deviation from social norms
(-)ECCENTRICITY NOT A FORM OF ABNORMALITY
-definition too simplistic-not all behaviour that breaks social norms means a person has a mental health disorder, for example having 7 cats.
—> may misdiagnose, unreliable/ineffective
AO3-deviation from social norms
(-)NORMS CHANGE BASED ON CULTURE
-e.g, homosexuality viewed as MHD until legalised in 1960s. People who are gay were misdiagnosed as ‘mentally ill’
Therefore if we use cultural norms to define abnormality we may misdiagnose people , therefore it’s an unreliable definition
Ao1-definitions of abnormality-STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY
-a behaviour that is ‘numerically rare’
-someone that is ‘abnormal’ would fall to the top/bottom end of a distribution graph
-example-avg IQ is 100-2% of people have scores below 70-these individuals would be described as ‘abnormal’-likely to be diagnosed with psychological disorder.
AO3-statistical infrequency
(+)OBJECTIVE METHOD
-relies on numerical data-no subjective analysis is used to determine whether a person is ‘abnormal’ or not.
therefore suggests it’s a valid,reliable definition.
AO3- statistical infrequency
(-)NOT ALL BEHAVIOUR BENEFITS FROM TREATMENT.
-for example, abnormally high IQ- isn’t undesirable characteristic and wouldn’t benefit from treatment.
Suggests that Statistical infrequency doesn’t always make valid diagnosis of mental health disorders= not effective.
AO3-statistical infrequency
(-)CULTURE BIAS
Culturally specific-the distribution curve that behaviour is judged on may be affected by the specific culture it was collected in, therefore it may not properly reflect behaviours in other cultures.
(A numerically rare behaviour in one culture may be more common in another)
-therefore, not effective definition
Ao1-definitions of abnormality-DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH.
-based off Jahodas 6 criteria’s for what makes ‘ideal mental health’
1)High self esteem.
2)Self Actualisation.
3)Accurate perception of reality.
4)Autonomy.
5)Mastery of Environment.
6)integration (ability to cope with stress)
—> If person fails to meet these criteria’s or deviates significantly from 1 they can be defined as ‘abnormal’ and may have a MH.
AO3-deviation from ideal mental health
(-)DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THIS CRITERIA
-a persons circumstances may be that they are unemployed, which could make them stressed. However, this doesn’t mean they are ‘abnormal’ and suffering from a mental health disorder.
—>therefore this may over predict/over diagnose mental health disorders-limits the effectiveness of the definition.
AO3-deviation from ideal mental health
(-)CRITERIAS ARE SUBJECTIVE
-difficult to test whether so,some has an ‘accurate perception of reality’ or whether they are able to ‘self actualise’- too subjective
—>can lead to a misdiagnosis of MHDs OR abnormality can go UNDER/OVER TREATED.
AO3-deviation from ideal mental health
(-)CULTURE BIAS
-jahodas criteria based off Western ideals and individualistic cultures which promote self actualisation+independence- not typical of collectivist cultures
Therefore people from collectivist cultures may be misdiagnosed as ‘abnormal’ for not fitting into the criteria
—>diagnosis may not be valid
Ao1-definitions of abnormality-FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY
-suggests a person is ‘abnormal’ if a person is unable to behave in a necessary way for a normal life.
- based on ROSENHAN+SEIGMANS criteria:
1)unpredictability/loss of control
2)maladaptiveness-behaviour that prevents person from achieving goals
3)irrationality
4)discomfort to observers
5)suffering/personal distress
-GAF SCALE: quantifies the extent to which a mental disorder affects an individuals functioning. Lower the score=Worse the MHD
AO3-Failure to function adequately
(+)Objective diagnosis(GAF SCALE)
-the GAF scale is a numerical scale- this provides objectivity in diagnosis and minimises subjective analysis. Scale allows clinicians to clearly judge the degree to which an individual is ‘abnormal’
—> reliable, valid diagnosis
AO3-Failure to function adequately
(-)MANY PEOPLE WHO APPEAR TO ‘FUNCTION ADEQUATELY’ MAY ACTUALLY HAVE A PSYCHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITY.
-for example, functioning alcoholics, drug addicts- can hold down jobs so they appear normal when in reality they are actually suffering from MHD (ADDICTION)
—>limits the effectiveness of the definition
AO3-failure to function adequately
(-)CULTURALLY SPECIFIC
-what is considered as ‘functioning adequately’ in one culture may differ in various cultures.
this may explain why non-white, lower class people are often diagnosed with MHD as their lifestyle may be different form most clinicians.
—>limits reliability of definition-may lead to misdiagnosis
