3.1. Definitions Of Abnormality Part 1

Question 1

What is statistical infrequency?

Answer 1

• Refers to the conditions that are rare compared to the normal
• Compare individual behaviour with what the average person does
• Scores for a particular behaviour -> majority of scores will cluster around the average, further we move away from the average the fewer people will have this score
• Many human characteristics will fall into the normal distributions and this will tell us what is “normal”
• Any behaviour that occurs relatively rarely is thought of as abnormal

Question 2

+ RWA of statistical infrequency

Answer 2

+ useful in diagnosis
+ intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ in the bottom 2%
+ the BDI (Beck depression inventory) assesses depression, only 5% score 30+ (meaning severe depression)

Question 3

• statistical infrequency: unusual characteristics can also be positive

Answer 3

• Just because a behaviour is statistically infrequent, doesn’t mean it’s abnormal or undesirable
• IQ scores above 130 are unusual and statistically infrequent, just like those below 70, but they aren’t regarded as undesirable or needing treatment
• This means that although statistical frequency can be part of defining abnormality, it can never be its sole basis

Question 4

Statistical infrequency evaluation extra

Answer 4

• Some unusual people benefit from being classed as abnormal -> e.g. someone with very low IQ who is diagnosed with intellectual disability can then access support services or someone with high BDI score is likely to benefit from therapy
• However, not all statistically unusual people benefit from labels

Question 5

What is deviation from social norms?

Answer 5

• Behaviour and emotions that deviate from the norm in a society
• Must also be behaviour that is deemed unacceptable by society
• Social norms are created by a group of people -> these compromise what behaviours are acceptable standards of behaviour
• Anyone who behaves differently deviates from social norms and are classed as abnormal
• Differ over place and time due to cultural relativism
• Some rules about unacceptable behaviour are implicit whereas others are explicit

Question 6

+ RWA: deviation from social norms

Answer 6

+ useful in diagnosis
+ antisocial personality disorder -> diagnosis requires failure to conform to ethical standards
+ Schizotypal personality disorder -> this involves strange beliefs and behaviour
+ This means that deviation from social norms is useful in psychiatric diagnosis

Question 7

Weakness: deviation from social norms: social norms are culturally and situationally relative

Answer 7

• What is considered abnormal in one situation or culture may be considered normal in another
• Hearing voices is socially acceptable in some cultures but would be seen as abnormal in the UK -> cultural norms of the patient and the clinician need to be considered
• Wearing your pjs to school on fancy dress say is considered normal but wearing them everyday when others are in uniform is considered abnormal
• This means it’s difficult to judge deviation from social norms from one context to another

Question 8

Deviation from social norms extra evaluation point

Answer 8

Human rights abuses
- Using deviation from social norms to define someone as abnormal carries the risk of unfair labelling and leaving them open to human rights abuses
- Historically this has been the case where diagnoses like nymphomania have been used to control women or diagnoses were a way to control slaves and avoid debate
- On the other hand, it can be argued that we need to be able to use deviation from social norms to diagnose conditions such as antisocial personality disorder