4.1: Deviation from the ideal mental health definition

Question 1

One way of defining abnormality is to see whether or not someone meets the criteria for mental health.
Outline three weaknesses of defining abnormality in terms of mental health (6 marks)

Answer 1

Three weaknesses of defining abnormality in terms of mental health are:

1. There is the difficulty of meeting all criteria, because very few people would be able to do so and this suggests that very few people are psychologically healthy
2. The criteria are subjective and not operationalised, so being defined as abnormal is not objective
3. These ideas are culture-bound, based on a Western idea of ideal mental health - cultural relativism