5: Psychopathology Extras Flashcards
Social norms
something that is standard, usual or typical of a group
give a strength of statistical infrequency (statistical deviation)
Real life applications – it can be useful to identify whether people differ from the normal and how far they differ from this so we can find out how severe certain things are e.g. IQ or symptoms of illness/mental illness
give two weaknesses of statistical infrequency (statistical deviation)
- not everyone unusual benefits from a label – sometimes the presence of a label can have a negative impact on someone. They might have been living perfectly fine before the label was given, but since it has disrupted their lifestyle and how other people perceive them.
- unusual characteristics can be positive – just because some people differ from social norms, does not mean the behaviour requires treatment. Therefore the concept of deviation from social norms should never be used alone to make a diagnosis.
what five things must be considered before reaching a judgement as to whether someone has deviated from social norms?
culture, situation and context, age, gender, historical context.
give three weaknesses of deviation from social norms
give a strength of deviation from social norms
Practical applications – diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder
What are the seven parts to the criteria for failure to function adequately?
- suffering
- Maladaptiveness.
- Irrational.
- Observer discomfort.
- Vividness and unconventionality of behaviour.
- Violation of moral codes.
- unpredictability.
what is suffering (in relation to failure to function)?
The patient themselves suffer as a result of their condition (e.g. depression) or may inflict suffering on others
what is maladaptiveness (in relation to failure to function)?
Behaviour prevents the person reaching desired goals
What is meant by the term irrational (in relation to failure to function)?
Behaviour seems to defy logical sense
What is observer discomfort (in relation to failure to function)?
Behaviour makes those around feel uncomfortable e.g. swearing
what is vividness and unconventionality of behaviour (in relation to failure to function)?
Others find the behaviour odd e.g. all over tattoos
what is violation of moral codes (in relation to failure to function)?
Not behaving in accordance with societies norms, e.g. public nudity
what is unpredictability (in relation to failure to function)?
Behaviour is unexpected or unpredictable
give one strength of failure function adequately
It acknowledges the patient’s experience – it attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual which acknowledges the importance of the patient
give two weaknesses of failure to function
- It can be hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they are just deviating from social norms – not everyone leads the same lifestyle but that does not mean they are abnormal. This concept ignores free will.
- subjective judgements – this concept introduces the element of bias as it is not objective. Someone has to judge whether a patient is distressed or distressing and this judgement is subjective.
What is the criteria for deviation from ideal mental health?
- we have no symptoms or distress.
- We are rational and perceive ourselves accurately.
- We self-actualise.
- We can cope with stress.
- We have a realistic view of the world.
- We have good self-esteem and lack guilt.
- We are independent of other people.
- we can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure.
give one strength of deviation from ideal mental health
It is a comprehensive definition – the broad range of factors makes it a good way of thinking about mental health
give two weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health
- Cultural relativism – lots of the criteria are specific to individualistic cultures and therefore cannot be applied to other cultures.
- It sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health – no one can take off everything in this criteria but that does not mean everyone is abnormal.
name three behavioural characteristics of phobias
Panic, avoidance, endurance
Name three emotional characteristics of phobias
Anxiety, fear, emotional responses are unreasonable
name three cognitive characteristics of phobias
Selective attention to phobic stimulus, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions
give three behavioural characteristics of depression
Activity levels, disruption to sleep and eating behaviour, aggression and self harm
give three emotional characteristics of depression
Lowered mood, anger, lowered self-esteem
give three cognitive characteristics of depression
Poor concentration, attending to and dwelling on the negative, absolutist thinking