Abnormality Flashcards
What are the three definitions of abnormality?
- Deviation from social norms
- Failure to function adequately
- Deviation from ideal of mental health
What are social norms?
Social norms are unwritten rules, created by society, to guide behaviour.
What are limitations to the definition of abnormality: Deviation from social norms?
- Social norms change over time eg. in the 1970s homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder, however now it is legal and acceptable in most Western cultures.
- Norms must be considered in context, eg. dress codes.
- Social norms change across different cultures.
- Breaking social norms is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be a good thing and stimulate social change eg. slavery.
Describe the defintion of abnormality ‘failure to function adequately’.
An individual who is failing to function adequately is engaging in behaviours that are maladaptive and not functional. For example they may have difficulty maintaining relationships, achieving their goals or living fullfilling lives. Day-to-day life is difficult for these people.
Define: maladaptive
Not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situation.
What is one of the most common methods used to assess if someone is failing to function adequately?
The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale.
Who outlined the criteria for ‘failure to function adequatley’?
Rosenhan & Seligman (1989)
What are the 7 criteria for ‘failure to function adequately’?
Suffering: The patient may themselves may suffer as a result of their condition (e.g. depression) or may inflict suffering on others.
Maladaptiveness: Behaviour prevents the person reaching desired goals
Irrational: Behaviour seems to defy logical sense
Observer discomfort: Behaviour makes those around feel uncomfortable e.g. swearing
Vividness: Others find the behaviour odd e.g. all over tattoos
Violation of moral codes: Not behaving in accordance with societal norms e.g public nudity
Unpredictability: Behaviour is unexpected or unpredictable
What are some limitations to FFA?
- Many of the criteria are subjective eg. if you are ‘suffering’ it may be short-lived or due to circumstance.
- What is considered abormal change across different cultures eg. in the UK people tend to keep their emotions to themselves, however this is not the case in other countries, and in some very open displays of grief are common.
- Maladapative does not necessarily mean abnormal eg. Most would agree that murders are abnormal, however, for a murderer, murdering someone may not necessarily be maladapitve, as the behaviour may be rational and fulfilling in the context of their own lives eg. it may be their job/ something they enjoy.
- As with all forms of diagnosis, there is a danger with labelling. People who are labelled as failing to function, and therefore abnormal, may start to behave in ways that match that label.
Who created the criteria for ‘deviation from ideal mental health’?
Marie Jahoda (1958)
What are Jahoda’s 6 criteria?
- Self attitudes – Having high self-esteem and a personally identity
- Personal growth and self actualisation – The person must become the best they can possibly can.
- Integration/ resistance to stress – Being able to cope with stressful situations
- Autonomy – Being independent and able to look after yourself
- An accurate perception of reality – seeing life as it really is, and not in a distorted way.
- Mastery of the environment – being able to adjust to new environments, and change your behaviour accordingly.
What is your mnemonic for DIMH?
S-elf-attitudes A-ctualisation M-astery of environment A-utonomy R-esistance to stress A-ccurate view of reality
What is your mnemonic for FFA?
M-aladaptiveness
U-npredictability
D-iscomfort (observer)
S-uffering
M-oral codes (violation of)
I-rrationality
V-ividness
What are some limitations to DIMH?
- Her criteria are too strict, and do not take contextual factors into consideration eg. self-actualisation may be more difficult for a person from a low-income household. This may lead to people feeling inadequate, as they cannot reach this unachievable ideal.
- Her criteria are highly westernised, and don’t necessarily apply to other cultures eg. she promotes individual fulfillment, however many other cultures put emphasis on collective responsibility.
- Some of her criteria are vague and unmeasurable eg. ‘accurate view of reality’ is diffucult to measure as that ‘reality’ is a product of each individuals’ mind. ‘Positive view of self’ is also open to interpretation, as a psychopath might be very happy and positive about himself.
- It is arguable there is no ‘ideal mental health’, as the ideal for one person may not be so for another.
In regards to the biological model, what is a disorder called that can’t be labelled precisely?
A ‘functional’ disorder.
In regards to the biological model, what is disorder called when the physical cause of the problem is identifiable? (Such as a brain tumour or a biochemical imbalance)
A ‘organic’ disorder.
What did Stone et al (1987) find about the immune system?
He found that the body’s immune system is affected by changes in mood-the immune system is less effective when people are in a negative mood.
ie. behaviour can affect your health. Another example is your mood can be improved by the physical act of smiling.
What are some example of infections that are thought to cause mental disorders?
- General Paresis-a very serious condition where the sufferer experiences a gradual mental decline, often leading to death. It results from the bacteria that cause syphilis entering the nervous system and infecting and damaging the cerebral contex of the brain.
- The British Musician Clive Wearing. suffered an infection from the herpes simplex virus which damaged some areas of his brain. This left him with severe memory problems.
- Research by Brown (2004) has found a link between scizophrenia and the influenza virus. It is claimed that women who have influenza during pregnancy run a greater risk of having children who develop scizophrenia in later life. This is because the virus may cause damage to the developing brain of the fetus.
What neurotransitter is thought to be excessive in the brains of scizophrenics?
Dopamine.
What are some examples of brain damage?
- Injury (a blow to the head perhaps).
- Tumours (abnormal growths in the brain).
- Strokes (loss of blood suply to certain parts of the brain).
