abnormality Flashcards
what are the 4 groups pf abnormality
deviation from statistical norms
failure to function adequately
deviation from social norm
deviation from ideal mental health
describe deviation from social norms
all societies have standards of behaviour and attitudes. deviating from these can be seen as abnormal
what is the problem with using deviation from social norms to define abnormality
cultures vary so there isn’t one universal set of social rules
it can be used to justify the removal of unwanted people from a society. For example, people opposing a particular political regime could be said to be abnormal
another limitation is whats considered acceptable or abnormal can change over time
eg. homosexuality was classified in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm) as a disorder.
However the diagnosis was dropped because it was found that homosexuality wasn’t as infrequent as previously thought and that homosexuals don’t differ from heterosexuals in terms of psychological
describe deviation from statistical norms
abnormality can be seen as statistically rare behaviour- this can be expressed in terms of the normal distribution
this can be shown through a bell curve graph
-people who behave in the average way make up the middle of the bell-shaped curve.
those people who behave abnormally make up the tails end of the bell curve-this behaviour is rare (statically infrequent)
the bottom axis/line shows a numerical measure of behaviour
what is the problem with using deviation from statistical norms to define abnormality
it doesn’t take account of the desirability of behaviour, just its frequency. eg a very low or very high iq is abnormal however having a high iq is desirable and having a low one is undesirable
theres no distinction between rare, slightly odd behaviour and rare, psychologically abnormal behaviour
theres no definite cut off point where normal behaviour becomes abnormal behaviour
some behaviour that are considered physcologically abnormal are quite common, eg mild depression
define the failure to function adequately
an inability to cope with day to day life caused by phycological distress or discomfort which may lead to self harm or harm of others
who came up with features/critea to establish when someone is not functioning adequately
rosenham and selingham (1989) proposed 6 major features which indicate that a person may not be functioning adequately. The more of these features that are possessed by the individual the more likely they are to be called abnormal.
what are the 6 critea for inedequte functioning
Dysfunctional behaviour-behaviour which gpes against the accepted standards of behaviour
Observer discomfort-behaviour that causes individuals to become uncomfortable
Unpredictable behaviour-impulsive behaviour that seems to be uncontrollable
Irrational behaviour-behaviour that’s unreasonable and illogical
Personal distress-being affected by emotion to an excessive degree
what was jhodas idea about mental health
jhoda 1958 said that its better to focus on the positive aspects of mental health rather than the negative ones
this is where deviation of ideal mental health stems from
what are the 6 categories formed by jhoda that clinicians typically relate to mental health -praise-
Personal growth (Self Actualisation: should teach your potential).
Reality perception (should have an accurate perception of reality)
Autonomy(should be independent and our ability to make our own decisions)
Integration (should fit in with society and able cope with stressful situations)
self attitudes (should be positive high self esteem)
Environment mastery(be able to adapt to environment)
to be classified as mental illness there should ne ,ore than one of the following
imaprement of intellectual functions
ddelusional beliegs
disordered thinking
alterations to mood
