Abnormality: deviation from social norms

Question 1

How does the ‘Deviation from social norms’ defintion define somone as abnormal?

Answer 1

Someone is defined as abnormal if they behave in a way that is seen as ‘unacceptable’ by the majority in society.

Question 2

What 2 ways can the ‘rules’ of society be presented?

Answer 2

• Explicit

- Implicit

Question 3

What are explicit rules?

Answer 3

These are written rules that form laws that govern behaviour.

Question 4

What are implicit rules?

Answer 4

These are unwritten rules but generally accepted by society.

Question 5

What is an example of a disorder that can be explained by DSN?

Answer 5

Tourettes syndrome.

Question 6

How can Tourette’s syndrome be explained by DSN?

Answer 6

The syndrome causes sudden outbursts (called tics) that may be breaking implicit rules of society.

Question 7

What are the four evaluation points for DSN?

Answer 7

• Social norms change over time
• Ethnocentric
• Fails to distinguish between deviance and psychological abnormality
  + more appropriate than Statistical infrequency.

Question 8

One problem is that social norms change over time.

Answer 8

E: Behaviours that are seen as acceptable today might change in the future.
E: Homosexuality was classed as a mental illness in America until as recently ass 1973.
L: Problem as it is argued that a reliable definition should be relatively stable and consistent over time.

Question 9

DSN definition may be culturally biased (ethnocentric)

Answer 9

E: This means that norms or behaviours that are acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another.
E: Women in the Suri tribe in Ethiopia are required by their culture to wear lip plates and this would be seen as unacceptable in western society
L: Problem as it is argued a reliable definition should be consistent between cultures.

Question 10

The DSN also fails to distinguish between deviance and psychological abnormality.

Answer 10

E: there are many behaviours that are clearly socially deviant but are not considered to be psychological abnormalities. 
E: Drink driver has broken an explicit rule (and the law) but psychiatrists would not class them as psychologically abnormal as such. 
L: this is problematic because the DSN definition would class them as abnormal even though psychiatrists would not.

Question 11

A strength of the DSN definition is that it might be seen as a more appropriate definition of abnormality than the ‘statistical infrequency’ definition.

Answer 11

E: DSN includes the issue of desirability of a behaviour, whereas SI doesn’t.
E: A genius is statistically abnormal but most people wouldn’t regard such socially desirable traits as ‘abnormal’
L: +ve because it means DSN is a more useful in defining abnormality compared to some other definitions