Background- Abnormality

Question 1

What is meant by abnormality?

Answer 1

Behaviour that deviates from statistical and social norms

Question 2

What are the three ways of defining abnormality?

Answer 2

Statistical infrequency
Deviation from social norms
Failure to function adequately

Question 3

What is meant by statistical infrequency?

Answer 3

Behaviour is normally distributed and only deemed abnormal when more than two above or below the SD

Question 4

What are some of the strengths of statistical infrequency?

Answer 4

Psych as a science- Objective so helps to address what is normal in statistical sense
Less ethnocentric- Behaviours which are statistically rare are considered abnormal and doesn’t take cultural views into account

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of statistical infrequency?

Answer 5

Validity- Cut off points are arbitrary, hard to draw a line between behaviour that is frequent enough to be normal and rare enough to be abnormal
Usefulness- some abnormal behaviours are statistically rare e.g depression effecting up to 27% of people

Question 6

What are the strengths of deviation from social norms explanation?

Answer 6

Useful- Aids social interaction

Question 7

What are the weaknesses of the deviation from social norms?

Answer 7

Validity- Not all behaviour that deviates from social norms is a psychological abnormality
Validity- Social norms vary over time as attitudes change
Ethnocentric- influenced by cultural factors
Reliability- unreliable as based on opinion

Question 8

What is meant by failure to function adequately?

Answer 8

Failure to experience the normal range of emotions or to engage in normal range of behaviour

Question 9

4 indicators of the failure to function adequately?

Answer 9

Maladaptive behaviour
Observed discomfort
Unpredictable behaviour
Irrational behaviour