Chapter 11: Normality, Mental Health and Mental Illness Flashcards
Approaches to defining normality and abnormality
Socio-cultural, functional, historical, situational, medical, statistical.
Normality is defined as
patterns of thoughts, feelings or behavior that conforms to a usual or typical standard.
Socio-cultural approach
T,F,B that are acceptable in a particular society or culture are viewed as normal, whereas socially unacceptable behavior are considered abnormal.
Example of the Socio-cultural approach
In some cultures, loud crying or wailing at a person’s funeral are considered normal and acceptable, in some other cultures, it may not be acceptable.
Functional Approach
T,F,B are normal if an individual can cope with living independently in society, considered abnormal if one cannot function effectively in society
Example of functional approach
It is seen as normal if you can feed, clothe yourself, find a job, make friends etc.
abnormal if unable to complete these tasks.
Historical Approach
What is considered normal or abnormal in a particular society also depends on the era in which the judgement is made.
Example of Historical approach
Smacking one’s own children may have been seen as normal in some societies before the 20th century, these days, it may be seen as unacceptable.
Situational Approach
T,F,B may be considered normal in one particular situation but not in another situation.
Example of Situational approach
Wearing pyjamas to school when it is not a pyjama day would be seen as abnormal but wearing pyjamas to bed is seen as normal
Medical Approach
Abnormal T,F,B are viewed as having an underlying biological cause and can be usually diagnosed and treated.
Example of medical approach
If an individual was to shower in a swimming costume because they thought they were always being watched by ASIO, their T,F,B may be diagnosed as schizophrenia due to neurochemical factors
Statistical approach
Based on the idea that if a large majority of people, called the ‘statistical avg’ thinks, feels or behaves in a certain way, it is considered normal.
Example of Statistical approach
it is considered normal to laugh when you are tickled as most people do, but if one was to laugh when a loved one died, it would be considered abnormal as only a minority may exhibit this B.
Statistical approach
Based on the idea that if a large majority of people, called the ‘statistical avg’ thinks, feels or behaves in a certain way, it is considered normal.
