Defining Abnormality

Question 1

Four ways of defining abnormality

Answer 1

-statistical infrequency
-deviation from social norms
-failure to function adequately
-deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

What is statistical deviation

Answer 2

When an individual is found to have a characteristic that is statistically uncommon, fall outside two standard deviations from the mean so are in the bottom or top 2.5% of the population.

Question 3

When is someone classed as having an intellectual disability

Answer 3

When their IQ score is in the bottom 2.5% of the population so falls below two standard deviations from the mean

Question 4

What is a social norm

Answer 4

Most common means of behaviour in a society governed by unwritten rules. Vary between cultures and with age and gender.

Question 5

What is deviation from social norms

Answer 5

-acting in a way that does not fall within societally acceptable standards

Question 6

Expand on strength of statistical infrequency that it is an objective measure

Answer 6

-eg intellectual disability disorders are defined in terms of the normal distribution using the concept on standard deviation to establish a cut off point for abnormality
-used in most clinical assessments to compare severity of symptoms to societal norms meaning it has a high external validity
H: normal distribution cut off points will vary between population so it is not universally applicable

Question 7

Expand on weakness of statistical infrequency that it implies the presence of abnormal behaviour should always be statistically rare

Answer 7

-specific abnormal behaviour may be unusual but it is not unusual for people to exhibit some form of prolonged abnormal behaviour at some point in their lives eg depression is common with 27% of elderly people
-not universal explanation of all abnormal behaviour- cannot be used to diagnose mental health disorders which are statistically common

Question 8

Expand on advantage of DFSN that it makes a distinction between un/desirable behaviours

Answer 8

-takes into account the effect the behaviour has on others
-deviance is defined in terms of transgression of social rule which are established in order to help people live together
-according to this abnormal behaviour is one that damages others so does not generalise

Question 9

Expand on limitation of DFSN that there is cultural relativism

Answer 9

-social norms vary greatly between generations and communities meaning a person from one cultural group may label someone from another culture as behaving abnormally according to their standards rather than the standards of the person they are labelling
-eg hearing voices is acceptable in some African communities however is not in western society
-therefore this may cause problems for people from one culture living within another cultural group and means the explanation is not universally generalisable

Question 10

Outline failure to function adequately explanation

Answer 10

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with the ordinary demands of day-to-day living and performs maladaptive behaviours

Question 11

Three signs someone is failing to function adequately

Answer 11

-person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules eg personal space
-person experiences severe personal distress
-person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others

Question 12

Expand on limitation of failure to function adequately that there can be confusion with distinguishing between it and DFSN

Answer 12

-eg a behaviour which suggests failure to function adequately such as not being able to go to work may also be DFSN
-demonstrated in base jumpers who take part in extreme sports with a high mortality rate
-therefore difficult to ascertain if individuals who partake in particular behaviours should be labelled as failing to function

Question 13

Expand on advantage of failure to function adequately that it takes a subjective viewpoint of the patient

Answer 13

-the explanation recognises the subjective experience of the patient allowing us to view mental disorders from the pov of those experiencing it
-this abnormality can be judged objectively using WHODAS list—- can be used in diagnosing mental health disorders
H: depends on who is making the judgement as those with schizophrenia may not feel they have a problem

Question 14

Outline the deviation from ideal mental health explanation

Answer 14

Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health eg that proposed by Jahoda

Question 15

Six criteria proposed by Jahoda to define ideal mental health

Answer 15

-positive self esteem and a strong sense of identity
-personal growth and self actualisation
-ability to cope with stress
-being independent (autonomy)
-perception of reality
-mastery of the environment

Question 16

Expand on limitation of DFIMH that it includes an unrealistic criteria

Answer 16

-experiencing stress and negativity can be a common occurrence after a particularly difficult week so experiencing a lack on one or multiple of Jahoda’s criteria is a common consequence to life events however this would be classed as abnormal despite the circumstances causing it
-definition is incomplete, difficult to gauge how many criteria need to be missing to be classed as abnormal

Question 17

Expand on weakness of DFIMH that it is not applicable to all cultures

Answer 17

-mainly applies to western cultures and the middle class as this is who the list was created with in mind
-in addition, self actualisation is relevant to individualistic rather than collectivist cultures which strive for common good instead of individual success.
-therefore the explanation is not universally generalisable as does not consider all cultures