Definition Of Abnormality Flashcards
What is norms
A set of standards behaviours set by social groups
What is abnormal
Any behaviour which goes against unwritten rules and norms
What does deviation from social norms look like
Behaviour that is antisocial and is different to what we expect in society everyday APD
Strength is supports general ideas of abnormality
Someone with schizophrenia would deviate from social norms as they may be talking to themselves or showing obviously irrational decision making and behaviour
This is a strength becose it’s easy for non experts to identify abnormality so that we can refer people to get help
Thus increasing the likelihood of obtaining a correct diagnosis and patient getting treated
A limitation is that it is too culture specific
Hearing voices is culturally acceptable and encouraged in some cultures but would be considered as a sign of mental abnormality in the uk
This is a problem because social norms may vary between cultures and a person may be diagnosed as abnormal based on clinicians standing whereas in the specific culture this may be encouraged or seen as normal
This leading to misdiagnosis of abnormality
Social norms change over time
Homosexuality was once considered abnormal because it broke the social norms of the day
Therefore what is defined as abnormality now may not be seen as abnormal in the future his definition doesn’t stay consistent from one time period to another
This is a limitation as society attitude changes and may lead to misdiagnosis of abnormality
What is the behaviour like in ffa
Individual cannot cope with daily life cause enough distress that inability to function
What can’t happen with ffa
Participate in relationship,study
What may a person with ffa do
Stop experiencing positive emotions and irrational behaviour and causing observer discomfort
A strength is real life application and important criteria that helps identify mental abnormality such as depression
Many people may experience extreme sadness or anxiety however the key difference is between those diagnosed with mental heath and the general population is that those diagnosed are unable to function such as go out and socialise
Ffa helps us distinguish between different severities of mental health issue and helps us identify who can and can’t cope with everyday life and allows to determine who requires treatment this effective in useful tool of diagnosing mental abnormality
A weakness is that abnormality is not always is associated with failing to function adequately
Harold shipman was a doctor who responsible for the death of over 200 of his patients over a 23 year period. However shipman functioned adequately and was seen as a responsible doctor.
He clearly behaved as abnormal but didn’t display feature of ffa
This using this definition may lead to misdiagnosis of abnormality
What if abnormal behaviour is rare or uncommon
Very few ppl show a behaviour so behaviour is abnormal
Give an example of statistical infrequency
1 in 100 people suffer from schizophrenia it’s only 1% of polpulation so it’s abnormal
How can you tell abnormality from the graph
Behaviour that is measured and it strays from the mean and they fall in 2.5% of extremities it is considered abnormal
Statistical frequency is objective and appropriate
It can be used to define abnormality and diagnose somebody as suffering from intellectual disability disorder people who have an iq from 85-115 are considered normal only 2% have a score below 70 and are considered as abnormal
Therefore so offers an objective measurement of abnormality and it isn’t subjective this helps make correct diagnosis
