definitions of abnormailty Flashcards
Statistical infrequency
- abnormality is defined as those behaviours that are extremely rare
- any behaviour that is found in very few people and regarded as abnormal
Limitations of statistical infrequency
- who decides where we set the margin for what is statistically abnormal?
- some behaviour is desirable:
-> there are many abnormal behaviours according to this definition that are actually quite desirable: very few people have an IQ over 150 yet we wouldn’t say that this is undesirable
> the definition may inappropriately categorise desirable behaviour as normal
Deviation from social norms
- abnormal behaviour is seen as deviation from unstated rules about how one ought to behave
- anything that violates these rules is considered abnormal
Limitation of deviation from social norms: culture
- attempting to define abnormality in terms of social norms is obviously bound by culture because social norms are defined by culture
- this definition does not consider the culture a person is from when diagnosing, hearing voices in one culture may be seen as abnormal where in a tribal one it would be seen as normal
- the definition doesn’t take this into account
Limitation of deviation from social norms
- a person on a beach wearing a bikini is seen as normal, however wearing that same outfit in a classroom or gathering would be abnormal
- not a clear line between what is abnormal deviation and what is simply odd/eccentric behaviour
- this definition fails to take into account the context of the behaviour and the degree
Failure to function adequately
- people are judged on their ability to go about daily life, if they can’t do this and are also experiencing distress then it is considered a sign of abnormality
5 criteria’s for failure to function adequately
- dysfunctional behaviour
- personal distress
- observer discomfort/distress to others
- unpredictable behaviour
- irrational behaviour
Limitation of failure to function adequately
- some apparently dysfunctional behaviour can actually be adaptive and functional for the individual
- some mental disorders such as eating disorders may lead to extra attention for the individual
- this attention is rewarding and therefore quite functional rather than dysfunctional for the individual
Strength of failure to function adequately
Recognises the subjective experience of the patient
- this definition does recognise the subjective experience of the patient and so allows us to view the mental disorder from the point of view experiencing it
- therefore may get more of an insight from the sufferers point of view
Deviation from ideal mental health: jahodas criteria
- self-attitudes: having high self-esteem and a strong sense of identity
- personal growth: the extent to which an individual develops their full capabilities
- integration: such as being able to cope with stressful situations
- autonomy: being independent and self regulating
- accurate view of reality: having an accurate perception of reality
- environmental mastery: the ability to love, function at work and in interpersonal relationships, adjust to new situations and solve problems
Limitation of deviation from ideal mental health: unrealistic criteria
- according to this criteria most of us are abnormal
- jahoda presented them as ideal criteria and they certainly are, but we also gave to ask how many need to be lacking before a person is classed as abnormal > the definition doesn’t tell us
Limitation of deviation from ideal mental health: suggests mental health is the same as physical health
- physical illnesses have physical causes and as a result this makes them relatively easy to diagnose
- it is possible that some mental disorders may have a physical cause like brain damage, but other dont
- therefore it is unlikely that we could diagnose mental health in the same way as physcial health but this is exactly what Jahoda is trying to do
Strength of deviation from ideal mental health
It is a positive approach
- this definition offers an alternative perspective on mental disorders by focusing on the positives rather than the negatives and focuses on what is desirable rather than undersiable
- jahodas ideas therefore did have some influence on the positive psychology movement
