Definitions Of Abnormalities - Evaluation Flashcards
What is a strength of the statistical infrequency approach?
Useful in clinical practices
Used to diagnose and assess the severity of symptoms.
- IDD diagnosed if IQ is below 70
- Severity of depression assessed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
- Shows value of statistical infreuqency criterion
What’s another strength of statistical infrequency?
Those with very low IQ benefit from being classed as abnormal and being diagnosed with IDD as they can then access support
Those with a very high BDI benefit from being assessed as theyre likely to require therapy
What is a limitation of statistical infrequency?
Can be positive as well as negative
- High IQ scores are often not labeled as abnormal, unlike low scores.
- High depression scores are labelled as abnormal unlike low scores.
- Being unusual doesnt make someone abnormal
- Not sufficient as the sole basis for defining abnormality
What is a criticism of using statistical infrequency?
Not all people benefit from labels
Social stigmas are attached to labels
What is a strength of deviation from social norms?
Useful in clinical practice
Helps in diagnosing psychopathy and schizotypal personality disorder.
Key feature of psychopathy: not conforming to cultural acceptable behaviour
What is a limitation of using deviation from social norms?
Variability in norms across cultures
A person in 1 culture may label someones from a different culture as ‘abnormal’ using their own cultures standards
- Hearing voices in normal in some cultures (ancestors)
- Would be labelled as abnormal by someone from the UK
What’s another limitation of deviation from social norms?
Variability in norms in different situations
Aggression and deceitfulness are deemed socially unacceptable
- These skills are more acceptable in corporate deal making
