definitions of abnormality(1)

Question 1

what are the definitons of abnormality?

Answer 1

-statistical infrequency(SI)
-failure to function adequately(FFA)
-deviation from social norms(DSN)
-deviaiton from ideal mental health(DIMH)

Question 2

things to consider with abnormality?
1.culture

Answer 2

-certain cultute have diff norms
-if behavior is culturally relative it cant be universal or common for all

Question 3

2.context

Answer 3

-depend on situation or surroundings

Question 4

3.time

Answer 4

-as history changes things become accpeted/ unaccepted e.g homosexuality, women rights

Question 5

how are psychological disorders diagnosed?

Answer 5

-DSM-5 book with all disorders with symptoms asscoiated
-for doctors to decide what behaviours meet criteria

Question 6

what was rosenhans experiment?

Answer 6

-see wether psychiatrists could tell difference between sane and insane
-field exp
-8 sane people claim they heard voices e.g ‘empty’ and ‘thud’
-said to have schizophrenia
-discharged with ‘schizophrenia in remission’

Question 7

what does normal distribution look like?

Answer 7

-bell shape curve
-mean, mode, median in middle
-symmetrical
-dispersion either side is consistent
-most ppl near or on mean whilst gradually other decline away

Question 8

what seen as abnormal on a graph?

Answer 8

-2SD points above or below mean
-usually approx 5% of population

Question 9

abnormality and statistical infrequency?

Answer 9

-abnormal behaviour is statistically rare
-focus on number of people showing the bahviour rather than the accpetbality(DSN) or imapact it has on daily life(FFA) or overall happiness (DIMH)
-no judgement about quality of life or nature of mental disorders

Question 10

strenghts of definitons of abnormality?
(real world app)

Answer 10

-clinical practice for diagnosis
-assess severity of an individuals symptoms
-diagnosis of intellectual disorder requires IQ of below 70 (bottom 2%)
-they use assessment tool called BDI
-a score of 30+ is interpreted as severe depression
-SI is useufl in diagnostic processes

Question 11

strenghts- (benefit from label)

Answer 11

-benefit as being classed as abnormal
-someone with very low IQ can acess support or someone w high BDI can benefit from therapy
-HOWEVER those who can cope with their conditon may not benefit having a label

Question 12

limitations(cut point between normality and abnormality is subjectively decided)

Answer 12

-e.g depression symptom is difficulty sleeping so we may decide to sleep fewer hours then 80% of pop is abnormal but others may feel that 90% is a better cut point

Question 13

limitations(cultural factors)

Answer 13

-doesnt consider that whats statitstically normal in one culture is not in another
-problem to judge people of one culture with statistical norms of another
-doesnt distinguish between desirable and undesirable
(some behaviours are desirable and dont indicate mental disorder e.g high IQ but some statistically infrequent may indicate mental disorder.

Question 14

what are social norms?

Answer 14

-rules that society has about behaviours,values and beliefs are acceptable
-every society sets up rules for behaviour based on a set of moral standards
-anyone who deviates is considered abnormal

Question 15

what is unacceptable behaviour?
(explicit rules?)

Answer 15

-spoken/writtem and policed by laws e.g murder, robbery
-others unspoken/written e.g be polite

Question 16

implicit rules?

Answer 16

-e.g not laughing at a funeral is a implicit social rule but causing disorder in public is both deviaiton from social norms and againist the law

Question 17

Norms?

Answer 17

-vary overtime based on social attitudes
-behaviour that was normal in the past may be abnormal today vice versa.

Question 18

what can deviate from social norms?

Answer 18

-appearance
-speech
-attitudes
-values
-behavior

Question 19

what is DSN (deviation from social norms)?

Answer 19

-unwritten rules that society outlines expected standards and behavior
-person may think/behave in a way that violates expectations
-whats acceptable is the ‘norm’
-norms are culturally relative(very few behaviors are actually universally abnormal)

Question 20

strengths (protects society)

Answer 20

-distinguishes between desirable and non desirbale behaviour so considers effects of peoples behaviour on others so rules can be established
-so people can live in harmony

Question 21

strengths (help people)

Answer 21

-allows people in society to intervene
-people can help others that may need help but cant get it themselves

Question 22

strengths (real life application)

Answer 22

-in diagnosis of anti social personality disorder
-one of the symptoms is ‘absence of prosocial internal standards asscoiated with the failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behvaiour
-clinical
-key to defining characteristic of anti social personality
-e.g reckless and agressive
-signs of deviaitng from social norms
-diagnosis of schizotypal anti social disorder term ‘strange’ used to characterise thinking and behaviour
-therefore value placed for those in psychiatry

Question 23

limitations (culturally differences)?

Answer 23

-social norms vary within and accross cultures and its hard to know when its being broken
-hearing voices normal in some cultures but abnormal in UK
-‘agressivness and deceitful behaviour’ in context of family life is socially unacceptable than in context of co-operate deal making.

Question 24

limitations (individualism)?

Answer 24

-those who dont conform to social norms may not be abnormal but individualistic or eccentric and not problematic.

Question 25

limitations (situational and developmental norms)?

Answer 25

-situation is important
-naturists break social norms but not percieved as having mental disorder
-nudity beaches e.g wearing clothes here would be odd
-also developmental and age norms e.g 2 year old can wear a nappy but odd for a 40 year old to wear a nappy

Question 26

limitations (ethnocentric bias in diagnosis)

Answer 26

-western social norms reflect the behaviour of the majority(white population)
-deviates from social norms from ethnic minorities means they over represent in mental ilness statistics
-cochrane (1977) black people often diagnosed as schizophrenic then white/asian but not as high in places e.g jamaica
-here the black people are majoirty so theres bias amogst british psychiatrists

Question 27

limitations (subjective)

Answer 27

-social norms arent real
-based on societies opinions rather than majorities
-then used to control those seen as a threat to social order
-true definition of abnormality should be objective and free from subjective factors

Question 28

limitations (value of breaking social norms)

Answer 28

-sometimes beneficial
-e.g suffragettes did it which led to votes for women
-perhaps unfair for such situations as these to be seen as abnormal
-unfair labelling
-Nymphomania= this diagnosis was used to control women
-Drapetomania= control slaves and avoid debate