Definitions of abnormality (1)

Question 1

What is statistical infrequency?

Answer 1

Relatively usual behaviour is seen as normal and unusual behaviour is seen as abnormal; someone has less common characteristic.

Question 2

What are the evaluations of statisical infrequency?

Answer 2

• It has usefulness
• Unusual characterisics can be positive

Question 3

Example of statistical infrequency

Answer 3

• Lower than average IQ, <70
• May be diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder

Question 4

Evaluation: Infrequent characteristics can be positive as well as negative.

Answer 4

• Limitation: unusual characteristics can be positive
• IQ below 70 is considered abnormal,
• IQ above 130 who is not seen as abnormal.
• Similarly, a person with a very low depression score on the BDI is not considered abnormal.
• Examples show that being ususual or being at one end of a psychological spectrum doesn’t make someone abnormal.
• Although statisical infrequency can form part a diagnosis - not enough to define abnormality on their own.

Question 5

Evaluation: It has usefulness. (Statistical Infrequency)

Answer 5

• Strength: It has usefulness.
• Used in clinical practice: as part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of individuals’s symptoms.
• e.g. a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of below 70 (bottom 2%).
• e.g. In the Beck depression inventory (BDI), score of 30+ indicates severe depression.
• Shows that the statisical infrequency criteria is useful in diagnosis processes.

Question 6

What is deviation from social norms?

Answer 6

When a person behaves in a way that is different from how we expect people to behave, they are classed as abnormal.

Question 7

Example of deviation from social norms

Answer 7

Antisocial personality disorder - impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible

Question 8

What are the evaluations of deviation from social norms?

Answer 8

• It has usefulness.
• Social norms vary across cultures and situations.

Question 9

Evaluation: It has usefulness (Deviation from social norms)

Answer 9

• Strength: It has usefulness
• Used in clinical practice to identify disorders.
• e.g. Antisocial personaility disorder - failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour.
• i.e Aggression, recklessness.
• These behaviours from the disorder are all deviations from social norms.
• e.g. schizoptypal personaility disorder
• The term ‘strange’ is used to describe thoughts, behaviours ad appearance of those with the disorder.
• Deviation from social norms criteria has value in psychiatry.

Question 10

Evaluation: Social norms vary across cultures and situations.

Answer 10

• Limitation: Social norms vary across cultures and situations
• Behaviours considered normal in one culture may be deemed abnormal in another.
• For example, eating with hands - normal.
• But abnormal in western cultures.
• Social norms can also differ within the depending on the situation.
• For example in a workplace, emails - formal language.
• Team projects - informal language, relaxed communication style.
• This means that its difficult to judge deviation from social norms across different cultures and situations.