definitions of abnormality Flashcards
what is statistical infrequency?
they are defined as behaviours that are extremely rare and is different. they are a less common characteristic than the rest of the population. for example, IQ and intellectual disability disorder as most people have iq between 85 and 115 but 2% have below 70 and these are seen as abnormal and are diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder.
what is deviation from social norms?
it is when a person behaves in a way that is different to how we are expected to behave based on the what is seen as correct from social groups and if we deviate from the hidden rules in society. they are related to cultural context and also historical differences. for example, homosexuality is abnormal in some cultures and was abnormal in western cultures in the past
what is example for deviation from social norms?
antisocial personality disorder as it is the failure to conform to lawful and culturally normative disorder.
what is strength of statistical infrequency?
it is real-life application, all assessment of patients with mental disorders include comparison to statistical infrequency. intellectual disability disorder demonstrates how stat infrequency is a useful part of clinical assessment.
what is a limitation of deviation from social norms?
there are unusual characteristics that are not always negative such as an iq score over 130 is as common as iq below 70 and is not seen as undesirable and needing treatment and so is a limitation of stat infrequency as shouldn’t be used for a diagnosis alone.
what is a limitation of deviation from social norms?
a person from one cultural group may label someone in another group as abnormal and use their standards of what is normal and not the person being labelled. for example hearing voices is socially acceptable in some cultures but would be abnormal in the uk.
what is a limitation of deviation from social norms?
too much reliance on deviation from social norms to understand abnormality can lead to systematic abuse of human rights. for example, drapetomania are examples of how diagnosis was used for social control. some abnormal classifications are abuses of people’s rights.
what is failure to function adequately?
it is the inability to cope with everyday living. a person may cross the line between normal and abnormal at point that they can not deal with demands of everyday life. eg not being able to maintain relationships or hygiene.
what are some of Rosenhan and Seligman signs of failure to cope adequately?
- they experience personal distress
- they have irrational behaviours or dangerous
- no longer conform interpersonal rules
what is deviation from ideal mental health?
they look at what makes someone normal and healthy rather than abnormal.
what is a couple of Jahoda criteria?
- no symptoms of distress
- we self-actualise
- we can cope with stress
- good self-esteem and lack guilt
- we are rational
what is a limitation of failure to function adequately?
it can be hard to differentiate between whether if someone is failing to function adequately or is just deviating from social norms. for example people who live alternative lifestyles such as travellers meaning that they may be seen as behaving maladaptively, this may limit freedom.
what is a further limitation of failure to function adequately?
that it is a subjective method such as they have to judge whether a person is distressed and so some patients may say they are distressed but are not judged as not suffering. there is methods to make such judgements objective but the principle remains whether someone has the right to make the judgement.
what is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health?
the definition is comprehensive as the definition covers a range of criteria for mental health. it then covers most of the reasons someone would seek help from mental health service or be referred to help. the sheer range of factors discussed in relation to jahoda criteria make it a good tool for mental health.
what is a limitation of deviation from ideal mental health?
it has unrealistically high standards for mental health. very few people attain all of jahoda’s criteria for mental health and therefore this approach would make many people seem abnormal. however, positively it makes it clear to people the ways in which they could benefit from seeing someone to improve their mental health. however, it is probably of no value thinking about who can benefit from treatment agasint their will.
