Definitions of abnormality

Question 1

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

1) Statistical infrequency
2) Deviation from social norms
3) Failure to function adequately
4) Deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

What is statistical infrequency?

Answer 2

When an individual has a less common characteristic

Question 3

According to the statistical definition, what is ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ behaviour?

Answer 3

Any usual behaviour or characteristic is normal and any different and unusual behaviour is abnormal

Question 4

Give an example of statistical infrequency

Answer 4

IQ and intellectual disability disorder - only 2% or people have an IQ score below 70 which is abnormal and they are liable to receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability

Question 5

What is the average IQ?

Answer 5

100 - 68% of people have an IQ between 85 and 115

Question 6

What is normal distribution?

Answer 6

Where most data clusters around the average and there are very few numbers at the extremes

Question 7

What is deviation from social norms?

Answer 7

Behaviour that is different from the accepted and expected standards of behaviour in a community or society

Question 8

Why is deviation from social norms a collective judgement?

Answer 8

Groups of people choose to define behaviour as abnormal on the basis that it offends their sense of what is acceptable and the norm

Question 9

What is the problem with social norms?

Answer 9

They are specific to the culture we live in - there are very few behaviours that are universally abnormal on the basis that they breach social norms

Question 10

Give an example of a culture-specific social norm

Answer 10

Homosexuality - continues to be abnormal in some cultures and accepted in others

Question 11

Give an example of deviation from social norms

Answer 11

Antisocial personality disorder, where a person is impulsive, aggressive, and irresponsible

Question 12

What is the most important symptom of antisocial personality disorder according to the DSM-5?

Answer 12

An absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour

Question 13

Why is psycopathic behaviour considered abnormal?

Answer 13

Psychopaths don’t conform to our moral standards

Question 14

What is a strength of statistical infrequency?

Answer 14

It has a real-life application in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder and all assessment of patients with mental disorders includes some kind of measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms - shows that statistical infrequency is a useful part of clinical assessment

Question 15

What are the two limitations of statistical infrequency?

Answer 15

1) Unusual characteristics can be positive
2) Not everyone unusual benefits from a label

Question 16

Why are positive unusual characteristics a limitation of statistical infrequency?

Answer 16

It would never be used alone to make a diagnosis as abnormal behaviours don’t always require treatment, e.g. very high IQ is abnormal but wouldn’t need treatment

Question 17

Why is labelling unusual people a limitation of statistical infrequency?

Answer 17

Being labelled may have a negative effect on the way other view them and the way they view themselves - someone living a happy fulfilled life wouldn’t benefit from being labelled abnormal or having a diagnosis of intellectual disability

Question 18

What are the three limitations of deviation from social norms?

Answer 18

1) Has real-life application but isn’t a sole explanation
2) Cultural relativism
3) Can lead to human rights abuses

Question 19

Give an example of real life application of deviation from social norms?

Answer 19

It is used in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder

Question 20

Why isn’t deviation from social norms a sole explanation of abnormality?

Answer 20

There are other factors to consider, such as distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder

Question 21

Why is cultural relativism a limitation of deviation from social norms?

Answer 21

Social norms vary greatly from one generation to another and from one community to another, meaning that a person from one cultural group may may label someone from another culture as behaving abnormally according to their own standards
This creates problems for people from one culture living within another culture group

Question 22

Why can deviation from social norms lead to human rights abuses?

Answer 22

Historical diagnoses were made to maintain control over minority ethnic groups and some people believe our modern categories of mental disorder are really abuses of people’s rights to be different

Question 23

What is failure to function adequately?

Answer 23

When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living

Question 24

How can we decide if someone is not functioning adequately?

Answer 24

If they are unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygiene and struggle to maintain relationships and hold down a job

Question 25

Who proposed signs of failing to function adequately?

Answer 25

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989)

Question 26

What are the three signs of failure to function adequately?

Answer 26

1) No longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules
2) Experiencing severe personal distress
3) Irrational or dangerous behaviour to the self or others

Question 27

Give an example of failure to function adequately

Answer 27

Intellectual disability disorder - diagnosis is given if someone has a very low IQ AND is failing to function adequately

Question 28

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 28

When someone doesn’t meet a set of criteria for good mental health

Question 29

Who created the criteria for ideal mental health?

Answer 29

Jahoda (1958)

Question 30

What is the criteria for ideal mental health?

Answer 30

1) No symptoms or distress
2) Being rational and perceiving ourselves accurately
3) Self actualising
4) Coping with stress
5) Having a realistic view of the world
6) Good self-esteem and lacking guilt
7) Independence from others
8) Successfully working, loving, and enjoying leisure

Question 31

What is a strength of the failure to function adequately explanation?

Answer 31

It attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual - it is difficult to assess stress but at least the definition acknowledges that the experience of the patient and others is important and adequately captures the experience of many people who need help - suggests it is a useful criterion for assessing abnormality

Question 32

What are the two limitations of the failure to function adequately definition?

Answer 32

1) Failure to function could just be a deviation from social norms and could risk discrimination
2) Subjective judgements

Question 33

Why could failure to function just be a deviation from social norms?

Answer 33

It is hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they are just deviating from social norms, as some people have alternative lifestyles and choose not to do certain things

Question 34

Why does the failure to function adequately definition risk discrimination?

Answer 34

Treating different behaviours as ‘failures’ of adequate functioning could risk limiting personal freedom and discriminating againt minority groups

Question 35

How can subjective judgements be made as objectively as possible?

Answer 35

By following checklists like the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale

Question 36

Why are subjective judgements a limitation of the failure to function adequately definition?

Answer 36

Someone has the right to make a judgement on whether or not someone is failing to function adequately

Question 37

What is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 37

It is a comprehensive definition as it covers a broad range of criteria for mental health, which makes it a good toll for thinking about mental health

Question 38

What are the two limitations of deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 38

1) Cultural relativism
2) It sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health

Question 39

Why is cultural relativism a limitation of deviation from mental health?

Answer 39

Some of Jahoda’s ideas are specific to Western European and North American cultures (culture-bound), e.g. some cultures would see independence as a bad thing while it is a typical thing in individualist cultures

Question 40

Why does deviation from mental health set an unrealistically high standard?

Answer 40

Very few people attain all the criteria for mental health, so the approach would see much of us as abnormal
Positive - makes it clear how people could benefit from seeking treatment
Negative - no value in deciding who might need treatment against their will