definitions of abnormality Flashcards
define deviation from social norms
any behaviour that does not follow accepted social patterns or social rules
- such violations of these rules can be regarded as abnormal - classed as unacceptable
what are the definitions of abnormality?
deviation from social norms
failure to function adequately
statistical infrequency
deviation from ideal mental health
deviation from social norms looks at the …
IMPACT of an individuals’ behaviour upon other people
the behaviour displayed is examined in terms of how …
DESIRABLE the behaviour is for the individual and society as a whole
- deviation can be seen as abnormal and undesirable
what can deviation from social norms help to identify?
someone who might be suffering from a mental disorder
disadvantage of using deviation from social norms as a definition or abnormality
the definition does not always clearly indicate that a person has a PSYCHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITY
- psychologists must be cautious when making judgments about whether a person is abnormal or just odd
eg. people who streak aren’t necessarily mentally disturbed
disadvantage 2 of using deviation from social norms as a definition
the CONTEXT must be taken into account
- eg. wearing no clothes on a high street = odd, but a nude beach = fine
- it’s acceptable in a diff. context
- context must be considered when judging if behaviour is deviant or not
strength of deviation from social norms (public)
distinguishes a difference between desirable and non desirable behaviour
- model aims to PROTECT members of the public from the EFFECTS of abnormal behaviour (damaging consequences)
- eg. no clothes on a high street = damaging and disturbing
- by highlighting behaviour is abnormal, we can aim to MINIMISE this behaviour to protect …
another strength - why deviation can be positive
some people are deviant because they’ve chosen a non-conformist lifestyle OR because they’re motivated by HIGH PRINCIPLES
- eg deviants in Nazi Germany - spoke out against the atrocities - they were doing the right thing
- people speaking out against bullies
— bystanders = norm
what is failure to function adequately?
model of abnormality
- person UNABLE TO COPE with day to day life
- because they are experiencing psychological distress and discomfort
- impacts their personal, social, occupational life
what do psychologists use to assess rates of social, occupational and psychological functioning? (FTFA)
Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF)
- measures how much a person’s symptoms affects their everyday life
what are the 7 criteria of the FTFA model?
SUFFERING - psychological or physical
UNPREDICTABILITY - uncontrolled behaviour
MALADAPTIVENESS - person cannot achieve their goals
OBSERVER DISCOMFORT
VIVIDNESS - abnormal individuals behave differently in various situations
IRRATIONALITY - unclear why people would behave like that
VIOLATION OF MORAL STANDARDS
(sumo viv)
DISADVANTAGE of FTFA - appearances
abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction
- abnormal people may appear to lead a normal life - don’t possess the 7 criteria
- OR people may appear abnormal, but are just having a bad day
- may be an INACCURATE definition
DISADVANTAGE of FTFA
difficult to measure and analyse
- model is subjective and lacks being scientific and objective
- so psychologists should be cautious when using the model to define abnormality
(- some occasions where the criteria should be adhered to - eg a relative passing away = suffering
— (more acceptable to show suffering than not))
ADVANTAGE of FTFA - scale
using the GAF scale
- psychologists can accurately assess the DEGREE of abnormality
- how well the patient is coping with day to day life
- if they’re not coping well, it could be concluded that the patient is not functioning adequately and is therefore abnormal
ADVANTAGE of FTFA
easy to assess the consequences of FTFA
- to measure the level of psychological functioning
- eg people who are absent from work a lot, or can’t interact with other could indicate an abnormality
what is statistical infrequency?
occurs when an individual has a LESS COMMON characteristic than most of the population
- statistically rare = abnormal
what’s an example of statistical infrequency
IQ scores
- average score = 100
- 2.5% of pop. will have score lower than 70
- 2.5% of pop. will have score higher than 130
what is the name of the graph that can be used to show statistical infrequency?
normal distribution curve
what does a left skewed graph show (statistical infrequency)
tail of distribution lies to the left
mean and median and LOWER than the mode
most of pop. have a high score
- scores are more conc. to the right
- easy test?
ADVANTAGE of statistical infrequency (for the person)
just because a behaviour is statistically infrequent, doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing
- having a high IQ score is just and unusual as having a low one
- but being intelligent isn’t bad - it’s quite desirable
- so it can be a good thing
ADVANTAGE of statistical infrequency (model)
objective, scientific and unbiased data
- help indicate abnormality
- can indicate whether someone needs psychological help
- eg IQ score <70 could indicate mental disability
DISADVANTAGE of statistical infrequency (person)
it involves labelling people as abnormal
- not beneficial - can have a negative effect on them
- impacts self confidence and can lead to further problems
DISADVANTAGE of statistical infrequency
subjective cut off point between abnormality and normality
- need to decide the dividing line between where normality starts and ends
- eg IQ of 70 is abnormal and statistically infrequent, but score of 71 is normal
- cut off point can be questioned
what does the term measures of central tendency mean?
the mode, mean and median
what is deviation from ideal mental health?
abnormality is related to the lack of ‘contented existence’
- people who deviate from having ideal or ‘optimal’ mental health can be classed as abnormal
- (stems from humanist approach - focuses on motivation and self development)
- JAHODA = psychologist who came up with it
what is self actualisation?
humans should strive to reach their full potential
- abnormality could occur if a person fails to achieve their goals or meet the necessary criteria
what are Jahoda’s 6 criteria (must all be fulfilled at the same time for the person to be classed as normal)
AUTONOMY - independent, able to make their own decisions
PERCEPTION OF REALITY - don’t distort their reality - not too pessimistic or optimistic, show signs of empathy to others
PERSONAL GROWTH - becoming the type of person you aim to be
INTEGRATION - ability to cope with stressful situations
ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY - extent to which they’re successful and well adapted (eg ability to love, capacity for adjustment etc)
SELF ATTITUDES - high self esteem, strong sense of identity
STRENGTH of Jahoda’s model (___ and ___)
can be viewed as being productive and positive
- focuses on ideal criteria we should all AIM and STRIVE FOR to be psychologically healthy
- (therapeutic goal)
- self actualisation = positive trait, everyone should try to accomplish
ADVANTAGE of deviation from ideal mental health (patient)
highlight and target areas of dysfunction
- patient can work on to improve their life
- highlights to patient and psychologist
- important when treating diff. disorders
eg people who don’t possess the criteria of ‘self attitudes’ may have depression
DISADVANTAGE of deviation from ideal mental health - difficult to …
criteria are based on ABSTRACT concepts
- difficult to define and measure
- how much of each thing do we need to be judged as psychologically healthy?
- model is not very objective or scientific
DISADVANTAGE of Jahoda’s model - unreasonable
few people can achieve all 6 criteria at the same time
- many of us would be classed as abnormal
- normal to be abnormal?
