Definitions of Abnormality Flashcards
1
Q
What is deviation from social norms?
A
- Every society has social norms - standards of acceptable behaviour that are set by a social group
- Sometimes these are unwritten but they are generally accepted
- According to DSN, abnormal behaviour is anything that goes against the unwritten rules and norms
- This definition is concerned with behaviour that is considered antisocial/undesirable or different to what we expect in society everyday
- e.g. Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), a person with APD is aggressive, compulsive, and irresponsible. Therefore, they’re considered abnormal as they can’t conform to the moral standards of society
2
Q
What is a strength of DSN?
A
- A strength of the DSN definition is that it has face validity and supports the general view of abnormality
- For example, someone with with schizophrenia would deviate from social norms as they may talk to themselves or show obviously irrational decision making and behaviour
- This is a strength because this definition makes it easy for the general population to identify abnormality within people they know or around them and get them the right support
- Obvious DSN also makes it easier for clinicans to identify and treat mental illness
- Thus this definition can often lead to valid diagnosis
3
Q
What is a weakness of DSN?
A
- A weakness of the DSN definition is that it is too culture specific
- For example, hearing voices is socially acceptable or even seen as a gift in some cultures whereas it would be seen as a sign of mental abnormality in the UK
- This is a weakness because social norms vary between communities
- A person from one culture may label the behaviour of a person from another culture as abnormal (due to their own norms) whereas the same behaviour may be seen as normal in the other person’s culture
- Thus this definition must be used with caution as it has to take into consideration a person’s culture to prevent misdiagnosis
4
Q
What is failure to function adequately?
A
- Behaviour is considered abnormal when it means an individual cannot cope with everyday life
- According to this definition, if behaviour causes distress leading to an inability to function/work/participate in relationships, an individual may be considered abnormal
- Such individuals are often characterised as being unable to experience the usual range of emotions
- Rosenhan & Seligman suggested that related characteristics include: irrational behaviour and causing observer discomfort
5
Q
What is a strength of FFA?
A
- A strength of the FFA definition is that it is an important criterion that helps us clearly identify serious cases of mental abnormality
- Many people may experience extreme sadness/anxiety at some point
- However a key difference between those diagnosed with mental illness and the general population is that those diagnosed with depression/anxiety may find that it seriously interferes with their everyday life e.g. maintaining a relationship or a job
- This suggests that FFA allows us to distinguish between different severities of disorders thus allowing us to treat them accordingly
- Thus FFA is useful in diagnosing disorders and increases in validity
6
Q
What is a weakness of FFA?
A
- A weakness of FFA is that many individuals with mental health issues cam appear to be fully functional. Thus abnormality is not always associated with FFA.
- Harold Shipman was a doctor who was responsible for the death of over 200 patients in a 23 year period. Despite his crimes, Shipman functioned adequately and was seen as a respectable to doctor
- This is a weakness as he was clearly abnormal but he did not fail to function adequately
- According to FFA, he appeared normal despite his abnormality and so escaped detection/diagnosis for many years
- Thus FFA is an insufficient definition on its own and can lead to invalid diagnosis
7
Q
What is statistical infrequency?
WHAT + HOW
A
- This definition suggests that any behaviour that is statistically rare may be considered abnormal
- If very few people show a behaviour, that behaviour is abnormal
- Any behaviour that strays far from the average is considered abnormal
- e.g. schizophrenia affects 1 in 100 people thus is statistically infrequent and considered abnormal
- People who use this definition measure a specific characteristic and assess how it’s distributed in the general population
- Can be measured using a normal distribution curve - bellshaped graph that tells us (for a given characteristic) that most of the population score around the mean
- Anyone who falls out of normal distribution are seen as abnormal - usually 5% of the population
- Thus, demonstrating behaviour at either extreme is seen as abnormal e.g. very high or low IQ
8
Q
What is a strength of SI?
A
- A strength of SI is that once a way of collecting data is established, it is an objective way of deciding who is abnormal
- It can be used to define and diagnose somebody as suffering from intellectual disability disorder (IDD). An IQ of 85-115 is considered normal, only 2% have a score below 70. People with an IQ lower than 70 are rare and thus labelled as having IDD
- This allows for objective measurement and is not reliant on subjective interpretation of diagnostic criteria. Thus helps doctors produce reliable and accurate diagnoses
- This validates SI as a diagnostic tool
9
Q
What is a weakness of SI?
A
- A weakness of SI is that it misdiagnoses desirable and undesirable behaviour
- A very low IQ is just as statistically abnormal as a very high IQ but a high IQ is typically seen as desirable
- Depression affects 1 in 5 people in the UK making it statistically common. Thus SI would not consider depression abnormal even though it is
- SI often leads to inaccurate diagnosis of rare desirable and common undesirable behaviours
- Thus it decreases in validity
10
Q
What is deviation from ideal mental health?
A
Jahoda suggested normal mental health includes:
- Positive attitudes towards self: having self respect and positive self-concept
- Self actualisation and personal growth: having a motivation to achieve one’s full potential
- Being resistant to stress: being able to cope with stressful situations and anxiety
- Personal Autonomy: being independent, self-reliant, and able to make personal decisions
- Accurate perception of reality: perceiving the world in a non-distorted fashion - having an objective and realistic world view
- Environmental mastery: being competent in all aspects of life and able to meet the demands of any situation - having the flexibility to adapt to changing life circumstances
11
Q
What is a strength of DIMH?
A
- A strength of DIMH is that it offers an alternative view of mental disorders by focusing on what is desirable rather than undersirable
- Ideas have had some influence and are in accord with the positive psychology movement from the humanistic approach
- DIMH also covers a broad range of criteria for mental health. The 6 criteria cover most of the reasons someone would need to seek help from or be referred to mental health services
- The broad nature of the criteria allows the definition to be a comprehensive diagnostic tool to detect mental illness
- This validates DIMH as a definition of abnormality
12
Q
What is a weakness of DIMH?
A
- A weakness of DIMH is that the criteria it sets for mental normality is unrealistically high
- Due to the stress of everyday life very few people would match all the criteria laid down by Jahoda and probably no one achieves all of them at the same time for a long time
- This is a weakness as according to DIMH, most people would be considered abnormal and in need of help despite other research on the prevailance of mental health has showning this isn’t the case
- Thus using DIMH may lead to misdiagnosis
