Definitions of Abnormality

Question 1

What are the defintions of abnormality?

Answer 1

• Statistical infrequency
• Deviations from social norms
• Deviations from ideal mental health
• Failure to function adequately

Question 2

What is Statistical infrequency?

Answer 2

Display of behaviors that are statistically rare for the populaltion are seen as abnormal. Depends upon where you lay on a normal distribution graph.

e.g.top and bottom 5%

Question 3

Strengths of Statistical infrequency

Answer 3

• It is applied in real life for diagnosis and clinical assessments of mental disorders to gauge how serve symptoms are compared to statistical norms.
• No value judgements are made- stated as infrequent rather than wrong. This means there is no social pressure being implied.

Question 4

Cons of Statistical Infrequency

Answer 4

• Just because a behavior is frequent of infrequent doesn’t necessarily dictate where it is desirable or undesirable.
• Unhelpful in truly telling whether someone needs treatment and intervention.

Question 5

Deviations from social norms

Answer 5

Abnormal behavior is behavior that differs from the accepted societal or communal standards. Collective judgement on what behavior is and isn’t desirable.

Question 6

Pros of Deviations from social norms

Answer 6

• Distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviours.
• Has real-life application

Question 7

Cons of Deviations from social norms

Answer 7

• Social norms vary tremendously. This creates problems for people from one culture living within another culture.

Question 8

Deviations from ideal mental health

Answer 8

Behaviour that doesn’t meet the set of criteria for good mental health. For example, Marie Jahoda (1958) created a criteria of ideal mental health.

Question 9

Pros of deviations from ideal mental health

Answer 9

• Ideal mental health is very comprehensive and covers a broad range of reasons someone would seek mental health support. The range of factors discussed to make a good tool for thinking about mental health.
• Makes it clear to people the ways in which people could benefit for seeking improvement.

Question 10

Cons of deviations from ideal mental health

Answer 10

• Very few of us attain and detain all Jahoda’s criteria for mental health.
• No value in thinking about who might benefit from treatment against their will.

Question 11

Failure to function adequately

Answer 11

When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day life, it is decided that they cannot function adequately. These can be things such as maintaining a basic standard of hygiene and nutrition, employment and relationships. This can cause distress and suffering to the individuals and others.

Question 12

Strengths of failure to function adequately

Answer 12

• Attempts to include the subjective experience of the individuals.
• Identify who would benefit from treatement.

Question 13

Cons of failure to function adequately

Answer 13

• It is difficult to assess distress.
• It can be hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they are just deviating from social norms. E.g. seeing alternatives lifestyles as maladaptive can be discriminatory.
• Fails to account for those who could be suffering from a mental disorder without displaying obvious behaviour.