Definitions of abnormality Flashcards
what is statistical infrequency
occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, for example, being more depressed or less intelligent than most of the population
any relatively usual behaviour or characteristic can be thought of as ‘normal’, and any behaviour that is unusual is ‘abnormal’
what is an example of stastistical infrequency
in order to be defined as abnormal, behaviour must fall 2 or more standard deviations from a normal distribution curve
for example, average IQ is 100, only 2% of people have a score below 70, these people are ‘abnormal’ and liable to receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder
how does statistical infrequency have real-world application (strength)
statistical infrequency is useful in clinical practice, both as part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individual’s symptoms
e.g., a diagnosis of an intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of below 70
SI used in an assessment tool is the beck depression inventory, a score of 30+ is interpreted as indicating severe depression
how can unusual characteristics be positive (limitation)
for every person with an IQ below 70 there is another with an IQ above 130, yet we would not think of someone as abnormal for having a high IQ
this shows that being at one end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily make someone abnormal
this means that statistical infrequency is never sufficient as the sole basis for defining abnormality
what is deviation from social norms
concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
groups of people choose to define behaviour as abnormal on the basis that it offends their sense of what is acceptable or the norm
social norms may be different for each generation and different in every culture
relatively few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal
e.g., homosexuality was considered abnormal in the past, but continues to be viewed as abnormal in some cultures
what is an example of deviation from social norms
antisocial personality disorder
a person with ASD (psychopathy) is impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible
DSM-5 - one important symptom of ASD is an absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful and culturally normative ethical behaviour
psychopathy would be considered abnormal in a very wide range of cultures
what is the real-world application of deviation from social norms (strength)
deviation from social norms is used in clinical practice
e.g., the key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour
such norms also play a part in the diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder where the term ‘strange’ is used to characterise thinking, behaviour and appearance of people with the disorder
shows value in psychiatry
how is there variability between social norms in different cultures and situations (limitation)
a person from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards rather than the person’s standards
e.g., the experience of hearing voices is the norm in some cultures but would be seen as abnormality in most parts of the UK
aggressive and deceitful behaviour in the context of family life is more socially unacceptable than in the context of corporate deal-making
means it is difficult to judge deviation from social norms
what is the failure to function adequately
occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living
a person may be unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygiene, or if they cannot hold down a job or maintain relationships with people around them
what are examples of failing to function adequately
rosenhan and seligman (1989) proposed signs to determine when someone is not coping:
no longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules, e.g., maintaining eye contact
experiencing severe personal distress
irrational or dangerous behaviour to themselves or others
intellectual disability disorder - an individual must be also failing to function adequately before an IDD diagnosis, not just statistical infreq
what is deviation from ideal mental health
occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
once we have a picture of how we should be psychologically healthy then we can begin to identify who deviates from this idea
what is jahoda’s (1958) ideal mental health criteria
jahoda suggested ideal mental health is met with the following criteria:
we have no symptoms of distress
we are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately
we self-actualise
we can cope with stress
we have a realistic view of the world
we have good self-esteem and lack guilt
we are independent of other people
we can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
how does the failure to function criterion represent a threshold for help (strength)
most of us have symptoms of a mental disorder to some degree at some time, around 25% of people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year
many people press on in the face of fairly severe symptoms, it tends to be at the point we cease to function adequately that people seek professional help
this criterion means that treatment and services can be targeted to those who need them most
how is there discrimination and social control issues with failure to function adequately (limitation)
it is easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
it can be very hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they have simply chosen to deviate from social norms
e.g., some people choose to live ‘off-grid’ and not have a job
this means that people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and discriminated against, limiting freedom
how does ideal mental health give a comprehensive definition (strength)
jahoda’s concept of ideal mental health includes a range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder
it covers most reasons why we might seek help with mental health
this in turn means that an individual’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals
this means ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others
