Definitions of abnormality

Question 1

What are social norms?

Answer 1

Social norms are explicit and implicit rules that exist in society that determine acceptable behaviours, values and beliefs. They are set by the social group and adhered to by those socialised into that group

Question 2

What are explicit social norms?

Answer 2

laws

Question 3

what are implicit (unspoken ) social norms?

Answer 3

agreed as a matter of convention e.g. politeness, not invading someone’s personal space, queuing, eating with a knife and fork.

Question 4

PEC:If we define abnormality in terms of deviation from social norms, then we rely on prevailing (i.e. current) social morals and attitudes.

Answer 4

E: This may permit mental health professionals to classify individuals as mentally ill if they fail to conform to social rules.
C: Szasz (1974) claimed that mental illness was simply a way to exclude non-conformists from society i.e. a form of social control.

Question 5

What is stigmatism and why is it a bad thing?

Answer 5

Because of the stigma attached to mental health disorders, those labelled as suffering from such conditions may be treated differently by those around them i.e. discriminated against.
The label may reflect badly on the individual - once a diagnosis is made, it tends to stick, even if the symptoms are no longer present

Question 6

deviation from social norms P: Social norms change over time

Answer 6

E: Homosexuality was once listed as a mental illness in the DSM, however, attitudes have since changed and homosexuality is now accepted.
C: Therefore, behaviour that is deemed abnormal at one time may be considered normal at another, as social attitudes change. Abnormality according to this definition is therefore a fluid concept.

Question 7

deviation from social norms P: Social norms vary across cultures

Answer 7

E: e.g. hearing voices is considered a blessing in certain African tribes, but is a symptom of schizophrenia in the Western world.
C: Therefore, behaviour viewed as normal in one culture may be considered abnormal elsewhere, again, highlighting how fluid the concept of abnormality is according to this definition.

Question 8

Limitations of the ‘Deviation from Social Norms’ definition

Answer 8

Eccentric or abnormal? Behaviours that deviate from the norm e.g. men wearing make-up, may be merely ‘eccentric’ rather than abnormal in a pathological sense.

Question 9

deviation from social norms P: Those who violate legal norms are not necessarily suffering from a psychological disorder.

Answer 9

E: e.g. you are more likely to view a serial killer as abnormal compared to a fraudster.
C: Therefore, perhaps it depends on the crime committed as to whether they are viewed as abnormal in a pathological sense, or not.

Question 10

deviation from social norms P: Behaviour that is deviant is socially unacceptable for the rest of us.

Answer 10

E: This way of defining abnormality therefore takes account of the greater good of society and distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour, a feature that is absent from the statistical infrequency definition.
C: According to this definition, abnormal behaviour is behaviour that therefore potentially damages others.

Question 11

deviation from social norms P: Some behaviours may be considered normal in one context, but abnormal in another

Answer 11

E: e.g. wearing a bikini in an office would be considered abnormal, but wearing one on a beach would be seen as perfectly normal.
C: Therefore, the context in which the behaviour occurs must be considered.

Question 12

Abnormality is defined as …

Answer 12

Abnormality is defined as an inability to cope with day-to-day living…
e.g. being unable to dress oneself and to hold down a job (occupational functioning)
An individual suffering from DEPRESSION may lack the motivation to get out of bed in the morning and leave the house for work, unable to face any kind of social interaction, and finding little pleasure in everyday activities.It therefore recognises the subjective experience of the patient.
Measure used to assess functioning: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale

Question 13

What is Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) study?

Answer 13

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) outlined seven characteristics of personal dysfunction. Here are four of these characteristics:
Personal distress – e.g. loss of appetite, insomnia
Observer discomfort – where another’s behaviour causes discomfort and distress to the observer
Unpredictability – inability to predict the behaviour of another
Irrationality – irrational behaviour is displayed that is difficult to understand

Question 14

What is the GAF scale?

Answer 14

The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale rates an individual’s level of social, occupational and psychological functioning.

Question 15

failure to function adequately P: Abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction.

Answer 15

E: Individuals may be functioning adequately e.g. attending school/work, maintaining good personal hygiene, despite clinical levels of anxiety and depression.

Harold Shipman is a good example of someone who was abnormal, murdering at least 215 of his patients, yet he did not outwardly display any features of dysfunction.
C: Therefore, according to this definition some abnormal individuals would be considered normal.

Question 16

P: Failure to function adequately does not always indicate abnormal behaviour.

Answer 16

E: Certain factors can affect our ability to function adequately e.g. exam stress, death of a loved one. These can have a temporary impact on an individual’s functioning and does not necessarily indicate abnormality.
C: Therefore, the context in which the behaviour occurs must always be considered.

Question 17

failure to function adequately P: Arguably, adequate functioning could be viewed as a subjective concept.

Answer 17

E: We all have a different perception of what it means to function ‘adequately’.
For example…. some people may find it normal to eat with their hands whereas others will always use cutlery.
C: This therefore makes it difficult to judge whether someone is functioning adequately or not.

Question 18

failure to function adequately P: Standard patterns of behaviour in terms of what it means to ‘function adequately’ vary from culture to culture…

Answer 18

E: e.g. cultural variations in what it means to maintain good levels of personal hygiene.
C: Therefore, an individual may be considered normal in one culture but abnormal elsewhere.

Question 19

failure to function adequatley P: In addition, ‘failure to function’ is also relatively easy to judge objectively,

Answer 19

E: because one can use a checklist of common behaviours they would expect in someone deemed normal e.g. can dress self, can prepare meals, C: …which is straightforward to use because it focuses on observable behaviour.

Question 20

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 20

Jahoda (1958) argued that we define physical illness by looking at the absence of signs of physical health and claimed that we should apply the same principles when diagnosing mental illness. She listed six criteria that she felt indicated psychological health

Question 21

The absence of these 6 criteria - jahoda- indicates abnormality and potential mental disorder:

Answer 21

Personal autonomy: Self-reliant, independent, depending on one’s own resources.

Positive attitudes towards the self: Positive self-concept and sense of identity; self-confidence; self-respect; self-acceptance; high self-esteem.

Accurate perception of reality: Seeing oneself and the world in realistic and objective terms, rather than through ‘rose-tinted’ glasses.

Self-actualisation of one’s potential: Striving to fulfil one’s potential; personal growth.

Adapting to and mastering the environment: Being competent in all areas of life: at work, in personal relationships and in leisure activities. Being flexible and adapting to change.

Resistance to stress: The ability to tolerate anxiety; developing good coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations.

Question 22

Limitations of the ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ definition. P: Most people would find it difficult to achieve all six criteria, all of the time – they are too demanding/unrealistic.

Answer 22

E: For example, many people can find it difficult to achieve self-actualisation and experience personal growth all the time e.g. some individuals may be content working in Tesco’s, even if they have the potential to be a brain surgeon!
C: This therefore implies that few people are psychologically healthy and therefore most of us are abnormal! It is also unclear how many of the criteria you have to be lacking in order to be classed as mentally ill.

Question 23

Limitations of the ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ definition.P: Jahoda’s ideas are based on Western ideals of self-fulfilment and individuality.

Answer 23

E: For example, autonomy and self-actualisation are not valued in collectivist cultures. Why? What do collectivist cultures value and promote instead?
C: Therefore, these ideas are culture-bound as they only apply to individualist cultures.

Question 24

Limitations of the ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ definition. P: Several of the criteria are vague and difficult to measure, relying heavily on the self-reports of patients, which could be unreliable (highly subjective)…

Answer 24

E: …whereas physical health can be measured more objectively e.g. X-rays, blood tests.
C: This therefore undermines Jahoda’s ideas about measuring mental health in the same way as physical health.

Question 25

Strengths of the ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ definition.
Positive approach to judging mental health

Answer 25

Jahoda’s definition emphasises positive achievements rather than failures (e.g. Failure to function adequately) and stresses a positive approach to mental problems by focusing on what is desirable, rather than undesirable. Focuses on what to aim for rather than personal distress.

Question 26

Strengths of the ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ definition.
Takes a holistic approach

Answer 26

‘Deviation from ideal mental health’ considers an individual as a whole person rather than focusing on individual areas of their behaviour. Considers many aspects of the individual as opposed to just their level of functioning or adherence to social norms.

Question 27

Statistical Infrequency is when …

Answer 27

Researchers and governments collect statistics to inform us of what is normal e.g. the typical age for women to have their first child.
These statistics can then be used to define ‘norms’ for groups of people, in terms of common or typical behaviours. Any behaviour that is rare/uncommon and deviates from the statistical average is considered abnormal

Question 28

How can normal distribution graphs be used?

Answer 28

Normal distribution graphs can be used to represent how characteristics are distributed in the general population, with most people clustered around the mean (the ‘normals’), and fewer people (the ‘abnormals’) at either extreme.

Question 29

Limitations of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition.
P: Not all abnormal behaviour is undesirable.

Answer 29

E: Very few people have an IQ over 150, but we wouldn’t view that as undesirable
e.g. Einstein.
Equally, there are some ‘normal’ (i.e. common) behaviours that are undesirable
C: This therefore suggests that although this definition provides a method for measuring typical behaviours within the population, it does not indicate which characteristics might be related to abnormal behaviour e.g. left-handedness is rare but has no bearing on abnormality!

Question 30

Limitations of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition. P: Equally, not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent.

Answer 30

E: Depression is becoming increasingly common in the Western world (research suggests there is a 1 in 10 chance of having a serious depressive episode at least once in your lifetime).

Question 31

Limitations of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition.P: It is difficult to decide where the cut-off point should be for defining abnormality.

Answer 31

E: There is no agreed point on the scale at which behaviour is classified as abnormal.
C: Therefore, it is not clear how far behaviour should deviate from the norm to be seen as abnormal.

Question 32

Limitations of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition. P: However, statistics can be misleading.

Answer 32

E: It is only possible to determine mental disorder statistics for those who have actually received a diagnosis by a clinician e.g. a psychiatrist.
C: Therefore, statistics may not reflect the true occurrence of a mental disorder, because many people suffer from mental disorders but choose not seek professional help.

Question 33

Limitations of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition. P: There are gender differences in statistical data reporting mental health disorders, however, this data could be misleading.

Answer 33

E: Females are more likely than males to consult their doctor for anxiety problems, whereas males are more likely to bottle up their anxiety, or try to deal with it in physical ways, such as through vigorous sporting activity, or self-medicate using drink, drugs or gambling. Males might also perceive mental health services as feminised.

C: This again suggests that statistics may not necessarily reflect the true occurrence of mental disorders amongst males and females.

Question 34

Apart from differences in levels of social support, what could explain cultural differences in statistical data reporting mental health disorders?

Mental disorders may appear to be statistically infrequent in some ethnic groups because of a reluctance to seek professional help, owing to cultural beliefs.

Answer 34

In India, for example, mentally ill people are cursed and looked down on.
In China, mental illness also carries a great stigma. The Chinese are therefore careful to diagnose only those whose behaviour is indisputably psychotic i.e. where thinking and emotion are so impaired that the individual has lost touch with reality.
Depression may be equally common amongst Asians, but Asians consult their doctor only for physical problems and rarely with ‘emotional’ distress.

Therefore, statistical infrequency merely reflects the statistical likelihood of seeking professional help, rather than indicating actual prevalence of a disorder within a particular culture.

Question 35

Strengths of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition

Answer 35

Objective
Unbiased, once a way of collecting data about a behaviour/characteristic and a ‘cut-off point’ has been agreed.

Based on real data
The definition relies on real, unbiased data (objective).

Provides evidence for assistance
- Statistical evidence can be used to justify requests for psychiatric assistance e.g. biological/psychological interventions.