definitions of abnormality

Question 1

normal according to the statistical definition?

Answer 1

a relatively usual behaviour or characteristic

Question 2

abnormal according to the statistical definition?

Answer 2

unusual behaviour

Question 3

normal distribution

Answer 3

majority of people’s scores will cluster around the average and the further we go above or below the fewer attain that score

Question 4

what is average IQ?

Answer 4

100

Question 5

IQ in a normal distribution

Answer 5

68% of people have a score in the range of 85 to 115 - only 2% have a score below 70 and these people can be considered abnormal and liable to receive a diagnosis of a psychological disorder - intellectual disability disorder

Question 6

statinfrequency evaluation point: real-world application

Answer 6

• strength = usefulness
• used in clinical practice as part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess severity of an individual’s symptoms e.g. diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires IQ below 70
• stat infrequency used in an assessment tool in the Beck depression inventory
• shows statistical infrequency is useful in diagnostic and assessment processes

Question 7

evaluation point: unusual characteristics can be positive

Answer 7

• every person with an IQ below 70 is another person with an IQ above 130 but we would not think of this person to be abnormal
• shows that being at one end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily mean someone is abnormal
• although stat infrequency can be useful it is never sufficient as the sole basis for defining abnormality

Question 8

deviation from social norms

Answer 8

when a person behaves in a way that is different from how we expect them to behave

Question 9

what are norms specific to?

Answer 9

the culture we live in- norms may be different by generation e.g. homosexuality was considered abnormal in our past and is still considered abnormal in some countries

Question 10

evaluation point - deviation from social norms : real world application

Answer 10

• useful
• used in clinical practices e.g. a key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is failure to conform to culturally normal ethical behaviour
• deviation from social norms criterion has value in psychiatry

Question 11

evaluation point - deviation from social norms: cultural and situational relativism

Answer 11

• variability between social norms in cultures and situations
• a person from one cultural group may label someone from another group abnormal using their standards
  e.g. hearing voices is normal for some cultures but considered abnormal in the UK
• difficult to judge deviation from social norms across different situations and cultures