definitions of abnormality Flashcards
definitions of abnormality
deviation from social norms
deviation from ideal mental health
statistical infrequency
failure to funtion
deviation from social norms
- a behaviour that deviates from the norms or accepted standards within society and is therefore considered different/abnormal
- social norms are a set of rules for behaviour based off a set of moral and conventional standards within society and are judged by the dominant culture
evaluation of deviation from social norms
culturally relative
varies over time
context
culturally relative : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS
- cultures are defined in different way in different places by different groups
- a behaviour seen as a deviation in one society may appear quite acceptable in another
- it is difficult to judge abnormality in different cultures
varies over time : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS
- what is acceptable now may not have been 5 years ago
- in the past it has allowed mental health professionals to classify people as ill if they go against social attitudes
- e.g. nymphomania has been used as a way to control women in the past
context : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS
- some behaviours are only seen as abnormal in the wrong context
- e.g. wearing a bikini to school would be seen as abnormal but not to a beach
- emphasises the importance of taking the context of behaviour into account
deviation from ideal mental health
- this judges mental health in the same way as physical health
- a person requires certain attributes to be mentally healthy
Jahoda - found 6 categories that were commonly referred to as desirable for mental health :
1) positive attitude towards self
2) resistance to stress
3) self-actualisation
4) autonomy
5) accurate perception of reality
6) can adapt to new situations
evaluation of deviation from ideal mental health
unrealistic
culture-bound
useful
unrealistic : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH
- many would struggle to meet many of these criteria at some point in our lives or meet them all at the same time
- make it an impossibly high standard to live up to
- unclear about how much you have to deviate from the criteria to be classed as abnormal
culture-bound : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH
- some criteria can be see as Western ideals e.g. self-actualisation
- many cultures would not consider this a desirable trait
- can be difficult to apply this definition to other cultures
useful : EVALUATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH
- Johoda has helped society to see that mental health is similar to physical health
- helped to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues
- ALTHOUGH some would say thy are difficult to compare as physical illnesses are easier to detect and treat
statistical infrequency
- a person’s trait, thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual
- any unusual behaviour will be mor than 2 standard deviations from the mean, will be found in less than 5% of the population
evaluation of statistical infrequency
positive characteristics
not reported
real world application
positive characteristics : EVALUATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY
- many rare behaviours/characteristics have no bering on normality or abnormality e.g. left handedness
- those with high IQ are not seen as abnormal
- depression may affect 27% of elderly people, would make this common but it does not mean that it isnt a problem
not reported : EVALUATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY
- some disorders may appear rate in a culture simply because they re not reported
Cohen - believes that few mental illnesses are reported in India because mental illness is seen as a curse
