Definitions Of Abnormality

Question 1

Statistical infrequency

Answer 1

• usual behaviour or characteristic = normal
• unusual behaviour or characteristic = abnormal
• e.g. IQ - anyone bellow an IQ of 70 is considered abnormal + liable to being diagnosed with a psychological disorder

Question 2

Deviation from social norms

Answer 2

• when a person acts in a different way to what society expects
• society makes a collective judgement about what is right / the ‘norm’
• e.g.e antisocial personality disorder (impulsive, aggressive - DSM-5), don’t conform to the moral standards of society

Question 3

Strength and limitation of statistical infrequency

Answer 3

Strength - real world applications:
Used in clinical practice - for diagnosis + judging severity of symptoms
E.g in the IQ test - bellow 70 meant intellectual disability

Limitation - unusual characteristics can be positive:
Being unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum doesn’t always make them abnormal
E.g. someone with a low depression score on the BDI can be abnormal

Question 4

Strength and limitation of deviation from social norms

Answer 4

Strength - real word application
Used in clinical practice, valuable in psychiatry.
E.g. characteristics of antisocial personality disorder = aggression, which is a deviation from social norms

Limitation - cultural & situational relativism
Variability between deviation from social normals in different cultures
E.g. hearing voices in one culture = ancestors, but for the UK = abnormal

Question 5

Failure to function adequately

Answer 5

• no longer cope with the demands of everyday life
• e.g. cannot maintain basic standards like hygiene
• can’t hold a job or maintain relationships

Characteristics when people cant cope:
- cannot conform to standard interpersonal rules e.g. eye contact
- experiences severe personal stress
- behaviour is irrational / dangerous to themselves or others

Question 6

Deviation from idea mental health & what does ideal mental health look like

Answer 6

‘Jahoda’ suggested that ideal mental health looked like:

. Self-actualisation of one’s potential
. Personal autonomy
. Environmental mastery
. Accurate perception of reality
. Resistance to stress

Question 7

Evaluation of failure to functions A.

Answer 7

Strength- represents a threshold for help:
Identifying failing to F.A. Means that people can revive treatment
E.g. 25 % of UK has mental health problems

Limitation- discrimination & social control:
Easy to to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
People who make unusual life choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal
E.g, risk takers / people who live off the grid

Question 8

Evaluation of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 8

Strength- a comprehensive definition;
Jahodas list; covers most of the reasons why we might seek help for mental health.
Provides a checklist that we can use to access ourselves and discuss with professionals

Limitation- may be culture bound;
Difficult to apply the concept of mental health from one culture to another.
Self actualisation only really accepted in Western Europe + USA