Definitions of Abnormality 2 Flashcards
failure to function adequately
when someone cannot cope with everyday demands
This is decided when someone is not functioning adequately if they cannot hold down a job or maintain relationships with people around them
deviation from ideal mental health
occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for ideal mental health
when is someone failing to function adequately
Rosenhan and Seligman 1989 proposed some signs that can be used to determine when someone is not coping:
they no longer conform to interpersonal rules - maintaining eye contact and respecting personal space, when one experiences severe personal distress, when ones behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
example of someone failing to function adequately?
diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder having a low IQ. A statistical infrequency.
The diagnosis would not be made on just this basis but also if the individual failed to function adequately before the diagnosis was given
evaluation strength for failure to function
A strength of the failure to function criterion + it represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help
Most people have symptoms of mental disorders to some degree at some time. According to Mind charity, 25% of people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year.
It tends to be when people cease to function adequately that they seek professional help or are noticed by others
This criterion means that treatment services can be targeted to those who need it most
Limitation of failure to function
LIMITATION: Failure to function is easy to label non standard lifestyle choices as abnormal.
In practise it is very difficult to say when someone is really failing to function and when they have just chosen to deviate from social norms
For example, those who don’t have a job or permanent address may be considered failing to function but may just have an ‘alternative lifestyle’
Also people with High risk leisure activities may be considered unusual , or spiritual practices being dangerous and irrational
This means that people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and their freedom of choice may be restricted
ideal mental health
Jahoda suggested that we have good mental health if we:
- have no symptoms of distress, rational and perceive ourselves accurately, self actualise , can cope with stress, have a realistic view of the world, good self esteem and lack of guilt , independent of other people, successfully work and enjoy leisure.
there is some overlap between what deviation from ideal mental health is and what we may call failure to function.
evaluation extra - exceptions
Sometime, for example when bereaving, we mail fail to function.
it may be unfair to give people the failure to function label as it may cause them future problems
But failure to function is no less real just because that cause is clear. Some people need professional help to adjust to circumstances - like bereavement
Evaluation strength - comprehensive definition
The ideal mental health criterion is highly comprehensive . Jahoda’s concept of ‘ideal mental health’ includes a range of criteria for distinguishing mental health disorder
- most of the reasons we may seek help with mental health is covered by criteria
- this means that an individual’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who may take different theoretical views
this means that ideal mental health provides a checklist which we can access ourselves and others and discuss psychological issued with a range of professionals
Limitation - Culture bound
the ideal mental health criterion is that it has different elements that are not equally applicable across a range of cultures
Some of Jahoda’s criteria for ideal mental health is firmly located in the US and Europe generally. The concept of self-actualisation would be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world.
Even in Europe, there is a bit of variation in the value placed on personal independence - high in Germany, low in Italy
Also what defines success in our working, social and love lives is very different in different cultures
This means that it is difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another
Extra EValuation
very few people attain Jahoda’s criteria for mental health and none us achieve them all at the same time for very long.
It can be difficult to have an impossible set of standards to live up to
BUT - having a comprehensive criteria for mental health to work towards may be of practical value for someone waiting to understand their mental health
