Definitions of abnormality

Question 1

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

Statistical infrequency
deviation from social norms
failure to function adequately
deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

What is meant by failure to function adequately?

Answer 2

• from individuals point of view
• not being able to cope with everyday life
• causing distress and suffering for individual and maybe others
• WHODAS scale (questions about daily difficulties such as getting dressed, concentrating for 10 minutes or dealing with new people rated on a scale of 1-6 on difficultly)

Question 3

What is deviation from social norms?

Answer 3

• breaking unspoken rules about how to behave
• e.g talking to yourself
• abnormal because the behaviours are considered strange and unacceptable by others in society

Question 4

What is a limitation of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 4

• cultural relativism (what’s considered acceptable in one culture may not be in another)
• social norms change over time e.g homosexuality or riding a horse to school

Question 5

What is statistical infrequency?

Answer 5

• numbers based definition
• objective
• behaviours are abnormal if they are statistically rare
  e. g exceptionally high or low IQ
• normal distribution curves

Question 6

What are the strengths and weaknesses of statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 6

+objective measure

• doesn’t consider desirability
• some undesirable behaviours are statistically frequent e.g. depression

Question 7

What are strengths and limitations of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 7

• reasonably objective
• question of whether is allows sufficient choice over life decisions e.g not having relationships or enjoying risky behaviour

Question 8

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 8

-Jahoda, absence of conditions of ideal mental health

Question 9

What are the conditions of ideal mental health?

Answer 9

• Self attitudes (high self-esteem, strong sense of identity)
• Personal growth and self-actualisation (the extent to which one develops their full capabilities)
• Integration (being able to cope with stressful situations)
• Autonomy (being independent and self-regulating)
• Having an accurate perception of reality
• Mastery of the environment (the ability to love, function at work and in interpersonal relationships, adjust to new situations and solve problems)

Question 10

What are strengths and limitations of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 10

+positive approach

• unrealistic criteria (by this definition, most people would be mentally ill)
• suggests mental health is the same as physical health
• cultural relativism