Definitions Of Abnormality - A03 Flashcards
Statistical infrequency
A limitation of using statistical deviation to diagnose abnormality is that many abnormal behaviours are desirable.
E – For example, very few people have an IQ over 150. But having a larger IQ is not undesirable. Furthermore, there are some common behaviours that are seen to be undesirable.
E – For example, experiencing depression is relatively common but the disorder is considered abnormal and undesirable.
L – Therefore, we are unable to establish the difference between desirable and undesirable behaviours.
Highlighting static tidal frequency can also lead to stigmitisation. This is particularly problematic when someone is living a happy and fulfilled life.
Statistical infrequency
A strength of this definition is that it is an appropriate measure in certain circumstances
E – For example, IQ is measured in terms of normal distribution for those who are two or more standard deviations below the mean.
E – This means this definition has real life application as it’s used as a real measure for certain behaviours.
L – This increases the validity of the definition in using it as a measure to define abnormality.
A similar point could be made with regard to depression: Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) measures depressive traits, and a score of >30 indicates severe depression.
Deviation from Social Norms
A limitation of this definition is that social norms change across time periods and therefore it is not consistent across time.
E – An example of this is how homosexuality is socially acceptable today in most Western cultures but not in the past. In the DSM it was classified as illegal.
E – Somebody being defined as abnormal is dependent on the prevailing social attitudes and morals.
L – Then this can produce inconsistent results across history meaning the measure lacks temporal validity.
Deviation from social norms
One strength of deviation from social norms is it can be useful for clinical practice.
E - One key characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical standards.
E – Also deviation from social norms is helpful in diagnosing schizotypal personality disorder, which involves ‘strange’ behaviour and beliefs.
L – This means that deviation from social norms can be helpful in psychiatric diagnosis.
Failure to Function Adequately
A limitation of this definition of abnormality is that it requires an objective judgement of a way of life.
E - Some people might not see having a job as a failure to function adequately, but people with different lifestyles may disagree. People who enjoy extreme sports might be seen to be behaving in a maladaptive way.
E – We may be limiting personal freedom and discriminating minority groups if we treat these as ‘failures’ of adequate functioning.
L – This poses the challenge for abnormality’s definition as it might depend on who’s making the judgement rather than the behaviour itself.
Failure to function adequately
A strength is that it does take into account the patient’s subjective perspective.
E – It allows us to view the mental disorder from the perspective of the person experiencing it.
E – In addition, it’s easy to judge objectively because we can list behaviours (such as preparing meals) and check whether the person is functioning.
L – Therefore, if treatment and support is needed it can be specific to the patient’s individual needs.
Deviation from ideal mental health
A limitation of this approach is that it sets high standards for mental health which may be unachievable for most people.
E – Few people achieve full ‘self-actualisation’. This can be subjective for each person as it’s hard to know what it even is. Therefore, this definition says a larger number of people have different aspects of abnormality.
E – Furthermore, the criteria are difficult to measure. For example, how easy is it to access whether someone has the capacity for personal growth?
L – Therefore, it could be argued that this definition is not useable when trying to define abnormality, but it may be better within the field of positive psychology at criteria to strive for.
Deviation from ideal mental health
A strength of the ideal mental health criterion is that it is highly comprehensive.
E – Jahoda’s concept includes a large range of criteria and covers most of the reasons that people seek mental health support.
E – This allows mental health to be discussed in a meaningful way with a large range of professionals with different theoretical views, eg CBT therapist or psychiatrist.
L – This means that mental health provides a checklist against which we can access and discuss psychological issues.
Cultural relativism
A limitation of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is that it does not consider cultural relativism.
E - For deviation from ideal mental health, some of Jahoda’s criteria are specific to European and American cultures as they are culture bound. For example, in individualistic countries, self-actualisation is more common. Whereas collectivist countries may see that independence as a negative thing.
E – Therefore, generalising this definition might be seen as ethnocentric because it judges the concept of ‘normal’ by Western and therefore individualistic standards.
L – Therefore, this could be problematic as the definition can’t be used as a universal explaanation of abnormality.
Cultural relativism
A limitation of the statistical deviation definition of abnormality is that it does not consider cultural relativism.
E – For example, schizophrenia symptoms (such as hearing voices) are common and aren’t considered as abnormal in some countries. Whereas in other cultures it is less common to hear voices.
E – This shows that some behaviours can be more statistically frequent in some cultures compared to others.
L – Therefore, statistical deviation doesn’t consider cultural differences and therefore can’t be used as a universal explanation of abnormality.
Cultural relativism
A limitation of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that it does not consider cultural relativism.
E – For example the DSM used to diagnose disorders is largely based on Western social norms.
E – This shows that what’s classed as abnormal is based on Western social norms; it ignores Eastern social norms and values. Therefore, it’s ethnocentric to use the DSM to classify people from Eastern cultures as abnormal.
L – Therefore, deviation from social norms doesn’t consider cultural differences and therefore can’t be used as a universal explanation of abnormality.
Cultural relativism
A limitation of the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality is that it does not consider cultural relativism.
E – The idea of whether a patient is functioning is related to cultural ideas of how people should live their lives; this could be class dependent.
E – This could explain why lower class and nonwhite patients are diagnosed with mental disorders. Typically, it’s because their lifestyles are different from those who are making the definitions.
L – Therefore, failure to function adequately doesn’t consider cultural differences and therefore can’t be used as a universal explanation of abnormality.
