definitions of abnormality A03 Flashcards
Weakness of statistical infrequeny - statistically infrq beh can be desirable
Eg having a very high IQ is uncommon yet celebrated and is a beneficial abnormality whereas having depression is statiscally more common and not celebrated. Whereby abnormal behaviours can occur frequently eg in 2019 depression rates were 18.5% since pandemic.
So this definition cannot differentiate between desirable and undesirable beh
Strength of statistical infrequency- nature of definition
Mathematical nature of this definition means that it’s clear what is defined as abnormal and what’s not
Often usuing normal distribution graphs to plot how common behaviours differ across a poplulation.
No opinion involved means no bias - completly objective way of evaluating abnormality
So different mental health workers can view behaviour in same way thus reducing subjectivity
weakness of stat infeq - cutt off points are subjective
P: a critiscm of stat infreq is that the psycholgial community decides the cutoff point for when a behaviour is deemed as abnormal
E; for example, defining intellectual disability as having an iq below 70 means people with an iq just above 70 may be denied the relevant support they need
E: this is a subjective decision with real implications
L: thus the true objectivity of stat infeq is brought into question
Weakness for statistical infreq- issues w labelling PEEL
P: a further issue is that labelling as individual as abnormal can be unhelpful and even detrimental
E: this is especially true, for example if someone wiht a low IQ since they may be able to live quite happy and relatively normal lives without distress to themselves or others
E: such a label may contribute to poor self image such as an indivual vieijf themselves as stupid or worse than somebody else. This label could
Be an invitation for discrimination eg being told your stupid or a waste of space
L: this means that being labelled as statistically infrequent could cause a person more distress than the condition itself so may not be an appropriate thing to do
Weakness of deviation from social norms - degree of severity and context PEEL
P: how far an individual deviates from a social norm is mediated by a degree of severity and context
E: eg when sm1 breaks social norm it may not be deviant beh but the persistent repetition of behaviour could be evidence of abnormality.
E: a man walking topless on a beach would be normal on the other hand adopting the same attire at an office would be considered abnormal and even hint at underlying mental health issue. Equally sm1 not wanting or not being ableto get out of bed at the weekend may not be considered abnormal but somone who
Can never get out of bed would
Be
L: as a consequence this definition fails to offer complete explanation in its own right since it is related to degree and context. The msot sever and out of place a behaviour is the more abnormal it should be considered
Weakness of deviation from social norms - cultural relativism
Social norms differ from culture to culture. What’s considered normal in one could be considered abnormal in another.
No global standard for what is abnormal this abnormality can’t be standardised. So cannot this definition as a universal definition of abnormal
Behaviour
Unfair to judge sm1 from another culture by anything but the standard of that culture.
eg hearing voices = hallucination and schiz but in afrocarribean its normal and apart of spritiual culture - communicating w anscesteors - this is seen by the fact that afcarb people are 10x more likely to recieev a schiz diagnosis in the uk
limiation failure to functiona adequatlyy - punishing poeple
can be seen as punishing people who are trying to express their indivifuality and repressing people who dont conform to potentially repressive norms of their culture
eg WHO declassified homosexuality as a mental illness - this may have followed social norms/acceptance
strength of deviation from social norms - society
its a definition with clarity and irl application. living in a culture for a long time you learn whats acceptable and what isn’t
So the real world application is that it’s useful for society: adhering to social norms means that society is ordered and predictable, making society safer, more peaceful and more harmonious.
This is because everyone is aware of the socially accepted way to act this is argued to be advantageous to society
Strength of failure to function adequately- patients perspective
Actually considers subjective personal experience of patient considering their thoughts and feelings - doesn’t simply make a judgment. This definition is focused on the
individual and how they are managing in everyday life from their perspective, so
if someone feels as though they are struggling they will be deemed abnormal
and get help. This definition is
useful in that it makes a distinction between someone that copes and someone
that is unable.
Weakness of failure to function adequately- is it diffent from deviation from social norms PEEL
P: their is often confusion with distinguishing between failure to function adequately and deviation from social norms
E: on occasion a beh which appears to be a failure to fucn ad such as not being able to go work may in face be devautin from social norm
E: this is particularly the case shoulf that person be choosing to live an alt lifestyle out of the common system for thsg society eg new age travelling who don’t live in permanent accommodation and don’t work or skydivers who partake in sport w high mortality rate
L: it’s therefore difficult to be certain if this beh should be considered maladaptive and by labelling these kinds of individuals who make choices like these as failing to function personal freedom may be quashed
strength of failure to func ad - beh is observable
Behaviour is observable: Failure to function adequately can be seen by others
around the individual because they may not get out of bed on a morning, or be
able to hold a job down. This means that problems can be picked up by others
and if the individual is incapable of making a decision or helping themselves
others can intervene. Represents a threshold for help
This definition provides a clear criteria for when individuals need professional help
strenth of failure to func adeq - GAF
P; one strength of failure to function adequately is that it’s measurable
E; The GAF is a scale and allows for the extent of the failure to
function to be measured. It does this by considering rosenhams and Seligmans 1989 proposed characteristics that come under this definition eg not conforming to standard interpersonal rules like maintaining eyecontact and occupational functioning.
E: This means that the decision of whether a behaviour is abnormal or not can be made in a relatively objective way. Thus removing bias and subjectivity decreasing the likelihood of misdiagnosis or misunderstanding of one’s behaviour.
L: therefore the global assessment of functioning provides an objective way to assess behaviour under this definition of abnormality
Weakness of deviation from mental health - cultural relativism
P; one limitation if dev from ideal mental health is cultural relativism
E: whereby a lot of jahoda criteria based around western ideas of mental health, other cultures may not place as much emphasis on her 6 principles. Eg emphasis of personal growth and independence would be considered selfish in collectivist eastern cultures where significance is attributed to group success over that of an individuals. Jahoda (1958) criteria doesn’t take these important differences into consideration.
E: thus this definition is culturally biased, it would be unfair to use this cross culturally where definitions of ideal mental health are different L; which could lead to misdiagnosis or misinterpretation of interpreting ones behaviour.
Weakness of deviation from mental health - unrealistic criteria PEEL
P: jahoda has proposed unrealistic criteria
E: eg expericinf stress and neg thoughts can be a common consequence of a hard week at work or experiencing loss of a loved one . Havf a neg view of yourself can come after a hearing a neg comment about yourself
E:expiernfig a lack of one or multiple of jahodas critirea is a fairly common occurrence in our lives and can come as a consequence of both daily hassles and large life challenges. However according to this def ppl who don’t meet her criteria are abnormal regardless of the circumstances causing it which are often out of their control
L; with high standards of criteria how many need to be absent for diagnosis to occur must also be questioned.
Strength of deviation from ideal mental health - comprehensive definition
A comprehensive definition
One strength of the ideal mental health criterion is that it is highly comprehensive.
Jahoda’s concept of ‘ideal mental health’ includes a range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder. In fact it covers most of the reasons why we might seek (or be referred for) help with mental health. This in turn means that an individual’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who might take different theoretical views e.g. a medically-trained psychiatrist might focus on symptoms whereas a humanistic counsellor might be more interested in self-actualisation.
This means that ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others and discuss psychological issues with a range of professionals.
