Definitions Of Abnormality -Part 2 (Continued)

Question 1

Define failure to Function Adequately and Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Answer 1

Failure to function Adequately - defines abnormality as being when one is unable to cope with carrying out day to day activities.

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health- defines abnormality as being when one i unable to meet the set criteria for good mental health.

Question 2

Explain Failure to Function Adequately?

Answer 2

Rosenhan and Selgiman proposed 3 signs that someone is not coping with everyday life:

1) Unable to follow norms like personal space and eye contact
2) Person is experiencing extreme distress
3) When a persons behaviour is irrational and can harm themselves as well as others.

Example of Failure to function Adequately is I.D.D. (But also need to be F.T.F.A before a diagnosis can be given)

Question 3

Explain Deviation From Ideal Mental Health?

Answer 3

Looks at what is normal and then finds the behaviours that deviate from this, seen by Mary Jahoda’s criteria for good mental health:

• No distress or symptoms
• Are rational
• Self-actualise
• able to cope w/ stress
• realistic world view
• good self esteem
• independent
• can successfully work and love

Question 4

Evaluate Failure to Function Adequately

Answer 4

Patients perspective - takes into account experiences of the patient, which is very useful in assessing abnormality.

Is it actually deviation from social norms? - it risks to limit personal freedom and discriminate against ethnic minority groups if we judge deviation from social norms as a failure to adequately function.

Subjective judgements - Who is judging always has an impact on the diagnosis and despite objective methods like checklists like the Global Assessment of Functioning Scales being made, this problem still remains.

Labels - negative labels being attached can have negative impacts.

Question 5

Evaluate Deviation From Ideal Mental Health

Answer 5

It’s a comprehensive judgement- Jahoda covers all the likely criteria relevant to mental health and abnormalities in mental health.
Cultural Relativism - Some of Jahoda’s criteria is culture bound to western and North American cultures as self-actualisation can be seen as self indulgence and independence in collectivist cultures can be viewed as selfishness.
It sets an unrealistically high expectation for mental health - no one holds all these criteria successfully over a long amount of time, so its abnormal and unrealistic.