Describe and evaluate two or more definitions of abnormality Flashcards
outline x2 social norm and failure to function
A social norm is an unwritten rule describing how we should behave in society.
Someone may be considered abnormal if they break these social norms.
This is because their behaviour is thought to deviate from the acceptable standards or expected behaviours in a person’s own cultural environment.
For example, someone in our culture would be considered abnormal if they walked naked in public because it is a social norm to wear clothes.
Someone may be considered abnormal if they Fail to Function Adequately in their day-to-day life.
Rosenhan and Seligman identified a set of abnormal characteristics that show a person is failing to function adequately.
Therefore, if a person’s behaviour causes distress to others, their behaviour is unpredictable and sometimes uncontrolled or maladaptive, then according to this definition their behaviour could be defined as abnormal.
outline x2 deviation and statistically
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health defines normal mental health.
Jahoda created a list of six characteristics shown by normal people.
If someone does not show these, they may be considered abnormal (because they deviate from ideal mental health).
For example, if someone doesn’t show personal growth, resistance to stress, an accurate perception of reality or mastery of the environment they may be considered abnormal.
Someone may be considered abnormal if their behaviour is rare or anomalous (statistically unusual). Statistics define the ‘norm’ for any group of people (e.g. what behaviours are usual or rare).
This is measured on a ‘normal distribution curve’. In any population, most people are clustered around the mean for any characteristic, but few show extremes.
Those who fall more than two standard deviations away (-2 SD or +2 SD) from the mean are considered statistically rare and abnormal.
social norm eval
Deviation from Social Norms is historically biased. This is when a definition is developed in one time and unfairly applied to other times.
This is because social norms change over time. For example, homosexuality was once considered abnormal in Britain but is perfectly normal today.
Therefore, this definition may unfairly judge behaviour as abnormal.
This means that social deviance on its own cannot offer a complete definition of abnormality, because it is inevitably related to both context and degree.
failure to function eval
Failure to Function Adequately is partly subjective. This is when a definition uses opinion to decide whether someone is abnormal.
This is because, although it has an objective set of criteria, deciding whether a person meets these depends on a subjective choice.
For example, deciding whether someone’s suffering is abnormal or not is a matter of opinion.
Therefore, the principle remains whether someone e.g. a Psychiatrist has the right to make this Judgement.
jahoda eval
Finally, Jahoda’s definition is that it is an unrealistically high standard for mental health.
Very few people will attain all Jahoda’s criteria for mental health at any given time, meaning most of us would be considered abnormal according to this definition.
For example, students may find it difficult to ‘resist to stress’ within exam periods, but this does not mean they are abnormal.
This therefore questions the usefulness of the definition in the real world.
abnormal eval
Some abnormal behaviours are desirable. The main issue is that there are many abnormal behaviours that are actually desirable.
For example, very few people have an IQ over 150 but this abnormality is desirable, not undesirable.
Therefore, using statistical infrequency to define abnormality means that we are unable to distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviours.
