Failure to Function Adequately Flashcards
What is failure to function adequately?
When there is evidence that you cannot cope with everyday life; most societies have expectations about how people should live their lives + contribute to groups, when these aren’t followed, FTFA is present.
What are the three additional signs of FTFA proposed by Rosenham and Seligman 1989?
When a person doesn’t follow social norms, e.g eye contact + respecting personal space
When someone experiences severe distress
When someone becomes irrational, endangering themselves too
What is FTFA’s role with other definitions of abnormality?
FTFA usually works well in conjunction. E.g a diagnosis of IDD is only made with a low IQ and when the person is FTFA
What are the two strengths to FTFA?
-focuses on coping, not statistical reasoning or reliance on social norms.
-direct support to those most in need, as there is a limited amount of resources- people who are coping are treated less, so resources can be delivered accordingly.
What are the four limitations to FTFA?
Judging is difficult, e.g the naked rambler, Stephen Gough, claimed he wasn’t FTFA, but others do.
Risk that it is a social norm that is being used as standard of success
Not all people with mental disorders fail to function
Heavily dependent on your culture, e.g not washing clothing in the uk was seen as acceptable but is now not.
Give an example of somebody who had a disorder but did not fail to cope?
Harold Shipman was a psychopathic killer who killed around 215 patients whilst working as a medical doctor.
