Mental Health Flashcards
Define normal:
behaviour that is considered to be normal when it helps a person to assimilate appropriately into their society or culture
Define abnormal:
behaviour that is viewed as ‘out of the ordinary’. These behaviours go against societal and cultural norms, may reflect some kind of impairment, or consist of unwelcome behaviours
What is maladaptive?
Behaviours that are unhelpful and impair an individual’s functioning
What is adaptive?
behaviours that enable a person to operate in their community, attend school and relate with others
Normality, which is characterised by typical behaviours, can be determined through a number of aspects, which include:
The situation in which the behaviour occurs, the person’s gender, their cultural, religious and educational background, their physical health, societal rules and in uences, and their state of mental health.
A behaviour is generally considered to be ‘normal’ when it is one that is typical for the speci c situation or context, and accepted within the society and culture. What are some approaches to normality?
> situational
societal and cultural
historical
statistical
functional
medical.
Situations? Functions? Statistics?
What is the situational approach to normality?
How we behave in specific situations can classify our behaviour as being normal or not. An example; normal to laugh when a friend is telling a joke, but not when someone is delivering a eulogy at a funeral.
What is the societal and cultural approach To normality?
Within a society there are norms and rules that govern our social behaviour. These can be linked to our ethnic and cultural background. The way we interact with others, the way we dress, what we eat and the way we talk can all be based on societal rules and expectations. An example; In Chile a baby girl usually has her ears pierced before leaving hospital after birth. Other societies and cultures may shun the thought of ear piercing completely.
What is the historical approach to normality?
The concept of normality is embedded in history and changes over time. An example; Try speaking an older style of English, such as that used in a Shakespearean play, and you will probably get odd looks
What is the statistical approach to normality?
Normality can also be defined in terms of the frequency with which a behaviour or characteristic occurs within the population. A set of data is collected, and measures of central tendency (mean, mode and median) and range are calculated to determine the average behaviour or characteristic. Data that lie outside the normal range for the population could be considered abnormal. For example, an extremely tall girl whose family is quite short may not be considered normal, but a tall girl who comes from a tall family is considered normal for that population (her family).
What is the functional approach to normality?
Psychological dysfunction occurs when there is a breakdown in the way a person thinks, feels and behaves. A person who can think, feel and behave in a manner that allows them to carry out the activities they wish to do and be a productive member of society is considered normal. They can function relatively independently at a level expected for their age.
For example, avoiding a party because you don’t know anyone there. It is when these thoughts, feelings and behaviours become intense and interfere with normal activities that a mental disorder may exist.
What is the medical approach to normality?
The medical approach to normality views a mental disorder in terms of a physical illness with a possible biological basis. The person’s state of mental health is determined by a set of symptoms that may have genetic, biochemical or physical origins. For example: a person suffering from a mood disorder such as depression, may need anti-depressant medication such as a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor to help balance the chemical imbalance in the brain and relieve the person’s symptoms of persistent sadness. If a parent has a mental disorder, then heredity may play a role and increase that person’s chance of developing a mental disorder in the future.
What is adaptive behaviours?
Adaptive behaviours are age-appropriate ‘everyday living skills’ that can be as basic as walking, talking, dressing on our own, attending school or cooking up a huge bowl of popcorn.
The ability to developmentally cope and adapt is influenced by many factors.
Factors that influence the development of adaptive behaviours:
> Personality predisposition – The ability to cope and maintain resilience is largely influenced by personality and temperament.
Resilience – ability to bounce back from difficult situations or life’s problems can be learned from parental modelling, teachers and/or peers.
Secure attachment – where the relationship with the mother or caregiver is positive
Parental interest in education – this helps the young person develop their sense of belonging within the family structure, school and enables them to develop positive self-worth.
Happy and secure home environment – regardless of whether parents live together or apart.
Financial security.
What is maladaptive behaviour?
Maladaptive behaviours develop as a means of reducing anxiety and originate from early childhood experiences, family situations and environmental stressors. In a way, they can be viewed as a coping mechanism. Unfortunately, these behaviours generally interfere with a person’s ability to function on a day-to- day basis and impair their adjustment to di erent situations.
