Normality Flashcards
What are the 6 types of normality Grob 1995
Socio cultural Functional Historical Situational Medial Statistical
Which ones are context dependent
Socio cultural
Functional
Historical
Situational
Which ones are maladaptive focus
Medical
Statistical
What is socio cultural normality
Characteristic patterns of normal behaviour and beliefs
What is cohort normality
What is normal for people who share similar life experiences
What is cultural relativism
Theory that beliefs, customs and morality exist in relation to the particular culture from which they originate and are not absolute
- child rearing
- diet and nutrition
- living with chronic illness and disability
- caring
- reactions to adverse events
- consulting behaviour
Strengths of socio cultural normality
Gain a broad understanding of laws and social norms for appropriate behaviour within a specific society
Limitations of socio cultural normality
Not a universal agreement that one cultures beliefs are all cultures beliefs - in multicultural societies this can lead to conflict
What is functional normality
People are considered normal if their thoughts feelings and or behaviour enable them to function - feed and clothe themselves in their everyday life. People who are upset, confused or distracted that they cannot care for themselves properly or work productively are considered abnormal
Strengths of functional normality
Useful in assisting mental health professionals to identify people who are not coping with everyday life experiences
Limitations of functional normality
Health professional have different views on what they consider to be effective and ineffective functioning within a society
Historical normality
How norms have changed over time
Abortion and homosexuality views and laws
Strengths of historical normality
Helpful in giving an over view on how attitudes and our understanding of thought feelings and behaviour change over time
Limitations of social normality
Limited use is describing current normal / abnormal behaviours
Situational normality
Normal behaviours change depending on our situation context in which the behaviour occurs
Strengths of situational normality
Learn appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings - framework of how to behave so we will be accepted by others
Limitations of situational normality
Can’t generalise what is normal from one situation to the other
Medical normality
Where normal behaviour is expected, abnormality is crucial to establishing the sick role and can medicalise abnormal behaviour. Deviation from expected behaviours or attitudes results in diagnoses of mental illness
Abnormal behaviour therefore has an underlying cause - brain activity, structure - normal behaviour no illness requiring treatment
Strength and limitation of medical normality
Provides a set of guidelines on which a diagnosis of abnormality is based - thereby providing a more objective unbiased interpretations of behaviours
Limitations
Mental illness may not be able to find a physiological cause of the abnormal patterns of thinking
Statistical normality
Measure of central tendency - normal distribution the Bell shaped curve - birth weight birth weight sperm count, blood pressure height
Strength and limitation of stat normality
Averages in development and performance provide us with a comparison for our own development and ability
Limit
Thoughts, feelings, interests, mental abilities, not person is aberrance, fine line where normality ends and abnormality begins
Maintenance of norms
Ritual / routine
Mores - the essential or characteristics customs and conventions of society or community
Law
Violating the norms
Ritual routine - failure to fulfill role obligations
Mores - responsding to auditory hallucinations in public
Laws - violence or threat against another person
Changing norms
FGM/ cutting
