Paper 1 - Psychopathology AO3

Question 1

Give a limitation of statistical infrequency regarding its definition ?

Answer 1

• Defintion has been cristicised
• Not all statistically infrequent behaviors indicate a psychological disorder; for example, having an IQ over 150 is very rare but considered desirable.
• Limitation of the concept of statistical infrequency, and means that it can never be used alone to diagnose psychological disorders.

Question 2

Give a strength of statistical invrewucny regarding its RLA ?

Answer 2

• Real life applications
• Eg. Diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ score below 70 (bottom 28%)
• Shows its usefulness in diagnosis of some disorders

Question 3

Give a strength of deviation from social norms regarding its criterion ?

Answer 3

• Useful criteria in clinical practice particularly psychiatry
• eg. Antisocial personality disorder is defined as faultier to conform to culturally acceptable behaviours eg. Aggression and recklessness
• Valuable in psychiatry

Question 4

Give a limitation of deviation from social norms regarding cultural differences ?

Answer 4

• Social norms vary across cultures
• For instance, in the UK, dogs are held as pets, so killing and eating a dog would be considered abnormal. However, in China, dogs are commonly seen as food and widely eaten.
• Suggests that judgments about social deviance are related to culture, so behaviours considered abnormal in one culture may not be seen as abnormal in another

Question 5

Give a strength of failure to function adequately regarding is ability to give help?

Answer 5

• Use criteria in mental health diagnosis to detrmine wether patient requires practical help
• In the UK approximately 25% of individuals will experience mental health issues and usually when they fail to function adequately they will seek help
• Ensure mental health issues and services are targeted to those that need it

Question 6

Give a limitation of failure to function adequately regarding cultural differences ?

Answer 6

• Influenced by cultural differences
• What is considered a failure to function in one culture may be seen as adequate functioning in another
• Suggests that failure to function adequately cannot offer a complete definition of abnormality because it is related to culture

Question 7

Give a strength of deviation of ideal mental health regarding its approach ?

Answer 7

• Comprehensive approach to defining abnormality
• Broad criteria to distinguish mental health disorder, they can be discussed with a variety of professionals
• Facilitates discussion about psychological issues with different professionals

Question 8

Give a limitation of deviation of ideal mental health regarding its ambiguity ?

Answer 8

• Lack of clarity regarding how many criteria must be missing to classify someone as abnormal
• If only one criterion needs to be absent, then most people would be considered abnormal, as very few individuals meet all six criteria
• Definition is incomplete and requires further clarification to determine what is abnormal