Psychopathology - 01 Definitions of Abnormality

Question 1

What is a social norm?

Answer 1

A set of standards that every society develops for acceptable behaviour.

Question 2

What are explicit rules?

Answer 2

To break these rules is to break the law e.g. murder, theft, speeding etc.

Question 3

What are implicit rules?

Answer 3

The unspoken rules that are agreed as a matter of convention within a particular society e.g. speaking respectfully, queuing etc.

Question 4

People who violate social norms are often regarded as what?

Answer 4

Deviant or abnormal

Question 5

Why is deviation from social norms a useful way of identifying mental problems?

Answer 5

-learn what to expect from people
-If behaviour drastically deviates, we become concerned
-Can be vital for securing appropriate help

Question 6

Limitation of deviation from social norms (eccentric or abnormal?)

Answer 6

-deviation from social norms does not always indicate psychological abnormality
-e.g. running naked across a football pitch may be regarded as abnormal but we would not assume the person is mentally disturbed
-so, hard to use to determine who needs psychological help

Question 7

Limitation of deviation from social norms (can lead to human rights abuses)

Answer 7

-Drapetomania was a made up mental illness given to black slaves who ran away
-used to maintain control over ethnic minorities and led to abuse of human rights

Question 8

Limitation of deviation from social norms (change with the times)

Answer 8

-beliefs about social normschange overtime
-lack of consensus between generations
-until 20th century unmarried mothers sent to mental institutions and babies taken away

Question 9

Limitation of deviation from social norms (Cultural differences)

Answer 9

-e.g talking to an invisible person is considered normal in certain African cultures following the death of a loved one
-in our society it would be classified as abnormal
-means we can’t have one universal definition of abnormality
-limits the usefulness of the definition

Question 10

What means that someone isn’t functioning properly?

Answer 10

-If they don’t meet the expectations about how people should live their lives and how they should contribute to the social group around them
-e.g. we expect people to feed and clean themselves properly go to work/school, maintain social relationships etc

Question 11

What signs did Rosenhan + Seligman (1989) say could be used to determine when someone isn’t coping? (3 signs)

Answer 11

1)does not conform to interpersonal rules e.g. personal space
2)experiences severe distress
3)behaviour irrational/dangerous to themselves or others

Question 12

What does the GAF scale stand for?

Answer 12

Global Assessment of Functioning

Question 13

What does the GAF scale measure?

Answer 13

-how well individuals function in everyday life
-considers Rosenhan + Seligman’s sections and occupational functioning
-score 1-100 lower score = failure to function

Question 14

What does 91-100 suggest on the GAF scale?

Answer 14

-superior function in a wide range of activities
-life problems never seem to get out of hand
-is sought out by others because of his/her many positive qualities
-no symptoms

Question 15

What does 1-10 suggest on the GAF scale?

Answer 15

-persistent danger of severely hurting self or others
-recurrent violence OR persistent inability to maintain minimum personal hygiene OR serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death

Question 16

Strength of failure to function adequately (measurable)

Answer 16

-allows the extent to be measured
-means that decision of if a behaviour is abnormal can be made in relatively objective way
-can decide who needs help

Question 17

Strength of failure to function adequately (Behaviour is observable)

Answer 17

-can be seen by others around the individual because they may not get out of bed, or being able to keep a job
-means that problems can be picked up by others and others can intervene

Question 18

Limitations of failure to function adequately (exceptions to the rule)

Answer 18

-some behave disfunctionally in response to stress, does not mean they are abnormal
-student experience anxiety before exam and neglect hygiene, sleep habits etc
-BUT not psychologically abnormal

Question 19

Limitations of failure to function adequately (abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction)

Answer 19

-people with anti-social personality disorder (psychopaths) have been known to commit murder and still appear to lead a normal life
-such people must still be classified as abnormal

Question 20

What does abnormality mean in statistical infrequency?

Answer 20

behaviour deviating from the average or is rare is seen as abnormal

Question 21

How is statistical infrequency measured?

Answer 21

-uses a normal distribution curve
-the spread is measured by standard deviation
-2 or more SD from mean = abnormality

Question 22

Example of statistical infrequency (IQ and intellectual disability disorder)

Answer 22

-average IQ is 100
-most people have IQ pf 85-115 (68%) = I SD above/below the mean
-2% score below 70 = statically unusual or abnormal and would be diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder
-IQ of over 130 would also been seen as abnormal/statistically rare with only 2% scoring this.

Question 23

Limitations of statistical infrequency (unusual characteristics can be positive)

Answer 23

-for example IQ of over 130 is very rare but we would not think of it as undesirable or something that requires treatment
-this means that the definition should never be used alone to make diagnosis

Question 24

Limitations of statistical infrequency (culturally relative)

Answer 24

-e.g. symptom of schizophrenia is claiming to hear voices however this is regarded as desirable and frequent in some cultures
- suggests that is is difficult to apply this definition to all cultures globally

Question 25

Limitations of statistical infrequency (not everyone benefits from a label)

Answer 25

-when someone is living a happy and fulfilled life there is no benefit to them being labelled as abnormal
-if someone with a low IQ is not distressed, capable of working etc they would not benefit from a diagnosis or label
-for some being labelled as abnormal might have a negative effect on the way the view themself

Question 26

Who put forward the notion of ideal mental health?

Answer 26

Jahoda (1958)

Question 27

How is deviation from ideal mental health used?

Answer 27

First we define what is normal and anything that deviates from this is regarded as abnormal.

Question 28

What were the 6 major criteria for optimal living that Jahoda identified?

Answer 28

1-positive attitudes towards the self
2-self-actualisation of one’s potential
3-resistance to stress
4-personal autonomy
5-accurate perception of reality
6-environmental mastery

Question 29

Explain what positive attitudes towards the self is?

Answer 29

-Having a positive self-concept and sense of identity.
-Mentally healthy attitudes towards the self includes self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-acceptance.

Question 30

Explain what self-actualisation of ones potential is?

Answer 30

-First developed by Maslow (1988)
-we all have potential and that we constantly strive to fulfil this potential
-Mental problems occur when we are prevented from fulfilling our potential

Question 31

Explain what resistance to stress is?

Answer 31

Develop good coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations

Question 32

Explain what personal autonomy is?

Answer 32

-dependant on their own resources
-ability to make own decisions on basis of what is right for ourselves, rather than to satisfy others

Question 33

Explain what accurate perception of reality is?

Answer 33

Seeing oneself and the world in realistic terms, rather than through rose-tinted glasses or in an overly pessimistic manor

Question 34

Explain what environmental mastery is?

Answer 34

Being competent in all areas of life and involves being flexible and being able to adapt and adjust to change

Question 35

One limitation of ideal mental health as a definition (how many criteria?)

Answer 35

-Jahoda does not say how many of the 6 criteria we need to lack to be deemed abnormal
-makes it impossible to judge who is abnormal and not
-means it is useless in the real world

Question 36

One limitation of ideal mental health as a definition (bar set too high)

Answer 36

-So few people actually meet all of the criteria so everyone is classified as abnormal
-especially for self-actualisation as in reality very few people achieve their full potential in life
-so it is too idealistic and cannot be used to accurately distinguish who is abnormal and not

Question 37

One limitation of ideal mental health as a definition (stress can be useful)

Answer 37

-stress before and during exams can help to motivate people to revise and therefore perform better
-so resistance to stress is not an appropriate criteria for all situations as stress is not always negative

Question 38

One limitation of ideal mental health as a definition (cultural issues)

Answer 38

-ideas specific to Western European and North American cultures
-emphasis on personal self-actualisation, self-indulgent in much of the world
-typical of individualistic cultures, in collective cultures, family/community come first
-limited generalisability, cannot be applied to collectivist societies