Psychopathology Flashcards
How is deviation from social norms used to define abnormality
If someone doesn’t stick to the social etiquette and rules of society then they are seen as abnormal
What are the strengths to d of using deviation from social norms as a definition for abnormality?
Can identity someone who needs treatment if they don’t realise they have mental health issues
Children’s developmental milestones can be used to identify if a child isn’t developing the same as other children so they can get treatment
What are the limitations of using deviation from social norms as a definition for abnormality?
Cultural differences aren’t accounted for so over diagnosis by mistaking cultural differences with mental illness
Social norms change can cause under diagnosis for those who don’t see the change and are still deviating from the past norms
Doesn’t distinguish between positive and negative deviations so it can diagnose those who are positively deviating
How is statistical infrequency used to determine abnormality?
Someone would have to be within 2 standard deviations of the mean to be seen as normal
What are the strengths of using statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?
Can provide justification for someone who needs treatment so they might not deviate from statistical norms but score higher on a depression test
It is objective and not as judgemental so it is less subjective and cultural issues aren’t a factor
Can allow comparisons within a population like identifying those falling behind in areas of development because of learning disabilities
What are the limitations of using statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?
It fails to distinguish between positive and negative rare behaviours, a high IQ would be considered abnormal
Some problematic behaviours like depression are very common but wouldn’t be classified as abnormal
The 5% cut off is an arbitrary level of abnormality so a subjective decision was made and there is no clear decision where the line should be
