psychopathology Flashcards
what is a statistical infrequency ?
a personality trait, behaviour or way of thinking that is classified as abnormal as it is rare or statistically unusual
stat infrequency isn’t always a bad thing give eg
stm and iq is desirable however sits in the more abnormal part of society
evaluation + statistical infrequency- the objectivity…
the objectivity that this definition gives allows for IMPARTIAL AND FAIR ASSESSMENT OF ABNORMALITY, gives practitioners a ‘cut of point’ to see if something is rare
-eg an iq of 135 would be statistically abnormal as on average people are 90-100
- can be used to scale a individuals mental state
- overall improves reliability of diagnosis as doesn’t require doctors subjectivity
evaluation + statistical infrequency- practical applications…
-has useful practical applications
-scale used in mental health to help diagnose people by giving them a scale and a basis to go by
-means each individual gets a tailored diagnosis and treatment based on their exact level of statistical infrequency or frequency
-suggests their are potential benefits to society
evaluation( - )statistical infrequency- abnormality is not black and white …
- its not as clear cut as the definition makes out
-eg a mental heath con edition such as depression has varying degrees of severity , which also depends on environmental and socioeconomic factors
-however according to this definition , people would rather be placed in normal or abnormal categories
-by doing this it ignores the grey area of abnormality
-could be argued that it should follow a similar path to autism with a spectrum not in opposing catergosie
define deviation from social norms
abnormality as socially deviant behaviour, means some behaviour is viewed by society as undesirable and anti-social, not necessarily rare eg laughing at a funeral or fighting in public
evaluation -deviation from social norms (+) takes into account different types of norms…
-takes into account different types of norms, in this case situational and developmental norms
-therefore could be argued to have a more holistic approach to defining abnormality
-ie masks during covid 19 are socially normal yet before this they would be considered abnormal
therefore this view helps us understand abnormalities change with time and situations
evaluation- deviation from social norms (-) the subjectivity of this definition does limit its validity …
-the subjectivity of this definition does limit its VALIDITY
-social norms could be argued to be in the eye of the beholder, individuals will see different things as abnormal compared to other individuals
-eg not all british citizens will place huge emphasis on importance of queuing yet it is seen as almost essential in british society
-this subjectivity does not allow for a fair and equal assessment of what is normal and abnormal unlike the statistical infrequency
evaluation - deviation from social norms (-) issues around the concept of norms …
-there are issues around the concept of social norms
-who decides these norms ? they also change throughout time
-eg context within a situation eg bikini on a beach vs bikini in tescon- developmental factors
-hence it could be argued that this definition of abnormality is ERA DEPENDENT
define deviation from ideal mental health
6 criteria that a person has to meet in order to be considered as having the ideal mental health
