Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the 4 definitions of abnormality?
- Statistical infrequency
- Deviation from social norms
- Deviation from ideal mental health
- Failure to function adequately
What is statistical infrequency?
When an individual has a less common characteristic, e.g. High IQ
What is deviation from social norms?
Behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
e.g. antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy)
What is failure to function adequately?
When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living
What is deviation from ideal mental health?
Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
who proposed some additional signs that can be used to determine when someone is not coping? and what are they?
Rosenhan & Seligman
- when a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules, e.g. personal space
- when a person experiences severe personal distress
- when a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Who suggested we are in good mental health if we meet the following criteria?
Jahoda
What are Jahoda’s criteria for good mental health?
- no symptoms or distress
- are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately
- we self-actualise
- can cope with stress
- have a realistic view of the world
- have good self-esteem & lack guilt
- are independent of other people
- can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
Strength of statistical infrequency as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Real world application
- used in clinical practise
- as part of formal diagnosis & as a way to assess severity of a person’s symptoms
E.G. diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires IQ below 70 (bottom 2%)
E.G. Assessment tool - Beck depression inventory (BDI), a score of 30+ (top 5% of respondents) is an indicator of severe depression - shows value of statistical infrequency criterion, as it’s useful in diagnostic & assessment processes
Limitation of statistical infrequency as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Unusual characteristics can be positive
- infrequent characteristics can be positive and negative
E.G. IQ above 130 - we would not see them as abnormal
E.G. should also not think of someone with very low depression score on the BDI as abnormal - these show being unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum doesn’t necessarily make someone abnormal
- although SI can form part of assessment and diagnostic procedures,
- SI is never sufficient as the sole basis for defining abnormality
Strengths of deviation from social norms as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Real world application
- is a useful definition
- used in clinical practice
E.G. key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour, i.e. aggression, recklessness - these signs of the disorder are all deviations from social norms
- shows that deviation from social norms criterion has value in psychiatry
Limitations of deviation from social norms as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Cultural and situational relativism
- variability between social norms in different cultures & different situations
- person from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their own standards rather than the other person’s standards
- E.G. hearing voices is the norm in some cultures (as messages from ancestors) but seen as a sign of abnormality in most parts of UK
- means it’s difficult to judge deviation from social norms across different situations and cultures
Strengths of failure to function adequately as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Represents a threshold for help
- around 25% of people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year
- however, many people also face fairly severe symptoms
- to the point where they fail to function adequately so seek professional help or are noticed and referred help by others
- This criterion means that treatment and services can be targeted to those who need the most
Limitations of failure to function adequately as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Discrimination and social control
- is easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
- hard to say when someone is really failing to function adequately or have simply chosen to deviate from social norms
E.G. those who favour high-risk leisure activities could be classed as danger to self - This means that people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and their freedom of choice may be restricted
Strengths of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of explaining abnormality?
Comprehensive definition
- Jahoda’s concept of ‘ideal mental health’ includes range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder
- covers most of the reasons we might seek help (or are referred help) with mental health
- means that an individual’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who might take different theoretical views
E.G. medically-trained psychiatrist= focus on symptoms & humanistic counsellor= interested in self-actualisation - means that ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others and discuss psychological issues with a range of professionals
