psychopathology Flashcards
what are the 4 definitions of abnormalities?
-statistical infrequency
-deviation from social norm
-failure to function adequately
-deviation from ideal mental health
describe the definition of statistical infrequency for abnormality?
statistical infrequency defines abnormalities in terms of behaviours seen as statistically rare or which deviate from the mean average or norm
describe what its meant by statistical infrequency ?
-statistical infrequency defines abnormalities in terms of behaviours seen as statistically rare or which deviate from the mean average or norm
-so statistics measure certain characteristics and behaviours which are gathered with the aim of showing how they are distributed among the general population
-a normal distribution curve can be generated from such data which demonstrates which behaviour people share in common. most people will be on or near the mean average. however individuals which fall outside the “normal distribution” at two standard deviation points away are defined as abnormal
-the majority of normal behaviour cluster in the middle of the distribution graph with abnormal characteristics around the edge or tails making them statistically rare and therefor a deviation from statistical norms
-the difference between normal behaviour and abnormal behaviour then becomes prominent
evaluate how statistical infrequency can be used to define abnormality ?
+statistical infrequency provides a clear and objective way of determining whether something is abnormal or not. it is not just the subjective opinion of one person, but something that can be measured and quantified
+a strength of the statistical infrequency is it has real life applications which is a strength because it is able to determine a clear cut off point between what is normal and abnormal. this makes it useful for clinicians diagnosing some psychological disorders for example when a intellectual disability. when an individuals intelligence is below 70 which means their intellectual functioning is considered abnormal and is classified as a intellectual disability
-A limitation of statistical infrequency to define abnormality is that statistical infrequency fails to consider whether a rare trait/ behaviour is bad or desirable. for example to have a high IQ such as 130+ is rare (which means its therefore abnormal) but having a high IQ is not a bad thing but its a quality that is desirable for majority of people and it is something that does not require treatment . likewise having extremely low scores for anxiety would be desirable yet classed as abnormal . this means that simply labelling anything unusual as abnormal is misleading because it ignores whether a trait is beneficial or harmful, so its not an effective way of diagnosing abnormality as it is reductionist
-another limitation of statistical infrequency is that some abnormal behaviours which are not satirically rare are actually quite common. for example it is estimated that 20-30% of people will experience depression in their lifetime which means depression isnt statistically rare but its still considered abnormal
describe the definition of deviation from social norms
deviation from social norms define abnormality as behaviours which are not considered to be socially acceptable is abnormal
give an example of abnormality using the definition deviation from social norms?
- for example showing up to work in flip flops ,beach shorts and sunglasses everyday when you work in a office environment is not acceptable and is deemed as abnormal due to going against social expectations
describe what it is meant by deviation from social norms?
- so if people break social expectations they are deemed as abnormal, these expectations can either explicit or implicit
- so if social expectations are implicit it means they are written and from laws that govern behaviour whereas social expectations are implicit it means that norms of behaviours are unwritten but generally accepted
-an example of implicit expectation would e queuing at a bust stop without pushing in which is a norm that has no written law but it is defined by society as acceptable behaviour
-so when someone deviates from these socially acceptable behaviours then by this definition they are classed as abnormal
evaluate how deviation from social norms can be used to define abnormality ?
+a positive evaluation of defining abnormality according to social norms is it doesn’t a pose a western view of abnormality on non western cultures. for this reason it is argued diagnosing abnormality according to social norms is not ethnocentric, it respects culture differences between societies
-a criticism is it can be inappropriate to define people who move to a new culture as abnormal according to new cultural norms. so for example those with a Afro-Caribbean background living in the UK are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than people living in the uk or people from Afro-Caribbean nations living in Afro-Caribbean nations. this is due to category failure; a western definition of mental illness is applied to individuals not acting according to western cultural norms. in Afro-Caribbean cultures, hallucination and conversation with angles may be considered part of a typical religious experience, so a doctor in the west indies would be less likely to diagnose schizophrenia based on these symptoms compared to a doctor in the uk
-another criticism of using social norms to define abnormality is that it can be seen as punishing people who are trying to express their individuality and repressing people who do not conform to the repressive norms of their culture. for example the world health organisation declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1992 and transgender health issues in 2019; these recent changes may have been due to the changes in social norms and social acceptance
describe the definition of deviation from social norms?
failure to function adequately defines someone who is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life as abnormal
what are the 5 criteria’s that Rosenhan & Seligman’s came up with to determine someone is unable to cope/ failing to function?
-maladaptive behaviour: individuals behave in a way that goes against their long term interest
-personal anguish: the individuals suffer from anxiety and distress
-observer discomfort: the individuals behaviour causes distress to those around them
-irrationality: difficult to understand the motivation behind the individuals unpredictability (unexpected behaviours)
-unconventionality: behaviour doesn’t match what is typically expected by society
evaluate how failure to function adequately can be used to define abnormality ?
-a criticism of the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality is the decision about whether someone is coping is subjective and based on clinicians opinion. this judgement may be biased, meaning two observers (clinicians) might not agree on whether someone is managing
-another criticism is failure to function adequately only includes people who cant cope but excludes people who are abnormal but can function for example psychopaths can often function in society but in ways which benefit them personally. having lower empathy can lead to success in business and politics. however while they feel no distress themselves, psychopathy often has negative implications for the people around
-another limitation is not all maladaptive behaviour indicates mental illness. taking part in extreme sports, eating unhealthy food and drinking alcohol all risk individuals health, so they are arguably maladaptive. however most people would disagree that these behaviours indicate mental illness
+one positive aspect of the failure to function definition of abnormality is it respects the individual and their own personal experience. which is something that other definitions such as statistical infrequency and deviation from social norm, cannot do. as these definitions are based on what is normal in the rest of the population
describe the definition of deviation from ideal mental health for abnormality?
deviation from ideal mental health assesses abnormality by assessing mental health in the same way physical health would be assessed. this definition looks for signs that suggest there is a absence of wellbeing and deviation away from normal functioning as abnormal
what are the 6 characteristics Jahoda identified as features of ideal mental health ?
-positive attitude towards oneself: having a high self esteem and a strong sense of personal identity
-self actualisation: the ability to reach ones potential through personal growth
-autonomy: the ability to act independently and trust in ones own ability
-accurate perception of reality: the ability to see the world as it is without being distorted by personal biases
-resisting stress: the internal strength to cope with anxiety caused by daily life
-environmental mastery: the ability to adapt and thrive in new situations
evaluate how deviation from ideal mental health can be used to define abnormality ?
