Psychopathology Flashcards
Definition 1: Deviation from Social Norms (DSN)
Social Norms are commonly expected standards of behaving in a society according to the majority. They can be written (explicit) and form laws that govern behaviour or they can be unwritten (implicit) but generally accepted.
Whether explicit or implicit, social norms allow for the regulation of normal social behaviour.
Therefore, according to this definition, a person is seen as abnormal if their thinking or behaviour violates these social norms of what is acceptable.
For example, if someone was walking around the streets of London naked, you might think they were abnormal. However, this same behaviour in a remote African tribe would be considered perfectly normal as part of their culture.
Evaluation, AO3 of the DSN Definition:
Weaknesses:
Changes over time
(1) POINT: The Social norms definition can be questioned, as social norms change over time and therefore a behaviour that broke social norms and was considered abnormal in 1950 may not be viewed as abnormal today.
EVIDENCE: Being an unmarried mother in the 1940’s and 1950’s would be breaking social norms and therefore this behaviour was classed as abnormal. Many of these women were sectioned as ‘moral imbeciles’ and society demanded that they “give up” their babies.
EVALUATION: This is a limitation because as this example shows, it is not the individual who has changed but the classification of the behaviour by society. This brings into question the validity of using this definition alone to define abnormality.
This resulted in violations of human rights where people, by today’s standards, were deemed ‘abnormal’. It could be argued that diagnoses upon these grounds may have been used as a form of social control over minority groups as a means to exclude those who do not conform.
Evaluation, AO3 of the DSN Definition:
Weaknesses:
Cultural relativism
POINT: Social norms differ between cultures and this may be problematic.
EVIDENCE: in British culture it is considered to be polite to finish the food on your plate at mealtimes. However, in India, to finish all food from you plate is a sign that you are still hungry.
EVALUATION: This is a limitation because it shows that what is considered ‘normal’ in one culture may actually be ‘abnormal’ in another. This means that this definition does not consistently produce an accurate definition of abnormal behaviour.
Definition 2: Failure to Function Adequately (FFA)
According to the Failure to Function Adequately (FFA) definition, a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in society.
Furthermore, to be classified as abnormal, a person’s behaviour should cause personal suffering and distress because of their failure to cope. However, they may also cause distress or discomfort to other people who observe their behaviour.
For example, someone who is suffering from depression may struggle to get out of bed in the morning or they may find it difficult to communicate with their family and friends. Consequently, they would be considered abnormal as their depression is causing an inability to cope with the demands of everyday life (going to work), whilst their behaviour is also causing distress and discomfort to others.
Characteristics of failing to function adequately
Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) have suggested some key characteristics of ‘failing to function adequately’:
Personal Distress – Most people who seek psychiatric help of any kind are suffering from a sense of psychological distress or discomfort (Sue et al, 1994) and a recognition that they are failing to function adequately.
Observer Distress (or Discomfort) – Where someone’s behaviour causes discomfort and distress to others observing the behaviour.
Maladaptive Behaviour– Where someone’s behaviour interferes with their ability to lead a normal life (e.g. agoraphobia)
Unpredictable Behaviour- If behaviour is unpredictable if it does not fit the situation or if it is unexpected and uncontrolled (e.g. sobbing for no reason or laughing at bad news).
Irrational Behaviour– If a person’s behaviour doesn’t make sense to other people (difficult to understand)
Evaluation, AO3 of Failure to Function Adequately:
Weaknesses:
(1) POINT: Failing to function does not always indicate the presence of a psychological abnormality.
EVIDENCE: For example, someone who looses their job will not be able to get up and go to work/earn money for their family etc… This may cause them personal distress but it does not indicate an abnormality.
EVALUATION: This is a limitation as environmental factors may cause a failure to function rather than any psychological abnormality and this therefore questions the validity of using this definition to identify abnormality.
Characteristics for ideal mental health
Strong sense of self-Identity – A psychologically healthy individual should be in touch with their own identity and feelings.
Resistant to stress – Someone with ideal mental health should be resistant to stress and its negative effects.
Self-actualisation – The mentally healthy individual should also be focused on the future and on fulfilling their potential (developing their talents and abilities).
Autonomy – They should function as autonomous individuals, recognising their own needs and with an accurate perception of reality (i.e., to have the ability to act independently, to make their own decisions and to find satisfaction from within themselves).
Empathy – The individual should show understanding towards others.
The fewer of these qualities you have, the more abnormal you are seen to be.
Evaluation, AO3 of the Deviation from Ideal Mental Health Definition:
Weaknesses:
(1) POINT: The definition is problematic, as the characteristics of Ideal Mental Health are seen as far too idealistic.
EVIDENCE: Evidence to support this comes from Maslow (1968) who argued that only a few people ever achieve ‘self-actualisation’ and so the criteria is set too high.
EVALUATION: This is a limitation because if this is true, most people are unable to achieve self-actualisation which means that the majority would be defined as being abnormal. However, if the majority of people are ‘abnormal’ then not achieving self-actualisation becomes ‘normal’ therefore indicating that the DIMH definition is a poor definition of abnormality.
Definition 4: Statistical Infrequency
This approach defines abnormality as a behaviour that deviates from the ‘average.’
The idea behind this approach is that the less frequently a behaviour occurs in people, the more likely it is to be abnormal. The difference between normal and abnormal is therefore one of quantity rather than quality – the majority of people are normal with the minority of people being abnormal. The judgement of whether the behaviour is statistically frequent of infrequent is based on the mathematical principal of the normal distribution. It so happens that when measured and plotted on a graph, most human characteristics fall within normal distribution.
Evaluation, AO3 of the Statistical Infrequency Definition:
Strengths:
(1) POINT: A strength of the Statistical Infrequency definition of abnormality is that offers the prospect of clear guidelines for identifying behaviours as normal and abnormal.
EVIDENCE: For example, the definition introduces an element of objectivity into the process of defining abnormality so that different mental health care workers can all view the same kind of behaviour in the same kind of way.
EVALUATION: This is a strength because it offers a more scientific way of measuring abnormality, reducing subjectivity and therefore leading to a more accurate way of defining abnormality.
The Behavioural approach to treating phobias – systematic desensitisation including relaxation and the use of hierarchy
Based on Classical conditioning.
This therapy is directed at changing a previously learnt maladaptive response (e.g., an emotional behaviour such a fear or anxiety) to a new adaptive response (e.g., relaxation).
Evaluation, AO3 of Behavioural Treatments of Phobias:
SD
(1) POINT: A strength of Systematic Desensitisation is that it can be a very effective treatment.
EXAMPLE: Barlow et al (2002) found success rates of between 60 and 90 per cent for specific types of phobias when individuals committed to the phobias and stuck to the regime.
EVALUATION: This is positive because this therapy is effective at removing the symptoms of a disorder without the need for potentially damaging drugs (anti-anxiety drugs would be given within the Biological approach) which often cause many side effects (e.g. drowsiness, risk of addiction).
Flooding:
Flooding works on the main assumptions of the Behavioural Approach and Systematic Desensitisation (i.e. still operates under the idea of Counter-Conditioning), however, instead of operating on the step-by-step approach of the hierarchy to tackle the phobia patients go straight to the top of the hierarchy and imagine or have direct contact with their most feared scenarios.
The idea is that the patient cannot make their usual avoidance responses and anxiety peaks at such high levels it cannot be maintained and eventually subsides.
Evaluation, AO3 of Behavioural Treatments of Phobias:
Flooding
(1) POINT: Behavioural therapies such as SD and Flooding raise major ethical issues.
EXAMPLE: For example, clients are subjected to their most feared situations in techniques such as SD/Flooding causing some clients to experience very high levels of distress.
EVALUATION: This is a weakness because clients may not stay in therapy and may actually leave the therapeutic situation in a worse state than when they began due to the potential for high levels of distress.
The Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression Beck’s Negative Triad:
Beck believed that depressed people think as they do because their thinking is biased towards negative interpretations of the world and they lack a perceived sense of control.
Beck uses the term negative triad to refer to the three main forms of negative thinking – negative views of:
- The self (‘I am worthless’)
- The world – life experiences, (‘Everything is against me’)
- The future (Nothing will ever change’).
