psychopathology Flashcards
what is statistical infrequency/deviation
- This model argues that behaviours that are statistically rare should be seen as abnormal.
- What is regarded as statistically rare depends on normal distribution; most people will be around the mean for the behaviour in question with declining amounts of people away from the mean.
- Any individual who falls outside ‘the normal distribution’ (usually about 5% of the population) are perceived as being abnormal
statistical infrequency/devaition strengths 3
- One strength of this definition is that it is clearly appropriate for many mental illnesses where statistical criteria is available (e.g., intellectual disability disorder)
- All assessments with patients with mental disorders includes some kind of measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms
- This allows for an objective, value-free assessment of the level of mental disability being experienced
statistical infrequency/devaition 3
- Not all infrequent behaviours are abnormal, in fact some rare behaviours and characteristics are desirable for example, high intelligence is statistically rare but desirable.
- Not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent as some statistically ‘frequent’ behaviours are ‘abnormal. For example, depression is experienced by around 10% of the population which suggests depression is so common as to not be seen as abnormal under this definition
- The cut-off point is subjectively determined as there needs to be a decision about where to separate normality and abnormality.
statistical infrequency/devaition
evaluation - real life application
Real life application- a strength is that statistical deviation had real-life application in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder. There is therefore a place for statistical infrequency in thinking about what are normal and abnormal behaviours and characteristics. All assessment of patients with mental disorders includes a measurement of some sorts of how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms. This illustrates that statistical deviation is therefore a useful part of clinical assessment increasing the validity.
statistical infrequency/devaition evaluation usual characteristics can be positive
- IQ scores over 130 are equally as unusual as those below 70, but we wouldn’t think of super-intelligent as undesirable or something that needs treatment. Just because people can display certain behaviour does make the behaviour statistically abnormal but doesn’t mean it requires treatment to return to normal. This is a limitation to the concept and means that it would never be used alone to make a diagnosis.
statistical infrequency/devaition evaluation - not everyone unusual benefits from a label
another limitation is that where someone is living a happy fulfilled life, there is no benefit being labelled as abnormal regardless of how unusual they are. So, someone with a very low IW but who was not distressed and quite capable of working would not need a diagnosis of intellectual disability. If this person was labelled as abnormal this might have a negative effect on the way others view them and the way, they view themselves.
what is deviation from social Norms 3
- Each society has norms (or unwritten rules) for what is seen as acceptable behaviour- any behaviour that varies from these norms may been seen as abnormal
- The definition draws a line between socially desirable and undesirable behaviours
- Those who do not adhere to what society deems as acceptable in that community or society are labelled as abnormal.
deviation from social norms - strengths
- One strength of this definition is that it allows the consideration of the social dimensions of a behaviour
- This means it allows for our understanding that a behaviour may be normal in one situation but not another
- For example, being naked in a town centre goes against norms, but being naked on a nudist beach does not
deviation from social norms weakness
- Many individuals regularly break social norms, but they are defined as ‘eccentric’ rather than mentally ill e.g. Eddie Izzards preference to wear women’s clothing on occasion; he is not defined as ‘abnormal’ by society.
- A problem with this definition is that norms change over time, for example until 1990 homosexuality was classified as a mental illness and ‘sufferers’ were often subjected to barbaric ‘treatments’ as a result.
- This means that we cannot truly define any certain act as ‘abnormal’ because as norms change so must our beliefs about what constitutes’ abnormal’ behaviour.
deviation from social norms evaluation not a sole explanation
strength of the deviation from social norms is that is had real-life application the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Therefore, there is a place for it in thinking about what is normal and abnormal
deviation from social norms evaluation - counterargument
• However, there are other factors to consider, for example the distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder. So, in practice deviation form social norms is never the sole reason for defining abnormality
deviation from social norms evaluation cultural relativism
a limitation is that social norms vary from general to another and from one community to another. For example, one person from one cultural group may label someone from another culture as behaving abnormally according to their standards rather than the standards of the person behaving that way. This creates problems from one culture living within another culture group.
deviation from social norms evaluation can lead to human rights abuse
too much reliance on deviation from social norms to understand abnormality can also lead to systematic abuse of human rights. Looking at the historical examples of deviation from social normas its clear that these diagnoses were to maintain control over minority ethnic group and women.
failure to function adequalty definition
- This definition perceives individuals as abnormal when their behaviour suggests they cannot cope with everyday life.
- If a person cannot do this and are also experiencing distress (or others are distressed by their behaviour) then it is considered a sign of abnormality.
failure to function adequately -Rosenhan and Seligman
identified seven features of abnormality: -suffering maladaptiveness (danger to self) -vividness and unconventionality (stand out) -unpredictable and loss of control -irrationality/ incomprehensibility -causes observer discomfort -violates moral/social standards
failure to function adequately -strengths
- One strength of this definition is it does take into consideration the experiences of the patient allowing an assessment to be made from the point of view of the person experiencing it
- This is relatively easy to judge objectively through an assessment of criterion (WHODAS)
- The more symptoms the sufferer shows, the more abnormal they are
- Therefore, practitioners can decide who needs psychiatric help (treatment) for their mental abnormality.
failure to function adequately - weakness
- Abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction
* There is a problem over deciding who has the right to define a behaviour as dysfunctional
failure to function adequately evaluation -patients perspective
a strength is that it attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual. It may not be an entirely satisfactory approach because it is difficult to assess distress but at least this definition acknowledges that the experience of the patient is important. This suggests that failure to function adequately is a useful criterion for assessing normality.
failure to function adequately evaluation -is it simply deviation from social norms
In practice practice it can be hard to say when someone is failing to function and when they are just deviating from social norms. We might think not having a job or permanent address is a sign of failure to function adequately. But then what about people with alternative lifestyles. Similarly, those who practice extreme sports could be seen as behaving in a maladaptive way, whilst those with religious or supernatural beliefs could be seen as irritational
failure to function adequately evaluation-subjective judgements
when deciding whether someone is failing to function adequately someone had to judge whether a patient is distressed or distressing. Some patients mat say they are distressed but may be judged as not suffering. There are methods for making such judgements as objective as possible. However, the principle remains that someone had the right to make this judgement.
deviation from ideal mental health- Jahoda
• Rather than identifying what is abnormal, Jahoda identified six characteristics of what is to be normal and an absence of these characteristics indicates abnormality = Positive Attitude towards self =Self-actualisation =Resistance to stress =Autonomy =Accurate perception of reality
deviation from ideal mental health
- The more of the criteria an individual fails to meet, the further away from normality they are.
- This definition therefore perceives mental abnormality in a similar way to the perception of physical health and looks for an absence of wellbeing
deviation from ideal mental health strengths 2
- One strength of this definition is that it takes a positive approach to mental problems
- The focus is on what is desirable
deviation from ideal mental health limitations 2
- This definition has been accused of having over demanding criteria - at any given moment most people do not meet all the ideals so in effect we are all ‘abnormal’ for example, few people experience ‘personal growth’ all the time
- Furthermore, the criteria are difficult to measure. Jahoda argued mental health can be considered like physical health but diagnosing mental health is far more subjective in the absence of X rays etc.
deviation from ideal mental health evaluation- comprehensive definition
It covers a broad range of criteria for mental health. It covers most of the reasons someone would seek help from mental health service or be referred to help
deviation from ideal mental health evaluation-cultural relativism
emphasis of person achieve in the concept of self-actualisation would be considered self-indulgent in more collectivistic cultures
deviation from ideal mental health evaluation- unrealistic high standard mental health
very few could attain all the goals specified for mental health. Therefore, this approach would see most of us as abnormal. On the positive side it makes it clear to people the ways in which they could benefit from seeking treatment to improve their mental health.
diagnostic features of phobias 4
•Intense, persistent, irrational fear a particular object, event or situation.
•Response is disproportionate and leads to avoidance of phobic object, event or situation.
•Fear is severe enough to interfere with everyday life.
Condition may or may not be accompanied by PANIC ATTACKS
what is a phobia 2
- A phobia may be defined as ‘A persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity or situation’ (Comer 2008)
- This definition highlights that almost anything can become a phobia.
what are the three behavioural factors of a phobias
panic
avoidance
endurance
define the behavioural factor panic of a phobia
a phobic person may respond in panic by feeling high levels of anxiety and trying to escape. The fear responses in phobias are irritational
define the behavioural factor avoidance of a phobia
unless a conscious decision is made to face their fear, they tend to go to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with phobic stimulus
define the behavioural factor endurance of a phobia
in which the sufferer remains in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues experiencing high levels of anxiety. This may be unavoidable
what are the two emotional factors of phobias
anxiety
emotional response are unreasonable
define the emotional factor anxiety of phobias
they involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear which is unpleasant state of high arousal. This prevents the sufferer relaxing and makes it very difficult to experience positive emotions. Can be long term.
define the emotional factor of emotional responses are unreasonable of phobias
the responses are unreasonable as it is wildly disproportionate to the danger that the phobias possess.
what are the three cognitive factors of phobias
selective attention to phobic stimulis
irrational beliefs
cognitive distortions
define the cognitive factor of selective attention to phobic stimulus of phobias
If a sufferer can see the phobic stimulus it’s hard to look away from it as keeping our attention on something dangerous so they can quickly react
