psychopathology - abnormality Flashcards
what is statistical infrequency?
when an individual has a less common characteristic which effects a small number of the population, so it is statistically rare
what is deviation from social norms?
behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community, we make collective judgements as a society about what is right
what are the conditions of ideal mental health?
Johoda(1958), no symptoms of distress,
rational and perceive ourselves accurately, we self actualise, we cope with stress, we have a realistic view of the world, good self esteem and lack guilt, independence, successfully work, love and enjoy leisure
what is deviation from ideal mental health?
when an individual no longer fits the criteria of good mental health Jahoda(1958)
what is failure to function adequately?
a person may become abnormal when they can no longer cope with the demands of everyday life, for example, not maintaining basic standards of hygiene or nutrition
what are the conditions for not functioning adequately?
Rosenhan and Seligman(1989)- a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules, a person experiences severe personal distress, a person’s behaviour becomes irrational/dangerous to themselves or others
what’s a strength of statistical infrequency for an explanation of abnormality?
real world application
SI is used in clinical practice to both form a diagnosis of a psychological disorder and access the severity
the Beck depression inventory is used to show severity of depression
shows the value of SI is useful in diagnostic and assessment processes
what is one limitation of statistical infrequency for an explanation of abnormality?
unusual characteristics can be positive.
there are people with very high iq yet we do not see them as abnormal.
this suggests that being unusual or at one end of the psychological spectrum does not necessarily make someone abnormal.
shows SI is not sufficient as the sole basis of defining abnormality
what is another limitation of statistical infrequency for an explanation of abnormality?
benefits vs problems
someone who has a very low iq can be diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder and then access support
however, not all statistically unusual people benefit from labels as there is social stigma.
shows there are problems that outweigh benefits
what is a strength of deviation from social norms as a definition of abmormality?
real world application
the defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to normal, ethical behaviours
this can be used to diagnose psychological disorders
this shows DFSN criteria has value in psychiatry
what is a limitation of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?
variation between social norms in different cultures
the experience of hearing voices is the norm in some cultures as it is seen as messages from ancestors
a person from one cultural group may label someone else from another group as abnormal
this means it is difficult to judge deviation across different cultures
what is another limitation of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?
human rights abuse
eg, nymphomania is a womens uncontrollable sexual desire and it has been used to control women
using social norms to define abnormality carries unfair risks to labelling
shows that some human rights can be abused due to control and social stigma
what is one limitation of failure to function adequately?
label non standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
it can be hard to say when someone is really FFA and when they have simply chosen to deviate from social norms
those who favour high risk leisure activities, such as skydiving, can be called as irrational and a danger to themselves
shows people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled as abnormal
what is one strength of failure to function adequately?
represents a threshold for help
most people have symptoms of mental disorders at some time, such as 25% of people in uk experiencing a problem every year
if these people FFA, they can seek professional help
shows treatment and service can be targeted to those who need it the most
what is one limitation of failure to function adequately?
easy to label non standard lifestyle choices as abnormal.
it can be very hard to say when someone is really failing to function and when they have simply chosen to deviate from social norms
those who favour high risk leisure activities could be called as irrational
shows people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal and freedom of choice limited
