Psychopathology - Abnormality AO3

Question 1

What are the strengths of abnormality by Statistical Infrequency?

Answer 1

1. No judgements are made so homosexuality (for example) isn’t defined as wrong just as infrequent
2. It can benefit others as people with an low IQ can be diagnosed with an intellectual disability and receive some benefits (support services) so this definition as positive applications

Question 2

What are the weaknesses of abnormality by Statistical Infrequency?

Answer 2

1. some abnormalities are desirable (a high IQ) so we can’t distinguish what is and isn’t desirable by this definition
2. not all abnormal behaviour is infrequent. depression is abnormal but would be considered normal as 10% of people experience it once in their life

Question 3

What are the strength of abnormality by Deviation from social norms?

Answer 3

1. it has real life applications as it is used in to diagnose people with people suffering from antisocial personality disorder in clinical practices through symptoms that go against social norms (aggression and recklessness)
2. it clearly shows what is and isn’t abnormal which makes it reliable

Question 4

What are the weaknesses of abnormality by Deviation from social norms?

Answer 4

1. social norms change over time and some people suggest that social norms don’t exist (based on elitist opinions rather than majority) so this definition has a low validity and reliability
2. what is deemed socially acceptable varies between cultures and sub-cultures (me vs we cultures and travellers) which means this definition can’t be generalised to the entire populations

Question 5

What are the weakness of abnormality by Failure to function adequately?

Answer 5

1. abnormality isn’t always accompanied by dysfunction which is shown by Shipman who killed 215 of his patients (which is abnormal) but functioned well in society which is normal by this definition
2. It is easy to label non-standard life choices (like doing high-risk leisure activities) as abnormal when they are just doing something unusual making this definition have a low validity

Question 6

What are the strength of abnormality by Failure to function adequately?

Answer 6

1. this definition recognises the personal experiences of the person suffering which allows mental illnesses to be regarded from the perspective of the sufferer
2. the criteria for functioning well can be used as a guideline of when a person should seek help which means that the definition has real life applications

Question 7

What are the strength of abnormality by Deviation from Ideal Mental Health?

Answer 7

1. It has positive applications as it emphasises positive achievements rather than failures which allows people to target areas to work on within themselves (self assessing)
2. it clearly distinguishes mental healthiness and mental illness using their criteria which means it can be applied when assessing during therapy

Question 7

What are the weakness of abnormality by Deviation from Ideal Mental Health?

Answer 7

1. according to the criteria most of us are abnormal which suggests that it may only be ideals rather than actualities which means it may not be a reliable definition
2. it suggests that mental and physical healthiness is the same which isn’t the case as mental illness can’t easily be detected like physical illness can (looking sick for example)