psychopathology: defining abnormality

Question 1

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

• statistical deviation
• deviation from social norms
• failure to function adequately
• deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

What is statistical deviation?

Answer 2

Abnormality defined as significant deviation from statistical norms for a given population

Question 3

How are human characteristics distributed?

Answer 3

Most human characteristics are distributed evenly along a symmetrical bell-shaped curve known as the normal distribution curve

Question 4

What happens to those who stray too far from this average?

Answer 4

They can be considered abnormal

Question 5

Is there a defined cut off point on the curve to define abnormality?

Answer 5

There is no defined cut off point on the curve to define abnormality - the definition is a guideline rather than a direct measurement

Question 6

What is deviation from social norms?

Answer 6

Abnormality defined as when people display behaviour that deviate from society’s unwritten rules

Question 7

What are social norms?

Answer 7

Behaviours that are acceptable and expected in society e.g. politeness, wearing clothes in public

Question 8

What are examples of norms that vary from culture to culture?

Answer 8

Homosexuality, face and hair covering

Question 9

What is failure to function adequately?

Answer 9

Abnormality defined as when people may be unable to cope with everyday activities such as being able to go to work or take part in social activities

Question 10

What did Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggest?

Answer 10

Personal dysfunction has seven features - the more features the individual shows, the more they are classed as abnormal

Question 11

What are the seven features of personal dysfunction?

Answer 11

• suffering: experiencing personal distress
• maladaptive behaviour: behaviour that prevents realisation of life goals
• unpredictability: displaying unexpected behaviour characterised by loss of control - such as attempting suicide, risk-taking behaviour
• observer discomfort: behaviours that make others feel uncomfortable

Question 12

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 12

Abnormality defined as when someone deviates from ideal positive mental health

Question 13

What did Marie Jahoda (1958) identify?

Answer 13

6 characteristics that a mentally healthy person should have

Question 14

What are the 6 characteristics a mentally healthy person should have?

Answer 14

1. High self-esteem
2. autonomy
3. maintaining relationships
4. accurate perception of self
5. accurate perception of the world
6. self-actualisation

Question 15

What is an advantage of statistical deviation as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 15

• evaluates individuals objectively
• better than other definitions that rely on the subjective opinion of a clinician

Question 16

What are the limitations of statistical deviation as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 16

• Those who stray too far from the average on the curve are considered abnormal but some abnormalities are desirable
  -> not all statistically abnormal traits are negative
• It does not include common but maladaptive (harmful) behaviours e.g. having a job that causes anxiety

Question 17

What is an advantage of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 17

• it does not impose a western view of abnormality on other non-western cultures
• therefore, its argued that diagnosing abnormality according to social norms is not ethnocentric; it respects the cultural differences between societies

Question 18

What are the limitations of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 18

• Defiance is dependent on the context and the degree -> some behaviours are considered acceptable in one context but not another
• There is no clear distinction between abnormal behaviour and what is harmless eccentricity (e.g. wearing strange clothing)
• Cultural relativism -> there are no universal standards for labelling a behaviour as abnormal as what is acceptable behaviour varies between cultures
• e.g. talking to the dead is acceptable in some cultures and not others

Question 19

What is an advantage of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 19

It respects the individual and their own personal experience which is something that other definitions, such as statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms, cannot do

Question 20

What are the limitations of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 20

• Unclear definitions -> assessing what constitutes a failure to function is highly subjective
• For some people, not having a job may be a purposeful choice
• It may be left to psychiatrists to define abnormality, who may have their own biases about what is ‘functioning adequately’
• Cultural relativism -> definitions of adequate functioning are related to cultural ideas of how life should be lived
  -> this is likely to result in different diagnoses when this definition is applied to people from different cultures
  -> this could explain why non-white individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder

Question 21

What is an advantage of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 21

It has a more constructive and holistic approach to mental health than other definitions

Question 22

What are the limitations of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?

Answer 22

• People cannot achieve all the criteria of ideal mental health so this definition may be unrealistic
• e.g. few people have positive self esteem all the time
• Cultural relativism -> most of the criteria of ideal mental health are culture bound - these apply to people living in Western cultures only
  -> if we apply them to non-western cultures or even non-middle class groups in Western cultures, there could be a higher incidence of abnormality