psychopathology- definitions of abnormality: statistical infrequency Flashcards
how do we define abnormality in terms of statistics?
most obvious way to define anything as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ is in terms of the number of times its observed
‘normal’ behaviour
any relatively usual, or often seen behaviour can be thought of as normal
‘abnormal’ behaviour
any behaviour that is different or rare is ‘abnormal’ i.e. a statistical infrequency
IQ and intellectual disability disorder
-average IQ is 100. most have IQ between 85 and 115, only 2% have score below 70
-those individuals scoring below 70 are statistically unusual or ‘abnormal’ and are diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder
ao3 of statistical infrequency: real-world application
-statistical infrequency is useful in diagnosis, e.g. intellectual disability disorder bc this requires an IQ in the bottom 2%
-also helpful in assessing range of conditions e.g. the BDI assess depression, only 5% of people score 30+ (=severe depression)
-means that statistical infrequency is useful in diagnostic and assessment processes
ao3 of statistical infrequency: characteristics can also be positive
-if very few people display a characteristic then the behaviour is statistically infrequent but doesn’t mean we would call them abnormal
-IQ scores above 130 are just as unusual as those below 70, but not regarded as undesirable and needing treatment
-means although statistical infrequency can be part of defining abnormality, out can never be its sole basis
ao3 of statistical infrequency: benefits vs problems
-when s/o living a happy and fulfilled life then there’s no benefit too them being labelled as abnormal
-however this label of abnormality, e.g. intellectual disability disorder, might carry a social stigma
-means that labelling s/o as abnormal just bc they are statistically unusual is likely to do more harm than good