psychopathology - definitions of abnormality Flashcards
what are social norms
unwritten behavioural expectations that vary depending on culture, time and context
what are social deviants
individuals who break the norms of society and are seen as abnormal
what are the strengths of deviation from social norms
using social norms does not impose a western view of abnormality on other non western cultures so it is argued that diagnosing abnormality according to social norms is not ethnocentric
what are the weaknesses of deviation from social norms
defining people who move to a new culture as abnormal according to the new cultural norms can be inappropriate for example people from afro Caribbean backgrounds living in the UK are 7x more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia
what is failing to function adequately
when individuals cannot cope with day to day challenges of daily life such as maintaining personal hygiene
what are Rosenhan and Seligman’s features of failing to function adequately
- they show maladaptive behaviour
- their irrational and unpredictable actions go against their long term best interests
- they show personal anguish
- observers feel discomfort in their presence
what is a strength of failure to function adequately
respects individuals and their own personal experiences, which is something that other definitions such as statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms cannot do
what is a weakness of failure to function adequately
it only includes people who cannot cope. psychopaths can often function in society in ways that benefit them personally since having lower empathy can lead to succession in business and politics
what is meant by statistical infrequency
someone is mentally abnormal if their mental condition is very rare in the population; the rarity of the behaviour is judged objectively using statistics, comparing the individuals behaviour to the rest of the population
what is the normal distribution curve
shows a populations average spread of specific characteristics eg. one element of a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder in the DSM5 is having 70 IQ points or fewer which just over 2% of the population have
what is a strength of statistical infrequency
individuals who are assessed as being abnormal according to statistical infrequency have been evaluated objectively; this is better than the other definitions that depend on the subjective opinion of a clinician
what is a weakness of statistical infrequency
not all statistically rare traits are negative, for example IQs of over 130 are just as statistically rare as an IQ of below 70. additionally there are common mental health conditions like anxiety. the NHS found 17% of people surveyed met the criteria for someone with a mental health disorder
what is meant by deviation from idea mental health
the humanistic definition outlined by Jahoda who rather then defining abnormality, defines the features of ideal mental health and deviation from these indicates abnormality
what are the six features of ideal mental health
- environmental mastery
- autonomy
- resisting stress
- self actualisation
- positive attitude towards self
- accurate perception of reality
what is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health
it is a holistic definition which considers multiple factors during diagnosis and provides suggestions for personal development. it doesn’t suggest what might be wrong but does suggest how any problems can be overcome
