psychopathology-definitions of abnormality Flashcards
what is cultural relativism
cultural relativism is the view that behaviour cannot be judged properly unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it originates
what is deviation from social norms
deviation from social norms is abnormal behaviour which is seen as deviation from unstated rules about how one ‘should’ behave. anything/anyone that violates these rules is considered abnormal
what is the DSM
the DSM is a list of mental disorders that is used to diagnose mental disorders. for each disorder, a list of clinical characteristics is given (symptoms)
what is statistical infrequency
statistical infrequency is abnormality for behaviours that are extremely rare (any behaviour that is found in very few people=abnormal)
who are social norms created by+what are they
social norms are created by a group of people in a society and are the standards of ‘acceptable’ behaviour set by the group
give an example of social norms in the past in terms of how it is susceptible to abuse
homosexuality was classified as abnormal and regarded as a mental disorder (in the DSM). it was also against the law. this judgement was based on social deviation-it deviated from social norms of what is acceptable
why is using statistical infrequency to define abnormality mean that we are unable to distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviours?
using statistical infrequency to define abnormality means that we are unable to distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviours because very few people for example have an IQ of over 150, but this abnormality is a desirable characteristic.
explain cultural relativism in statistical infrequency
an issue is that behaviours that are statistically infrequent in one culture may be statistically more frequent in another.
for example of of the symptoms of schizophrenia is claiming to hear voices. however, this is an experience that is common in some cultures.
what this means in practice is that there are no universal standards or rules for labelling a behaviour as abnormal.
why is deviation from social norms susceptible to abuse
what is socially acceptable now may not have been socially acceptable 50 years ago. e.g. homosexuality
explain how deviance is related to context and degree in social norms
a limitation of deviation from social norms is that judgements on deviance are often related to the context of behaviour
-for example a person on a beach wearing next to nothing is regarded as normal, whereas the same outfit in the classroom would be regarded as abnormal.
this means that social deviance on its own cannot offer a complete definition of abnormality, because it is inevitably related to context and degree
what is a strength of deviation from social norms
this definition does distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviour.
-according to this definition, abnormal behaviour is behaviour that damages others.
therefore this definition offers a practical and useful way of identifying undesirable and potentially damaging behaviour.
