Psychopathology - Definitions Of Abnormality Flashcards
What is the definition of statistical infrequency?
Statistical infrequency occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, for example, being more depressed or less intelligent than most of the population.
How is statistical infrequency used to diagnose intellectual disability disorder?
Statistical infrequency is applied when dealing with characteristics that can be reliably measured, such as intelligence. For example, the average IQ is set at 100. Most people (68%) have an IQ in the range from 85 to 115. Only 2% of people have a score below 70. Those individuals scoring below 70 are very unusual or ‘abnormal’, and are liable to receive a diagnosis of a psychological disorder – intellectual disability disorder.
What is one evaluation point of statistical infrequency?
A strength of the statistical definition is that it has a real-life application in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder. All assessment of patients with mental disorders includes some kind of measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms (as distinct from social norms). Statistical infrequency is thus a useful part of clinical assessment.
What is another evaluation point of statistical infrequency?
A problem with statistical infrequency is that unusual characteristics can be positive. IQ scores over 130 are just as unusual as those below 70, but we wouldn’t think of super-intelligence as an undesirable characteristic that needs treatment. Just because very few people display certain behaviours does not mean that it requires treatment to return to normal.
What is the definition of deviation from social norms?
Deviation from social norms concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society.
What is an example of deviation from social norms in mental health?
An example is antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy), which is impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible. According to the DSM-5, one important symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an ‘absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour’.
What is one evaluation point of deviation from social norms?
A strength of the deviation from social norms definition is that it has a real-life application in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. However, even in this case, there are other factors to consider, for example, the distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder. In practice, deviation from social norms is never the sole reason for defining abnormality.
What is another evaluation point of deviation from social norms?
Another problem with using deviation from social norms to define behaviour as abnormal is that social norms vary tremendously from one generation to another and from one community to another. For example, one group may label someone from another cultural group as behaving abnormally according to their standards rather than the standards of the person behaving that way.
