Psychopathology: Defintions Of Abnormality Flashcards
What is statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality
- occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic. E.g. being more depressed
Outline how IQ can be an example of statistical infrequency
- average IQ is set at 100
- most people (68%) have an IQ in the range from 85-115
- only 2% of people have a score below 70 - they are categorised as ‘abnormal’ and often receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder
Outline the three evaluation points for statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality
- real life application
- unusual characteristics can be positive
- not everyone unusual benefits from a label
Outline ‘ real life application’ as an evaluation point for statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality
- it has real life application in the diagnosis of intellectual disability Disorder
- all assessments of patients with mental disorders includes some kind of measurements as to how much their symptoms deviate from the statistical norm
- so a useful part of clinical assessment
Outline ‘unusual characteristics can be positive’ as an evaluation point for statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality
- IQ scores over 130 are just as unusual as those below 70 but we wouldn’t classify super intelligence as an undesirable characteristic needing treatment
-abnormal beahviours do not always require treatment - so statistical infrequency can never be used alone to make a diagnosis
Outline ‘not everyone unusual benefits from a label’ as an evaluation point for statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality
- when someone is living a happy, fulfilled life, there is no benefit to them being labelled as abnormal, regardless of how unusual they are
- if a person was labelled as ‘abnormal’ this may have a negative effect on the way on the way others view therm and the way they view themselves
What is deviation from social norms as a definition for abnormality
- concerns behaviour that is differently from,m the accepted standards of behaviour in a community /society
Outline social norms as a ‘cultural concept’
- norms are specific to the culture we live
- e.g. homosexuality is still considered to be ‘abnormal’ and even illegal in some cultures
Outline antisocial personality disorder as an example of ‘deviation from social norms’
- according to their DSM-5 one important symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an ‘absence of pro-social internal standards’
- so most conclude that a psychopath is abnormal because they don’t conform to our moral standards
What are the three evaluation points for ‘deviation from social norms’
- not a sole explanation
- culturally relative
- can lead to human right abuses
Outline ‘not a sole explanation’ an evaluation point for deviation from social norms
- a strength of this definition is that it has real life application in the diagnosis of antisocial personality
Disorder - however, there are other factors to consider e.g. the distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder (failure to function adequately definition)
Outline ‘cultural relativism’ an evaluation point for deviation from social norms
- social norms vary considerably from one generation to another and one culture to another
- e.g. a person form one culture may view another cultures beliefs as ‘abnormal’
- this creates problems for people from one culture living within another
Outline ‘can lead to human right abuses’ an evaluation point for deviation from social norms
- in history, diagnoses based off the social norms definitions of abnormality were really there to maintain control over minority ethnic groups and women
- such classifications appear ridiculous to todays standard
Outline ‘failure to function adequately’ as a definition for abnormality
- occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day living
How do we known someone is failing to function adequately
- Rosenhan and seligman - proposed some signs to conclude when someone is not coping:
- when a person experiences severe personal distress
- when a persons behaviour becomes irrational etc
What are the three evaluation points for ‘failing to function adequately’ as a definition for abnormality
- includes subjective experience of the patient
- no clear difference from ‘deviation from social norms’ definition
- based off subjective judgements
Outline ‘includes subjective experience of the patient’ as an evaluation point for failure to function adequately
- one strength is that the diagnosis attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual
- although it is difficult to asses distress as symptoms vary across patients
- this definition does acknowledge the experience of the patient is important
Outline ‘no clear difference from ‘deviation from social norms’ as an evaluation point for failure to function adequately
- it can be difficult to distinguish if someone is failing to function or if they are just deviating from social norms
- we may think that not having a job is an example of failing to function but people may actually choose to have that lifestyle
- treating these behaviours as ‘failures’ of adequate functioning we risk limiting personal freedom
Outline ‘based off subjective judgements ’ as an evaluation point for failure to function adequately
- when deciding whether someone is failing to function adequately someone has to judge whether a patient is distressed
- while there are methods for making such judgements to make it as objective as possible, there is a single person (psychiatrist) deciding the outcome
What is deviation from ideal mental health as a definition for abnormality
- occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
What are the criteria for good mental health that we use to determine if someone is deviating from ideal mental health
- created by Jahoda
- we have no symptoms of distress, we self actualise, we have good self esteem etc.
What are the three evaluation points for deviation from ideal mental health
- it is a comprehensive definition
- cultural relativism
- sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health
Outline ‘it is a comprehensive definition’ as an evaluation point for deviation from ideal mental health
- covers a a broad range of criteria for mental health
- this makes it a good tool for thinking about mental health
Outline ‘cultural relativism ’ as an evaluation point for deviation from ideal mental health
- some of the ideas in jahoda’s classification of ideal mental health are culture bound to Western European and North American cultures
- e.g. much of the world would see independence from other people as a bad thing
- such triad are typical of individualist cultures
