PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - Deviation From Social Norms

Question 1

Deviation from social norms definition

Answer 1

Any behaviour that does not follow accepted social patterns or social rules.
A violation of these patterns or rules would be ‘abnormal’ and classed as unacceptable (eg not wearing any clothes in public).

Question 2

What is a possible consequence of deviation from social norms?

Answer 2

Rules can be very explicit and to break them could mean breaking the law.

Question 3

What does deviation from social norms look at?

Answer 3

The impact of an individuals’ behaviour upon other people.

Question 4

How is deviation from social norms quantified?

Answer 4

Behaviour that is displayed is examined in terms of how desirable the behaviour is for the individual and for society as a whole.

Question 5

What can deviation from social norms be used for?

Answer 5

To help identify a person who might be suffering from a mental disorder; if a person is behaving in a strange way that deviates from what is expected of them, then we could become concerned enough to think that the person might be suffering mentally.

Question 6

Deviation from social norms disadvantages

Answer 6

• Deviating from social norms does not necessarily mean a person has a psychological abnormality
• Context must be used in seeing if behaviour is deviant or not
• Social norms are culturally relative, so it is difficult to determine universal signs of psychological illness

Question 7

DFSN advantages

Answer 7

• It distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour so that the public can be protected from the effects of DFSN