Psychopathology- deviation from social norms Flashcards
Define social norms
set of unwritten rules which people use in order to abide by what is deemed ‘normal’ behaviou
If a behaviour goes against social norms, it may be viewed as…
Abnormal
Someone who performs undesirable behaviours may be labelled as what?
Socially deviant
What are social norms dependent on?
Time and culture
Define deviation from social norms
When a person’s thinking + behaviour violate the unwritten rules about what is expected/acceptable in a particular social group
Give examples of what behaviours could be classed as deviating from social norms
-APD - antisocial personality disorder (characterised by criminal, reckless, irrational, dangerous behaviour)
-Day drinking/drugs
-Wearing a coat on a hot day
Give examples of how social norms are dependent on time and culture
-Homosexuality was deemed abnormal (and criminal) in the UK until fairly recently but is still illegal and abnormal (and can result in the death penalty) in some countries
-Unmarried mothers were incarcerated in mental hospitals in Ireland until well into the late 20th century but with time this has changed
-Some cultures do not allow women equal rights and may lock women away (or worse) if they protest against this inequality
Give an evaluation point (change over time)
-Social norms definition can be questionsed as social norms change over time and therefore behaviour that breaks them and were considered abnormal in 1950 may not be viewed as abnormal today
-Homosexuality was deemed abnormal (and criminal) in the UK until fairly recently but is still illegal and abnormal (and can result in the death penalty) in some countries
-Unmarried mothers were incarcerated in mental hospitals in Ireland until well into the late 20th century but with time this has changed
-Some cultures do not allow women equal rights and may lock women away (or worse) if they protest against this inequality
-This is a limitation because as this example shows, it is not the individual who has changed but the classification of the behaviour by society. This brings into question the validity of using this definition alone to define abnormality,
Give an evaluation point (practical application)
-A strength of deviation from social norms is its usefulness and practical application to clinical practice
-For example, the defining charcteristics pf antisocial personality disorder is failiure to conform to social norms such as impulsivesnnes, aggression and recklessness
-This shows that DSC has values in psychiatry and can impact individuals
Give an evaluation point (cultural relativism)
-Issues with cultural differences in diagnostic systems
-Classifcation systsms such as the DSM are based on the social norms of the domnant culture in the west (which is predomoniantly white and middle class)
-Yet the same criteria is applied to people from other subcultures in the west
-Recently the DSM has acknowledged cultural relativism which refernces cultural contexts in different areas of diagnosis
-For example, for panic attacks in some cultures the main symptom is uncontrolable crying whereas in others it is rapid breathing
-This shows that attempting to define abnormality in terms of social norms which are bound by culture is not always correct
Give an evaluation point (underseriable and desriable behaviour)
-Definition does distinguish between desirable amd undesariabke behaviour which is something statically infrequency does not do so is therefore a strength
-Does take into account the effect behaviour has on others
-Devaince is defined as going against social rules which are something established in oder forn people to live together
-According to this defintion, abnormal behaviour is something that damages others
-Thereofrre this definition offers a parctical and usefull way of identifying undesriable and potentially damaging behaviour which may alert people to seek help for the person concerned.
