Psychopathology Studies Flashcards
What is the problem with making statistical infrequency seem like a bad thing?
As abnormality here is defined as a normal distribution, being on either extreme end of the spectrum classes you as abnormal, but with characteristics such as IQ a very high IQ such as 150 is desirable. In the same way, statistically ‘normal’ characteristics can be undesirable such as depression
How is there cultural relativism in defining statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?
There are no universal standards for labelling a behaviour as abnormal, so different cultures may have different opinions on how ‘normal’ a frequent behaviour is. For example, a symptom of schizophrenia is claiming hearing voices, but in other cultures this is common.
How does statistical infrequency have real-life application?
. In assessing patients for mental disorders, it is a useful part of clinical assessment as using this quantitative normal distribution it can be generalised that individuals with an IQ of 2 standard deviations below the mean have a mental disorder.
