Psychpath- The 4 definitions of abnormality

Question 1

what are the 4 definitions of abnormality

Answer 1

1. Deviation from social norms
2. Statistical infrequency
3. Failure to function adequately
4. 4. Deviation from ‘ideal mental health’

Question 2

1. what does deviation from social norms mean?
2. How does it make others feel?
3. What does ‘Deviant’ mean and entail
4. Who sets the standards for society?

Answer 2

1. Deviation from social norms, is when someones behaviour and thinking is classed as abnormal due to it violating the (unwritten) rules of what is acceptable behaviour in a social group.
2. Their behaviour could confuse others or make them feel threatened
3. Deviant behaviour is being anti-social or undesirable behaviour from the view of the majority of society
4. The standards of acceptable behaviour is set by the social group

Question 3

What are the 2 strengths of Deviation from social norms

Answer 3

1- A strength is that it is flexible dependent on situation and age. A social norm is to wear full clothing whilst out shopping, but a bikini is acceptable on a beach. It is also socially acceptable to drink milk out of a bottle with a teat if you are a baby, but not as an adult.

2- Adhering to social norms means that society is ordered and predictable which helps society function. This is argued to be advantageous because it distinguishes the difference between desirable and non-desirable behaviours

Question 4

What is a weakness of Deviation from social norms

Answer 4

A weakness is that it lacks Temporal validity because what is socially acceptable today, may not have been 50 yrs ago. For example, homosexuality was regarded as insane and was sent to a mental institute, but now it is accepted in society. Therefore, defining abnormalities in terms of deviation from social norms, is a danger in creating morals that could change in the future

Question 5

1. What is Statistical infrequency

2.What do use to measure Statistical infrequency and why

Answer 5

1. Statistical infrequency is a mathematical way of defining abnormality. This works on the idea that ‘abnormality’ is based on infrequency, so if a particular person’s behaviour occurs rarely in society, it is abnormal.
   This is because human attributes fall into a normal distribution within the population.
2. Standard deviation is what we use to measure Statistical Infrequency because it is necessary to be clear about, how rare a trait needs to be before we class it as ‘abnormal’

Question 6

What is an example of someone having Statistical Infrequency

Answer 6

AN example is someone with very high IQ because they are so unusually intelligent that it is rare and abnormal but that doesn’t mean it is a negative thing to have high IQ

Question 7

What does statistical infrequency have - n_ cu______ b____
and what does it apply to - mul____ ge________

Answer 7

It has no cultural bias
and it applies to multiple generations

Question 8

Explain what standard distribution is and how the ‘mean’ works

Answer 8

The mean is the central average (mean), where the rest of the population falls symmetrically above and below that mean.
Standard Deviation, as a measure informs us how far scores fall on either side away from that mean.

Question 9

Explain how SD works when using IQ as an example

Answer 9

IQ is a characteristic that falls into a normal distribution.
So, 68% of the population fall within one standard deviation from the mean.
95% of the population fall within two standard deviations from the mean.
As the mean of IQ is 100 and the standard deviation for IQ is 15 that means that 68% of the population will score between 85- 115 on an IQ test and 95% of the population will score between 70 and 130.

SD states that the 5% of the population that fall More than 2 Standard deviations from the mean are ‘abnormal’.
So, in the IQ example people who score Below 70 and Above 130 are Abnormal.

Question 10

What is a strength of Statistical Infrequency

Answer 10

A strength is that it is appropriate when using the criterion to define what abnormality is.
For example, any individual whose IQ is more than 2 Standard Deviations (SD) Below the mean, is judged as someone having a mental disorder, but only if or when they are failing to function adequately.

Question 11

What is another strength of Statistical Infrequency

Answer 11

-A strength is that SD looks at the whole picture, because it takes all the population into account, so it can give a useful insight into the whole picture of a particular characteristic.
-The mathematical nature of this definition means that it is clear what is defined as abnormal and what is not. There is No opinion involved which means there is No Bias.

Question 12

What is a weakness of Standardised infrequency

1- SD is inf______ Scores in the top and bottom 2._% of po_______ are ab________ but some mental ill_____ wouldn’t fit. E.G 3%of the population suffer from ___D and some won’t be seen as abnormal because they are in _ SD away from the m____.
This means the defini____ and the current crit_____- for defining me_____ h______ issues are at odds with each other.

2- Furthermore, some abnormal behaviours can occur f_________ E.G. d_______, as 2_% of pop may experience it in their lifetime. some are so frequent, it no longer is shown as a______ on SD.

3- No cons______ for cul_____ di________ as it says the normal distribution is the w______ population. Meaning that a________ could be wid_________ in on_ cu___, compared to the rest of the world

Answer 12

1- However, SD is quite inflexibility. It states that scores in the top and bottom 2.5% of the population are abnormal, but but some mental illness that would not fit within that definition. For example 3% of pop suffers from OCD but some may not be seen as abnormal because they are within 2 standard deviations of the mean. This means that the definition and the current criteria for defining mental health issues are at odds with each other.

2- Furthermore, some abnormal behaviours can occur frequently, Depression is an example, where it is argued that 25% of the population will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives, which demonstrates that some mental illnesses are so frequent in humans, that it no longer is counted as abnormal.

3- There is no consideration of cultural differences at all as it argues that the population of the world are contained within the normal distribution. This ultimately means that abnormality could be widespread in one culture because of its comparison with the rest of the world.

Question 13

What is the definition of ‘Failure to function adequately’
and what is an example

Answer 13

The inability to come with everyday life
E.G. They can’t keep a job, maintain jobs or relationships, hygiene or nutrition

Question 14

Who researched ‘Failure to function adequately’
what did they propose

Answer 14

Rosenhan and Seligman (198_)
They proposed the signs of failure to cope:
- No longer conform to interpersonal rules (communications and relationships in an organization)
- They experience personal distress
- They behave in a Irrational way

Question 15

Name the disorder that is an example of Failing to function adequately

Answer 15

Intellectual Disability Disorder- having a low IQ is statistically infrequent, as well as not being able to cope with demands of everyday life.

Question 16

List the 7 factors Rosenham and Seligman 1989 developed to identify people failing to function adequately

Answer 16

1- When there’s Observer Discomfort
2- Unpredictability
3- Irrationality
4- Maladaptiveness- interfering usual routines
5- Person distress
6- Violation of moral standards - against societal norms
7- Unconventionality- Behaviours that are unconventional

Question 17

list the 3 strengths of failing to function adequately
1- cons_________ of how the i_______ feela
2- It is mea_____ using the G_F to ensure ob______
3- Behaviour is obs____ so others can see the indiv FTFA due to them not going to wo__ or getting out of b__. This means that others can notice these factors and interv___ when needed to help.

Answer 17

1- Consideration of how the individual feels:
How they are managing in everyday life from their perspective, so if someone feels as though they are struggling they will be deemed abnormal and get help.

2- Measurable: The GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale) allows the extent of the failure to function to be measured. This means that the decision of whether a behaviour is abnormal or not can be made in a relatively objective way.

3- Behaviour is observable: Failure to function adequately can be seen by others around the individual because they may not get out of bed on a morning, or be able to hold a job down. This means that problems can be picked up by others and if the individual is incapable of making a decision or helping themselves others can intervene.

Question 18

List the 2 weakness of FTFA

Answer 18

1- Abnormality does not always stop the person functioning: Some abnormal behaviour could be missed, depending on who’s observing, or even that individual appears fine to others as they fit into society and have jobs and homes, but they may have distorted thinking which is causing them inner distress that they hide.

2- Furthermore, a limitation is it’s subjective and not being culturally relative because ability to cope with everyday life depends on what is seen as normal everyday life, which varies across different cultures. For example, in hot countries such as Spain, their culture is to have siestas, but in places like the UK that would be judged as abnormal to sleep in the afternoon, so would be a sign of FTFA because they would be sleeping rather than their daily routine, which may include working and eating in that period of the afternoon. This means that one culture could be diagnosed with more disorders, just because their lifestyles differs to more dominant cultures.

Question 19

What does Deviation from Mental Health mean

Answer 19

Deviation from Mental health is when the abnormal behaviour does not fit into the criteria of behaviour that is socially acceptable

Question 20

name and explain the first 3 criteria in order to have ‘Ideal mental health’

Answer 20

1- Self attitude= is having high self esteem as well as a strong sense of identity
2- Personal growth and self actualisation= the extent a person can develop their full capabilities
3-Integration= is being able to cope with stressful situations

Question 21

Name the person who developed a criteria for ‘deviation from Ideal Mental Health’

Answer 21

Jahoda’s criteria

Question 22

Name and explain the last 3 on the criteria, to have ‘Ideal Mental Health’

Answer 22

4- Autonomy= is being independent and be self regulating
5- Having an accurate perception of reality= Knowing that what you see is real and others can see it to
6- Mastery of the environment= Ability to love, be functional at wor, cope with new situations and solve problems

Question 23

List the 6 criteria by Jahoda to have Ideal Mental health

Answer 23

1- Self Attitude = self esteem and strong sense of identity
2- personal growth+ self actualisation- developing full capabilities
3- Integration= being able to cope with stressful situations
4- autonomy= self regulating and independent
5- accurate perception of reality= Knowing what you see is real and others see it to
6- Mastery of environment- ability to love, cope with work and new situations as well as problem solving

Question 24

What are the 2 strengths of Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Answer 24

1- The main strength of this definition, is that it is positively focused on behaviour that is desired and helps individuals aim to demonstrate that behaviour. This means that individuals can set clear goals and enable them to focus achieving ideal mental health, using Jahoda’s criteria.
2- Furthermore, it allows an individual who is struggling with mental health, to target specific parts of their behaviour and change it. For example, if an individual has distorted thinking, this could be addressed and seek help in order to help their behaviour become normal, because their behaviour will correlate their thinking.

Question 24

What happens if a person doesn’t demonstrate Jahoda’s criteria in thier behaviour

Answer 24

It is classed as abnormal behaviour, and they have deviated from the Ideal Mental Health

Question 25

What are the 2 weaknesses of Deviation from Ideal Mental health

Answer 25

1- However, the criteria is ethnocentric because autonomy makes the collectivist cultures, seem abnormal because helping and relying on others in encouraged. As most western cultures are individualist the criteria outlined by Jahoda seem a reasonable fit, but non-western cultures cannot relate to the criteria she outlines. This means that the definition is not global.
2- The criteria that Jahoda set are subjective and vague, which makes them very difficult to measure, because each individual has different aspirations in life, so deciding if someone has fulfilled the criteria is difficult to decide, due to everyone wanting different things in life. As well as psychological problems are harder to identify because they aren’t visible, demonstrating that it is harder to diagnose people with mental health problems, compared to physical issues which you can see