Section 4 : Psychopathology - Defining Abnormality Flashcards
what can abnormality be described as
-deviation from social norms
-deviation from statistical norms
-failure to function adequately
what are the limitations of defining abnormality as deviation from social norms
-can be used to justify the removal of unwanted people from a society
-what is considered acceptable or abnormal can change over time
what can abnormality also be described as
deviation from statistical norms
how can statistically abnormal behaviour be expressed
in terms of normal distribution
what are the problems of defining abnormality in terms of statistical infrequency
-doesn’t take into account the desirability, just frequency
-no distinction between rare, slightly odd behaviour and rare psychologically abnormal behaviour
-no definite cut off point where normal behaviour becomes abnormal
-some behaviours considered psychologically abnormal are quite common
what are the various criteria used to diagnose abnormality if you can function adequately on a day to day basis
Dysfunctional behaviour
Observer behaviour
Unpredictable behaviour
Irrational behaviour
Personal distress
What does dysfunctional behaviour refer to
Behaviour which goes against the accepted standard of behaviour
What does observer discomfort refer to
Behaviour that causes other individuals to become uncomfortable
What does unpredictable behaviour refers to
Impulsive behaviour that seems to be uncontrollable
What does irrational behaviour refer to
Behaviour that’s unreasonable and illogical
What does personal distress refer to
Being affected by emotion to an excessive degree
Jahoda 1958 identified six conditions for ideal mental health what are they
Positive self attitude
Self actualisation (realising your potential)
Resistance to stress
Personal autonomy ( asking your own decisions)
Accurate perception of reality
Adaptation to the environment
What weaknesses are there for Jahoda 1958
-Hard to meet all standard set
-subjective
-e.g. violent offender may have positive self attitude and resistant to stress yet society wouldn’t consider them to be in a good mental health
What happens to the idea of ideal mental health
It varies across time and between cultures
What are the symptoms that classifies something as a mental illness
One or more of:
-Impairment of intellectual functions
-Alterations to mood that lead to delusional appraisals of the past or future or any lack of any appraisal
-delusional beliefs, such as of persecution or jealousy
-Disordered thinking - the person may be unable to appraise their situation or communicate with others
