Statistical Infrequency (Definitions of Abnormality) Flashcards
Statistical Infrequency
Researchers and governments collect statistics to inform us of what is normal e.g. the typical age for women to have their first child.
These statistics can then be used to define ‘norms’ for groups of people, in terms of common or typical behaviours.
Therefore…
Any behaviour that is rare/uncommon and deviates from the statistical average is considered abnormal.
what is a normal distribution graph
Normal distribution graphs can be used to represent how characteristics are distributed in the general population, with most people clustered around the mean (the ‘normals’), and fewer people (the ‘abnormals’) at either extreme.
P: Not all abnormal behaviour is undesirable.
E: Very few people have an IQ over 150, but we wouldn’t view that as undesirable
e.g. Einstein.
Equally, there are some ‘normal’ (i.e. common) behaviours that are undesirable
C: This therefore suggests that although this definition provides a method for measuring typical behaviours within the population, it does not indicate which characteristics might be related to abnormal behaviour e.g. left-handedness is rare but has no bearing on abnormality!
P: Equally, not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent.
E: Depression is becoming increasingly common in the Western world (research suggests there is a 1 in 10 chance of having a serious depressive episode at least once in your lifetime).
P: It is difficult to decide where the cut-off point should be for defining abnormality.
E: There is no agreed point on the scale at which behaviour is classified as abnormal.
C: Therefore, it is not clear how far behaviour should deviate from the norm to be seen as abnormal.
P: The statistical infrequency model is culturally relative (it only relates to the culture the statistics were generated in), in that behaviours that are statistically infrequent in one culture may be more frequent in another.
E: For example, depression, a frequently diagnosed disorder in Western cultures, appears to be absent in Asian cultures.
C: This could be because Asian people tend to live with extended family, with ready access to social support (collectivist cultures), whereas families tend to be more widely dispersed (geographically) in individualistic cultures.
P: However, statistics can be misleading. Why, what do they fail to represent?
E: It is only possible to determine mental disorder statistics for those who have actually received a diagnosis by a clinician e.g. a psychiatrist.
C: Therefore, statistics may not reflect the true occurrence of a mental disorder, because many people suffer from mental disorders but choose not seek professional help.
P: There are gender differences in statistical data reporting mental health disorders, however, this data could be misleading.
E: Females are more likely than males to consult their doctor for anxiety problems, whereas males are more likely to bottle up their anxiety, or try to deal with it in physical ways, such as through vigorous sporting activity, or self-medicate using drink, drugs or gambling. Males might also perceive mental health services as feminised.
C: This again suggests that statistics may not necessarily reflect the true occurrence of mental disorders amongst males and females.
Apart from differences in levels of social support, what could explain cultural differences in statistical data reporting mental health disorders?
Mental disorders may appear to be statistically infrequent in some ethnic groups because of a reluctance to seek professional help, owing to cultural beliefs.
In India, for example, mentally ill people are cursed and looked down on.
In China, mental illness also carries a great stigma. The Chinese are therefore careful to diagnose only those whose behaviour is indisputably psychotic i.e. where thinking and emotion are so impaired that the individual has lost touch with reality.
Depression may be equally common amongst Asians, but Asians consult their doctor only for physical problems and rarely with ‘emotional’ distress.
Therefore, statistical infrequency merely reflects the statistical likelihood of seeking professional help, rather than indicating actual prevalence of a disorder within a particular culture.
Strengths of the ‘Statistical Infrequency’ definition
Objective
Unbiased, once a way of collecting data about a behaviour/characteristic and a ‘cut-off point’ has been agreed
Based on real data
The definition relies on real, unbiased data (objective).
Provides evidence for assistance
- Statistical evidence can be used to justify requests for psychiatric assistance e.g. biological/psychological interventions.
