Definitions of abnormality

Question 1

What is meant by statistical infrequency?

Answer 1

Someone is mentally abnormal if their condition is very rare in the population. This is able to be judged objectivly using statistics, comparing the indviduals behaviour to rest of population

Question 2

What does the normal distribution curve show?

Answer 2

Shows a populations avarage spread of specific characteristics, where the highest point has the most common behaviour.

Question 3

What is a strength of using statistical infrequency to define abnormality.

Answer 3

The indviduals being assesed have been evaluated objectivly. More objective than a clincial deciding if the pateint is coping or not based on vague defintions

Question 4

Give three weakness of using statistical infrequency to define abnormality.

Answer 4

The psycholgical community has to decide the cutoff point which is subjective
Not all rare triats are negative
Some mental illneses are more common like depression and anxiety.

Question 5

What is meant by the failure to function adequetly?

Answer 5

an indivdual cannot cope with daily life, struggling to interact with the world and meet their challanges

Question 6

List Rosenhan and Seligman’s 5 features of failure to function

Answer 6

Maladaptive behaviour
personal anguish,
observer discomfort,
irrationality,
unconventionality

Question 7

Give a strength of the failure to function defintion

Answer 7

Respects the indivudal and their own personal experience, the other definations do not do that.

Question 8

Give 3 weaknesses of the failure to function defintion

Answer 8

Decison of weather or not someone is coping is subjective and based on opinon
Only includes people who cannot cope, psychopaths can often function in society.
Not all maladative behaviour indicates mental illness, eg taking part in extreme sports

Question 9

Define devation from social norms

Answer 9

Socail norm is unwritten expectation that can vary in and between cultures and over time, people who deviate from these may be seen as abnormal or social deviatns

Question 10

Give a strength of deviation from social norms defintion of abnormilty

Answer 10

Does not impose a western view of abnormality on other non-western cultures

Question 11

Give 2 weaknesses of the deviation from social norms defintion

Answer 11

Can be inapproprate to define people who move to a new culture as abnormal according to the new cultural norms
Can be seen as punishing people who are experessing their indivduality and repressing those who do not conform

Question 12

Define deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 12

Jahoda’s defination comes from a humanitic perspective focusing on ways to improve and become a better person rather than dysfunction.

Question 13

List the 6 criteria of jahoda’s ideal mental health

Answer 13

Environmental mastery
autonomy
resistance to stress
self-actualisation
positive attitude towards self
accurate perception of reality

Question 14

Give a strength of ideal mental health definition of abnormality

Answer 14

More constructive and holistic approach to mental health that other defintions

Question 15

List 2 weaknesses of the ideal mental health defintion of abnormality

Answer 15

Comes from humanistic psychology which may be culturally bias reflecting a western perspective
Very strict so maybe inmpossible to meet

Question 16

List 2 weaknesses of the ideal mental health definition of abnormality

Answer 16

Comes from humanistic psychology which may be culturally bias reflecting a western perspective
Very strict so maybe impossible to meet