psychopathology: 1 Flashcards
what is statistical infrequency?
defines abnormality as behaviours that are statistically rare (e.g. IQ) - the majority of peoples scores will cluster around the average and the further above/below that average the fewer people will attain that score
what is deviation from social norms?
deviation from the unwritten rules of how people are expected to behave in a particular society
“absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour
what is failure to function adequately?
the inability to function adequately in everyday life without experiencing distress or distressing others
rosenhan an seligman (1989) proposed signs to determine when someones not coping:
no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules (eye contact)
severe personal distress
irrational/dangerous behaviour
what is deviation from ideal mental health?
normality is defined in terms of characteristics conducive to mental health - any deviation that causes lack of competence or happiness is abnormal
self attitudes, personal growth, integration, autonomy, accurate perception of reality, mastery of the environment
strengths of statistical infrequency?
has appropriate application and in some cases it makes sense to use statistical infrequency - can apply to real life e.g. a measurement of the severity of their symptoms (intellectual disability)
weaknesses of statistical infrequency?
some abnormal behaviour is desirable and this definition can’t distinguish between desirable and undesirable infrequent behaviours e.g. high IQ
the cut off point is subjective
strengths of deviation from social norms?
can distinguish between desirable/undesirable behaviours and takes into account the effect behaviours have on others so helps people live together
weaknesses of deviation from social norms?
social norms change over time and professionals can classify people as mentally ill if they transgress social attitudes; Sasz (1974) claimed that people use mental illness as a way to exclude people who don’t conform to the rest if society and maintain control over minority groups e.g. homosexuality
social norms are different in different contexts/cultures and in many cases theres no clear line on whats normal/abnormal so cannot define mental health bc behaviour is always linked to context and theres no universal idea of abnormal behaviour
strengths of failure to function adequately?
its easy to use and takes into account the view of the individual and subjectivity
weaknesses of failure to function adequately?
will depend on who’s making the judgement and what they consider functioning is - however there are methods if making judgements as objective as possible as we can list behaviours from tools such as the global assessment of functioning scale
behaviours may appear dysfunctional but are actually functional for the individual
strengths of deviation from ideal mental health?
it’s a comprehensive definition as it covers a wide range of criteria for mental health
focuses on the positive aspects of mental health however its never been taken up by professionals and only influences positive psychology
weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health?
sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health
no way to measure whether you hit the criteria and some argue its too difficult to use
physical illness has causes/symptoms that are easy to identify but this isnt usually the case for mental illness so some researchers argue its no appropriate to define physical and mental health the same way
behavioural characteristics of phobias
panic: crying, screaming
avoidance
endurance
emotional characteristics of phobias
anxiety
irrational response to stimulus
cognitive characteristics of phobias
selective attention to stimulus
irrational beliefs
distorted perceptions of stimulus
