abnormal psych: normality v abnormality

Question 1

what is abnormality?

Answer 1

-simply a behaviour outside of the norm

Question 2

what behaviours fall under abnormal?

Answer 2

-common ones such as depression or schizophrenia

Question 3

what are dysfunctional behaviours?

Answer 3

-behaviours that make it difficult to function in society

Question 4

DSM 5 definition of abnormality:

Answer 4

-“behaviour that violates a norm in society, is maladaptive, is rare given the context of the environment, and is causing the person distress in their daily life”

Question 5

what are the 4 D’s when discussing abnormal behaviour?

Answer 5

1) danger
2) deviance
3) distress
4) dysfunction

Question 6

define danger:

Answer 6

-the state in which individuals will become likely to do harm to themselves or to others
-representing a threat to their own or others safety

Question 7

define deviance:

Answer 7

-any behaviour that differs significantly to what is considered appropriate or typical for a social group

Question 8

define distress:

Answer 8

-unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact one’s level of functioning
-it is the result of maladaptive coping with stress

Question 9

define dysfunction:

Answer 9

-when behaviours or cognitive behaviour patterns interfere with an individuals ability to carry out daily activities
-e.g. holding down a job

Question 10

what are conceptual definitions?

Answer 10

-definitions that can be a statistical deviation from the norm
-deviation from a social or cultural norm
-or a deviation from the concept of ideal mental health

Question 11

what are practical definitions?

Answer 11

-based on what can be observed in an individual rather than a variance from a norm

Question 12

what is statistical deviation from the norm?

Answer 12

-requiring enough data from a setting to make the results reliable
-defining abnormality through statistical deviation would reduce the risk of bias

Question 13

what is deviation from social norms?

Answer 13

-a definition of abnormality where a behaviour is abnormal if it violates unwritten rules about what is acceptable in a particular society

Question 14

what is deviation from optimal health norms?

Answer 14

-identifies characteristics for good mental health and suggests that the further an individual is from these the more abnormal their behaviour is

Question 15

what are the problems with statistical deviation from the norm?

Answer 15

1) alcoholism
2) being able to see sounds and hear colours
3) having conversations with dead ancestors
4) homosexuality
5) elite athlete

Question 16

what are the problems with deviation from social norms?

Answer 16

-different cultures have different disorders for different illnesses
-luhrmann et al (2015)

Question 17

what did jahoda do?

Answer 17

-jahoda (1958) suggested that if we could define positive mental health in order to recognise mental illness there would be 6 key features

Question 18

what were jahoda’s 6 key features of positive mental health?

Answer 18

1) self-acceptance
2) potential for growth
3) development/autonomy
4) environmental competence
5) accurate perception of reality
6) positive interpersonal relationships

Question 19

how does culture play a role in abnormal behaviour?

Answer 19

-different cultures have different mental health disorders and symptoms are not the same
-luhrmann et al (2015)

Question 20

what is construct validity?

Answer 20

the extent to which a study measures what is claims to be measuring