Defining Abnormality Flashcards
(20 cards)
Four ways of defining abnormality
-statistical infrequency
-deviation from social norms
-failure to function adequately
-deviation from ideal mental health
What is statistical infrequency
When an individual is found to have a characteristic that is statistically uncommon, fall outside two standard deviations from the mean so are in the bottom or top 2.5% of the population. Relies on use of up to date stats
When is someone classed as having an intellectual disability
When their IQ score is in the bottom 2.5% of the population so falls below two standard deviations from the mean
What is a social norm
Most common means of behaviour in a society governed by unwritten rules. Vary between cultures and with age and gender.
What is deviation from social norms
-acting in a way that does not fall within societally acceptable standards
Expand on strength of statistical infrequency that it is an objective measure
-eg intellectual disability disorders are defined in terms of the normal distribution using the concept on standard deviation to establish a cut off point for abnormality
-used in most clinical assessments to compare severity of symptoms to societal norms meaning it has a high external validity
H: normal distribution cut off points will vary between population so it is not universally applicable
Expand on weakness of statistical infrequency that it implies the presence of abnormal behaviour should always be statistically rare
-specific abnormal behaviour may be unusual but it is not unusual for people to exhibit some form of prolonged abnormal behaviour at some point in their lives eg depression is common with 27% of elderly people
-not universal explanation of all abnormal behaviour- cannot be used to diagnose mental health disorders which are statistically common
Expand on advantage of DFSN that it makes a distinction between un/desirable behaviours
-takes into account the effect the behaviour has on others
-deviance is defined in terms of transgression of social rule which are established in order to help people live together
-unlike SI which would does not account for rare characteristics that are positive eg high IQ
-according to this abnormal behaviour is one that damages others so does not generalise
Expand on limitation of DFSN that there is cultural relativism
-social norms vary greatly between generations and communities meaning a person from one cultural group may label someone from another culture as behaving abnormally according to their standards rather than the standards of the person they are labelling
-eg hearing voices is acceptable in some African communities however is not in western society
-therefore this may cause problems for people from one culture living within another cultural group and means the explanation is not universally generalisable
Outline failure to function adequately explanation
Occurs when someone is unable to cope with the ordinary demands of day-to-day living and performs maladaptive behaviours
Three signs someone is failing to function adequately
-person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules eg personal space
-person experiences severe personal distress
-person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Expand on limitation of failure to function adequately that there can be confusion with distinguishing between it and DFSN
-eg a behaviour which suggests failure to function adequately such as not being able to go to work may also be DFSN
-demonstrated in base jumpers who take part in extreme sports with a high mortality rate
-therefore difficult to ascertain if individuals who partake in particular behaviours should be labelled as failing to function, risk limiting personal freedom
Expand on advantage of failure to function adequately that it takes a subjective viewpoint of the patient
-the explanation recognises the subjective experience of the patient allowing us to view mental disorders from the pov of those experiencing it
-this abnormality can be judged objectively using WHODAS list—- can be used in diagnosing mental health disorders
H: depends on who is making the judgement as those with schizophrenia may not feel they have a problem
Outline the deviation from ideal mental health explanation
Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health eg that proposed by Jahoda
Six criteria proposed by Jahoda to define ideal mental health
-positive self esteem and a strong sense of identity
-personal growth and self actualisation
-ability to cope with stress
-being independent (autonomy)
-perception of reality
-mastery of the environment
Expand on limitation of DFIMH that it includes an unrealistic criteria
-experiencing stress and negativity can be a common occurrence after a particularly difficult week so experiencing a lack on one or multiple of Jahoda’s criteria is a common consequence to life events however this would be classed as abnormal despite the circumstances causing it
-definition is incomplete, difficult to gauge how many criteria need to be missing to be classed as abnormal
Expand on weakness of DFIMH that it is not applicable to all cultures
-mainly applies to western cultures and the middle class as this is who the list was created with in mind
-in addition, self actualisation is relevant to individualistic rather than collectivist cultures which strive for common good instead of individual success.
-therefore the explanation is not universally generalisable as does not consider all cultures
Expand on limitation of SI that not everyone benefits from a label
-where someone is living a happy fulfilled life there is no benefit to them being labelled as abnormal
-eg someone with very low IQ who is not distressed and capable of working would not need diagnosis of intellectual disability, label may have negative effect on self esteem and how others view them
-suggests not appropriate in all cases
Expand on limitation that DFSN can lead to human rights abuses
-too much reliance on DFSN to understand abnormality can also lead to systematic abuse of human rights eg diagnoses in the past were there to maintain control over minority ethnic groups and women
-ethical implications, can lead to discrimination so should not rely overly as vary greatly over time
Expand on strength of DFIMH that it is a comprehensive defintion
-covers a broad range of criteria for mental health inc most of the reasons someone would seek help from mental health services
-good tool for diagnosing mental health disorders
