Definitions of abnormality - 1: AO3

Question 1

What is a strength of statistical infreqency?

Answer 1

• P: Usefulness
• E: It is used in clinical practice for diagnosis. For example, Intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ od below 70 (bottom 2%)
• E: Helping in assessing a range of condition - BDI, a score of 30+ (top 5% of respondents) a widely interpreted as indicating severe depression
• L: Shows the value of SI as criterion is useful in diagnostic and assessment processes

Question 2

What is a limitation of statistical infrequency?

Answer 2

• P: Infrequent characteristics can be positive and negative
• E: We would not think of IQ of above 130 as abnormal. People with low depression score on the BDI would not be seen as abnormal
• E: Examples show that unusual at one end of a psychological spectrum does not make someone abnormal
• L: It should not be the sole basis for defining abnormality

Question 3

What is a strength of deviation from social norms?

Answer 3

• P: Strength = its usefulness
• E: Useful in diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder - failure to conform to culturally normal ethical behaviour
• E: Useful is diagnosing schizotypal personality disorder where “strange is used to characterise the thinking behaviour and appearance of people with this disorder
• Has value is psychiatry

Question 4

What is a limitation of deviation from social norms?

Answer 4

• P: Limitation = situationally and culturally relative
• E: A person from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards rather than the person’s standards
• E: Hearing voices is seen as abnormal in the UK but it is the norm in some cultures
• L: Difficult to judge deviation from social norms across different situations and cultures