Definitions Of Abnormality Flashcards
(10 cards)
Deviation of social norms
Each society has its unwritten rules for acceptable behaviour. This definition classes any behaviour as abnormal if it goes against accepted , expected and approves ways of behaving in society.
For example schizophrenia would be classed as abnormal according to this definition due to hearing noises isn’t expected in society.
What are the limitations for this definition deviation from social norms
Main difficulty with this definition is that social norms change and vary as times change
What is socially accepted now may not have been accepted 50 years ago for example homosexuality wasn’t accepted in the past and was seen as a sexual and gender identity disorder. This lack of consistency reduces the reliability of this definition as it isn’t consistent over time.
This definition has also been criticised because social norms differ between cultures, its seen as ethnocentric. In other words the norms are culturally relative. For eg the way people dress in different cultures. Inconsistent between cultures
Another critic is that it is seen as a punishment to people of minorities who want to express their culture. For example drapetomania. This was seen as a way to control people in slavery. Just because it isn’t a norm doesn’t mean it needs mental treatment and is a mental illness
What’s an advantage of deviations from social norms
More appropriate definition of abnormality especially compared to statistical infrequency. This is because it distinguishes between desirable and undesirable characteristics and the effect behaviour has on others. For eg just because someone is statistically infrequent doesn’t mean that they have broken norms of society. Eg a genius . This is a strength as its more appropriate definition of abnormality.
Failure to function adequately
A person is unable to cope with everyday life or engage in everyday behaviour. This causes distress and suffering for an individual and others.
What are rosenhan characteristics of abnormality in failure to function adequately
M- maladaptive behaviour - stopping someone from progressing
U- unconventionality - odd
S- suffering
I- irrational behaviour
C- loss of control and unpredictability
What’s the AO3 for failure to function adequately
P: One strength of the definition is that it includes the patient’s perspective.
E: This allows us to view the mental disorder from the point of view of the person.
experience it.
E: For example, the level of distress experienced by the patient is considered when defining their behaviour as abnormal.
L: This suggests that failure to function adequately is a useful criterion for assessing abnormality as it provides a checklist which patients can use to help them perceive their level of functioning.
@ P: Abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction - psychopaths, people with dangerous personality disorders, can cause great harm yet still appear normal.
E: Harold Shipman, the GP who murdered at least 215 of his patients over a 23-year period, seemed to be a respectable doctor.
E: He was abnormal but did not display features of dysfunction.
L: Therefore, using this definition to define abnormality may not be appropriate.
Ci generalira
• P: The definition is limited by cultural relativism.
E: For example, long periods of grief after bereavement is more acceptable in some cultures than others.
E: This means that the same behaviour could be defined as abnormal because it is viewed as a failure to function in one culture yet functioning adequately in another.
L: This is a problem because for the definition to be classed as reliable, the same behaviour should be viewed consistently between cultures.
• P: Another limitation is that ‘abnormality’ could be due to a range of other factors.
E: For example, somebody who is unable to hold down a job may be in this situation due to the economic situation of their country, not their mental health
E: This means that by using this definition, people would incorrectly be labelled as abnormal when other definitions may not label them as abnormal.
L: This is a limitation of this definition of abnormality as it suggests that it is not appropriate in all cases and another definition may be more valid on occasions.
Statistical infrequency
Any behaviour which is statistically rare would be classed as abnormal. Deciding what is statistically infrequent requires us to examine a normal distribution curve. This is to identify what proportion of people share behaviour being looked at. Behaviour is abnormal if it falls out the range that is typical for most people. Their behaviour is statistical infrequent in population
Eg intellectual disorders like IQ
Anorexia from bmi
Depression and anxiety
AO3 for statistical infrequency
One strength of the statistical infrequency definition is that it is an objective way to define abnormality, as a clear cut off point has been agreed.
comparison to other definitions.
E: This makes it easier to decide who meets the criteria to be labelled as abnormal in
L: Therefore this definition is seen as less subjective than the other definitions. It can be used to help form a judgement abouf who needs psychiatric treatment.
@P: The main problem with this definition is that there are many statistically rare,
behaviours that are actually quite desirable.
E: For example, very few people have an IQ of over 150, yet it would not be suggested that having a high IQ is undesirable (and therefore abnormal).
E: Equally, there are some statistically frequent behaviours that are undesirable. For example, experiencing depression after a painful experience is quite common, yet it is common and would not be abnormal by this definition.
L: This is a problem when planning treatment as only undesirable behaviours need to be identified. Therefore, the definition would never be used alone to make a diagnosis.
P: If abnormality is defined in terms of statistical infrequency, we need to decide where the cut off point is and this is therefore subjective.
E: Many disorders, Anxiety, vary greatly between individuals in terms of their severity.
E: This makes it difficult to decide where the cut-off point lies. E.g. at what point does symptoms of anxiety become statistically rare and therefore abnormal.
L: This is a problem as the cut-off point is not objective and so the definition lacks validity and may not be appropriate to use.
( P: The statistical infrequency definition may be culturally biased.
E: This is because there are some behaviours that are statistically infrequent in some cultures but are more frequent in others.
E: For example, one of the symptoms of schizophrenia is claiming to hear voices.
However, this is an experience that is common in some cultures.
L: This is problematic as the statistical infrequency definition would class these individuals as abnormal even when they were displaying normal behaviour, so the definition can only be used to define abnormality in some cultures
Deviation from ideal mental health
Attempts to define the criteria required for normality. People who lack these traits are abnormal
P- perception of reality
R- resistance to stress
A- autonomy (independence )
M- mastery of environment - adjusting to new situations
S- self actualisation - focus on future and self identity
S - self attitudes and esteem
AO3 of ideal mental health
P: One strength of this definition is that it offers an alternative perspective on mental disorders.
E: This is because the definition focuses on the positives (the desirable behaviours)
rather than the negatives (the undesirable behaviours).
E: For example, it provides a criteria we can aspire to achieve in order to be psychologically healthy.
L: Jahoda’s ideas therefore, are in accord with the humanistic approach, which also focuses on the positive aspects of human nature and enables people to make positive changes.
@P: The definition may be culturally biased (ethnocentric).
E: This is because the ideals of mental health are not applicable to all cultures.
E: For example, the criterion of self-actualisation is relevant to members of individualistic cultures but not collectivists’ cultures, where individuals strive for the greater good of the community rather than for self-centred goals
L: This is a problem because for the definition to be classed as reliable, the same behaviour should be viewed consistently between cultures.
P: One of the major criticism of this definition is that it is unclear how many criteria need to be lacking before we are seen to be ‘deviating from ideal mental health’.
E: E.g., do all 6 criterion need to be present, or could we lack one or two and still be viewed as normal? In order to make this decision, a subjective judgement must be make.
E: In other words, it is left to individual psychiatrists to judge whether someone is deviating enough to be diagnosed and this could lead to inconsistency.
L: This lack of objectivity means that this definition of abnormality is rarely used in the real world.
P: A final problem with this definition is that the characteristics are highly idealistic.
E: This means that the ideal criteria set out are considered unrealistic to achieve.
E: For example, very few people achieve their full potential of self actualisation according to Maslow.
L: This is a problem because it means that most people would be classed as abnormal
