Definitions of Abnormality continued

Question 1

Failure to function adequately

Answer 1

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day living. Might decide that someone is this case when they can’t maintain hygiene or relationships or a job.

Question 2

When? (Rosenhan & Seligman)

Answer 2

1) When someone no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules: eye contact, personal space.
2) When experiencing sever personal distress
3) When behaviour is irrational or dangerous to themselves or others.

Question 3

Example

Answer 3

Intellectual disability disorder. When IQ and failure to function then given this diagnosis.

Question 4

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Answer 4

Occurs when someone doesn’t meet a set of criteria for good mental health.

Question 5

What does Ideal Mental Health Look like? (Jahoda)

Answer 5

No distress, rational behaviour, cope with stress, realistic view of world, self esteem, lack guilt, independent, successfully work.

Question 6

Strength

Answer 6

Does attempt to include subjective experience of individual. Difficult to assess distress but definition acknowledges experience. Good criterion to assess abnormality.

Question 7

Weakness

Answer 7

Hard to say when someone is failing to function or deviating from social norms. We might think that not having a job is a sign of failure. But then what do we say about people with alternative lifestyles who choose not to have those things. If we treat these behaviours as failures, we risk limiting personal freedom and discriminating against other minority groups.

Question 8

Weakness

Answer 8

When deciding whether someone is failing to function, someone has to judge whether a patient is distressed. Some may say they are distressed but may be judged as not suffering.

Question 9

Strength

Answer 9

Deviation from ideal mental health is comprehensive. Covers a broad range of criteria for mental health and covers most of the reasons someone would seek help from mental health services.

Question 10

Weakness

Answer 10

Some of the ideas are specific to Western European and North American cultures. For instance the emphasis on personal achievement in concept of reaching potential would be considered self indulgent in much of the world as emphasis is on the individual rather than the community. Also, some of the world would see independence from other people as a bad thing.

Question 11

Strength/Weakness

Answer 11

Few of us achieve all of Jahoda’s criteria and none of us achieve all of them at the same time. This approach could be seen as abnormal. Strength: makes it clear to people the ways in which they could benefit from seeking treatment to improve their mental health. Weakness: deviation from mental health is of no value in thinking about who might benefit from treatment against their will.