Section 4 - Psychopathology Flashcards
What can abnormality be described as?
A deviation from social norms
What is a problem with describing abnormality as a deviation from social norms?
That it could be used to justify the removal of ‘unwanted’ people from a society
What is a positive evaluation of deviation from social norms?
It does not impose a western side of abnormality on non-western cultures. Diagnosing abnormality according to social norms is not ethnocentric; it represents the cultural differences between societies
What are negative evaluations of deviation from social norms?
. Low temporal validity - societal norms change over time. ex - homosexuality was considered abnormal and defined as a mental health disorder. Now homosexuality is considered socially acceptable and normal by many societies. Social norms are not a valid measure of abnormality over time
. Cultural bias - what is normal in some cultures may be considered abnormal in others. ex - homosexuality in the UK is considered socially acceptable and normal but in places like Nigeria, it is considered abnormal and illegal. This definition of abnormality is not cross-culturally relative
. Context-dependent - behaviour considered normal in some contexts is considered abnormal in others meaning that this definition of abnormality is not stable. ex - wearing a bikini is normal at the beach but abnormal in a restaurant
How else can abnormality be described as?
As deviation from statistical norms
Abnormality can be seen as a statistically rare behaviour. How can this be shown in a graph of normal distribution?
. People who behave in the average way make up the middle of the bell shaped curve
. People who behave ‘abnormally’ make up the tail ends of the bell curve (this behaviour is rare; statistically infrequent)
What are the problems with defining abnormality in terms of statistical infrequency?
- Doesn’t take into account desirability of behaviour, just its frequency. ex - very high IQ is abnormal as is a very low one but high IQ more desirable than having a low one
- No distinction between rare, slightly odd behaviour and rare, psychologically abnormal behaviour
- No definite cut off point where normal behaviour becomes abnormal behaviour
- Some behaviours that are considered psychologically abnormal are quite common. Hasset and White argue that you cannot use statistical infrequency to define abnormality because of this. Using the statistical infrequency idea, some disorders would not be classed as anything unusual
What is a positive evaluation of statistical infrequency?
Individuals being assessed are evaluated objectively which is better than the dependency of a subjective opinion of a clinician as 2 clinicians may disagree
What is the failure to function adequately?
The individual is defined as abnormal if they cannot cope in their daily lives, including their ability to interact with the world and meet their challenges
What were Rosenhan and Seligman’s features of failure to function?
. Maladaptive behaviour
. Personal anguish
. Observer discomfort
. Irrationality
. Unconventionality
What is meant by maladaptive behaviour?
Individuals behave in a way that go against their long term interests
What is meant by personal anguish?
Individual suffers from anxiety and distress
What is meant by observer discomfort?
Individuals behaviour causes distress to those around them
What is meant by irrationality?
It is difficult to understand the motivation behind an individuals behaviour
What is meant by unconventionality?
Behaviour doesn’t match what is typically expected by society
Negative evaluations of the failure to function adequately (FFA)?
. Whether someone is coping or not is subjective and based on the clinicians opinion. Judgement may be biased meaning 2 clinicians may not agree on whether someone is managing
. FFA only includes people who cannot cope; psychopaths can often function in ways that benefit them such as lower empathy leading to success in business or politics; however this may have negative implications for those around them
. Not all maladaptive behaviour indicates mental illness; taking part in extreme sports, eating unhealthy food and drinking alcohol all risk health so are arguably maladaptive however it is disagreed that these behaviour are maladaptive
Positive evaluations of the failure to function adequately (FFA)?
The FFA definition respects individual and their own personal experiences unlike statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms cannot do as these definitions of abnormality are based on what is normal in general population
What are some negative evaluations of statistical infrequency?
. Subjective decision on the cut off point for what is statistically rare enough to be defined as abnormal. ex - defining intellectual disability as 70IQ and under means people with IQ just above 70 may be denied support
. Not all statistically rare traits are negative. ex - those at higher end of intelligence. IQs of 130 are as statistically rare as IQs of 70 so a good definition of abnormality should not identify people with high intelligence as having psychopathology and in need of additional support
. Certain psychopathologies are common like mild depression so this definition isn’t appropriate when considering society’s high incidence of mental health disorders
What is the deviation from ideal mental health’s definition of abnormality?
Similar to physical health by looking for signs of a deviation from normal functioning and well-being
Johoda identified 6 conditions associated with mental health what are they?
- Positive self attitude
- Self-actualisation
- Resistance to stress
- Personal autonomy
- Accurate perception of reality
- Adaptation to the environment
