DEFINITIONS OF ABNORMALITT: deviation from social norms

DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS

Abnormal behavior is seen as a deviation from the accepted standards or rules of behavior in a given society or culture.

• Example: Talking to oneself in public or dressing unusually may be seen as abnormal depending on cultural norms.

STRENGTH

© Good Face Validity

One good thing about this definition is that it has good face validity as many people with mental health problems do display behaviours that deviate from social norms eg. people with OCD may spend most of the day cleaning. This means that it is useful for alerting friends and family that there is a problem.

WEAKNESS

Variations in Social Norms

The main problem with this definition is that social norms are constantly changing; they change over time, they change from one situation to the next, they vary from one culture to another.

• Change over time - Some behaviours, which we now consider perfectly normal, used to be considered abnormal.
  E.g., homosexuality was classed as a mental disorder ('sexual perversion" until 1973.

• Change with context/situation - Behaviour that is appropriate in one situation is inappropriate in others. For example, talking out loud to yourself in public may be seen as a sign of a mental health issue but talking to yourself in private to motivate yourself to do something "come on Jack..." is something that is seen as acceptable.

Different cultures have different social norms - Behaviours labelled as abnormal in one culture may be considered normalin another. Eg, binge drinking is socially. 'normal' in the UK but would be considered abnormal and a sign of alcohol abuse in other cultures. Cultural differences in social norms may lead to cultural bias in diagnosis of mental health conditions when Western classification systems such as the DSM are used to diagnose people from different cultural backgrounds.

These changes in social norms mean it is difficult to distinguish normal from abnormal behaviour using this definition. It may lead to individuals being mis-diagnosed and labelled with a mental disorder when in fact they are not in need of treatment and can live full and happy lives.

WEAKNESS