Definitions of abnormality

Deviation from social norms

Violating the unwritten rule about the accepted standards of behaviour in a particular society. It causes distress from the observers. E.g. walking on the streets naked in London.

-Social norms differ between cultures and what is considered normal in one culture may be abnormal in another, leading to culture bias. For example maintaining eye contact whilst talking to people are essential in most western culture but it is seen as rude in Korea.

-Social norms can change as society progresses, a behviour could be stigmatised in the past but considered acceptable nowadays. For example homosexuality in Britain was illegal in the past but nowadays it is socially and legally accepted. Therefore, this definition fails to offer a complete explanation in its own right since it is related to degree and context. This reduces its validity as a universal definition of abnormality.

-STRENGTH : Can be used in clinical practice to identify symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder, which include characteristic such as agression and recklessness. Therefore this definition has a value in psychiatry

Deviation from ideal mental health

An individual fails to meet the criteria for good mental health. E.g. constant depression could represent a failure to resist depression and therefore deviates from ideal mental health. This definition is proposed by Marie Jahoda who believes that abnormal behaviour is triggered by the absence of a list of ideal characterisation. The more criteria someone fails to meet, the more abnormal they are.

-According to Jahoda, everyone would be labelled as abnormal even when experiencing stress and emotions that are out of their control. For example grieving with a family memeber’s death would be classified as abnormal.

-Cultural relativism : Some criteria for ideal mental health (e.g. personal growth and development) could be considered western in origin and may be overly self-centred in other cultures who favours community over individualism. Therefore this idea could be considered subjective.

-STRENGTH : Jahoda’s criteria focuses on positive and desirable behaviour rather than just abnormal behaviours. It also considers the whole person, taking into account a multitude of factors that can affect their mental wellbeing. Therefore the definition is comprehensive as it provides a checklist which we can assess ourselves and others, covering a broad range of criteria.

Marie Jahoda (1958) suggest that abnormal behaviour should be defined by the absence of a particular, ideal characteristics. She came up with six principles of ideal mental health. PPAARM

-Positive self-view with a strong sense of identity

-Personal growth and self-actualisation

-Autonomy (independent)

-Accurate view of reality

-Resistance to stress

-Master the environment

Statistical infrequency

A behaviour which is statistically rare. Abnormality is determined by the normal distribution graph of a particular behaviour within that society. E.g. 5% of people’s IQ are outside plus or minus 2 standard deviations from the mean.

-Certain traits (e.g. high IQ) are statistically uncommon and considered abnormal despite its desirable nature. Therefore this definition should not be used in isolation when making a diagnosis as it cannot distinguish between undesirable abnormality and desirable unusual characteristics

-Only uses quantitative data to determine abnormal behaviours which ignores the attitudes and motivations of individuals behind the circumstance. This meant that it lack the depth needed to fully explain abnormal behaviours and the choices made by individuals.

-STRENGTH : highly objective as the data are purely based on facts and measures of results rather than thoughts and opinions. This increases reliability because different clinicians are more likely to reach the same judgement when the criterion is based on an objective statistical cut-off.

Failure to function adequately

Being unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in a society. It can cause self-distress or distress to others. E.g. an individual experiencing severe depression may be unable to maintain employment, relationships or personal hygiene. This was proposed by Rosenhan and Seligman who states that behaviour fails to function when it demonstrates, for example, irrationality, unconventionality, or maladaptiveness. Measured by the GAF scale, a person must be suffering in order to be defined as abnormal.

-Subjective: what one person considers to be abnormal behaviour may be seen as normal by another person, depending on their personal expectations and beliefs.This means that psychologists may disagree on whether an individual is failing to function adequately, as there is no universal standard for what is considered adequate functioning. Therefore, this reduces the validity of the definition because it may lead to individuals being incorrectly labelled as abnormal.

-STRENGTH : It considers the personal experiences of the patient by considering the thoughts and feelings of the person experiencing the issue and does not simply make a judgement without taking the personal viewpoint of the sufferer. Useful for assessing psychopathological behaviours

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) proposed signs that can be used to tell if someone is not coping

-When a person is no longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules such as maintaining eye contact

-When a person experiences severe personal distress

-When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others