Clinical psychology and mental health

Abnormality

Deviating from what is normal/ usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying

definitions of abnormality

Statistical infrequency

Deviation from social norms

Failure to function adequately

Deviation from ideal mental health

Statistical infrequency

Someone is abnormal if they have a trait/characteristic that is numerically rare/uncommon in a general population

Deviation from social norms

Violating the unwritten rules of what is expected/acceptable behaviour in a society

Their behaviour may: be incomprehensible to others, make others feel threatened or uncomfortable

Failure to function adequately

Someone is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life

Holding down a job, self care and hygiene, interactions

Deviation from ideal mental health

A person is abnormal if they fail to meet Marie Jahoda’s criteria of ideal mental health

What is the criteria for ideal mental health?

Marie jahoda(1958)

Accurate perception of reality

Good self esteem

Positive friendships and relationships

Independence and autonomy

Resistance to stress

Strengths of statistical infrequency

Objective, quantitative, no clinical bias, clear differentiation, used in diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder

Limitations of statistical infrequency

Rarity does not guarantee abnormality-depression is very common but abnormal

Doesn’t always need treatment, some rare disorders are desirable like high IQ

Strengths of deviation from social norms

Used in diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder

Considered context of situation unlike statistical infrequency

Limitations of deviation from social norms

Cultural relativitism- social norms differ across cultures and societies

Normal changes over time

Strengths of failure to function adequately

Includes subjective experience of the individual rather than just looking at numbers

Limitations of failure to function adequately

Most people fail to function adequately at some point(bereavement) not everyone is abnormal- may be seen as abnormal to act as usual during times of adversity

Some people function adequately but are still engaged in abnormal behaviour

Strengths of deviation from ideal mental health

Very comprehensive- covers a broad range of criteria for mental health

Only definition that focuses positively on what makes a person abnormal rather than on defects

Limitations of deviation from ideal mental health

Unrealistic- the criteria is so demanding that no one can meet all of them at the same time, but not everyone is abnormal

Cultural relativism- western culture bias - ‘self actualisation’ and ‘autonomy’ are valued in the west but seen as selfish in collectivist cultures that prize community over self

Phobia

An anxiety disorder which interferes with daily living

Instance of irrational fear- produces conscious avoidance of feared object/situation

Types of phobias

Specific phobia- phobia of an object or situation

Social anxiety- phobia of a social situation

Agoraphobia- phobia of being outside or in a public place

Emotional characteristics meaning

How one FEELS when they see the feared objecti

Behavioural characteristics meaning

Ways in which people act

Cognitive characteristic meaning

Thinking beliefs

Emotional characteristics of phobias

Anxiety - phobias are classed as anxiety disorders

Fear

emotional response is unreasonable

Behavioural characteristics of phobias

Panic

Avoidance

Endurance

Cognitive characteristics of phobias

Selective attention to phobic stimulus

Irrational beliefs

Cognitive distortions

OCD meaning

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a long-term mental health condition characterized by a distressing, cyclical pattern of unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions)

Obsessions

Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges or impulses that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted and unusually cause anxiety or distress

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviours or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly

The behaviours or mental acts aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress

Emotional characteristics of OCD