Definitions of abnormality

How many definitions of abnormality are there?

4

What is statistical infrequency?

Involves the use of numerical data from statistics to determine whether a behaviour/trait is common among the majority of individuals or rare

According to the normal distribution curve, what percentage of people would be expected to contain values within 2 standard deviations of the mean?

95%

Give an example of statistical inferequency

Abnormally low or high IQ

What is strength of the definition of statistical infrequency?

Valuable tool in clinical practice:

• Used to determine formal diagnoses → e.g. intellectual disability disorder (IDD) requires an IQ score below 70, which is in the bottom 28%

• Used to assess the severity of an individual’s symptoms → e.g. Beck Depression Inventory (BD), where a score of 30 or higher indicates severe depression (top 5% of respondents)

What is a limitation of the definition of statistical infrequency?

Abnormal, infrequent characteristics can be positive as well as negative:

• While someone with an IQ below 70 is considered abnormal, there is someone else with an IQ above 130 who is not seen as abnormal

• Similarly, a person with a very low depression score on the BDI is not considered abnormal

What is meant by deviation from social norms?

Behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour within a community or society

Give an example of deviation from social norms

ADP (psychopathy)

What is a strength of the definition of deviation from social norms?

Useful criterion in clinical practice, particularly in psychiatry:

• Anti-social Personality Disorder (APD) is defined by the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour (e.g. aggression, recklessness & violation of others’ rights)

• In the diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder, the term “strange” is used to characterise the behaviour, thinking & appearance of individuals with the disorder

What is a limitation of the definition of deviation from social norms?

• Social norms vary greatly across/within cultures

• For example, hearing voices can be viewed as normal in some cultures, whilst in most parts of the UK, it is considered abnormal

What is meant by failure to function adequately?

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living

Who proposed the idea of failure to function adequately?

Rosenhan and Seligman

What are the 7 characteristics that Rosen and Seligman considered as evidence of failing to function adequately?

• Suffering (they appear to suffer)

• Maladaptiveness (they don’t act how someone normally would in a given situation)

• Observer discomfort (their behaviour makes other people feel uncomfortable)

• Unconventional behaviours (their behaviour differs from other people’s)

• Unpredictable behaviour (they act in ways which we can’t predict)

• Violation of moral standards (they go against the laws or unwritten rules of society)

• Irrational behaviour (they blow things out of proportion)

How do we judge failure to function adequately?

The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF)

What are strengths of the definition of failure to function adequately?

• Measurable: the GAF is a scale & allows for the extent of FFA to be measured → means the decision of whether a behaviour is abnormal can be made in an objective way

• Behaviour is observable: FFA can be seen by others around the individual (e.g. they may not get out of bed in the morning or be able to hold down a job) → means problems can be picked up by others & if the individual is incapable of helping themselves, others can intervene

What is a limitation of the definition of failure to function adequately, regarding abnormality doesn’t always stop the person functioning?

• The focus of how someone is coping may mean that some abnormal behaviour is missed

• People may appear fine to others as they fit into society & have jobs/homes. But they may have distorted thinking which is causing them inner distress that they hide

What is a limitation of the definition of failure to function adequately, regarding everyday life varies?

• Normal everyday life varies within & across cultures

• Some body clocks mean that individuals don’t rise until midday but they function well at other times

• Culturally, it isn’t unusual to have siestas, or move home regularly which may be seen as abnormal

What is meant by deviation from ideal mental health?

Occurs when someone does not meet Jahoda’s set of criteria for good mental health

What are Jahoda’s six criteria for ideal mental health?

• Self-actualisation

• Accurate perception of reality

• Positive attitudes towards the self

• Personal autonomy

• Adapting to environment

• Resistant to stress

What is a strength of the definition of deviation from ideal mental health?

• Allows for an individual who is struggling to have targeted intervention if their behaviour is abnormal

• The idea allows for clear goals to be set and focused upon to achieve ideal mental health

What are limitations of the definition of deviation from ideal mental health?

• The criteria outlined by Jahoda makes ideal mental health practically impossible to achieve (the majority of the population would be abnormal)

• Criteria of autonomy makes collectivist cultures seem abnormal. Non-western cultures cannot relate to the criteria Jahoda outlines