psychology : mental health - defining abnormality

treatments in the 21st century

• fluoxetine was developed

• medicines and therapy

4 ways to ‘define’ mental illness / abnormalities

• statistical infrequency

• deviation from social norms

• failure to function adequately

• deviation from ideal mental health

statistical infrequency explanation

• behaviours that are not common / that are statistically rare

• used for measurable characteristics e.g. anxiety, intelligence

statistical infrequency limitations

• some abnormal behaviours are desirable (e.g. high IQ)

• cut off is subjective (how do we decide where we draw the line between normal and abnormal)

deviation from social norms explanation

• when a persons behaviour is different from what is socially acceptable (violates unwritten rules of acceptable behaviour)

• behaviour may be incomprehensible to others and make others feel threatened or uncomfortable

deviation from social norms limitations

• ideas of socially normal behaviour changes over time (e.g. views of homosexuality)

• has to be taken in context (e.g. wearing a bikini in winter is abnormal, in summer is normal)

• cultural relativism (different cultures have different views on what is normal)

• there are degrees of abnormality (e.g. in riots people stole TV’s, one stole food)

failure to function adequately explanation

• a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life

• may be unable to perform the behaviours necessary for day-to-day living (e.g. self care, holding down a job)

• when a persons way of thinking, emotional responses or actual behaviour is dangerous / prevents them from functioning well

• rosenhan + seligman suggest the following characteristics : suffering, maladaptiveness (danger to self), loss of control and unpredictability

failure to function adequately limitations

• who judges

• the degree of which someone functions inadequately

• smoking / drinking alcohol - is this maladaptive

• cultural relativism

• failure to function has to be taken in context

deviation from ideal mental health explanation

• rather than defining what’s abnormal, we look at what’s normal and anything that deviates from this is abnormal

• marie jahoda developed 6 categories

  → self attitude, positive view of self

  → capacity for growth and development

  → autonomy and independence

  → accurate perception of reality

  → positive friendships and relationships

  → environmental mastery - able to meet the varying demands of day-to-day situations

deviation from ideal mental health limitations

• the standard of ideal mental health is set too high (most people don’t meet the 6 categories)

• physical vs mental health diagnostic techniques

• cultural relativism (e.g. in our culture is someone was hearing voices we may think they have schizophrenia, other cultures may think it makes them more spiritual)