Psychopathology- definitions of abnormality

How many definitions of abnormality are there?

four

Which definition is based upon someone having a numerically less common characteristic?

Statistical deviation

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 deviation?

Abnormally low or high IQ

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?

APD (psychopathy)

What definition is based upon someone unable to cope with the demands of day-to-day living?

Failure to function adequately

Who proposed the idea of failure to function adequately?

Rosenhan and Seligman

How many criteria did Rosenhan and Seligman consider as evidence of failure to function adequately?

Seven

What 3 areas of life does failure to function consider?

1) their well-being i.e. their ability to retain relationships and employment, 2) their safety e.g. maintaining basic standards of nutrition and hygiene, and 3) the safety of others

Give an example of Rosenhan and Seligman’s criteria.

Irrationality and unpredictability.

Who proposed the idea of deviation from ideal mental health?

Jahoda

What is meant by deviation from ideal mental health?

Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health. This means that it considers what is ‘normal’ and then identifies people who deviate from this ideal.

Jahoda suggested that we have good mental health if we meet criteria such as what?

No symptoms of distress, we are rational, cope with stress, have high self-esteem and have a realistic view of the world.

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

Statistical deviation, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health. 

What is a real-world application of statistical deviation? 

In the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder, all mental disorders include some form of measurement of their severity against statistical norms. 

What is a real-world application of deviation from social norms?

In the diagnosis of APD.

What is a strength of failure to function adequately?

It attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual e.g. it captures the experience of many people who need help.

What is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health?

It covers a very broad range of criteria for mental health. The list provided by Jahoda is a good tool for thinking about mental health.

What are the limitations of statistical deviation? 

• Doesn’t always mean that the traits are negative e.g. having a very high IQ.

• The use of labels of abnormality can have a negative effect, e.g. someone with a low IQ may be capable of work so would not need to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability, so it can have a detrimental effect on how they view themselves.

What are the limitations of deviation from social norms? 

• It is never the sole reason for defying abnormality, it is often used alongside other definitions.

• It suffers from cultural relativism because social norms are actually specific to the culture that we live in and will be different for each generation and culture. This makes a universal definition difficult to achieve and creates problems for people from one culture living with another cultural group.

• It can lead to human rights abuses if there is too much reliance.

What are the limitations of failure to function adequately? 

• Certain behaviours such as religion which could be viewed as irrational may limit personal freedom and discriminate against minority groups.

• The decision whether someone does meet this criteria when a patient is distressed is subjective and based upon the psychiatrist’s judgement.

What are the limitations of deviation from ideal mental health? 

• It suffers from cultural relativism as some of the classifications are culture bound and specific to individualistic cultures in Europe and North America e.g. independence from others and self-actualising.

• The criteria set unrealistically high standards and few would be able to achieve and sustain all of the criteria all of the time which means that the majority of people could be considered abnormal, which makes it harder to consider who might need treatment against their will.