DEFINITIONS OF ABNORMALITY (2)

~FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY~

→ When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living

→ Some signs of this include:

  • When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules (e.g. maintaining eye contact)

  • When a person experiences severe personal distress

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

EVALUATION

+ REPRESENTS A THRESHOLD FOR HELP

  • One strength of the failure to function criterion is that it represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help.

  • According to Mind Charity, 25% of people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year.

  • However, it tends to be those who cease to function adequately that seek professional help or are noticed and referred by others.

  • This criterion means that treatment and services can be targeted to those who need them most.

- DISCRIMINATION AND SOCIAL CONTROL

  • One limitation of failure to function is that it is easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal.

  • For example, not having a job or permanent address may seem like failing to function. However, people with alternative lifestyles choose to live ‘off-grid’.

  • Similarly, those who favour high-risk leisure activities may be classified as irrational and unreasonable.

  • This means that people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled abnormal.

~DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH~

→ When someone does not meet the set of criteria for good mental health

→ The criteria suggests qualities of good mental health, and so if you lack them, you are deviating from ideal mental health. The criteria is looking for an absence of wellbeing:

  • We are rational

  • We self-actualise

  • We have high self-esteem

  • We can cope with stress

EVALUATION

+ A COMPREHENSIVE DEFINITION

  • One strength of the criterion is that it is highly comprehensive.

  • The criterion covers most of the reasons why we might seek or be referred to professional help for mental health issues.

  • This, in turn, means that an individuals mental health can be discussed with a range of professionals who might take different theoretical views.

  • This means that ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves, and discuss psychological issues with a range of professionals.

- MAY BE CULTURE BOUND

  • One limitation of the criterion is that it’s different elements are not equally applicable across a range of cultures.

  • For example, the criteria mainly focuses on the context of the US and Europe generally. In particular, the concept of self-actualisation would probably be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world.

  • Furthermore, what defines success in our working and social lives varies across different cultures.

  • This means that it is difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another.