DISCUSS CONCEPTS OF NORMALITY AND ABNORMALITY

Concepts of Normality and Abnormality

  • Diagnosis of mental illness linked to identifying behavior considered "abnormal."

  • Definitions of mental illnesses evolve over time, reflecting changes in understanding abnormal behavior.

Determining Abnormal Behavior

  • Deviation from Social Norms:

    • Behavior is considered abnormal if it violates local community standards.

    • Example: Homosexuality was classified as abnormal until removed from the DSM in 1974.

    • Potential issue: Social norms may oppress minorities, as seen in the Soviet Union where dissenting opinions were labeled as mental illness.

    • Supportive Research: Bolton's study in Rwanda identified behaviors as abnormal post-genocide by assessing deviations from community coping norms.

  • Deviation from Optimal Health:

    • Proposed by Jahoda, suggesting behaviors reflecting good mental health identified using an "optimal health" checklist.

    • Checklist includes:

      • Sense of independence

      • Healthy interpersonal relationships

      • Good self-esteem

    • Criticism: Reflects individualistic cultural perspectives, may not apply universally to collectivistic cultures.

    • Continuum of mental health: Behaviors may fall across a spectrum, complicating categorization as normal or abnormal.

Subjectivity in Measurement

  • Distress and Dysfunction:

    • Distress: Level of negative stress, subjective and difficult to measure; often relies on self-reports.

    • Dysfunction: Inability to perform day-to-day tasks, but some abnormalities may lead to high productivity.

    • Example: Individuals with bipolar disorder may excel in creative fields.

    • Limitations: Individual experiences vary; normal distress exists (e.g., grief).

  • Symptom-Based Approach:

    • Utilizes lists like the DSM to identify abnormal behavior through specific symptoms.

    • Rosenhan Study (1973):

      • Confederates reported hearing non-existent voices to test diagnosis validity.

      • Most were misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.

      • Implication: Doctors may diagnose based on symptoms without thorough evaluation ("sick role bias").

      • Current updates to diagnostic manuals seek to improve accuracy.

      • Emphasizes the influence of personal and familial history in diagnoses.

Role of Culture in Diagnosis

  • Cultural norms shape perceptions of normal and abnormal behavior.

  • Example: Voice hearing is categorized as a symptom in Western contexts but may be normal in some cultures, as seen in Ghana with spiritual communication (Luhrman et al., 2014).

  • Increasing awareness in psychiatric diagnosis illustrates potential misapplications with ethnic minorities, requiring a more culturally sensitive framework.

Conclusion

  • Defining normal and abnormal behavior is central to abnormal psychology, yet lacks unanimous consensus.

  • The understanding of abnormality continues to develop with changing social norms and advances in medical knowledge.