Abnormality definitions
Deviation from social norms:
Behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
+ distinguishes between positive and negative behaviours
- cultural relativity- social norms are different in different cultures
- social norms change over time-what may be abnormal at one time may be normal now
Failure to function adequately:
When somebody is unable to cope with the ordinary demands of day- to-day living
Features of abnomatity:
Suffering
Maladaptive behaviour
Unconventionality
Unpredictability and loss of control
Irrational and incomprehensibility
+ allows us to view the mental disorder from the point of view of the person experiencing it
- some people can be abnormal but still appear to function normally, such as Harold Shipman
- Limited by cultural relativism - in some cultures, someone may be seen as functioning but in others, they may not
Statistical infrequency:
When someone has a rare/uncommon characteristic such as a higher IQ score than most of the population
+ objective way to define abnormality, as a clear cut off point has been decided
- there are many abnormal behaviours that are desirable, for example high IQ
- many disorders vary greatly between individuals in terms of their severity which makes it hard to decide where the cutoff lies
- may be culturally biased, because some behaviours that are infrequent in a culture may be frequent in another
Deviation from ideal mental health:
When someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
Characteristics for ideal mental health:
Perception of reality
Resistance to stress
Self attitude
Autonomy (independence)
Self actualisation (personal growth)
Environmental mastery
+ focuses on the positive desirable qualities rather than the negative undesirable behaviours
- definition may be ethnocentric as the ideals of mental health are not applicable to all cultures
- it is unclear as to how many criteria need to be lacking before someone is seen to be deviating from ideal mental health