Definitions of Abnormality

Statistical Infrequency: Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, for example being more depressed or less intelligent than most of the population.

Intellectual Disability Disorder: The average IQ is set at 100. In a normal distribution, most people (68%) have a score in the range of 85 to 115. Only 2% of people have a score below 70. These individuals are very unusual and are liable to receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder.

Real-World Application (Stat Infrequency): Statistical infrequency is used in clinical practice. For example, a diagnosis of IDD requires an IQ of below 70 (bottom 2%). Furthermore, A score of 30+ (top 5%) on the Beck Depression Inventory is widely interpreted as indicating severe depression.

Unusual Characteristics can be Positive: For every person with an IQ below 70, there is another with an IQ above 130 however they wouldn’t be considered as abnormal for having a high IQ. This is similar for someone with a very low depression score on the BDI as abnormal. Being unusual may not always be bad.

Deviation from Social Norms: Concerns about behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society.

Norms and Culture: Social norms may be different for each generation and different in every culture, so there are relatively few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal on the basis that they breach social norms.

Antisocial Personality Disorder: Someone with psychopathy is impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible. According to the DSM-5 one important symptom is an ‘absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful and culturally normative ethical behaviour’. We are making the social judgement that psychopaths are abnormal because they don’t conform to our moral standards.

Real-World Application (Deviation): This is used in the clinical process. For example, the key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour which is a deviation from social norms which can also play a part in the diagnosis of schizoptypal personality disorder where ‘strange’ is used to characterise the thinking and behaviour of people with it.

Cultural and Situational Relativism: There is variability between social norms in different cultures and so someone from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards rather than the person’s standards. For example, hearing ‘ancestral’ voices may be seen as a sign within most parts of the UK however in other countries it can be considered spiritual.

Failure to Function Adequately: Occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living, such as maintaining hygiene or a job

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989): Proposed additional signs of someone failing to cope such as no longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules, experiencing severe personal distress and when they’re behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others

Represents a Threshold for Help: Most of us have symptoms of mental disorder to some degree at some time (about 25% of people experience a mental health issues in any given year). However many continue with fairly severe symptoms and only seek help when they are failing to function adequately.

Discrimination and Social Control: It’s easy to label non-standard living choices as abnormal such as not having a job or not having a permanent address, however fome people with alternative lifestyle choices prefer to live off-grid. These people are at greater risk of being labelled as abnormal.

Deviation From Ideal Mental Health: Occurs when someone doesn't meet Jahoda’s criteria for good mental health.

Jahoda’s criteria: We have no symptoms or distress, are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately, can self-actualise, cope with stress, have a realistic world view, good self-esteem and lack guilt, are independent of others and can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure.

A Comprehensive Definition (Ideal Mental Health): Jahoda’s criteria cover most reasons why we might seek help with mental health which means someone’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who might take a different theoretical view. It provides a checklist to assess ourselves.

May be Culture-Bound (Ideal Mental Health): Some of Jahoda’s criteria, such as self-actualisation, would probably be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world. Even within Europe, there is variation in the value placed on personal independence. High in Germany, low in Italy. Also what defines success in our working, social and love lives is very different in different cultures.