Defining Abnormality
- Created by: PsychoMunchkin
- Created on: 13-06-22 17:40
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- Defining Abnormality
- Statistical Infrequency
- This definition says behaviour is abnormal if it is statistically rare/ uncommon /infrequent
- It is based on the idea that behaviour is normally distributed and that there is a central average for a behaviour
- Suggests that anyone that falls 2 standard deviations away from the mean is abnormal
- example: only 1% of the population have schizophrenia
- Strengths
- Objective - not based on opinions but factual evidence
- statistics are easy to measure and compare
- Weaknesses
- Relies on statistics which may be inaccurate – therefore lacks validity.
- Not everything rare is a negative or abnormal
- statistics can be arbituary
- Deviation from Social Norms
- Social norms are approved and expected ways of behaving in a particular society
- Under this definition, a person’s thinking or behaviour is abnormal if it violates or deviates from the rules in their society
- Strengths
- Easy to observe whether people are going against social norms
- Weaknesses
- Social norms vary from culture to culture
- norms change over time (a behaviour may have been abnormal then but not now)
- Failure to Function Adequately
- a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of every day life
- If a person struggles to live independently they may be seen as failing to function adequately
- This may mean they are unable to look after themselves, have a job, interact with others, get on a bus etc.
- Strengths
- This definition takes into account not only the impact of the individual but also the effect it has on their family/friends
- Weaknesses
- Many ‘normal’ people do struggle to function adequately after a life event like a break-up or a bereavement, but we don’t consider them abnormal
- Using this definition may mean it is largely subjective as to what is considered adequate
- Many people engage with behaviour that is potentially harmful but we don’t call them as abnormal
- Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
- Jahoda (1958)?
- She proposed 6 elements for optimal living
- 1. Positive attitudes towards self
- 2. Growth, development and self-actualisation
- 3. Voluntary control of behaviour
- 4. Psychological balance with resistance to stress and frustration
- 5. True perception of reality
- 6. Adequacy in love, work and play, with the ability to adapt and adjust
- She proposed 6 elements for optimal living
- This definition focuses on what is normal/ideal for an individual?
- ?It focuses on a person’s well-being.
- Strengths
- Attempts to outline what ‘normal’ actually is, rather than saying what isn’t normal
- Weaknesses
- Subjective
- largely based on Western ideals (ethnocentric)
- Almost impossible for anyone to achieve this all the time
- Jahoda (1958)?
- Statistical Infrequency
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