definitions of abnormality

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  • Definitions of Abnormality
    • statistical infrequency
      • occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic
        • e.g. being more depressed than the rest of the population or being less intelligent
      • e.g. the IQ scores
      • Evaluations
        • real life appication
          • can be used to diagnose intellectual disability disorder (retardation)
          • all mental patients are compared with how severe they are compared to statistical norms
          • statistical infrequency is actually useful
        • unusual characteristics can be positive
          • having a high IQ is something that is now desired. it used to be abnormal
          • people with extremely low IQ's or high IQ's can still be capable and does not always require treatment
          • limitation to concept of statistical infrequency. also means we need more than this to diagnose someone
        • not everyone unusual benefits from a label
          • someone with a low IQ but is perfectly capable of working and living life will have no bnefits from being labelled mentally retarded
          • can view themselves negatively and make others view them differently even though they're capable
    • deviation from social norms
      • behaviour that is different from the expectation of social norms
        • making a collective judgement as a society about what is right
      • norms are different depending on the culture we live in
        • e.g. being homosexual is still abnormal in some society's /cultures, now accepted in this society.
      • Evaluations
        • real life application to the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder
          • need to consider the distress to people suffering fro antisocial personality disorder
            • so never the sole reason for defining abnormality
        • cultural relativism
          • social norms are different from generations
            • creates a problem for people living in a particular country with a different culture to them
              • E.G. some cultures think it is fine to hear voices, in UK it is abnormal
        • can lead to systematic abuse of human rights
          • some social norms from the past appear stupid now, only because time and society has changed
          • are we abusing peoples rights to be different?...

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