Clinical Psychology: 5.1.1: Diagnosis

A behaviour is considered abnormal if :

  • Deviance- rare in society
  • Dysfunction-Abnormal behaviour that interferes with daily functioning
  • Distress- Subjective feeling of pain
  • Danger- Dangerous to oneself or others 

This can supposedly be used to define abnormality and help diagnose mental disorders. 

Evaluation of this concept. 

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  • Created by: SoLazy
  • Created on: 16-11-17 16:12

Clinical Psychology: 5.1.1: Diagnosis

Advantages

  • It provides clinicians a good guidance as there is no objective method of measuring abnormality. Thus increasing diagnostic accuracy and reliability.
  • Clinicians can use this framework to devise an individualised treatment to decease the deviance, dysfunction, distress, danger and duration of the presenting problems.

Disadvantages

  • It fails to account for statistically rare but desirable and healthy behaviours s such as high IQs or being extremely athletic as these behaviours are celebrated and not considered as mental health issues or seen abnormally in a negative way. Therefore demonstrating there are anomalies in using this to diagnose.
  • It also fails to take into account cultural differences as some behaviours appear rare in one culture but common in others.E.g depression is rarely reported in Asian cultures in contrast to Western Cultures. Therefore questions generalisation on a global scale of this definition of abnormality.
  • Some behaviours would be classed within the normal range due to a large population possessing the behaviour such as anxiety are seen abnormal in the clinical sense. Therefore demonstrating that this diagnostic tool to be a reductionist.
  • There are philosophical and ethical issues of defining one abnormal due to the issue and effect of labelling one as abnormal as reported by Rosenhan's 1973 study whereby the label of  abnormality creates the diagnosis rather than the other way around.
  • This definition is not universal because social norms change over time  such as perspective of homosexuality as standards within society change from era to era.

Evaluation

Ultimately these four criteria enable not only clinicians but individuals to realise if there is something abnormal about their behaviour and can provide treatment at a later stage. However, it is just far too simplistic and objectively inconsistent in being able to diagnose one with a mental disorder. 

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