Definitions of abnormality: including statistical infrequency, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately and ideal mental health

Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, for example being more depressed or less intelligent than the rest of the population

According to the statistical definition any relatively usual behaviour or characteristic can be thought of as 'normal' and any behaviour that is different to this is 'abnormal'. we can, for example, say that at any one time only a small number of people will have an irrational fear of buttons or believe for no good reason that their neighbours are zombies.

Example: this explanation comes into its own when dealing with characteristics that can be reliably measured such as intelligence. In any human characteristic the majority of people`s scores will cluster around an average, and the further we go above or below that average, the fewer people will attain that score. this is called the normal distribution. The average IQ is set at 100 - most people (68%) have an IQ in the range of 85 and 115. only 2% of people have an IQ score of below 70 and therefore those people are very unusual / 'abnormal' and are liable to recieve a diagnosis of a psychological disorder - intellectual disability disorder (used to be known as mental retardation)

Strength - Real life Application - Statistical infrequency has been used to diagnose intellectual disability disorder, meaning there is a place for it when considering what behaviours and characteristics are normal/abnormal. all assessments of patients with mental disorders include some kind of measurement of severity of symptoms compared to statistical norms making it a part of clinical assessment

Weakness - Unusual characteristics can be positive - IQ scores over 130 are considered abnormal but would not be considered as requiring treatment to return to 'normal'. Just because very few people display a certain behaviour, thus making it statistically abnormal, treatment is not always required. this is a serious weakenss and means that statistical infrrequency would never be used alone to make a diagnosis

Weakenss - Not everyone benefits from a Label - some people who are abnormal are able to live happy and fulfilled lives in which they are not distressed and capable of working for example (meaning they would not need a diagnosis). If such a person was 'labelled' as abnormal this may have a negative effect on the way others view them the way they view themselves

concerns behaviour this is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society

Groups of people choose to define behaviour as abnormal on the basis that it offends thier sense of what is 'acceptable' or the norm. a collective judgement is made by society regarding what is right

Norms are specific to the culture we live in - there are norms that are different for every generation and culture, meaning there are few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal on the basis they breach social norms. Homosexuality for exampe continues to be viewed as abnormal in some cultures and was considered abnormal in society in the past

Example - antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy):

these people are impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible. according to DSM-5 one important symptom is 'an absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour'. we are basically making the social judgement psychopaths are abnormal as they dont conform to moral standards of a range of cultures

Weakness - not a sole explanation - it has the real life application in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. however, there are other factors including the distress to other people resulting from antisocial personality disorder (the failure to function adequately). in practise, deviation from social norms is never the sole reason for defining abnormality

Weakness - Cultural relativism - social norms vary tremendously from one generation to another meaning, for example, hearing voices would be seen as socially acceptable in some cultures but would be a sign of mental abnormality in the UK. this can create problems for people from one culture living with another culture group

Weakness - can lead to human rights abuses - too much reliance on deviation from social norms can lead to systematic human rights abuses. historical examples of devation from social norms, such as black slaves running away, were really diagnoses to maintain control over minority ethnic groups. such classifications seem ridiculous in modern times but only because social norms have changed - more radical psychologists claim some modern categories are really abusing rights to be different

occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living

it can be decided that someone is not functioning adequately when they are unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygeine. Likewise, they may not be able to hold down a job or maintain relationships with those around them.

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) proposed signs that can be used to determine when someone is not coping  including: when a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules such as maintaining eye contact and respecting personal space; when a person experiences severe personal distress; when a persons behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themsleves or others.

Example - intellectual disability disorder - a diagnosis would not be made solely on the basis that a person had a low IQ, they would have to also be failing to function adequately before a diagnosis could be made. 

Strength - patient`s perspective - does attempt to include the subjective experience of the patient - it may not be an entirely satisfactory approach as it is hard to assess distress, but at least this definition acknowledges that the experience of the patient (and or others) is important. in this sense it captures the experience of many people who need help, meaning that this explanation is a useful criteria for assessing abnormality

Weakness - in practise it can be hard to say when someone is really failing to adequately function and when they are just deviating from social norms. not having a job or permanent address is a sign of failing to function adequately but there are also people with alternate lifestyles who choose to live this way. similarly, those who practise extreme sports can be accused of behaving in a maladaptive way, while those with religious/supernatural beliefs caould be seen as irrational. there is a risk that considering these behaviours as failing to function adequately would lead to limiting personal freedom and discriminating against minority groups

Weakness - Subjective judgement - part of diagnosis involves a psychiatrist judging whether the patient is distressed or distressing. some patients may say they are distressed while being jusged as not suffering. there are methods for making such judgements as objective as possible (such as the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale checklist)

occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health

Marie Jahoda (1958) suggested we are in good mental health if we meet the following criteria:

• we have no symtoms of distress;
• we are rational and can percieve ourselves accurately;
• we self-actualise (reach our potential);
• we can cope with stress;
• we have a realistic view of the world;
• we have good self-esteem and lack guilt;
• we are independent of other people;
• we can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure

there is inevitably some overlap between what we call deviation from ideal mental health and what we may call failure to function adequately. we can think of someone`s inability to keep a job as either a failure to cope with the pressures of work or as a deviation from the ideal of successfully working.

Strength - comprehensive definition - it covers a broad range of criteria for mental health and probably covers most of the reasons someone would seek help from mental health services or be referred to for help. the range of factors discussed in relation to Jahoda`s ideal mental health make it a good tool for thinking about mental health

Weakness - cultural revisionism - some ideas related to ideal mental health are specific to western European and North American cultures (we say they are culture-bound) - for example the emphasis on personal achievement / self-actualisation would be considered self-indulgent in many collectivist communitites due to the focus on the individual as opposed to the family/community. similarly, most of the world would see independence from other people as a bad thing as they are typical of individualist cultures

Weakness - sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health - very few people achieve the entirety of Jahoda`s criteria, and none achieve them all at the same time or keep them up for very long. therefore, this means that pretty much everyone would be diagnosed as abnormal. positive- makes it clear to people the ways they could benefit from seeking treatment, however, it is probably of no value when considering who would benefit from treatment against their will