Definitions of abnormality

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  • Created by: asusre
  • Created on: 16-04-21 13:16
What are the four definitions of abnormality?
The four definitions of abnormality are deviation from social norms, statistical infrequency, failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health.
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What does deviation from social norms mean?
Deviation from social norms defines abnormal behaviour as that which violates the accepted standards of behaviour in a society.
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How do social norms differ?
Norms are specific to each generation and each culture, so there are few behaviours that would be considered universally abnormal on the basis that they breach social norms. Depending culture and time period, being gay can either be seen as abnormal or be
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What is one strength of deviation from social norms?
Deviation from social norms has a real-world practical application.
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What is the practical application of deviation from social norms?
Deviation from social norms is used in clinical practice to classify antisocial personality disorder.
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What are the limitations of deviation from social norms?
Deviation from social norms is subject to cultural relativism and carries the risk of unfair labelling.
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How is deviation from social norms subject to cultural relativism?
Social norms vary with culture, so someone from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using an imposed etic. For example, the experience of hearing voices as a message from ancestors is a norm in some cultures.
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What is an 'imposed etic'?
Imposed etic means applying the standards of one's own social group to another.
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How has deviation from social norms been used for human rights abuses?
The diagnosis of nymph0mania, which means excessive sexual desire in women, was used to control women.
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What does statistical infrequency mean?
Statistical infrequency defines abnormality as when an individual has a less common characteristic than most of the population.
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How is statistical infrequency found?
Statistical infrequency is found using a normal distribution, where we can identify people who are a long way from the mean. Behaviour is abnormal if it falls outside the range that is typical for most people.
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What is a strength of statistical infrequency?
Statistical infrequency is used to provide criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder (requires an IQ bellow 70, which applies to the bottom 2% of the population).
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What is a limitation of statistical infrequency?
One limitation of statistical infrequency is that it fails to account for behaviour that is rare but desirable.
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What is failure to function adequately?
Failure to function adequately defines abnormality as an inability to cope with ordinary demands of everyday life.
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What study decided the criteria for failing to function?
Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) decided on seven criteria for ‘failing to function’.
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What are the criteria for failing to function?
Failing to function criteria includes suffering, maladaptive, irrational, observer discomfort, vividness, violation of moral codes, and unpredictability.
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What is a strength of failure to function adequately?
One strength of failure to function adequately is that it represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help.
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What are the limitations of failure to function adequately?
Failure to function adequately can be used to unfairly label people with alternative lifestyles, is subject to cultural relativism, and may define people reacting to difficult life events as abnormal.
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How can failure to function adequately be used for discrimination and social control?
Not having a fixed address is a lifestyle choice of communities such as travellers and may be unfairly labelled as 'violation of moral codes' and thus failing to function adequately.
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How is failure to function adequately subject to cultural relativism?
The criteria of ‘violation of moral codes’ defines abnormality using the breaking of social norms, which vary with culture, so someone from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using an imposed etic.
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What is deviation from ideal mental health?
Deviation from ideal mental health defines abnormality as when someone does not meet a set of criteria for ideal mental health.
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What study proposed the criteria of ideal mental health?
Jahoda (1958) identified criteria of ‘Ideal Mental Health’ which needed to be met in order to be psychologically healthy.
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What are Jahoda's (1958) criteria of ideal mental health?
Criteria of ideal mental health:
No symptoms or distress, Positive and rational attitudes towards the self, Self-actualization of one’s potential, Resistance to stress, Accurate perception of reality, Self-confidence, Personal autonomy, and Adapting to th
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What is a strength of deviance from ideal mental health?
One strength of deviation from ideal mental health is that it is a comprehensive definition which can be used by a range of professionals.
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What are the limitations of deviance from ideal mental health?
Deviance from ideal mental health is specific to Western cultural values and sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health.
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How is deviance from ideal mental health specific to Western cultural values?
The ideal mental health criteria of personal autonomy conflicts with the collectivist values of non-Western countries, and the criteria of achieving self-actualisation may be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world.
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Card 2

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What does deviation from social norms mean?

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Deviation from social norms defines abnormal behaviour as that which violates the accepted standards of behaviour in a society.

Card 3

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How do social norms differ?

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Card 4

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What is one strength of deviation from social norms?

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Card 5

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What is the practical application of deviation from social norms?

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