Definitions of Abnormality: number 1: Deviation from Social Norms

Definitions of Abnormality: number 1: Deviation from Social Norms

1. definition: behaviour which doesn't conform to socially acceptable patterns may be considered abnormal

   • under this definition: a person's thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the (unwritten) rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group
     • example: wearing a bikini to work

2. evaluation

   • social deviancy is related to moral standards which can change with time. Therfore this approach also had to change or would be historically biased
   • social deviancy is also defined by the context in which the behaviour occurs: e.g wearing near to nothing on a beach is acceptable but at school or a formal gathering would be considered abnormal
   • attempts to define abnormaltiy in terms of social norms are influenced by cultural factors (cultural relativism)
     • disorders are defined or diagnosed in different ways in different places by different groups
       • means that a diagnosis may be different for the same person in 2 different cultures
         • what may be seen as a diagnosable disorder for a psychologist in the UK may not be viewed by a psychologist from another country
   • social deviancy not necassarily a bad thing:
     • some people are socially diviant because they have a non-conformist lifestyle
     • others because their behaviour is motivated by high principles (Nazi Germany)