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Description
Flashcards by Emma Chell, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Emma Chell
almost 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Psychologists recognise that defining the term abnormal is difficult and have suggested a number of ways of doing so. What are the four 'definitions'? | •Deviation from social norms. •Failure to function adequately. •Statistical infrequency. •Deviation from ideal mental health. |
| What is deviation from social norms? | This definition suggests that an individual is abnormal if their behaviour is deemed unacceptable or unexpected by others. Society has rules (written and unwritten) about how people should behave and individuals who do not comply with these rules are therefore abnormal according to this definition. There is an expectation that people will wear clothes in public and people who leave the house naked would be regarded as abnormal. This definition could identify people as abnormal when they display certain symptoms of schizophrenia, some schizophrenic patients display inappropriate emotions-they may for example laugh at a funeral-this is a deviation from from social norms. |
| Discuss the limitations of deviation from social norms? | -This definition can be seen as a means of social control. Powerful people in society may decide whether an individual's behaviour is deviating from social norms. This means that objectifying people as abnormal using this definition is subjective and that people may be labelled unfairly. -This definition can not be universally applied across different cultures. Social norms and standards vary depending on culture-amongst The Trobriand Islanders a widow will wear her deceased husband's jawbone as a necklace-a request like this would be regarded as deviating from social norms in our culture. This is a limitation as the same list of social norms could not be used everywhere and would have to be reconsidered in every culture. -Social norms change over time as they relate to moral standards. For example, homosexuality was regarded as an abnormality until 1990. This is a problem as the definition cannot take these fast changes in attitudes into account. |
| Discuss the strengths of deviation from social norms. | +It takes the effect of an individual's behaviour on others into account. This means that it recognises that abnormality has an effect on wider society and not just on the individual. +It provides a way of measuring abnormality which aims to be objective rather than subjective. This is an advantage as it means that judgement about an individual's mental state can be made without personal biases. |
| What is failure to function adequately? | This definition suggests that abnormality is an inability to go about day-to-day life, for example, not eating or washing regularly or difficulty maintaining jobs or relationships. This failure to function causes distress to the individual and/or others. Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) have suggested features of behaviour that can be used to indicate an individual's failure to function: •Observer discomfort- the individual's behaviour makes an observer feel uncomfortable and distressed. •Unpredictability- when an individual's behaviour is not predictable/controlled we may think that there is something wrong. •Irrationality- when the person's behaviour looks irrational or hard to understand. •Maladaptiveness- this refers to people behaving in ways that are bad for them or unhelpful. Personal suffering/distress- this is when the person is behaving in a way which causes them to feel distressed. |
| List the first 3 limitations of failure to function adequately.(clues: Dr Harold Shipman, flamboyant clothing and eating disorders. | -People can be abnormal & not show signs of dysfunction e.g. Dr Harold Shipman was a GP responsible for murdering a large number of elderly patients yet outwardly he looked like he was functioning normally(able to dress respectively and take surgery). This shows that this definition can fail to identify people as abnormal even though they are privately engaged in behaviour which is clearly abnormal. -The features of dysfunction are subjective and behaviour isn't considered from the individual's perspective. Behaviour that an eccentric person would consider to be normal e.g. wearing flamboyant clothing may be abnormal an introvert. This makes it difficult to apply the features consistently. -Some behaviour which outwardly may appear to be dysfunctional may actually be functional for the individual. E.g. some mental illness like eating disorders could result in extra attention for the individual-this may be rewarding and consequently functional for them. This shows that some dysfunctional behaviours may actually serve a purpose and that dysfunction can not be objectively measured. |
| List the 2 remaining limitations of failure to function adequately (clues: context and culture). | -Functioning needs to be assessed in context- taking all issues into account- sometimes distress is normal, for example, when an individual is grieving this would lead to distress which would be expected in that situation. The definition does not account for an individual's circumstances when assessing their functioning. -Patterns of behaviour are different in different culture. Consequently failing to function adequately will vary. For example, different cultures grieve differently- in some countries public mourning is common- in the UK we grieve privately and may regard public and open grief as a failure to function. This shows that the same criteria of dysfunction may not be universally applied to all cultures. |
| What is statistical infrequency? | This definition, in simple terms, suggests that behaviours that are statistically rare are abnormal. What is regarded as statistically rare depends on normal distribution. Most people when measured on certain behaviours will be around the mean value with declining amounts of people either side of the mean (above or below it). Any individual who falls outside the normal distribution (two standard deviations from the mean) is regarded as abnormal. |
| List at least 3 of the limitations for statistical infrequency. | -There is an issue about where to draw the line between normal and abnormal. E.g. it is not clear at which point energetic and excitable from a child becomes 'problem' behaviour which needs intervention. This judgement must be subjective and when people are on the border, a label either way could be difficult to justify. -The definition assumes that anyone deviating from the average is abnormal, this ignores desirability e.g. people who are highly intelligent are statistically rare but we would not see them as 'abnormal'. The definition does not take individual circumstances into account and that it is not always appropriate to define abnormality in this way. -Statistical infrequency of behaviour may be era dependent- this means that behaviours may change in their frequency depending on the time period. When making a judgement you need to ensure you are making comparisons against current data. -Some frequent behaviours are regarded as abnormal. E.g. depression is very common as around 10% of people suffer chronic depression in their lives. Definition judges behaviours incorrectly. |
| What is the strength of statistical infrequency? | +Once a means of gathering data and a cut-off point have been established, this provides an objective means of judging abnormality. Meaning people can make judgements without bias. |
| What are the limitations of statistical infrequency (4 points)? | - Issue about where to 'draw line' between normal and abnormal. E.g. not clear when childhood excitement becomes 'problem behaviour'. Judgement is subjective. - Assumes anyone deviating from average is abnormal, ignoring desirability. - May be era dependent - behaviour changes in frequency depending on time period. - Some behaviours that occur frequently are regarded as abnormal e.g. depression quite common. |
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