Psychopathology revision
Defining Abnormality
Definitions of abnormality
To make sure that we correctly diagnosed people correctly who have a mental disorder
and need treatment and avoiding misdiagnosing people who do not have a mental
disorder, we need to define what counts as abnormal
- There are 4 different definitions of abnormal
1. Deviation from social norms
➔ Social norms are unwritten rules for how members of a social group
are expected to behave
➔ If someone was not following social norms they would seem
abnormal
➔ Therefore one way to define abnormality is to say a person is
abnormal when their behaviour does not follow the social norms for
how people are supposed to behave
➔ When they behave in a way that's different from everyone else, they
deviate from normal behaviour. Therefore this is a deviation from
social norms
One strength of the deviation from social norms is that it considers how the behaviour
affects other people and helps minimise harm to others. Often social norms exist to
protect us. As a society we universally decided to wash our hands after going to the
bathroom, this helps everyone from being exposed to viruses and bacteria and getting
infected with diseases. In addition to this, if someone doesn't agree with something we
believe, we are still expected to remain polite even if we are annoyed. We are also
expected to not respond to them violently which protects us from engaging in violence on
a daily basis. Therefore if people deviate from social norms this can cause harm to others,
for example if the person fails to wash their hands they can make other people sick.
A weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that social
norms aren't fixed. Our expectations of what we consider normal or abnormal has
changed massively over the years. For example, in the 1940s it was very normal for people
to smoke in public places, including inside, whereas now smoking in public places is
frowned upon and even banned in some places. Therefore since social norms change over
time this can cause problems if we use the deviant from social norms definition of
abnormality to diagnose people with mental disorders. As social norms change over time
this means that the classification of what is diagnosed as a mental disorder and what is
,not also changes overtime. This means that psychologists have to keep updating the
classification of mental disorders constantly which is not very practical and it may lack
temporal validity.
Another weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is the
classification of mental health has to be constantly updated. This questions the reliability
of using social norms to define abnormality. For example, homosexuality was considered
as abnormal by society 40 years ago therefore it was classified as a mental disorder in the
DSM. However, nowadays homosexuality is no longer considered abnormal and is no
longer classified as a mental disorder. This means that the same person displaying the
exact same behaviours could be considered normal or be diagnosed with a mental
disorder depending on when they were born. Therefore using this method of abnormality,
diagnoses of mental disorders are not consistent over time meaning they lack reliability
and temporal validity.
Another weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is the idea
of cultural relativism. Social norms differ between cultures and what is considered normal
in one culture may be considered abnormal in another. People from ethnic minorities
might also be considered as abnormal because they are being judged by social norms
that are different to their own culture. For example, research has shown that Black
Caribbeans living in the UK are much more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than
Black Carribeans living in the Caribbean, this is likely to be a result of them being judged
by social norms which are different from their culture.
2. Deviation from ideal mental health
➔ One way to define abnormality is to call someone abnormal if they
deviate from ideal mental health
➔ According to this definition, the more a person deviates from ideal
mental health the more abnormal they are
➔ In order to clearly define ideal mental health and determine if a
person is deviating from ideal mental health Jahoda came up with a
list of 6 behaviours that she said indicates if a person has ideal
mental health
➔ According to Jahoda, the more criteria which a person meets, the
more normal they are. So the fewer criteria a person's meets, the
more abnormal they are
➔ These are the 6 criteria used to determine if a person has ideal
mental health
1. Positive self attitude
, ★ We say that a person has a positive self attitude when
they feel positive about themselves and their abilities
2. Behaving independently
★ We say that a person is behaving independently when
they can do things by themselves without relying on
other people
3. Self actualisation
★ According to Jahoda a person is displaying a self
actualisation if they are constantly trying to learn and
improve themselves
4. Resistance to stress
★ We say that a person is resistant to stress when they
are able to cope with small hassles and stress in their
everyday life
5. Accurate perception of reality
★ We say that someone has an accurate perception of
reality if they see the world in a way that is similar to
others around them
6. Environmental mastery
★ We say a person is displaying environmental mastery if
they can adjust to new situations easily
One strength of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is that it
helps patients set clear goals and takes a holistic stance. Instead of just being able to say
a person is abnormal, there is a list of 6 key behaviours that people can work on in order
to achieve ideal mental health. Therefore a strength is that it enables patients who are
diagnosed with abnormality to set themselves with clear goals for achieving ideal mental
health using Jahoda's criteria . In addition to this, it also takes a positive holistic stance, the
definition considers the whole person, taking into account a multitude of factors that can
affect their health and wellbeing.
One weakness of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is that
the criteria for ideal mental health are overly demanding. If a person is not fulfilling one
aspect of Jahoda’s criteria for ideal mental health meaning that according to this
definition they may be classified as abnormal and have a mental disorder. Jahoda’s
criteria is very demanding but according to Jahoda you have to achieve all aspects of the
criteria which is not realistic as many people do not meet the full criteria all the time but it
does not mean they are abnormal or have a mental disorder
Another weakness of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is
that it is difficult to measure objectively. For example, to figure out if a person has ideal
Defining Abnormality
Definitions of abnormality
To make sure that we correctly diagnosed people correctly who have a mental disorder
and need treatment and avoiding misdiagnosing people who do not have a mental
disorder, we need to define what counts as abnormal
- There are 4 different definitions of abnormal
1. Deviation from social norms
➔ Social norms are unwritten rules for how members of a social group
are expected to behave
➔ If someone was not following social norms they would seem
abnormal
➔ Therefore one way to define abnormality is to say a person is
abnormal when their behaviour does not follow the social norms for
how people are supposed to behave
➔ When they behave in a way that's different from everyone else, they
deviate from normal behaviour. Therefore this is a deviation from
social norms
One strength of the deviation from social norms is that it considers how the behaviour
affects other people and helps minimise harm to others. Often social norms exist to
protect us. As a society we universally decided to wash our hands after going to the
bathroom, this helps everyone from being exposed to viruses and bacteria and getting
infected with diseases. In addition to this, if someone doesn't agree with something we
believe, we are still expected to remain polite even if we are annoyed. We are also
expected to not respond to them violently which protects us from engaging in violence on
a daily basis. Therefore if people deviate from social norms this can cause harm to others,
for example if the person fails to wash their hands they can make other people sick.
A weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that social
norms aren't fixed. Our expectations of what we consider normal or abnormal has
changed massively over the years. For example, in the 1940s it was very normal for people
to smoke in public places, including inside, whereas now smoking in public places is
frowned upon and even banned in some places. Therefore since social norms change over
time this can cause problems if we use the deviant from social norms definition of
abnormality to diagnose people with mental disorders. As social norms change over time
this means that the classification of what is diagnosed as a mental disorder and what is
,not also changes overtime. This means that psychologists have to keep updating the
classification of mental disorders constantly which is not very practical and it may lack
temporal validity.
Another weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is the
classification of mental health has to be constantly updated. This questions the reliability
of using social norms to define abnormality. For example, homosexuality was considered
as abnormal by society 40 years ago therefore it was classified as a mental disorder in the
DSM. However, nowadays homosexuality is no longer considered abnormal and is no
longer classified as a mental disorder. This means that the same person displaying the
exact same behaviours could be considered normal or be diagnosed with a mental
disorder depending on when they were born. Therefore using this method of abnormality,
diagnoses of mental disorders are not consistent over time meaning they lack reliability
and temporal validity.
Another weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is the idea
of cultural relativism. Social norms differ between cultures and what is considered normal
in one culture may be considered abnormal in another. People from ethnic minorities
might also be considered as abnormal because they are being judged by social norms
that are different to their own culture. For example, research has shown that Black
Caribbeans living in the UK are much more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than
Black Carribeans living in the Caribbean, this is likely to be a result of them being judged
by social norms which are different from their culture.
2. Deviation from ideal mental health
➔ One way to define abnormality is to call someone abnormal if they
deviate from ideal mental health
➔ According to this definition, the more a person deviates from ideal
mental health the more abnormal they are
➔ In order to clearly define ideal mental health and determine if a
person is deviating from ideal mental health Jahoda came up with a
list of 6 behaviours that she said indicates if a person has ideal
mental health
➔ According to Jahoda, the more criteria which a person meets, the
more normal they are. So the fewer criteria a person's meets, the
more abnormal they are
➔ These are the 6 criteria used to determine if a person has ideal
mental health
1. Positive self attitude
, ★ We say that a person has a positive self attitude when
they feel positive about themselves and their abilities
2. Behaving independently
★ We say that a person is behaving independently when
they can do things by themselves without relying on
other people
3. Self actualisation
★ According to Jahoda a person is displaying a self
actualisation if they are constantly trying to learn and
improve themselves
4. Resistance to stress
★ We say that a person is resistant to stress when they
are able to cope with small hassles and stress in their
everyday life
5. Accurate perception of reality
★ We say that someone has an accurate perception of
reality if they see the world in a way that is similar to
others around them
6. Environmental mastery
★ We say a person is displaying environmental mastery if
they can adjust to new situations easily
One strength of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is that it
helps patients set clear goals and takes a holistic stance. Instead of just being able to say
a person is abnormal, there is a list of 6 key behaviours that people can work on in order
to achieve ideal mental health. Therefore a strength is that it enables patients who are
diagnosed with abnormality to set themselves with clear goals for achieving ideal mental
health using Jahoda's criteria . In addition to this, it also takes a positive holistic stance, the
definition considers the whole person, taking into account a multitude of factors that can
affect their health and wellbeing.
One weakness of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is that
the criteria for ideal mental health are overly demanding. If a person is not fulfilling one
aspect of Jahoda’s criteria for ideal mental health meaning that according to this
definition they may be classified as abnormal and have a mental disorder. Jahoda’s
criteria is very demanding but according to Jahoda you have to achieve all aspects of the
criteria which is not realistic as many people do not meet the full criteria all the time but it
does not mean they are abnormal or have a mental disorder
Another weakness of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality is
that it is difficult to measure objectively. For example, to figure out if a person has ideal
