Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function
adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.
● The Statistical infrequency definition of abnormality states that abnormal behaviour is
behaviour that is very rare.
● Statistics are how we measure how common behaviours or traits are when measured in
comparison to the rest of the population. The most uncommon ones are defined a
abnormal.
● For example low IQ is when someone’s intelligence is two standard deviations from the
average. Just 2.28% of the population have low IQ. It is an objective measure of
individuals needing support.
Evaluation
★ Not all statistically infrequent traits are negative. This definition would include high IQ,
but whilst this is statistically rare it is also highly desirable.
★ Where the cut-off point falls results in some people receiving treatment and some not, so
deciding where to put the cut-off is subjective.
★ Some psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety are quite common. Around 1
in 6 adults (17%) surveyed in England by the NHS met the criteria for a common mental
health disorder (CMD) in 2014. The statistical infrequency definition does not match with
the high incidence of mental health disorders within society.
Failure to function adequately
● Failure to function adequately is inability to cope with daily life (interacting with the world
and people around us).
● Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggested the following features of failure to function
adequately:
1. Maladaptive behaviour- this is when individuals behave in ways that are against
their long-term interests (i.e: self-harm or unhealthy eating patterns).
2. Personal anguish- suffering from anxiety and distress because of their inability
to cope.
3. Observer discomfort- The person’s behaviour causes distress to the people
around them (i.e: poor personal hygiene or not respecting personal space).
4. Irrationality and unpredictability- behaviour that is hard to understand and/or
seems uncontrolled
5. Unconventionality- behaviours go against normal expectations.
Marbled pigs often irritate uncle
Evaluation
★ Deciding whether an individual is coping or not is a subjective judgement that is affected
by the opinions of the observer, so two observers may not rate a person in the same way
(potential low inter-rater reliability).
★ Some abnormal behaviour is not linked to an inability to cope or intense distress. It is
thought that there are many psychopaths that may be more able to function in certain
roles in society, which may be at the detriment of people other than themselves.
, ★ Not all maladaptive behaviour is an indication of mental illness. For example, smoking
and poor diet are seen as against a person’s long-term interests in their personal health,
but neither of these behaviours are assumed to constitute mental illness.
★ However failure to function does respect and recognises the patient’s own lived
experiences and perspective, which statistical infrequency and deviation from social
norms cannot really address.
Deviation from social norms
● Social norms are unwritten social expectations of behaviour that may differ from
one culture to the next. They often change over time and vary depending on the
context.
● Therefore according to this definition, those who deviate from the society's’ expectations
will be seen as abnormal ‘social deviants’.
● An issue with this explanation of mental illness is that, as norms are a group judgement
on what is acceptable, certain behaviours in one culture that are considered acceptable
may be considered deviant in another culture (i.e: homosexuality, face/hair covering,
queuing, chopsticks, public displays of emotions).
Evaluation
★ It respects cultural differences by not imposing a set definition of abnormality (avoids
western ethnocentrism that would cause other cultures to be viewed as abnormal).
★ It is a clear definition of what is and is not abnormal whilst also taking context into
consideration.
★ Different social classes within the same society may have different social norms. This
could, for example, result in an overdiagnosis of mental health problems in those of
working class backgrounds if most of the psychiatrists are from middle or upper class
backgrounds.
★ Can create problems for people living in a culture that is different from their culture of
origin. For example Cochrane (see the schizophrenia topic) suggests that the there is
7x higher diagnosis rate of schizophrenia for people from Afro-caribbean heritage living
in the UK compared to those native to the UK living in the UK or those native to the
Caribbean who are living there. Fernando considers this to be a “category failure” that
has occurred due to western definitions of mental illness being applied onto non-western
cultures, specifically how hallucinations and religious experiences are interpreted.
★ This definition can result in society imposing punishments to unconventional mentally
healthy people for expressing their individuality, which is unethical
Deviation from ideal mental health
● Marie Jahoda (1958) uses humanist principles in not defining abnormality but defining
six features of ideal mental health, suggesting that deviation from these features would
indicate an abnormality. To remember the six features we use the acronym EAR SPA.
1. Environmental mastery- competent in meeting the demands of situations.
Involves flexible thinking.
2. Autonomy- able to act independently of others and rely on their own abilities.
adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.
● The Statistical infrequency definition of abnormality states that abnormal behaviour is
behaviour that is very rare.
● Statistics are how we measure how common behaviours or traits are when measured in
comparison to the rest of the population. The most uncommon ones are defined a
abnormal.
● For example low IQ is when someone’s intelligence is two standard deviations from the
average. Just 2.28% of the population have low IQ. It is an objective measure of
individuals needing support.
Evaluation
★ Not all statistically infrequent traits are negative. This definition would include high IQ,
but whilst this is statistically rare it is also highly desirable.
★ Where the cut-off point falls results in some people receiving treatment and some not, so
deciding where to put the cut-off is subjective.
★ Some psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety are quite common. Around 1
in 6 adults (17%) surveyed in England by the NHS met the criteria for a common mental
health disorder (CMD) in 2014. The statistical infrequency definition does not match with
the high incidence of mental health disorders within society.
Failure to function adequately
● Failure to function adequately is inability to cope with daily life (interacting with the world
and people around us).
● Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggested the following features of failure to function
adequately:
1. Maladaptive behaviour- this is when individuals behave in ways that are against
their long-term interests (i.e: self-harm or unhealthy eating patterns).
2. Personal anguish- suffering from anxiety and distress because of their inability
to cope.
3. Observer discomfort- The person’s behaviour causes distress to the people
around them (i.e: poor personal hygiene or not respecting personal space).
4. Irrationality and unpredictability- behaviour that is hard to understand and/or
seems uncontrolled
5. Unconventionality- behaviours go against normal expectations.
Marbled pigs often irritate uncle
Evaluation
★ Deciding whether an individual is coping or not is a subjective judgement that is affected
by the opinions of the observer, so two observers may not rate a person in the same way
(potential low inter-rater reliability).
★ Some abnormal behaviour is not linked to an inability to cope or intense distress. It is
thought that there are many psychopaths that may be more able to function in certain
roles in society, which may be at the detriment of people other than themselves.
, ★ Not all maladaptive behaviour is an indication of mental illness. For example, smoking
and poor diet are seen as against a person’s long-term interests in their personal health,
but neither of these behaviours are assumed to constitute mental illness.
★ However failure to function does respect and recognises the patient’s own lived
experiences and perspective, which statistical infrequency and deviation from social
norms cannot really address.
Deviation from social norms
● Social norms are unwritten social expectations of behaviour that may differ from
one culture to the next. They often change over time and vary depending on the
context.
● Therefore according to this definition, those who deviate from the society's’ expectations
will be seen as abnormal ‘social deviants’.
● An issue with this explanation of mental illness is that, as norms are a group judgement
on what is acceptable, certain behaviours in one culture that are considered acceptable
may be considered deviant in another culture (i.e: homosexuality, face/hair covering,
queuing, chopsticks, public displays of emotions).
Evaluation
★ It respects cultural differences by not imposing a set definition of abnormality (avoids
western ethnocentrism that would cause other cultures to be viewed as abnormal).
★ It is a clear definition of what is and is not abnormal whilst also taking context into
consideration.
★ Different social classes within the same society may have different social norms. This
could, for example, result in an overdiagnosis of mental health problems in those of
working class backgrounds if most of the psychiatrists are from middle or upper class
backgrounds.
★ Can create problems for people living in a culture that is different from their culture of
origin. For example Cochrane (see the schizophrenia topic) suggests that the there is
7x higher diagnosis rate of schizophrenia for people from Afro-caribbean heritage living
in the UK compared to those native to the UK living in the UK or those native to the
Caribbean who are living there. Fernando considers this to be a “category failure” that
has occurred due to western definitions of mental illness being applied onto non-western
cultures, specifically how hallucinations and religious experiences are interpreted.
★ This definition can result in society imposing punishments to unconventional mentally
healthy people for expressing their individuality, which is unethical
Deviation from ideal mental health
● Marie Jahoda (1958) uses humanist principles in not defining abnormality but defining
six features of ideal mental health, suggesting that deviation from these features would
indicate an abnormality. To remember the six features we use the acronym EAR SPA.
1. Environmental mastery- competent in meeting the demands of situations.
Involves flexible thinking.
2. Autonomy- able to act independently of others and rely on their own abilities.
