Definitions of abnormality: failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental
health
Key terms
- Failure to function adequately: occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary
demands of day-to-day living
- Deviation from ideal mental health: occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria
for good mental health
Failure to function adequately
A person may cross the line between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ at the point when they can no
longer cope with the demands of everyday life and they fail to function adequately
- We might decide that someone is not functioning adequately when they are unable to
maintain basic nutrition or hygiene, or cannot hold down a job or maintain relationships
When is someone failing to function adequately?
David Rosenhan and Martin Seligman (1989) proposed some signs that can be used to
determine when someone is not coping. These include:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules, for example,
maintaining eye contact and respecting personal space
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Example: intellectual disability disorder
Looking at the example of intellectual disability disorder, one of the criteria for diagnosis is
having a very low IQ (a statistical deviation)
- A diagnosis would not be made on this basis only - an individual must also be failing to
function adequately before a diagnosis would be given
Evaluation of failure to function adequately
Point Strength/Weakness Explanation
It attempts to include the Strength This suggests that the failure to
subjective experience of the function adequately definition is a
individual and so captures the useful criterion for assessing
experiences of people who need abnormality
help
It can be hard to say when Weakness If we treat different types of
someone is failing to function behaviour as ‘failures’ of adequate
adequately and when they are functioning, we risk limiting
just deviating from social norms personal freedom and
discriminating against people
Someone has to make the Weakness Although there are guides for
health
Key terms
- Failure to function adequately: occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary
demands of day-to-day living
- Deviation from ideal mental health: occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria
for good mental health
Failure to function adequately
A person may cross the line between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ at the point when they can no
longer cope with the demands of everyday life and they fail to function adequately
- We might decide that someone is not functioning adequately when they are unable to
maintain basic nutrition or hygiene, or cannot hold down a job or maintain relationships
When is someone failing to function adequately?
David Rosenhan and Martin Seligman (1989) proposed some signs that can be used to
determine when someone is not coping. These include:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules, for example,
maintaining eye contact and respecting personal space
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Example: intellectual disability disorder
Looking at the example of intellectual disability disorder, one of the criteria for diagnosis is
having a very low IQ (a statistical deviation)
- A diagnosis would not be made on this basis only - an individual must also be failing to
function adequately before a diagnosis would be given
Evaluation of failure to function adequately
Point Strength/Weakness Explanation
It attempts to include the Strength This suggests that the failure to
subjective experience of the function adequately definition is a
individual and so captures the useful criterion for assessing
experiences of people who need abnormality
help
It can be hard to say when Weakness If we treat different types of
someone is failing to function behaviour as ‘failures’ of adequate
adequately and when they are functioning, we risk limiting
just deviating from social norms personal freedom and
discriminating against people
Someone has to make the Weakness Although there are guides for
