Discuss definitions of abnormality 1 (16 marks)
A01
Deviation from social norms: Concerns behaviour that is different from accepted standards of behaviour in
community or society.
- Example: antisocial personality disorder
One symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an absence of moral standards. We make the assumption
that psychopaths are abnormal because they don’t conform to our moral standard. This behaviour would be
considered abnormal in a wide variety of cultures.
A01
Statistical infrequency: Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, eg low intelligence.
Any usual behaviour or characteristic can be thought of as ‘normal’, and any behaviour that is unusual is
‘abnormal’.
Normal distribution: The majority of peoples' scores will cluster around the average, and the further we go
above or below that average, the fewer people will attain that score.
- Example: IQ and intellectual disability disorder
The average IQ is 100. In a normal distribution, most people (68%) have a score in the range from 85 to 115.
Only 2% of people score below 70. Those who score below 70 are very unusual or ‘abnormal’ and are likely
to receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder.
A03
One limitation with 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
abnormal in another. For example, in approximately 75 countries in the world homosexuality is still illegal,
and therefore considered abnormal. However, in the rest of the world homosexuality is considered normal.
The result of this is that there is no global standard for defining behaviour as abnormal and therefore
abnormality is not standardised.
A03
One limitation with the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that social norms change
over time which raises hindsight bias.
For example, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness in the UK until 1973, often resulting in
institutionalisation, but is now simply considered a variation of normal behaviour. This means that,
historically, reliance on the deviation from social norm definition of abnormality may have resulted in
violations of human rights where people, by today’s standards, are deemed ‘abnormal’. It could be argued
that diagnoses upon these grounds may have been given as a form of social control over minority groups as a
means to exclude those who do not conform from society.
However…
despite its limitations, it has led to the diagnosis of disorders such as APD. A person with APD is impulsive,
aggressive and irresponsible. According to the DSM-5 one important symptom of APD is and absence of
prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical
behaviour. In other words we are making the judgment that a psychopath is abnormal because they don’t
conform to our normal standards. Psychopathic behaviour would be considered abnormal in a very wide
range of cultures. This comes to show that despite the flaws of these definitions there are still strengths to it.
A03
One limitation with the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality is the issue of misdiagnosis.
Certain behaviours are statistically common. For example, approximately 10% of the population will
experience depression at some point making this behaviour ‘normal’, technically. This is therefore a serious
drawback of adopting the statistical infrequency definition in explaining abnormality and perhaps should not
be used in isolation when making a diagnosis.
A03
One limitation with the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality is that labelling an individual as
abnormal can be unhelpful.
This is especially true, for example, of someone with a low IQ since they will be able to live quite happily
without distress to themselves or others. Such a label may contribute to a poor self‐image or become an
,invitation for discrimination. This means that being labelled as statistically infrequent could cause the person
more distress than the condition itself.
However…
Once statistically infrequent behaviours labelled as abnormal could, in fact, have a positive impact on a
person’s life too. If a person is found to have depression for example, which is a statistically infrequent
behavior, then they will be diagnosed with it and offered treatment which will allow them to get better. As a
result identifying a behavior as statistically infrequent, could also have positive consequences.
, Discuss definitions of abnormality 2 (16 marks)
A01
Deviation from ideal mental health - Jahoda
PRAISE Jahoda - good mental health if they meet the following criteria:
Personal growth (Self Actualisation: should reach your potential)
Reality perception (should know what’s real)
Autonomy (should be independent)
Integration (should ‘fit in’ with society and be able to cope with stressful situations)
Self-attitudes (should be positive: high self esteem)
Environmental mastery (should cope in your environment, be able to function at work and in relationships,
adjust to new situations and solve problems)
A01
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 e.g. nutrition and hygiene.
Some signs to determine if someone is coping:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard impersonal rules eg maintaining eye contact.
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person's behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others.
Example intellectual disability disorder:
An individual must also be failing to function adequately before a diagnosis based on statistical infrequency.
Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) suggest the following characteristics:
- Maladaptiveness (danger to self)
- Vividness & unconventionality (stands out)
- Unpredictability & loss of control
- Irrationality/incomprehensibility
A03
One limitation of the deviation from ideal mental health definition is the unrealistic criteria proposed by
Jahoda. There are times when everyone will experience stress and negativity, for example, when grieving
following the death of a loved one. However, according to this definition, these people would be classified as
abnormal, irrespective of the circumstances which are outside their control. With the high standards set by
these criteria, how many need to be absent for diagnosis to occur must also be questioned.
However…
One strength of Jahoda’s definition is that it takes a positive and holistic stance. Firstly, the definition focuses
on positive and desirable behaviours, rather than considering just negative and undesirable behaviours.
Secondly, the definition considers the whole person, taking into account a multitude of factors that can affect
their health and well‐being. Therefore, a strength of the deviation from the ideal mental health definition of
abnormality is that it is comprehensive, covering a broad range of criteria.
A03
One limitation with Jahoda’s definition of abnormality is cultural relativism.
Some of the criteria for ideal mental health could be considered Western in origin. For example, her emphasis
on personal growth and development may be considered overly self‐centred in other countries of the world
who favour community over individualism. Likewise, independence within collectivist cultures is not
fostered thus making the definition culture bound. This suggests that there are flaws in this definition.
A03
One limitation of the failure to function adequately definition stems from individual differences.For example,
one person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may exhibit excessive rituals that prevent them from
functioning adequately, as they constantly miss work; whereas, another person may suffer from the same
excessive rituals, but find time to complete their rituals and always attend work on time. Therefore, despite
the same psychological and behavioural symptoms, each person would be diagnosed differently according to
this definition, thus questioning the validity of this definition.
However…
One strength of the failure to function adequately definition is that it considers the subjective personal
experiences of the patient. This definition considers the thoughts and feelings of the person experiencing the
issue and does not simply make a judgement without taking the personal viewpoint of the sufferer into
consideration. This suggests that the failure to function definition is a useful model.
A01
Deviation from social norms: Concerns behaviour that is different from accepted standards of behaviour in
community or society.
- Example: antisocial personality disorder
One symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an absence of moral standards. We make the assumption
that psychopaths are abnormal because they don’t conform to our moral standard. This behaviour would be
considered abnormal in a wide variety of cultures.
A01
Statistical infrequency: Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, eg low intelligence.
Any usual behaviour or characteristic can be thought of as ‘normal’, and any behaviour that is unusual is
‘abnormal’.
Normal distribution: The majority of peoples' scores will cluster around the average, and the further we go
above or below that average, the fewer people will attain that score.
- Example: IQ and intellectual disability disorder
The average IQ is 100. In a normal distribution, most people (68%) have a score in the range from 85 to 115.
Only 2% of people score below 70. Those who score below 70 are very unusual or ‘abnormal’ and are likely
to receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder.
A03
One limitation with 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
abnormal in another. For example, in approximately 75 countries in the world homosexuality is still illegal,
and therefore considered abnormal. However, in the rest of the world homosexuality is considered normal.
The result of this is that there is no global standard for defining behaviour as abnormal and therefore
abnormality is not standardised.
A03
One limitation with the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that social norms change
over time which raises hindsight bias.
For example, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness in the UK until 1973, often resulting in
institutionalisation, but is now simply considered a variation of normal behaviour. This means that,
historically, reliance on the deviation from social norm definition of abnormality may have resulted in
violations of human rights where people, by today’s standards, are deemed ‘abnormal’. It could be argued
that diagnoses upon these grounds may have been given as a form of social control over minority groups as a
means to exclude those who do not conform from society.
However…
despite its limitations, it has led to the diagnosis of disorders such as APD. A person with APD is impulsive,
aggressive and irresponsible. According to the DSM-5 one important symptom of APD is and absence of
prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical
behaviour. In other words we are making the judgment that a psychopath is abnormal because they don’t
conform to our normal standards. Psychopathic behaviour would be considered abnormal in a very wide
range of cultures. This comes to show that despite the flaws of these definitions there are still strengths to it.
A03
One limitation with the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality is the issue of misdiagnosis.
Certain behaviours are statistically common. For example, approximately 10% of the population will
experience depression at some point making this behaviour ‘normal’, technically. This is therefore a serious
drawback of adopting the statistical infrequency definition in explaining abnormality and perhaps should not
be used in isolation when making a diagnosis.
A03
One limitation with the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality is that labelling an individual as
abnormal can be unhelpful.
This is especially true, for example, of someone with a low IQ since they will be able to live quite happily
without distress to themselves or others. Such a label may contribute to a poor self‐image or become an
,invitation for discrimination. This means that being labelled as statistically infrequent could cause the person
more distress than the condition itself.
However…
Once statistically infrequent behaviours labelled as abnormal could, in fact, have a positive impact on a
person’s life too. If a person is found to have depression for example, which is a statistically infrequent
behavior, then they will be diagnosed with it and offered treatment which will allow them to get better. As a
result identifying a behavior as statistically infrequent, could also have positive consequences.
, Discuss definitions of abnormality 2 (16 marks)
A01
Deviation from ideal mental health - Jahoda
PRAISE Jahoda - good mental health if they meet the following criteria:
Personal growth (Self Actualisation: should reach your potential)
Reality perception (should know what’s real)
Autonomy (should be independent)
Integration (should ‘fit in’ with society and be able to cope with stressful situations)
Self-attitudes (should be positive: high self esteem)
Environmental mastery (should cope in your environment, be able to function at work and in relationships,
adjust to new situations and solve problems)
A01
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 e.g. nutrition and hygiene.
Some signs to determine if someone is coping:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard impersonal rules eg maintaining eye contact.
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person's behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others.
Example intellectual disability disorder:
An individual must also be failing to function adequately before a diagnosis based on statistical infrequency.
Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) suggest the following characteristics:
- Maladaptiveness (danger to self)
- Vividness & unconventionality (stands out)
- Unpredictability & loss of control
- Irrationality/incomprehensibility
A03
One limitation of the deviation from ideal mental health definition is the unrealistic criteria proposed by
Jahoda. There are times when everyone will experience stress and negativity, for example, when grieving
following the death of a loved one. However, according to this definition, these people would be classified as
abnormal, irrespective of the circumstances which are outside their control. With the high standards set by
these criteria, how many need to be absent for diagnosis to occur must also be questioned.
However…
One strength of Jahoda’s definition is that it takes a positive and holistic stance. Firstly, the definition focuses
on positive and desirable behaviours, rather than considering just negative and undesirable behaviours.
Secondly, the definition considers the whole person, taking into account a multitude of factors that can affect
their health and well‐being. Therefore, a strength of the deviation from the ideal mental health definition of
abnormality is that it is comprehensive, covering a broad range of criteria.
A03
One limitation with Jahoda’s definition of abnormality is cultural relativism.
Some of the criteria for ideal mental health could be considered Western in origin. For example, her emphasis
on personal growth and development may be considered overly self‐centred in other countries of the world
who favour community over individualism. Likewise, independence within collectivist cultures is not
fostered thus making the definition culture bound. This suggests that there are flaws in this definition.
A03
One limitation of the failure to function adequately definition stems from individual differences.For example,
one person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may exhibit excessive rituals that prevent them from
functioning adequately, as they constantly miss work; whereas, another person may suffer from the same
excessive rituals, but find time to complete their rituals and always attend work on time. Therefore, despite
the same psychological and behavioural symptoms, each person would be diagnosed differently according to
this definition, thus questioning the validity of this definition.
However…
One strength of the failure to function adequately definition is that it considers the subjective personal
experiences of the patient. This definition considers the thoughts and feelings of the person experiencing the
issue and does not simply make a judgement without taking the personal viewpoint of the sufferer into
consideration. This suggests that the failure to function definition is a useful model.
