Psychopathology
• Psychopathology: the study of something wrong with the mind (an abnormality)
• Behaviour: classified as abnormal if it’s outside the range what we see as typical of people
good mental health.
Definitions of abnormality
Deviation from social norms
• Social norm: a behaviour or belief that people within a society stick to, if they don’t conform
we’re likely to notice their behaviour and be wary of them.
• We sometimes think of them to be rebellious rather than abnormal
• Anti-social personality disorder: (psychopathy), when someone’s impulsive, aggressive,
irresponsible. ‘Failure to conform to social norms which respect to lawful behaviours as indic
by repeatedly performing acts that are ground for arrest.
• Evaluation: social norms change over time, unreliable definition. Social norms are culturally
specific, they differ between two groups, unreliable definition.
Failure to function adequately
• Behaviour: abnormal when someone fails to function adequately. Unable to maintain basic
standards of nutrition or hygiene, cannot keep a job or maintain a relationships.
, • Rose ham and Seligman: proposed signs that indicate a person if not function adequately
• When they no longer conform to standard interpersonal rules
• When they experience severe personal distress
• When they behaviour become irrational or dangerous to themselves/others
• Abnormal: when they can no longer cope with day-to-day tasks.
• Global assessment of functioning: (GAF) a scale of 1-100, measures how well someone’s
functioning.
• GAF score: given to someone when they’re assessed for mental health problems (1-10: not
functioning, 91-100: functioning properly)
• Evaluation: method takes into account of the individuals well being, a useful planning
treatment.
• Judging a person as in distress relies on subjective assessment. It’s less biased than
deviation from social norms, but still judging others.
Statistical infrequency
• Abnormal: according to the normal of times we see that behaviour any common behaviour
normal, uncommon behaviour is abnormal.
• Behaviour: definition works will behaviour that can be reliably measured.
• Normal distribution: Majority of scores cluster around a mean, if you go above or below it
fewer people will attain this ‘score’
• Evaluation: behaviour can be unusual, doesn’t mean it needs treatment.
• Some disorders (depression) are statistically frequent but still classed as abnormal.
• Psychopathology: the study of something wrong with the mind (an abnormality)
• Behaviour: classified as abnormal if it’s outside the range what we see as typical of people
good mental health.
Definitions of abnormality
Deviation from social norms
• Social norm: a behaviour or belief that people within a society stick to, if they don’t conform
we’re likely to notice their behaviour and be wary of them.
• We sometimes think of them to be rebellious rather than abnormal
• Anti-social personality disorder: (psychopathy), when someone’s impulsive, aggressive,
irresponsible. ‘Failure to conform to social norms which respect to lawful behaviours as indic
by repeatedly performing acts that are ground for arrest.
• Evaluation: social norms change over time, unreliable definition. Social norms are culturally
specific, they differ between two groups, unreliable definition.
Failure to function adequately
• Behaviour: abnormal when someone fails to function adequately. Unable to maintain basic
standards of nutrition or hygiene, cannot keep a job or maintain a relationships.
, • Rose ham and Seligman: proposed signs that indicate a person if not function adequately
• When they no longer conform to standard interpersonal rules
• When they experience severe personal distress
• When they behaviour become irrational or dangerous to themselves/others
• Abnormal: when they can no longer cope with day-to-day tasks.
• Global assessment of functioning: (GAF) a scale of 1-100, measures how well someone’s
functioning.
• GAF score: given to someone when they’re assessed for mental health problems (1-10: not
functioning, 91-100: functioning properly)
• Evaluation: method takes into account of the individuals well being, a useful planning
treatment.
• Judging a person as in distress relies on subjective assessment. It’s less biased than
deviation from social norms, but still judging others.
Statistical infrequency
• Abnormal: according to the normal of times we see that behaviour any common behaviour
normal, uncommon behaviour is abnormal.
• Behaviour: definition works will behaviour that can be reliably measured.
• Normal distribution: Majority of scores cluster around a mean, if you go above or below it
fewer people will attain this ‘score’
• Evaluation: behaviour can be unusual, doesn’t mean it needs treatment.
• Some disorders (depression) are statistically frequent but still classed as abnormal.
