Abnormal Psychology
Topic Content Study
Normality vs Abnormality Definition of Abnormality: Deviation from
Ideal Mental Health
Regier et al (2013)
Factors
Influencing Classification System Timeline of DSM
Diagnosis
Regier et al (2013)
The role of clinical biases in Kim & Ahn (2003)
diagnosis
Validity and reliability of Regier et al (2013)
diagnosis
Rosehan et al (1973)
Abnormal Prevalence rates and the Chiao & Blinzinsky (2010) = prevalence more
Psychology disorder: Major Depressive in individualistic culture
Etiologies Disorder (MDD)
Brown & Harris (1978) = prevalent more in
lower socioeconomic status
Biological explanation for Smith et al = neurotransmitter
the disorder
Caspi et al = 5-HTT alleles
Cognitive explanation for Alloy et al = Negative cognitive style
the disorder
Nolen-Hoeksema = Rumination
Sociocultural explanation Brown & Harris (1978) = economic and stress
for the disorder
Chiao & Blinzinsky (2010) = cultural
dimension
Normality vs Abnormality
| Discuss one or more concepts of normality versus abnormality.
| Discuss the concepts of abnormality and normality around the statement “there are controversies
surrounding the concept of abnormality.”
- In psychology, behaviors are evaluated on a continuum from normal to abnormal.
- To enable more efficient and clear communication around diagnosis and treatment of mental
illness, psychologists attempted to provide definition to the concept of abnormality to
, standardize a common language and knowledge around abnormal psychology between
clinicians.
- However, due to uncontrollable confounding variables such as culture and biases, this
concept is imprecise and difficult to define.
- Alternatively, psychologists propose the identification of abnormality through symptoms in
which diagnosis manuals, such as DSM, are published to guide psychologists.
- However, the low reliability of this approach to the concept of abnormality remains a
concern due to the abstractness of mental health and disorders.
+ Provide more understanding toward diagnosis and treatment of mental disorder (development
from psychoanalytic style of diagnosis that is prone to overmedication to using specific behavior
or statistics as benchmark to evaluate behavior)
+ Enables clinians to obtain more standardize understanding toward normality and abnormality
(such as the criteria of ideal mental health, the conventional symptoms of certain disorder)
- Mental health is not directly observable
- The complexity of cognition enables it to be influenced by different external factors ( sick-role
bias, self-fulfilling prophecy, sociocultural factors, epigenetics)
- Prone to different clinical and patient biases
- Lacks validity and reliability
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
Pioneer Jahoda (1958)
Definition Abnormality is a person’s deviation from ideal mental health and this can be evaluated using 6
criterias: autonomy, accurate perception of reality, positive attitude towards oneself, resistance
to stress, environmental mastery, and potential for growth and development.
Criterias Autonomy - being able to make decisions by oneself and not being dependent on other people.
Accurate perception of reality - having a realistic view of the world, instead of overly optimistic
or pessimistic.
Positive attitude towards oneself - having a high self-esteem.
Resistance to stress - being able to cope with anxiety and stressful situations.
Environmental mastery - being able to meet the demands of situations and being able to adapt.
Potential for growth and development - being self-actualized, or becoming everything that one
is capable of becoming.
MAGEC - Cultural Relativism: These parameters are not generalizable across cultures. (Western
cultures, which are more individualistic, would comply with autonomy and positive
attitude towards oneself as standard for normality. This is because Individualistic
cultures promote the importance of a person as an individual. Whereas in more
collectivistic cultures, like Japan and Korea, autonomy and positive attitude towards
oneself may be considered arrogant and selfish, as collectivistic culture focus on the
importance of people as a group and working towards a collective image. )
- The criteria may not entirely be valid (People will not necessarily resist pressure.)
- Some criteria cannot to be measured (for instance, there is no exact definition of what
reality is and when self-actualization is reached)
Topic Content Study
Normality vs Abnormality Definition of Abnormality: Deviation from
Ideal Mental Health
Regier et al (2013)
Factors
Influencing Classification System Timeline of DSM
Diagnosis
Regier et al (2013)
The role of clinical biases in Kim & Ahn (2003)
diagnosis
Validity and reliability of Regier et al (2013)
diagnosis
Rosehan et al (1973)
Abnormal Prevalence rates and the Chiao & Blinzinsky (2010) = prevalence more
Psychology disorder: Major Depressive in individualistic culture
Etiologies Disorder (MDD)
Brown & Harris (1978) = prevalent more in
lower socioeconomic status
Biological explanation for Smith et al = neurotransmitter
the disorder
Caspi et al = 5-HTT alleles
Cognitive explanation for Alloy et al = Negative cognitive style
the disorder
Nolen-Hoeksema = Rumination
Sociocultural explanation Brown & Harris (1978) = economic and stress
for the disorder
Chiao & Blinzinsky (2010) = cultural
dimension
Normality vs Abnormality
| Discuss one or more concepts of normality versus abnormality.
| Discuss the concepts of abnormality and normality around the statement “there are controversies
surrounding the concept of abnormality.”
- In psychology, behaviors are evaluated on a continuum from normal to abnormal.
- To enable more efficient and clear communication around diagnosis and treatment of mental
illness, psychologists attempted to provide definition to the concept of abnormality to
, standardize a common language and knowledge around abnormal psychology between
clinicians.
- However, due to uncontrollable confounding variables such as culture and biases, this
concept is imprecise and difficult to define.
- Alternatively, psychologists propose the identification of abnormality through symptoms in
which diagnosis manuals, such as DSM, are published to guide psychologists.
- However, the low reliability of this approach to the concept of abnormality remains a
concern due to the abstractness of mental health and disorders.
+ Provide more understanding toward diagnosis and treatment of mental disorder (development
from psychoanalytic style of diagnosis that is prone to overmedication to using specific behavior
or statistics as benchmark to evaluate behavior)
+ Enables clinians to obtain more standardize understanding toward normality and abnormality
(such as the criteria of ideal mental health, the conventional symptoms of certain disorder)
- Mental health is not directly observable
- The complexity of cognition enables it to be influenced by different external factors ( sick-role
bias, self-fulfilling prophecy, sociocultural factors, epigenetics)
- Prone to different clinical and patient biases
- Lacks validity and reliability
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
Pioneer Jahoda (1958)
Definition Abnormality is a person’s deviation from ideal mental health and this can be evaluated using 6
criterias: autonomy, accurate perception of reality, positive attitude towards oneself, resistance
to stress, environmental mastery, and potential for growth and development.
Criterias Autonomy - being able to make decisions by oneself and not being dependent on other people.
Accurate perception of reality - having a realistic view of the world, instead of overly optimistic
or pessimistic.
Positive attitude towards oneself - having a high self-esteem.
Resistance to stress - being able to cope with anxiety and stressful situations.
Environmental mastery - being able to meet the demands of situations and being able to adapt.
Potential for growth and development - being self-actualized, or becoming everything that one
is capable of becoming.
MAGEC - Cultural Relativism: These parameters are not generalizable across cultures. (Western
cultures, which are more individualistic, would comply with autonomy and positive
attitude towards oneself as standard for normality. This is because Individualistic
cultures promote the importance of a person as an individual. Whereas in more
collectivistic cultures, like Japan and Korea, autonomy and positive attitude towards
oneself may be considered arrogant and selfish, as collectivistic culture focus on the
importance of people as a group and working towards a collective image. )
- The criteria may not entirely be valid (People will not necessarily resist pressure.)
- Some criteria cannot to be measured (for instance, there is no exact definition of what
reality is and when self-actualization is reached)
