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Psychopathology 16 Mark Plans
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PsychopathologyQuestion: Describe and evaluate two definitions of abnormality.
AO1: • Deviation from social norms --> abnormal behaviour can be
6 classified as any behaviour that goes against societal expectations
about how to and not to behave.
- Social norms differ between cultures and between the same culture
at different periods in time.
- An example would be wearing clothes in public or respecting
people’s personal space.
- The degree to which a behaviour is abnormal depends on how extreme
the deviation is and how important the norm is.
• Statistical infrequency --> abnormal behaviour can be defined as
statistically rare characteristics and behaviours.
- The further a characteristic or behaviour is from the mathematical
average, the more rare or statistically infrequent it is.
- Average is indicated by 0 on the X-axis. Other figures indicate
standard deviations from this average. The more a figure deviates
from the average, the rarer it is.
- Intelligence can be quantified by IQ tests. Average IQ is 100, and
most people will have an IQ within 1 SD of this. IQ above 130 or
below 70 is statistically infrequent, as it occurs in 2% of people,
so according to this definition it’s considered abnormal.
AO3: • Social norms change over time
10 - What is considered a mental disorder today/ something that is
abnormal might not be in the future. Homosexuality was previously a
criminal offence and classified as a mental disorder. It’s no
longer true here but is present in other parts of the world. This
shows how defining abnormality in this way can make ‘abnormal’
individuals susceptible to abuse.
• Social norms are subjective
- People only make assumptions about what is accepted and what isn’t,
there is no definitive that says which behaviours are most healthy.
This makes the definition less appropriate to use.
• Social norms can help both abnormal individuals and wider society
- Understanding the different social norms society can help intervene
and protect citizens from the potentially dangerous behaviours of
abnormal individuals such as podophiles in public.
• Statistical infrequency has good real life application
- Practical diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder --> if IQ
is super low then individual can be tested for it. This shows
objectivity and useful in the clinical assessment of diagnosis.
• Infrequency does not always mean abnormality
- According to this definition, a high IQ of <140 is seen as
statistically infrequent and therefore abnormal but is a desirable
trait. Definition lacks validity.
• Neutral definition
- Does not make a judgement about the value of an abnormality. It
avoids negatively stigmatising people who are abnormal (ethical
advantage + removes social sensitivity).
40
, Question: Describe and evaluate two definitions of abnormality.
AO1: • Failure to function adequately --> abnormal behaviour can be
6 defined when an individual cannot cope with the ordinary demands of
everyday life.
- An example would be someone who cannot eat regularly, not being
able to keep a job or communicate with others.
- Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) identified various features of
dysfunction including personal distress, maladaptive behaviour,
irrationality, unpredictability, and discomfort to others.
- GAF scale provides a way to quantify (from 0 to 100) the extent to
which a mental disorder affects an individual’s ability to function
adequately. High score = can function fine. Low score = cannot
function adequately.
• Deviation from ideal mental health --> abnormal behaviour can be
defined when an individual cannot meet a set of criteria for ideal
mental health.
- Jahoda (1958) identified 6 features of ideal mental health
including a positive attitude towards self, self-actualisation,
autonomy, resistance to stress, accurate perception of reality and
mastery of environment.
- All features = ideal mental health. No/ little features =
classified as abnormal.
AO3: • GAF provides a practical and measurable way of quantifying
10 abnormality
- This removes any subjectivity from classification, so those not
displaying these behaviours can be identified objectively according
to the list. This makes the definition more scientific.
• FTFA has real life application
- People who seek clinical help for psychological disorder do so
because they believe the disorder is affecting their ability to
function normally.
- This is an objective definition on how the individual functions.
Definition is supported by the people who suffer from mental
disorders.
• Abnormality doesn’t equal failure to function adequately
- Many individuals who have the disorder can still function normally.
It could just be the things they do seem as maladaptive to others
but not the individual themselves such as eating disorders/
depression. Suffers from social sensitivity --> people may feel
worse about themselves if others think they have a mental disorder.
• Focuses on the positives of mental health
- Rather than focusing on what is ‘abnormal’ or ‘undesirable’ it
focuses on what is optimal and desirable and aims towards that. It
covers a range of criteria and so is seen as comprehensive. Has
good validity as most mental health problems can be identified
using this definition.
• Culturally relative
- Jahoda’s criteria stems from Western, individualistic cultural
ideas. Makes it inappropriate to use in cultures which do not share
these ideas such as autonomy and personal growth which wouldn’t be
relevant in collectivist cultures which focus on the community and
family.
• Criteria is subjective and hard to measure
- It’s not easy to quantify how much a person is self-actualising, or
the extent to which they are able to master their environment.
Judgements are subjective and open to bias.
41
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