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Psychopathology A-Level Psychology (year 1)
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A* notes on Psychopathology A-Level Psychology (year 1) in year 12
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PSYCHOPATHOLOGYDefinitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to
function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental
health.
● The Statistical infrequency definition of abnormality states that abnormal behaviour
is behaviour that is very rare.
● Statistics are how we measure how common behaviours or traits are when measured
in comparison to the rest of the population. The most uncommon ones are defined a
abnormal.
● For example low IQ is when someone’s intelligence is two standard deviations from
the average. Just 2.28% of the population have low IQ. It is an objective measure of
individuals needing support.
Evaluation
★ Not all statistically infrequent traits are negative. This definition would include high
IQ, but whilst this is statistically rare it is also highly desirable.
★ Where the cut-off point falls results in some people receiving treatment and some
not, so deciding where to put the cut-off is subjective.
★ Some psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety are quite common. Around
1 in 6 adults (17%) surveyed in England by the NHS met the criteria for a common
mental health disorder (CMD) in 2014. The statistical infrequency definition does
not match with the high incidence of mental health disorders within society.
Failure to function adequately
● Failure to function adequately is inability to cope with daily life (interacting with the
world and people around us).
● Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggested the following features of failure to
function adequately:
1. Maladaptive behaviour- this is when individuals behave in ways that are
against their long-term interests (i.e: self-harm or unhealthy eating
patterns).
2. Personal anguish- suffering from anxiety and distress because of their
inability to cope.
3. Observer discomfort- The person’s behaviour causes distress to the people
around them (i.e: poor personal hygiene or not respecting personal space).
4. Irrationality and unpredictability- behaviour that is hard to understand
and/or seems uncontrolled
, 5. Unconventionality- behaviours go against normal expectations.
Marbled pigs often irritate uncle
Evaluation
★ Deciding whether an individual is coping or not is a subjective judgement that is
affected by the opinions of the observer, so two observers may not rate a person in
the same way (potential low inter-rater reliability).
★ Some abnormal behaviour is not linked to an inability to cope or intense distress. It
is thought that there are many psychopaths that may be more able to function in
certain roles in society, which may be at the detriment of people other than
themselves.
★ Not all maladaptive behaviour is an indication of mental illness. For example,
smoking and poor diet are seen as against a person’s long-term interests in their
personal health, but neither of these behaviours are assumed to constitute mental
illness.
★ However failure to function does respect and recognises the patient’s own lived
experiences and perspective, which statistical infrequency and deviation from social
norms cannot really address.
Deviation from social norms
● Social norms are unwritten social expectations of behaviour that may differ
from one culture to the next. They often change over time and vary depending
on the context.
● Therefore according to this definition, those who deviate from the society's’
expectations will be seen as abnormal ‘social deviants’.
● An issue with this explanation of mental illness is that, as norms are a group
judgement on what is acceptable, certain behaviours in one culture that are
considered acceptable may be considered deviant in another culture (i.e:
homosexuality, face/hair covering, queuing, chopsticks, public displays of emotions).
Evaluation
★ It respects cultural differences by not imposing a set definition of abnormality
(avoids western ethnocentrism that would cause other cultures to be viewed as
abnormal).
★ It is a clear definition of what is and is not abnormal whilst also taking context into
consideration.
★ Different social classes within the same society may have different social norms.
This could, for example, result in an overdiagnosis of mental health problems in
those of working class backgrounds if most of the psychiatrists are from middle or
upper class backgrounds.
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