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AQA Psychology - psychopathology 16 marker plans

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Module
Psychopathology

Institution
AQA

Provides elaborate 16 marker plans for all questions that could appear in the exams, includes all key statistics and names mentioned on the specification for AQA, as well as a range of evaluations to choose from.

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Uploaded on September 7, 2023
Number of pages 23
Written in 2022/2023
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AQA A-level psychology 16 marker plans summary

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1. Other - Aqa psychology - psychopathology 16 marker plans
2. Other - Aqa psychology - attachment 16 marker plans
3. Other - Aqa psychology - social influence 16 marker plans
4. Other - Aqa psychology - memory 16 marker plans
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Psychopathology

Definitions of abnormality

Statistical infrequency
→ behaviours or characteristics which are extremely rare or
unusual, usually at either extremes of a distribution curve
- an example of this is IQ, extremely high or low IQs would be seen as statistically infrequent

L: Some abnormal behaviours are desirable
- Very few people have an IQ of over 150 but this abnormality is desirable not
undesirable
- Equally, there are some ‘normal’ behaviours which are undesirable.
- Experiencing depression for example, is relatively common
- Therefore, using statistical infrequency to define abnormality means we are unable to
distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviours.

L: The cut-off point is subjective
- If abnormality is defined in terms of statistical infrequency, we need to decide where to
separate normality from abnormality
- For example, one of the symptoms of depression is ‘difficulty sleeping’
- Some people may think difficulty sleeping is less than 6 hours a night, others might
think the cutoff should be 5 hours
- Who decides what the cut-off is?

S: Statistical infrequency is sometimes appropriate
- For example, intellectual disability is defined in terms of the normal distribution using
the concept of standard deviation to establish a cut-off point for abnormality
- For individuals whose IQ is more than two standard deviations below the mean, they
are judged as having a mental disorder
- However, a diagnosis is only made in conjunction with failure to function adequately

,L: Cultural relativism
- Behaviours that are statistically infrequent in one culture may be more statistically
frequent in another
- E.g. one symptom of SZ is hearing voices, but this is common in some cultures
- No universal standards/rules for labelling a behaviour as abnormal

L: Self-fulfilling prophecy
- Even if a person has a rare or unusual characteristic, there is no use in labelling with
them as abnormal as this has negative connotations
- Could lead to people partaking in behaviours that now confirm their abnormality

Deviation from social norms
→ social norms are standards of acceptable behaviour set by a
social group, and adhered to by those who are in that group
Anyone that behaves differently (‘deviates’) is classed as abnormal
Some rules about behaviour are implicit whereas others are policed by laws

L: Susceptible to abuse
- What is socially acceptable now may not have been socially acceptable 50 years go
- E.g. homosexuality today is now acceptable in most countries but in the past is was
included under sexual and gender identity disorders
- Szasz claimed the concept of mental illness was simply a way to exclude non-
conformists from society
- Therefore, using this definition of abnormality, we run the risk of creating definitions
based on prevailing social morals and attitudes

, L: Not a sole explanation
- Has real-life application in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder
- But there are other factors to consider e.g. distress to other people resulting from ASPD
(FTFA)
- So DFSN is never the sole reason for defining abnormality

L: Cultural relativism
- Social norms vary tremendously from one generation to another and from one
community to another
- So someone from one cultural group may label someone else as behaving abnormally
according to their standards rather than the standards of the person behaving that way
- E.g. hearing voices is socially acceptable in some cultures but would be seen as a sign of
mental abnormality in the UK
- Creates problems for people from one culture living within another culture group

Failure to function adequately
→ A person is seen as abnormal when they are no longer able to
cope with the demands of everyday life. We might decide someone
is not functioning adequately when they are unable to maintain
basic standards of nutrition and hygiene.

Rosenhan and Seligman have proposed signs that can be used to determine whether some is
FTFA:
- When a person no longers conforms to standard interpersonal rules e.g. maintaining
eye contact and respecting personal space
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves/others

S: Patient’s perspective
- It does attempt to include the subjective experience of the individual
- It may not be an entirely satisfactory approach bc it is difficult to assess distress, but it
acknowledges that the experience of the patient and is important

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