Definitions of Abnormality:
● Abnormality is the absence of normality
○ Mental illnesses can be classified as abnormal behaviours/emotions
● There are 4 different definitions of abnormality:
○ Deviation from social norms
■ Social norm: unwritten rule of society
■ Most people in the group adhere to norms so people that go against it are
classed as abnormal
● + Much of our behaviour is context specific
○ This considers that behaviour can be normal in one situation
and abnormal in others
● - Social attitudes and norms change over time, therefore, this
definition of abnormality is era dependant
● - Social deviance is not always a bad thing so should not always be
seen as abnormal
● - Could be culturally biased because some norms in one culture may
not be a norm in another culture
○ Failure to function adequately
■ Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) suggested the following characteristics define
FFA definition:
● Suffering
● Maladaptiveness (danger to self)
● Vividness and unconventionality (stands out)
● Irrationality/incomprehensibility
● Causes observer discomfort
● Violates moral/social standards
■ + Provides a checklist to assess whether someone is not functioning
adequately - more objective
■ - It does not consider individual differences - what is functioning normally for
one person may not be the same for others
■ - People can function normally with mental illnesses so it can’t always be
used to indicate psychological issues
■ - Could be culturally biased as functioning normally is subjective
○ Statistical infrequency
■ Abnormality is defined as those behaviours that are extremely rare
■ Any behaviour that is found in very few people is regarded as abnormal →
e.g. in less than 2% of people
● + There is an objective, quantitative cut-off point so less subjectivity
in deciding who is abnormal
● - Fails to distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviour
○ E.g. high IQ is rare/abnormal but not undesirable
● - Some mental illnesses aren’t statistically rare
, ● - Could be culturally biased → something rare in one culture may
not be rare in other cultures (cultural relativism)
○ Deviation from ideal mental health
■ Jahoda argued physical ill-health is judged by an absence of signs of physical
health, e.g. not having the correct body temperature = sign of infection
■ So mental ill-health should be judged by an absence of the signs of ideal
mental well-being
● Self-actualisation of one’s potential
○ Where people reach their full potential
● Personal autonomy
○ Being independent, self-reliant, and able to make personal
decisions
● Positive attitudes towards oneself
○ Having self-respect and a good self-concept
● Environmental mastery
○ Being competent in all aspects of life and having flexibility to
adapt to changing life circumstances
● Accurate perception of reality
○ Seeing the world in a non-distorted fashion
○ Seeing the world in an objective and realistic way
● Resistance to stress
○ Having coping strategies to deal with anxiety-provoking
situations
■ + Focuses on what is needed and desirable in people rather than what is
undesirable
● Provides goals people can meet to achieve ideal mental health
■ - Some of the criteria are vague and difficult to assess so could rely on
subjective judgements (e.g. someone’s self-esteem)
■ - Criteria is over-demanding → few people would meet all of it so lots could
be seen as abnormal
■ Could be culturally biased (e.g. self-actualisation is seen as self-indulgent in
non-western countries)
● How mental illnesses are diagnosed:
○ Mental illnesses are put into groups and listed in a classification manual (DSM)
■ Includes categories, specific disorders and descriptions of the characteristics
(symptoms) of each
■ Provides criteria, that people must meet, to be diagnosed with a mental
illness
○ DSM:
■ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is one system for classifying mental health
■ Has been updated and revised regularly (now on DSM- 5, released in 2013)
● Abnormality changes over time: disorders that have been removed from the DSM
○ Nymphomania: compulsive sexual behaviour in women only
○ Drapetomania: an uncontrollable urge to escape from slavery
○ Homosexuality: has been fully removed from the DSM in 1980
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