Defining

1
Defining Explaining Abnormality

• Definitions
• Strengths Limitations

2
Definitions you need to be able to explain and
evaluate.

• Deviation from social norms
• Failure to function adequately
• Deviation from ideal mental health

3
DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS

• Social norms are a set of rules for behaviour
  based on a set of moral and conventional
  standards within society.
• They are judged by the dominant culture

4
What is seen as normal behaviour in the dominant
culture

• John Maguire and Laurence Scott-Mackay were the
  first couple to exchange vows in a civil
  partnership ceremony in Scotland, with a ceremony
  in Edinburgh

5
May not be seen as normal behaviour in a
different culture
6
Or sub-culture
7
There are cultural issues with this definition

• http//news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/09
  01_050901_firewalking.html
• http//www.downtheroad.org/Asia/Photo/a6Malaysia_p
  ictures2/6indian_fire_walking_ceremony.htm

8
This definition is therefore culturally relative
9
Social norms vary from one culture or society to
another
10

• social norms vary from one time to another

Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas in 1893
On 25 May 1895 Wilde was convicted of gross
indecency and sentenced to two years' hard
labour.
11

• In 1973, the weight of empirical data, coupled
  with changing social norms and the development of
  a politically active gay community in the United
  States, led the Board of Directors of the
  American Psychiatric Association to remove
  homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical
  Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Some
  psychiatrists who fiercely opposed their action
  subsequently circulated a petition calling for a
  vote on the issue by the Association's
  membership. That vote was held in 1974, and the
  Board's decision was ratified.

12
what is deviant is often related to the context
of the situation
13
Deviation from social norms may sometimes be
illegal rather than abnormal!
14
FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY

• From an individuals point of view abnormality
  can be judged in terms of not being able to cope
  with day to day living.

15
It may be the case that apparently
dysfunctional behaviour is actually adaptive and
functional for the specific individual.
16
This definition may be biased by who judges
failure to function adequately as in the
opinion of the individual they may believe that
they are functioning adequately even if others do
not agree.
17
Failure to function may be as a result of
economic or social conditions
18
Some people may appear to function quite well
yet still have psychological abnormality.

• http//nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laure
  ates/1994/nash-autobio.html

19
What is adequate in one culture may not be in
another
20
DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH

• This judges mental health in the same way as
  physical health, a person requires certain
  attributes to be mentally healthy.
• Jahoda found six categories that were commonly
  referred to as desirable for mental health.

21

• good self image
• drive to realize self-potential
• ability to cope with stress
• being independent (autonomous)
• having an accurate perception of reality
• Being able to adapt to changes in the environment
• absence of these indicates abnormality.

22
However many of the categories are difficult to
achieve

• Lego man is checking his self image

23
Categories are based on a Western and
individualist cultural ideal so the measure is
ethnocentric

• A drive to realise self potential may look odd to
  some!

24
Interpretation is subjective.Who decides
which looks normal?
25
It is unclear how far a person could deviate
before being defined as abnormal

• Tattoos and piercings are now accepted as normal
  but even these may sometimes viewed as abnormal
  does this indicate psychological abnormality?

26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
How is psychological abnormality really judged.

• The dominant approach to psychopathology (the
  study of psychological abnormality) is the
  biological or medical model
• This sees psychological abnormality in terms
  ofsigns and symptoms that regularly occur
  together and can therefore be referred to as a
  syndromethese syndromes are distinctive from any
  other signs and symptoms and can therefore be
  identified as a particular disorder.

33
Two major Classification systems

• The International Classification System for
  Diseases ICD was developed by the World Health
  Organization (WHO) currently in its 10th
  edition. Mental disorders were first included in
  1952 and form only a small section of the manuel

34

• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
  Disorders DSM was developed by th American
  Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1952. The
  current edition is the 4th.
• This is generally used by mental health
  professionals mainly to make diagnoses.

35
Problems with Diagnosis Classification

• Even using these systems there can be significant
  disagreement between psychiatrists - this is
  generally because symptoms of different disorders
  overlap
• There is an overemphasis of the biological
  aspects of the disorders with psychological
  factors minimised.
• Labelling a person as having a particular
  disorder may stigmatise them so raises ethical
  issues.