Normality vs Abnormality Pages 257 261 Abnormality as

Normality vs. Abnormality Pages 257 -261

Abnormality as a deviation from social norms We tend to define abnormality as something that falls outside the boundaries of what is accepted in society But there a number of problems with this idea: First, how do we account for the fact that societies themselves are different and changeable? Second is the fact that society gets to decide what behaviors are acceptable opens the door to using abnormality as a means of social control If individuals act outside of the groups “norms”, the group can label those individuals as abnormal and lock them out. This has given rise to a whole movement of “anti-psychiatry” Thomas Szasz, one famous anti-psychiatrist, believed that mental disorders are nothing more than “problems in living”, or a temporary inability to find one’s place within a given society. Third, some behaviors may be socially acceptable, but potentially harmful to the individual. Ex. One not leaving their house due to fears of the outside world (you could argue a normal behavior). However, the inability to leave the house due to irrational fears may interfere greatly with that person's life. Finally, abnormality must be evaluated in a context. Ex. The way you behave in school vs your behavior at a party would be completely different, but yet acceptable in the given context

Abnormality as inadequate functioning This definition of abnormality is based on the ideas of Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) who proposed seven criteria that can be used to establish abnormality: Suffering – subjective experience of one’s state as wrong Maladaptiveness – inability to achieve major life goals, ex. unable to establish positive relationships Unconventional behavior – behavior that stands out and differs from most people Unpredictability/loss of control – lack of consistency in actions Irrationality – others cannot understand why the person behaves in this way Observer discomfort – it makes other people uncomfortable to witness the behavior Violation of moral standards – behavior goes against common moral standards established in the society Limitations of this approach: Some behaviors may be harmful but we do not classify them as abnormal (ex. extreme sports) Some behaviors may be uncomfortable for observers, but not cause any subjective suffering (ex. Public displays of affection) To account for these limitations, Rosenhan and Seligman claimed that there exist degrees of abnormality and that each individual criterion might not be significant on it owns, but when several are present, abnormality may be inferred.

Abnormality as a deviation from ideal mental health This approach was proposed by humanistic psychologists in the 1950’s. Humanistic psychologists believe that psychology should focus on positive aspects of human experiences (health, happiness, seal-realization, etc. ) rather than negative things such as mental illness Marie Jahoda (1958) identified six characteristics of ideal mental health: Efficient self-perception Realistic self-esteem Voluntary control of behavior Accurate perception of the world Positive relationships Self-direction and productivity Strengths: mental health is defined positively, through what a person needs to achieve It outlines the main dimensions of mental health in a balanced way: embracing interpersonal relationships, self-perception, and so on. Weaknesses: Feasibility of mental health: it may be impossible to fully achieve all six parameters of mental health, so most people would probably be classified as abnormal according to this framework. Parameters are difficult to measure or quantify Terms such as “efficient” and “accurate” require further operationalization

Abnormality as statistical infrequency In this approach, behaviors or traits or personality are classified as abnormal if it is statistically unusual. Ex. IQ tests Mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. Around 68% of individuals lie in the 85 -115 range, 95% in the 70 -130 range, and 99. in the 55 -145 range So what is “statistically rare” There are thresholds established in research to gauge “norms”: 95%, 99%, and 99. 9%. An individual falling outside of the 99. 9% range could be considered as “severely abnormal” Strength: Unlike all the other approaches, it suggests a way to quantify abnormality Limitations: First, statistical norms change The average IQ in the world increases at the rate of about 3 IQ points every 10 years Second, statistically infrequent behavior can sometimes be desirable People with extremely high IQ are valued in society, not discriminated against

To sum up these approaches… It is not easy to determine what is “abnormal”. So what should we do? Some people clearly exhibit patterns of behavior that can cause distress to themselves or threaten the society in which they live These individuals require help, and we need a common language so that we may be able to determine a treatment strategy

The medical model of abnormality An approach that instead of coming up with a common definition to fit all possible types of disorders, looks at each disorder separately and establishes a set of symptoms that define it. A medical classification of abnormal behavior implies recognizable patterns of behavior in every disorder. Strengths: Flexibility: allows for various perspectives concerning mental illness, because it allows illness to be diagnosed regardless of your views about its causes. Limitation: Symptoms of mental illness are not as obvious or observable as physical symptoms Ex. How do we establish a significant change in mood without relying on self-reports? The need to decide which symptoms are related to which disorder One symptom may be an indicator of multiple disorders, and it is only the combination of symptoms that can delineate between disorders Classification systems are designed to tackle all these issues https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=x. Yemn. KEKx 0 c