Defining Normal and Abnormal Behaviour

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This essay will be discussing the problems in defining normal and abnormal behaviour. It will discuss the issues surrounding the diagnosis of mental health problems using the medical model. It will also be looking at the different types of depression and the different explanations for depression according to various perspectives in psychology. Additionally it will include the recommended treatments given by the five perspectives. Abnormal behaviour can be hard to define. However psychologists described it as deviating from normal or typical behavioural characteristics. Norms are social rules that guide society and tell people what is right or wrong behaviour. They are usually culturally influenced, so what may be normal in one culture, may be seen as abnormal and strange in another. If a person was to be seen violating the cultural norms, they would be described as acting abnormally. There are different Standards which are used to determine if a person’s behaviour is abnormal. They include: Deviance from the statistical standard is often used to judge if an individual’s behaviour is abnormal. This is because it involves comparing an individual’s behaviour with how other people behave within the same culture. Normal behaviour may differ from one culture to another, as each culture has their own norms and values which they adhere to. This means that an individual who does not follow the norms of their culture may be seen as abnormal or mentally ill. The use of the model of ‘average’ behaviour is used to determine if someone is abnormal. This can cause problems because behaviours that are two or more standard deviation from the norm will be considered as abnormal. So if a person has a significantly high or low IQ they will be seen as abnormal because they are deviant from ‘normal’ intelligence (Abnormalpsych, 2012). Maladaptive behaviour can be described

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