Discuss two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks) One definition of abnormality is “deviation from social norms” and under this definition a person’s thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the unwritten rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group. Behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. For example, someone would be classified as being abnormal if they laughed at a funeral, as this is socially unacceptable. A weakness of this definition is that it lacks cultural relativity as social behaviour varies when different cultures are compared. For e.g.
One the other hand if an individual was to be scored at 10 they would be described as, “persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g. recurrent violence) OR persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene OR serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death”. The failure to function adequately view of abnormality does have implications. If an individual’s behaviour seems to be strange or abnormal to others, then providing they are not harming themselves or others, and provided behaviour is not dysfunctional. Meaning
Violation of norms refers to any behaviour which is deemed socially unacceptable. This has a tendency of being rather ambiguous however, because what is acceptable in some societies can be most unacceptable in others, and cultural differences may apply as well. For example, in some cultures arranged marriages are the norm, however, in more western cultures; this is frowned upon by society. Personal distress is when a person’s behaviour causes them harm or distress. Mental disorders such as anxiety and depression fall into this category of abnormal behaviour, as the person’s behaviour affects their emotions and feelings.
The term ‘failure to function adequately’ is a term which describes a person when considered as abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life. They may be unable to perform the behaviours necessary for day-to-day living e.g. self-care, hold down a job, socialising with people. According to Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) they proposed characteristics which they believe define failure to function adequately. Some of these are; suffering, Maladaptiveness (behaviour that interferes with someone’s normal routine.)
Consent may not be given due to the individual possibly not having the capacity to understand what is going on, they may not wish to consent to it, or they may feel threatened due to the other person being in a position of trust. * Emotional/psychological abuse- Emotional abuse would be where an individual’s mental well-being is being damaged. This can be through the use of threats, humiliation, bullying, swearing and other verbal conduct, which results in mental or physical distress. It also includes the denial of basic human civil rights, such as choice, self-expression, privacy and dignity. * Financial abuse- Financial abuse is the theft or misuse of an individual’s money or personal possessions to the advantage of another person.
This effectively demonstrates the inability of individuals affected by mental illnesses to comprehend the consequences associated with their actions. This also illustrates how individuals affected with confrontations is unable to make prolonged social interactions, and is clearly contrasts this to individuals without mental disabilities. This idea is further conveyed through the short sentences “I didn’t like him touching me. And this is when I hit him” these short sentences highlights how quickly Christopher reacts to things he perceives as uncomfortable which further adds to the factors that limit autistic individuals from functioning within a society. While belonging to a family is an important facet that shapes ones identity, it can however, be fraught with opposing pressures of struggle.
Another weakness is the consequences, in some situations when consequences are too severe that many think it is better to break a rule than allow awful thing to happen. The theory is too rigid, sometimes the consequences can change the rightness or a wrongness of an action, but in this theory the person is judged on the action which can be unfair. It’s inflexible as you should be able to break a rule if the individual’s circumstances warrant it. There is no consideration to human emotion, there are situation where individuals break rules because of emotions, for example if a person is scared they may lie to protect themselves which in Kant’s eyes this would be morally wrong. The theory is a priori, some claim we out our duty a priori but it is also argued we need to refer to experience to work out what is right.
These individuals are often ridiculed, segregated, and discriminated against. “Some believe that psychological conditions are not as important as physiological conditions or that they are non-biological therefore treatment is ineffective” (Roman et al, 2008). If mental disorders are not properly diagnosed and treated, mental illnesses
unlikely that we can diagnose mental abnormality in the same way we can diagnose physical abnormality. Cultural relativism social norms are influenced by cultural factors. Defining abnormality 4) Deviating from social norms Refers to deviant behaviour. I.e. behaviour that is somewhat anti-social or undesirable.
Usually the individual experiencing the phobic behavior is aware of their behavior but can still do nothing to calm themselves in social situations. The DSM IV symptom criteria for Social Phobia is A persistent fear of performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or situations, fearing that they will act in a humiliating or embarrassing way. Any exposure to a feared social situation causes anxiety which usually comes in the form of a panic attack. The individual then avoids these social situations or endures them with large amounts of distress. These behaviors interfere with the individuals normal routine, job or academic functioning or relationships with others (Abnormal Psychology an integrative approach, 151).