Abnormality can be described in many different ways but it is just what's not normal. The complete idea of abnormality is difficult to determine and it will come in many varieties that involve cool features.
Abnormal psychology is the division of mindset that studies people who are either 'unusual' or 'atypical', compared to members of confirmed society. Addititionally there is proof that some psychological disorders are more prevalent than some previously thought.
There are different explanations of abnormality plus they include:
- Deviation from cultural norms:
Within every culture, there are different standards for what is seen as acceptable behavior or socially acceptable norms. Norms are the expected ways to respond in a specific society based on the majority and for many who do not behave in such a way like everybody else is seen to break these norms. You will discover defined as unusual. Social norms differ from culture to culture and what's seen as normal in one culture may be considered completely abnormal to another culture. That is a good example of cultural relativism. For instance in Southern Europe it's quite common to stand much nearer to strangers, than in the united kingdom. However, there are limits with this classification and some may be that norms can vary over-time. This means that behaviour that was seen as abnormal in one era is no longer defined as irregular in another. A good example of this is drink driving a vehicle was once seen as acceptable however now it is seen as socially undesirable. On the other hand homosexuality is complete opposite to this. Up until 1980 homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by the planet Health Organisation (WHO), but today is considered acceptable.
- Failure to operate adequately:
Failure to function adequately (FFA) identifies the kind of abnormality that prevents the individual from carrying out the different behaviours that population would expect from them. Types of this include possessing down employment, conducting successful associations, and getting up every day etc. If the person cannot handle these requirements of everyday life they are believed excessive. Rosenhan and Seligman suggest there are seven characteristics that help define FFA and they're: unpredictably and lack of control, suffering, violates moral/communal expectations, irrationality, maladaptiveness (hazard to self), causes of observer distress, and vividness and unconventionality (stands out). The strength of this definition is that is offers a sensible checklist for the individual to use to check their degree of abnormality. However, the limitation of it is the fact that FFA might not be associated with abnormality but to other factors such as their economical situation. Also, there are many people who take part in harmful behavior or sometimes appears as threatening to 1 self however we do not type them as excessive. This includes alcohol consumption, adrenaline sports activities, smoking and skipping classes etc.
- Statistical infrequency:
This description of abnormality comes under an individual's thinking, trait or behaviour. If these of the person are rare or statistically strange, they are categorised as irregular. However, it requires to be clear how uncommon a behavior or trait can be before it is classed as unnatural. For example, one person may say that if an individual who has an IQ credit score below or above the average level of IQ in culture, they are seen as unusual.
The strength of the definition is that the statistical approach helps to address what is actually supposed by normal in a statistical context. It helps us to make cut off points in terms of diagnosis.
The limitations of the definition are that it fails to recognise appealing and undesirable behavior. For the example of the IQ level being above the normal average, it wouldn't always be observed as unusual, but would be thought to be highly attractive. Conversely, obesity sometimes appears as statistically normal but is not associated with desired or healthy. As this description implies that the existence of abnormal behavior in people should be rare of statistically unconventional, this is not the case. Any specific unnatural behaviour may be unusual, but it is not unusual for folks to exhibit some type of prolonged abnormal behavior during their lives.
- Deviation from ideal mental health:
Jahoda (1958) submit six criteria necessary for ideal mental health and any absences of the characteristics indicted that the individual was abnormal, fundamentally showing deviation from the ideal mental health. The six criteria where mental health could be measured are:
- Autonomy and independence
- Positive view of the self
- Accurate perception of reality
- Environmental mastery
- Positive friendships and relationships
- Capability for expansion and development
According to this given approach, the greater of these six conditions are achieved, the healthier the average person will be.
However, the limitations of this classification and theory are that it is very hard for you to definitely meet the complete conditions and achieve all of the ideal characteristics on a regular basis. For instance, a person may not be able to produce an 'environment mastery' but are happy with their situation. There are extremely few people who can and this shows that there are very few folks who are psychologically healthy. The absence of this one requirements of ideal mental health does not indicate they suffer from a mental disorder.
