IB Psychology HL - Abnormal - Examine 'Normality' and 'Abnormality'

conformity to standard patterns of behaviour

- from a statistical perspective, normality is statistically regular behaviour

behaviour that does not conform to standard behavioural patterns

general belief that ‘abnormality’ is a sign that something is wrong

imprecise explanation; the extent of one’s abnormality is subjective

what extent of abnormality requires treatment?

statistical abnormality

deviation from social norms

maladaptiveness

Jahoda’s positive mental health (1958)

abnormal behaviour is statistically infrequent

useful for dealing with numbers (e.g. IQ scores, or scores of personality measures)

this allows us to determine exactly what range of numbers most people fall under (the mean value)

statistically normal behaviour causes less problems

- statistics can decide whether certain behaviours are abnormal or not

assumes that statistically normal behaviour causes less problems – but obesity, which is undesirable, is becoming statistically normal

assumes statistics can decide whether certain behaviours are abnormal or not – but some statistically infrequent behaviours are considered desirable rather than abnormal (e.g. high IQ)

much harder when NOT dealing with numbers (e.g. how much hunger is abnormal? how do you compare between people’s experiences of hunger?)

statistics cannot account for the fact that people exhibit complex behavioural tendencies that change over time

unreliable: statistical abnormalities may be desirable, and statistical normalcy may be undesirable

statistical means may also differ between cultures, making it impossible to establish universal standards

abnormality is behaviour that is different from what is socially expected (i.e. goes against social norms)

assumes that there are socially correct ways to behave – culture: in a multicultural context this would be impossible to define

historical variation: Read et al. (2004) noted that some behaviours that were considered signs of mental illness in the past are now acceptable in many cultures and social situations (e.g. homosexuality)

neither objective nor stable: socially based definitions change over time

using this criterion could lead to discrimination against minorities from different cultures or those who suffer from disorders

psychological disorders vary between cultures – DSM includes disorders called ƒculture-bound syndromes„

core assumption: all humans perform behaviours that are beneficial in the context of their environment

thus behaviours that threaten one’s function is maladaptive, and therefore abnormal

works well when describing conditions like alcoholism or anorexia, where the person’s health is in danger

but there are people whose motivation is clearly not indicative of a disorder that may perform maladaptive behaviour, e.g. extreme sports people and political protestors who go on hunger strikes to make their point

Jahoda (1958):

core assumption: if a definition of normal behaviour in the context of mental health could be established, then the opposite behaviour is the kind of abnormality that should be treated

identified 6 indicators of normalcy:

• high self-esteem

• growth, development, and self-actualization

• ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships

• autonomy/independence

• realistic perception of reality

• ability to cope with stressful situations

very few people actually fulfil the 6 criteria

Szasz (1962): psychological normality is a culturally defined concept that cannot be objectively assessed

Taylor and Brown (1988): the depressed are actually more accurate in their perception of reality; for most of us, functioning adequately requires some extent of self-delusion and unreasonable optimism

cultural limitations: the criteria in the model are culturally biased value judgements that reflect an idealized rather than realistic perception of„ what it means to be human in Western culture