Behaviours, emotional reactions and patterns of thinking which are statistically rare (atypical) or deviate from the statistical average or norm are classified as abnormal. The statistical definition hinges on the idea that abnormality can be measured using quantitative data and thus one individual can be compared with another. Statistical norms are established using a normal distribution curve which illustrates the fact that most people, (approx 95%) score between one and two standard deviation above or below the mean average. This leaves just over 2% of people who score unusually high or low and these people would be classed as abnormal because they are not typical of most people. Show When diagnosing depression for example, a structured interview or questionnaire including closed questions may be used and quantitative data can be derived; once the practitioner has calculated the individual’s ‘score’, this can be compared to statistical norms and a decision made about whether the person has a score which is high/low enough to be classed as abnormal. With regard to intelligence the standard deviation is 15 and the average is 100, this means that anyone who scores over 130 or under 70 will be classed as abnormal since these scores are two standard deviations above and below the mean. How will we learn about this definition in the classroom? defining abnormality (1) To prepare for your class, you will also need to to consult the following handout:…Statistical infrequency handout.doc When discussing abnormality in the terms of deviation from social norms, it is important to remember the context of normality, while it may be normal to walk naked on a nudist beach, at all other times, in a lot of societies both Western and Non-Western, this would not be seen as a normal thing to do, and so, try not to be focused on proving the idea that everything 'can be seen as normal', when answering a question on this definition of abnormality This is one way of defining abnormality. The basic idea is that abnormality is when a behaviour does not fit within what is socially acceptable. For example, in the UK it is a social norm to queue in a shop; to wait your turn. If someone walked into a shop, past the queue, and straight to the till, it would be regarded as an abnormal behaviour and classed as such under this definition. This definition of abnormality is clearly dependent on the culture in which the behaviour occurs. The social norms across societies are not the same and therefore what is abnormal in one culture is not defined as abnormal in another. It is important to consider how deeply entrenched that norm is embedded within the culture and also how culturally important it is. Slight deviations from a norm may not be regarded as abnormal if the social norm is not considered important by the society. Strengths of the definition Flexibility: A strength is that it is flexible dependent on situation and age. A social norm is to wear full clothing whilst out shopping, but a bikini is acceptable on a beach. It is also socially acceptable to drink milk out of a bottle with a teat if you are a baby, but not as an adult. Clarity: In most instances if you have lived within a culture for a long time, you will be aware of what is, and what is not acceptable. Helps society: Adhering to social norms means that society is ordered and predictable. This is argued to be advantageous. Weaknesses of the definition Change over time: Although this definition allows for age and situation dependent behaviour, the changes in legislation mean that norms vary dependent on the time. This is sometimes hard to judge and means that there is a lack of consensus between generations. For example, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness into the 1970s, whereas nowadays that is no longer the case. Cultural differences: The fact that there is so much variation cross culturally can be a weakness of the definition as it is not always clear what is abnormal and what is not in cultures. It is only by being immersed in the culture for a period of time that the decision can be made. Ethic differences: Social norms tend to be dictated by the majority within a culture and this means that there are sections of society where behaviour is seen as normal within an ethnic community, but not within the culture as a whole. This can lead to a lack of understanding from both the ethnic minority and the majority of people within a culture. This is a mathematical method for defining abnormality. This definition works on the idea that abnormality should be based on infrequency; if it occurs rarely then it is abnormal. The mathematical element of the definition is about the idea that human attributes fall into a normal distribution within the population. This means that there is a central average, or mean, and the rest of the population fall symmetrically above and below that mean. Standard deviation as a measure informs us how far scores fall on either side away from the mean. In a characteristic or attribute that falls into a normal distribution, like IQ, 68% of the population fall within one standard deviation from the mean. 95% of the population fall within two standard deviations from the mean. As the mean of IQ is 100 and the standard deviation for IQ is 15 that means that 68% of the population will score between 85- 115 on an IQ test and 95% of the population will score between 70 and 130. This definition states that the 5% of the population that fall more than two standard deviations from the mean are abnormal. So, in the IQ example people who score below 70 and above 130 are abnormal. This is illustrated in Figure 1 below.  Strengths of the definition Intuitive: The idea that abnormality is when something does not occur, as stated by this definition, often is an accepted definition for the word and makes sense. Objective: The mathematical nature of this definition means that it is clear what is defined as abnormal and what is not. There is no opinion involved which means there is no bias. A useful overview: This definition looks at the whole picture, taking all the population into account so can give a useful insight into the whole picture of a particular characteristic. Weaknesses of the definition Inflexible: There is a degree of inflexibility with this definition. It states that scores in the top and bottom 2.5% of the population are abnormal, but we know that there is some behaviour which is deemed abnormal by the diagnostic manuals for mental illness that would not fit within that definition. For example 3% of the population is thought to suffer from OCD but some of those individuals may not be seen as abnormal because they are within 2 standard deviations of the mean. This means that the definition and the current criteria for defining mental health issues are at odds with each other. Abnormal behaviours can occur frequently: It is not the case that abnormal, as in unhelpful and painful, behaviours occur rarely. Depression is an example, where it is argued that 25% of the population will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Culture: There is no consideration of cultural differences at all as it argues that the population of the world are contained within the normal distribution. There are variances between cultures and the mathematical nature of this definition does not allow for this. This ultimately means that abnormality could be widespread in one culture because of its comparison with the rest of the world. What is meant by statistical deviation as a definition of abnormality?Statistical deviation: Under this definition, a person's trait, thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual (if most people don't do it/have the characteristic).
What is meant by deviation from social norms definition of abnormality?Deviation from social norms is a definition of abnormality where a behaviour is seen as abnormal if it violates unwritten rules (social norms) about what is acceptable in a particular society.
Why is abnormality a deviation from the norm?Abnormality has sometimes been described as a deviation from social norms within a society. People can be labelled as abnormal if their behaviour is different from what is accepted as the norms of society. However, cultures vary and therefore a universal set of social rules cannot be established.
What is abnormal deviation?Abnormality can be defined as a deviation from ideal mental health. This means that rather than defining what is abnormal, psychologists define what is normal/ideal mental health, and anything that deviates from this is regarded as abnormal.
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