Abnormality Psychological behaviour that departs from norm or is harmful/distressing to individual or those around them. Definitions 1.

Deviation from social norms - Behaviour which doesnt fit in with value or norms of society - Strength: o Distinguishes between desirable and not desirable o Wellbeing of society also taken into account (greater good of society) - Limitations: o Depends on context and extent of behaviour- when, who, where o If a behaviour is undesirable in society, may be defined as abnormal o Culturally relative- different social norms in each society 2. Failure to function adequately - Failure to meet living life fully and well due to behaviour - Strength: o Easy to determine as were able to consider what functioning normally is - Limitations: o Can be adaptive or maladaptive (prevents someone from coping) o Sometimes someone can be abnormal but not show signs of distress o Subjective- who defines coping o Certain points in time different e.g. upset after relative dies Rosenham and Seligman added 7 criteria to define if one is abnormal: o o o o o o o distress - the person is upset or depressed maladaptive behaviour - prevents someone from coping with everyday situations Irrationality - belief or behaviour not connected with reality unpredictability - reacting to a situation in a way that could not be predicted or reasonably expected unconventional behaviour or statistically rare behaviour observer discomfort - behaviour that makes other people feel uncomfortable Violation of moral standards - breaking laws

3. Deviation from ideal mental health - Identifying characteristics of good mental health and focusing on how far they are normal - Strengths: positive approach - Limitations: o According to this definition, everyone is a bit abnormal o Difficult to self-assess

Criteria are cultural bound- higher incidences of abnormality probably in other social groups. E.g. self-actualisation more important to individualist culture than collectivist Jahoda (1956) defined good health as o Positive view of self o Actualisation- achieve potential o Autonomy- independent o Accurate perception of reality o Environmental adaptability- different behaviour for various situations o Resistance to stress- able to cope/flexible