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CRITERIA OF ABNORMAL

BEHAVIOUR

Dr. Asma Parveen

Associate Professor

CRITERIA OF ABNORMAL

BEHAVIOUR

Statistical Infrequency

Under this definition of abnormality, a person's trait,

thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it is

rare or statistically unusual.

With this definition it is necessary to be clear about

how rare a trait or behavior needs to be before we

class it as abnormal. For instance, one may say that

an individual who has an IQ below or above the

average level of IQ in society is abnormal.

Strength

The statistical approach helps to address what is

meant by normal in a statistical context. It helps us

make cut – off points in terms of diagnosis.

The decision of where to start the "abnormal" classification is arbitrary. Who decides what is statistically rare and how do they decide? For example, if an IQ of 70 is the cut-off point, how can we justify saying someone with 69 is abnormal, and someone with 70 normal? This definition also implies that the presence of abnormal behavior in people should be rare or statistically unusual, which is not the case. Instead, any specific abnormal behavior may be unusual, but it is not unusual for people to exhibit some form of prolonged abnormal behavior at some point in their lives, and mental disorders such as depression are actually very statistically common.

Violation of Social Norms

Under this definition, a person's thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it violates the (unwritten) rules about what is expected or acceptable behavior in a particular social group. Their behavior may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. Every culture has certain standards for acceptable behavior, or socially acceptable norms. Norms are expected ways of behaving in a society according to the majority and those members of a society who do not think and behave like everyone else break these norms so are often defined as abnormal.

Context and Situation At any one time, a type of behavior might be considered normal whereas another time the same behavior could be abnormal, depending on both context and situation. For example, wearing a chicken suit in the street for a charity event would seem normal, but wearing a chicken suit for everyday activities such as shopping or going to church, it would be socially abnormal.

Historical Context

Time must also be taken into account, as what is considered abnormal at one time in one culture may be normal another time, even in the same culture. For example, one hundred years ago, a pregnancy outside of marriage was considered a sign of mental illness and some women were institutionalized, whereas now this is not the case

Age and Gender

Different people can behave in the same way and for some will be normal and others abnormal, depending on age and gender (and sometimes other factors).

Limitations

The most obvious problem with defining abnormality using social norms is that there is no universal agreement over social norms. Social norms are culturally specific - they can differ significantly from one generation to the next and between different ethnic, regional and socio-economic groups. In some societies, such as the Zulu for example, hallucinations and screaming in the street are regarded as normal behavior. Social norms also exist within a time frame, and therefore change over time. Behavior that was once seen as abnormal may, given time, become acceptable and vice versa.

For example, drink driving was once considered acceptable but is now seen as socially unacceptable whereas homosexuality has gone the other way. Until 1980 homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO) but today is considered acceptable. Social norms can also depend on the situation or context we find ourselves in. Is it normal to eat parts of a dead body? In 1972 a rugby team who survived a plane crash in the snow-capped Andes of South America found themselves without food and in sub-freezing temperatures for 72 days. In order to survive, they ate the bodies of those who had died in the crash.

• • • • • • • o Unpredictably & loss of control

o Irrationality/incomprehensibility

o Causes observer discomfort

o Violates moral/social standards Limitations One limitation of this definition is that apparently abnormal behavior may actually be helpful, function and adaptive for the individual. For example, a person who has the obsessive-compulsive disorder of hand-washing may find that the behavior makes him cheerful, happy and better able to cope with his day.

Many people engage in behavior that is maladaptive/harmful or threatening to self, but we don’t class them as abnormal

Adrenaline sports

Smoking, drinking alcohol

Skipping classes

• • • • • • • o Positive view of the self o Capability for growth and development o Autonomy and independence o Accurate perception of reality o Positive friendships and relationships o Environmental mastery – able to meet the varying demands of day-to-day situations According to this approach, the more of these criteria are satisfied, the healthier the individual is.

Limitations

It is practically impossible for any individual to

achieve all of the ideal characteristics all of

the time. For example, a person might not be

the ‘master of his environment’ but be happy

with his situation.

The absence of this criterion of ideal mental

health hardly indicates he is suffering from a

mental disorder.