Abnormal Behaviour
Abnormality is a subjectively defined characteristic, assigned to those with rare or
dysfunctional conditions. Defining who is normal or abnormal is a contentious issue in
abnormal psychology.
Many layperson's first associations with psychology are ideas about abnormal
behaviour and its treatment. Ideas of abnormality have varied over time and have
affected attitudes toward disordered behaviour and its treatment.
Abnormal behavior is influence by biological factors (brain processes), psychological
factors (emotional turmoil), and by social factors (inadequate relationships)
Woman are diagnosed more then males because
1. Woman more likely to behave in ways that others label as mental disorders.
2. Woman are taught to express their emotions, while men are trained to control
them.
3. Woman have unequal social positions and greater discrimination, more likely to
experience trauma-inducing circumstances
4. Woman often placed in "double-blind" situations in society… Woman labeled as
mentally disordered for either over conforming or under conforming to feminine
gender role stereotypes.
Definining Abnormality
Many definitions exist but none are entirely satisfactory. "Abnormal" literally means
"away from the norm". The norm is the average or typical behaviour or characteristic
of the population. Thus norms are different for different populations and can change
with time and conditions.
Abnormal behaviour has been defined four different ways by psychologists and social
scientists: statistically, culturally, in terms of psychological adequacy, and in terms of
categories of symptoms.
1. Statistical Abnormality
In terms of statistics, abnormal behaviour includes any behaviour that is significantly
different from the norm. In a normal distribution of characteristics or qualities, both
very high scores and very low scores are considered statistically abnormal. For
example, in terms of intelligence only "average" intelligence is considered statistically
normal. Significantly below-average intelligence is considered abnormal, but so is
significantly above-average intelligence. Thus in the statistical sense, unusually well-
adjusted behaviour might be considered abnormal, just as disordered behaviour would
be.
2. Cultural Abnormality
In cultural terms, it is normal to abide by cultural norms. Cultures have norms for
every social behaviour, from personal practices in sexual behaviour and child-rearing,
to public actions like driving a car or choosing what to wear. The cultural definition of
abnormality includes any behaviour that deviates from cultural norms. If an individual
does not know how to dress in public, he or she will be considered abnormal. If an
individual deliberately chooses to be a nonconformist in some way, he or she will be
considered abnormal.
A problem with the cultural definition is its arbitrariness across time and cultures.l It
was normal in the 18th century for American men to wear wigs and pigtails, but not
so in the mid-20th century. Judging nonconformists to be abnormal because they do
not abide by a dress code will lead to erroneous identifications of abnormality.
3. Psychological Inadequacy
Closer to the "true" understanding of abnormal behaviour is a definition in terms of
psychological adequacy. This has taken two forms, a value-based interpretation and a
practical interpretation.
Adequacy as a Value:
In one sense, an individual is abnormal if his or her behaviour is not healthy. This view
assumes common understanding about what "healthy" behaviour is. Insofar as these
values might vary across individuals, even across professionals, this view of
abnormality has the same liabilities as the cultural definition. Most people will not
achieve "ideal" mental health but will still functional adequately and should not be
considered abnormal.
Practical Adequacy: One's behaviour is "psychologically adequate" if he or she sets
and achieves goals, is capable of independent living, and can form and sustain close
relationships with others. In this view, abnormal behaviour is that which is self-
defeating, out of touch with reality, socially unskilled, and personally distressed. This
approach to abnormality is more practical and "common-sensical" than the foregoing.
Several conventional criteria
1. One simple thing is statistical infrequency. This has an obvious flaw — the
extremely intelligent, honest, or happy are just as abnormal as their opposites.
Therefore, abnormal behaviour is considered to be statistically rare as well as
undesirable.
Dr Chinemezu of Aba Nigeria on (Abnormalty) The word abnormalty is The state or
quality of being abnormal; variation; irregularity - Darwin Something abnormal
2. A more discerning criterion is distress. A person who is displaying a great deal of
depression, anxiety, unhappiness, etc. is defined to be abnormal. Unfortunately,
many people are not aware of their own mental state, and while they may benefit
from help, they feel no compulsion to receive it.
3. Another criterion is morality. This presents many difficulties, because it would be
impossible to agree on a single set of morals for the purposes of diagnosis.
4. One criterion commonly referenced is maladaptivity. If a person is behaving in ways
counterproductive to their own well-being, it is considered maladaptive. While tighter
than the above criteria, it does have some shortcomings. For example, moral behavior
including dissent and abstinence may be considered maladaptive to some.
5. Abnormal behaviour violates the standards of society. When people do not follow
the conventional social and moral rules of their society, the behaviour is considered
abnormal. However, the magnitude of the violation and how commonly it is violated
by others must be taken into consideration.
6. Another element of abnormality is that abnormal behaviour will cause social
discomfort to those who witness such behaviour.
7. The standard criteria in psychology and psychiatry is that of mental illness.
Determination of abnormality is based upon medical diagnosis. This is often criticized
for removing control from the 'patient', and being easily manipulated by political or
social goals.
A mneumonic commonly used as a reference to define abnormalitySID's eFFing DIM:
• SI: Statistical Infrequency simply defines whether a behaviour is abnormal if it
doesn't happen very often. There are no negative or positive overtones when
using this definition of abnormality, as it covers behaviours which others don't
deem 'abnormal' i.e. stamp-collectors, racing drivers.
• D's: Deviation from Social Norms defines whether a behaviour is abnormal if it
is a behaviour 'outside' of society's 'circle' of what is acceptable. The main
problem with this definition of abnormality is that not all behaviours that break
social norms are 'wrong', and that even some social norms need to be broken
i.e. women wearing traditionally men's clothes. Another problem is that there
are some behaviours that individuals may do, but don't openly admit it i.e.
picking their noses is a crude example that not many people would admit to.
• FF: The Failure to Function Adequately definition of abnormalitydefines
whether or not a behaviour is abnormal if it is counterproductive to the
individual. The main problem with this definition however is that psychologists
cannot agree on the boundaries that define what is 'functioning' and what is
'adequately', as some behaviours that can cause 'failure to function' are not
seen as bad i.e. firemen risking their lives to save people in a blazing fire.
• DIM: Deviation from Ideal Mental health defines abnormality by determining if
the behaviour the individual is portraying is affecting their mental well-being.
As with the Failure to Function definition, the boundaries that stipulate what
'ideal mental health' is are not properly defined, and the bigger problem with
the definition is that all individuals will at some point in their life deviate from
ideal mental health, but it does not mean they are abnormal i.e. someone who
has lost a relative will be distressed, but would not be defined as abnormal for
showing that particular behaviour.
A common approach to defining abnormality is a Multi-Criteria approach, where all
definitions of abnormality are used to determine whether an individuals behaviour is
abnormal i.e. if an individual is exercising a particular behaviour that is preventing
them from 'functioning', breaks a social norm and is statistically infrequent then
Psychologists would be prepared to define this individual as abnormal. A good
example of an abnormal behaviour assessed by a multi-criteria approach
is depression: it is commonly seen as a deviation from ideal mental stability, it often
stops the individual from 'functioning' a normal life and some could say it is
statistically infrequent.
P O ST ED B Y P EA C E A T
