Abnormal_Behaviour

10th of March 2011 Access Essay Assignment: Describe and evaluate the concepts of abnormal behaviour applying the models of statistical infrequency, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately and ideal mental health. When we talk about abnormal behaviour it is not always clear what we mean, as the definition of abnormality seems to change every 20 years or so. Not to mention the fact that different cultures have their own ever changing ideals on the subject. Is mental illness to do with gods and demons, is it simply chemical imbalances in the brain or is it, as Thomas Szasz puts it; just eccentricities, with the term mental illness being thought up by the state, as a way of controlling the masses' As both the elements and definitions of abnormality are ever changing, it would be an impossible task to talk about all the different theories and explanations for mental illness. So in this essay I will be focusing on the 7 elements of abnormality as described by Rosenhan and Seligman and the 4 definitions of mental abnormality fond in the “New Webster’s English Dictionary”. I will also have a brief look at Thomas Szasz’s claim that, “there is no such thing as abnormal behaviour; it is societies way of controlling people.” The 4 definitions of abnormality are: a statistical infrequency, any defect from the social norm, not to have mental health and an inability to function adequately in society. In the first part of this essay, I will be looking at these definitions and I will be examining both their strengths and weaknesses. The science of psychology and mental illness is based mainly on the behaviour of the majority. This behaviour being seen to be normal, and anyone who strays outside of these relatively narrow boundaries being considered abnormal, hence the expression “statistical infrequency”. Simply put, someone who does not fit the general rule is not normal. There are obvious problems with this as a definition of mental illness e.g. having a high IQ goes against the statistical, norm but you wouldn’t say that someone with a high IQ was mentally ill. Why that would be a frankly ridiculous accusation. However based on this definition of mental illness it would be perfectly reasonable to suggest so. Although if you take this to be a definition simply of mental abnormality and not of mental illness then yes, having a high IQ is a mental abnormality, but surely this argument would also lead to the point that mental illness and mental abnormality are two completely different things and should in no way be linked together. Just like having six toes is physically abnormal but is not a physical disability and physical abnormalities are in no way linked to physical disabilities. Despite all of this people still use statistical infrequence to diagnose mental abnormalities. The main reason for this being, it is a very easy, cheap and quick way to see if someone is mentally abnormal. All you need is a couple of graphs. Of course this also raises the problem of whether the data being used is fair representation of the population, dose it take cultural differences into account e.g. a graph of women’s shoe sizes in china would have completely different results to that of the same graph for women in England. Using statistical infrequencies to distinguish between normal and abnormal is a very mathematical way of diagnosing mental illness. The fact is people are not as one dimensional as numbers so surely this in not the correct way to diagnose something so serious and life changing. After all a graph can only take into account a couple of pieces of information, whilst our lives are ever more complicated. Surely the view that we can be correctly diagnosed as being abnormal or normal based on two bits of information is frankly ridiculous when there are thousands upon thousands of things about us that shapes us into who we are. Another definition of abnormality is to go against the socially accepted norm, that is to say doing something that the majority of people would find unnerving and have been brought up to believe is a wrong way to behave, e.g. talking to yourself. On the other hand there are some things that go against the social norm, and therefore make the people doing them abnormal, that if you think about it seems like the most natural things to do. .i.e. walking around naked is not socially accepted yet entire organisations are dedicated to that vary pursuit and for them walking around with clothes on goes against the social norm Another big problem with this definition is that no one can ever truly say they have ultimate mental health. Everyone will experience sadness, stress and anxiety in their lives. But then does this mean that everyone is mentally abnormal and if so doesn’t this definition completely undermine the whole point of mental abnormality. Of course you could contradict this argument by saying that to be in a state of good health you need to have “mental, social and physical wellbeing” so what is meant by being mentally healthy is actually to be in a state of good mental health not perfect but good enough to function in everyday life. The problem then is how do you monitor good mental health' Also how good does good have to be for you not to be abnormal. The final definition of abnormality is if someone is incapable of functioning adequately in society. Personally I find this description to be the best and most accurate. A drug addict, whilst they might be able to function in society with the drug as soon as you take that drug away they quickly break down. The drug was their crutch and they relied upon it instead of themselves to function. Maybe the real test of mental normality should be whether you could survive on an island for 4 days with food water and shelter and still function normally. In this period of time someone with an addiction would be having withdrawal symptoms but someone mentally normal would not be driven mad by the isolation and someone who had any form of mental unbalance would have showed specific clear signs that they were mentally abnormal. The 7 elements of abnormality are: suffering, maladaptiveness, irrationality, unpredictability, unconventionality, observer discomfort and violation of moral standards. In this second part of my essay I will be going into more depth about just what each element actually means, and why it is used to diagnose between normal and abnormal. The first element of abnormal behaviour that I will be looking at is: Observer discomfort. Simply put people feel uncomfortable when they are in the company of someone who is acting abnormally. This can mean anything from someone making too much and too little eye contact to someone rocking backward and forward laughing manically whilst wielding a knife. The main reason that people may feel uncomfortable when they are faced with someone acting abnormally is because that person is not acting in a way that we would be used to. It is natural to be a bit unnerved by anything new that we experience, i.e. a person first day at school is nerve wrecking because they are entering into an alien environment. However being unnerved by someone else’s behaviour is slightly different. Because humans are naturally social beings we are all deeply ingrained from a young age with similar ideas on the “right” and “wrong” way to behave in public. So when someone breaks these unwritten rules it invokes may vary powerful reaction within us as it almost seems like they are going against their own common sense. Another element of abnormality is: personal suffering. Most people who have mental health issues report experiences of suffering in one way or another. One of the easiest ways of getting an idea about whether someone’s behaviour is to do with a mental abnormality, would be to look back at his/her past and see if there was any key evidence to indicate suffering on the patient’s part. Or do they feel like they are suffering from pain in any way at the moment. To put it another way if someone is content with their life and is not suffering then it is very unlikely that they will show any signs of abnormality. An alternative element of abnormality is: Maladaptiveness; In other words behaviour that prevents a person from adapting to life to the fullest of their ability. There are two different types of maladaptiveness. Firstly, maladaptivness towards yourself, .i.e. cutting yourself, and secondly, maladaptivness towards society .i.e. arson. Both types of behaviour prevent a person from achieving their goals to the best of their ability or simply being the happiest that they can be. An obvious sign of abnormal behaviour is if someone behaves in an irrational manner. Of course if someone’s behaviour makes no sense to us then we are very likely to assume that they are abnormal. But it is all too easy to assume that someone is behaving in an irrational manner as you very rarely know the full story behind someone’s actions .e.g. if a person were to break down in the middle of the street it is very likely that you would think their behaviour abnormal. However what you don’t know is that they have actually just found out that they have a terminal illness, or that they have left their mobile phone on the bus. To behave in an unpredictable manner is also a sign of abnormal behaviour. Most people behave in a fairly controlled predictable way .i.e. if you were walking backwards down the street singing the alphabet it would be considered abnormal. Normal people walk forwards and don’t sing nursery rhymes to them. People also react unpredictably when presented with certain stimulus and their reaction could be a sign of abnormal behaviour. It would be weird to shout at someone if they had just helped you cross the road for example. Nevertheless unpredictability is a feature of most people’s behaviour. It is really dependent on how often and in what ways you are unpredictable as to whether your behaviour is abnormal or not. Unconventional behaviour is yet another sign of abnormal behaviour. Not only does unconventional behaviour mean that you are going against the social norm but it also means that you are probably a statistical infrequency. In order for unconventional behaviour to be seen as abnormal it normally has to also be very noticeable and extremely abnormal. Otherwise it would just be seen as an eccentricity, or someone being non conventional and showing their individuality. The final element of abnormal behaviour that I will be looking at is: Violation of moral and ideal standards. Or, to put it another way; breaking the standards that ideally the people in your society should stick to. In order to appreciate this element of abnormal behaviour we must first know what is meant by “ideal standards”. Is it simply things like, “do not kill another person”' Or is it stuff as specific as your dress size and hair colour' The big problem with this element of abnormal behaviour is that it is very vague and therefore it is easy to group everyone as abnormal just using this element of abnormality. For this reason it is vital that you look at a person’s behaviour using all 7 elements of abnormal behaviour before you make a judgment on someone’s sanity. Thomas Sazasz saw the fact that there was a get out clause in every definition of abnormality as well as every element of abnormality and came to the conclusion that there was no such thing as abnormality. He wrote several theses on his view. The fact that the treatment of mental illness has progressed so little since prehistoric times also goes further to prove Thomas Sazasz’s point. Not to mention the fact that it is well documented that governments try and control the people in their countries by suppressing their behaviour. As logical as Thomas Sazasz argument is I feel that he has missed the most basic idea behind abnormal behaviour which it that some people are just weird. However unsatisfactory this is as a definition it is just the way people are and to ignore this fact is to miss the whole point. Therefore I feel that although both the definitions and elements of mental health can easily be undermined they are as good as they can be with the knowledge available to psychologists at this present time. References: 7 Features of Abnormality by D Rosenhan and M Seligman Handsout Psychology for AS LEVEL