Abnormalities - Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology is the scientific study of abnormal behaviour in a bid to express, envisage, clarify and modify irregular patterns of functioning. Abnormal psychology, within clinical psychology, examines the nature of psychopathology, its causes and its management. Evidently the definition of what constitutes abnormal has varied across time and civilizations.

Furthermore individuals differ in what they look upon as normal or abnormal behaviour. In general abnormal psychology can be portrayed as an area of psychology that studies people who are constantly incapable of adjusting and functioning effectively in an array of circumstances. The four main contributing factors to how well an individual is capable to adapt consist of their genetic makeup, physical state, education and reasoning skills and socialisation.

There are four main definitions of abnormality these are statistical infrequency, deviation from the social norm, deviation from ideal mental health and a failure to function normally. For the purpose of this paper the author shall describe and evaluate each definition in turn.

Statistical infrequency can be defined, as any form of behaviour that is statistically infrequent is looked upon as abnormal. It is perceived that the majority of the population do not stray from what is classed as normal behaviour. For example, physically we can look at a person's foot size and how the shoe industries produce shoes. When assessing the quantity of how many shoes in each size are required the manufacturers would take into account that over a cross section of the female population their feet fall into a range between size three to size nine. Therefore the manufacturers would produce very few shoes falling out side this range creating the need for those requiring these sizes to have their shoes specially made by specialists. When looking at psychological characteristics it is believed that personality traits and conduct can also be sited into a standard distribution pattern. Through using this method psychologists can assess mental retardation and mental genius by assessing the individuals IQ levels and comparing them to what is perceived as normal. The key problem with using statistical definitions to categorise an individuals IQ level as normal or abnormal occurs when an individual is shown to have a higher than average IQ. They are generally thought as a genius and this is looked upon in a positive light whereas when someone is below average intelligence they are automatically classed as abnormal and observed in a negative image.

When psychologists look at mental health issues such as depression or anxiety they view the conditions as normal due to the frequency that they occur across the population. Most people suffer from at least one episode of depression during the course of their lives owing to specific events that take place, such as the death of a loved one; this generally passes with time and the individuals mental status returns to normal. Although if an individual were to become clinically depressed which were to be diagnosed as a mental disorder then in a statistical format this would be classed as abnormal. Statistical infrequency is not always the best way to assess mental disorders as many people who suffer from depression or anxiety do not seek medical advice therefore go undetected within the system. More females than males tend to seek medical advice for anxiety, Bennett (1995) stated that due to socialisation of men in industrial culture they are frowned upon for pursing assistance with mental health disorders as they have been taught from an early age to distance themselves from their emotions. Therefore statistical data may be based more on the female perspectives than the male showing imbalanced results.

There are similar issues with ethnic groups; according to statistics it appears there is low level of mental disorders within these communities. Cohen (1998) informs us that individuals with mental health issues are frowned upon in India therefore families are inclined to tend to their own rather than seek professional help. This situation can also be mirrored in Asian communities, Rack (1982) highlighted that Asians suffering from depression would seek advice from professionals to treat the physical symptoms of depression, such as sleep disturbances and loss of appetite, but not for the treatment of their emotional status.

In summary of statistical infrequency it could be deemed as unsuitable to class mental disorders as forms of abnormality. The research of Kessler et al (1994) supports this argument stating that 48% of the people who participated in their studies had suffered from at least one episode of psychological disturbance within their lifetime.

When an individual deviates from the social norm they are said to have broken the rules that society has set regarding moral standards. If an individual crosses the line of societies moral standards they are classed as abnormal or deviant. Szasz (1972) researched this topic at length; he believed that the labelling of a person as 'mad' was to enable society to brand individuals that did not obey the rules of civilisation. Up until 1973 the American Psychiatric Association branded homosexuality as a mental disorder and within Britain homosexual acts were classified as criminal until the 1960s. Over the years society has become more tolerant and accepting of homosexual that were once classed as outside the social norm. Today it would be thought to be homophobic if a homosexual was treated as mentally insane.

In western culture the phrase of mental disorder is no longer used to define 'deviant or abnormal' behaviour. There have been incidents of criminal cases involving people who have committed murder and pleaded insanity in their defence. These individuals are perceived as abnormal as their behaviour crosses the line of what is classed as the social norm and cannot be tolerated. People who are classed as normal also have the ability to carry traits of violent and unacceptable behaviour such as football hooligans.

As a society we tend to make judgements on whether behavioural traits that differ from what we see as normal are eccentric or pathologically abnormal. A person who streaks at a sporting event would not be thought of as a normal activity but society would not automatically presume that they were insane. On the other hand if you passed by someone in the street who was holding a conversation with themselves the presumption of a mental disorder would normally be attained. Cultural differences could play a part in some situations, in particular African communities it is seen as normal to observe an individual speaking to what appears to be an invisible person, as they believe that after bereavement a loved one has the ability to remain in contact for a short period. Psychologists persistently