Definitions of Abnormality (AQA A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
Deviation from Social Norms
What is deviation from social norms?
Deviation from social norms is a definition that views abnormality as behaviour which violates accepted social rules. This approach suggests that every society establishes unwritten guidelines for what constitutes acceptable behaviour, such as not being naked in public spaces. When someone's actions go against these established norms, their behaviour is considered abnormal.
The key principle here is that social norms are the unwritten rules that govern acceptable behaviour within a particular society or cultural group. These norms provide the baseline against which behaviour is measured.
This definition creates a clear boundary between desirable and undesirable behaviours, allowing society to label individuals who act inappropriately as social deviants. The approach permits intervention in people's lives to help them, often involving placement in mental health facilities. These social norms differ significantly across cultures, situations, ages, and even gender groups, meaning what appears acceptable in one context may be completely inappropriate in another.
A crucial factor in this definition is the degree to which someone deviates from a social norm and how important society considers that particular norm to be. The more severe the deviation and the more valued the norm, the more likely the behaviour will be classified as abnormal.
Strengths of the definition
This approach to defining abnormality offers several practical and theoretical advantages that make it valuable in understanding mental health.
Helping people represents one of the strongest benefits of this definition. When society recognises the right to intervene in abnormal behaviour, it can provide essential support to individuals who may struggle to seek help independently. This intervention can be life-saving for people experiencing severe psychological distress who might otherwise remain isolated and untreated.
Social dimension adds an important community aspect to abnormality that purely individual-focused definitions miss. Rather than viewing mental health problems as solely personal issues affecting isolated individuals, this definition acknowledges that abnormality occurs within a social context and affects the broader community.
Practical Example: Situational Norms
Consider the behaviour of public nakedness:
- In urban environments: Clearly abnormal and likely to result in intervention
- On nudist beaches: Completely normal and expected behaviour
- In certain cultural ceremonies: May be traditional and appropriate
This demonstrates how the same behaviour can be normal or abnormal depending entirely on the social context.
Situational norms are properly recognised within this framework. The definition acknowledges that behaviours considered abnormal in one setting may be perfectly normal in another.
Developmental norms are incorporated to account for age-appropriate behaviour. This definition establishes that certain behaviours are normal for different life stages - for instance, having a nappy at age 2 is considered normal, but perhaps not at age 40. This developmental awareness prevents inappropriate pathologising of age-related behaviours.
Clear distinction between normal and abnormal behaviour is provided, giving society concrete indicators of what constitutes problematic behaviour. This clarity helps mental health professionals, families, and communities identify when intervention might be necessary.
Society protection is achieved through this definition by identifying behaviours that might be harmful to others and addressing them before they escalate. This protective function serves the broader community's wellbeing and safety.
Limitations of the definition
Despite its practical applications, this definition faces significant criticisms that challenge its validity and fairness.
Critical Limitation: Subjectivity
Social norms are not objective facts but rather opinions held by ruling elites within society, often not reflecting majority views. This subjectivity can lead to the misuse of mental health diagnoses as tools of social control rather than genuine medical intervention.
Subjectivity represents a fundamental flaw in this approach. Social norms can be used to control groups perceived as threats to social order, rather than genuinely identifying mental illness. Szasz (1960) argued that the term 'mental illness' functions as a form of social control, with those labelled as abnormal facing discrimination. Historical examples include countries like China labelling political opponents as abnormal and confining them to mental institutions.
Change over time demonstrates how social attitudes evolve, making this definition unstable. Norms often relate to moral standards that shift as social attitudes change. A striking example is homosexuality, which was not removed from the International Classification of Diseases until 1990, showing how behaviours once considered abnormal can become accepted parts of human diversity.
Historical Example: Evolution of Social Norms
The classification of homosexuality illustrates how dramatically social norms can change:
- Pre-1990: Listed as a mental disorder in international diagnostic manuals
- Post-1990: Recognised as a normal variation of human sexuality
- Today: Protected as a human right in many societies
This transformation shows how cultural attitudes rather than scientific evidence often drive definitions of abnormality.
Individualism challenges the assumption that non-conformity indicates abnormality. People who don't conform to social norms might simply be individualistic or eccentric rather than mentally unwell. This limitation suggests that deviation alone doesn't necessarily indicate psychological problems requiring treatment.
Ethnocentric bias in diagnosis creates serious inequalities in mental health treatment. Western social norms reflect the behaviour of the majority white population, meaning deviation from these norms by ethnic groups leads to over-representation of minorities in mental illness statistics. Research by Cochrane (1977) found that black people were more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia than white people or Asians. However, this high diagnosis rate for black people in Britain wasn't found in countries like Jamaica where black people form the majority, suggesting cultural bias among British psychiatrists rather than genuine differences in mental health.
Cultural differences make it extremely difficult to determine when norms are being violated across different cultural contexts. Social norms vary significantly within and across cultures, creating confusion about abnormality. This variability exemplifies cultural relativism - the idea that beliefs, customs, and attitudes belong to particular cultures and don't necessarily apply to others.
Understanding Cultural Relativism
Cultural relativism highlights a key challenge: if a male wears a skirt, does this indicate abnormality? The answer would differ dramatically for a Scottish male wearing a kilt compared to other cultural contexts. This example demonstrates how cultural context is essential for determining normality.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
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Deviation from social norms defines abnormality as behaviour that violates society's unwritten rules and accepted standards of conduct.
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Key strengths include enabling help for individuals, providing social context, recognising situational and developmental differences, and protecting society from harmful behaviours.
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Major limitations involve subjectivity in determining norms, historical changes in what's considered normal, potential discrimination against individualistic people, and significant cultural and ethnic biases in diagnosis.
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Cultural relativism highlights how this definition struggles with cross-cultural validity, as norms vary dramatically between different societies and communities.
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Historical examples like the classification of homosexuality demonstrate how social attitudes change over time, challenging the stability of this definitional approach.