Understanding Definitions of Abnormality in Psychology

Definition of abnormality psychology encompasses several key approaches that mental health professionals use to identify and classify unusual behaviors and mental states. The first major definition relies on statistical infrequency, which measures how rare certain behaviors are in the general population.

Definition: Statistical infrequency defines abnormal behavior as traits or actions that occur very rarely in the population, typically measured by standard deviations from the mean.

When examining definitions of abnormality psychology a level, professionals consider behaviors that fall outside typical statistical ranges. For example, intelligence quotient $IQ$ scores two standard deviations below the mean affect only 2.28% of the population, providing an objective measure for identifying individuals who may need additional support.

The failure to function adequately psychology definition, developed by Rosenhan and Seligman, identifies several key criteria including maladaptive behavior, personal anguish, and observer discomfort. This approach focuses on how well individuals can manage daily life activities and maintain healthy relationships.

Highlight: Key components of failure to function include:

• Maladaptive behaviors that work against long-term interests
• Personal distress and anxiety
• Behavior that causes discomfort in others
• Irrational and unpredictable actions
• Unconventional behaviors that violate social expectations

Deviation from Social Norms and Ideal Mental Health

Deviation from social norms in psychological disorders represents another crucial definition of abnormality. This approach examines how individuals' behaviors align with or differ from cultural expectations and societal standards.

Example: What's considered normal varies significantly across cultures - public displays of emotion may be acceptable in one society but viewed as abnormal in another.

The concept of deviation from ideal mental health was developed by Marie Jahoda, who identified six key features of optimal mental functioning:

1. Environmental mastery
2. Personal autonomy
3. Stress resistance
4. Self-actualization
5. Positive self-attitude
6. Accurate reality perception

Vocabulary: Environmental mastery refers to one's ability to effectively handle life's challenges and adapt to various situations.

Understanding and Explaining Phobias

Phobias represent a specific type of psychological abnormality characterized by intense, irrational fears. These manifest through behavioral, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that significantly impact daily functioning.

Definition: A phobia is an excessive and persistent fear of specific objects, situations, or activities that leads to avoidance behavior and causes significant distress.

The Two-Process Model explains phobia development through classical and operant conditioning. The famous Little Albert experiment by Watson and Rayner demonstrated how fears can be learned through association, while operant conditioning explains how avoidance behaviors maintain phobias.

Example: The Diathesis-Stress Model suggests that some individuals have a genetic predisposition to developing phobias, which may be triggered by environmental stressors.

Treatment Approaches for Phobias

Modern psychology offers several evidence-based treatments for phobias, with flooding and systematic desensitization being two primary approaches.

Flooding involves intense exposure to the feared stimulus until anxiety naturally subsides. While effective, this approach requires careful medical supervision and consideration of ethical implications.

Highlight: Systematic desensitization success rates:

• 75% overall success rate
• 60-80% success for agoraphobia
• Most effective when combined with other treatments

Systematic desensitization takes a gentler approach, gradually exposing individuals to feared situations while maintaining a state of relaxation. This method proves particularly effective when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and appropriate medication.

Quote: "Burke et al. found that systematic desensitization combined with medication provided optimal treatment outcomes for agoraphobia patients."

Statistical Infrequency Definition of Abnormality

The statistical infrequency definition of abnormality psychology states that abnormal behavior is behavior that is very rare when compared to the general population. This approach uses statistics to measure how common certain behaviors or traits are within a population.

Definition: Statistical infrequency defines abnormality as behaviors or traits that occur very infrequently in the population, typically measured as two or more standard deviations from the mean.

Example: Low IQ is considered abnormal when someone's intelligence score falls two standard deviations below the average, affecting only about 2.28% of the population.

This definition provides an objective measure for identifying individuals who may need support or intervention. However, it has some limitations:

Highlight: Not all statistically infrequent traits are necessarily negative or indicative of a psychological disorder.

The statistical approach is useful in some contexts:

• Doctors use statistical measures to help determine if someone is suffering from certain disorders
• It provides a quantitative basis for diagnoses like intellectual developmental disorder

Vocabulary: Standard deviation - a measure of variability in a dataset, indicating how far individual measurements typically deviate from the mean.

However, there are notable weaknesses to this definition:

• Some abnormalities, like depression, are relatively common, affecting up to 14% of people
• The cutoff point for what is considered abnormal $e.g., 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000$ can be subjective