...Defining Abnormality Lizbeth Escobar, Tandy Noonan, Charlie Fritz, Holly Keeling, and Velinda Chandler PSY/410 March 18, 2012 Melda Jones Defining Abnormality Psychologist, for years have given their theory on normal and abnormal behavior, but all the studies they have done seems to give more evidence to prove what make each individual do what they do and why. In the normal and abnormal behavior we use all research and take all of its studies into consideration and apply it to why such behaviors have occurred. Reading this paper you can see that there are many experiments that challenge the theory of behavior no matter if it’s normal or abnormal. We will clarify some of the challeges as we define and classify both normal and abnormal behavior when we look at the challenges in Culture, gender and sexual preferences/practices and religion. Cultural normal and abnormal behaviors Culture is a challenge to abnormal behavior because these behaviors establish through socio-cultural traditions. The sociocultural perspective explains that abnormal behaviors are a result of family influences and social forces. Similar to the behavioral perspective, socio-cultural theorists believe mental disorders are learned behaviors. They tend to focus on social class, gender, and ethnicity in the explanation of mental disorders. An understanding of one’s sociocultural forces is also taken into consideration concerning...
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...Abnormal Psychology (Task 1 of 2) Assignment 1 – Defining Abnormality 1) Explain statistical infrequency as a means of defining abnormality If a persons thinking or behaviour is statistically unusual or rare then it is classed as abnormal behaviour. 2) Give an example to illustrate how this definition could be used. Mother Teresa is a good example of someone who falls under the category of statistical infrequency. A person who is a millionaire could be classed as abnormal because the number of people in the world that are millionaires is low compared to the rest of the population so being a millionaire is a rare position to be in, and it occurs infrequently. Another example is how anxiety is measured; it is considered that if you score either low or high when measured for levels of anxiety that you are considered as abnormal. You could also say that in Britain that it is understood that most people wash themselves on a daily basis so therefore according to this definition, it is abnormal not to wash on a regular basis, because it is classed as a statistical infrequency. 3) Explain at least two criticisms of this definition First criticism The first criticism of this definition is that it is a bit ambiguous as to how rare does a persons behaviour have to be before it is classed as abnormal behaviour. How rare is too rare. Second criticism This definition doesn’t consider social desirability of the ‘abnormal behaviour’, some statistically infrequent...
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...Zach Shook Professor Donaldson PSY 210 13 October 2013 Application Paper The movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, was centered around a man named Randle McMurphy who was admitted to the Oregon State Hospital against his will. He quickly made it obvious that he would not comply with the rules and made an enemy named Nurse Ratched. His deviance inevitably led to the sealing of his own fate when his actions became more pronounced and more severe. Throughout his stay, he was denied many of his rights as a mental patient and was subjected to wrongful treatment from the staff of the institution. According to the text, abnormality can be defined by comparing the behavior of the person in question to a set of criteria. This set of criteria consists of: Unusualness, Social Deviance, Faulty Perceptions or Interpretations of Reality, Significant Personal Distress, Maladaptive or Self-Defeating Behavior, and Dangerousness (Nevid et al. 5-7). These criteria are only useful in deciding whether or not someone is exhibiting abnormal behavior if the behavior is appropriate for that specific situation. For example, if someone is depressed after the loss of a loved one, then that would be appropriate for the situation and would not be considered abnormal. Similarly, if someone is depressed for no apparent reason, then it would be within the realm of possibility that the person is exhibiting abnormal behavior (Nevid et al. 5). Unusualness is a relatively simplistic term used to...
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...2006 Litzky, Eddleston and Kidder 91 The Good, the Bad, and the Misguided: How Managers Inadvertently Encourage Deviant Behaviors by Barrie E. Litzky, Kimberly A. Eddleston, and Deborah L. Kidder* Executive Overview Recent estimates of the costs associated with deviant behavior in the workplace are staggering. While part of the managerial function requires the establishment of rules and policies that promote good customer service and product consistency, managers who lead with a firm hand or place too much pressure on sales quotas, may be unknowingly contributing to their employees’ deviant behaviors. Managers must learn to identify the role that they play in triggering employee deviance. Once recognized, there is much that managers can do to ameliorate the triggers that encourage otherwise honest employees to engage in deviant behavior. M “I wouldn’t say what I did was unethical. Rather, it was more, say, questionable. But hey, my manager says, ‘The customer is always right.’ So basically, I was following her orders.” “Come on – everybody does it. It’s almost expected. I bet even my manager did it when he had my job.” “Considering how much money I bring into this place, I deserve it. They should be paying me more anyway.” anagers often face employees like these who try to justify their actions after being caught behaving inappropriately. Some managers may terminate these employees in an attempt to rid the organization of such unscrupulous individuals...
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...Joan Didion: What is Home? In Joan Didion’s essay “On Going Home” she writes about leading a double life. She feels like one person when she’s with her husband and daughter in Los Angeles, and a completely different person when back “home” surrounded by her childhood family in the Central Valley of California. During this particular trip, she begins to reflect on her life in Los Angeles. Didion contemplates the fact that she often feels uneasy around her husband, just like he feels uneasy being around her family. At a crossroad, she must decide not only who she is, and the life she wants, but also the kind of life she wants for her daughter. Her life in Los Angeles has cleansed her from her youth—one that was dusty and full of useless trinkets. She ponders the time her husband wrote the word “D-U-S-T” on those useless trinkets and she remembers her feelings of sadness and indignation. She says, “We live in dusty houses…filled with mementos quite without value to him” (139-40). The dust-covered trinkets signify what is important to her, or what needs to be addressed in her marriage. Yet, these objects just lay there waiting for someone to see them—for someone to dust them off and care for them—not unlike how Didion wishes her husband would see her and nurture her in their marriage. Didion wonders which of her two homes is normal or if they are both flawed. When she and her husband are with her family, he becomes apprehensive about her behavior, “…because once there I fall...
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...Congenital Abnormalities Every year, thousands of infants and new born babies’ lives are taken away; both from them and their parents. Imagine the pain a family encounters after carrying a child for nine months and once the water breaks, being informed that there is a congenital defect with the new born child. The term alone would horrify a mother without being aware of the definition or even cause of the problem the child has encountered. A congenital defect is a birth defect that can be defined as problems that occur while a fetus is developing in the womb. Congenital defects can affect the way the body looks or functions and range from mild to severe. Some defects such as cleft lip or palate can be easily and safely treated, however, defects such as Down syndrome, heart or brain defects, and things along those lines may need life-long treatment to manage. The most severe congenital defects prove fatal and lead to infant death. In 2005, 5,571 infants died as a result of congenital defects. Birth defects are generally grouped into one of three major categories, structural or metabolic, congenital infections, or “other.” Being that this is such a broad break down of categories, it is made evident that not only is it unclear whether a child is born with an abnormality until various tests are done to come to the conclusion that there may be something wrong with a child. Structural or metabolic abnormalities include heart defects and neural defects where some part of the body...
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...by the Secretariat 1. The report aims to inform the discussion on birth defects, including definition, epidemiology, burden of disease and interventions for prevention and care, as well as indications of how these interventions might be integrated into existing health services. An earlier version of this report was considered by the Executive Board at its 126th session,1 following which the Board adopted resolution EB126.R6. DEFINITION 2. The International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth revision (ICD-10), includes birth defects in Chapter XVII: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities. Birth defects like inborn errors of metabolism and blood disorders of prenatal origin appear in other chapters. Birth defects can be defined as structural or functional abnormalities, including metabolic disorders, which are present from birth. The term congenital disorder is considered to have the same definition; the two terms are used interchangeably.2 The eleventh revision of the classification provides an opportunity for a review of the current entry. 3. Irrespective of definition, birth defects can cause spontaneous abortions and stillbirths and are a significant but underrecognized cause of mortality and disability among infants and children under five years of age. They can be life-threatening, result in long-term disability, and negatively affect individuals, families, health-care systems and societies. BIRTH DEFECTS...
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...of their condition be on various parts of the gait cycle? antalgic gait a limp adopted so as to avoid pain on weight-bearing structures, characterized by a very short stance phasehttp://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/antalgic+gait. Antalgic gait refers to the way one walks, usually with a limp, to avoid pain. It’s a form of gait abnormality where the stance phase is shortened relative to the swing phase. There are many types of gait, but antalgic gait is the result of pain. The patient tries to minimize the amount of weight placed on the painful leg, knee, ankle or foot while walking or running. The stride is shortened on the injured side, affecting the posture or style of the patient’s normal gait cycle. Antalgic gait can come on suddenly or gradually due to a disease or damage to the nerve or musculoskeletal system. It can be mild, moderate or severe, temporary or permanent. Antalgic gait can affect anyone at any age, but seniors and athletes seem to suffer from it more often and it is seen in men more than women. http://www.footanklehealth.com/health/antalgic-gait.html A limp is a type of asymmetric abnormality of the gait. When due to pain it is referred to as an antalgic gait which has a shortened duration in which the foot is in contact with the ground, in severe cases there may be a refusal to walk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp In antalgic gait, the stance (weight-bearing) phase is shorter on the affected side [14], resulting in shorter stride...
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...module 7 Q A patient presents with an extremely painful corn on the sole of their foot. The corn is located directly under the first metatarso-phalangeal joint. What gait pattern would be expected? What would the effects of their condition be on various parts of the gait cycle? Word Count – 521 The concerned gait in the given case is antalgic gait. Even though there are a number of gaits that exist but this particular gait is the consequence of pain. It may be defined as the manner of walking of the person usually accompanied by a limp in order to minimize pain caused by exerting too much weight. When the patient walks, he tries to minimize the weight put on the area affected and also shorten the time duration especially during the stance phase. Hence in this endeavor of the patient the gait is altered. Further the length of the strides is also shortened on the side of the injury, which alters the posture or the underlying manner of the normal gait cycle of the patient. Antalgic gait may be caused suddenly or get develop over a period of time due to the damage caused to the musculoskeletal system or a particular nerve. Even though this gait can impact a person of any age and sex, but based on empirical researches it has been found that its prominence is more profound amongst seniors and athletes and also males are more vulnerable than their female counterparts (Nirenberg, 2014).[a1] The normal gait cycle is comprised of primarily two phases i.e.[B2] stance phase and...
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...altered mental states, which have not been explained. The goal of this branch of psychology is to understand abnormal behavior as well as to determine how and if the behavior needs to be addressed and to develop a treatment plan that will help individuals. This branch of psychology also recognizes that there are many influences such as environmental influences on psychological development. The goal of many mental health professionals is not to force an individual to achieve normality but to help individuals who struggle with mental and emotional disorders to achieve fulfilling and active lives. However, to completely understand what abnormal psychology is we need to understand the origins of abnormal psychology as well as the challenges of defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior. It is also important to understand how abnormal psychology evolved into a scientific discipline as well as the different viewpoints or models of abnormal psychology. The following paragraphs will hopefully help us to completely understand the branch of abnormal psychology. Origins of Abnormal Psychology The field of abnormal psychology has only existed for about 100 years. Although, there have been many forms of mental illnesses have been recorded throughout history. When an individual exhibited abnormal behavior, it was considered to be caused by demons, spirits, as well as planetary and astral influences. During the Stone Age, an individual exhibited signs of abnormal behavior the skull...
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...The term 'abonormal' means deviating from the average. Therefore, if we were to adopt literal approach to defining abnormality, we would conclude that any rare behaviour or ability is abnormal. This, however, is not a useful way of defining abnormality as it doesn't take into account wether or not the behaviour is desirable. Deviation from ideal metal health focuses on what is mormal as opposed to what is abnormal by deciding what abnormality is, anything that doesn't satisfy this criteria of 'normal' must be therefore be abnormality. Jahoda (1958) spoke about 'normality'. As being a positive state of mental heaath. According to Jahoda, several conditions in order to satisfy what she called optimal living. The conditioms for optimal living are as follows; a positive view of self ( meaning the person must have a feeling of self- worth and a reasonable extent of self esteem) , autonomy ( the person must show a level of independence), actualisation ( the person must become the best they can), accurate view of reality, environmental adaptability and finally resistance to stress. There are a few limitations of this approach to defining abnormality. First, self actualisation is theoretically ideal concept that very few people are actually able to achieve. In order to self actualise a person must reach the peak of their abilities, ambitions and desires in life, but the majority of people comfortably settle for a situation somewhat below self actualisation. Second, being resistant...
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...evaluate definitions of abnormality The first definition of abnormality is deviation from the social norm. This means that the person is not conforming to the expected and accepted patterns of behaviour in society. There are two types of social norms which can be broken by ‘not normal’ patterns of behaviour, Implicit and Explicit. Implicit rules are those which are implied, for example using cutlery to eat a roast dinner. Whilst there is no law stating that this must be done, it would be deemed unusual by other members of society. The other rule, explicit, refers to stated rules, for example the law. One example of an individual breaking an explicit rule would be committing Murder. There are however several issues with using deviation from social norm to determine abnormality. The first being cultural relativism, meaning social norms vary between cultures. For example in many African-American tribes, hearing the voices of the recently deceased is seen as a blessing. In the west, it is diagnosed as schizophrenia. Further to this, the definition does not allow for eccentric behaviour, which does not necessarily mean a person is mentally ill, ie. A rugby streaker may not be abnormal, but may just seek attention. A final drawback to this approach is that it does not define the difference between a criminal and a person with a mental health issue. A burglar, for example, may simply have a criminal mind but not be abnormal. The second definition of abnormality is the failure to function...
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...are multiple causes to abnormal behavior, understanding this can lead to learning about and treating abnormal behavior. These multiple causes can be comprehended by learning about the psychosocial, biological, and sociocultural theoretical models related to the development of abnormal behavior. Abnormal The study of abnormal behavior began early in time when people tried to explain deviant behaviors. Abnormal behavior may have been first attributed to evil spirits. It was common for abnormal behaviors to be associated with witches or sorcerers. With time different areas, such as the psychosocial, biological and sociocultural, saw that they could find an explanation for these odd behaviors. Throughout time there have been problems with defining abnormal behaviors....
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...Defining Abnormality Paper This paper will be about the challenges in defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior. There are several challenges that arisen when defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior. The challenges that will be elaborated will be situational context, culture, and mind and body. Efforts to understand, clarify and control challenging behaviors can be found back to more than a few years. Influences can range from age and gender to culture and situational contexts. When bearing in mind the age of an individual, experts have their work cut out for them, anyone from any age group can experience from abnormal behaviors, this makes it challenging to make a diagnosis Certain cultures have what some would think of being odd or “abnormal” customs. Even with each of these concerns taken into account, mind, body, culture, and situational context, trying to determine if a person is displaying normal or abnormal behaviors can still be challenging. Many human behaviors can follow what is known as the normal curve. Looking at this bell-shaped curve, the majority of individuals are clustered around the highest point of the curve, which is known as the average. People who fall very far at either end of the normal curve might be considered "abnormal” (Sherry, K., N.d.). Situational Context Situational context is a social situation, behavioral setting, or general circumstances in which an action takes place. If the situational context is not considered...
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...concept of abnormality is defined differently in different cultures as behaviors of a particular culture may be abnormal to another culture. In order to clearly understand what abnormal psychology is, it is very imperative to first understand what is defined as abnormal. The concept of abnormality is defined in relation to norms of a particular group or culture and hence anything (behavior, thought, or emotion) that is outside the norms of a particular group of people, gender, or age is considered as abnormal. Many people can follow under the normal curve where many human beings are clustered around the highest point of the curve called the average point. Any person who follows far from the average point in the normal curve is considered as abnormal. Different elements of abnormal psychology have brought about differences in definition, approaches, and treatment. These elements include; suffering, adaptation failure, incomprehensibility, vividness, violation of moral and ideal standards, unpredictability and loss of control, and incomprehensibility as well as irrationality. This study indicates how these elements bring about differences in definitions, approaches, and treatment of abnormality. Suffering is generally defined as the aspect of feeling pain or being discomfort. Happiness and comfort are the norms of many social groups and even cultures and hence when one is feeling pain he is considered abnormal. According to the psychological theory of abnormality presented...
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