| EVALUATION of deviation from ideal mental health | +VE : DIMH is a holistic definition, as it considers multiple factors in diagnosis and provides suggestions for personal development, DIMH does not simply state what is wrong but also suggests how problems can be overcome.
-VE : it is too strict of a set of criteria to define mental health, as it challenging to achieve all of the requirements at one time; most people would be defined as abnormal.
also culturally bound as these standards may not be the same for all countries. Some of Jahoda's criteria cannot be applied for other countries. the concept of self actualization may be seen as self indulgent in some countries. |
| Social norms | things that are considered right or wrong in social behaviour. they reflect what is expected by a group or in society more widely |
| deviation from social norms | concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society. for example, homosexuality is still considered abnormal in some cultures |
| one positive evaluation of deviation from social norms | +VE : real life application
deviation from social norms is used in clinical practice. one of the key defining traits of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour. this shows that deviation from social norms has value in psychiatry |
| -VE of deviation form social norms | -social norms is different in different cultures and situations. a person from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards rather than the persons standards.
-human rights abuse, using deviation from social norms to define someone as abnormal can leave them open to human rights abuse. there can be diagnoses made to commit prejudice towards discriminated groups. |
| statistical infrequency | occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, like low IQ. considered normal if its near the average, while extremes are considered abnormal. |
| evaluation of statistical infrequency | - real world application : statistical infrequency can be used in clinical practice to diagnose and assess severity of disorders. for example, intellectual disability is considered when IQ is below 70
- statistical infrequency is also a very objective measure, this better than the other definitions that depend on the subjective opinion of a clinician
- unusual characteristics can be positive. being very high on the IQ spectrum does not make you abnormal. suggesting that this is only a partial definition of abnormality |
| evaluation of deviation from social norms | - highly subjective, different in every culture
- real world application |
| failure to function adequately | when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day living such as maintaining personal hygiene. |
| evaluation of failure to function | - represents a threshold for help, research conducted stated that 25% of people in UK will experience a mental health problem within a year. this definition targets those who have very severe
- discrimination and social control, doesnt support alternative lifestyles (unemployment). may lead to freedom of choice being restricted |
| deviation from ideal mental health | occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health |
| Jahoda's six conditions for ideal mental health | 1. good self esteem 2. personal growth and self actualization 3. integration, ability to cope with stress 4. independent 5. having accurate perception of reality 6. mastery of environment |
| EVALUATION of deviation from ideal mental health | +VE : DIMH is a holistic definition, as it considers multiple factors in diagnosis and provides suggestions for personal development, DIMH does not simply state what is wrong but also suggests how problems can be overcome.
-VE : it is too strict of a set of criteria to define mental health, as it challenging to achieve all of the requirements at one time; most people would be defined as abnormal.
also culturally bound as these standards may not be the same for all countries. Some of Jahoda's criteria cannot be applied for other countries. the concept of self actualization may be seen as self indulgent in some countries. |
