"Outline and evaluate two definitions of abnormality: statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms."
Abnormality "Outline and evaluate two definitions of abnormality: statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms." The term "abnormality" is defined as 'deviation from a norm or standard' and in psychology, it is essential to look at what abnormality is. Several ideas have developed for its definition, none of which are entirely apposite since the best way to define abnormality may be a combination of the varying ideas. Two definitions of abnormality that are probably most obvious and most often used are 'statistical infrequency' and 'deviation from social norms'. These define that abnormality is rare, i.e. the majority of the population are not abnormal and that a small minority are, and also that a person who is abnormal deviates from social norms, meaning that the person differs from or does not conform to what is socially accepted. Statistical infrequency is based on the idea that particular behaviours are statistically rare since if few people show a certain kind of thinking or behaviour, it is deemed as abnormal. When any aspect of human behaviour is measured, e.g. height and intelligence, it usually prevails that people with varying degrees of behaviour are usually distributed around the mean. For instance, when measuring intelligence, the vast majority of the individuals are grouped round the mean and the further away you deviate from this, the fewer
Cultural Relativism
Cultural Relativism "It is naïve to believe that there are no cultural universals in abnormality but, at the same time, what is normal in one society is not always regarded as normal in another society." A person's behaviour is often defined by the culture in which they live. Cultural relativism looks at how relevant a person's culture is in terms of defining abnormality. Different cultures, like different religions follow different traditions. These may be perfectly normal within their culture, yet an onlooker would see their behaviour as strange (or abnormal). 'What is normal in one society is not always normal in another' because different cultures have different ideas of normal and abnormal behaviour and therefore to decide between normality and abnormality depends largely on a value judgement. Values are based on consensus, which takes into account only the views of the majority. Even within the same culture, people have different values because of their socialisation. We can be very ethnocentric and judge people according to what we believe, because we often see our views as being superior to those of others. In order to define abnormality in any culture we need to find an objective approach that does not involve judging people by our own standards. To make it more objective, we need to establish universal truths. Within one culture, not everyone will be
Examine 'The Five Precepts' in the context of 'The Eightfold Path'
Part A-Examine 'The Five Precepts' in the context of 'The Eightfold Path' Both 'The Five Precepts' and 'The Eightfold Path' are significant elements of the Buddhist religion. The precepts act as a guide for the average everyday lay Buddhist on how to create the least amount of karmic energy possible. It by no means is the way directly to reaching Nirvana. The Eightfold Path however, is known as "the way." It is, in itself, the Fourth Noble Truth, and the path to enlightenment. In this examination of the Five Precepts I will endeavour to relate them in context to the different aspects of the Eightfold Path. All the precepts begin with, " I abstain from" so a definition of this word is relevant. The Oxford Dictionary states the meaning of 'abstain' as: " to undertake or restrain oneself." Any undertaking involves not only skill, but work and practice and therefore appreciation of the five precepts would be enhanced by developing the different aspects of the Eightfold Path. Right understanding would enhance appreciation of The First Precept, which is to abstain from the destruction of life, because it would enable a Buddhist to understand not simply that it is wrong to kill, but why you should not take life. It would enable one not only to see the true meaning behind the wrongdoing of taking life, but also to be aware of the consequences of their actions for themselves and
During the Course of your Study, What have you Discovered about the Individual and the Family?
During the Course of your Study, What have you Discovered about the Individual and the Family? Through a number of texts we can learn many concepts of the Individual and the family. Texts include 'Looking for Alibrandi', 'Family Portrait' and 'The Simpsons' whether they are books, songs or cartoons they all have underlying meaning regarding the individual and the family. Through the texts the composers have made us discover that change, families' influences, belonging or trying to fit in, the 'perfect' family image, and the media play a significant role in every individual and the family. An aspect discovered in the study of the individual and the family is change occurring in the family and in the individual. This is discovered when Michael Andretti is introduced to the Alibrandi family his presence changes the relationships and roles of the family. The new information about Nonna's relationship with Marcus changes Josie's view of Nonna they come to a closer relationship and understanding. In Simpsons at the end of the episode the family has changed from a chaotic, dysfunctional family to a united family because they have decided to buy a new TV. Pink's family has also been changed when 'daddy ...leaves' now that 'daddy... leaves' the family will have new relationships and roles. Change is one of the many things that are examined during the course of study of the
Discuss two or more psychological therapies for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - Psychotherapies 'Discuss two or more psychological therapies for schizophrenia (9 marks + 16).' As a scientifically proven cure for schizophrenia, medication is largely crucial for the treatment of schizophrenia, but unfortunately many people fail to uphold the medication, as its side-effects prove too distressing or they find that these symptoms outweigh that of the disorder. As such, many sufferers of schizophrenia turn to psychotherapies, of which there are two main type of therapy: CBT and psychoanalysis. Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy CBT is largely founded in the cognitive approach to psychopathology, which arose in the 1950's. CBT assumes that the schizophrenia is a maladaptive behaviour, caused by beliefs that have been distorted, either by someone or something and delusions are often seen as caused by distorted interpretations of events. In CBT, patients are usually prompted to trace the genesis of their symptoms, so as to get a grasp of how they may have occurred and how they might be treated and are then encouraged to evaluate any internal voices they may hear, delusions or hallucinations and so on. As their behaviour is thought to stem from distorted beliefs, they are prompted to find alternative patterns or ways of thinking to their maladaptive one. CBT generally tries to generate less distressing symptoms to arise, rather than completely
Discussion on Autism.
Autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943 and is known to affect 1 in 500 Americans with boys being four times more likely to have autism than girls. Although the focus of research is on children, there are many adults who are living with autism. Research on Autism is relatively new, as in the past those with autism were grouped into the broad category of mental retardation. Autism falls under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, PDD, which also includes Asperger's Disorder, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD not otherwise specified (atypical autism). These disorders all differ from each other and within themselves differ in severity and level of functioning. Autism is a Spectrum Disorder which indicates that its symptoms can present themselves in various combinations which may range from mild to severe. It is extremely difficult to define a standard autistic person several terms, which also vary in severity, characterize the person. The general terms that describe an autistic individual include: autistic-like, autism spectrum, autistic tendencies, high-functioning, and low-functioning. There are also autistics that have extraordinary capabilities such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. The basic criteria for autism include: 1) early onset (before 3-5 years of age) 2) abnormal responses to sensory stimuli 3)
Estimating IQ Psychology Research
ACCESS PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PROJECT ESTIMATING IQ BY KELLY KING ABSTRACT The aim of this investigation was to investigate whether people estimate certain IQ scores for themselves, and their parents, and whether there was any sex differences involved in people estimating IQ's. An opportunity sample of college students and associates of the investigator were asked to answer three questions relating to estimating their own IQ, as well as their parents IQ. It was concluded that the theory relating to sex differences, mainly that males would estimate their IQ higher than a female would, when estimating their own IQ was not supported. The study found that more females than males estimated their IQ to be above average. However, the theory that a participant will estimate a higher IQ score for their father than for themselves was supported, as was the theory that participants will give a high estimate of their fathers IQ than for their mothers was also supported. The theory that participants will give themselves a higher IQ estimate than that of their mother was also supported. INTRODUCTION An IQ test is a standardised test where the score is given as an 'intelligence quotient' or 'IQ'. It is a way of numerically measuring someone's intelligence. These tests were first introduced in France by Alfred Binet (1857 - 1911) to assess children's 'educability' in schools. Research
The Gestalt Approach to Psychology
Outline and explain the principles of the Gestalt approach to psychology. How does humanistic psychology differ in essence from other analyses of "mental disorder", and what are its strengths and weaknesses? Psychiatrist Frederick "Fritz" Perls (1893-1970) devised Gestalt therapy. The word "Gestalt" is of German origin, as was Perls, and means "pattern" or "organised whole" (Gross & McIlveen, 1996). In order to make sense of life events, our perceptions are organised into gestalts. Just as we cannot fully understand a family by looking solely at the individuals without regard for its operation as a whole, neither can we understand a gestalt by merely observing its constituent parts. When a gestalt is formed, there is a focus of attention against a background of everything else of potential relevance. This foreground/background (figure/ground) formation is called "field theory". Whatever is of most interest at any moment becomes figure, but if something else becomes more important, figure recedes into ground and is replaced. In field theory all aspects of an individual and their environment are interrelated so that the field forms their context. Unless we understand a person's environment, we can never fully understand them or their behaviour. As Yontef (1973) said "Behaviour is a function of the field of which it is a part. Experiencing is also a function of the
Compare and contrast the main approaches - Biological and Behaviourist, biological and cognitive, Psychodynamic and Behaviourist.
Compare and Contrast the Psychodynamic and Cognitive approaches in terms of similarities and differences. [12 Marks] The cognitive and psychodynamic approaches have many similarities and differences; these include debates in nature and nurture, the usefulness of these approaches, deterministic and scientific/non scientific. The psychodynamic approach takes into account both nature and nurture, however the cognitive approach has failed to recognise the influence of nature and nurture. Freud claimed that adult personality is the product of innate drives (nature) and childhood experiences (nurture). These innate drives include the structure of the personality, Id, ego and superego as well as the psychosexual development every child passes through. If a child does not pass through these processes successfully it could lead to abnormalities in behaviour. The cognitive approach has carried out research into intelligence but has not looked at the influence of genes in its research or environmental factors (such as wealth) that could influence intelligence. Therefore this clearly indicates that both approaches are different in terms of nature and nurture. The cognitive approach is useful and has been applied successfully in therapy. As one of the core assumptions of the cognitive approach is that mental processes influence our behaviour, therefore if these process are
Personality in Sports
Task One Personality Personality is a mixture of a person's traits and characteristics which make them different from everyone else. Sports performers personalities' may widely vary or be very similar. When describing their personality, just listing characteristics is not always 100% accurate. This is because their characteristics may be different when not playing sports. For example, Eric Cantona may only be aggressive when on the football pitch and not in his everyday life. Because of this, Hollander then designed a structure of personality which was split into 3 layers: . Psychological core - true beliefs and values 2. Typical responses - normal response to a situation. 3. Role-related behaviour - response is affected by the social environment the person is in. These can also be shown on a diagram like this: Social Environment Structure of personality example - Theo Walcott. CHARACTERISTICS PSYCHOLOGICAL CORE TYPICAL RESPONSES ROLE-RELATED BEHAVIOUR Humble Quiet Motivated Committed Focussed Competitive Driven Fearless Another way in which sports psychologists differentiate between sports personalities is with the trait approach. Two psychologists, Cattell and Eyesnck, discovered that there are two types of traits: - Primary or source traits - genetic/inherited - Secondary or surface traits - influenced by learning and experiences. Eyesnck said
