Psychology: Sociology and Ideal Mental Health Essay

Submitted By Naysah_
Words: 698
Pages: 3
Open Document
Discuss two or more definitons of abnormality (12Marks)
The term ‘abnormal’ means deviating from the agreed way of behavior. Therefore, if we were to use a literal approach in defining abnormality, we would conclude that any behavior that is seen as unacceptable in society was abnormal. However, this is not a useful way of defining abnormality as it doesn't take into account the context of the behavior, nor is cultural relativity. There are three ways in which abnormality could be defined; deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health.

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health (DIMH) focuses on what is normal as opposed to what is abnormal by deciding what normality is, anything that doesn't fit this idea of 'normal' must therefore be abnormal. Jahoda 1958 spoke about 'normality' as being a positive state of mental health. According to Jahoda several characteristics of ideal mental health should be met by all humans; Resistant to stress, Be in touch with your own identity and feelings, focussed on the future and self actualisation, show empathy and understanding to others and be competant and adaptable to change. Self actualisation is when an individual achieves their full potential in life, however it is impossible for one to do so, therefore according to Jahoda’s criteria we are mentally unhealthy. Although deviation from Ideal Mental health may use a positive approach in defining normality rather than abnormality which is seen as negative, both culture and collectivists are ignored. What one culture may see as normal, another culture may see as abnormal. An example of this would be the Mersi Tribe in South Ethiopia; Woman of the Mersi Tribe lip plates in their lower lip; the bigger the lip plate the more attractive the women is seen. In western culture this would be seen as abnormal, but due to the tribes different culture it is seen as normal.
Deviation from social Norm (DSN) focuses on the way an individual should behave in society. There are unwritten rules that society see as being normal and acceptable, and anything apart from that is seen as abnormal.Examples of this would include women wearing feminine clothing and men wearing masculine clothing, being clothed whilst in public etc. However there are many problems with using social norms in order to define abnormality and does not always mean that any behaviour that debiates from the norm is a mental illness. Whilst defining abnormality, context is always a limitation; On an ordinary day man may not walk around in public dressed like a woman because it would be seen as inappropiate and abnormal, however if he was doing it for charity it would be socially acceptable.Another issue is that deviation from social norm can not provide an actual definition
Show More

Related Documents: Psychology: Sociology and Ideal Mental Health Essay

Essay on Anthro EXAM REVIEW

d their culture Psychology ­ studies the behaviour, mental processes, and personality of humans. What motivates individuals to behave in a certain way. There are 4 main fields of psychology: ● Experimental (conducts experiments on how humans behave) ● Developmental (how people grow) ● Social (how behaviour is influenced by groups ● Applied/Clinical (utilizes training to help people such as social workers, etc) Questions psychologists may ask include: ● What causes mental illness? ● Is personality inherited or learned…

Words 7683 - Pages 31

parenting style social mobility tcm8 20 Essay

Hence interventions to improve the quality of home and family life can increase social mobility. •  here are no significant detrimental effects on a child’s T social or emotional development if their mothers work during their early years. The ideal scenario for children, both boys and girls, is where both parents live in the home and both are in paid employment. •  arenting is an important mediator in redressing the P effects of poverty and disadvantage, but parenting quality is not a primary…

Words 3576 - Pages 15

African American Suicide

It deserves thorough attention from several sectors within the contemporary society. This paper clearly elaborates the probable causes of suicide among African-Americans, and the suitable methods of prevention. It discusses matters linked to mental health, suicide, and African-Americans. Besides, it exemplifies that social contexts contribute in shaping the existence of African-Americans. As such, it is important to appreciate the psychological foundation of suicide as an essential step toward its…

Words 2392 - Pages 10

Impact of Organizational Structure and Culture on Job Satisfaction, Job Stress and Employee Motivation: a Survey of Existing Litreature Essay

IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE ON JOB SATISFACTION, JOB STRESS AND EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: A SURVEY OF EXISTING LITREATURE ABSTRACT Effectively managing human resources in the organizations is a big concern both for HR managers and the policy makers of the organization. To have a satisfied, motivated, less stressed performing workforce an organization must have consistency amongst its structure, system, people, culture and good fit with the strategy. In this paper an attempt has been…

Words 15091 - Pages 61

A Criminal in the Making Essay

A Criminal in the Making: Choice or Circumstance Submitted: August 1, 2013 Scientific social theories are formulated based on assumptions about people, their behaviour and their interaction in society. The Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual and scientific movement of 18th century Europe, was characterized by a rational and scientific approach to religious, social, political and economic issues. It was during this period, the idea that human beings were self determining entities possessing…

Words 3495 - Pages 14

Essay on Safeguarding Adults: Enabling Adults in Vulnerable Circumstances.

Are safeguarding procedures effective in supporting people with learning disabilities who are involuntary users of services? Safeguarding is a key role for social workers working with people with learning disabilities. This assignment will consider models of human development and critically analyse factors that impact upon the vulnerability of adults. It will further explore how adults with learning disabilities are oppressed and discriminated against at various levels. Using a practical example…

Words 6297 - Pages 26

Employment and Job Essay

Very preliminary paper. Please do not quote. Quality of work – concept and measurement Svenn-Åge Dahl, Torstein Nesheim and Karen M. Olsen SNF - Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration Bergen, Norway June 2007 Introduction Companies on both sides of the Atlantic, but especially in Europe, started with experiments and policies for improving the quality of working life in the 1960s (for discussion/overview see e.g. Gallie, 2003; Martel and Dupuis, 2006). The most…

Words 9777 - Pages 40

Essay about A Descriptive Study of the Practice of Music Therapy in Hong Kong

HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE PRACTICE OF MUSIC THERAPY IN HONG KONG By LAM HOI YAN April, 2007 04002865 ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to examine the development of music therapy in Hong Kong. Specifically, a number of related issues were studied including definition of music therapy, the origin of music therapy, the recent developments in music therapy in China, establishment of a music therapy session, and the setting of…

Words 17366 - Pages 70

Essay about The Study of Human Persons Anthropology

individuals. With the study of society and human behavior - sociology, we simply apply this to a group of human beings who share a culture and a territory – society. [3] This raises a matter of how groups influence people by their said community. Sociology has parallels to other social sciences: Politics and how the governing affects people’s lives; Economics and the goods & services in a society as well as production and distribution; Psychology and the adjustment to the difficulties of human life; and…

Words 4740 - Pages 19

Obesity: Obesity and Body Image Issues Essay

The Direct Relationship between Obesity, Self-Image and Bulimia ABSTRACT I researched obesity, self-image, and bulimia because it has become a controversial issue. It is a controversial issue because as it increases, so does health problems. I began my research with the intention of discussing only obesity. Then I was curious of what the effects of obesity are, self-image. I found out that self- image issues can begin as early as childhood. Then I was curious as to what the effects of self-image…

Words 4928 - Pages 20