Discuss the continuum model of abnormality and the different criteria used for labeling behavior as normal or abnormal.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Key terms and concepts that may be included in student responses:
? Cultural relativism-no universal standards or rules exist for labeling behaviors as normal; instead, behaviors are classified as normal/abnormal relative to cultural norms and gender role expectations; dangers in defining abnormality based on cultural norms include prejudicial, discriminatory, oppressive, biased, and intolerant attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, policies, laws, etc.
? Continuum model of abnormality-no clear line exists between normal and abnormal; behaviors are classified as normal or abnormal based on the degree to which they are typical, distressful, interfering, and dangerous
? Unusualness-behaviors that are deviant or unusual; problems with the unusualness criterion: the unusualness of any behavior depends in part on cultural norms (similar to cultural relativism), there is no method of determining how unusual a behavior must be in order for it to be labeled abnormal, many rare behaviors are positive for the individual and for society-most people would object to labeling such behaviors abnormal
? Distress-the individual suffers distress and wishes to be rid of the behaviors; objections to the distress criterion: people are not always aware of how stressful their behaviors are for themselves or others, some behaviors cause great distress in others (but are not stressful to the person displaying the behaviors)
? Mental illness-abnormality results from a disease process; problems with this criterion include a lack of biological tests to diagnose mental illness disease processes, diagnostic labels do not refer to identifiable physical processes that are evident in all people who exhibit these symptoms (i.e., diagnostic labels only refer to a set of symptoms)
? The four Ds of abnormality-dysfunction, distress, deviance, and dangerousness