Cultural Diversity and Defining Abnormality Essay - 602 Words

Cultural Diversity and Defining Abnormality All ways of defining of abnormality are limited to a certain extent by cultural variations. This makes it difficult for psychologists to be sure that their definition technique would be effective and accurate in diagnosing all cases of abnormality. The main issue for psychologists regarding cultural diversity is that what may be considered normal in one place may be abnormal in another and therefore psychologist must consider this fact before making a diagnosis. Although the deviation from statistical norm and deviation from ideal mental health definitions are affected by cultural differences as I will discuss briefly later, it is the other two†¦show more content†¦This definition is especially vulnerable to the limits of cultural of differences as it relies totally on social norms to judge normality and therefore it is most likely to be affected by cultural variations. The second definition which is strongly affected by cultural differences is the failure to function adequately approach. This approach by Rosenhan et al. suggests 7 standards which can be used to judge if a person is abnormal. These elements include suffering, unpredictability and irrationality. However, it is the observer discomfort and violation of moral and ideal standards that are most problematic to judge due to cultural differences. Observer discomfort is felt when a person appears to be acting in a way which deviates from the unwritten rules of society and socialising. The problem with this when judging abnormality is that these rules vary between cultures. For example, certain gestures would be considered offensive in some cultures whereas in others they may not. This may mean that a person may not respond to or may respond in an abnormal way to certain gestures and therefore they maybe considered abnormal. The problem with violation from moral and ideal standards is simil ar to the problems I discussed for the deviation fromShow MoreRelatedExamine the Concepts of Normality and Abnormality1419 Words   |  6 PagesExamine the concepts of normality and abnormality (22mks) Abnormality may be defined as behavior that causes distress, loss of freedom, physical or emotional pain, and increased risk of death or injury to self or something that causes a disability of some sort. Abnormal behaviour is however difficult to diagnose because it is, to a large extent, based on the symptoms people exhibit. 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