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Sociology
Determination of the Normative Definition of Abnormality and Deviance
Though what is normal and abnormal is socioculturally relative, a normative definition of deviant or abnormal is possible. Every culture regards specific behaviors as good or normal or right. Those behaviors vary from culture to culture, place to place, and over time, yet the standards or dichotomies of behaviors exist. Once one end of the spectrum, good or normal, are named, the behaviors antithetical those are outlined as well, meaning what is deviant or abnormal. Normative definitions of deviance and abnormality that recognize the sociocultural relativism of such terms function on two levels, according to Chapter 14. Normative definitions function on the...
Normative definitions also function on what is culturally specific, meaning what sets of norms exist per individual culture. Deviance and abnormality need not necessarily be criminal behaviors. Such character traits such as exceptional compassion and leadership or exceptional intelligence or creativity may be perceived as abnormal and/or deviant from a perspective reflecting cultural relativism. Normative definitions of deviance and abnormality exist because normative definitions of compliance and normality exist. One set does not function or exist without the other. Behaviors often require contexts within which to judge, gauge, or otherwise consider the…
As maintained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., there are a number of traits that distinguish the socially "normal" person from one with APD. Overall, such an individual continues to consistently "act in a way that disregards the rights of others and violates the rules of society," a pattern which is expressed by exhibiting at least three of
The study's most significant limitation was that it did not contain female or minority subjects. The lack of female subjects was due to the ambiguous expression of the MAOA genotype in females, but the failure to include minorities was based on the fact that prior research had focused on Caucasian samples. Future research needs to be more inclusive. Conclusion Several studies have attempted to examine the causes of antisocial personality disorder.
Treatment and therapy for the condition is sought after clinical psychologists, in most cases when they face multiple court charges, diagnose the patient. Treatment of the condition entails the use of behavioral treatments like reward and punishment methods in psychology. A patient with antisocial personality disorder is rewarded for displaying the correct behavior, under the positive reinforcement method. Negative reinforcement entails promise and use negative consequences for any illegal
Efficacy of Personality Disorder Treatments Abnormal Psychology The paper reviews literature regarding the nature of personality disorders and known treatments. The paper argues that there is no definitive cure-all for personality disorders. The paper also advocates for increased attention and research in the area of personality disorders regarding treatments and variation of treatment strategies. The paper explains the causes of personality disorders, the treatments available, the perceptions of personality disorders in
However, violence is only one possible manifestation of psychopathology (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009; Schmalleger, 2009). Individuals such as Bundy and Dahmer also represent the classic antisocial personality disorder which is not necessarily true of the vast majority of psychopaths, most of whom do not act out in criminally violent ways (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009. Schmalleger, 2009). In principle, what is most relevant about individuals like Bundy and Dahmer is not
In fact, it is important to understand that the MMPI-2 must be administered as a whole and that one cannot consider scores on any one area of the test in isolation from a subject's other results. Moreover, it is important to recognize that while the scales may carry official names, they do not only measure the suggested disease. For example, the schizophrenia scale appears to measure the degree of alienation