Coursework.Info - Inspiration in an Instant

On the left is an image preview of every page of this document, and below are the first 150 words with formatting removed:

Problems Defining Abnormality Defining abnormality is no easy task. There are 4 definitions discussed in Cardwell <& Flanagan (2003) and each has its merits and disadvantages. The first is statistical infrequency. Abnormality is defined in terms of the frequency any given behaviour is said to exist in a given social group. For example, foot size can be averaged so that everyone can be seen to fall within a certain size. People whose foot size is much smaller or larger fall outside the average and are therefore by definition - abnormal. This definition is suggesting that abnormal behaviour is somehow measurable, and that behaviour can be easily grouped in terms of numbers. This is not the case. There are many behaviours that would fall outside the average for the population, shoe size being one example, where a person would not be classified as abnormal just because their feet were larger or smaller...

Get instant access

• Instant, unlimited access to our documents in full
• Swap your work for free access, or pay £4.99
• To see the full version of this document and 147,233 others

OR

Receive email updates for this category

• Simply tell us your email address and receive a weekly Study Help Email for FREE
• Receive 3 FREE essay views with each email
• Get all the latest essays from Coursework.Info & discussion from TheStudentRoom.co.uk