Deviation from social norms considers anyone who behaves differently from social norms as being abnormal.
Example: Politeness allows interpersonal relations to run smoothly, people who are seen to be rude are seen to be acting in a socially deviant way.
Example: Until 1973, homosexuality within the US was classified as illegal and therefore anyone who was homosexual was abnormal.
Some rules about unacceptable behaviour are deviant but not always criminal.
Evaluation
Relativity to culture
Type: Limitation
- Deviation from social norms is relative to the culture
- Walking around London naked would be seen as deviating from our norms
- Walking around the Amazonian rainforest in a three-piece suit would be seen as deviating from their (Amazonian Indians) norms
- Therefore classification systems such as the DSM are based on Western cultures, however cultures differ in terms of social norms
Social norms vary over time
Type: Limitation
- Deviation from social norms varies over time
- Homosexuality was previously considered a mental disorder in DSM, however is now considered to be socially acceptable
- Therefore, the definition of deviating from social norms is based on social morals and attitudes at a particular time
Susceptibility to abuse
Type: Limitation
- If abnormality is defined in terms of deviation from social norms, it means that abnormality and mental illness are defined by the thinking of that time only, no matter how flawed that thinking is
- In Nazi Germany, anyone not willing to kill Jews may be been labelled as mentally ill whilst not violating explicit or implicit social norms
- Allows any government to set what they think the social norms are and label anyone who disagrees as mentally ill
- Previously occurred in the USSR which resulted in people being jailed for speaking against the government