Evaluate how cultural and sub cultural differences impact on the definitions of abnormality.
Psychology can be defined as the study of the minds. This study is partly done by studying the behavior of different creatures (Cardwell, 2008). Mainly, it deals with human behavior thus it is a social science. It traces its origin back to the existence of man and is one of the oldest sciences to interest man. Generally, psychology deals with all factors affecting the human minds from biological and to physical and social aspects (Cardwell, 2008).
Behavior on the other side can be said to be the mannerisms or actions done by a creature or organism to a point that the action can be done in almost a subconscious state (Cardwell, 2003). Behavior is believed to be controlled by the co-ordination system of the organism. Therefore, the more complex an organism is the more complex its behavior is. As a result, a complex organism is more likely to adapt to a new behavior.
A collection of common behaviors in a given group of people can be loosely called their culture. But culture as defined universally, it is a highly integrated arrangement of human knowledge, beliefs and behavior that depends on social learning. It may also mean shared attributes and practices that make a group of people distinct from another. People of common cultural practices or behaviors trace a common ancestral origin. Inside the culture are other smaller sub-divisions known as sub-culture. A sub-culture consists of people mostly of the same age bracket who share unique characteristics that lack in other sub-culture. In a layman’s language, it is a culture of a small group of people within a main culture. As an example, there is a general dressing code for a particular event e.g. a uniform style of wedding gowns that is accepted in a certain society. Some members of the same culture e.g. the youth may wear similar gowns but of a different style. A vivid example is that ladies generally wear skirts during official occasions. It is generally socially acceptable for the young ladies to wear shorter skirts than older ladies. Wearing of skirts is a culture of ladies mainly out on official matters but wearing mini- skirts is acceptable only for young ladies. Therefore, a young lady in long skirts or elderly lady in mini- skirts will be viewed awkward. Different cultures and sub cultures hold different stands on a common issue (Cardwell, 2008). To analyze the impacts of cultural diversity on the different issues, I will use the issue of abnormality.
Abnormality can be defined as uncommon occurrence or behavior which is deviant from the culture of a certain group (Miller, 1980). An abnormality is therefore perceived as a deviation from the cultural norms. This definition cannot be precise since norms and cultural beliefs are much diversified and what is viewed as normal to one group may be abnormal in another culture.
Considering the cultural differences, abnormality can take different meanings. In some societies, abnormality is viewed as a religious phenomenon. From another culture, abnormality can be defined as a violation of social norms. This means that lack of adherence to all social norms is an abnormality. As earlier highlighted, what is abnormal in one culture may be normal in another. This brings a controversy when trying to define abnormality. Also, social norms change over time. This makes the definition of abnormality much dynamic than static. This offers another hindrance for a universal definition of abnormality (Miller, 1980).
Abnormality in the British society is mainly devised by the whites, middle class and religious people. As an example, in UK, depression is mainly associated with women. This is not the case in other parts of Europe. This shows that abnormality varies with location, religious background and social status of people.
Another example is that in southern Europe, it is a common phenomenon to stand closer to strangers than in UK. This results in a difference in the definition of the distance between a person and a stranger. The degree of violation also differs from violation to violation and also from culture to culture. This acts as another hindrance to the process of finding a universal all incorporative and associative definition (Cardwell, 2008).
Another example of abnormality in British society is the entry of ladies in courses related to medicine. This is because this discipline of study is male dominated thus appearance of a lady in the field is not a normal occurrence. This is not the only society that feels this is an abnormality since up to date most of the African countries believe that women s are not fit for science courses in general.
In conclusion, the contemporary definition of abnormality depends on the culture of the user or person defining it. This is attributed to the differences in the cultural and sub-cultural factors and beliefs. This shows that the cultural differences impact negatively on the contemporary definition of abnormality (Cardwell, 2008). Therefore, so as to define abnormality as used in psychology adequately, no cultural aspects should be considered. But on the contrary, it is the culture that guides human behavior thus the definition is inseparable from the culture. This makes abnormality to hold the many definitions. But for a universal understanding, it can be defined as a shift from the majority perception and infringement of a certain natural, social, political or even religious norm as defined from a psychological point.
References
1. Cardwell, M., Clark, L. and Meldrum C. (2008). Psychology for AS level. Oxford University Press.
2. Cardwell, M., Clark, L. and Meldrum C. (2003). Psychology for A2 level. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition.
3. Miller, A. 1980. The Principles of Psychology with introduction. Harvard University Press.
