Failure to Function Adequately (AQA A Level Psychology)

Failure to function adequately

• Failure to function adequately (FTFA) is a definition of abnormality that refers to the point at which someone is unable to continue their daily routine, or cope with everyday life

• Coping with everyday life (a characteristic of good mental health) means being able to manage daily tasks and take care of the self in terms of:

  • good personal hygiene

  • regular eating habits

  • attending work or school

  • socialising with others 

• Individuals who experience FTFA may struggle to cope with everyday tasks such as:

  • showering frequently

  • household chores

  • bills and other financial issues

• Individuals who experience FTFA are likely to have increased absences from work which in turn may result in:

  • a reduction in income

  • job loss

  • lack of contact with colleagues 

• FTFA can have damaging effects on relationships, for example:

  • increased conflict with friends and family as a result of an individual's increasingly erratic, disturbing behaviour

  • work colleagues may distance themselves from the person who is experiencing FTFA

• Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) identified the distinct signs that indicate FTFA, including:

  • severe personal distress

  • behaviour which 'stands out' or seems to go against social norms

  • behaving irrationally

  • self-inflicted harm

Evaluation of failure to function adequately

Strengths

• This measure of abnormality provides clear guidelines for the classification and diagnosis of abnormality as it is focused on observable signs that an individual is not coping e.g. lack of hygiene, clear behavioural distress signals

  • These observable signs allow for the individual to receive help

• Checklists such as those provided by Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) can be used to assess the degree of FTFA, which increases the reliability and objectivity of the measure 

Limitations

• FTFA is an overly subjective measure as one person’s lack of hygiene may be another person’s eco-friendly refusal to use deodorant which means that the FTFA measure may lack validity

• Some behaviours may appear to have the characteristics of FTFA but in fact are simply expressions of personal choice e.g. swimming with sharks may put a person’s life in some danger but it would be difficult to argue that their behaviour is abnormal based on this criterion alone