Lesson 4.1.4.1

4.1.4.1 Definitions of mental health Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.1.4.1, Definitions of mental health: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 1: Introductory topics in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which definition of abnormality is based on behaviour that is rare in the population?

    • Deviation from ideal mental health
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from social norms
    • Statistical infrequency

  2. Which definition uses the idea that behaviour breaks the rules or expectations of a society?

    • Deviation from social norms
    • Statistical infrequency
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from ideal mental health

  3. Which definition is based on a person's inability to cope with the demands of everyday life?

    • Deviation from ideal mental health
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Statistical infrequency
    • Deviation from social norms

  4. Which definition is based on a set of positive criteria, such as self-actualisation and autonomy?

    • Statistical infrequency
    • Deviation from ideal mental health
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from social norms

  5. Which of these is a criterion in Jahoda's view of ideal mental health?

    • Autonomy, meaning independence and self-direction
    • A very high score on an intelligence test
    • Being unaffected by any stress whatsoever
    • Conformity to all social rules

  6. A person who is fully able to hold down a job, look after themselves and maintain relationships is best described as meeting which definition of mental health?

    • They meet the definition of deviation from social norms, since their behaviour breaks the rules of their society
    • They meet the definition of failure to function adequately, since they cannot manage the demands of their daily life
    • Failure to function adequately is absent, so the person does not meet this definition
    • They meet the definition of statistical infrequency, since their behaviour is rare in the wider population

  7. Which limitation is most often given for defining abnormality by deviation from social norms?

    • Norms vary across cultures and over time, so the same behaviour may be seen differently
    • Norms are fixed and identical across all societies, so the same behaviour is judged in exactly the same way everywhere
    • Norms can be measured precisely using a statistical test, which gives the same answer whatever the culture studied
    • Norms only apply to people with physical illness, since social expectations do not affect anyone's mental health

  8. Which limitation applies to defining mental health by Jahoda's ideal criteria?

    • The criteria are very demanding, so few people would meet all of them
    • The criteria apply only to children and not to adults
    • The criteria are based entirely on physical measurements
    • The criteria are easy to meet by everyone in every society

  9. A person's behaviour is considered abnormal in one culture but normal in another. Which definition is most affected by this?

    • Deviation from social norms
    • Statistical infrequency
    • Deviation from ideal mental health
    • Failure to function adequately

  10. Which combination of definitions of abnormality is correct?

    • Statistical infrequency, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately
    • Statistical rarity, deviation from physical health, failure to speak, and deviation from intelligence
    • Statistical norms, social deviance, failure to learn, and ideal intelligence
    • Statistical infrequency, social deviance, failure to sleep, and ideal happiness

  11. A psychologist defines a behaviour as abnormal because it occurs in fewer than 2 per cent of the population. Which definition is being used?

    • Deviation from ideal mental health
    • Statistical infrequency
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from social norms

  12. A person's daily functioning is severely disrupted because they cannot leave the house to go to work. Which definition best applies?

    • Statistical infrequency only
    • Deviation from social norms only
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from ideal mental health only

  13. Which evaluation point applies to using statistical infrequency to define abnormality?

    • Statistical infrequency has been shown to be culturally fixed in all societies
    • Statistical infrequency can only be measured in children
    • Rare behaviour can be positive, so rarity alone does not show that someone has a disorder
    • Rare behaviour is always harmful, so rarity is a perfect measure of disorder

  14. Which evaluation point applies to using deviation from ideal mental health as a definition?

    • It is free of any cultural assumptions because it is based on universal criteria
    • It is culturally biased because the ideal qualities may reflect Western values
    • It applies only to people who are diagnosed with a disorder
    • It is the easiest definition to measure objectively

  15. A person has a rare talent and behaves in an unusual but harmless way. Which definition would most likely label them as abnormal?

    • Clinical dysfunction only
    • Statistical infrequency
    • Failure to function adequately
    • Deviation from ideal mental health

  16. Which of these is an example of a behaviour that would fail the social norms criterion in many cultures?

    • Working as a teacher in a school
    • Making a shopping list before going to the supermarket
    • Attending a local football match
    • Publicly shouting obscenities at strangers in a religious ceremony

  17. A researcher argues that abnormality cannot be defined by a single criterion. Which argument best supports this?

    • All definitions give exactly the same results for all behaviours
    • Abnormality is determined by genetic testing alone
    • Each definition captures a different aspect of mental health
    • Only statistical infrequency is valid for all cases

  18. Which idea is central to the failure to function adequately definition?

    • Behaviour that prevents the person coping with everyday life
    • Behaviour that breaks a culture's norms
    • Behaviour that shows self-actualisation
    • Behaviour that is statistically rare in the population

  19. Which statement best describes the relationship between mental health and abnormality according to these definitions?

    • Abnormality is always the opposite of mental health in every definition
    • Mental health and abnormality are defined using different criteria
    • Mental health and abnormality are defined using identical criteria
    • Mental health can only be defined by physical measurement

  20. A psychologist wants to decide whether a person's distress is abnormal. Which definitions would be most useful to consider together?

    • Deviation from ideal mental health and shoe size, which are both criteria used in clinical assessment
    • Deviation from social norms and failure to function adequately
    • Statistical infrequency and physical height, which are both measured on a standard scale
    • Failure to function adequately and eye colour, which are both used to judge a person's daily life

All AQA Psychology quizzes