But before we can write about specific behavioral disorders, we must define 'abnormal'. And what is normal behavior?
The following criteria are used to determine wheter a persons behavior is abnormal or not:
Deviation from statistical norms;
- The word abnormal means 'away from the norm'. Many population facts are measured such as height, weight and intelligence.
- Most of the people fall within the middle range of intelligence, but a few are abnormally stupid.
- But according to this definition, a person who is extremely intelligent would be classified as abnormal. Thus in defining abnormal behaviour we must consider more.
Deviation from social norms; every vulture has certain standards for acceptable behavior; behavior that deviates from that standard is considered to be abnormal behavior. But those standards can change with time and vary from one society to another.
Maladaptiveness of behavior; this third criterium is how the behavior affects the well-being of the individual and/or social group.
- Examples are a man who attempts suicide, an alcoholic who drinks so heavily that he or she cannot keep a job or a paranoid individual who tries to assassinate national leaders.
- Personal distress; the fourth criterion considers abnormality in terms of the individual's subjective feelings, personal distress, rather than his behaviour.
- Most people diagnosed as 'mentally ill' feel miserable, anxious, depressed and may suffer from insomnia.
- In the type of abnormality called neurosis, personal distress may be the only symptom, because the individual's behaviour seems normal.
None of these definitions provides a complete description of abnormal behavior. The legal definition of abnormality declares a person insane when he is not able to judge between right and wrong, but this criterium is not used by psychologists.
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