Abnormality in Psychology

Abnormality in Psychology
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Abnormality in Psychology
Criteria Defining Abnormality
Sources identify that the most outstanding criterion for abnormality is the violation of social norms and expectations. Such violation mat constitutes doing or engaging in activities that people or the society deems irresponsible and uncalled for (Davis, 2013). However, in this criteria, both age and culture play a crucial role in substantiating it as a criterion for abnormality. For example, when a forty-year-old man strips his clothes and jumps inside a fountain, it is a case of psychological abnormality – but when a seven-or a ten-year-old does the same, it can be understood. Hence, violation of social norms depends on culture and age. The second criteria for defining abnormality is a statistical rarity. Persons with extremely low intellectual quotient levels may possibly be classified with mental retardation. Such people are very rare and do not fit into the larger population of people (Davis, 2013). Personal emotions or distress is gradually emerging as a standard measure of abnormal behavior. For example, by suffering from excessive-compulsive disorders, the abnormal people are likely to engage in very unlike and strange activities to relieve the compulsion or distress.
Advantages and Demerits of Using Various Defining Criteria for Abnormality
The limitation with using the violation of social norms as a measure of abnormality is that it does not apply across all age and cultural groups.

Young people engaging in unusual behavior may not be seen as abnormal because the society perceives their age as for right and suitable for specific kinds of behavior; including stripping and jumping into a fountain. The advantage of using such a measure is that it provides a significant, tangible proof of abnormality (Mangal, 2008). Perhaps a limitation with statistical rarity as a defining measure of abnormality is that it can be misjudged. It beats logic to state that persons that exemplify behavior uncommon with most people are abnormal. Extremely genius people, including persons with high IQ levels, do not suffer from abnormality just because they exemplify mental levels different from the rest of the population.
Hence, statistical rarity has a stark limitation in that it generalizes its findings and fails to give the exact criteria for abnormality. One advantage of using emotions as a standard for abnormality is that emotions represent the mental processes. Hence, emotions represent the mental state and hence key indicators for abnormality since abnormal behavior measures the state of the mind or brain. The problem with emotions is that they are not strictly based on brain and mental processes, rather, they can be as a result of the surrounding stimuli. It means, therefore, that individuals may indicate signs and symptoms that are not necessarily a replica of brain functioning – but rather a reaction towards the environment, event, or even a particular situation. Above analysis surmises the paper on the merits and demerits of various measures for abnormality or abnormal behavior.
References
Davis, T. (2013). Conceptualizing Psychological Disorders Using the Four Ds of Diagnoses. The Internet Scientific Publications. Retrieved from http://ispub.com/IJPSY/1/1/5049Mangal, S. K. (2008). Abnormal psychology.