Normality and Abnormality

Normality and Abnormality : 

Normality and Abnormality In the medical sciences, it is easy to decide what is normal in examining the temperature of the body, the blood pressure, blood sugar level etc On a psychological front however we cant have an ideal model of man or ideal behavior to be used as standard or norm

Normality and abnormality criteria : 

Normality and abnormality criteria I. The descriptive criteria: indicate the types of behavior considered normal or abnormal II. Explanatory criteria: they tell us why the behavior is abnormal

Descriptive criteria : 

Descriptive criteria Statistical and Non statistical criteria Non statistical criteria may be further divided in to ethical or moral criteria, social conformity, idea of perfectionism, and legal view point Ethical/moral: abnormal if immoral. normal behavior,1. morality is not an absolute concept, 2.higly moral person may have behavioral disorders and vise versa

Criterion of social conformity : 

Criterion of social conformity Those who conform to social norms – normal Those who do not care for them – abnormal Normality is what the majority of the people approve or follow We cant resist changes in attitude towards what is socially acceptable and normal

Criterion of ideal or perfection : 

Criterion of ideal or perfection Normal behavior is equated with perfect or ideal behavior There exists nothing like absolute ideals or perfections Behavior which is considered ideal for a particular age in a particular situation may be considered abnormal in a different situation

Legal criteria : 

Legal criteria A low abiding citizen is a normal one One who violates the low is labeled abnormal Laws are also not absolute they change from time to time

Statistical criterion : 

Statistical criterion Accordingly tha average is normal. A person is abnormal when one is deviating from the average This may be properly explained through a normal distribution curve. Here the distribution of IQ in the general population is being illustrated The bell shaped curve illustrates that the cases falling around the middle of the distribution are to be termed as normal and those at the extreme ends as abnormal

Inadequacy : 

Inadequacy If any deviation from the average is abnormal a genius would be as abnormal as a mentally retarded person We are all different from the another in some dimensions Behavior considered to be normal in one community may be considered abnormal in other societies and cultures

Slide 13: 

These methods hardly tells us why people become abnormal This criterion faces difficulty in separating the abnormal from the normal where quantitative aspects of the personality are involved

Explanatory criterion : 

Explanatory criterion The pathological or medical criteria – abnormality I associated with some mental illness or disease Aroused a mass feeling that abnormal behavior is somehow an indication of an illness or disease. most people who are found to be mentally disturbed do not suffer from the disease or illness in the usual sense of these terms

Psychological criterion : 

Psychological criterion Psychological functioning is the deciding factor in abnormal or normal behavior Abnormality is in terms of defective functioning of certain psychological systems- Eysenck

Adjustment criterion : 

Adjustment criterion Normal people get along well with themselves and their environment while abnormal ones are on the warpath with themselves and their environment

Conclusion : 

Conclusion The different criteria mentioned above represent the many ways and approaches for understanding the normal and abnormal No criterion may be termed absolute criterion for the complete description or the explanation for the normal or abnormal behavior