Abnormality and its Effects Term Paper

Respond to the two classmates (dq responses) below in two separate responses. In a 150-word count with references. Due if you can by 12 am or 1 am Central Standard Time.

Melisa Lore

According to Butcher, Hooley, and Mineka, “a major problem is that there is no one behaviour that makes someone abnormal” which is the reason that abnormality is difficult to define (2014, p.3). Though it is clear that abnormalities are considered unusual behaviour, it is difficult to construct a box that contains normal behaviour and the outside area that is abnormal.

One of the most difficult facts about abnormalities is that “decisions about abnormal behaviour always involve social judgements and are based on the values and expectations of society at large. This means that culture plays a role in determining what is and is not abnormal” (Butcher et al., 2014, p.5).

The reason I see this as such a huge issue is because at one point in time, people thought homosexuals were considered mentally ill (Butcher et al., 2014). This again, had to do with societies expectancies/judgements. Now, the LGBTQ community is thriving getting their message for equal love across our country. What is not understood is often harshly criticised.

I think that one thing that can be agreed on is that causing harm to others or yourself is not normal behaviour. Though there are many definitions, I would say that mental health issues are stemmed around individual causing mental/physical/emotional harm to oneself or to another and ultimately justifying the reason. Characteristics like depression and dangerous thoughts/actions can characterise abnormality.

Micha Niebauer

Abnormality is difficult to define because it heavily relies on the interpretation of the individual doing the defining. In itself, abnormality is something that is not normal. It is strange, foreign, and unusual. The problem with this textbook definition is that it then requires the person doing the defining to elaborate on what normal actually is. It is here where the problems occur.

Who can really say what normal truly is. For each society, religion, group, and individual this could be something completely different. Just as a silly example, let’s look at people who put ketchup on their eggs. It is in my opinion that ruining a perfectly good egg by slathering it with ketchup is in fact abnormal.

Many others would disagree and may even go as far to say it is abnormal to not use ketchup on your eggs. I know that this is not a perfect analogy when comparing with psychological abnormalities but the same logic is present.

Someone may think differently or engage in uncommon behaviours but is this abnormal behaviour or abnormal to us. So, with this amount of variability in the idea of what is normal, is it fair to even define something as abnormal?

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