1/12 What is abnormal?

1/12 Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal behavior

 What is mental illness? – Richard J. McNally

 Recent book
 We are still not quite sure what is going on when we say that something is a mental illness

“If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.” –Thomas Szasz

 Social acceptability: talking to god – a lot of people do it – normative.

 God talks to you – low frequency – not the social norm

What is abnormal?

 What is a psychological “abnormality?”

 How do these phenomena differ from “normal” psychological experiences?
 How blurry is the distinction between normality and abnormality?
o There are some disorders that if you fulfill 5 symptoms – no disorder. 6 symptoms –
disorder.
o Some disorders: 30 days – one disorder. 31 days – another disorder
 What is a “mental disorder,” and how do we know it when we see it?
 How has history “shaped” current views of abnormal”?

What is abnormal?

 Behavior is unusual (statistically infrequent)

o Examples of “abnormal” infrequent phenomena:
 Mental retardation
 Hearing voices
 Hoarding objects of minimal value
o But are these “infrequent” phenomena abnormal?
 Extremely high intelligence
 Extremely low anxiety/extreme thrill-seeking
 Collecting objects of minimal value
o Do these individuals have “abnormally” unusual symptoms?
 Case #1: Andrea (shyness, left medical school)
 Case #2: Mike (perfectionism, test anxiety)
 Case #3: Frank (hoarding)
 Behavior that is socially unacceptable, strange, or deviates from society’s standards.
o Examples of “abnormal” socially unacceptable, strange, or deviant phenomena:
o Incoherent speech, disorganized behavior
o Extremely low body weight in anorexia
 Are these phenomena “abnormal?”
 1/12 What is abnormal?

o Extremely excessive interest in sex

o Obesity
o Homosexuality
o Using social stigma to diagnose abnormality is a tricky issue, but it has been done
 Do these individuals have socially unacceptable, strange, or deviant symptoms?
o Case #1: Andrea (shyness, left medical school)
o Case #2: Mike (perfectionism, test anxiety)
o Case #3: Frank (hoarding)