+ Abnormal-

1. The unique word called abnormal[+ and ] owes its life to context and evaluation.

2. Most words pose a semantic problem only in their connotation and not that much in the
denotation. But the word abnormal is an exception as in the denotation itself it is a very
problematic word whether used in literal or figurative sense.

3. I have decided to explore the entire gamut of meanings of this word in all its nakedness,
nicety, nastiness and nuances but non-technically [ as I am not qualified to analyze
abnormality in terms of /on the basis of any subject as psychiatry, psychology,
abnormal psychology, politics, religions, social contexts etc] . However, I am in all
earnestness going to explore its usages in a very general way which by itself throws up a
lot of valuable literature to unearth and understand the mysteries of life.

4. Etymologically it is from Latin. Abnormis meaning "deviating from a rule," wherein ab-
means as a prefix off, away from and also merely from " + norma "rule".

5. Semantically it throws a wide range of meaning from extreme negative to extreme
positive attributes and attitudes striding over two of the most vital and comprehensive
human emotions namely Fear and Love [because many of the other emotions and
feelings can be defined as manifestations of varying degrees or intensities of these two
emotions].

6. In simple definitions the word abnormal means primarily deviating and away from the
Normal and therefore could mean all these following and many more:-
not normal, average, typical, or unusual; deviating from a standard;
extremely or excessively large; anomalous, incongruous, aberrant etc
deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary;
odd in behaviour or appearance; strange or weird [ it is used in this sense in most
psychological studies],unnatural and unexpected fears/phobias/paranoia/ delusions etc
and extreme and above normal love of/for certain things /persons/imaginary devotion to
or love of something/someone as many manias/cults are. The manifestations of two
extremes of the pendulum called abnormality. Certain behaviors that are perceived to
breach the rule or custom or morality. So one can imagine the gamut of
things/emotions/psychological conditions that can be brought under this which I reckon
would be almost more than 90% all human feelings that are within the realm of Time
/Space and even beyond it. Of course, we are not including the paranormal and
extremely subnormal activities and attributes, which will make the topic abnormality
even more expansive.

7. So Abnormal can mean either below normal or above normal; so, either better or worse
than normal.


8. These things obviously raise certain questions as to what is normal or standard ? Who or
what determines it? On what basis such standard or yardstick or measurement is
determined?

9. Whatever they are, mostly abnormalities are the products of and/or influenced by
measurements/yardsticks/tools of evaluation. Obviously they must also vary from
context to context as well as levels of perception/frames of reference, scales of
observation etc besides those subjected to be scanned by socio-religio-cultural and
ideological conditionings etc. Thus what to be considered as abnormal and what is not
abnormal is not that easy to determine. Very often socio-cultural prejudice inspired
biases and taboos are considered as abnormalities. In some societies using a left hand for
most of things is abnormal as if it is an organ not to be used at all.[ David Wolman,
himself (but of course) a lefty, sets out to investigate in A Left-Hand Turn Around the
World: Chasing the Mystery and Meaning of All Things Southpaw, he writes : In the
Western world, left-handedness has long been associated with the worst of the worst: sin, devil
worship, Satan himself, and just an all-around bad position with God. Catholic schoolteachers used
to tell students that left-handedness was the mark of the Beast, the Scots say a person with terrible
luck must have been baptized by a left-handed priest, and orthodox Jews wrap their left arms in the
leather strap of tefillin as if to say, in the words of Rabbi Lawrence Kushner: Here I am, standing
with my dangerous side bridled, ready to pray The Bible is full of references to hands, and usually
they are about God doing something benevolent and holy with his right hand. Ill spare you the run-
through and stick to a token example, like this one from Psalms 118: The right hand of the Lord is
exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
Wolman points out that the association has much deeper roots, including the very
etymology of the word left:
The Anglo-Saxon lyft means weak or broken, and even modern dictionaries include such
meanings for left as defective, crippled, awkward, clumsy, inept, and maladroit, the
latter one borrowed from French, translated literally as bad right. Most definitions of left reduce
to an image of doubtful sincerity and clumsiness, and the Latin word for left, sinister, is a well-
known beauty. From this version springs my favorite term for left-handedness, the bend
sinister, which Vladimir Nabokov used for the title of a book that has nothing to do with
handedness.


10. Tangible and physical abnormalities, of course, can be defined with certain scientific
standards and measures.

11. But in psychological and social contexts abnormality can be defined as something
perceived very often, not always, as a factor subject to relative judgmental evaluations,
sometimes very logical and sometimes biased.


12. After all these we encounter the problem of whether abnormality is the cause or the
effect/result of something. Whether it is the result of some impact or it impacts to
produce something good, great or ugly.


13. However we try to analyze the meaning of the word abnormal, with reference to any
subject, we cannot fail to observe that it gets its life out of two important factors as
indicated earlier, namely, context and standard/measurement /yardstick of evaluation.


14. Let us not get distracted by judgmental mode of analyzing whether abnormality is right
or wrong. It is both; it depends on the context, evaluation and impact. Abnormality is a
phenomenon tossed up predominantly between these factors namely Contexts,
evaluation[or to be more precise tools of evaluation], Judgments and perceptions.


15. The paradox or bipolar aspect is what decorates as well as demeans this word
abnormality itself. Any evolution/growth in any sphere is the result of moving away
from the existing norm/rule but social life requires that we necessarily set forth and
follow some norms and rules.

16. So on the face of it the word abnormal is not only ambiguous [both in terms of
denotation and connotation] but it also evokes ambivalent responses and reactions in
most contexts.[ Ambivalent means "having mixed feelings about something." A Swiss
psychologist named Eugen Bleuler coined the German word Ambivalenz in the early
twentieth century, and it was soon imported into English. Bleuler combined the Latin
prefix ambi-, meaning "both," with valentia, "strength."]


17. If we get into an expedition of this word especially through its many synonyms we may
realize that this word represents all great strides in creativity, growth and evolution but
when we encounter the impacts of some of its manifestations at certain times then we
may categorize it as a word referring to the most negative, intolerable and decadent traits
possible.

18. Again let me reiterate that this is not any technical or specialist analysis of any aspect of
abnormality but a mere journey into the meanings of the word abnormality but in the
course of the journey we shall come across the broad spectrum of abnormality.

19. Even in pure clinical psychology to what an extent context and standard/measurement
/yardstick of evaluation can pose difficulties and influence both reference of
abnormality and seeking remedial measures. This has been very nicely brought out by
Jerome Kagan Ph.D in his article The Meaning of Psychological Abnormality
written in 2008 link
http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2008/The_Meaning_of_Psychological_Abnormality/
wherein he rather deplores thus, As reports of childhood behavioral problems
increase, Dr. Jerome Kagan raises concern about the reliability of these diagnoses. The
rapid rise may stem from childrens experiences and pressures on parents and
physicians, he argues.
Widespread diagnoses of childhood disorders trouble scientists such as Dr. Jerome
Kagan, who argues here that social conditions, not biology, are often to blame. Kagan
elucidates possible reasons for the increase, citing, among other explanations,
pressures on parents to raise flawless children. He concludes by proposing ways to
avoid misdiagnoses in the future.
The recent increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism, bipolar illness,
or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), widely reported in the media, has
created worry both among the public and among health officials. It is important,
therefore, to ask whether this troubling trend reflects a true rise in mental illness or is
the result of changes in the definition of childhood psychiatric disorders. The latter
explanation is likely because the concept of psychopathology is ambiguous, and
physicians have considerable latitude when they classify a child as mentally ill.
Because a diagnosis of ADHD, bipolar disorder, or autism allows parents to obtain
special educational and therapeutic resources that would not be forthcoming if the
child is called mentally retarded, incorrigible, or uninterested in academic progress,
doctors are motivated to please the distraught parents who want to help their child.

20. Limitation associated with attempts to define abnormality as explained here, which are
mostly influenced by social, cultural, ideological and religious biases, Statistical
infrequency: most people suffer psychological problems at some time in their lives
hence psychological problems are statistically normal. Many psychological attributes are
assumed to be normally distributed, e.g. IQ scores. However, very high IQs, which are
statistically rare, are not likely to be considered abnormal whereas very low scores are.
Deviation from social norms: Szasz (1972) suggested that psychopathology is
manufactured in order to label people who do not conform to social norms or rules of
morality. The American Psychiatric Society, for example, classified homosexuality as
a mental disorder until 1973. Social norms are specific to cultures, for example, British
psychiatrists (being mainly male, white and middle class) may not be well prepared to
understand the behaviour, emotions and motivations of individuals from different
cultural and social backgrounds. This could account for why Afro-Caribbean
immigrants havebeen up to seven times more likely to be diagnosed with
schizophrenia (Cochrane 1977) from
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/bookshop/minds/rexpress/questions/psychology/7-
abnormality-answer.pdf [ you may go through this link for many further interesting
insights]

Oftentimes in a society when people of a certain type, whether individual or a group,
are subconsciously portrayed by the media as abnormal, they also slowly,
subconsciously become enemies of that society due to feelings of cultural guilt.
Ultimately by this the inflated media is an enemy of its very own cause.
Cross Jami


21. For further clear definition of abnormal psychology and other explanations read
http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2008/The_Meaning_of_Psychological_Abnormality/#st
hash.zQQyRVud.dpuf and further explanations of psychological abnormalities you may
find here http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174252/DefiningAbnormality

22. For very broad clinically defined Psychiatric Disorders see this site :-
http://allpsych.com/disorders/alphaindex.html

23. For very precise classifications of abnormality refer to this link : -

http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/psychology/abnormalpsychology/section2.php

24. Predominantly the field of psychology studies only the abnormalities that are perceived
as negative. Even in a very scholarly research works like the one by Isaac M. Marks the
very title itself suggest that explicitly, Fears, phobias, and rituals: Panic, anxiety, and
their disorders.



25. But I for one would like to include the entire spectrum including what is considered as
positive in terms of desired outcomes/results etc because very often that is also part of
obsessive-compulsive disorders but admired and adulated by the society.
Psychologically the fact is Einstein had an abnormal IQ while an ignorant person also
has an abnormal IQ.


26. Both mad people and geniuses are abnormal manifesting extraordinary attributes and
qualities as great abilities or grave disabilities. In fact there are volumes and volumes of
great writings available on this subject.

27. In addition to these we may also include the paranormal, subnormal, mysterious,
mythological etc too under the broad classification of abnormal states/depicting things
beyond the normal.

28.A look at the synonyms of the word abnormality will throw more subjects under this
label like imaginary, illusionary, eccentric attributes and attitudes and tangential
behaviors etc.

29.Most great geniuses, artists, writers, exceptional scholars, scientists, philosophers etc
were found to be eccentric. Eccentricity is contrasted with "normal" behavior. Here are
some links http://www.cracked.com/article_16559_7-eccentric-geniuses-who-were-
clearly-just-insane.html

http://listverse.com/2009/03/15/10-incredibly-eccentric-people/
As SteveJobss said:[from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwolfe/2014/06/06/brains-on-fire-
or-the-crazy-ones/]
Heres to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The
troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who
see things differently. Theyre not fond of rules. And they have no
respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them,
glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you cant do is ignore
them. Because they change things. They push the human race
forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see
genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can
change the world, are the ones who do.
http://99u.com/articles/7021/why-creative-people-need-to-be-
eccentric


30.Normality, says Howe, is the paradise of escapologists, for it is a fixation concept, pure and
simple. It is better, if we can, he asserts, to stand alone and to feel quite normal about our
abnormality, doing nothing whatever about it, except what needs to be done in order to be oneself.

It is just this ability to stand alone, and not feel guilty or harassed about it, of which the average
person is incapable. The desire for a lasting external security is uppermost, revealing itself in the
endless pursuit of health, happiness, possessions and so on, defense of what has been acquired
being the obsessive idea, and yet no real defense being possible, because one cannot defend what
is undefendable. All that can be defended are imaginary, illusory, protective devices.
31.Among the myriads of connotations that the word abnormal has acquired or the many meanings
that this words alludes to or the extremely complicated polysemy that has budded off this word
we can ,if at all we can, simplify some very glaring general deductions they are that the word
abnormal predominantly refers to one things, persons, attributes ,dimensions that are not
normal or a s per the expected or accepted standards of measurement or deemed to be deviating
from the expected standards or being tangential or moving away from the beaten track which
includes lateral thinking and all forms of creativity and two depending on the extent of
deviation/aberration from the standards it reflects extremities , in fact , it very often refers to
extremes .
32.Similarly the consequences of abnormality also can be broadly outlined as manifesting destruction of
the status quo /preferred status or development and/or enhanced beyond the expected status. It
includes all the things, sentiments, perceptions, feelings ,attributes etc between the two most
predominant emotions which appear as different emotions/feelings/attributes with varying degrees
of intensity of their manifestation at the positive end of the pendulum fueling the fire of passion
leading to various kinds of Love or liking and at the negative end of the spectrum manifesting
Fear of different types /Feeling of deprivation or lack of something leading to destruction of all
hopes and dealing in dread and deliriums.
33.So abnormality refers to and includes all manias and phobias, extreme pains and excessive pleasures
etc. Extreme or excessive Fear or feeling of lacking something is expressed with the suffix phobia
from the Greek "phobos" which means fear. [for an exhaustive list refer to the following sites
http://phobialist.com/, http://phrontistery.info/phobias.html,
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/phobias.html,
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/phobia_corrections.html]
34. Extreme or excessive or obsessive liking or love is expressed with the suffixes mania from Greek
mainesthai be mad or literally madness or philia from Greek philia fondness or
abnormal attraction towards { though among the four distinct words the Ancient Greek had
for love: agpe, ros, phila, and storg. Phila referred to actually affectionate regard
or loyalty} [for an exhaustive list refer to the following sites
http://writeworld.tumblr.com/maniaquirks, http://phrontistery.info/mania.html,
http://phrontistery.info/love.html, http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/manias.html,
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/philias.html].
Funnily there is even a word extremophiles which refers to creatures or organisms that inhabit
extreme environmental conditions like excessive heat, depths, pressures etc-
http://creation.com/life-at-the-extremes]

35.Many words that have the Greek prefixes
a] dys meaning difficulty or disorderliness that causes abnormality indicating either lack of
something or excess of something and this has contributed a huge list of words. Here are some
interesting ones
Dystrophy=malnutrition;dystocia=difficult child birth;dyspnoea=difficult
breathing;dysphoria=feeling of being ill or depressed; dysphonia=inability to pronounce sounds
du eto physical abnormality;dysphasia=impairement of understanding of words due to brain
abnormality;dysphagia=difficulty of swallowing;dyspepsia=difficult
digestion;dysidrosis=abnormal perspiration and
b] para with the precise meaning of departure from normal though it has mostly other
meanings like beside, alongside, beyond, protection against .This prefix also has
given some interesting words like
paragoge=abnormal addition of sound at the end of a word;paragraphia= writing more
than normal or unintended words or letters;paralalia=abnormality of speech sounds;
paramour=socio morally abnormal or unapproved lover; paraphrase =restate in
different or unexpected words etc.
36.In medical terminology words with osis indicating abnormal increase of something
causing a disease for example :abnormal functioning of the thyroid gland =thyrosis
37. Then there is a word which is omitted often by linguists when they talk about
abnormal and that word is preternatural and I found some interesting write ups in this
blog about that word http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/34643/preternatural-
vs-supernatural

a] Preternatural is a wonderful word, one that's been saved from being overused only by
the fact that no one seems to know what it means.
It means "apparently inexplicable by natural means". You might say, "Yo Yo Ma is
apraeternaturally skillful cellist" (bonus points for the olde-timey spelling), meaning
only that he is really, really ridiculously good. You aren't claiming that he's actually,
non-metaphorically magical or ghostly. Yo Yo Ma does exist. (I know for sure: I saw
him once, at a CostCo of all places. I was going to talk to him, but all I could think of to
say was "Hey, is it true you once left a Stradivarius on the plane? FAIL!")
Supernatural is pretty much of a dumb word. People use it for ghoulies and ghosties and
long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night -- i.e., things that, unlike Yo
Yo Ma, do not exist. Why people feel the need to divide non-existent entities into
subcategories I don't know.
To use one of James Randi's old examples: if in fact Uri Geller's claim ability to bend
spoons with his mind actually existed, that would be supernatural; in reality, his ability
to bullshit people is preternatural.

b] Websters (1959) has preternatural as 'beyond or surpassing nature', and lists
Preternatural as a synonym of Supernatural, with almost the exact distinction
c] I have seen preternatural used in religious contexts - for example, to describe
miracles. The words supernatural or paranormal can sound more spooky than holy,
making the reader think of vampires and ESP.

38. For the present generation here is an easy example to note more people would like to watch
movies like the ones made by James Cameron or Steven Spielberg who think big, think
differently , shoot mega budget movies but that rock the world rather than mediocre
movies. Oscar Wilde said this long ago , Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds
like excess. Or as Franois de la Rochefoucauld said, Every great action is extreme.
Or as Arthur C.Clarke said, The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by
going beyond them into the impossible.
39. Why extremes carry sway over the normal and appeal is because in every field the story
of human evolution is nothing but the history of impacts either positive or negative made
by people who refused to take the beaten track and no wonder that George Bernard
Shaw wrote, The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man
adapts the world to himself. All progress depends upon the unreasonable man.
So can we sum up ABNORMALITY as
Any activity above
Below, beyond and besides the
Normal
Ordinary
Regular, routine, rules that are
Morally
Allowed, and approved
Legally and socially.

40. Very few relevant quotes on extremes given here :-

I would rather a romantic relationship turn into contempt than turn into apathy. The
passion in the extremities make it appear as though it once meant something. We grow
from hot or cold, but lukewarm is the biggest insult. Criss Jami
Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme
cold: extreme love breeds satiety, and so extreme hatred; and too violent rigor tempts
chastity, as does too much license.-George Chapman
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me also
remind you that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.-Barry M. Goldwater
The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is
elicited from the darkest storm-.Charles Caleb Colton
Our age knows nothing but reaction, and leaps from one extreme to another.-Reinhold
Niebuhr
Only by pursuing the extremes in one's nature, with all its contradictions, appetites,
aversions, rages, can one hope to understand a little ... oh, I admit only a very little ...
of what life is about. (Quote by - Francoise Sagan)

41. abnormal calm in a patient when he should be showing emotion= belle indifference

abnormal closing or absence of a tube in the body=atresia, clausura, imperforation
echopraxia =abnormal repetition of actions of another person
ectopia =An abnormal location or position of an organ or a body part, occurring
congenentally or due to some defect.

parageusia /dysgeusia= abnormal sense of taste especially a bad taste in the mouth.

paraesthesia or (US) paresthesia= (pathology) an abnormal or inappropriate sensation
in an organ, part, or area of the skin, as of burning, prickling, tingling, etc

abnormal crackling sound of the lungs detected by auscultation with a stethoscope= rale,
crepitation, crepitus, crackle

abnormal constriction of the bronchial tubes= bronchostenosis
abnormal connection between two body surfaces= adhesion, clinging
abnormal condition causing imbalance of the constituents of the blood=blood dyscrasia,
cacochymia, dyscrasia, bad temper
abnormal curving of the spine towards the front or the sides=kyphosis, scoliosis,
Scheuermann's disease, cyphosis, hump back, curvature of the spine, hunch back,
rachioscoliosis, spinal curvature
abnormal development and growth of cells or body organs=dysplasia, defect
abnormal duct that discharges bile from the liver or bladder onto the surface of the skin=
biliary fistula
abnormal forward inclination of the uterus=anteversion, anteflexion
abnormal frequent urination urge=frequent urination urge, pollakiuria, thamuria
abnormal growth of the mammary glands=gigantomastia, hypermastia, excessive
enlargement of the mammary glands
abnormally short finger or toes =brachydactylia
abnormal conduction of nerve impulses in a direction opposite to normal=antidromia
abnormally stop or interrupt something = abort
abnormal liar= mythomaniac
abnormal heartbeat, something that causes abnormal heart beat = arrhythmogenic

abnormal inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable=
anhedonia=[from Greek an-, "without" and hdon, "pleasure"]

42. There is a vast literature involving volumes and volumes of very scientific and scholarly
studies on abnormality. But what an ordinary person can infer from these is the defining
of abnormalities based on what factors cause them? What are the consequences /effects
of the abnormalities? What parameters are adopted to classify something as abnormal?
43. Ankylosis or anchylosis (from Greek, bent, crooked) is a stiffness of a joint due to abnormal
adhesion and rigidity of the bones of the joint
.
44. Hyperostosis=abnormal bone thickening

45. Scotoma, blind spot= abnormal blind spot on the retina

46. Judder, trepidation, tremor, wobbling= abnormal vibration

47. Hydrocephalus-pictures=abnormal accumulation of fluids in the brain

48. Acites=abdominal dropsy fluid acculumulation in the abdominal cavity or peritoneal
cavity

49. Hemagglutination=abnormal agglutination or clustering of red blood cells caused by
certain viruses

50. Carotenemia =abnormal amount of carotene in blood


51. gonicampsis=abnormal curvature of the knee