Abnormal behavior - patterns of emotion, thought, and action considered.
pathological (diseased or disordered) for one or more of the reasons:.
1. Statistical infrequency. ON way to judge whether a person's behavior is.
abnormal is to compare the frequency of his or her behavior to that of others.
Believing that others are plotting against you is statistically abnormal and is.
usually diagnosed as a delusion of persecution. However, intelligence is.
believed to be distributed along a normal, bell-shaped curve, and people with IQ.
above 132 are statistically infrequent, or "abnormal". Yet having great.
intelligence is not classified as abnormal by the public (or by psychologists.
All in all, then we cannot use statistical frequency as the sole criterion in.
determining what is normal vs. abnormal.
2. Disability or dysfunction. According to this view, people are considered.
abnormal if their emotions, thoughts or actions interfere with their ability to.
function in their own lives and within society. Disability or dysfunction is the.
primary criterion for identifying abnormal drug use. IF the use of alcohol.
interferes with a person's normal social or occupational functioning, the person.
may be diagnosed with a substance related disorder.
3. Personal distress. Rather than rely on objective statistical measures or.
evidence of disability, for some disorders mental health professionals prefer to.
use an individual's own judgment of his or her level of functioning. For.
examplsomeone who drinks heavily every day may realize it is unhealthy and he.
has to stop. Thus, the personal distress model would help to identify this.
behavior as abnormal. On the other hand, many people with true.
alcohol-dependence disorders deny they have a problem. Also, some serious.
psychological disorders cause a little or no or no emotional discomfort. A.
serial killer, for instance, can torture someone without feeling remorse or.
guilt. The personal distress model by itself, then, is not sufficient for.
