Normal Psychology

Normal psychology is the study that gives focus on the normal or average human behavior according to the socially acceptable behaviors, practices and traits. In contrast, abnormal psychology is the study that deals with unusual human behaviors that people deem are against the socially accepted behaviors and that includes mental disorders. Differentiating the two however, needs careful study because it involves human judgment which may or may not be necessarily correct. To aptly define and contrast normal and abnormal psychology, it is necessary to know the effect of certain behavior on the well-being of the individual and his immediate surroundings. To know whether a certain action is normal can be identified by studying the reactions f people to certain circumstances. The majority reaction will then be considered as normal. An article entitled What is the Difference Between Normal and Abnormal Psychology? states that, “Normal psychology creates a frame of reference from which inferences about typical behavior and thought patterns can be drawn”(n.d.). It involves studying the general behavioral responses of a population. An example is studying ten children who experience the death of a parent, if eight of the ten children experience anger and sadness upon learning of the death, then it can be concluded that anger and sadness are normal psychological reactions to the situation. The two children on the other hand may exhibit a different reaction the eight children show, they may go into a period of denial or even rebellion or indifference. They may also react to it with total acceptance and with positive attitude to move on. Such behavior, however, cannot be readily judged as abnormal because such behaviors may only last for a certain short period and may still fit with what is considered as within the normal behavior spectrum. On the other hand abnormal psychology “studies people who are abnormal or atypical compared to the members of a given society”(McLeod, 2008). A person can be considered as having certain abnormalities when his traits, way of thinking and behavior are rare or unusual for a person his/her age. As with the example of the ten children, if the two begins to exhibit extreme behavior that is self-destructive or undergoes a complete and lasting change in personality, one that goes beyond the grieving period, that child’s reaction can be judged as under the span of abnormal psychology. Therefore, it can be said that those people who exhibit behavioral patterns that fall beyond or far from the behavioral patterns in normal psychology may be considered as abnormal. While normal psychology studies the person’s behavior, compares it with other people in the population and decides it as within the terms of normal psychology, abnormal psychology by contrast studies the person’s reactions as to sameness or strangeness compared to other people and determines it as falling short of what is generally accepted behavior and therefore, abnormal. An abnormal psychological response however, does not mean that the individual is bad, crazy, wrong or a deviant in the society, it is that his psychological responses are doing him or even his society more harm than good, and therefore needs medical attention.

References

McLeod, S. (2008) Abnormal Psychology. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html
What is the Difference between Normal and Abnormal Psychology? Retrieved May 15, 2013 from

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-normal-and-abnormal

psychology.htm

References: McLeod, S. (2008) Abnormal Psychology. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html What is the Difference between Normal and Abnormal Psychology? Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-normal-and-abnormal psychology.htm