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Abnormal Psychology and Therapy
In its most general sense, psychology involves the scientific study of the manifestations and correlates of mental processes and behaviors. However, the seeming simplicity of this definition begins to break down when the subject matter is divided into the categories of ‘normal’ verses ‘abnormal’ psychology. The main issue, of course, lies in the very use of the term ‘abnormal’ itself and thus begs the question: what exactly constitutes normal? The answer, it seems, is remarkably complex and remains open to significant disagreement across cultures and even among mental health professionals. In other words, ‘normal’ is context specific. Typically, a criterion of communal consensus combined with a certain degree of functional efficacy constitutes the primary means of measurement employed in defining ‘normal.’ Conversely, ‘abnormal’ tends to pertain to mental processes and behaviors that seem predisposed towards persistent patterns of distress, dysfunction, deviance or danger within a specific community or other defining circumstantial context. Therefore, ‘abnormal psychology’ might be defined as the “scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning.” (Wikipedia 2007) Still, the subject seems important—and vague--enough to bear a closer scrutiny.
As discussed above, the concept of what is considered normal varies across geological locations and historical contexts. Cannibalism in some remote tribal village might constitute a normal and socially acceptable—or indeed, perhaps even a highly valued-- practice in that culture: “Neanderthals are believed to have practiced cannibalism on thei ...