Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal Psychology 1.1 What Is Psychological Abnormality? Although their general goals are similar to those of other scientific professionals, clinical scientists and practitioners face problems that make their work especially difficult. One of the most troubling is that psychological abnormality is very hard to define. Consider once again Johanne and Alberto. Why are we so ready to call their responses abnormal? B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S In Their Words “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Edgar Allen Poe While many definitions of abnormality have been proposed over the years, none has won total acceptance (Bergner & Bunford, 2014). Still, most of the definitions have certain features in common, often called “the four Ds”: deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. That is, patterns of psychological abnormality are typically deviant (different, extreme, unusual, perhaps even bizarre), distressing (unpleasant and upsetting to the person), dysfunctional (interfering with the person’s ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way), and possibly dangerous. This definition offers a useful starting point from which to explore the phenomena of psychological abnormality. As you will see, however, it has limitations. Abnormal psychological functioning is deviant, but deviant from what? Johanne’s and Alberto’s behaviors, thoughts, and emotions are different from those that are considered normal in our place and time. We do not expect people to cry themselves to sleep each night, hate the world, wish themselves dead, or obey voices that no one else hears. ...............