Abnormal Psychology -
It is concerned with understanding the nature, causes, and treatment of mental disorders.
Mental Disorder-
According to DSM-5, a mental disorder is classified as a syndrome that is present in an individual and that involves clinically significant disturbance in Behavior, emotion regulation, or cognitive functioning. These disturbances are thought to reflect a dysfunction in biological, psychological, or developmental processes that are necessary for mental functioning.
INDICATORS OF ABNORMALITY
1. Subjective distress- if a person suffers or experience psychological pain we are inclined to consider this as an indicative of abnormality. In many cases, it is neither a sufficient condition nor even a necessary condition to consider something as abnormal.
2. Mal-adaptiveness: maladaptive behavior is often an indicator of abnormality. Maladaptive behavior interferes with our well-being and with our ability to enjoy our work and our relationships. But not all disorders involve maladaptive behavior.
3. Statistical deviancy: the word abnormal literally means away from the normal. This tells us that in defining abnormality we make value judgments. If something is statistically rare and undesirable, we are more likely to consider it abnormal than something that is statistically rare and highly desirable.
4. Violation of the standards of the society: when people fail to follow the conventional social or moral rules of cultural group, we may consider their behavior as abnormal. A behavior is most likely to be viewed as abnormal when it violates the standards of society and is statistically deviant or rare.
5. social discomfort: social discomfort is another potential way that we can recognize abnormality. But again, it depends on circumstances.
6. Irrationality and unpredictability: If a person sitting next to you suddenly began to scream and yell obscenities at nothing that behavior is abnormal. It would be unpredictable, and it would make no sense to you. The disordered speech and the disorganized behavior of patients with schizophrenia are often irrational. Perhaps the most important factor, however, is our evaluation of whether the person can control his or her behavior.
7. Dangerousness: someone who is a danger to him- or herself or to another person must be psychologically abnormal.
