Psych Discussion
Criteria you might use to label behavior as “abnormal”.
1 . Distress or disability . An individual experiences personal distress or disabled functioning, which
produces a risk of physical or psychological deterioration or loss of freedom of action. For example, a
man who cannot leave his home without weeping would be unable to pursue o rdinary life goals.
2. Maladaptiveness. An individual acts in ways that hinder goals, do not contribute to personal well-
being, or interfere strongly with the goals of others and the need of society. Someone who is drinking so
heavily that she cannot hold down a job or who is endangering others through her intoxication is
displaying maladaptive behavior.
3. Irrationality. An individual acts or talks in ways that are irrational or incomprehensible to others. A
man who responds to voices th at do not exist in objective reality is behaving irrationally.
4. Unpredictability. An individual behaves unpredictably or erratically from situation to situation, as if
experi encing a loss of control. A child who smashes his fist through a wind ow for no apparent reason
displays unpredictability.
5 . Unconventionality and statistical rarity . An individual behaves in ways that are statistically rare and
that violate social standards of what is acceptable or desirable. Just being statistic ally unusual, however,
does not lead to a psychological judgmen t of abnormality. For example, possessing genius -level
intelligence is extremely rare, but it is also considered desirable. Conversely, having extremely low
intelligence is also rare bu t is considered undesirable; thus it has often been labeled abnormal.
6. Observer discomfort. An individual creates discomfort in others by making them feel threatened or
distressed in some way. A woman walking down the middle of the sidewalk, ha ving a loud conversation
with herself, creates observer discomfort in other pedestrians trying to avoid her.
7. Violation of moral and ideal standards . An individual violates expectations for how one ought to
behave with respect to societal norms . Thus, if people generally think it is important to provide care to
one’s offspring, parents who abandoned their children might be considered abnormal.
Gerrig, R.J. (2012). Psychology and Life. (20th edition). (pp. 386 -387) Pearson