Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper
Tonya Ricketts
PSY/300
Aug. 3, 2015
Jennifer Murphy
Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper
According to Westen and Kowalski, 2011, psychology is defined as the scientific investigations of mental process and behavior. In other words, psychology is the study of feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Abnormal psychology can be defined as thoughts or behaviors in a person that disrupt their own life or the lives of others around them. Their behaviors could upset family members, friends, or even society; causing harm, unhappiness or discomfort. A great example of abnormal psychology is the various psychological disorders and the different treatment options that are available to the patients. To have a better understanding of abnormal and normal psychology, it is helpful to compare the two.
Abnormal and normal psychologies are very similar yet differ in many ways. They both are involved in the study of mental processes and behavior, whether the behavior or mental processes are normal or not. To understand what is considered to be abnormal behavior in an individual it is very important to consider the society and culture in which they live. What is normal and acceptable for some may be bizarre and looked down upon for others. For example, in some cultures or tribes it is normal to mutate the skin with gauged out piercings and tattooing young children but for other countries, this behavior is considered strange and destructive. So ensuring that the behavior is accepted by their society is important information for psychologist to keep in mind.
Abnormal behavior happens when a person is acting out in a strange or disturbing way. A person that suffers from schizophrenia may look around or look up as if they see things around them that aren’t really present; they may even talk to themselves. For someone watching this type of behavior, they would feel this person’s actions were abnormal. That is where proper diagnosing...