FREE ESSAY ON WHAT IS ABNORMAL AND WHAT IS NORMAL

WHAT IS ABNORMAL AND WHAT IS NORMAL

What Is Abnormal Psychology? What Is Normal Psychology?
What is Psychology? In my research of Psychology and its meaning I have come up with many
definitions. To sum all of the definitions into one it's the study ones feelings,
thoughts, and their way of thinking and using all of there senses rather its cognitive,
physical, or mental. Some other questions that came to mind during my research are what
is normal psychology and what is abnormal psychology? 
What is normal psychology? Most people consider one to be normal if they seem 
to have no problems physically or mentally. Are you O.K. the way you are? Should you 
be different? Most of us tend to roles that are acceptable behavior in society. Society 
expects us all to play certain roles. Health and science guide says that normality is
only 
questioned when there is a conflict between roles. Why do we conform to these roles? 
We do it because in most societies, including ours, there are rewards for conformity. 
People tend to treat us with respect when we play roles that others are comfortable with.

What is abnormal psychology? I think it could be the study of mental illness as 
some journals stated. Overall it's the study of mental illnesses and of how people with
mental illnesses can be treated. Stated in Health and Science guide mental illness is a
much-debated topic in the world of psychology to which a lot of research is still needed.
Problems usually come up when people try to define what is normal. Sigmund Freud was
considered to be the father of Psychoanalysis, said there was no such thing as a normal
person. 
Mental illness is considered to be an illness of the mind, which makes it difficult for
people to carry out a normal, productive lifestyle. Mental illnesses range from
depression to schizophrenia (a very serious mind disorder). It is important to remember
that people with such disorders ate stricken with an illness. They have no more control
over their illness than when a person gets flu or a cold. When I am sick with a fever or
flu I would either try or treat with an over the counter product or go to a doctor. A
person with a mental disorder may go to a medical doctor, or to a psychiatrist (a medical
doctor who specializes in treating mental problems through therapy and medication) or to
a psychologist (who is not a medical doctor, but who treats mental and emotional problems
through therapy). He or she also may consult other therapist, such as a social worker of
psychiatric nurse. In Health and Science guide it's said the recent speculation and
discoveries are relating mental illnesses to chemical imbalances in the brain and /or
body. Beginning in the 1950's a new class of drugs put on the market allowed many people
with mental illnesses who otherwise would have been hospitalized to be treated outside of
hospitals, and to live much more normal lives. Other research has shown that if a person
has a history of family members who have mental illnesses, he or she may be Monroe likely
to contract the illness. Present genetic research should soon allow us to better control
many frustrating mental illnesses. 
Although people with mental illnesses might feel alone in dealing with their problems,
like most us do when dealing with problems whether its classes, test, family, or whether
you are going to pass your PSYCHOLOGY CLASS it still affects a lot of us as 
a society. Mental illness affects one in five americans and 20 percent of the population
and is second to heart disease in causing premature deaths and lost of productivity.
Despite more than a century of study, the mind still seems to resist our best efforts to
find its secrets. While we've learned much about certain functional aspects of mental
illness, anxiety and depression are ones we still don't know what causes mental problems.

Although many people have many fears, conflicts, anxieties, and desires we have learned
to manage them by using behaviors we have adapted to defend ourselves in our life. While
most people handle things well many people have fears and wishes in the back of there
head that are so intense and conflicting that they lead to a large amount of anxiety,
depression, phobias and other symptoms. A lot of people are stuck in a childhood
perspective of life without knowing it. In the Monkeyshines on Health and Science it says
that unresolved childhood issues may persist outside our awareness and cause us to
repeatedly make the same mistakes in life. Like choosing the wrong kinds of partners and
having the same kids of relationship difficulties over and 
over again. We may be able to learn from these mistakes because our own early
relationship attachments are so strong. 
Advances in neuroscience are showing how memories are laid down early in life and how
particular relationship interactions becomes deeply ingrained in memory at a very early
age. If there were certain perceived psychological traumas in those relationships, it
becomes easier for a person to become "stuck" in adulthood. "Perception" is important:
What one person may remember as traumatic, another person may not even remember as
upsetting. Most of us know that the mind and body are not separate parts and that what
affects one usually affects the other. Thatcher stated that "we often manifest emotional
disturbances through out bodies." He says that 20 to 40 percent of patients seen by a
typical family practitioner involve mental illness. Its important that we try to
destigmatize mental illness and get people the help we now have available. 
Treatment options for those with emotional, behavioral and mental difficulties include
psychotherapy, drug therapy, and a combination of drugs and psychotherapy. Some patients
require more supportive psychotherapy, in which the therapist makes suggestions and
offers direction, educating the patient about his illness and how it affects his everyday
interpersonal interactions, relationships and job. 
I have learned that behavior affects the way society perceives you rather you think your
normal or abnormal. That everyone suffers from some type of mental illness whether it's a
problem you are dealing with or how you feel. It may not be long term but when you are
suffering with that problem there is a slight chance that you can be considered mentally
ill at that time.