¶ … normal and abnormal behavior. Abnormal behavior is that which is deemed pathological, and is usually incommensurate with a particular situation or background events. There may also be a lack of temperance in behavior that is considered abnormal, such as that which is deemed compulsory. Other distinctions between abnormal and normal behavior pertain to temporal elements. For instance, it is normal for everyone to experience negative feelings such as sadness, rage, frustration, etc. However, a chronic indulgence in such behavior is usually a key indicator of abnormal behavior. Those who regularly engage in such negative behavior over a sustained period of time are more than likely not engaging in normal behavior -- especially if such behavior is not equitable to the source of such sentiment that is causing the behavior (Diagnosis and Assessment, 2007).
Another key distinction between normal and abnormal behavior pertains to the impact of such behavior on the part of the individual committing. Abnormal behavior may be that which is unhealthy and causes a certain element of self-effacement. Behavior that routinely harms the individual who is committing it, or which produces a strong degree of negative sentiment, is highly likely to be considered abnormal behavior. Examples of such behavior include compulsory eating disorders such as bulimia. Normal behavior, for the most part, contains an element of temperance. Virtually all of the symptoms that may be manifest in various distinctions of abnormal behavior can apply to normal behavior. The difference, however, is that in normal behavior the actions are less austere, more carefully mitigated, and generally do not reach the point of control which they may manifest themselves in the life of an individual engaging in abnormal behavior.
Abnormal behavior also typically results in problems for patients; whereas normal behavior is typically not as problematic. Thus, there can be a variety of symptoms that patients experience via abnormal behavior which may not be applicable to normal behavior. One of the most challenging parts of the job of a psychologist, then, is distinguishing between these two sets of behaviors. More accurately, there is a difficult for psychologists in determining how exactly a particular symptom correlates to a specific diagnosis. According to the preface of the DSM-IV-TR,
"the patient consults us with particular symptoms that are the source of clinically significant distress or impairment. Confronted with one (or a couple) of specific symptoms, it is our job to cull from the wide universe of DSM-IV-TR conditions those that could possibly account for them" (First, 2002).
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