three criterias

There are three criteria’s for crossing the line between abnormal behavior and normal

behavior. Abnormal behavior is usually deviant which means it abstracts from the norms of

society. However, remarkable people like Martin Luther King and Bill Gates are not the

average person but they are far from being abnormal. When a behavior deviate from what is

expected by society than it could be called abnormal. The second criteria are that it is

usually maladaptive which means that it interferes with a person’s ability to function

properly in the real world. Last, abnormal behavior includes personal distress. This means

that the person is deeply bothered by this and it causes them unnecessary pain and

suffering. The causes for abnormal behavior can vary tremendously.

We can look at several factors such as biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors

to help determine this. Psychologists who favor the biological approach tend to emphasize

the brain and genetic traits as the primarily cause of abnormal behavior. When using this

approach the primarily form of treatment is drugs or drug therapy. The biological approach

is used often in the medical model, which describes psychological disorders as diseases

related to biological origins.