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.