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Abnormal Psychology and Therapy

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Abnormal Psychology and Therapy
April Gressett, Michelle Baker, Celia Mikhael, Nick Mccullough
Psychology 300
University of Phoenix
Betsy Ferronato
July 11th, 2013

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy
Introduction

Normal vs. Abnormal Psychology In the scientific world, psychology is best described as the “scientific investigation of mental processes and behavior.” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011)The question; what is the difference between normal psychology and that of abnormal psychology? To answer this particular question, one must know the parameters of each individual thought of study. Normal psychology is the study of metal processes and behaviors within a range generally accepted behaviors. Abnormal psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviors the reach outside the parameters of the norm, and is thus considered abnormal. So who decides what is normal and abnormal? There are cultural differences in this area of thought; what may be considered as normal to an American citizen may be construed as abnormal in another country. This train of thought goes both ways, behaviors that are deemed normal in Russia, or the Middle East, may in fact be considered abnormal to a visiting foreigner. So it is with this thought, that the line between normal and abnormal may in fact be somewhat subjective. (Kowalski & Westen, 2011) Abnormal psychology is the study of behaviors found to be outside the scope of the norm, and is generally found in people that exhibit psychological disorders. There are a number of disorders that may fit this criterion; schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or unipolar disorder is just a few that may be diagnosed as abnormal behaviors. In abnormal psychology there are different fields of thought, or perspectives; cognitive, behavioral, and biological are a few. The behavior perspective

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