What is the meaning of ‘abnormal’ in “Abnormal Psychology”?
Should we understand it descriptively or normatively? That is, is an abnormal
person or behavior merely a person or behavior that is statistically infrequent
relative to a particular population or instead a person or behavior that
deviates in some way from some ideal standard or other? If the former, then it
is hard to see why abnormal psychology should be of interest to clinical
psychologists; therapy implies a need for healing. If the latter, then psychologists
will need to engage in evaluative judgments based on a specific conception of
human perfection.
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