Everything has its pros and cons, and human psychology is no exception.
Normal psychological activity is a complete unity. Each psychological process is interconnected and affects each other, and plays a coordinated role in practical activities.
Abnormal psychological activity refers to abnormal changes in an individual’s psychological processes and psychological characteristics, which is a structural or functional disorder of the brain; or it refers to the disorder and distortion of a person’s reflection of objective reality. Through systematic treatment, psychological abnormalities can also be improved or completely corrected.
Judgment of normal and abnormal psychology:
To judge whether a person's psychology is normal, one can only consider his mental state and behavioral performance in the objective environment and social and cultural background at that time, and compare it with the behavioral norms recognized by society, and Only by comparing it with the person's usual mental state and personality characteristics can we judge whether the person has psychological abnormality and the degree of the psychological abnormality.
There is no absolute standard for distinguishing abnormal psychology and behavior. Currently, the following detection methods are usually used:
1, introspection experience detection
2, statistical detection
3, medical detection
4, social adaptation detection
introspection experience detection
subjective Experience that you feel anxious, depressed or uncomfortable for no apparent reason, and feel that you cannot properly control your behavior.
The observer makes a judgment on whether the subject being observed is psychologically normal or not based on his or her own experience. However, judgment is highly subjective and standards vary from person to person. Different observers have their own standards for evaluating behavior. If observers receive the same professional training, they can form roughly similar views on the same behavior, and even reach consensus on many psychological disorders.
Statistical testing
uses psychological testing as a tool, and the measurement of psychological characteristics is shown as normal distribution . On the normality curve, most people in the middle belong to the psychologically normal range, while the two ends further away from the middle are considered "abnormal." It is judged by the degree to which psychological characteristics deviate from the average. The greater the deviation from the average, the more abnormal it is.
"Psychological abnormality" is relative, it is a continuous boundary. Based on statistical data, the boundaries between normal and abnormal are determined, often using psychological testing as a tool. The advantage is that it is relatively objective, easy to compare, and easy to operate. The disadvantage is that not all normal distribution , psychological measurement itself is restricted by social culture.
Medical testing
Psychological abnormalities are part or symptom of physical diseases, usually those related to psychological activities. The lesions of the central nervous system lead to obvious changes in psychological activities. For example, psychological and behavioral abnormalities caused by brain lesions.
Social adaptation test
Compares the behavior with the behavioral norms recognized by society to see whether the behavior can be understood by ordinary people, and whether there is any obvious bizarre behavior. Whether its psychological process or psychological characteristics are significantly different from the normal state.
