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Abnormal Psy and Therapy

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Abnormal Psychology and Therapy

PSY/300
August 30, 2010
Bonnie Johnson

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Abnormal Psychology is psychology that’s main purpose is to use research in an effort to classify, diagnose, and treat psychological disorders and illnesses. Everyone experiences some kind of worry, fear, and even anxiety. When an individual cannot control their emotions and daily life becomes affected they may suffer from a disorder or illness that is very complex.
Abnormal vs. Normal When comparing normal and abnormal psychology there are key differences. Normal psychology deals with the feelings that should be felt. Abnormal psychology deals with the feelings we experience that we shouldn’t . We should not live everyday in constant fear for no reason. When our feelings start controlling our life on a daily bases this is abnormal.
Compare and Contrast There are two main divisions in psychology: normal and abnormal. Both of these branches can be easy to distinguish, but the lines between them may be blurred as well. To better understand these two sides of psychology it is necessary to understand what each division represents in this field (Critical psychology, 2001). Normal psychology is what an average animal experiences in response to emotional stimuli. For example, a woman’s boyfriend severs relations between the two people. In the average situation, the woman would be depressed for a short period of time. This sadness could stretch to several weeks or months if the relationship was a longer experience. “Normal” sadness, or depression, can be explained as feeling down, not wanting to talk about the emotions involving the boyfriend, or any other type of behavior that will dissipate over time (Page, 1947). Normal psychology instances will typically need no medication and little or no counseling. Abnormal behavior is much more extreme in nature.

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