Another big factor that seems to determine if behavior is normal or abnormal is age (Dammar Hansel, 2013). Classification of Abnormal Behavior Behavior is classified as abnormal and normal. Situational factors can make those classifications different. Based on a person’s views and beliefs abnormal behavior can change. Normal behavior for a one year old is to need help getting dressed, however it would be abnormal for a typical 7 year old to need someone to dress them. Some cultures condone child soldiers, while some cultures do not. Depending on the culture a child soldier could be normal or abnormal.
The same abnormal and normal classification also is true with other situational factors (Mental Health, n. . ). Culture Culture is perhaps one of the most constant challenges that a person faces, when defining normal or abnormal behavior. This because there are so many different cultures that people come from, and very few people have a direct understanding of each and every one of them (Desks, 2014). What may be considered an k or normal action in our everyday society could very well be a forbidden law or horrific insult to another simply because of the difference in cultures.
A perfect example would be an interview that took place between Dan Rather and Sadism Hussein, in which Dan Rather sat in a chair with one egg crossed over the other and exposing the sole of his foot to the former leader. In Sadism’s culture it is a direct insult to show the sole of ones shoe to another, because it is regarded as being filthy. This prompted Sadism to get up immediately and exit the interview until Dan Rather was briefed on what he had done, and an apology was emitted, (Desks, 2014). Abnormal behavior is ever changing when looking from one culture to another.
Some see sexual intercourse with people under the age of 18 in third world countries as normal or acceptable. Their societies have not reached a point in which they feel uncomfortable with he idea, nor do they see any wrong in the action at all. In American society, there is a clear line drawn between the age 18 and younger. In America if a person has a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 18 then it makes for legal trouble (Desks, 2014). Religion It is important for a counselor to understand a person’s religious beliefs when they are working with a client.
It is also important for the counselor to not get their own religious beliefs confused with their clients. One individual’s religious beliefs may seem strange to a person who does not understand them or practices a different religion. A person’s religion could cause them to have a completely different outlook on the world than another individual. This could cause them to stay in relationships that make them unhappy or involve themselves in situations they feel confused about. This could lead them to suffer from disorders like depression or anxiety.
Also a person’ religion COUld tell them it is acceptable to act in a certain manner that to the outside world would fit the definition of abnormal behavior. Understanding if a person is acting out of religious belief is important because it could cause them to be diagnosed with a disorder they do not necessarily suffer from. For example those who are devout Catholics do not believe in divorce. A lot of couples decide to stay in their marriages because they do not want to disrespect their religious beliefs.
A person of a different religion or who does not have a religious belief may find this odd and could interpret this behavior as being insecure or depressed and that the individual is staying in the relationship because they feel they do not deserve better. However, due to their religious beliefs they could have chosen to stay in the relationship and attempt to work past the unhappiness (Dammar & Hansel, 2013). Gender Our gender plays a major role in our perceptions and how we define ourselves. Being male or female affects the way our parents raise us, our role in life, the way other people respond to us and the way we are treated by society.
It has historically also been used to determine normal and abnormal behavior. Gender defines the range of behavior that is considered appropriate and permissible and generally the range is narrower for women than for males” (Ramadan, 2013). When one thinks about gender roles it is considered “normal” for the female to stay home and take care of the house and children while the male earns the money. Woman have been denied jobs in the field of mathematics, engineering, politics, and science for decades because it was “abnormal” for women to work, at all, an especially in these fields.
Even in this day and age, in the United Kingdom if a woman is not married by the time she is twenty-five, she is considered a spinster in the registrars office (Ramadan, 2013). Sexual orientations and practices became popular in research around Ethel sass, and since then we have been coming up with different descriptions and meaning for heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. There are so many types of people in this world and all of them want and like something different sexually. It wasn’t until 1973 that psychologists decided to take homosexuality out of the ADSM.
Until that time if a person came out as homosexual they were considered mentally ill. That individual were put through horrible modification processes because being homosexual was considered abnormal. In recent times the view on homosexuals has changed. Now, it is more wide accepted and more people consider it to be normal (Wilson, 2014). So as you see there is no way to define what is normal for gender roles and sexuality. What is normal to one is abnormal to another. There is never a way to define it. Women have made huge strides in the work force along with the homosexual community.
