What is normal?

[Wu Wei]

As my abnormal psych teacher said so many years ago..... you will find something in the book that make you say.... wait a minute, that's me...but don't worry about it...that's normal

 

[1137]

Observation and study... that is where statistics comes from.... but if a large group is doing a thing in a society it may be considered normal where in another it is not normal at all. Does not make it right or wrong. And a statistical study of said group will give you things that are within the normal range where the same study of another will show you it is abnormal

As my abnormal psych teacher said so many years ago..... you will find something in the book that make you say.... wait a minute, that's me...but don't worry about it...that's normal

Oh I didn't realize you took a whole 200 level course "many years ago", my mistake.

Say we have a pile of rocks, and we gather the weight of all of them. M = 5 lbs. This does not necessarily mean that even one single rock in the pile weights exactly 5 lbs. What it means is that the closer to 5 lbs a rock weighs the more normal it is in its population. It also means that a rock in the pile weighting 35 lbs is super abnormal. Move this over to human beings. The majority don't feel unaccomplished at all time, unable to sleep, unable to eat, constant self hatred, etc etc etc. The average person is going to be sick here and there but not constantly in hospitals or immune to disease. The average person is not going to have a super high IQ nor an extraordinary low one. This is what normality is, no more or less.

Stop. Talking. For. Areas. In. Which. You. Have. No. Knowledge. I don't explain physics or engineering to people because I'd be speaking out my ***.

 

[Wu Wei]

Oh I didn't realize you took a whole 200 level course "many years ago", my mistake.

Say we have a pile of rocks, and we gather the weight of all of them. M = 5 lbs. This does not necessarily mean that even one single rock in the pile weights exactly 5 lbs. What it means is that the closer to 5 lbs a rock weighs the more normal it is in its population. It also means that a rock in the pile weighting 35 lbs is super abnormal. Move this over to human beings. The majority don't feel unaccomplished at all time, unable to sleep, unable to eat, constant self hatred, etc etc etc. The average person is going to be sick here and there but not constantly in hospitals or immune to disease. The average person is not going to have a super high IQ nor an extraordinary low one. This is what normality is, no more or less.

Stop. Talking. For. Areas. In. Which. You. Have. No. Knowledge. I don't explain physics or engineering to people because I'd be speaking out my ***.

So I mention one course, to inject a bit of humor, that I took in college, not all my courses mind you, and having no idea of what else I took, or what my degree is in.... you feel threatened enough to get insulting....that is interesting... and we're done, sorry I do not think arrogance, ego and condescension are the way to go... you have a nice day

 

[1137]

Hate to set myself against the inertia of a communal rant, but I don't think the goal of psychiatrists is to make people normal. It's well understood that most people can find themselves in the DSM-5 somewhere. The idea of psychiatry is to help people be well, not "normal". If a problem isn't bothering the bearer or severely impairing their social relationships, it's not a problem. Believe it or not, psychiatrists tend to be your helper sorts, not evil people bent on mind control. Their primary weapon is conversation, not medication.

Pharmaceutical companies have their own, transparent motives.

That's a great way of putting it. Generally an abnormality is something permanent. Depression, pain, mental defect, incurable illness, or on the other hand high intelligence, superior immune system, mania, etc. Our job is to help people function with the abnormality. The true issue at hand is being functional vs. dysfunctional. If you have depression you have it for life in many cases. You either are dysfunction, being unmotivated, unable to work, in pain, sick, suicidal, etc or through therapy, meds, etc you are functional, able to live life just fine with minimal depressive episodes. Either way you're abnormal.

 

[1137]

So I mention one course I took in college, not all mind you, and having no idea of what else I took, or what my degree is in.... you feel threatened enough to get insulting....that is interesting

This is all you replied to. Fascinating.

 

[Wu Wei]

This is all you replied to. Fascinating.

What else is there after your arrogant display

 

[1137]

Just great, right when I though there could be intelligent discourse. So you not only believe we are all abnormal, thus eliminating normality and leaving everyone who needs help out to dry, but you believe study of an area is a complete waste that equates to "arrogance"? I mean everything you've said in this thread has been completely ignorant towards psychology, why would I assume your degree is there?

 

[Wu Wei]

Just great, right when I though there could be intelligent discourse. So you not only believe we are all abnormal, thus eliminating normality and leaving everyone who needs help out to dry, but you believe study of an area is a complete waste that equates to "arrogance"? I mean everything you've said in this thread has been completely ignorant towards psychology, why would I assume your degree is there?

You did not want an intelligent discourse and this says this

Stop. Talking. For. Areas. In. Which. You. Have. No. Knowledge. I don't explain physics or engineering to people because I'd be speaking out my ***.

You don't want an intelligent conversation you wanted us to all be in awe of your statistical/psychological intellect and dare not question you. Read a little outside of statistics and classroom and you will see that, as I said, statistics it a way to measure, but it will not give you the same results in vastly different groups bases on culture. Also based on statistics it is normal to be Christen in the USA but abnormal to be Buddhist. It is normal to be heterosexual but abnormal to be homosexual... it depends on who or what your focus group is. Also it is normal to eat certain foods in certain cultures but abnormal to eat them in others. Statistics are useful, but without the data, or study, behind them they are mostly useless and easily perverted to whatever one wants to use them for, as well as a great way to sound smart... and before you go and get all condescending and insulting again because I dare besmirch statistics I have taken graduate level courses in that too.. now at least you can be condescending, insulating and more informed

Last time, have a nice day...conversation is done

 

[1137]

You did not want an intelligent discourse and this says this



You don't want an intelligent conversation you wanted us to all be in awe of your statistical/psychological intellect and dare not question you. Read a little outside of statistics and classroom and you will see that, as I said, statistics it a way to measure, but it will not give you the same results in vastly different groups bases on culture. Also based on statistics it is normal to be Christen in the USA but abnormal to be Buddhist. It is normal to be heterosexual but abnormal to be homosexual... it depends on who or what your focus group is. Also it is normal to eat certain foods in certain cultures but abnormal to eat them in others. Statistics are useful, but without the data, or study, behind them they are mostly useless and easily perverted to whatever one wants to use them for, as well as a great way to sound smart... and before you go and get all condescending and insulting again because I dare besmirch statistics I have taken graduate level courses in that too.. now at least you can be condescending, insulating and more informed

Last time, have a nice day...conversation is done

And if you studied psychology you'd know it accounts for all of this. But I guess a Wikipedia page and an academic degree are about equal.

 

[Riverwolf]

More like what's most common, since that's exactly what normal means.

I wouldn't even say "most common". Maybe the illusion of "most common", but even that's becoming more and more meaningless as I learn about the world.

 

[1137]

I wouldn't even say "most common". Maybe the illusion of "most common", but even that's becoming more and more meaningless as I learn about the world.

I think I need to just make a thread to try and help explain all this.

 

[psychoslice]

psychoslice said: ↑
There is no such thing as being normal, normal is just what a society wants you to be, as long as you follow what society wants, then you are labelled as normal.
Click to expand...

1137; So then there's no such thing as abnormal. Everyone is just fine and needs equal treatment. Cancer shouldn't be treated, mental disorder shouldn't be treated, physical pain shouldn't be treated... Of course it would be great if everyone was normal, or at least there was so negative abnormality. But it's certainly not a socially created concept. Maybe to the average Joe but not in actual usage.

The label normal means nothing, it only has meaning to those who use it in their society, and of course we help people with cancer or any disease, that goes without say, but to the universe it means nothing.

 

[1137]

1137; So then there's no such thing as abnormal. Everyone is just fine and needs equal treatment. Cancer shouldn't be treated, mental disorder shouldn't be treated, physical pain shouldn't be treated... Of course it would be great if everyone was normal, or at least there was so negative abnormality. But it's certainly not a socially created concept. Maybe to the average Joe but not in actual usage.

The label normal means nothing, it only has meaning to those who use it in their society, and of course we help people with cancer or any disease, that goes without say, but to the universe it means nothing.

Uh, what? The word has a very specific meaning, as explained here

http://www.religiousforums.com/thre...-an-attempt-to-address-misconceptions.179239/

 

[Thief]

More like what's most common, since that's exactly what normal means.



Normality is a descriptive of statistics, specifically those around the average. Imagine of we left mentally handicapped individuals fend for themselves since "there's no normal" (and therefore no abnormal).



So then there's no such thing as abnormal. Everyone is just fine and needs equal treatment. Cancer shouldn't be treated, mental disorder shouldn't be treated, physical pain shouldn't be treated... Of course it would be great if everyone was normal, or at least there was so negative abnormality. But it's certainly not a socially created concept. Maybe to the average Joe but not in actual usage.

These retorts actually describe a 'previous' normal.
There was a time when we humans migrated as pack animals.
It was 'normal' to worry the weaker members.....
and then leave them behind when they could no longer follow.

 

[Thief]

Yeah. I'm so horribly sick of people talking out their *** what they studied on Wikipedia. Some of us work our butts off to study things like psychology and it's awful to just see others jump in spouting nonsense.

I grew up reading encyclopedias.
(kinda like a hobby....one related article leading to another)

does that count?.....good or bad.

 

[Thief]

psychoslice said: ↑
There is no such thing as being normal, normal is just what a society wants you to be, as long as you follow what society wants, then you are labelled as normal.
Click to expand...

1137; So then there's no such thing as abnormal. Everyone is just fine and needs equal treatment. Cancer shouldn't be treated, mental disorder shouldn't be treated, physical pain shouldn't be treated... Of course it would be great if everyone was normal, or at least there was so negative abnormality. But it's certainly not a socially created concept. Maybe to the average Joe but not in actual usage.

The label normal means nothing, it only has meaning to those who use it in their society, and of course we help people with cancer or any disease, that goes without say, but to the universe it means nothing.

and let's not overlook the guys that wear their pants so low.....

 

[Thief]

Observation and study... that is where statistics comes from.... but if a large group is doing a thing in a society it may be considered normal where in another it is not normal at all. Does not make it right or wrong. And a statistical study of said group will give you things that are within the normal range where the same study of another will show you it is abnormal

as a bear....do you wear your pants too low?

 

[psychoslice]

Uh, what? The word has a very specific meaning, as explained here

http://www.religiousforums.com/thre...-an-attempt-to-address-misconceptions.179239/

Normal is usually laughed at by psychologist, well at least all the ones I have meet.

 

[psychoslice]

and let's not overlook the guys that wear their pants so low.....

Yea that's it, not long ago that would have been laughed at, well its still being laughed at, but you know what I mean.

 

[1137]

Normal is usually laughed at by psychologist, well at least all the ones I have meet.

As I said, horrible education is to blame before they are.