I don't Understand? In terms of Psychology Abnormal means a behavior that most people don't do...?

Question

Only ten percent of the population of the world is gay, why isn't homosexuality considered a mental disorder when only 10 percent of the people have it. How many people need to do a behavior before it becomes normal.

Disclaimer: I am not Anit-Homosexuality, I am simply curious as to psychologis's reasoning for it not being a mental disorder.

P.S.: it used to be conisdered a disorder but now it isn't

Answer 1

I consider it an accepted mental disorder, if we go by the theory that abnormal is something that most people don't do.

Answer 2

Um... based on silent.fire's explanation, then schizophrenia and depression aren't abnormal either. Sorry, but mental illnesses are typically found to have a biological basis. Makes sense, we are biological organisms.



The DSM (which is where mental health professionals would get their categories of what you are calling "abnormal") is put together by a committee of psychiatrists (maybe some psychologists) and decisions are not based on percentage of people in the population with the disorder. The DSM is mainly used as an insurance manual. It is useful for the current insurance system that we have in place today in the US.

Homosexuality was taken out of the DSM because it was politically incorrect to have it in there. Many educated people I think began to realize it isn't an illness anyway. The reason it was in there before, was because it was not acceptable to society (even moreso than today).



I would agree with the above poster, that normal and abnormal are "fuzzy". Think of the categories more as functional...again for the use of getting insurance monies for patients with mental illness. Don't think of the categories as describing a reality.

Answer 3

I think the best answer I can give is to put a guess on a fuller definition on a psychological abnormality. Not only something that is done by a small portion of the population, but something that after the person realizes that it is an abnormality, chooses to continue to do it. However, the definition must also include that the condition must be treatable or potentionally treatable for it to be an abnormality. The reason that it was removed for the list is that science finally accepted that it is not within the person's range of capable actions not to be gay. I hope what I just said makes sense because after reading over it again I'm starting to wonder what I'm trying to say.

Answer 4

Abnormal behavior is defined as behavior that is considered to be maladaptive or deviant by the social culture in which it occurs. Though disagreement exists regarding which particular behaviors can be classified as abnormal, psychologists have defined several criteria for purposes of classification. One is that the behavior occurs infrequently and thus deviates from statistical norms. Another is that the behavior deviates from social norms of acceptable behavior. A third is that the behavior is maladaptive, that it has adverse affects on the individual or on the individual’s social group. Lastly, abnormality may be defined based on the subjective feelings of misery, depression, or anxiety of an individual rather than any behavior he exhibits. the major categories of abnormal behavior which are anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorders and phobias; affective disorders, which are disturbances of mood such as depression; schizophrenic disorders, which are characterized by major disturbances in personality and distortion of reality; and various personality disorders.

Answer 5

exciting query. I stay with my boyfriend and that i think of that the indoors maximum flaw that I rather have that negatively impacts our relationship is my want for a sparkling condominium. he's sorta messy and that i've got confidence like i'm constantly nagging him to %. up. that is started out some fights! :(

Answer 6

homosexuality isn't a psychological issue, its biological. people are born gay. or rather, they are born with level of hormones that would give them a predisposition towards homosexuality.



also, normal is not what most people do, it is a range on either side of what the average person does.

Answer 7

People used to find homosexuality as an Abornomal behavior. I believe it even use to be in the DSM....

Answer 8

Not everyone thinks or behaves in exactly the same way. So the definintion of Normal is very fuzzy.

Answer 9

a biological disorder?



(Disclaimer for me too)