Abnormal Psychology: Definition, Topics, Criticisms

Key Takeaways

• Abnormal psychology studies patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may indicate mental health issues.
• These behaviors might be infrequent, cause distress, disrupt daily life, or break social norms.
• Abnormal psychology uses different approaches like psychoanalytic, behavioral, medical, and cognitive to understand and treat disorders.

Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can sometimes seem out of step with what is considered typical. When that happens, they can feel overwhelming and interfere with a person’s ability to function normally in their daily life.

Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that explores disturbances in mental health and well-being. The goal isn’t to label or judge, but to better understand the challenges people face and to find ways to help them feel more supported

This might involve studying more common conditions like anxiety or depression, but it can also involve more serious mental illnesses. The goal is to understand the symptoms, causes, risk factors, and treatments so that people get the empathy, support, and help they need to manage their illness.

What Is Abnormal Psychology?

Abnormal psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with psychopathology and abnormal behavior, or the patterns of emotion, thought, and behavior that can be signs of a mental health condition. The term covers a broad range of disorders, from depression to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to personality disorders.

The term “abnormal” is the subject of considerable debate. What exactly is “normal” and who gets to decide? The social norms that are often used to determine what is normal versus abnormal can shift over time, so settling on a standard definition isn’t simple or straightforward.

Counselors, psychologists, and psychotherapists often work directly in this field, often in a clinical context. Rather than the distinction between normal and abnormal, psychologists in this field focus on the level of distress that behaviors, thoughts, or emotions might cause.

Defining Abnormality

If a behavior is creating problems in a person’s life or is disruptive to other people, then this would be an “abnormal” behavior. In such cases, the behavior may require some type of mental health intervention.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness.

Abnormal behavior tends to be:

• Infrequent: However, statistical infrequency alone is not a sufficient definition. Some healthy, desirable, and beneficial behaviors also occur infrequently. Other uncommon behaviors or characteristics have no bearing on how a person behaves or functions. So, just because something is unusual or uncommon does not mean it should be defined as abnormal.
• Distressing: These behaviors may cause emotional pain or discomfort for the person or the people around them.
• Disruptive: These behaviors interfere with a person’s ability to function in everyday life, affecting work, relationships, or self-care.
• Socially problematic: It may violate social norms and make it difficult for people to function in social settings and maintain social relationships. 

What Are the Four Approaches to Abnormal Psychology?

There are several different approaches used to understand abnormal psychology. While some psychologists or psychiatrists may focus on a single viewpoint, many mental health professionals use elements from multiple viewpoints to better understand and treat psychological disorders.

Psychoanalytic Approach

This perspective has its roots in the theories of Sigmund Freud. The psychoanalytic approach suggests that many abnormal behaviors stem from unconscious thoughts, desires, and memories.

While these feelings are outside of awareness, they are still believed to influence conscious actions.

Therapists who take this approach believe that by analyzing their memories, behaviors, thoughts, and even dreams, people can uncover and deal with some of the feelings that have been leading to maladaptive behaviors and distress.

Behavioral Approach

This approach to abnormal psychology focuses on observable behaviors. In behavioral therapy, the focus is on reinforcing positive behaviors and not reinforcing maladaptive behaviors.

The behavioral approach targets only the behavior itself, not the underlying causes. When dealing with abnormal behavior, a behavioral therapist might utilize strategies such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning to help eliminate unwanted behaviors and teach new behaviors.

Medical Approach

This approach to abnormal psychology focuses on the biological causes of mental illness, emphasizing understanding the underlying cause of disorders, which might include genetic inheritance, related physical illnesses, infections, and chemical imbalances. Medical treatments are often pharmacological in nature, although medication is often used in conjunction with some type of psychotherapy.

Cognitive Approach

The cognitive approach to abnormal psychology focuses on how internal thoughts, perceptions, and reasoning contribute to psychological disorders. Cognitive treatments typically focus on helping the individual change their thoughts or reactions.

Cognitive therapy might also be used in conjunction with behavioral methods in a technique known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is generally considered the “gold standard” of psychotherapy.

Topics in Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology focuses on some main topics related to psychological disorder, specifically their:

• Studying conditions
• Understanding their presentation and symptoms
• Diagnosing conditions
• Treating conditions
• Preventing mental health problems

Psychological disorders are patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life. These conditions create distress for the person experiencing symptoms.

Mental health professionals use the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), for a variety of purposes. The manual contains a listing of psychiatric disorders, diagnostic codes, information on the prevalence of each disorder, and diagnostic criteria. Some of the categories of psychological disorders include:

• Anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder
• Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder
• Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder
• Neurocognitive disorders, including delirium
• Personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• Substance use disorders, such as alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder

Criticisms of the Field

The field of abnormal psychology is not without criticism. In addition to debates over the use of the term “abnormal” itself, some believe that this area has a number of shortcomings.

In particular, some feel that this area stigmatizes vulnerable and oppressed people. Critics also suggest that the field of abnormal psychology tends to pathologize normal variations in human behavior.

Some also propose that the medical approach to mental illness often focuses only on biological and genetic determinants of distress rather than taking a more holistic view. It also does not account for the fact that there are major cultural differences in what is deemed normal and abnormal.

Research has also found that learning more about abnormal psychology appears to do little to combat stigma regarding mental illness. One older study found that teaching students about abnormal psychology did not reduce mental health stigma, improve attitudes toward mental illness, or increase help-seeking behaviors among students. However, one more recent study found that educating students about mental illness was helpful for reducing negative attitudes toward mental health.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are correlational research designs often used in abnormal psychology?

  Correlational research is often used to study abnormal psychology because experimental research would be unethical or impossible. Researchers cannot intentionally manipulate variables to see if doing so causes mental illness. While correlational research does not allow researchers to determine cause and effect, it does provide valuable information on relationships between variables.

• What are the core concepts of abnormal psychology?

  Key concepts include that abnormality can be viewed through many different lenses and that mental disorders often have multiple causes, including genetics and experiences. Another is that culture has an influence on how we define abnormality, so what is considered abnormal in one culture is perfectly normal in another.

• How did the study of abnormal psychology originate?

  The study of abnormal behavior dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, thinkers such as Sigmund Freud suggested that mental health conditions could be treated with methods including talk therapy.  

• Why is abnormal psychology important?

  The study of abnormal psychology has helped researchers and therapists better understand the causes of mental disorders and develop methods to effectively treat these conditions. By understanding the factors that affect mental health, psychologists can help people overcome impairment, relieve distress, and restore functioning.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

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