Above is a Tagxedo that I created that includes words and feelings that are associated with abnormal behavior. People who take part in abnormal behavior suffer much misjudgment and hurt from people who do not understand their situation. Oftentimes, people will gossip about this behavior behind the person's back, but never acknowledge the elephant in the room that is their ignorance towards this abnormality.
In this Unit, we focused on the study of Abnormal Psychology. In society throughout the years, there has always been a status quo or a certain way to conduct ourselves. While some people may see success as the “American Dream,” other people may recognize the cycle in which all of us live in. We are born, we go to school, graduate, we go to college, graduate, we get a job, we get married, we have kids, we retire, then we die. Some people use this step-by-step process to dictate how they live their lives, almost as if it’s your very own handbook. However, some people may not want to simply exist. The real question is which one is socially acceptable? Oftentimes, people who don’t want to follow in this cycle or act the way everyone else does is seen as abnormal. Some people have no idea that they are acting out of the ordinary until someone calls them out on it. You can find out if your behavior is abnormal based on the reactions you get from your friends and family, but you can also check some statistics to see what you’re up against. Choosing to live in a way that is different from everyone else may be perceived as a disturbing attempt to defy social norms. This doesn’t mean that that person is crazy or irrational! It just means that they are behaving in a way that is atypical from normal humans. At the same time, there are some people that honestly cannot control this abnormal behavior. In fact their uncontrollable way of acting and thinking can lead to a failure to accomplish everyday tasks and to have strong relationships with people. Whether or not you choose or are born with this maladaptive behavior, it is often defined as being defiant, unusual, dangerous, emotionally unstable. As an observer, how do you react to this abnormal behavior? Do you avoid them? Do you judge that person? Do you accept them the way they are? A huge study on abnormal behavior not only focuses on the people conduction the behavior, but the reactions they get from others.
A large part of this unit was taken up by an experiment on abnormal behavior and how people react for it. For a week, we conducted abnormal behavior like being pregnant, dropping out of high school, taking a gap year to go abroad, and saw how people reacted them. Very quickly, it was easy to see how much other people’s reactions toward by behavior would alter how I see myself and how I feel about them. Many reactions were very strong that consisted of disbelief, anger, confusion either to the person’s face or behind their back. Throughout the week, reactions from different people |
would vary, whether they worsened or leveled off. For the people who faked a pregnancy or acted like they were dropping out of high school, I could definitely see that they were frustrated with how people were treating them. After seeing countless angry text messages, this situation became a little more than an experiment. Abnormal behavior has the power of changing your group of friends and what you do throughout everyday life. The people that really care about the person with abnormal behavior feel inclined step in and give their thoughts, but in reality it doesn’t matter what other people do with their lives because it’s their life.
Just because something is normal or socially acceptable doesn’t mean that it is the smartest choice or that it is the most beneficial route to go. As culture and society throughout the years, the qualification of abnormal behavior will always be changing. Gay marriage used to never be a thought, but now it is the topic of many political conversations. In the years to come, it will probably be something that people look back on and wonder why they fought so hard to keep everyone constrained within their religious and social norms. The same situation happened |
with African Americans many years ago simply because the color of their skin is abnormal. Marijuana will not always be illegal, so who knows what is to come next! All in all, this unit really encouraged me to accept all people, no matter how abnormal they may be. We are all human being just trying our hardest to function and make it through life, so who are we to judge them because of who they are?