Essay on The Four D's Used to Define Abnormal

Rachel Seelman Psych Test#1
Question 1; The four D’s are the most popular used way to put somewhat of a definition on the word “abnormal.” Since there’s no exact definition, the four D’s give us a way to kind of reference and look at it in a way that we have to use our own thought processes to give our own, for the lack of a better word, judgment. Keeping in mind that this process is one you use as a test of sorts, to see how abnormal this person really might be and if they are in fact need of help. The first D that starts off this process is “Deviance.” Deviance by itself means something extremely different, more likely known as bizarre, as we said in class. To me it means anything straying from what people view as normal. The second D is “Distress.” Distress alone means something unpleasant or upsetting. This can range in my opinion from something that makes the person feel in distress, as if they feel that the problem they have is affecting their life negatively enough that they need help. Or it can affect others around them, perhaps close family or friends that feel distressed and pressured from how the client is acting. If it affects someone around you, there’s still some sort of distress going on, whether it be directly the client or indirect. The third D is “Dysfunction.” Dysfunction alone once again means deviation from something viewed as normal, but this deviation is usually looked upon in a bad way. Dysfunction in this situation is when a person’s problems start to interrupt their way of life. If they can’t live life normally, constructively, then they have a problem that needs to be addressed and helped. The last D is “Danger.” Obviously danger means the possibility of harm. If this person is a danger to people around them, that should be a flashing red light that they probably need help. While all of these are great tools to help us assess people, they too have limitations and exceptions. Not everyone is going to fall perfectly under each category, and it’s not a black and white testing. Like I mentioned before, it’s one that you need to personally use your judgment and assess that person to the best of your ability. Society controls most of the “normal” and “deviant” patterns we see. Something that might be considered deviant in one culture might not seem so in another, so we have to learn to bend and a just to this process, it’s just sort of a guideline to help us. For example in most third world countries

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