In this essay we are going to look at how the psychoanalytic and behavioural approaches differ in the treatment of abnormal behaviour

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In this essay we are going to look at how the psychoanalytic and behavioural approaches differ in the treatment of abnormal behaviour

The word "abnormal" means deviating from the norm. Defining abnormality is no easy task but this does not mean that the phenomenon of abnormality does not exist. In every society people recognise and label behaviours and people, that they consider to be abnormal. Sometimes there is a general agreement about assigning the label "abnormal" to behaviours of types of thinking - at other times people disagree about whether or not the label "abnormal" should be applied. In ancient times the Egyptians, Greeks and Hebrews generally took the view that deviation from the normal could be attributed to the work of good or bad spirits. The Social Conformity approach to defining abnormality is the idea that a behaviour is abnormal if it does not conform to what society expects. It is not just a matter of what the person does, behaviour which is considered normal in one situation might be considered outrageous or ridiculous in another. Definitions of abnormal behaviour also vary from culture to culture, some cultures will accept and tolerate behaviour which would be considered totally