A major challenge for those embarking on a class in abnormal psychology is that people—including mental health professionals—often disagree with each other about what counts as abnormal. To demonstrate this, consider the case studies that opened the chapter. Take a few minutes to rate each of these cases on a scale of 1-10, with “1” being “not at all abnormal” and “10” being “extremely abnormal.” Jot down one or two sentences explaining why you rated each case the way you did. After rating each case this way, you could even ask several of your friends and classmates to do the same thing. Afterwards, consider these questions:
1. How much agreement was there about the abnormality of these five people? What do you think accounts for this?
2. What kinds of reasons did you and those you asked offer for explaining their abnormality ratings? Which reasons seem convincing to you, and which do not? Why?
3. When there was disagreement, by what means might you determine whose ratings should be better trusted?
4. Did you and those you asked about these cases have similar or different assumptions about what abnormality is? What are these assumptions and on what basis should we accept or reject them?
