Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected president of the United States in 1948. This man, Thomas E. Dewy, reached the pinnacle of success, displaying such quality as rectitude, efficiency, precision, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work. Yet it was this combination of traits that made dewy seem too good to be true. For example, he was never late or absent in his first twelve years of schooling. He lacked a sense of humor and seemed to enjoy life only when he was achieving goals. He also had personal rigidities that restricted him from spontaneity that public figures need so much One of his small quirks was he had a big problem with germs. When he toured prisons, he would not touch a doorknob with out first wiping it off with a folded handkerchief. He also drank three quarts of water a day because of the presumed health effects. Dewey achieved much, but had he been less ridged and more open-minded he might have achieved more, and he might have been a happier person. (R.N. Smith, 1982) Governor Dewey’s psychological problems was quite mild in comparison some problems in the world of the mind. The other end of the spectrum, the extreme end, there are much more complex and debilitating psychological problems such as the one...
