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paolo
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 13, 2006
Posts: 1161
Location: Italy
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 Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject: Who's "normal"? |
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I think that (mental) health is a very elusive subject. It has something to do with being balanced and perceptive, which doesn't mean intelligent in terms of IQ, or any other test. Character and personality are such complicated combinations of instincts, learning and experience (and luck) that you can detect the right mix, only with a some sort of (again instinctive) sixth sense. Someone who has the capacity to make you feel at ease in his/her company is "normal" in a good sense.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
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slowmutant
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 14, 2008
Age: 29
Posts: 8872
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Without sentimentalism or political colouring, I think I can safely say that "normal" describes the mean or average value within a large diverse group. And with that mean average as a reference polint, we can find the upper, the lower, and the fringes. If you've got a better, simpler explanation of "normal," I'd like to see it. |
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Starr
Threadkiller, Ist Class.
Joined: Sep 18, 2006
Posts: 4341
Location: Where there be dragons
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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I read an interesting article about mental health a few weeks ago - sorry, can't find it now to tell you who wrote it, but the general theme of it was that what is generally considered to be 'abnormal' states of mental health, i.e. depression, bipolar disorder, etc are far more common in the general population than was at once thought by mental health professionals. Also that most people slip between what would be considered by psychiatrists to be 'normal' and 'abnormal' states quite frequently, so being 'abnormal' at times, may be entirely 'normal'.
I have heard that mental resilience is a good test for mental health. The more resilient one is to change/environmental pressures etc, the healthier one is. That's me out then, lol, I hate change.
Humour I think is a very healing/healthy thing...people who make you laugh are worth their weight in gold 
Last edited by Starr on Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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slowmutant
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 14, 2008
Age: 29
Posts: 8872
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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How can abormal be considered normal?
That's like saying drunk is considered sober. |
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Starr
Threadkiller, Ist Class.
Joined: Sep 18, 2006
Posts: 4341
Location: Where there be dragons
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't feed trolls. |
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asplanet
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 11, 2007
Posts: 1890
Location: Cyberspace, New Zealand
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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Unfortunately years ago I feel people on the autism spectrum had 2 choices growing up keeping there difference to them self or being 'processed' by the mental health system - people like to prejudge what they do not understand!
But of course your right we are all born as unique individuals, some just a little more different than others... and often due to the narrow mindedness of others feel isolated and live on the edge of society... I never knew what it was really like to be an minority until diagnosed with aspergers last year!
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spudnik
The Spalding Gray of Crap.
Joined: Feb 20, 2008
Posts: 3922
Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| slowmutant wrote: | How can abormal be considered normal?
That's like saying drunk is considered sober. |
I don't really have a concept of what normal is, it sure isn't what you see on TV, like the Brady Bunch.
So called NT's also have their issues, just like us so called neurally diverse people, the fact is there is
no such thing as normal. |
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matsuiny2004
Phoenix
Joined: Mar 23, 2008
Posts: 1443
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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There is no such tnig as normal. All that really exist is a concept that a majority of people agree on.
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Nexus
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 15, 2006
Posts: 622
Location: Moved to ZOMG Aspies
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:32 am Post subject: |
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There's an average mainstream standard considered as 'normal' perhaps (but that's due to majority opinion), but there's no true normal in a sense of what the human species is suppose to be.
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slowmutant
Phoenix
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Age: 29
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Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:49 am Post subject: |
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| What is the human species "supposed" to be? FWIW, I still like my idea about commonalities and statistical norms. |
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Nexus
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 15, 2006
Posts: 622
Location: Moved to ZOMG Aspies
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:03 am Post subject: |
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All things are suppose to be individualistic and free, including humans, so how can one determine normality to that? 
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slowmutant
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 14, 2008
Age: 29
Posts: 8872
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| Free will and normality are unconnected. A lot of cranks, pyschos and whackjobs out there are using their free will to escape normality. |
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Apple_in_my_Eye
Snowy Owl
Joined: May 08, 2008
Age: 40
Posts: 158
Location: planet of improbable realities
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:42 am Post subject: |
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From a somewhat long essay (not by me) which can be found here (link):
| Quote: | | ... "What is pathological?" is an inescapably normative question, and orders of magnitude more so when it is asked of conscious phenomena. A tidal wave of binding assays, brain scans, and receptor sequencing may obliterate everything in its path, but will never turn this normative, value-laden question into a positive question. Vanilla ice cream could be subjected to the most exhaustive physical and chemical analyses imaginable, but no amount of data that could ever be assembled would answer the question, "does it taste better than chocolate ice cream?" On such matters, science is, properly, silent, for these are not positive, or scientific, questions. When, as with biopsychiatry, scientists must be shushed, disabused of their delusions of grandeur in public, it is embarrassing for all concerned. For 'pathology' to exist, one person must examine some feature of another person, and render a negative judgment about that feature. When the feature under examination is someone's mind, the 'judge' would be well advised to watch his or her step. ... |
(The author is talking about biopsychiatry in the sense that neurobiological "imbalances" are impugned to cause "pathological" mental states. One point he doesn't make clear is that even in the view that no mental states are pathological, there could still be those that are distressing to the person and that if that person want treatment for it they should have every right to get it. The difference is that with "pathology" there is the implication that it must "treated" or "cured" whether the person wants it or not.)
The essay has a lot of interesting points, from a short history of schizophrenia, to the use of neuroleptics in psychiatry, to the war on drugs.
[edited due to hitting the darn submit button too fast] |
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slowmutant
Phoenix
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Age: 29
Posts: 8872
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:07 am Post subject: |
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As I said, pathological.
Not to mention OCD.  |
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Apple_in_my_Eye
Snowy Owl
Joined: May 08, 2008
Age: 40
Posts: 158
Location: planet of improbable realities
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:44 am Post subject: |
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"Pathological," as in somebody else's negative judgment? Ah, too many people in the world think they've got the whole of human experience between their two ears, IMO. "There' more on heaven and Earth..." and all that.
OCD sounds rough. |
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