Erin Bosman

PSYC 251.681

Fitting Behaviors Essay

Fitting Behaviors

Abnormal behavior is observed to have characteristics relating to "the four D's" of

deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. One behavior that I think could be observed

as fitting into these categories but may not be considered to be psychologically abnormal

by some people would be hyperactivity. A lot of times when children are behaving this

way and appear to be very hyper, parents and teachers assume that they are simply hyper

or immature. However, they could have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They

would display deviant behavior through not fitting into society's norms, by being much

more active and inconsistent in their thought and behavior patterns. They also would

show signs of dysfunction, as they would not be a productive worker.

Another behavior that could fall under these concepts but not necessarily

considered to be abnormal to other people would be going to sleep late at night/early in

the morning at irregular times as college students sometimes do when they pull "all

nighters". This behavior could be a sign of a sleep disorder or stress and could cause

danger to the individual and it could cause them to be dysfunctional through out the day.

They could end up being more tired and stressed then they were before, causing shifts in

their mood and poor social interaction. Some individuals might consider this to be normal

behavior from college students who are balancing both a full course load with work or

other activities. However, that is not always the scenario.

There are many behaviors that could fit into the "four D's" but may not typically

be seen as abnormal by most people such as atypical eating habits, a lack of physical

Erin Bosman

PSYC 251.681

Fitting Behaviors Essay

activity, a lack of sleep, taking lots of naps, use of psychoactive drugs, etc. It's important

to observe these behaviors and see if they fit into just one of the "four D's" or multiple.