Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of Maladaptive Behavior

Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of Maladaptive Behavior, by Irwin and Barbara Sarason, is an old textbook I found in a junk shop some years ago that was published in 1987. When I noticed it on my bookshelf the other day, I was curious about what it said, and how it discussed abnormal behaviors (whatever those are!), caused by various disabilities or illnesses.

First of all, the title is a clue to the insensitive terminology in this book: Abnormal Psychology. ‘Abnormal’ is a questionable term these days when discussing disabilities and the behaviors or physiologies associated with them. The two sections of the text I felt may be most applicable to course discussion were one defining abnormal behavior and one discussing how mental disabilities were viewed historically.

This textbook defines abnormal behavior in surprisingly ambiguous terms. “Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, and the meanings that get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differentness is wide, ranging from reality-defying delusions and severe debilitation… to behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having” (2). So abnormal behavior is “different” behavior, and abnormal psychology tries to see the relationships of a “different” person with himself and with society. I find it interesting that these behaviors are clearly described as undesirable; this is obviously not sympathetic to the Disability Rights movement.

The second section I found noteworthy was the section on historical views of maladaptive behavior, beginning with ancient peoples and the Greeks. The text describes that ancient belief – or fear, rather – that abnormal or “different” behavior is rooted in evil or mysticism. The book lists exorcisms and the aid of shaman as old remedies for the behaviors of the mentally disabled. I noted that this book, published in 1987, discusses these fears and especially exorcisms, with a warning not to dismiss these “primitive views,” (29) wisely reminding readers that these ancient fears are still alive. This reminds me of the fatal exorcism of an autistic boy in Milwaukee, as recently as 2003.

Some ancient peoples blamed organic causes for “different” behavior, believing that a defective organ caused mental illness or madness. Other societies strongly blamed a clash in the way a person “thinks, feels, or perceives the world” (29). In other words, they put the fault of disability onto the individual who had it.

As for the Greeks, during Homer’s time, “disturbed or psychotic behavior was interpreted as a form of punishment for offenses against the gods” (30). Indeed, now that I think of it, wasn’t that one of the main issues in the Iliad? And isn’t this a view that people still hang on to? Sometimes, especially in rural areas, a disabled child is seen as punishment to a sinful mother or father.

The most interesting aspect of this section was that a lot of the fear and strange beliefs about disability have been around for a long, long time. It really sheds light on how archaic some of these persistent beliefs (like disability as a punishment from God) are! People with disabilities have had many representations over thousands and thousands of years – and most of them have not been optimistic. The text itself, however, does not entirely discount these views, which it seems to present without much comment. While focusing on the need to help, the need for therapy for individuals with maladaptive behavior, the book is somewhat in line with old belief systems, simply because it continually reinforces abnormality to be undesirable.