Normality Of Social Norms

We judge people on their normal and abnormal behavior but where is the line between them. Societal normalcy is to behave in an acceptable and in a similar manner as everyone else. Psychological normalcy is simply to be without a mental disorder. However, both of these definitions have extreme variances. This blurs the line of normal and abnormal. So the question is asked, what is “normal,” and to what extent is psychology reliant on culture to define this? What creates these norms, how beneficial is a sense of normalcy, and how has societal and psychological normalcy changed over time?
What determines what is normal and what is abnormal? Ultimately, it is what is familiar. Things like tattoos did not used to be as acceptable as they are now;
Social norms are behaviors that are socially normal. What determines social norms is less simple. Social norms, such as the aforementioned example of wearing clothes, have no reason for existing other than the face that it does. In some cases, like this one, there is a religious reason, but because religion is not agreed on, there is no reason for the norm. Some harmful social norms are racism and sexism. As all social norms do, these have changed, however they still exist. Many social norms are taught to us by our parents in the form of manners (“Social Norms”). “Elbows off the table.” “Chew with your mouth shut.” “Hold the door open.” Children also pick up on some social norms on their own. Little boys learn to be aggressive, while little girls learn that they are expected to be gentle (“Social
One of the first theories came from Democritus of Abdera. He believed that all things were made of tiny, indivisible atoms. The smallest and smoothest atoms were in the psyche, which explained the speed of perception and thought (Dwyer). A simple explanation for simple times. Plato took it a bit deeper. He separated the psyche into three parts, the logistikon- the intellect-, the thumos- the emotions-, and the epithumetikon -the desires. Then, Aristotle raised it to five. He had nutrition, which is basic to life, perception, desire, locomotion, and intellect. He believed that all living things had to have perception, and that if an animal had perception, it also had imagination and desire (Dwyer). After the Greeks had their go at psychology, the Middle Ages infused it with religion. The Catholic Church took over the Middle Ages and with it it’s psychology. Western scholars studied human behavior from a religious viewpoint. Many with mental illness were thought to have stigmata diaboli or “marks of the devil”. These were physical marks, the appearance of which was highly subjective. Many with these marks were executed. People seen to behave unusually were thought to be possessed by evil spirits or influenced by witchcraft. Sufferers were considered to have sinned in some way, and their treatments were meant to release the evil spirit from the sufferer. Most treatments were held in a sweat house where a smoldering fire smoked the