Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

humanistic perspective
The perspec-
tive that emphasizes the responsibility 
people have for their own behavior, 
even when such behavior is abnormal.
sociocultural perspective
The per-
spective that assumes that people’s 
behavior—both normal and abnormal—
is shaped by the kind of family group, 
society, and culture in which they live.
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508 Chapter 
15 
Psychological Disorders
with psychological disorders (López & Guarnaccia, 2005; 
Conger et al., 2002; Nasir & Hand, 2006; Greenberg & 
Rosenheck, 2008). 
On the other hand, alternative explanations abound for 
the association between abnormal behavior and social fac-
tors. For example, people from lower socioeconomic levels 
may be less likely than those from higher levels to seek 
help, gradually reaching a point where their symptoms 
become severe and warrant a serious diagnosis. Further-
more, sociocultural explanations provide relatively little 
specifi c guidance for the treatment of individuals showing 
mental disturbance because the focus is on broader societal 
factors (Paniagua, 2000). 
Classifying Abnormal 
Behavior: The ABCs 
of
DSM
Crazy. Whacked. Mental. Loony. Insane. Neurotic. Psycho. 
Strange. Demented. Odd. Possessed. 
Society has long placed labels on people who display abnormal behavior. Unfor-
tunately, most of the time these labels have refl ected intolerance and have been used 
with little thought as to what each label signifi es. 
Providing appropriate and specifi c names and classifi cations for abnormal behav-
ior has presented a major challenge to psychologists. It is not hard to understand 
why, given the diffi culties discussed earlier in simply distinguishing normal from 
abnormal behavior. Yet psychologists and other careproviders need to classify abnor-
mal behavior in order to diagnose it and ultimately treat it.