Bone Chipping, Bedlam, And Beyond

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Bone Chipping, Bedlam, and Beyond Christine A. Brady University of Phoenix For millennia the weaknesses and strengths of the human mind have been a matter for concern and study. Treatments for the brain’s frailties have run the gamut from caring to cruel, from scandalous to solicitous. Practitioners of the art and science of psychology have held the title of medicine man, witch doctor, shaman, leech, physician, surgeon, psychiatrist and psychologist. They have been considered learned people, wise men/women, and quacks. They have been held in high esteem or executed as witches. This paper will cover what factors determine which behavior is considered out side normal behavior both individually and in society. It will give a concise overview of abnormal psychology and psychopathology from pre-history to now. It will include themes from anthropology, theology, philosophy, science, and biology and contain a synopsis of some of the main figures in psychological theory and what their theories contribute to the discussion. There is no one comprehensive definition of abhorrent or abnormal behavior. What is unacceptable behavior in one culture is considered normal in another. There is agreement however that any behavior; which makes someone suffer, means they are badly adjusted to society, is ‘off’ from what is considered normal, violates the standards of society, leads to their or someone else’s discomfort, or is unstable, irrational and unpredictable can be and is considered abnormal (Butcher, Mineka, and Holley, 2010). According to anthropologists some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, Neolithic man practiced trepanning or trephination, which is the chipping or drilling a hole in the skull. They have found skulls with holes drilled or chipped into them in sites in Europe, Australia, and the Americas. Some skulls have displayed

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