Abnormality

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about how we define abnormality, focusing in particular on: (i) how social norms influence our perception of what is and is not normal; (ii) how we can use adequate functioning as an alternative method of gauging abnormality, as well as considering how behaviours might cause harm and/or distress to the individual expressing them, or to others; (iii) the role of statistical prevalence of behaviours and attributes in deciding abnormality, and how this ties into our perception of phobias.

About the lecturer

Dr Ayoub Bouguettaya is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Dr Bouguettaya’s research interests are in social psychology and how knowledge from that field can be applied to others, particularly health, including how we can apply social identity theory to societal problems, as well as investigating the different perspectives one might take on those issues. Some of Dr Bouguettaya’s recent publications include 'The relationship between gambling advertising and gambling attitudes, intentions and behaviours: a critical and meta-analytic review' (2020) and 'The Effect of a Food Addiction Explanation Model for Weight Control and Obesity on Weight Stigma' (2020).