abnormal psychology

American  

noun

1. the branch of psychology that deals with modes of behavior, mental phenomena, etc., that deviate markedly from the standards believed to characterize a well-adjusted personality.

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abnormal psychology British  

noun

1. the study of behaviour patterns that diverge widely from generally accepted norms, esp those of a pathological nature

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Etymology

Origin of abnormal psychology

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

This may stem in part from her early career success as an editor at Random House, where she wrote, with two co-authors, a textbook on abnormal psychology.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2024

This semester includes an abnormal psychology class, and his training routine is executed alone, often with coach Rafael Arutunian watching on FaceTime … 3,000 miles away in southern California.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2019

I started to think of these diagnoses as things that weren’t as cut and dry as I had learned about in abnormal psychology class as an undergraduate.

From The Verge • Feb. 11, 2019

Students of abnormal psychology behold your textbook case of projection run amok.

From Salon • Nov. 6, 2016

The only thing I could read, besides the scandal sheets, were those abnormal psychology books.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath