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

Segal was in her last year of college at Boston University when her abnormal psychology professor gave an assignment to write about people adjusting to situations.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2022

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

The couple met in the fall semester of the bride’s final year of college, in 2012, in the abnormal psychology class both were taking.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2018

The notion of studying German or abnormal psychology flitted through my head.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath