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

If you want to understand his psychology, you need to start by taking a book on abnormal psychology off the shelf and reading it.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2023

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

He flipped open his laptop and started scanning the headlines of The Yale Daily News as his fellow classmates filled the 400-seat auditorium for an abnormal psychology lecture.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 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 only thing I could read, besides the scandal sheets, were those abnormal psychology books.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath