abnormal psychology
1
4.6
- noun
- /æbˈnɔːr.məl saɪˈkɒl.ə.dʒi/
- Specialized
:
psicología anormal
- The participants were U.S. undergraduates (56 men and 67 women) studying abnormal psychology.
- an abnormal psychology course
- study abnormal psychology
Nowadays we call it the study of mental health or psychology, abnormal psychology, right?
- Nowadays we call it the study of mental health or psychology, abnormal psychology, right?
Examples
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This course in abnormal psychology was the only exposure to psychology, behavioral sciences, and social sciences many of these students would receive, and, as such, was an opportunity for the students to learn about delinquents, residential treatment facilities, and the people who work at them.
Academic text (1996) -
Yes, yes, I have read about those in my abnormal psychology journals.
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One of our goals in the present study was to extend the findings of Davidson et al. to the teaching of abnormal psychology.
Academic text (1996) -
There's a whole field of abnormal psychology of tremendous scope.
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Initially my field was abnormal psychology, which, despite the frightening title, merely indicates the study of behavior outside the norm.
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In the present study, undergraduate students in an abnormal psychology course were exposed to readings and lectures about violent juvenile delinquents.
Academic text (1996) -
We had encyclopedias of criminals, anthologies of love poems, and textbooks on abnormal psychology.
Fiction book (1998) -
Dr. Pierce, I've made a great study of abnormal psychology... and I've found from experience that when a fixed delusion is challenged, the deluded is apt to become violent.
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In her abnormal psychology class, she learned about the various symptoms of mental disorders.
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The research paper focused on the treatments available for patients with abnormal psychology.
Synonyms
3
8.4
Study of mental health problems and unusual behavior
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'abnormal' (not normal) modifies 'psychology' (the study of mind/behavior), so the phrase denotes the study of unusual patterns of behavior or mental states. This follows a common adjective + noun pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Abnormal psychology joins abnormal, meaning 'not usual', with psychology, meaning 'the study of the mind'. So it gives the image of people studying minds that act or feel outside the usual, which is why it means 'the study of unusual patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior'.