Assertion: The word ‘abnormal’ literally means “away from the normal”, and thus abnormality implies deviation from some clearly defined norms or standards.

Reasoning: In psychology, we have no ‘ideal model’ or even ‘normal model’ of human behaviour to use as a base for comparison.

Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Since the word ‘abnormal’ literally means “away from the normal”, it implies deviation from some clearly defined norms or standards. In psychology, we have no ‘ideal model’ or even ‘normal model’ of human behaviour to use as a base for comparison. Various approaches have been used in distinguishing between normal and abnormal behaviours. One approach is deviation from social norms and the other is maladapative approach.