Each society has _______, which are stated or unstated rules for proper conduct.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Norms
Option (1) Well being — Incorrect. Well-being is not only maintenance and survival but also growth and fulfilment, the actualisation of potential. It is a state of the person, not a rule of society.
Option (2) Maladaptive — Incorrect. Maladaptive describes behaviour that interferes with optimal functioning and growth. It is a quality of behaviour, not a set of rules.
Option (3) Culture — Incorrect. Culture, a society’s history, values, institutions, habits, skills, technology and arts, is where norms grow from. It is the source of the rules, not the rules themselves.
Option (4) Norms — Correct. Each society has norms, which are stated or unstated rules for proper conduct. One approach calls abnormal those behaviours, thoughts and emotions that break societal norms.
NCERT (2025-26): “Concepts of Abnormality and Psychological Disorders … The first approach views abnormal behaviour as a deviation from social norms. Many psychologists have stated that ‘abnormal’ is simply a label that is given to a behaviour which is deviant from social expectations. Abnormal behaviour, thoughts and emotions are those that differ markedly from a society’s ideas of proper functioning. Each society has norms, which are stated or unstated rules for proper conduct. Behaviours, thoughts and emotions that break societal norms are called abnormal. A society’s norms grow from its particular culture — its history, values, institutions, habits, skills, technology, and arts.…” “Concepts of Abnormality and Psychological Disorders … The second approach views abnormal behaviour as maladaptive. Many psychologists believe that the best criterion for determining the normality of behaviour is not whether society accepts it but whether it fosters the well-being of the individual and eventually of the group to which s/he belongs. Well-being is not simply maintenance and survival but also includes growth and fulfilment, i.e. the actualisation of potential, which you must have studied in Maslow’s need hierarchy theory. According to this criterion, conforming behaviour can be seen as abnormal if it is maladaptive, i.e. if it interferes with optimal functioning and growth.…” |