What is normal?

Question

How would you define the word normal? And what to you is a normal person?

Answer 1

I'm not jesting; normal is normal to people who think it is normal. That's really it in a nutshell.
It's the usual, or expected because it conforms to a standard rule established by a group, class, culture. (As so many excellent answers have pointed out.)
I seem to recall one bit of confusion between "normal" & "common," however. They really aren't the same. Common is something possessed or used by two or more people in two or more situations (common language, for example). Common is also "prevalent" when it becomes usual, or "ordinary."
I don't view, or define people as either normal or abnormal.

Answer 2

Normal is just the most "common" or accept middle road. Its usually the mid way point between two extremes.

At one end you have obesity at the other emaciation. In the middle is what people think of as "normal." (Neither obese or emaciated).

What is considered "normal" is based on culture and society. What gets considered normal now, isn't what passed as normal 40 years ago! It would now be seen as abnormal to now have a TV, central heating, a car and inside flushing toilet! But 40 years ago no one would of EXPECTED to have any of these things. It was normal to NOT have them!

Its also age related. What you think of as normal for a two year old isn't what you think of as normal for a 12 year old!! What's normal for an eighteen year old lad, is vastly different to what you'd think of as normal for a 60 year old man!

So normal changes over time.... but somethings like remain unchanged. I don't think there is such a think as a normal person because everyone is unique and we are all individuals. You might be of normal weight, normal height, but then have a totally abnormal job! And lets face it, if 2.2 kids is the "normal" how the heck is anyone EVER going to achieve that!!! ?? Two kids - boy and a girl, then what, a limb? would that make up the other 0.2%!!

Normal -
1. conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.
2. serving to establish a standard.

Answer 3

There is a few of different ways to scientifically define normal and its always dependant on the context.

1. Everyone is made up of many physical/mental attributes of potential strength and weakness. Otherwise known as genes, if we for example isolated a gene for nostril width, the most common gene found *[in a given population] can be considered the normal gene. A minority will possess genes for smaller nostrils and larger nostrils. A simple example would be; brown eyes are normal in a worldwide context, but blue eyes are normal in a Scandinavian context. Of course, the gene pool evolves over time meaning that something can only be defined as normal for a finite period before a new form of normality.

2. Everyone behaves in a variety of different manners. Much of these manners are usually defined as culturally inherited. Otherwise known as memes, these learned behaviours again can be considered normal or abnormal in a given population. It is normal to wash your hands before eating in the UK for example, but abnormal in a worldwide context; simply because more people dont/cant wash their hands before eating worldwide. Memes also evolve over time.

3. Environmental factors can be considered normal or otherwise. It is normal that the sun rises every day during summer in a worldwide context but abnormal at the north pole; as the sun circles around the sky.

So, as we see by the above examples normality can only be defined in the specific context in which the question is asked. Without a clear context, normality has no meaning.

Answer 4

Normal means to be operating within the norms of the society. It can be generally said to be actions and/or behaviour that does not cause concern. Walking into a bank is normal. Walking into a bank carrying a gun in not. Therefore, a normal person is one who doesn't stray from the norms. However, all people are both normal at times and not normal at other times depending on the circumstances. For example, a clothed person at a nudist beach is not normal.

Answer 5

'm not jesting; normal is normal to people who think it is normal. That's really it in a nutshell.
It's the usual, or expected because it conforms to a standard rule established by a group, class, culture. (As so many excellent answers have pointed out.)
I seem to recall one bit of confusion between "normal" & "common," however. They really aren't the same. Common is something possessed or used by two or more people in two or more situations (common language, for example). Common is also "prevalent" when it becomes usual, or "ordinary."
I don't view, or define people as either normal or abnormal.
Source(s):
Psychologist-Humanist

Answer 6

Normal has to be something that everyone agrees on. Not just some people, but everybody in the world as a whole. Such as not killing,, etc.. I don't know what a normal person is. The reason being cultural differences. With this in consideration, nobody is normal. Maybe to a group of people you are normal, but to a person of another culture, you are weird.

Answer 7

Normal comes from the base word "norm", which can be connotated as an act which is agreed on by popular vote in a society. The "middle finger" gesture was voted on to signify impolite, anger and irritation.

Normal is something that the society has voted on to be please-able and workable. It has a mediocre effect to it as well. It is not extraordinary but not horrifying either

Answer 8

What is normal is what is most traditional, customary, conventional, common, comprehensive and understandable by the majority of people of a society. It is also normal to be ritualistic, celebratory, ceremonious, secretive or pompous and passionate in terms of supernatural aspects of human mind all normalized. Then in personal capacity is it normal to habitual, biased, prejudiced, practitioner, rooted, routines, disciplined and formalized.

But despite all these we are not sure yet what exactly is normal, or what is going to become normal in our lives, as the world normal has been used only relatively, and up to very recently strictly conventionally. It has been normal to have heterosexual relations, for instance, through the centuries.

The most important aspect of our normality is the way we look, feel and behave in relation to one another, almost all definitions of normality finally converge upon these two aspects of our normal life. But modern advancements in science, i.e. genetic engineering, biotechnology and molecular engineering have made it nearly possible to change all this. In this way our sense of normality and our need to seek assurance from what we see and understand as normal is becoming questionable.

I was normal to have a job for life in the past, but now people have to change their jobs many times in their working life, they have to learn new skills to stay in the same profession. It will be normal, for instance, to live well beyond hundred years in the near future. What would it be like then to go to work with cogenerations? Or getting married in your seventies?

Answer 9

normal is an opinion what may be normal to me may not be normal to u and vice versa i think what we consider normal is what the majority of people find normal as a society but i dont find most of that normal i guess normal is what happens most of the time or what happens normally get it this is one of those questions that will only ever have an opinion for an answer tho

Answer 10

Guess you not psychology major that had to read many books telling you you're looking for concept not easily defined. Personally since I believe mankind is social animal there is behavior that is beneficial to one self and society that to me is normal. If anything meets two criteria it is normal in my opinion.