A person can show extreme distress, such as grief at the death of a loved one, without having psychopathology, while a person with mania, who feels "on top of the world," does have a mental disorder. This illustrates the difficulties with classifying behavior as abnormal using the criterion of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Subjective discomfort alone is not a reliable criterion for classifying behavior as abnormal because individuals can experience intense emotional pain or distress (e.g., grief) without it indicating a mental disorder. Conversely, someone with a mental disorder (e.g., mania) might not experience subjective discomfort.

A Person Can Show Extreme Distress, Such as Grief at the Death