Abnormal Human Behavior - Avoid Behaving In An Unacceptable Way

Abnormal human behavior can mean different things to different people. Here I wish to use the term to mean behavior that is not acceptable, in the sense of taking advantage of, or trying to take advantage of, other people. (Here I will NOT be discussing any of the following: the cruel or the criminal, the unlawful or the sadistic - all of which are unacceptable in their own different ways.)

This is not us …?

The unacceptable side of abnormal human behavior is not something we support nor take part in is it? Having said that no one is perfect, so at times we could be tempted to use this side of our

So what do I mean by abnormal human behavior?

So what can we say is abnormal or unacceptable behavior? If you behave abnormally then this could be anything that is or could be viewed as being

• irregular
• non-standard
• uncharacteristic
• unusual
• strange
• anomalous
• odd or peculiar
• intolerable
• unsuitable
• unwelcome
• unwarranted
• unprovoked
• unjustified
• unreasonable
• uncalled-for
• unfair
• unworthy

We should be careful about performing, or thinking about doing so, any act or deed that could be described by any of the above. Behaving unfairly does not just impact on others, it affects us, too.

We should think about the repercussions before proceeding. We should be conscious of what we are doing and the effects it might cause. We should be avoiding abnormal behavior of these types. Whether we go ahead or not is our choice, our responsibility.

A narrow focus

Here I'm going to have a narrow focus on abnormal or unacceptable behavior.

I would define this as 'something we do or perform to take advantage of a situation or another'. So this could be acceptable or not acceptable. I would say that if we put ourselves at an unfair advantage or to put another down - that could be construed as unacceptable behavior. In other words, to take advantage of a situation through fair means or foul - and it is the foul we are looking at here. Behaving unfairly will not make you friends.

The flip side of the coin is where we 'take advantage' of ourselves. We end up on the sharp end of our own behaviour whether knowingly or not. Either we put our selves down, in other words talk ourselves down, or we do so by our actions.

Let us look a little more closely

Let us start with examples where we try to take advantage of other people or situations to act in ways that reflect badly on us:

• using fear to your advantage - none of us like to be fearful; when we use it as a 'weapon' against others by exploiting their weaknesses we may feel that we are being clever but often these situations or time has a way of reversing this, and we get a dose of our own medicine
• using manipulation - who likes to feel (or be) manipulated; and even if the other person does not know they are being manipulated (or used in simple terms), this is not the action of a decent and caring person
• Think well - who controls their own thoughts you might say, but this does not mean we should not try
• listen to others - don't just stand there with someone who is talking but really being somewhere else; listen and be attentive and you will be respected by other people
• rejection - don't just reject other people, they will not thank you for it; give them the time of day and you will be moving on in life
• Be proud but not obnoxious - be content with what you do, but don't gloat or brag; this is not to say you should not be happy with your own success - share this and you'll be fine - but there is no future in rubbing someone up the wrong way
• Don't be arrogant - there is a thin line here between being OK and proud and crossing the line; we all have to learn this one for ourselves
• Break bad habits and develop good ones - bad habits are one thing, but directing them at others makes them much worse; vindictiveness is not a trait you want to condone or utilize; instead develop good habits and share and contribute to life

All examples of abnormal human behavior.

What happens in day to day life?

Does abnormal human behavior affect our daily lives? Now we can look at examples where we act badly or don't act well, this time to our own disadvantage

• Don't let guilt destroy you - if you do something you wish you hadn't then own up to it, apologise if necessary, and move on; don't let guilt hang around eating away at you
• Overcome boredom - we all get bored from time to time, but if this repeatedly happens we really do need to take stock of our situation and basically 'get a life'
• Don't behave in ways you dislike or hate or disgusts you - if you go against your own grain, if you do something you don't like how will others view it
• Deal with your live and don't let nerves get the better of you - we can all get nervous from time to time. If we are trying something new we can be uncertain as to our ability, our performance or the outcome. But if nerves continually get the better of us then help and advice would be a good first port of call - from a trusted friend, or from a professional
• Don't reject yourself - this does not aid your self esteem, self worth or self image
• Look after yourself - healthy self care should be all on our 'to do' lists

Is there a trap here?

Is there a minefield here with abnormal human behavior? Yes and No. We should not be paranoid about what we think or do. But equally we should be conscious of what is abnormal human behavior and do our level best to avoid it.

So what is normal behaviour?

What is acceptable to the vast majority of people? To be friendly, contributing, sharing, and generally doing one's best. That is the type of behavior we should be exhibiting. Looking out for number one is fine and necessary, but not at the expense of others.

But to take things to the next level we need to do a little more. We need to look after ourselves and help others when that is necessary and good. But also we need to contribute to the common good and the world we live in. If we all did that (most of the time) the world would be a better place and abnormal human behavior could become a thing of the past.