An Important lesson in Psychology by Dominique

An Important lesson in Psychology by Dominique - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

The most interesting lesson that I have learned is that terms such as "normal" or "common sense" are all relative. Therefore there is no such thing as "normal"--or "abnormal". These views depend on various things. Whether or not to believe in God (or many gods) depends on religion; what is deemed as underdressed or overdressed depends on both cultural and the occasion; and in what direction one would like to see the US go in depends on political affiliation and/or opinions on various political topics.Ideas of normal go even further; if you were to choose two girls around the same age, their location, race, class, ethnicity/culture, and in what way they're parented influences what the girls consider as "normal" or "odd". A typical teen in Baltimore would take the city bus to public school, and teens in my county (Anne Arundel) would either ride the school bus, carpool with friends/family, or drive themselves to public school. Private school is another matter, from the need to wear uniforms, to certain school's policies that each student MUST participate in sports year-round, et cetera.We are all socialized from birth and through our adolescent and young adult years as to what the "typical" person in their situation (neighborhood, school, church, whether or not mommy or daddy are/were in the picture) would do in daily life events.