The Mystery of What is Normal Essay -- Normality Family Essays

The Mystery of What is â€Å"Normal† In order to think about whether someone’s family is â€Å"normal† or not, you would have to consider many factors.â€Å"Normal† in what sense of the word?What aspect of the family are we considering the normality?Are we talking about the family’s culture, quality of living, habits, the way that the present themselves, or are we just comparing them to the people next door?Are we talking about the normality of the family at face value or are we asking about the normality of that family which only members of that family have experienced?There are so many definitions of the word â€Å"normal.†Finding a definition of the word â€Å"normal† depends on the person’s definition of what he or she thinks â€Å"normal† means. In the dictionary, it states that the definition of â€Å"normal† is â€Å"Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.†But the word itself has a wide range of meanings.It can mean: â€Å"what’s accepted,† â€Å"average,† â€Å"just like everyone else,† or â€Å"just not sticking out in the crowd† just to name a few. We all have different perceptions of what the word normal means, and what is considered to be different.This perception is always changing and is affected by everything around us.If you ask a person what is normal one day, and then ask him again in about a month, that person will probably give an entirely different answer.The word normal is, in the most part, has opinionated definition.It varies from person to person, and changes dramatically as each person learns, experiences and accepts new things. Now that that has all been said, how can I consider if my family is normal or not?If the definition of the word normal varies from person to person, my answer to the ... ...â€Å"devil cat?†How many people have a father with an explosive temper?How many people have a mother who is a supervisor in a party plan?I’m sure that every person has a family that has differences that ranges from beliefs to habits to any experience of even the smallest significance. The strongest word that I would use to compare anyone’s family is the word â€Å"similar.†No family is â€Å"normal.†I myself have a hard time using the word â€Å"normal.†The only way that a family could be considered as normal is if every family was exactly alike, and alike in everyway possible.There is no true definition of the word â€Å"normal† in a society where what’s frowned upon one day is commonplace the next, and vice versa. Works Cited Bass, Randal. â€Å"Borders as Barriers: Otherness and Difference.† Bordrtext: Cultural Reading for Contemporary Writers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. 205-210