(Image: Darren Hopes)
AM I normal? It’s a question that most of us ask ourselves at one time or another. We are troubled by inner voices or strange little obsessions; we worry that we are different, that we have weak powers of concentration or poor self-control. But without direct access to other people’s thoughts, we have only the vaguest hopes of knowing.
Science has given us ways to know. We can assess mental states and abilities using techniques ranging from psychological tests to MRI scans. These offer us a chance to compare ourselves against others, albeit quite crudely. And we see substantial variation, rendering the very idea of “normality” moot (see “Are compulsive thoughts normal?”).
That is both good and bad news. It should make the idea of being an outlier less worrying. But, ironically, it may also reinforce the idea that certain styles of thinking are better or more desirable than others – and hence that there is a norm to which we should all aspire. Such norms can make it harder to accept and assimilate diversity.
This may become an issue as assessments of mental function become routine. Indeed, we may already be seeing the start of it through psychometric testing in schools and workplaces, rising use of cognitive-enhancing drugs and the medicalisation of behaviour once simply thought of as quirky.
There is a case to be made that focusing on “normality” obscures the positives of thinking differently. Leaf though the annals of art, science or literature and it is striking how many great figures are described as eccentric, awkward or absent-minded. We owe a great deal to those who think differently from the norm.
That is one reason to celebrate the rise of the neurodiversity movement, an offshoot from autism activism. Many schools and some employers have adjusted their environments to utilise the skills and cater to the needs of the non-neurotypical. Social events are following suit. Let’s hope we continue to learn that it is normal, and indeed, good, to be different.
Read more: “Is your mind normal? 7 reasons it probably is”
This article appeared in print under the headline “No such thing as normal”
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