Is there such a thing as "normal"?

“Normal” is a bell shaped curve.
One would be ascending the curve if they are basically stable people, regardless of quirks and offbeat habits, and are in control of their emotions for the most part and living a productive enough life without severe addictions of any kind.
On the descent one would be falling into a life of addiction, mental illness, crime and murder. lol

Most of “normal” is somewhere in the middle. haha

I think normal is being not too extreme in any aspect of your life…

Well, yes and no. There is what we think is normal when you’re around people doing the same thing but, obviously, it’s all relative.

No. There is no such thing as normal. If there is a normal, what is exactly? Everyone is weird. If everyone were this so called “normal” the world would be so boring.

There’s nothing to compare this “normal” to in my mind.

Yes.
The problem is that it has different definitions depending on the context, and people, especially these days, equivocate constantly. And to make matters worse, they often either don’t know it, or don’t recognize it.
The statistical psychometric concept of normal is a very real standard.
Normal as applied to behaviour relies heavily on context.

Normal is what the majority of people at any given time are generally like or try to be like.

“Normal” is a statistical concept determined by the set of things that happen to be the case. Similarly, a “normal person” is a statistical construct that we collectively define through our actions. Whatever most people do is normal for people, and whatever most members of a particular group do is normal for that group. No actual person will have every normal quality, but that does not change the fact certain qualities are normal.

I would say, then, that there is such a thing as normal; and while it is not itself a template of expectations to be met, what is normal tends to drive people’s expectations insofar as they expect common things to continue being common and uncommon things to continue being uncommon. Doing things that are not normal will surprise others, and they will be more surprised the further from normal your actions are.

While diverging from normal may be surprising, though, it should not be considered inappropriate solely on the grounds that it diverges from what is common. That is, we should not take what is normal to be normative. The expectations that people have in these cases are not—or at least should not be—moral expectations. It is one thing to be shocked to see someone riding an elevator facing backwards. It is another to have them arrested for it.

Normal means average or usual. Serving to establish a standard.

Our perception of normality is defined by the culture in which we live. Self and culture are interdependent. It’s a relative concept.

@blueberry_kid would normally be right that there is no such thing as normal, but @SavoirFaire pointed out that its quite normal for what would normally be true to not be in a given instance; and since this is a given instance, yes, there is such a thing as normal here even though normally there wouldn’t be.

Statistically, yes, there is such a thing as “normal.” If you want to get into it in terms of psychology, culture, sociology, etc, it is not so clear cut. That’s the simple answer, I think.

Considering how many traits a person has, it is a near certainty that each of us deviates from the mean by more that a standard deviation in at least one aspect. Not to do so would be highly abnormal.

find out @ http://isitnormal.com.

Is it “normal” to crack a Corona at 3:54 pm in California and go sit in your hot tub. Yes, it is. lolol

I think that most people wonder if they’re normal. The only difference is that some people may wonder about this more than others. I think that the term ‘normal’ when used in this way, is subjective.

I’ve read a little about this subject, and what I’ve read about it pretty much confirms what I had thought all along. People with either conformist or authoritarian mindsets tend to be much more obsessed with being ‘normal’, and accepted by their peers, while individualists tend to be more themselves, and less intrigued by how others perceive them, as long as what they’re doing makes them happy and when this doesn’t harm anyone.

I also believe that many people live unhappy lives, because it seems that many people tend to be more worried about how they’re perceived by others, rather than living to be happy. I suppose there are standards that we abide by so that we at least attempt to live in a civilized society. Culture might be the only other situation that I can think of where there might be a certain standard to base ‘normal’ off of. Many people I believe take being considered ‘normal’ too far though, to the point where it destroys those peoples’ inner happiness.

@Paradox25 I normally don’t worry about whether I am normal, but that’s probably because I know I am normally far from normal, and only lapse into normality at abnormal times.

@Paradox25 Well said, yep, I do think individualists are happier, this would be myself as well as as others I have observed that are not afraid to go their own way. I could care less about winning the approval of others or society, I live to please myself without harming others.

It is helpful to be able to at least pass for “normal” in many circumstance though, even if you’re not. It just makes life easier. :-)