Describe how ‘normal’ is created, defined or used in Developmental Psychology

Posted: April 7th, 2022

These are the exact assignment instructions from the professor.

Please answer the following question in a four to six page short essay. This is a formal essay, so please use the standard referencing and formats of the APA or ASA style guides.

Over the past three lectures, (Weeks, 8,9, and 10), I have increasingly stressed the importance of the idea of “normal” or the “norm” as applied to family life. In particular, I have stressed the central place the idea of normal has in Developmental Psychology and the Sociological concept of ‘socialization’. Describe how ‘normal’ is created, defined or used in these two approaches. Then, select one aspect each from Indigenous and immigrant family life, and examine how the concept of ‘normal’ is potentially misleading for those families, and may lead to misunderstandings on the part of the majority or dominant society.

Example: It is common to think of children as achieving milestones. How might applying a ‘normal’ standard for milestones to indigenous and immigrant children distort assumptions about family life?