The Physician\u27s Role in the Assessment of Normal Behavior

I am pleased to have this opportunity to talk to you about the physician\u27s role in the assessment of normal behavior. One source of my appreciation relates to the fact that this topic is rarely discussed explicitly in symposia organized by psychiatrists for non-psychiatrist physicians. A major reason for underemphasis of this subject is that psychiatrists are quite divided in their perspectives and opinions regarding normal behavior. Not surprisingly, we psychiatrists are much more comfortable when talking to non-psychiatrists about the nuances of maladaptation or of emotional illness