Psychology - abnormal behavior (culture)?
Something to realize to start with is that the whole discipline of Psychology is culturally constructed. Very few of the concepts in the discipline are universal, i.e. they are not understood outside western cultures. So, in western abnormal psychology we rely on a medical definition of abnormal behaviour (i.e. from the DSM). Abnormal behaviour is therefore very much culturally constructed and not universal.
Whats the difference in stereotypical and abnormal behaviour in horses?
Here is a veterinary article on equine stereotypic behaviors from a credible resource................ http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx... Here is a summary from a 2010 equine veterinary journal publication on stereotypies...................... http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.11... Add********************************The Behaviorist definition of stereotypic behavior in horses as exerpted from the article in TheHorse.com identifies it as follows: "Stereotypic behaviors are learned behaviors that are repeated without apparent or obvious purpose. (They)...involve a need-related drive that develops in an environment with inadequate opportunities for satisfying the need. Once established, the stereotypic behavior may become a need in itself. Also called a stereotypy, this behavior is relatively invariant. The animal repeats the sequence over and over." An abnormal behavior can be any behavior that would deviate from the horse's norm, such as sudden refusal to eat or lying down excessively. A stereotypic behavior actually becomes the norm for the affected individual horse.