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fifteen: of abnormalities

There were many different branches of psychology.

Psychology wasn't just mental illness, the processes of the brain, or preparing to be some sort of therapist. There were different branches with different subcategories that focused on so many different aspects. Today, my psychology lecture was focused on one particular topic: abnormal psychology.

Abnormal psychology basically observed and studied the actions of people who acted abnormally. People who stood out in social groups, or who couldn't cope with the demands of their everyday lives. While this wasn't directly correlated to mental illness, it is used to identify what is normal and idea and what deviates from that.

"All right, guys," my professor called, clapping his hands to get our attention. He grabbed a stack of papers off his desk and handed them to the first row of students, "Get into groups of two. You're going to read the examples on the worksheet and decide if and why the behavior shown deviates from normal and could be considered abnormal."

Before I could say anything, Cara pulled her desk up next to me and dropped a paper on my desk. I sighed and leaned back, picking the worksheet up and quickly scanning it. Twenty problems wasn't too bad, in all reality, but I just really, really didn't feel like doing anything.

It had been two days since Grant was over my apartment. Griffin was constantly in-and-out between that time (I wasn't even sure if Grant ever got a chance to talk to him), which meant that I barely got to talk to Griffin. I didn't get to talk to him about what went down at Officer Gudkova's house, which was something that still bothered me immensely.

Cara held up her paper and squinted at the words, shooting me a small smile, "Okay, number one," she said, clearing her throat dramatically, "Ian constantly gets worked about his own thoughts and behaviors. and receives anxiety from these thoughts. He believes that someone may be out to get him. Often, Ian feels worrisome or concerned about the fact that he feels this way. Would you classify this as personal distress, typical behavior, or something else entirely?"

Cara read the little footnotes around the paragraph, but I frowned, thinking about what she had just read. Ian's behavior didn't seem all that out there, which just bothered me even more because, just by the way it was worded, I knew it was the first answer choice. Ian's behavior just reminded me of someone else, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Totally personal distress," Cara said, circling that answer choice and then looking at me for affirmation. I nodded, "Oh, by the way, you never told me how it went when Grant came over."

I gently took the paper out of Cara's hand and skimmed over question two, "It was a little awkward, but not bad. He's such a nice guy and I feel so bad for him. Griffin is so cold to him, it's terrible to watch."

Cara quirked an eyebrow, "Griffin's a dick to his brother?"

"Kind of," I said, feeling guilt wash over me when I said. Griffin had rushed to my apartment for a ride to make sure his brother was okay after his car accident, but still, "He's never at his apartment when Grant comes to see him and, when he is there, he's so rude. He acts like Grant's more of a burden than a brother."

Cara tapped her fingers on the edge of her desk, eyes narrowing slightly, "Griffin's older, right?" she asked, and I nodded, "He probably took care of Grant when they were younger, after their mom was killed. Maybe Griffin just wants freedom from it all."

"That's kind of the thing," I said, thinking about a theory I had developed the day Grant came to see me. I paused, a bit hesitant to say anything. I had developed a close friendship with Griffin, and it almost felt wrong saying this behind his back, "I don't really think Griffin or their dad paid attention to Grant. It seems like he's been on his own or, like, isolated from the two of them. I think Griffin was coping on his own and just... Ignored Grant, maybe."