Psychopathology is the science of deviant behavior. However, as psy chopathologists, our explanations of deviant behavior are not developed in a sterile, laboratory environment. Abnormality is a relative concept, and the labeling of someone or some behavior as abnormal is inextrica bly linked to a particular social context. In the United States, for exam ple, a woman reporting vivid hallucinations is likely to be committed to a mental hospital and the behavior considered maladaptive. In other cultures, the same behavior may be interpreted as reflecting magical, healing powers, and the woman...