ABSTRACT
This chapter describes diverse types of problems that clinical psychologists face, the actual work being done, and the expertise needed to do this work competently. It presents an understanding of how clinical psychologists determine whether certain behaviors or constellations of behavior are in need of assessment and treatment and should, thus, be the focus of research. The chapter explains the kinds of behaviors that constitute abnormal behavior and issues involving the classification systems that are in use. It explores appreciation of how the clinical psychologist makes determinations about peoples' psychological problems and the kinds of disorders that exist. The chapter also presents case vignettes that illustrate day-to-day issues with psychopathology that clinical psychologists are involved with. Clinical psychologists struggle with this issue as they often need to make judgments about whether or not a person's behavior is abnormal or in need to treatment, how abnormal a person's behavior is, and when a person returns to a state of normality.
