What is Normal? by Roz Carroll & Jane Ryan (eds)

In this fifth episode, Alex and Steven explore the question of normality using an excellent collection of essays called 'What is Normal? as a prompt for their reflections. Some of the issues that they cover are: why do we find the issue of 'being normal' so compelling?; can we construct social norms that don't oppress and other certain groups?; how much do we want to be normal, instead of, say, special?; how healthy is it to be preoccupied with being 'normal'?

Further Resources

• The essay collection on normality, edited by Roz Caroll and Jane Ryan, can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Normal-Jane-Ryan/dp/1913494209/ref=sr_1_2?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1637162925&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&refinements=p_28%3Awhat+is+normal&s=books&sr=1-2&sres=0753555352%2C1913494209%2CB08RC5RGBC%2C0894864858%2CB0915YNGS4%2CB099BYQPT7%2CB0991LHP75%2CB096TQ73D9%2C0768439612%2C1661862071%2C1508511799%2C613789956X%2CB084GHHF9W%2CB084FC19JB%2C1406995339%2C1777225620&unfiltered=1
• The eminent clinical psychologist and truly humane man, David Smail, discusses the 'myth of normality' in his book Illusion and Reality: The Meaning of Anxiety: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illusion-Reality-Meaning-David-Smail-ebook/dp/B07CYS2DBL/ref=sr_1_3?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1637162994&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&refinements=p_27%3Adavid+smail&s=books&sr=1-3&sres=1898059713%2C1782202870%2C1782202854%2C1782202862%2C1841193496%2C1782202889%2C0802808107%2C1720211663%2C2700728262%2CB00RWNA30A%2CB01K058VBO%2CB08JKLVKHZ%2CB07TXJZQNZ%2CB07NYWLD5Y%2CB07MX4BKPD%2CB07L7635PG&unfiltered=1&asin=B07CYS2DBL&revisionId=&format=2&depth=1
• Mark Edwards in his Tao of Bowie: 10 Lessons from David Bowie's life to help you live yours is a good guide to embracing and cultivating your offbeat self using the example of a great artist who never let the idea of the normal stifle his spirit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tao-Bowie-Lessons-David-Bowies/dp/1911630865/ref=sr_1_2?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=self&qid=1637163557&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&refinements=p_28%3Adavid+bowie&s=books&sr=1-2&sres=0816634181%2C1911630873%2C1770415521%2C1250239435%2C1627310371%2C3030158799%2CB08L1QQRYZ%2C1784880736%2CB09758KLBN%2CB09CTLPXSC%2C1782204903%2C0826416845%2C8418524065%2CB09HH8RV33%2CB096LPRXCL%2CB08TSK53V6&unfiltered=1
• Mark Fisher's excellent and unnerving book, Capitalist Realism: Is there no alternative? explains how, in his view, the current socioeconomic structure has 'normalized' itself, which helps us understand our own current sense of what is normal: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Capitalist-Realism-there-alternative-Books-ebook/dp/B008H3WB36/ref=sr_1_2?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1637163273&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&refinements=p_28%3Acapitalist+realism&s=books&sr=1-2&sres=1789049334%2C1846943175%2C0810142481%2C1789048540%2C0648840530%2C160938234X%2C1501383213%2C3863353331%2C1608059774%2C3938666102%2CB011839B70%2C9080620777&unfiltered=1