Rock climbing is dangerous and statistically few people engage in this behavior. Yet few would consider it socially unacceptable in individualistic cultures (even if they assess it as unusual and dangerous). What would be abnormal, however, is a person who rock climbs naked, since in that case they are going against even the accepted "norms" of the rock climbing community (provided they are not part of a nudist rock climbing group where such behavior could be deemed appropriate).

To take another example: depression and anxiety disorders are common in U.S. society. They are not dominant, but they are frequent enough to question whether they are abnormal from a statistical perspective. If one decides statistically that depressive behavior is not abnormal, one is left to search other criteria. Is depression familiar or unfamiliar? Is depression socially acceptable or socially maladaptive? Does it place the person in conflict with their surroundings with...
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