>>19 True, but functioning doesn't mean fairly functioning. It seems sometimes as if insanity and illogic that our cultures are rife with are tolerated just due to being normal. Perhaps successful people with issues are veiwed as "healthy" (at least looked at by their contemporaries)and failures of any type as "unhealty." I know this is not a rule, but some examples in that framework can provide a shocking example of how inconsistant we are in our judgements.

Look up the Nacirema for instance.

>>18 is hopefully right about where clinical psychology is progressing to, but I daresay that for the average individual the insane is whatever they cannot reconcile to their subjective worldveiw.

Humans are too dynamic and complex to have a real border between quirk and illness... at least, I don't see one. Do any of you fellows?