Dibs In search of Self - Critical Essay

Dibs In search of Self

Why is the desire to appear normal so important for some people and not for others? Dibs is a small boy who is not considered normal to everyone else; he simply does not fit in to his surroundings. However Dibs does not seem to be concerned about not being normal -he seems to be self absorbed. His parents on the other hand, are very disappointed that their child is not normal, so much so that it affects their ability to be good parents to him.

One general definition of normal would be someone or something that fits into their surrounding. In writing about Dibs, Virginia Axiline a well known psychologist tells a true story of a young boy striving to appear ‘normal’ in our society. Everyone who is around Dibs thinks that he has a mental condition and is no where near normal as he can not converse with people in the usual way; “‘He’s a strange one,’ the paediatrician had said. ‘Who knows? Mentally retarded? Psychotic? Brain-damaged? Who can close...