SOME 15 years ago, on the occasion of the dedication of this Institute, I ventured a few remarks on the importance of the study of the normal. I professed to be seeing an increase in the trend toward the investigation of the coping and stabilizing processes that successfully counter the pathology existing in all of us and lead to what we call "normality." You can appreciate my delight at finding this Conference dedicated to this general theme. For my own contribution I am something of a backslider, for I have not approached the problem directly. My paper is rather concerned with the normal in the context of a detailed study of extreme abnormality, or deviance, if you prefer. I must emphasize that I am actually much encouraged by today's broadening trends. These are reflected only in part by the present Conference, when a predominantly psychiatric group turns