History shows that signs of mental illness and abnormal behavior have been documented since the early Greeks, however, they were not seen as they are today. Mentally ill people were previously referred to as crazy, mad, mad, or maniac. WB Maher and BA Maher (1985) note that many of the terms used have roots in old English words that meant emotionally unbalanced, injured, unhealthy, or diseased. Although early explanations were not accurate, the characteristics of the mentally ill remained the same, and these characteristics are used to this day to diagnose disorders. Cultural norms have always been used to evaluate and define abnormal behavior. We currently have a fair understanding of the correlates and influences of mental illness. While we do not have complete knowledge, psychopathologists have better resources, technology, and overall research capabilities than those of ancient times. Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Before the first Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans lacked the science to explain natural events, so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used instead. They believed in animism, the idea that all nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human characteristics onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individuals by influencing an object that is similar to or closely associated with them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers often mimicked the patient's ailments and then modeled the healing. Reification also leads to the beautiful... half of the article... published work 1487) Maher, B. A., & Maher, W. B. (1985). Psychopathology: II. From the eighteenth century to modern times. In G. A. Kimble & K. Schlesinger (Eds.), Topics in the history of psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 295–329). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Maher, B. A., & Maher, W. B. (1985). Psychopathology: I. From antiquity to the eighteenth century. In G. A. Kimble & K. Schlesinger (Eds.), Topics in the history of psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 251–294). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.McReynolds, P. (1987). Lightner Witmer: little-known founder of clinical psychology. American Psychologist, 42, 849-858 Schmied, L. A., Steinberg, H., & Sykes, E. A. B. (2006). The debt of psychopharmacology towards experimental psychology. History of Psychology, 9, 144-157.Webster, (1995)Weyer, J. (1563). De praestigiis daemonum [The deception of demons]. Basel, Switzerland: Per Joannem Oporinum.