“Adaptation – in the clutches of a discourse” is a project that investigates a discursive power and knowledge production. The project uses perspectives from philosophy, phenomenology, sociology, social constructivism and discourse theory in order to get a multilayered understanding of the uses of one manifested standardisation of normality or rather abnormality – the DSM manual. The DSM - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders – is an American manual used worldwide to understand mental disorders or irregularities. The inherent checklists that are used to diagnose individuals are based on the notions of normality within society. The DSM is constituted of checklists of different symptoms in behaviour, mood or other physiological effects that signifies mental disorders. How do the DSM and the uses of the DSM reflect the society? In the answer you will find economical, political and structural interests in using standardized ways of explaining the mental irregularities or differences of the human being.