Why do some people object to the term ‘mental illness’? To understand the complexity of the term ‘mental illness’, it is necessary to explore a diverse range of perspectives on varying topics that often arise within the ‘world’ of mental health. Using the elements of the K225 course model as a basis for exploration, this essay shall aim to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the individual experiences that could lead to possible reasons why, some people may not be in favour of the term ‘mental illness’. (Unit 1, p.19). The ‘world’ of mental health briefly consists of people, services, policy, and legislation.
Human behaviour can change depending on the setting we are put in. There are different aspects which can affect our behaviour, influencing how we feel, think and behave. People are part of the causal effect as we as human beings want to belong; no one wants to be left out on their own. All human beings act differently in different situations, because no one is the same. However in today's society, psychologists have been able to do research on the way human’s behaviour react in different situations with different participants to be able to get a generalized result but to do so they must first distinguish if the participant is showing social or personal identities.
Personality 3/18/08 Chapter 14  A person’s characteristic patterns of _behaving_______ _thinking__________ and _feeling______________  Attempts to explain __consistencies___________________- in an individual’s behavior across _time_________ & __situations_______________; basis to compare & contrast people  “Who you are is what you do.” Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself… Major Views of Personality  Psychoanalytic view  Personality is a result of unconscious conflicts w/in a person’s mind.  Neo-Freudian view  May vary widely by theorist, disagree w/ some of the basic principles of the psychoanalytic view put forth by Freud.  Learning view  Personality is a result of learning from environmental consequences (sometimes cognitive factors are added in)  Humanistic view  Personality is a result of striving towards growth & achievement)  Trait view- Personality is determined by inborn traits. Psychoanalytic Perspective _Sigmund Freud_____________  Physician; his work with _hysteric_____________- patients formed the basis for psychoanalysis  First experimented with _Hypnosis______________- and then began having his patients __talk____________ through their problems. – Oddly they began to get better…..  Called this new type of therapy _talking therapy ____________ or the __talking cure________________  Psychoanalysis: Freud’s theory, & his therapy for treating psychological disorders that involves procedures such as ___dream__________ analysis, hypnosis, & ___free association ___________________  Psychoanalytic theory is criticized for not being testable using scientific methods Freud’s Levels of Consciousness  __Conscious________________ –
This essay will evaluate the effectiveness, reliability, and the strengths and weaknesses of two different personality tests. The Thematic Apperception Test (projective) and the Myer Briggs Type Indicator (objective). It will also asses when these test should and shouldn’t be used. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective method of testing created by Christiana D. Morgan and Henry A. Murray (1934) intended to evaluate a person's attitudes towards themselves and others. Moreover, this technique of testing was often utilized on individuals applying for employment in fields that required a high level of ability in dealing with others.
Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology is defined as the study of psychological characteristics that often deviate outside of the norm (Cherry, 2005). This perspective generally encompasses an array of perspectives ranging from disorders to altered mental patterns that affect the normal functioning of an individual as part of society. Typically, this type of impairment is accompanied by behavior, either disruptive or of a distorted nature. There are several approaches used in abnormal psychology in addition, it is important to examine the origin of abnormal psychology in an effort to rationalize the evolution of this scientific discipline (Cherry, 2005). To understand the basis of abnormal psychology, it is essential to recognize that the individuals who make up these categories fall very far at the other end of the normal spectrum.
You can learn about the answers to these questions and more in this overview of personality. Theories of Personality: A number of different theories have emerged to explain different aspects of personality. Some theories focus on explaining how personality develops while others are concerned with individual differences in personality. The following are just a few of the major theories of personality proposed by different psychologists: Trait Theories * Gordon Allport's dispositional perspective * Hans Eysenck's three-trait model * Myers-Briggs Types * "Big Five" Personality Dimensions Psychoanalytic Theories: * Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development Freud's theory of psychosexual development is on of the best known personality theories, but also one of the most controversial. Learn more about the psychosexual stages of development.
The definition of personality in which this essay will refer to must first be established. According to Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo (2010), personality is a unique combination of feelings, attitudes, thoughts, impulses, behaviour and habits that characterize how the individual will typically react across a range of situations. Personality is currently widely believed to have some innate qualities and other qualities which are developed through the interaction which the environment (Pastorino, & Doyle-Portillo, 2010). An important area to note is that it is how one will typically react, thus personality will guide our behaviour but it is not fixed. There are various other views of what personality is according to different psychologists, yet this is the definition which has been adopted for this paper.
Journal 1: Personality Theory A personality theory is a theory is an attempt to describe and explain how people are similar, how they are different, and why every individual is unique. (p.445) There are many personality theories but for the most part they are grouped into four basic perspectives: The Psychoanalytic Perspective: Freud’s theory of personality, which emphasizes unconscious determinants of behavior, sexual and aggressive instinctual drives, and the enduring effects of early childhood experiences on later personality development. (p.445) Humanistic Perspective: theoretical viewpoint on personality that generally emphasizes the inherent goodness of people, human potential, self-actualization, the self-concept, and healthy personality development. (p.459) Social Cognitive Perspective: Albert Bandura’s theory of personality, which emphasizes the importance of observational learning, conscious cognitive processes, social experiences, self-efficacy beliefs, and reciprocal determinism. (p.463) Trait Personality: trait theories of personality focus on identifying, describing, and measuring individual differences in behavioral predispositions.
On the other hand, cognitivists believe that by reflecting on our own experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world. Though theses two schools of psychology are very much different, they do have their similarities. Behaviorism and cognitivism are similar in that they both attempt to explain and describe how learning occurs in individuals. Both are also valuable learning theories. They observe the response individuals make to different situations or different conditions.
Social psychologist observe human behavior and significance of influence by outside sources such as people, society, environment, and culture. Social psychologist focus on facts that underline human behavior in social settings and how individuals’ conduct him or herself under various conditions, thus, leading to behavior, actions, and feelings. According to Mcleod (2007), “Topics examined in social psychology include: the self-concept, social cognition, attribution theory, social influence, group processes, prejudice and discrimination, interpersonal processes, aggression, attitudes and stereotypes” (para. 3). Social Psychology