Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology PSY 410 September 28, 2011 Abstract “The blunt realities of mental illness shatter our most deeply held convictions about the nature of human consciousness and behavior. The mentally ill are more different than us than we can imagine and more like us than we care to admit.” (Valentine, 2011) This quote paints a poignant and provocative picture of Abnormal Psychology. Its eloquent phrasing leads us to look at the concept of abnormality through multifaceted lenses exposing the fine line that defines normal and abnormal. In the fairly young science of Abnormal psychology we are asked to consider thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as viable ways to determine the mental wellness of an individual. It is through the understanding of the past that we may move forward into the future.
Neuropathy prevented Ian seeing where his body was which is a petrifying feeling; literally Ian was “The Man who Lost His Body”. It took a year for Ian to stand up safely and six months to put on his sock, this sensory process was long and tedious. This documentary taught me how we are fortunate to have sensory abilities; most people take it for granted because it’s natural. It was unbelievable how Ian recovered from this illness. The doctors told him that he will be in the wheel chair for the rest of his life but he was determined to regain his strength and movement.
Man is reluctant to move out into the overwhelmingness of his world, the real dangers of it (Becker, p. 53)…." Becker describes the world itself as a "nightmarish" and "demonic" environment that is essentially terrifying to our human consciousness, and in order to maintain our ability to function in our lives without this relative horror and despair, we build psychological defenses such as feelings of self worth and power, as if we control our life and death, though in effect we are actually hiding from life itself, or the true nature of reality. Though this declaration of morbid, subconscious self delusion as the primary mechanism of human survival is rather depressing, I believe that Becker supports this claim with effective and well developed psychological and philosophical conclusions, and in support of his position I believe that there is significant support of his hypotheses within many of the texts covered in this course, such as Aurelius, Nietzsche, and Sartre, whether or not they had even realized this themselves. In order to fully
In fact, it makes something such as an eye-witness interview more difficult to interpret since the person undergoing Hypnosis can change what really happened to a fantasy that they imagines. Hypnosis is also one of many suggested procedures that cause a negative impact on memory reports (Scoboria, Mazzoni, Kirsch & Milling, 2002). When one is under hypnosis their perception becomes distorted and there is a significant increase in error when researchers placed people under trial. Researchers tested the use of hypnosis versus a series of misleading questions. A misleading question can also be thought of as a “trick question”.
The Essence of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: A Comprehensive Approach to Treatment by Albert Ellis, Ph.D. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a comprehensive approach to psychological treatment that deals not only with the emotional and behavioral aspects of human disturbance, but places a great deal of stress on its thinking component. Human beings are exceptionally complex, and there neither seems to be any simple way in which they become “emotionally disturbed,” nor is there a single way in which they can be helped to be less-defeating. Their psychological problems arise from their misperceptions and mistaken cognitions about what they perceive; from their emotional underreactions or overreactions to normal and unusual stimuli; and from their habitually dysfunctional behavior patterns, which enable them to keep repeating nonadjustive responses even when they “know” that they are behaving poorly. PHILOSOPHICAL CONDITIONING REBT is based on the assumption that what we label our “emotional” reactions are largely caused by our conscious and unconscious evaluations, interpretations, and philosophies.
Acute Cystitis Introduction: Marvin Brown, 42 year old male complains of having to void constantly, as well as painful urination and hematuria. He noted that immediately after he voids he feels the need to void again but nothing comes out. He states that this has been going on for about a month, but refuses to visit the physician because he feels it’s a waste of time and money. He’s upset because majority of his day is spent standing over the toilet. After experiencing low back pain he decided to make a visit.
As precious this book might be for mental health professional, it also have its limitations such as: 1. The danger of over diagnosis 2. The power of diagnostic labels 3. The confusion of serious mental disorders with normal problems 4. The illusion of objectivity and universality.
Illusions fascinate and excite people because they challenge our understanding of “truth” and “reality”. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Collegiate Dictionary (2010), an illusion is 1. something that deceives or misleads intellectually; 2. a perception of something objectively existing in such a way, as to cause misinterpretation of its actual nature. But although illusions constitute a distortion of the reality, they are experienced by all humans. There are various kinds of illusions which occur with all our senses. However, optical illusions are the most intriguing and well known ones, as they prove wrong our default belief that what we see is real (Bach & Poloschek, 2006).
The Shadow Theory Everyone has a shadow. It is a dark unknown; it is faceless, mindless, and cannot survive without a host. Yet there is more to shadows, more than we can dare to ponder. Carl Jung, a well-distinguished psychiatrist explored the very idea of the shadow. He theorized a landmark idea that would prove to be controversial, but accepted.
Playing, caressing her, or just sitting by her side. But those six months went so fast; they were not enough to enjoy the time I wasted in other things while she was healthy. The only thing I did properly was saying goodbye, but that does not mean that her death hurt me less. I will never forget December 3th when my father called me during classes to inform me that Wanda had passed away. My