The untrained individuals would look at psychopathology as being a study of mental disorders on the mere manifestation of different behaviors. However, we in the field of psychology would determine what is by going through the basics. It is commonly referred to as abnormal psychology which is the clear understanding of nature, certain treatments, and the many different causes. There are several ways in fact to where individuals in the field of psychology may use to explain psychology. For example, one psychologist may use descriptive psychopathology to which will strive to provide answers for symptoms or mental illness.
Researchers know certain structuresof the brain that contribute to the formation of flashbulb memories, but no one really understands the whole process. Berrios tried to fill in this gap with his theory in his scholarly article Flashbulb memories and other repetitive images: A psychiatric perspective. He stated that “flashbulb memories could be formed by the activity of an ancient brain mechanism evolved to capture emotional and cognitive information relevant to the survival of the individual or group” (E.Berrios, 1999, pg.115). The severity of the incident that one experiences is also a good indicator in the creation of a flashbulb memory. Encarta states that studies that have shown that
When a person suffers with psychological distress the way in which they interpret situations can become skewed, which in turn has a negative impact on the actions they take. He named these cognitions "automatic thoughts" because he believed that people were not necessarily aware that the cognitions existed, but that they could identify these types of thoughts when questioned closely. Beck believed that pushing his clients to identify these automatic thoughts was integral to overcoming a particular difficulty (Westbrook et al, 2007). Beck was later influenced by Ellis in his work around Behavioural Therapy and the idea that people can overcome psychological issues by altering the way they perceive an experience and in turn use this to change their attitude and behaviour towards experiences which enable the person to have positive feelings instead of negative. Becks studies found that patients’ automatic thoughts fell into three categories, the patients had negative ideas about themselves, the world and/or the future and these thoughts could lead to anxiety and depression.
Unfamiliar is not the same as abnormal, distinction between these two is vital to understanding psychopathology and those affected by mental illness. As abnormal psychology evolves and progresses in treatments, therapies, and research the central theme of the six core concepts continues to guide researcher. These six concepts define and provide understanding of abnormality. The concepts also illustrate the range between normal and abnormal behavior of individuals experiencing personality disorders. Another concept is studying cultural and historical relativism in defining and classifying abnormality in relation to environment.
Emma Culloty BIRMI2A 11 Evaluate the extent to which Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can help us to understand a Client’s presenting issue. Freud’s theory of psychosexual development is a theory that has caused a large amount of debate and can be seen as quite a contentious issue, particularly when using this theory to try and understand a client’s presenting issue. This essay will look into Freud’s psychosexual theory and will describe how it relates to adult neurotic behaviour. The essay will then look at the critiques of Carl Jung and Erich Fromm and will look at the ideas surrounding Jung’s collective consciousness and Fromm’s view based on a sociological perspective, where the person is able to decide for them and how problems can arise for a client when this does not happen. This essay will also look at the role of women and homosexuality and discuss whether Freud’s views where based on a cultural prejudice when he devised the psychosexual theory.
Neutral hypnosis is when a person is hypnotized before any hypnotic suggestions are given. Changes appear to occur to data points to change in the way different cognitive systems of the brain communicate in neutral hypnosis and may account for the experience subjects have of mental absorption, reduction of spontaneous thoughts and sense of detachment" (Beattie-Moss March, 2014). Hypnosis as a brain research tool for hysterical blindness, hysterical paralysis, and visual neglect have been used with promising effects. Conclusion Hypnosis has a brighter future than it did before neuro-imaging. There is still a lot of research to be done to lend credence to this form of mental suggestion.
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was created to help measure the needs for power, intimacy, and achievement in regards to motivation. The motivational view I agree with the least is the psychoanalytic view. “The psychoanalytic view of human motivation suggests that behavior is ultimately determined by unconscious sexual and aggressive drives and by the complex intrapsychic conflicts that arise in daily life.” (Pinel, J.P.J. 2008. p. 299). Freud had some beliefs that I believe have been outdated and further researched since his time.
Describe and evaluate the psychodynamic approach. Refer to at least one topic in your answer (12 marks) One assumption of the psychodynamic approach is that much of our behaviour is determined by the unconscious. Our behaviour is caused by unconscious mental processes which cannot be accessed. Freud the founder of the psychodynamic approach created a way of trying to understand these unconscious processes called psychoanalysis and is a treatment aimed to gain an insight of a patients repressed conflicts in their unconscious mind. This enables the client to have greater control over their emotions and reduce the likelihood of their symptoms.
The Psychodynamic Perspective The school of psychodynamics focuses on the interplay of the mental forces. It is said that humans have can have unconscious motives that underlie their true intentions. It is also said that the foundations of what was discovered rests on the evidence that people could be aware of their subconscious motivations while processing the things that affect their conscious thoughts that are related to their feelings, behaviors and intentions. Scientific studies show that psychodynamic perspective can reveal as to why a person’s actions are brought on by thoughts and feelings that would cause a reaction or a response in different situations. This school of study ultimately depends on the methods of the case studies that are performed to provide the necessary information that will clearly show them the evidence based on motivations.
Personality can mean many things but collectively the definition according to Feist & Feist in 2006, “…a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior” (Feist & Feist, 2006). It is hard to understand personality when no one can even agree about the true definition of personality so that is why we have to study it and assess the information that will help us understand what influences our own traits and characteristics. Quantifiable Human Nature The field of psychology is based on the basic ways in which humans will react through perceptions, position, and the point of views from of a lot of theorists. In the area of psychology according to Feist and Feist in 2009, “there are six dualistic dimensions on human nature and they are determinism versus free choice, pessimism versus optimism, causality versus teleology, conscious versus unconscious determinants of behavior, biological versus social influences, and finally uniqueness versus similarities” (Feist & Feist). First a thing where a human does anything willingly is called free choice.