Abstract This paper examines the theory put forth by John Bowlby on the four stages of attachment. It examines the development of attachment between mother and child and the caregiver relationship. It also deals with coping with separation and separation anxiety.
From the Paper "With his identification of the four stages of attachment, John Bowlby (1969) was instrumental in illuminating the changes in the development of attachment between mother and child. During the first phase of indiscriminate sociability, infants interact ..."
This paper discusses that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects not only veterans, but also everyday people who are caught in a very traumatic event, which is outside most common experiences.
Abstract This paper explains that, in laymen's terms, PTSD is withdrawing from society and reliving an extremely traumatic situation, such as a robbery or 9/11. The author points out that victims of PTSD may not even realize that they are ill. The paper relates that, although PTSD does not require everyone to be treated, we all should be aware of the disorder and the ways to cope with it.
From the Paper "PTSD is not just a label to those veterans who had a hard time with war. This truly ugly disorder affects many people, maybe you or someone you know. Unfortunately, for years it has been misdiagnosed and classified incorrectly. According to the National Institute of Mental Health consistent and reoccurring complaints of headaches, gastrointestinal, dizziness or even chest pain are commonly overlooked and results of PTSD. However, the majority of the time PTSD is misdiagnosed as an Acute Stress Disorder."
Abstract This paper argues that lack of maturity in adolescence, the link between increased criminal activity and alcohol consumption, the link between alcohol consumption at a young age and illicit drug use, and the high rate of alcohol-related deaths among young people are factors that overwhelmingly point to the need for a high legal age for alcohol consumption.
From the Paper "Due to the immaturity and lack of reasoning skills demonstrated by adolescents in their late teens, it is crucial for the legal age of consumption to be 21 rather than eighteen. Although the difference in age is only three years, a lot of maturation and responsibility is gained in this short time span. Often young adults have completed or nearly completed college in these three years, or have taken on the responsibility of a full time job. Many young adults move out of their parents? homes and establish their own lives that they must support independently through earning an income and behaving in a responsible manner. This increase in responsibility and maturity translates into a better understanding of the consequences yielded by one's actions and better decision-making. A twenty-one year old is better equipped through life experience to make responsible decisions regarding alcohol consumption than an eighteen year old is."
Abstract Structural Family Therapy is seen to be effective in treating dysfunctional and non-functional families by assessing their performance in relation to societal and/or community structures; that is, larger structures within which the family must function successfully. This paper explains how it is a particularly effective type of therapy in dealing with youth with drug problems, but can be used in any context. The writer tells how therapists using the structural paradigm approach families, often in familiar or household settings, as groups and groups-within-groups, and they encourage enacting and balance in structural paradigms that are based on power, joining/opposing, and roles and effective communications strategies. It points out that the model is generally attributed to Salvador Minuchin, who was most active in the mid-20th century.
From the Paper "Structural Family Therapy is most commonly associated with the innovative impact and methods of the Argentine Salvador Minuchin, who practiced as a family therapist in the mid-twentieth century and was renowned for his clinical acumen and ability to get families under his tutelage and moderation to make effective and lasting changes. Minuchin ?discovered two patterns common to troubled families: some are ?enmeshed,? chaotic and tightly interconnected, while others are ?disengaged,? isolated and seemingly unrelated? (Salvador, 1998). His method of assessing and contributing to functional families varied with the situation, and in Families and Family Therapy, the therapist set down what were to become the fundamentals of Structural Family Therapy."
Abstract This paper examines how the movie, "Twelve Angry Men," shows how social psychology plays an important role in our everyday life. Through an analysis of the four social psychological aspects of persuasion, prejudice, group think, and conformity, it demonstrates how psychology is important to decision making, clear thinking, and everyday attitudes.
From the Paper "Conformity is an action or behavior in correspondence with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules, or laws and can cause a change in behavior or beliefs to accord with others. In the initial vote, all men except for one vote guilty. During this vote it becomes clear that the men who are unsure of what they feel will go along with the majority without any apparent reason. This is shown when juror number five was easily swayed by the others when the others pressured them they voted one way. As the deliberation went on you can see that they changed their votes with really no reason."
Abstract This paper gives an analysis of how perception plays a vital role in the decision-making process of an organization. It examines the effect of perception, shortcuts to perception and how decisions are actually made. Also explored is the impact of perception on moral and ethical decisions.
From the Paper "What is perception? Perception is defined as the process by which people organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to the world around them (Robbins, 2005). Perception is basically how each individual views the world around them. What one perceives can be very different from actually reality (Robbins, 2005). The perception of one person will vary greatly from that of another person. Perception can have a huge impact on decision-making and on an organization's behavior in whole."
Abstract The paper discusses the subject of schizophrenia and utilizes the film "A Beautiful Mind," a movie based on the life of John Nash, to introduce the subject. In the movie Nash was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The paper shows how the movie portrays the misperception that genius predisposes people to mental illness. The movie portrays the insulin shock therapy and anti psychotic medications he was given,and his determination never to use them again. The paper shows that schizophrenia symptoms can differ greatly between patients, but they usually exhibit some combination of delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder , movement disorder and inappropriate emotional expression that adversely affects their daily life. Nash, as portrayed in "A Beautiful Mind," exhibited all of those symptoms. The paper highlights the prenatal risks that are connected to schizophrenia and also the many reasons why this topic is important in the practice of medicine and/or mental health.
From the Paper "There are many reasons why this topic is important in the practice of medicine and/or mental health. One reason is that it is a global problem with virtually all societies identify acute or chronic breakdowns in functioning, although the labeling is not universal. "There are significant gender variations in the findings surrounding schizophrenia. These include neuroanatomical differences, as well as differential developmental and behavioral patterns" (Galliano, 2003, p. 282). As we take individuals, regardless of gender, into account, an awareness of risk factors and then how they typically play out will be beneficial as we try to understand and help."
An assessment and description of the different aspects of the Peters' Chomsky's and Brown's theories in detail and opinions on which theory proves to be the most successful and credible based on research.
2,706 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 8 sources, 1999, $ 81.95
From the Paper "How does a child begin to speak? Why? These are questions that many linguists set out to answer as they explore the world of language acquisition. Three credible linguists, Ann M. Peters, Noam Chomsky, and Roger Brown, all have different opinions and theories of language acquisition. All of them address influences, grammar, and patterns of speech in their theories, but in different contexts. Chomsky believes it is genetic, Peters believes it is totally up to the environment, and Brown believes it is due to positive reinforcement and trial and error. All three theories are credible and have provided great insight into the ways children do acquire language. Language acquisition is a widely researched topic, and will continue to have new theories evolve as long as children keep talking. This paper assesses and describes different aspects of each linguists? theory in detail and offers the author's opinion on which theory proves to be the most successful and credible based on reasearch."
From the Paper "Over the past decades a number of prominent individuals have been attacked or killed by people with a psychosis or other mental disorders, including ex-Beatle John Lennon and former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan. Although these cases may be spectacular, violence and aggression displayed by the mentally ill is usually directed against partners or family members, rather than others (Danielson et al, 1998). There is little evidence of an increasing number of violent acts made by patients with psychosis, but literature suggests that patients with major mental disorders have an increased risk for committing such acts compared with the general population (Munro, 2000). ). Fed by highly selected information in the mass media about their very rare contribution to one type of tragedy, homicide, the public and politicians believe, or are being encouraged to believe through the mass media, that unless people with a mental disorder are once more segregated, the streets will not be safe."
From the Paper "Pathological Internet Use or Internet Addiction is a type of impulse control disorder (Holliday 10). Psychologists put it under this category because the effects of chemicals produced in the brain during Internet use haven?t been properly documented. The addiction is similar to an obsessive compulsive disorder and is also often compared to alcoholism. ?An estimated five to ten percent of people who use the Internet can be classified as having a problem".
Abstract A look at Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a learning disability and a form of mental retardation, which is hereditary. The author discusses the risk factors involved, statistics of the disability and clinical characteristics of the disease and offers some treatment information.
From the Paper "Of all the learning disabilities and forms of mental retardation, which are hereditary, Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common. Fragile X Syndrome occurs in the X chromosome of the male or female. Inherited in an X-linked fashion, Fragile X Syndrome can cause intellectual and cognitive deficits ranging from subtle learning disabilities and normal IQ to the other extent of severe mental retardation including autistic behaviors in both males and females. The clinical characteristics can be divided into 3 major areas: cognitive, physical, and behavioral."
Abstract A detailed explanation of the cognitive dissonance theory. The author examines how humans make decisions according to this theory and provides a definition, explanation and example of how the cognitive dissonance theory functions in everyday life.
From the Paper "Cognitive Dissonance Theory, developed by Leon Festinger, is concerned with the relationships among cognitions. Cognition, for the purpose of this theory, may be thought of as piece of knowledge. The knowledge may be about an attitude, an emotion, a behavior, a value, and so on. Cognitive Dissonance is how do human beings make decisions. What triggers a person to take action at any given point? These are some of the questions that will be answered with explanation of Cognitive Dissonance, as well as many of other related theories covered in Myers Social Psychology."
Abstract A paper discussing the topic of music therapy. Several instances of how music has been proven to have healing qualities for the mind, body, and soul are examined. The author looks at topic of vibrational healing.
From the Paper "Music has always been a part of our lives. It can make us sing, dance, and tap our toes to its rhythms. It has the power to make us laugh or cry. Music can help us remember special times or create a new memory. Over the years, the interest in the amazing effects of music on our lives has dramatically increased. The study of these effects of music is called music therapy. Although many different types of music can yield many different results, researchers discovered that most of these results come from either baroque or classical music, such as music composed by Bach or Mozart and improve the well being of people. This is also known as vibrational healing, which is the utilization of the sounds of the voice and instruments to improve the body; the instruments may be musical or just ordinary objects that make a particular sound, such as a tuning fork. Because of this, people of all ages have been shown to benefit from the positive effects music has on the body and the mind."
Abstract This paper explains how the human memory works and includes detailed information about the complexity and the exact organs of the brain and how these organs affect memory. Included are the differences between long term and short term memory and tips on how to remember information more efficiently.
From the Paper "Perhaps the most important thing scientists have found is that there is no single memory system in the brain. Instead, human memory is divided into at least two broad categories. These can be affected by disease, injury or aging. The first on is explicit memory. Explicit memory is the system that stores concrete knowledge like faces, names, and multiplication facts. This is the knowledge that a person can call up consciously. Implicit memory is the way the brain stores information that isn?t assimilated or called up consciously.(Colliers Encyclopedia CD-ROM) Examples of this are shooting a basketball or stopping a car."
This paper looks at " Lord of the Flies", and William Golding's introduction of the savage side of human nature through irony as he develops the characters, the discovery of the beast, and the final rescue of the children.
1,700 words (approx. 6.8 pages), 6 sources, 1999, $ 55.95
Abstract This essay examines the dark view of human nature in William Golding's novel, "Lord of the Flies". The author discusses Golding's recurrent theme of his fiction, the conflict between humanity's innate barbarism and the civilizing influence of reason. The paper focuses on the ironies in Lord of the Flies through the characters, the discovery of the beast, and the rescue of the boys.
From the Paper "The end of the novel hints that under such circumstances it is possible for humans to follow a course of action that will eventually result in its own destruction. Irony plays an important role in the rescue of the children because they leave one corrupt society to return to another. Against all expectations, the children in Lord of the Flies repress all noble instincts and embrace a life of savagery. Golding uses irony to demonstrate that humans are capable of intense evil as a result of their own natures and not because of any outside factors. His book suggests that civilization is the only thing that restrains mankind from a life of barbarism, but savagery also exists in civilization. After all, the children are stranded on the island as a result of a nuclear war and are rescued by a warship engaged in its own savage manhunt."
