PlanetPapers.com RSS Feedhttps://www.planetpapers.com/ metacognitive writing questionniare 2018-03-20T03:42:43.31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/metacognitive-writing-questionniare-7010.aspx Cognitive Effects of Chocolate Ingestion-PSY325-Ashford University 2016-05-13T20:32:59.683-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cognitive-Effects-of-Chocolate-Ingestion-PSY325-Ashford-University-6955.aspx Personality Personality of Anson Anson Wong Ho 7 that can be postponed, is a satisfaction of higher needs leads to improved health and longevity; thus, Maslowcalled higher needs growth or being, needs. In what satisfaction of higher needs is beneficial psychologicallyand leads to contentment and happiness given by good external circumstances in a sequence of before next need becomes important, needs do not need to be fully satisfied. There are totally five needs including physiologicalneeds, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization need in the sequence of the basic needs to higher needs respectively. In details, physiological needs not only basic survival needs butalso have a greater personal impact as motivating forces in cultures where basic survival remains an everydayconcern. Safety needs are important drives for infants and neurotic adults’ e.g. youngsters react visibly andimmediately to any threat to their security and adults have learned ways to inhibit their reactions to dangeroussituations; moreover; visible indication of children’s safety needs is their preference for structure or routine, for an orderly and predictable world. Relevantly, avoidance to new experiences and preference for order over chaosare related. The meaning of belongingness and love needs is the expression through lover or mate and socialrelationship formed within a group, and this needs satisfied by association with and acceptance of others. Interms of failure to meet this need, fundamental cause of emotion maladjustment will be occurred. The sourcesof esteem can be classified into two- ourselves and others respectively. Self-worth and recognized status aresources for building self-esteem regarding to ourselves and others respectively. Satisfaction is based on severalneeds those are feeling confident of our strength, worth, and adequacy. In contrast, failure occurs due todissatisfy then leads to inferiority feelings and feelings of helplessness. Beyond the Hierarchy of Needs,cognitive needs are the second set of innate needs in order to know and to understand. Historical evidence Personality of Anson Anson Wong Ho 8 places cognitive needs above safety needs. Cognitive needs appear in late infancy and early childhood. In order to process self-actualization, cognitive needs are necessary since self-actualization is an abstract term; thus,cognitive development and its needs must be satisfy and mature. Self-actualization need is what Maslow calledhighest need, meaning fullest development of the self which depends on the maximum realization, andfulfillment of our potentials, talents and abilities. The foundations of forms are capability of maximizing personal abilities 2016-04-25T19:55:35.143-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Personality-6954.aspx Addictive Facebook Use among University Students 2015-08-24T07:02:58.433-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Addictive-Facebook-Use-among-University-Students-6945.aspx Mirror Nuerons I found the 2014-10-31T02:44:45.633-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mirror-Nuerons-6936.aspx correlation veruse causation Lorenzo Davis The great risk of drawing causal conclusions from correlational data is that it stifles psychological research and growth within the general scientific community. In the article, Why our Brains Do Not Intuitively Grasp Probabilities, Michael Shemar makes the argument that most people view probabilities as ultimate fact, and ignore small percentages as having little or no meaning. This information has practical applications for the examples in that just because there is a high probability that something is true, even if we intuitively believe that it is, does not prove that it is true. When researchers attempt to infer causation from correlational variables, they neglect to identify a real understanding of human dilemmas and societal problems. The correlational data that appears to support the idea that married couples below the federal poverty level have a higher rate of separation and divorce compared to their counterparts provides a rather overly simplistic explanation and overlooks other potential variables. Socioeconomic status may play a role in divorce and separation rates, but it is not the only role. Other contributing factors could cause married couples to divorce such as personality traits, lack of effective communication, mindfulness, infidelity, and coping strategies. Correlational data only demonstrates a relationship between two or more measurable variables, but attempting to draw conclusions from them only confirms one’s own biases and pre-conceived notions. The example of African Americans having low socioeconomic status and stress, which contributes to separation and divorce, does not consider other possible variables. Socioeconomic status among African Americans and other minorities may have a correlation between high separations, but it is inaccurate to assume causation. The third variable problem could potentially have other variables such as discrimination and racism, which contributes to poverty, and ultimately split ups between couples. The Census Bureau study also found that married couples who got a divorce often fall below the poverty line. This evidence is convincing and understandable because married couples are no longer bringing in two sources of income, but other environmental factors such as the current status of the economy could contribute to a decrease in income. Again, the environmental context of divorce children does not necessarily mean that a child will divorce his or her partner when he or she gets older. Other factors such as infidelity, violence, drugs, lack of communication, mindfulness, and coping strategies could contribute to whether a divorce child is likely to divorce his or her spouse. 2014-03-14T19:14:14.763-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/correlation-veruse-causation-6923.aspx cross-cultural study of violence Lorenzo Davis Descriptive: a. Thai adolescents and Social Responsibility: Overcoming Violence in Schools and Creating Peace. b. Vineekararn Kongsuwan, Wandee Suttharungsee, Marguerite J. Purnell, & Christine E. Lynn. c. 2012 d. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences e. Vol 2, No. 11 178-187 Summary: This article is about understanding the cause of adolescent violent behavior within the culture of Southern Thailand schools and to learn more about the perceptions and attitudes that students, teachers, and parents have toward violence. Ultimately, the objective of this article not only focuses on adolescent’s social responsibility towards violence, but it also seeks to engage parents, students, teachers, and healthcare providers in a collaborative effort to reduce the abnormal culture of violence in Southern Thailand schools. The objectives were met by qualitative research designs such as focus groups and in-depth interviews with the teachers, parents, and students. Some of the designs focus on parent’s responsibility toward their children’s violent behavior; others focus on peer pressure, trust factors, student non-violent methods, and the normative subculture of violence. The methods were designed to identify the perceptions of violence within Thailand Schools. The authors found that peer influences, lack of personal responsibility, lack of trust, and feelings of frustration for promoting non-violence correlates to the onset of violent behavior. They concluded that social responsibility towards violence requires community involvement whereby teachers, students, parents, and healthcare providers take an active role in reducing violence in Southern Thailand schools. The study influence the development of a curriculum that focuses on self-management strategies and prevention methods to create a safer, responsible, and academic learning environment. Critique: While I do believe that the researchers demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of the culture under study, I also believe that they did not expound upon the sub-cultural values inherent within southern Thailand, which gives rise to the perpetuation of violence. The researchers primarily focus on those who believed that violence is an abnormal behavior, rather than interviewing those who engage in violent acts. Their information came from those who only have an opinion about why violence occurs so rapidly within Southern Thailand schools. For these reasons, there is definitely a confirmation bias in this study design. Moreover, the researchers did not include parents in the focus groups, which defeat the purpose of integration and collective engagement. It also undermines the credibility of the researchers. Correlational research designs were used and qualitative individual interviews were implemented. The sample was obtained from a large Southern Thailand high school and the students’ parents. The 2014-03-14T19:01:11.077-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/cross-cultural-study-of-violence-6921.aspx Child Care Research Investigation of Child Care Options For this report I decided to do research on the Lipton Corporate Child Care Center, which is located in White Plains NY. I learned about this center through applying for a teaching position that they had available and within two weeks I was allowed to work for the center part time. While working this past week I was able to find out important information for parents who are interested in this Child Care Center. The Lipton Center is a corporate based company which only allows specific corporate companies to advertise their child care center through use of that company's human resource office. For example, the Heineken company advertises to their workers ( who have children) through e-mails or bulletin boards about the Lipton Center with permission from the center. If a parent wanted to find out more about the Lipton Center, there are numbers available for different sites and different states, there are centers all over the Tri State area, including Philadelphia, New Jersey, Virgina, and Washingtion DC. Usually parents will notify their Human Resource office about their interest in the center and the office will set up a meeting at the specific location in which the parent requested. If a parent was interested in the White Plains location, they would be meeting with Rebecca Rosenberg where she would discuss all the available options that would accommodation the parents and the child. If parents wanted to enroll their child into the program, the average cost for children 3-12months at 3 days a week would be $362 dollars, any additional days would be an additional $133 dollars. The older the child is the less costly it becomes, for example if a child is over 37 months, it is $232 dollars for 3 days a week, the additional cost for extra days would be $0 dollars. Before the parents can have the center care for their child, they first must pay a one time registration fee and fill out a registration packet which includes a photo of the child and requires a yearly medical exam form to be filled out by the child's doctor. The Lipton child care program includes: drop off at 8 am/ 6 pm pick up, light snacks every 3 hours, nap time, diaper change every 2 hours, arts and crafts, and out door activities. You will find a newly designed 2007-10-13T16:26:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Child-Care-Research-6781.aspx Child Care Research Investigation of Child Care Options For this report I decided to do research on the Lipton Corporate Child Care Center, which is located in White Plains NY. I learned about this center through applying for a teaching position that they had available and within two weeks I was allowed to work for the center part time. While working this past week I was able to find out important information for parents who are interested in this Child Care Center. The Lipton Center is a corporate based company which only allows specific corporate companies to advertise their child care center through use of that company's human resource office. For example, the Heineken company advertises to their workers ( who have children) through e-mails or bulletin boards about the Lipton Center with permission from the center. If a parent wanted to find out more about the Lipton Center, there are numbers available for different sites and different states, there are centers all over the Tri State area, including Philadelphia, New Jersey, Virgina, and Washingtion DC. Usually parents will notify their Human Resource office about their interest in the center and the office will set up a meeting at the specific location in which the parent requested. If a parent was interested in the White Plains location, they would be meeting with Rebecca Rosenberg where she would discuss all the available options that would accommodation the parents and the child. If parents wanted to enroll their child into the program, the average cost for children 3-12months at 3 days a week would be $362 dollars, any additional days would be an additional $133 dollars. The older the child is the less costly it becomes, for example if a child is over 37 months, it is $232 dollars for 3 days a week, the additional cost for extra days would be $0 dollars. Before the parents can have the center care for their child, they first must pay a one time registration fee and fill out a registration packet which includes a photo of the child and requires a yearly medical exam form to be filled out by the child's doctor. The Lipton child care program includes: drop off at 8 am/ 6 pm pick up, light snacks every 3 hours, nap time, diaper change every 2 hours, arts and crafts, and out door activities. You will find a newly designed 2007-10-13T16:25:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Child-Care-Research-6780.aspx Nurture VS Nurture INTRODUCTION The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature") versus personal experiences ("nurture") in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. The view that humans acquire all or almost all their behavioral traits from "nurture" is known as Tabula Rasa ("blank slate"). This question was once considered to be an appropriate division of developmental influences, but since both types of factors are known to play such interacting roles in development, modern psychologists consider the question naive - representing an outdated state of knowledge. APPROACHES The Scientific Approach: In order to disentangle the effects of genes and environment, behavioral geneticists perform adoption and twin studies. Behavioral geneticists do not generally use the term "nurture" in order to explain that portion of the variance for a given trait (such as IQ or the Big Five personality traits) that can be attributed to environmental effects. Instead, two different types of environmental effects are distinguished: shared family factors (i.e., those shared by siblings, making them more similar) and nonshared factors (i.e., those that uniquely affect individuals, making siblings different). In order to express the portion of the variance that is due to the "nature" component, behavioral geneticists generally refer to the heritability of a trait. With regard to the Big Five personality traits as well as adult IQ in the general U.S. population, the portion of the overall variance that can be attributed to share family effects is often negligible. On the other hand, most traits are thought to be at least partially heritable. In this context, the "nature" component of the variance is generally thought to be more important than that ascribed to the influence of family upbringing. In her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book The Nurture Assumption, author Judith Harris argues that "nurture," as traditionally defined in terms family upbringing and socioeconomic status, does not effectively explain the variance for most traits (such as adult IQ and the Big Five personality traits) in the general population of the United States. On the contrary, Harris suggests that either peer groups or random environmental factors (i.e., those that are independent of family upbringing) are more important than family environmental effects Although "nurture" has historically been referred to as the care given to children by 2007-10-13T10:59:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nurture-VS-Nurture-6779.aspx Nature vs. Nurture INTRODUCTION The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature") versus personal experiences ("nurture") in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. The view that humans acquire all or almost all their behavioral traits from "nurture" is known as Tabula Rasa ("blank slate"). This question was once considered to be an appropriate division of developmental influences, but since both types of factors are known to play such interacting roles in development, modern psychologists consider the question naive - representing an outdated state of knowledge. APPROACHES The Scientific Approach: In order to disentangle the effects of genes and environment, behavioral geneticists perform adoption and twin studies. Behavioral geneticists do not generally use the term "nurture" in order to explain that portion of the variance for a given trait (such as IQ or the Big Five personality traits) that can be attributed to environmental effects. Instead, two different types of environmental effects are distinguished: shared family factors (i.e., those shared by siblings, making them more similar) and nonshared factors (i.e., those that uniquely affect individuals, making siblings different). In order to express the portion of the variance that is due to the "nature" component, behavioral geneticists generally refer to the heritability of a trait. With regard to the Big Five personality traits as well as adult IQ in the general U.S. population, the portion of the overall variance that can be attributed to share family effects is often negligible. On the other hand, most traits are thought to be at least partially heritable. In this context, the "nature" component of the variance is generally thought to be more important than that ascribed to the influence of family upbringing. In her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book The Nurture Assumption, author Judith Harris argues that "nurture," as traditionally defined in terms family upbringing and socioeconomic status, does not effectively explain the variance for most traits (such as adult IQ and the Big Five personality traits) in the general population of the United States. On the contrary, Harris suggests that either peer groups or random environmental factors (i.e., those that are independent of family upbringing) are more important than family environmental effects Although "nurture" has historically been referred to as the care given to children by 2007-10-12T14:59:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nature-vs_-Nurture-6778.aspx Graduration Day Clemmitt, C Philosophy 195 Steven, C Graduation day and I’m freaking out. Panic is becoming my state of mind, as it’s hard to breathe and in the back of throat feels as if a monster is crawling up it. In about 10 seconds I will have to walk the across the stage, I don’t remember the following seconds leading up to the moment or even how I got here. How the hell could this have happen on graduation day? Outside it’s a warm sunny day as the line of students moves closer towards the podium I look out into the crowd to see anyone I know. I find myself at a lost again blinded by the sun reflection. I can not see a single face, but heard a girl behind me as she bumps into me and with a harsh whisper said, “You’re next”. I start to walk in slow motion in my green gown and with the first step I feel a thug from 2006-12-19T22:20:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Graduration-Day-6672.aspx Creating a profile of a developmental stage of the lifespan- adolescent Creating a profile of a developmental stage of the lifespan In this essay, I am going to discuss the developmental stage of the adolescent aged from 12 to 20 years old from the physical development like puberty and sexual maturity, the social development like peer pressure, popularity and rejection in school and the issues surrounding them like juvenile delinquency and gangs, eating disorders like obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia. I will also be touching on the causes of these issues. Physical Development during adolescence Between the ages of 12 to 20 is considered the most life changing, awkward and exciting stage of a human being’s life as they will go through the physical changes which might cause them to have some embarrassing moments. Physical and sexual maturation are processes set in motion by the genes and executed by hormones. Most males and females feel most awkward during this stage as it is during this time that physical attraction between the two sexes will develop and they become more conscious of their own appearance. Adolescents experienced the most dramatic physical changes during this stage as their body undergoes a range of transformation from child to adult. What they are experiencing is called puberty, the process of biological change that results in an individual’s attaining sexual maturity and becoming capable of producing a child. (Sigelman and Rider, 2006, p.130) As the level of growth hormones circulating in the body increases, the adolescent growth spurt is triggered. Girl’s peak growth for height is around 12 years while for boys it is 13.4 years. Both sexes will return to a slower rate of growth after experiencing that peak of growth spurt. Both sexes develop muscles rapidly but boys usually gain a greater proportion of muscle mass than girls. Girls will gain extra fats in the breasts, hips and buttocks while boys will develop broader shoulders. The sexual maturity part will follow, whereby it refers to the ability for a male to father a child and a female to carry a fetus to term. The primary sex characteristics like the testes and penis in males will develop around the age of 11 and a half years old while the ovaries, uterus and vagina in females will develop around 12 and a half years old. Secondary sex characteristics like breasts development for 2006-09-20T06:50:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/-Creating-a-profile-of-a-developmental-stage-of-the-lifespan-adolescent-6585.aspx Online Alexithymia Questionnaire (OAQ) Online Alexithymia Questionnaire target-factors: [GO TO THIS LINK FOR AN AUTOMATED VERSION OF THIS QUESTIONNAIRE: http://tinyurl.com/y9eerf ] F1 - Difficulty Identifying Feelings - When asked which emotion I’m feeling, I frequently don’t know the answer. - I have puzzling physical sensations that even freinds/aquaintences/others don’t understand. - When I am upset, I don’t know if I am sad, frightened, or angry. - I am often puzzled by strange sensations in my body. - I can’t identify feelings that I vaguely sense are going on inside of me - When involved in difficult or turbulent relationships, I sometimes develop confusing physical symptoms. F-2 - Difficulty Describing Feelings - It is difficult for me to find the right words for my feelings. - I am able to describe my emotions easily. - I find it hard to describe my feelings about other people - I get in a muddle when I try to describe how I feel about an important event. F - 2b Vicarious interpretation of feelings - I often ask other people what they would feel if in my personal situation (any situation), as this better helps me understand what to do. - I tend to rely on other people for interpreting the emotional details of personal/social events. - I like it when someone describes the feelings they experience under circumstances similar to my own, because this helps me see what my own feelings might be. F-3 - Externally-Oriented Thinking - I prefer to find out the emotional intricacies of my problems rather than just describe them in terms of practical facts. - You cannot functionally live your life without being aware of your deepest emotions. - I feel more comfortable talking to freinds about their daily activities rather than their feelings. - I prefer to watch "light" entertainment shows rather than psychological dramas. - I find examination of my feelings useful in solving personal problems. - I don't like movies or plays where more time is spent on the characters' motivation than on the action because it distracts from their enjoyment. - I make decisions based on principles rather than gut feelings. F - 4 - Restricted Imaginative Processes (This section targets the missing ‘spontaneous imagination’ as differentiated from ‘controlled imagination’) - When other people are hurt or upset, I have difficulty imagining what they are feeling. - People sometimes get upset with me, and I can’t imagine why - I am not much of a daydreamer - I don’t dream frequently, and when I do the dreams usually seem 2006-05-26T02:22:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Online-Alexithymia-Questionnaire-OAQ-6512.aspx Revenge Revenge cannot be explained through psychological analysis, revenge is a human instinct. It is traced back to the days of the cavemen, an eye for an eye, and a limb for a limb. Revenge is a reoccurring natural event that takes place when the jurisdiction of a government cannot act quick enough to eliminate emotion from justice. Justice is essentially revenge without the excess emotions involved. Justice is such an impersonal process that most if not all emotions are removed, making it justice and not revenge. “Revenge is a sort of savage justice,” Webster’s dictionary defines the word “savage” as not domesticated or under human control. Since justice is a human idea does that not mean that revenge is primal? Revenge is a primal instinct, native to man and only to be controlled by an invention of his. Revenge can often be seen in nature, in animals, in the state of nature. Before man had government he was free. Free from guidelines, free from rules, but bound by fear of his life, in fear of revenge. When 2006-01-17T08:38:49-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Revenge-6377.aspx Effects of Alcohol on the Brain Almost everyone has tried alcohol at some stage, and many also use it as a regular basis in parties and other special occasions. When a small amount of alcohol is consumed, it stimulates the appetite and makes it easier for people to produce conversations and it also gives relaxation and good feelings. However excessive drinking can cause serious negative effects. Some of the negative effects are that the individual will start to talk loudly, make inappropriate statements, act aggressively and even pass out. The effect of alcohol on the brain is what causes all these noticeable changes in human behavior. Alcohol has the most noticeable effect on the brain. Alcohol acts like a sedative, which means you feel soothing and relaxing effects. This could make someone feel more relaxed, and end up making fools of themselves and doing things that they later regret. Alcohol blocks the messages going to your brain, and alters your perceptions and emotions, vision, hearing, and coordination. When an individual consumes alcohol through the mouth, it firstly acts as an irritant and then an anesthetic. The stomach and intestinal lining absorbs the alcohol molecules, which are soluble in blood and carry them to the liver. While the liver metabolizes the alcohol the un-metabolized alcohol travels throughout the body. Since the alcohol molecules are very small, they will reach every cell in the body. Alcohol then depressed the functions of the body cells and the organs. The most sensitive organ to alcohol is the brain. The psychoactive ingredient in alcohol in ethanol. Like all the other psychoactive ingredients, ethanol affects the neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers that are manufactured in your brain by neurons and that influence your behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Molecules of all psychoactive substances are able to affect our thinking and behavior because they can cross the blood-brain barrier which is a shield of tiny capillaries in the brain that protects brain cells by screening out many potentially harmful substances. Alcohol affects many different portions of the brain. The first portion is the cerebral cortex. This part is the outermost layer which is responsible for coordinating sensation, perception, speech and judgment. When alcohol affects this portion of the brain the individual experiences slurred speech and misjudgments in thinking. The second portion of the brain affected by alcohol is the cerebellum, which is located at the back of the skull. This part is responsible for 2005-05-15T15:06:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Effects-of-Alcohol-on-the-Brain-6161.aspx Psychology Theories Sigmund Freud Biography Sigmund Freud was born on 6th May 1856 in Moravia’s town Freiberg. He lived the most of his life in Vienna. Freud was always a brilliant student in his classes. He went to a medical school and became involved in man researches lead by a professor of psychology named Ernst Brucke. Freud was a very good researcher and made new discoveries about his topics. From there he went on with many great psychiatrists like Charcot in Paris and Bernheim in Nancy. He found out a lot about hypnosis and hysterics. After studying abroad in Berlin, he cam back to Vienna and married Martha Bernays. Freud gained fame by writing many books and giving lectures about topics of psychology. During World War II, Freud came to England as Vienna was not a safe place for Jews. Soon after, he died from a mouth cancer disease. But by now Freud had discovered a lot about psychology and today people read his theories and believe in it. Contribution to the Theories of Personality In his life Freud introduced many theories of personality. Some of the main theories include: 1. The idea of conscious versus the unconscious. 2. The id, the ego, and the superego. 3. Life and Death instincts 4. Anxiety 5. The defense mechanisms 6. The stages 7. The Oedipal crisis 8. Character The first theory is the idea of conscious versus the unconscious. Freud defines the conscious mind as what one is aware of at any given moment, one’s present ideas and views, fantasies, thoughts, memories, and feelings. However Freud suggests that the conscious part of our brain is smaller than the unconscious. The unconscious part is the largest and it includes the things that one is not aware of, for example our instincts, memories, emotions, and things that we can’t bear to look at. Freud also says that the unconscious is what gives us motivation for desires of food or sex. The id, ego, and the superego is one of the famous theories introduced by Freud. The first of these is the id. The id works just to keep us pleased and happy. The id demands to take care of our immediate needs, for example if there is someone else’s food kept somewhere then the id forces the hungry person to take the food and don’t care about the consequences. The ego works with the reality principle. The ego takes care of a need by finding rational solutions that might not have harsh consequences, for example if 2005-05-05T02:57:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Psychology-Theories-6134.aspx Nature vs Nurture Nature is when a person is influenced by the inherited genes and nurture is when a person is influenced by the environment and surroundings. One example of nature would be, when a person has brown hair color naturally and he/she nurtures it by changing the color to black. Clearly the black hair color was inherited by the parents, an example of nature and the newly adapted black color was the influence by the environment, an example of nurture. So nature and nurture are two very different things and it’s the person’s choice which one he wants to portray. The nature versus nurture debate has been ever controversial. There is no clear answer to the dispute; however, there are many hypotheses. One of them is that, nature is the genetically inherited traits but nurture enhances it more and helps develop a person. This is the theory in which I believe in. A person inherits all he has, from his parents and then learns more from the environment around him. This is the complete and proper cycle of a person’s development. Although both nature and nurture affect our lifestyle, the influence of one is usually greater than the other. This might vary from people to people, however. Some people might have been more influenced by nature and some might have been more influenced by nurture. The people who are influenced mainly by nature are the ones who chose to take their values from their parents. The ones that are influenced by nurture are the people who usually take their trends from the environment around them. In my life, I have been influenced by both nature and nurture. However, I think nature has a greater affect on me. This is because I take all my decisions based on what I have learned from my parents. I do mix up with the environment and sometimes you need to adjust in the environment by changing your personality. However, this is not the case with me. I take all my values from my parents and I believe that this is the right thing to do. Taking values from the environment is not a very good idea. This is because you never know what you are adapting from the environment is going to be good or bad for your future. Nature really influences my life greatly. This is reflected by my own personality. If I go to 2005-05-05T02:56:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nature-vs-Nurture-6133.aspx SOMEONE IS THERE FOR YOU So many 2005-02-28T07:55:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/SOMEONE-IS-THERE-FOR-YOU-6033.aspx The Branch Davidian Cult The Branch Davidian Cult, which was until its demise headed by Warren Jeffs, had over 6000 members at its peak. These 6000 members lived in sister cities of Hildale and Colorado City in the barren US state of Utah. The cult in which control is the key is now considered by many to be closer to a terrorist organisation. The Branch Dividians had originated in the Seventh-day Adventist church where they in turn began to follow a “Millerite” which in short is a movement that believes the Bible sets out a date for the end of the world. The Branch Davidians began mainly as The Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists headed by self proclaimed prophet, Victor Houteff, after his death his wife Florence took over leadership, proclaiming that the world would end in 1959. When the world kept on going, the Davidians dispersed although a number reformed under the leadership of Ben Roden, the new group named themselves the Branch Davidians. After Ben Rodden’s death in 1978, his wife Lois took over the running of the organisation and made the most famous of all the cult’s proclamations, that the Holy Spirit was female and brought the female aspect into the Trinity. Vernon Hall, later David Koresh, joined the Branch Davidians in 1981 and in 1983 he has his first vision from God. In 1990, after much friction between himself and other members, Hall became the leader of the Branch Davidians. On 28 February 1993 a raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas is beaten back by the Davidians. On 19th April another raid occurs. During the fire fight the compound explodes into flames, killing eighty-six people, including seventeen children. Vernon Howell (David Koresh) also dies in the flames. There are only nine survivors: Renos Avreem, Jaime Castillo, Graeme Craddock, Misty Ferguson, Derrick Lovelock, Ruth Ottman-Riddle, David Thibodeaux, Marjorie Thomas and Clive Doyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents initiated the raid and other agencies soon joined the long stand off. The details become very sketchy at this time, with the cult proclaiming that they won the initial skirmishes while the agencies say that they severely damaged the cult members during these incidents. This is the same with the details of how the building was set on fire, the cult members say that they government agents light the building on fire 2004-08-17T11:29:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Branch-Davidian-Cult-5761.aspx CREATING A BETTER CIVILIZATION A fight breaks out between two sixth grade boys during lunch. One of the boys pulls out a gun from his back pocket and starts to shoot into the crowd surrounding him. Four children and one teacher fall dead. Who is to blame for this awful outcome? The parents who have brought the child into this world, or the school where he spends most of his days? This is a common issue in today’s society. Many of us feel that society should tend to our children, and that all of us are equally to blame for a child that turns to violence. But shouldn’t the parents take the responsibility for their children’s behavior? In my opinion they should take full responsibility for how their children behave. There are many things a parent can do to raise respectable children, eliminate child abuse, educate themselves to benefit their children, reduce their children’s stress, become a good role model, and teach their children respected values of society. One factor under the control of parents contributing to violent behavior in children is child abuse. There is no doubt that early child abuse and neglect place one at increased risk for adult criminal behavior. In a study at Indiana University they found that 26% of child abuse and neglect victims became juvenile offenders and 17% were arrested for violent crimes (Verny, 1997). Education given to parents before their children are born and through out their child’s lives would greatly reduce these numbers and stop the cycle of violence. It is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children positive social values. There are many things that educated parents can do also to help their children become more well-rounded and healthy individuals. Most parents today work full time, leaving less time for them to spend with their children. This however should not stop those parents from teaching their children how to become ethical, responsible people. America’s future depends on our raising children who will become “soulful citizens, people who have values and beliefs that society approves of”, with the skills, confidence, and commitment to make a difference in the world. (Loeb, 1999). From the moment of conception there are many things a parent can do to influence their children, parents can show them happiness, sharing, respect and how to make healthy friends. 2004-05-16T22:27:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/CREATING-A-BETTER-CIVILIZATION-5656.aspx Investigative Process Mental Health: A Look Into Anxiety Disorders Anxiety and fear are often thought of as the same thing, but are actually somewhat different. Fear is thought of as a response to the presence or imminence of danger. Anxiety, on the other hand, can be looked at as a response that was created through learning or life experiences. Anxiety disorders are very common and may eventually turn every day tasks into unbearable and overwhelming activities. General symptoms of anxiety disorders can include the feeling of panic, uncontrollably obsessive thoughts, sweating or chills, and muscle tension, among others. If untreated, people with anxiety disorders tend to get progressively worse. Anxiety disorders consist of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia), phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia), obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. The anxiety disorders are also the most common, or frequently occurring, mental disorders. Panic disorders may seem like normal occurrences, but they can occur at inappropriate times and be considered, in some cases, extreme. Mainly, people with panic disorders experience a phenomenon called panic attacks. Key symptoms in people with panic attacks include the fear of losing control, a pounding heart, nausea, dizziness, feelings of unreality, numbness, and even shortness of breath, triggered by a stressful situation. The trigger causing panic attacks differs, depending on the person. Many people who have experienced panic attacks compare the feeling to a heart attack and report intense feelings of fear, along with the urge to escape from their location. Panic attacks can also leave a person feeling extremely anxious, constantly awaiting the next attack to occur, and often reach their peak within 10 minutes or less. There are three types of panic attacks; unexpected, situationally bound, and situationally predisposed. Unexpected attacks have no specific trigger, occurring without notice. Situationally bound panic attacks, on the other hand, take place when a person is exposed or has thoughts about being exposed to a certain trigger. For instance, exposing a person, or them just them thinking about being exposed to something they fear can, in turn, cause a situationally bound panic attack. Situationally predisposed attacks commonly occur when someone is exposed to a trigger but does not necessarily mean that every time exposed, an attack will occur. A person who is scared of flying doesn’t necessarily get scared every time they are on a plane, therefore making this a situationally predisposed panic attack. Also, this 2004-04-14T21:50:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Investigative-Process-5568.aspx The Science of Interpreting a Ghost Ghost is something that some believe and some won't. But still most of them get frighten to some extend, when they watch terrific horror films. Perhaps it is due to the terrific sounds or special effects that imposes ones mind. But there is a specific science that has the ability to explain the concepts of the spirits or ghosts called Adhyathma (A study centered around the soul)in the Ancient Indian script. According to the teachings of the ancient scripture Bhagavad Gita, the brain (and the body in general) is only a mechanical device used by the spirit soul (the actual self). It is described that just as a passenger rides in a chariot, in the same way the spirit soul is riding in this vehicle of the body. The scriptures state that one who commits suicide will have to remain as a ghost for the period of time that one's body was supposed to exist. A ghost is nothing but a person with no physical body. According to the sankhya system, our body is made up of two coverings, the sukshma-sharira (subtle body) and the sthula-sharira (gross body). The gross body is made up of the panca-bhutas (earth, water, fire, air and ether), and the subtle body is made up of the mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi) and identification (ahankara). It is the subtle body which accompanies the soul into the next body at the time of death. The gross physical body has a particular duration of existence based on one's prarabdha karma(results of the deeds of his previous incarnation).When one commits suicide, one brings one's physical body to an end prior to it having completed it's allotted time. One's next body is prepared in the akasha (ether), ready to manifest at the end of one's allotted time (the normal death of one's physical body). Thus if one was supposed to live for 100 years, one's next body will be waiting for you after that 100 years. If for some reason one were to commit suicide at the age of 50, then one's next body will not be ready, and one will remain in an ethereal state until the balance 50 years of existence pass. This state of existing as a ghost is a great suffering for the individual, as they lack the senses through which to act. The desires to act 2003-12-17T07:27:53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Science-of-Interpreting-a-Ghost-5367.aspx Issues in Personality Theory (an opinion essay) Free will means that one has control of themselves and their own destiny; determinism would argue that everything that happens is dictated by what happened in the past, and that one does not have the freedom to choose and control their fate due to other controlling factors. I believe that determinism is the deciding factor in fate and destiny. An individual may be able to sontrol their destiny to some extent by consciously working toward a specific life goal or desired result, however it is impossible for someone to control every antagonistic factor around them. As sometime or another, everything will be altered by a disruptive uncontrollable force. However, one could also argue that those disruptive forces are not antagonists but are actually a major part of our destiny, and that they are redirecting and guiding us toward our predestined life events and ends. Hence, because of the many uncontrollable factors in life, free will is ultimately useless. As for the idea of everything being dictated by what happened in the past, this is questionable. It has been said that everything and individual does, whether it is good or bad, will eventually be returned to them. There is no proof of this actually occurring; it is merely an assumption made based on something that may be nothing more than pure coinsidence. In the Nature v. Nurture issue, the nature side states that character and intelligence are largely inherited and that certain ideas are inborn, whereas the nurture side of the debate argues that our human traits develop through experience. In my opinion, both nature and nurture contribute to our overall personality and intelligence. It is true that certain traits are inherited from out parents; this has been proven in the twin and adoption studies. An adopted child, even after never meeting their biological parents, will eventually manifest certain traits of their natural parents. Likewise, twins that have been separated at birth who are reunited in adulthood will often have many astonishing similarities. However, while some of our personality traits and intelligence are inherited from our parents, the nurture we experience from conception and our personal life experiences play key roles in what make our individual personalities. Experience is perhaps the greatest teacher, and it can completely make or change 2003-12-14T00:31:14-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Issues-in-Personality-Theory-an-opinion-essay-5358.aspx Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory Bandura helped reshape the theoretical landscape of behaviorism and personality by creating his own theory, the social learning theory. Bandura agrees with the fundamental thrust of behaviorism that personality is largely shaped through learning. However, he contends that conditioning is not a mechanical process in which people are passive participants. Bandura’s foremost theoretical contribution has been his description of observational learning, which occurs when an organism’s responding, is influenced by the observation of others. Bandura maintains that people’s characteristics patterns of behavior are shaped by the models that they are exposed to. In observational learning, a model is a person whose behavior is observed by another. According to social learning theory, models have a great impact on personality development. Children learn to be assertive, conscientious, self-sufficient, and dependable and so on. Bandura discusses how a variety of personal factors (aspects of personality) govern behavior. The factor he has emphasized the most in recent years is self-efficacy, which refers to one’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviors that should lead to expected outcomes. He claims that when self-efficacy is high, people feel 2003-12-12T07:06:19-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Freud-s-Psychoanalytical-Theory-5346.aspx A Critical Assessment of Hypnosis In the journal article entitled, “The Use of Hypnosis to Help an Anxious Student with a Social Communication Disorder to Attend School” I will elucidate how a student with a social communication disorder was treated by use of hypnosis. I will first explain what hypnosis is and two common types of hypnosis. “Hypnosis is a procedure done by the therapist that suggests to the subject that he or she experiences changes in perception, thoughts, behaviors and feelings” (Bryon 126). Hypnosis is not a new topic to the general population, but is well acknowledged. Hypnosis is not for everyone, because some people can overcome their problems and do not need to use hypnosis. One way someone can identify their problem is to monitor their physical symptoms, like increasing blood pressure, sweating, unable to stand up or speak, and unable to remain attentive. Stress and phobias also contribute to having disorders (Byron 125). Many researchers have come to the conclusion that they can use hypnosis as an apparatus for a wide list of problems. One way is suggesting how the subject should behave or react. There are two ways hypnosis can be induced. In one way hypnosis is induced by oneself, and the other is done by someone else, usually a professional therapist. In order for hypnosis to work one must be in a relaxed state, and must desire to be hypnotized. The client, named J, is a student whose age is 15 (Byron 126) J is able to think academically, but unable to deal with social communication, either in entering a classroom or participating in the classroom discussions. J has had a history of anxiety problems from little on. From age 7 up to 12 J’s focus was not strong, and his rude behavior was apparent in his classes. As the years proceed on, situation only becomes worse because stress and tension are higher. This can create serious barriers that some people can not handle, because of all the challenging activities that need to be done. This is apparent in J since he will not attend classes anymore, because he is too frightened of what people might think of him though his actions. When J reached the stage of being so afraid of even being out in the community, his counselor at his school helped him get in to 2003-11-30T23:30:29-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Critical-Assessment-of-Hypnosis-5297.aspx Adolescence: Whose Hell is It? Throughout the article, “Adolescence: Whose Hell is It?” by Virginia Rutter, there is an astonishing analysis on the way teens behave today and how parents are responding to their behavior in return. Rutter points out that as the adolescent rates of depression, suicide, substance abuse, delinquency, sexual activity, and health problems drastically increase, there are too few parents who are responding to the needs of their adolescent children. Parents are clearly the most influential models outside of the school, which can altar the amount of success in the classroom. The author discusses how adolescents are emotionally and mentally separate from both children and adults because they can’t reason like adults, however they think more maturely than children. In this scenario it is very easy for a parent to continue to treat their teenage son or daughter like a child, which could lead to an early decaying relationship with the parent. Within American society, kids entering into their adolescent years usually bring a social stigma that culturally depicts teenagers as rebellious and lazy youths. Rutter explains that parents also continue to carry this social stigma with their own children. A report within the article stated that teens overall still have high levels of respect towards their parents. However, “when fighting does occur, it’s in families with younger teenagers, and it has to do at least in part with their burgeoning cognitive abilities” (Rutter 119). Rutter also explains that while teenagers naturally develop a surge of hormonal activity during the first few years of adolescence, there can tend to be more aggression and depression within the adolescent. However, Rutter believes that it is the parents who truly effect the way the teenager thinks and acts. The relationship through parents and their adolescent children will always be a mutual one. If the mutual relationship is broken on either end, than there will be consequences for both the parent and the teenager. Rutter believes that if parents don’t keep positive attitudes towards their adolescent child then it can have harsh affects on their own feelings. “Scientists have studied the behavior and emotions of parents as well as their adolescent children, and found that when children reach puberty, parents experience tremendous changes in themselves” (Rutter 119). For instance, Rutter points to how marital satisfaction in fathers is directly affected by how actively their adolescents are dating. She also discusses the impact of working parents. Working parents may become 2002-11-16T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Adolescence-Whose-Hell-is-It-5157.aspx Anxiety Anxiety disorders are the most common of all the mental disorders. They affect an estimated 8 to 10 of every 100 children and adolescents. Anxiety is the brain’s way of telling the body that there is danger, something difficult, or something painful coming. It is a biological process that tells us when we can stay where we are, and when we either need to protect ourselves or move to a safer place. When the brain tells the body there is danger, the Sympathetic Nervous System starts up, making the person anxious. They increase their oxygen by breathing faster and shallower. It increases the heart rate and the blood to muscles of the arms and legs. It is also what makes the body focus its attention on running, fighting, ducking, etc. The Sympathetic Nervous System is what causes you to have clammy hands and feet, an upset stomach, or a sense of dread when you’re anxious. When studying worry, scientists found more activity in the left-hemisphere. Worry is associated more with obsessing, going over and over something, or making up stories in your head. When the brain recognizes that you’re not in danger anymore, the Parasympathetic Nervous System goes to work doing the exact opposite, to bring the systems back to normal. Sometimes the brain gets stuck in the Sympathetic (survival) mode, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System doesn’t receive the response to start. This is when an anxiety disorder develops. Anxiety helps you cope by getting you ready to face a threatening situation. It makes you alert and gives you an adrenaline boost to help you perform better. When the anxiety/fear makes you unable to perform an activity, lasts for months after the event has passed, and/or is more intense, there’s an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are illnesses that cause people to experience excessive fear, worry, or uneasiness that interferes with their daily lives. There are many different anxiety disorders. Some are: <ul><li>Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – people with this disorder suffer from excessive, unrealistic worry that lasts six months or more. They tend to be very hard on themselves (perfectionists) sometimes doing tasks repeatedly. They also might seek constant approval or reassurance from others. Symptoms include trembling, muscle aches, insomnia, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, headache, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. <li>Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – people with this disorder have persistent, recurring thoughts (obsessions) that form from exaggerated fears. The obsessions sometimes lead to over-performing a routine 2002-09-25T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Anxiety-5018.aspx Sensation <H2>The Senses Act as A Data Reduction System</H2> Sensation is the stimulation of the sense organs by the external and internal environments. Sensations shape impressions of reality by interpreting the process that the individual feels, touches, smells and sees the world around. As Coon (1995) states The senses act as a data reduction system. Not only do the senses reduce data from both environments, but they also create a subjective reality by going beyond the raw data. The senses only experience a limited potion of energy available. Each of the five senses respond to different energy forms, the eye only responds electromagnetic energy (Waves which vary in the distance between one peak and the next), which is further reduced as the human can only see 10% of the electromagnetic spectrum although humans rely heavily on the eye to perceive the objective reality. It is believed that humans can only detect sensations necessary for their survival, as humans can not see things such as sona, while bats can. It may appear simple process to create reality, but infact it is a very complex process. There are several stages that the eye goes though to enable sight as the eyes and brain together form the visual system. When the light falls on the retina the feature detectors (specialised neutrons that respond to certain attributes of the stimuli) then respond to specific features of the information received. Transduction is a process that converts electromagnetic energy from the external reality into electrochemical energy so the brain and nervous system can use. It occurs at the back of the eye, and happens because the brain can only interpret one form of energy, meaning that all senses detect other forms of energy and then transduce it into electrochemical energy. As the electromagnetic energy is being transduced, it is also sorted and isolated. This process is known as selection. While moving though anywhere in the neural pathways to the brain, the image is coded into things such as size, colour and movement by things known as feature detectors. The image is further then reconstructed at the back of the brain. Interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to sensory information detected previously by the visual detectors. Our ability to detect the environment depends on what signals our nervous system is able to detect, further contributing to Coon’s statement that the senses act as a data reduction system. The senses act limit 2002-08-23T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sensation-4958.aspx How forgetting occurs Without memory (An active information processing system, that receiveds, organises, stores and retrives information) every moment would be a new experience. Forgetting (the inability to retrive previously stored information) occurs when the information is not availble or accesible. Because psychologists don’t know exactly how memories are stored, or what form they take, it is not possible to say exactly how the individual forgets.. However there are several theores suggesting why forgetting occurs, such as the interferance and decay theory. Although it may seem that forgetting is a problem, infact it is necessary to keep humans sane. Otherwise humans would be bombarded with and remember unnecessary information therefor memory is a survival mechanisn (fryod) All information detected by sensory receptors enters the sensory memory. It is the entry area of memory, wehre all the stimuli that bombard the senses are kept in their original form and are not encoded (The process of preparing information for storage in the memory system) and are kept there for a breif time. When the indidivudal pays attention to information in the sensory memory, the information enters short term memory (STM) It is a memory system that has a limited storage capacity. After around 18 seconds memory in STM that is not rehearsed (the processess of doing something so that the information can be retained in memory. Eg repetition) has fleeted. Miller found that the average capacity of STM was 7 plus or minus 2 bits of information but can be improved by chunking. (Separate peices of information combiined) The information is chunked according to meaning, they can take any form, words, images or phrases. If the infomration in STM is not rehearsed of rehersal is interupted the information disapears, and can never be reterned again. Most forgetting occurs due to faliure to encode, meaning that the information had never been placed in LTM. To be encoded in Long Term Mermory (LTM) (The relatively permanent memory system that holds vast amounts of information for a long period of time) the information must be meaningfull of rehearsed. Once it is encoded the information must be consoltiadated, and without it, information is lost. Many psychologists belive that LTM has several types and levels each of which is specialised for different types of knowledge. Procedual memory enables indidivudal to preform certain skills such as typing, tieing shoes, and driving while declaritive memory is used to store facts which is then further divided 2002-08-23T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-forgetting-occurs-4959.aspx Critically evaluate the statement “The psychodynamic perspective offers a satisfactory explanation o The psychodynamic perspective was the basis on which all psychological perspectives spawned from. However, the fact that other psychological perspectives were created after (or as reactions to) the psychodynamic perspective demonstrates that it is flawed, possibly in more way than one. Although this perspective offers an explanation for many things that confound people even today, its explanations are not always satisfactory to the human mind. In the instances where its theories are satisfactory to human logic and perception, they are most often theories that are unable to be proven. Many of the early explanations attempting to explain behavioral phenomena were based upon assumptions made by Freud. For example, Freud believed that man is not a rational being, that humans are driven by instincts and drives, that women are inferior, and that “anatomy is destiny.” He further developed these ideas into psychosexual stages of behavioral development upon these assumptions. He believed that every human being followed the same pattern as they matured, but that they only had the ability to change until they reached puberty. From this, he developed five psychosexual stages, and a list of cause and effect problems that can go wrong in them. For example, a problem occurring in the oral stage can result in people smoking later on in life. A problem in the anal stage can result in an anal retentive personality (i.e. he or she will tend to be especially clean, perfectionistic, dictatorial, very stubborn, and stingy). These problems are what he said were the cause of bizarre behaviors. However, none of these can be proved by scientific means, and many of the assumptions and the psychosexual stages are rejected in today’s society (such as the notion that women are inferior, and that people have no ability to change after a certain time in their life). Erickson, believing in many of the same basic assumptions that Freud did, but not believing that all human behavior revolved around the issue of sex, created a psychosocial aspect within the psychodynamic perspective. He believed, like Freud, that humans went through stages in their lives, which always followed the same progression. He also believed, like Freud, that problems occurring during any of these stages, or not successfully completing a stage, would result in how that person would behave throughout life. Unlike Freud, however, Erickson’s stages begin at birth and continue throughout a person’s life. They also deal with many of the 2002-07-30T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critically-evaluate-the-statement-“The-psychodynamic-perspective-offers-a-satisfactory-explanation-o-4917.aspx Echo Personality Disorder The term Echo Personality Disorder was coined by British Psychosynthesis practitioner Patrick Hurst, as a replacement term for 'Inverted Narcissism' and 'Covert Narcissism' which later terms place unwarranted emphasis on narcissistic qualities of the personality, which in many of these individuals may not be a feature at all. EPD is a highly differentiated form of Dependent Personality Disorder, marked by behaviours of compliance and a need to 'mirror' significant others -parents, spouse, friends, employer. Individuals with EPD may be attracted to relationships with individuals showing marked narcissistic traits -people who need to be mirrored or praised- though this in no way forms a "standard" or "universal pattern" as is often claimed by theorists. EPD individuals may enter into relationships with a great variety of people, though at core there is a tendency to choose situations in which unrequited love will be the outcome. These traits -choosing significant relationships where love can never be satisfactorily consumated, and the tendency to mirror significant others- were motivating features for choosing the term Echo Personality Disorder. In Greek mythology Echo was the lover of Narcissus. In this myth Echo, a forest nymph, falls in love with the egocentric youth Narcissus, and when he shows clear signs of rejecting her she persists in her attatchement, and will not be moved from her aim. She finally satisfies herself with the masochistic task of echoing back to him all that he says. This too is a central feature of EPD behaviour in relationships, where the individual will mirror, echo, and compliment another at the expense of their own self-worth and dignity. This echoing behaviour, though, does not exhaust the mythological potential of Echo, even if commentators on the myth narrow their descriptions to this single episode with Narcissus. Echo also has relations with Zeus, Hera, Pan, and Gaia, which have a different coloration to those she has with Narcissus, and has many friends in the form of other forest nymphs -"sisters" as we would call them today; attesting to the complexity we find within the Echo personality constellation. Self descriptions of EPD individuals often relate a lack of self worth, and an accompanying fear of rejection, abandonment, and loss, as a result of feeling "unacceptable" to others. These agonizing fears are a driving force behind the above-mentioned interpersonal coping style (mirroring and reflecting others). These individuals protect themselves from rejection/abandonment by acting so agreeable to others, via 2002-04-13T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Echo-Personality-Disorder-4649.aspx Rational-emotive-behaviur-therapy - the logical choice for psychological therapy What is the true study of modern human emotion, thought, and behavior, psychology or philosophy? This question’s answer does not come easily to its solicitor; in fact, the two seemingly different subjects have a distinct and discernible relationship to one another. <blockquote>“Some things are up to us and some are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, our impulses, desires, aversions, in-short whatever is our doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or that is, whatever is not of our own doing (Epictetus 1).”</blockquote> This citation, from a philosopher who lived around 100 B.C., illustrates the relationship between psychology and philosophy. When one examines the language housed within the passage he will understand, in order to lead a blissful life, one must have power over his reaction to an event and not let the event have power over his reaction. This effortless Stoic belief has lead to the development of a modern psychological therapy known as Rational-Emotive-Behavior-Therapy. This therapy uses a logical approach in order to solve problems with the human psyche.If one were to scrutinize the word “Psychological,” he will notice the word “Psycho” which is related to the word “Psyche,” which, in turn, means the human mind and its perception of consciousness. Upon further study of the word “Psychological,” the person in question will notice the latter part of the word is “Logical” which deals with the processing and the capability of rational human thought; therefore, one can infer that a psychological therapy must deal with the subjects awareness of his situation and his ability to rationalize his thoughts of such events. Rational-Emotive-Behavior-Therapy executes this conjecture to the letter. REBT is a reflexive approach to psychology that is gaining popularity. Today, REBT uses can be seen in everything from: combating unhealthy emotional outbursts, solving chemical dependencies, and improving a person’s overall mental self-image. Foremost, one must understand Rational-Emotive-Behavior-Therapy in order to apply REBT to the above-mentioned modes of use. REBT is a therapy residing in a subdivision of psychological therapies known as Cognitive therapy, or an assumption based therapy relying on the premise that psychological problems are due to maladaptive patterns of thinking (Hockenbury and Hockenbury 523). Gerald Metalsky Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at Wisconsin’s Lawrence University, explains cognitive therapy to be the process of “Identifying deprossogenic thoughts, evaluating these thoughts, and challenging the cognition of these thoughts in 2002-04-11T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rational-emotive-behaviur-therapy-the-logical-choice-for-psychological-therapy-4633.aspx Psychological Effects of Color Color affects every moment of our lives although our color choices are mostly unconscious. Color has a great emotional impact on a person that comes out via the clothes we chose to wear, decorations to fill our homes, personality, foods we choose to eat and many more ways. It is possible to introduce colors to different areas of daily life to give off more energy, soothing affects, stimulate appetites and sexual motivation or even give a place a clean atmosphere. I asked thirty males from the ages of fifteen to sixty what color bra they would like to see their dream girl wearing to find out what colors are the most sexually stimulating. As I predicted, out of thirty, fourteen chose black, while four chose pink, red, blue and white were also chosen by three each and gray and purple were each favored by one person a piece. I also conducted an experiment to see what colors were stimulating on appetites. I added food coloring to make one flavor of Jell-O turn red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, and pink. Out of fifteen total people, seven chose red, purple and pink were chosen by three a piece, and orange and green were chosen by one each. Blue can either be a calming color or a depressing color, depending on how much one is surrounded by. Although, blue most always has a pleasant association. Blue also is associated with a cool, cleansed, relaxed, calm, hopeful, protected, reassuring, trusting and accepting feeling. It inspires mental control, clarity and creativity. Blue has a direct effect on the autonomic nervous system, which helps calm and soothe humans. However, subconsciously it affects us because we associate blue with the night sky, so it makes us feel calm as though we are being soothed by the night sky. On the other hand, dark blue is sedative and too much can give off a feeling of depression. Blue is also an appetite suppressant. This is believed to be that due to the fact that nature does not create a blue food other than blueberries, therefore we do not have an automatic appetite response to blue. Actually, in a decorative perspective, blue is a spacious color that is most suited for deep thought and relief from a stressful, hectic life. If 2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Psychological-Effects-of-Color-4528.aspx Mania In Bipolar Depression Bipolar depression, also known as bipolar disorder, manic depression and manic-depressive illness, is a form of a depressive illness in which mania and depression alternate. It is a disorder that affects over 2 million (1.2 percent) Americans and usually begins during adolescence (American Medical Association [AMA], 1998). It is often not recognized as a serious disorder, but in many cases it causes difficulty in occupational, educational, social life, and other important functioning. A person who has bipolar disorder swings between two extreme emotional poles- depression and mania. During the depression phase, the person will have the same symptoms as people with severe depression (AMA, 1998). Although the shifts of mood have nothing to do with daily activities, the symptoms may prevent the person from functioning normally. However, the All About Bipolar Disorder webpage (1995-2000), says that "increased stress and inadequate coping mechanisms to deal with that stress may also contribute to the disorder's manifestation." The cycles of mood shifts vary greatly in frequency and length. Some people may have several bouts of mania or depression in a row, some have them simultaneously and some have mania without depression (AMA, 1998). In some cases people never experience euphoria during mania, but go directly to a dysphoric state where their energy is boosted so they feel pressured in an uncomfortable state of mind. In other cases bipolar can have a triphasic characteristic, where there is a brief period of depression, then a sudden swing into mania, then depression will set in again for a few weeks (Mondimore, 1995). Some may have mixed mood states. "In mixed mood states (also referred to as dysphoric mania) pronounced symptoms of both depression and mania either co-exist or alternate during different periods of the day." (Daly, p.1157, 1997). However, typical bipolar patients alternate mania and depression with euthymania (normal mood) in between the two (Gorman, 1998). During the manic phase of bipolar depression a person undergoes changes in mood, distorted thinking and behavior. Euphoria is extremely common early in a manic episode. During mania, irritability is common, and any form of frustration becomes unbearable. Rage may be overwhelming if other try to restrain the manic behaviors. For example, "When you try to inhibit or criticize him, he will get angry, perhaps violent." (Cammer, 1969, p.45). Also, the person may experience a pressure to socialize or a sudden preoccupation with success, wealth, power, and fame (Mondimore, 1995). 2002-03-06T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mania-In-Bipolar-Depression-4529.aspx Stereotypes: An Interview Essay The other day I had a discussion with my roommate about the social psychological idea of stereotyping. I found it interesting how much I felt like she was contradicting herself. But in my opinion, I do not find it surprising that she did, because I feel like most people at the point in our lives (college students) do try and not prejudge people, but do anyway. When I asked how guilty she felt she was about stereotyping people, she said it depends on what she’s stereotyping, but she does not feel like she does it too much. She also said she does not feel like she belongs in a particular social group and she also feels like there are exceptions in some stereotypical groups. For example, if there were a group of black guys standing on the street, some people would automatically assume that they were up to no good. But my roommate feels like if she saw this group with one of the guys dressed nicely, she could point him out as one exception – the one who would probably not be doing any harm. When I asked if she treats people differently right away because of how she has prejudged them, she answered that she does not treat them differently and that she tries not to prejudge at all. However, she does pick out a stereotypical group for a stranger before she meets them, a lot of times, and they do normally end up being what she expects. This proves the theory of the self- fulfilling prophecy to be correct. Whereas some people still tend to put some people they do know as well as strangers into stereotypical groups, my roommate does not. She said once she gets to know someone, on the acquaintance level, she does not stereotype them as much and does not really feel that they belong to a certain groups such as the “preps” or the “jocks.” And she also feels that getting to know the person does have an effect on how she feels because “the more I get to know them, the less I stereotype them.” When I asked if she thought any groups should have a higher self esteem because of what group they seem to be placed with (i.e. “snobs” or “nerds”), she said no, as long as each person is doing everything they can do to keep their lives running 2002-03-06T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Stereotypes-An-Interview-Essay-4530.aspx What is Anger? What is anger, an emotion, a response, or a way of life? In some cases all three may be a reality. According to Charles Spielberger, PhD, anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage". It's that feeling of your blood boiling, the heat of your body rising steadily until you think you may explode. Your head popping right off of your body and shooting like a rocket into space! Although this is an exageration, why do we feel this way sometimes? The biological reason for anger is quite simple, it is our body's way of preparing us for fight or flight. The body uses anger to fight for survival. our heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the levels of our energy hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline, heighten. Other reasons for anger vary by individual. In recent years, traffic and other drivers have made some people so angry, we have coined the term "road rage". Other people become so disgusted by the slow and leisurely pace of your walk at the mall that they scurry around you and grunt as if you've violated some sort of implied mall speed limit. Upon answering the phone while writing this paper I was greeted by a young lady conducting a survey. With no end in sight to this barrage of questions about frozen chicken, I could feel my anger growing after 10 minutes. I even considered hanging up on the poor girl. Why did I get so angry? Maybe I felt my time was far more valuable than her time. That can't be true though, we are both human beings. What makes my time or me as a person any better than this woman? I felt she was wasting my time, after all, I did have a paper to write. After having this converstion with myself, I realized she was just trying to make a living. In the end, I completed her survey and she was extremely gracious. I got the feeling I was her first completed survey for that day. In order to quell my anger, I had to stop and think. Why was I getting upset? Was it really such a problem for me to take 20 minutes of my precious time to help someone do their job? There are several ways to deal with anger when it rears its' ugly head. One is to 2002-02-04T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-is-Anger-4340.aspx Depression Depression is a chronic mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and irritability. Many people do not realized that depression is a disease, it’s a real medical disorder where changes occur in the brain, and they have medicine that helps correct these imbalances. Depression has been described as a “whole-body illness” because it doesn’t only affect the person’s mood but can affect every aspect of a person’s life. Depression is an illness, not a state of mind or a weakness. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but there are also other factors that may play a role as well, such as: <b>environment</b> - a significant loss, a difficult relationship or financial problems all produce stress. The body, by secreting extra amounts of certain hormones persisting for a long time, can produce changes in the brain actually killing some of the nerve cells. <b>psychological<b> - peoples whose personalities involve pessimistic thinking, low self-esteem and excessive worrying are more likely to develop depression. Genetics could also play a part - parents, siblings and children of depressed people are four times more likely to get depressed than a non-relative. Depression can affect anyone, any age. Even infants can become depressed, and may even die when they receive only a limited amount of human contact. Out of the estimated 17.6 million Americans suffering from depression each year, 1.5 million are children under eighteen. In teens depression is sometimes masked, shown in different ways like drugs, alcohol use, trouble in school, at home or with the law, withdrawal from social activities and sulkiness, grouchiness, and over-sensitivity. Sadness may be shown by wearing black clothes, writing poetry with morbid themes or music with nihilistic themes. Sleep disturbances may be shown by watching television all night, difficulty in getting up for school, or sleeping during the day. Lack of motivation and lowered energy level is reflected by missed classes. Getting lower grades than usual can show loss of concentration and slowed thinking. Boredom could also be a sign of depression in teens, loss of appetite may become anorexia or bulimia. Depression can appear to come out of nowhere, or it can be triggered by a life event such as the death of ones mother or the divorce of ones parents. According to the American Psychiatric Association, someone is depressed when loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities, or feelings of sadness last without relief for at 2001-12-23T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Depression-4183.aspx Critically evaluate the role of sympathy and empathy in the study of prosocial behaviour Prosocial behaviour is primarily linked to theories and ideas of helping. It is described as the interaction between helpers and recipients (Hewstone & Stroebe, 2001). Prosocial behaviour can be understood as behaviour that has social consequences that can contribute positively to the well being of another person (Wispe, 1972 cited by Malim & Birch, 1998). The consequence of prosocial behaviour is of benefit to others, therefore, this essay will examine the role of sympathy and empathy in the study of behaviour in helping situations. The value and success - of helping - to the individual will be assessed, as well as positive and negative regards to empathy and sympathy. This essay will begin by expanding on the definition of prosocial behaviour already given, before discussing sympathy and empathy in-depth. The essay will also discuss social explanations for helping and show how empathy is related. It will then discuss a theory of empathy and prosocial behaviour, aspects of which should have been touched on throughout. The conclusion will sum up the author's argument, and there will be evidence and examples throughout the essay. As previously stated, prosocial behaviour is connected to helping. It is encouraged in cultures where extended families are standard - e.g. India - and where there are greater responsibilities but a simpler social structure (Eisenberg & Musen, 1989 cited by Kaplan, 1998). These are generally collectivist societies - which make up about seventy percent of the world's population. Cultures emphasising community rather than individualism are more likely to produce people of a prosocial and conformist nature (Stevenson, 1991 cited by Kaplan, 1998). Those who grow up in rural areas are also more likely to be prosocial than those from urban areas (Eisenberg & Musen, 1989 cited by Kaplan, 1998). Prosocial behaviour is also voluntary but can be egotistically motivated - ultimately benefiting oneself- or altruistically motivated - benefiting another person (Brehm et al, 1999; Hewstone & Stroebe, 2001). Altruistic behaviour: a refined form of prosocial behaviour: is characterised by empathy and perspective-taking (Hewstone & Stroebe, 2001). Prosocial behaviour will increase with age (Durkin, 1995 & Peterson, 1983 cited by Kaplan, 1998), as people become better at considering others' perspectives (Kaplan, 1998) - empathising more (Eisenberg et al, 1996 cited by Kaplan, 1998). This shows that the role of empathy in studying prosocial behaviour is key. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand the feelings of another (Soanes, 2001; www.infoplease.com). Sympathy 2001-12-05T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critically-evaluate-the-role-of-sympathy-and-empathy-in-the-study-of-prosocial-behaviour-4092.aspx ADD/ADHD: A Decision That Can Change a Life Although American culture has changed over the years, parents today still want what is best for their children. Why then, are parents allowing their children to be put on medications that may have an adverse effect on their children? Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) have increasingly been diagnosed among young children today. Parents should become more informed about the over diagnosing, side effects, results of the medication and all other pertinent information before they allow their children to become treated. In this research paper we are first going to look at why ADD and ADHD diagnosing has become so widespread. Then we will look into the side effects of Ritalin; the number one drug prescribed for ADD and ADHD. Finally, we will consider the results of the treatment. ADD and ADHD have had a dramatic rate of increase since it was first “discovered” 25 years ago. “This “epidemic” has grown from 500 thousand in 1985 to between five and seven million today.” (Baughman) ADD and ADHD have become popular for many reasons. In today’s American culture and fast paced society it is likely that both parents will work. This breaks down the traditional family where only one parent would work and the other would stay home and take care of the children. This leads to a tremendous breakdown in parental supervision and involvement in their children’s academics. This lack of involvement by parents puts the burden onto the school system for a child’s lack of achievement. When a child academically performs poorly or has a problem at school, parents want corrective action to be taken no matter what the cost, as long as, it is a fast remedy with little involvement by the parent. In some cases, when a child is labeled with ADD or ADHD because he/she is doing poorly in school, the corrective action that needs to be taken is for the parent to simply spend more time with their children and tutor them in academic areas they’ re lacking in.” Children feel the loss, (quality time spent with parents) and they take action for attention. They misbehave, they cry, they become defiant, aggressive. The parents seek answers and relief to the family turmoil. The school, which is also experiencing the child’s defiance and aggression, seeks relief. Enter the school psychologist who provides the convenient answer. The child has ADD.” (DeWeese) Schools are looking 2001-11-05T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/ADD-ADHD-A-Decision-That-Can-Change-a-Life-3981.aspx Role of parenting <b>Role of Parental Motivational Practices in Children’s Academic Intrinsic Motivation and Achievement (Gottfried)</b> <b>Article Summary</b> I chose to write my journal article research paper on the role of parents in children’s academic motivation and achievement. The article relates the parent’s role and at home practices, and the effect of these practices on the child’s performance and motivation. In the longitudinal study of children ages 9 and 10, two types of motivational practices were assessed: “Parental motivational practices that encourage pleasure in the learning process, curiosity, persistence, and task endogeny are positively related to children’s academic intrinsic motivation and achievement.” (Gottfried 105) “ Task-extrinsic parental motivational practices that emphasize external control, diminished autonomy, or devaluation of competence are negatively related to children’s academic intrinsic motivation and achievement.” (Gottfried 105) The data observed and given in the article from mothers also provided information on which motivational practices are used, such as provision of rewards, help with schoolwork, encouragement, punishment and negativity for unsatisfactory achievement. It is important to note that although the conceptual model was derived from theory and research pertaining to parents in general, the data collected in the article were solely on mothers. The findings of the research were that the predicted variables were proven positive, and there was a high correlation between parental motivational practices and a child’s academic intrinsic motivation and achievement. The study’s findings also proved that mothers’ provisions of task-extrinsic consequences had a negative effect on children’s academic intrinsic motivation, and were directly related. The study findings also showed that there were indirect effects on subsequent motivation and achievement through their effects on earlier academic intrinsic motivation. <b>Remarks</b> After reading the aforementioned journal article, I can only remark upon the fact that to me, this study seemed to only validate the obvious. I am in agreement with the findings to a point. I do believe that if you make children interested and motivated in what they are doing then they will have a higher achievement rate then children who are “bored” with school. I believe that most parents have the knowledge of what they should and should not do to help in their child’s academic performance but fail to achieve this task for many reasons. I do take into consideration, however; that although it may be detrimental to a student’s intrinsic motivation, in some cases to give rewards or encouragement, in other cases it is the only way some parents feel that they can 2001-11-05T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Role-of-parenting-3982.aspx Computers and Children's Learning <center><b>Evaluate the significance of working with computers for children's learning in the classroom</b></center> The role of technology in childhood education is a controversial topic, and both parents and educators have concerns about the potential benefits or harm to young children. Critics contend that technology in schools wastes time, money and childhood itself by speeding up the pace and cutting down on essential learning experiences (Cordes & Miller, 2000; Healy, 1998). Proponents suggest that children should have the advantages that new technologies can offer. There is also some concern that modern technology is not being used in the best ways, or obtaining the expected results (Healy, 1998). This essay will review the considerations for technology use in childhood education and will address the question of whether computers can replace more traditional teaching methods. Both critics and proponents of computers in the classroom agree on the importance of the early years in a child's physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive development. Perhaps the area of development most researched in relation to computer use has been that of cognitive development and the question of how modern technology is affecting children's minds. Are computers being used to enhance and hasten cognitive development, or are they detracting from and inhibiting intellectual growth in some way? Can technology support the specific needs of children or does it take away from essential developmental experiences? Knowledge of children's development and studies of children and technology use can guide understanding and inform decisions. Recent research on brain development has focused attention on the capabilities of young children, the stages and styles of learning, social-emotional development, and successful educational practice. Such research has argued that children lack knowledge and experience, but not reasoning ability and that the appropriate stimuli, such as close interaction with caring adults and engaging hands-on activities, enhance the brain's development (Healy, 1998). A study by the National Research Council (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 1999) states that "early learning is assisted by the supportive context of the family and the social environment, through the kinds of activities in which adults engage with children". The influence of Piaget's and Vygotsky's constructivist theories are evident in this recent research and it is in considering their models of development that we can make some assessment about the significance of working with computers for children's learning. Much research has attempted to apply the developmental theories of Piaget to children's computer usage. In considering the Piagetian tasks of 2001-10-08T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Computers-and-Children-s-Learning-3817.aspx Sigmund Freud: his Life and his Work Sigmund Freud was born on May 6th 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, which is now in Czech Republic. He is the eldest of eight children born to Jacob and Amalie Freud. Because of the anti-semetic riots who were ragging in Freiberg , Freud’s father, who was a wool merchant, lost his business and the whole family had to move to Leipzig (1859) and shortly after to Vienna where Freud spend most of his life. When he lived in Vienna, Freud had, once more, to come accross anti-semetism : jewish people had been persecuted in Europe for hundreds of years and they would often be attacked on the streets or called names. Freud was a very intelligent and hard working student, but when he left school, he was not sure of what he wanted to do. At first, he decided to become a lawyer. Then, he decided to study medicine and to become a doctor, for this reason, he enrolled in the medical school of the University of Vienna (1873) and he often came top of the class. To the eyes of Freud, working hard and wanting to find out about things were the two most important qualities in life. In his 3rd year at the University, he started a reasearch work on the central nervous system in a phisiological laboratory under the direction of Ernst Wilhelm von Brucke. During this period of reasearch, Freud neglected his courses and as a result, he remained in medical school 3 years longer than it was normally required to qualify a physician. He received his medical degree in 1881 . He spend three years working at the General Hospital of Vienna - working successively to psychatry, dermatology and to nervous diseases -. In the year 1885, he is given a government grant enabling him to spent 19 weeks in Paris to work with French neurologist Jean Charcot - director of the mental hospital, The Salpetriere - who tried to understand and treat nervous disorders, and most especially hysteria. Charcot used hypnosis to prove that the real problem of his patients was a mental one. From this demonstration, Freud realised the power that the mind had on the body, and he came back from Paris, determined to make a name for himself in this new field of study. When he came back from Paris, Freud immediately married his sister’s friend Martha Bernays. At first, the other doctors 2001-09-18T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sigmund-Freud-his-Life-and-his-Work-3742.aspx Behaviour in Groups The Psychological definition of a ‘group’ is broken down into 7 categories: <ol><li>Interaction – a group is a collection of individuals who are interacting with one another. <li>Perception of belonging – a group consists of 2 or more persons who perceive themselves to belong to a group. <li>Interdependence – group members are interdependent. <li>Common goals – a group is a collection of individuals who join together to achieve a goal. <li>Needs satisfaction – individuals who belong to a group are trying to satisfy some need through group membership. <li>Roles and norms – members of a group structure their interactions by means of roles and norms. Roles consist of sets of obligations and expectations. Norms imply established ways of behaving – that is, uniformity among people in the ways they behave. <li>Influence – a group is a collection of individuals who influence each other.</ol> The study of individuals in groups and group behaviour has been a core of social psychology since its inception in the early 1900s. One of the first "experiments" in social psychology was by Triplett in 1898, considering the effects of the presence of others on performance. The authors examine this phenomenon as well as group communication, task performance in groups such as problem-solving and decision-making, and leadership characteristics and styles. The definition of group that is used in most research is "people who are interdependent and have potential for mutual interaction, influencing one another in some way". Groups are defined by four specific dimensions: size, goals, duration and scope of activities performed. While groups can be a function of a wide range of these factors, experimental groups that are analysed in laboratory settings are usually small, short-lived and narrow in focus, limiting the generalizability of such findings. Groups in real-world settings must be analysed as well, in order to obtain a complete picture of the functioning of groups. A number of factors defining a group's structure have also been identified. One important aspect of groups is the social norms that emerge. These are the rules and expectations for behaviour that identifies what is acceptable behaviour and attitudes and what is not. Social roles also emerge within a given group. These define the division of labor within a group. A status hierarchy can also emerge, differentiating positions within a group. Expectation state theory (Berger & colleagues, 1986), addresses the issue of status and what factors influence an individual's status within a group. A group having certain goals will 2001-07-29T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Behaviour-in-Groups-3592.aspx Kings Park Psychiatric Center The Kings Park Psychiatric Center has had a large effect on the social changes of Long Island. A small town grew larger and prosperous from the direct effect of this State hospital from the time of 1885 to the present. The history of the town, the patients and court cases held, and the concluding plans for the land after its closing have all had a significant mark on the social changes of the town. The first hospital was built in a quiet farming town later named Kings Park. In 1885, officials of what was then the city of Brooklyn established the Kings County Farm on more than 800 acres to care for the mentally ill. Kings Park was only a small part of what would later become a giant chain of connected mental hospitals on Long Island, each with over 2,500 patients at one time.(Bleyer,2) As new buildings went up at Kings Park, so did the patient population. At the turn of the century, Kings Park in just 15 years had grown to, 697 patients and a staff of 454. This dramatic increase had given the hospital a larger population than the rest of the Town of Smithtown. (Sarhaddi) The hospital was very equipped; therefore, not very dependant on the rest of Long Island. All the hospitals built around this time prided themselves on being self-sufficient farm communities. At Kings Park, the three wooden houses grew into more than 150 permanent buildings, including a bakery, Laundromat, amusement hall, bandstand, library, furniture repair shops, and nursing school. Most of the people who lived in Kings Park worked at the Psychiatric Center. Many of them were Irish immigrants brought from their native land more than 50 years ago by relatives who worked at the mental hospital on the Long Island Sound and who had promises of jobs for them too. (Bleyer) During World War II, when many employees joined the armed forces, Central Islip recruited black workers from the Carolinas, which led to cultural changes in the mix of the community. This developed distinct differences between certain areas of race such as African American, Hispanic, and white neighborhoods. Minority groups not allowed to fight in the war or not taken to fight were offered jobs to work at the hospitals. The Kings Park Psychiatric Hospital hadn’t really become very over-populated until the 1960’s. (Sarhaddi) The Kings Park Psychiatric Center was in its Heyday in the 1960’s. 2001-05-20T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kings-Park-Psychiatric-Center-3385.aspx Psychology 1. The nature vs. nurture question: “How much of any given characteristic, behavior, or pattern of development is determined by genetic influence and how much is the result of the myriad experience that occurs after conception.” I believe that a person cannot develop properly through only one of the influences. Chapter 1 deals with controversies of nature vs. nurture. Chapter 2, Leaning Theory that falls under the nature issues of capacities and limitations and the cognitive theory which falls under the nurture issue of cultural and how it affects behavior. Chapter 3, is Genetic code, which is nature, genetic influences. Chapter 4, Development and Birth is nurture, environment and embryo influence. Chapter 5, is both nature and nurture. Dealing with subjects of motor skills and physical growth. Chapter 6, is cognitive learning, which is nurture. Chapter 7, is Psychosocial dealing with falling under nature. 2. A 4-year-old girl wearing lipstick, high-heels, and a flowery dress at all times. a. Behaviorism: observation of modeling. The girl sees her mother wearing the same thing so the girl trying to be like her mom or lady like because that’s how women dress. Identity. b. Psychoanalytic: Initiative, children want to take on adult like activities and roles. c. Sociocultural: Girls are taught through culture that it is proper for a lady to wear lipstick and high-heels so the girl follows the role. 3. Advantages of Medical Intervention : medication can dull the pain of childbirth. It can also speed up contractions and hurry childbirth. Makes birth safer by lowering stress, which is healthier form the mother. Also linked to lower death rates of mothers. Disadvantages of Medical Intervention: Takes away the natural aspect of childbirth. Mother or baby could be allergic to the medication. Medication is very costly. Higher death rate in mothers. 4. The book points out that day care infants may behave differently when their mothers are coming and going. Due to the fact they are separated and reunited on a regular bases. Not because of insecure attachment. The book also points out that any attachment is based on the crucial variable of the quality of the caregiver. The environment of the day care was also an issue A well run day care is good for infants. It was pointed out that high quality day cares are beneficial to the development of cognitive and social skills that will help infants grow up healthy. I’m for and against day cares. 2000-12-11T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Psychology-2669.aspx Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) - Criteria <center><b><a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites</a></b></center> Please read CAREFULLY! The text in italics is NOT based on the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual, Fourth Edition (1994). the text in italics IS based on "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" (1999) An all-pervasive 2000-10-12T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Narcissistic-Personality-Disorder-NPD-Criteria-2356.aspx The Inverted Narcissist <center><b>The Clinical Picture and Developmental Roots - Opening Remarks </b></center> <div class="sub-title">Terminology</div> <b>Co-dependents </b> People who depend on other people for their emotional gratification and the performance of ego or daily functions. They are needy, demanding, submissive. They fear abandonment, cling and display immature behaviors in their effort to maintain the "relationship" with their companion or mate upon whom they depend. No matter what abuse is inflicted upon them - they remain in the relationship. See also the definition of the "Dependent Personality Disorder" in the DSM IV. <b>Inverted Narcissist </b> Previously called "covert narcissist", this is a co-dependent who depends exclusively on narcissists. If you live with a narcissist, have a relationship with them, are married to them, work with them, etc. - it does NOT mean that you are an inverted narcissist. To "qualify" as an inverted narcissist - you must WANT to be in a relationship with a narcissist, regardless of any abuse inflicted on you by him / her. You must ACTIVELY seek relationships with narcissists - and ONLY with narcissists - no matter what your (bitter and traumatic) past experience has been. You must feel EMPTY and UNHAPPY in relationships with ANY OTHER kind of person. Only THEN - AND if you satisfy the other diagnostic criteria of a Dependent Personality Disorder - can you be safely diagnosed as an "Inverted Narcissist". <div class="sub-title">Introduction</div> The DSM IV defines the NPD using a few criteria. It is sufficient to possess 5 of them to "qualify". Thus, theoretically, it is possible to be NPD WITHOUT grandiosity. Many researchers (to mention a few: Alexander Lowen, Jeffrey Satinover, Theodore Millon) suggested a "taxonomy" of pathological narcissism. They divided narcissists to sub-groups (very much as I did with my somatic versus cerebral narcissist dichotomy - SV). Lowen, for instance, talks about the "phallic" narcissist versus others. Satinover makes a very important distinction between narcissists who were raised by abusive parents - and those who were raised by doting mothers or domineering mothers. See an expansion of the Satinover classification in: <a href="http://narcissism.cjb.net/faq64.html">http://narcissism.cjb.net/faq64.html</a> In "Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice/ The DSM-IV Edition's comments on Cluster B Personality Disorders - Narcissistic" we find this: "...what definitive criteria can be used to differentiate healthy from pathological narcissism? The time honored criteria of psychological health - to love and to work - are only partly useful in answering this question." "An individual's work history may provide little help in making 2000-10-09T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Inverted-Narcissist-2365.aspx Narcissists, Inverted Narcissists and Schizoids <center><a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites</a></center> Question: Are Narcissists also schizoids? Answer: This is not a question about dual diagnosis or co-morbidity. The implications of a positive answer run much deeper than a mere listing of traits and behaviours. This is the definition of the Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) in the DSM IV (1994): A. A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following: (1) neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family (2) almost always chooses solitary activities (3) has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person (4) takes pleasure in few, if any, activities (5) lacks close friends or confidants other than first degree relatives (6) appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others (7) shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic features, another psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition. In short, as the "Review of General Psychiatry (4th Edition), 1995" puts it: "The person with schizoid personality disorder sustains a fragile emotional equilibrium by avoiding intimate personal contact and thereby minimizing conflict that is poorly tolerated." Intuitively, a connection between SPD and NPD must exist. After all, NPDs are people who withdraw from others into themselves. They love themselves in lieu of loving others. Lacking empathy, they regard others as mere instruments, objectified "sources" of narcissistic supply. With the exception of criterion 6 above - the classic narcissist would tend to fit all other criteria. The inverted narcissist is a narcissist (IN) who "projects" his narcissism unto another narcissist. Through the mechanism of projective identification, the IN experiences his own narcissism vicariously, through the agency of a classic narcissist. But the IN is no less a narcissist than the classical one. It is no less socially reticent. A distinction must be made between social interactions and social relationships. The schizoid, the narcissist and the inverted narcissist - all interact socially. But they fail to form human and social relationships. The schizoid is disinterested and the narcissist is both disinterested and incapable due to his lack of 2000-10-09T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Narcissists,-Inverted-Narcissists-and-Schizoids-2321.aspx The Narcissist’s Mother <center><b><a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites</a></b></center> <b>A. The Loved Enemies - an Introduction </b> An oft-overlooked fact is that the child is not sure that it exists. It avidly absorbs cues from its human environment. “Am I present?”, “Am I separate?”, “Can I be noticed?” – these are the questions that compete in his mind with his need to merge, to become a part of his caregivers. Granted, the infant (ages 0 to 2) does not engage in a verbal formulation of these “thoughts” (which are part cognitive, part instinctual). This nagging uncertainty is more akin to a discomfort, like being thirsty or wet. The infant is torn between its need to differentiate and distinguish its SELF - and its no less urgent need to assimilate and integrate by being assimilated and integrated. H. Kohut : “Just as we know, from the point of view of the physiologist, that a child needs to be given certain foods, that he needs to be protected against extreme temperatures, and that the atmosphere he breathes has to contain sufficient oxygen, if his body is to become strong and resilient, so do we also know, from the point of view of the depth-psychologist, that he requires an empathic environment, specifically, an environment that responds (a) to his need to have his presence confirmed by the glow of parental pleasure and (b) to his need to merge into the reassuring calmness of the powerful adult, if he is to acquire a firm and resilient self.” (From: “The Dynamics and Treatment of Alcoholism”) The child’s nascent Self must first overcome its feelings of diffusiveness, of being an extension of its caregivers (also parents, in this text), or a part of them. Kohut says that the parents perform the functions of the Self for their child. More likely, a battle is joined from the first breath of the child: a battle to gain autonomy, to usurp the power of the parents, to become a distinct unit. The child refuses to let the parents be its Self for him. It rebels and seeks to depose them and take over their functions. The better the parents serve as selfobjects (in lieu of the child’s Self) – the stronger the child’s Self becomes, the more vigorously it fights for its independence. The parents, in this sense, are like a benign, benevolent and enlightened colonial power, which performs the 2000-10-09T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Narcissist’s-Mother-2329.aspx Taming the Beast: Pathological Narcissism and the Quality of Life <center><a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites</a></center> <b>Part 1</b> Many textbooks (and many patients ...) claim that the psychodynamic therapies when applied to personality disorders are ineffective. Functional (cognitive, behavioral) treatments should be preferred in certain cases and regarding certain aspects of the disorder. To a Narcissist, I would recommend a beavioral-cognitive-functional and less protracted type of therapy. (1) Know and accept thyself. This is what you are. You are highly intelligent. You are very inquisitive. You are a Narcissist. These are facts. Narcissism is an adaptive mechanism. It is dysfunctional - but it saves you from a LOT MORE dysfunction or even a-function. Make a list: what does it mean to be a Narcissist in your specific case? What are your typical behaviour patterns? Which types of behaviour are counterproductive, irritating, self-defeating or self-destructive? Which are productive, constructive and should be enhanced DESPITE their pathological origin? (2) Decide to suppress the first and to promote the latter. Construct lists of self-punishments, negative feedback and negative reinforcements. Impose them upon yourself when you exhibit one of the behaviours in the first list. Make a list of prizes, little indulgences, positive feedbacks and positive reinforcements. Use them to reward yourself when you display a behaviour of the second kind. (3) Keep doing this with the express intent of conditioning yourself. Be objective, predictable and just in the administration of both punishments and awards, positive reinforcements and feedback and negative ones. Learn to trust your "inner court". Constrain the sadistic, immature and ideal parts of your personality (known as "superego" in psychoanalytic parlance) by the application of a uniform codex, a set of immutable and invariably applied rules. (4) Once sufficiently conditioned, monitor yourself incessantly. Narcissism is sneaky and it possesses all your resources because it is you. It is intelligent because you are. Beware and never lose control. With time this onerous regime will become a second habit and supplant the Narcissistic (pathological) superstructure. All the above can be amply summed by suggesting to you to become your own parent. This is what parents do and the process is called "education" or "socialization". If your particular path to the adoption of this course is a particular therapy - go ahead. As a metaphor, a narrative, no therapeutic approach is better or worse than any other <b>Part 2</b> In the previous part we discussed the healing prospects of a Narcissist. yet, how can a False Self be anything 2000-09-11T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Taming-the-Beast-Pathological-Narcissism-and-the-Quality-of-Life-2249.aspx Archetypes and Their Influence on the Personality: Carl Gustav Jung <center><b>Archetypes and Their Influence on the Personality: Carl Gustav Jung</b></center> <li>Introduction Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was born on July 26, in the small village of Kesswil on Lake Constance. He was named after his grandfather, a professor of medicine at the University of Basel. He was the oldest child and only surviving son of a Swiss Reform pastor. Carl attended the University of Basel and decided to go into the field of psychiatry after reading a book that caught his interest. Jung became an assistant at the Burgholzli Mental hospital, a famous medical hospital in Zurich. He studied under, and was influenced by Eugen Bleuler, a famous psychiatrist who defined schizophrenia. Jung was also influenced by Freud, with whom he later became good friends. Their relationship ended when Jung wrote a book called "Symbols of Transformation." Jung disagreed with Freud's fundamental idea that a symbol is a disguised representation of a repressed wish (Heaney, 1994). After splitting up with Freud, Jung had a 2 year period of non-productivity, but then he came out with his "Psychological Types," a famous work. He went on several trips to learn about primitive societies and archetypes. His explorations included trips to Africa, New Mexico to study Pueblo Indians, and to India and Ceylon to study eastern philosophy. He studied religious and occult beliefs like I Ching, a Chinese method of fortune telling. Alchemy became one of his interests during his journeys. His book, "Psychology and Alchemy," published in 1944, is among his most important writings. In this study, he told about the human mind. One of his methods was word association. This is when a person is given a series of words and asked to respond to them. Abnormal response or hesitation can mean that the person has a complex about that word. His basic belief was in complex or analytical psychology. The goal is psychosynthesis, or the unification and differentiation of the psyche (mind). He believed that the mind started out as a whole and should stay that way. That answered structural, dynamic, developmental questions. Jung is best known for his theory of "The three levels of the mind" (Aurelio, 1995). <b> Discussion</b> The three levels of the mind theory includes the ego (conscious), personal unconscious, and collective unconscious. The conscious level serves four functions. It is the part of the personality that carries out normal daily activities: thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting. The personal unconscious contains 2000-08-03T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Archetypes-and-Their-Influence-on-the-Personality-Carl-Gustav-Jung-2174.aspx Psychlogy of Fashion It has been said that individuals act out the roles that are associated with their identities and positions in society. This statement clearly relates to the case studies provided in the assignment package. It states that we have to look the part to play the part. This is an ingenious statement because what we look like is often controlled by society and it's positions we take. An example would be the career positions that we usually desire to occupy. If we do not own businesses, we tend to want to work for large companies. Such companies, admired by us, are usually image-controlled. Disney employs 32000 people on Orlando and it operates the most obsessive image-control program outside of military. Companies, including Disney want their employees to have proper appearance management in order to look successful. Conservative attire such as Traditional Business Wear is perceived as the most successful look for an individual. The companies want individuals to act the role of successful employee to display the success and professionalism of the company. For the reason that we perceive ones who are not playing roles that are associated with their positions in society as being improper and unsafe, we tend not to trust them and be very careful by managing what we do or say around such persons. If an employee is perceived in such a way, the result of the customers' responses will be anything but positive, and the retailer will feel the impact caused by negative feedback towards the employee. To succeed in today's society most people have to work, and seeking employment is not an easy task, especially if an individual has set high goals for him/her self, but does not know how to manage own appearance and the message becomes unfocused. Since wrong first impressions are irreversible, an individual's knowledge, attitude, character, etc, will not be attention worthy, and therefore, the desired employment will be given to someone with a better wardrobe and personal appearance management. Outcome for that would be that the employers cast by appearance rather then hire. The reason for the employers to enforce the image-control programs now becomes clearly understandable. A good example taken from the second article of the assignment package would be a woman dressed in masculine attire. We stereotype that woman as someone attracted to the same sex, or a tough woman who can stand up for her self in almost 1999-11-30T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Psychlogy-of-Fashion-1392.aspx Narcissistic Personality Disorder The so-called 'narcissistic personality disorder' is a complex and often misunderstood disorder. The cardinal feature of the narcissistic personality is the grandiose sense of self-importance, but paradoxically underneath this grandiosity the narcissist suffers from a chronically fragile low self-esteem. The grandiosity of the narcissist, however, is often so pervasive that we tend to dehumanize him or her. The narcissist conjures in us images of the mythological character Narcissus who could only love himself, rebuffing anyone who attempted to touch him. Nevertheless, it is the underlying sense of inferiority, which is the real problem of the narcissist; the grandiosity is just a facade used to cover the deep feelings of inadequacy. <b>The Makeup of the Narcissistic Personality</b> The narcissist's grandiose behavior is designed to reaffirm his or her sense of adequacy. Since the narcissist is incapable of asserting his or her own sense of adequacy, the narcissist seeks to be admired by others. However, the narcissist's extremely fragile sense of self worth does not allow him or her to risk any criticism. Therefore, meaningful emotional interactions with others are avoided. By simultaneously seeking the admiration of others and keeping them at a distance the narcissist is usually able to maintain the illusion of grandiosity no matter how people respond. Thus, when people praise the narcissist his or her grandiosity will increase, but when criticized the grandiosity will usually remain unaffected because the narcissist will devalue the criticizing person. Akhtar (1989) [as cited in <a href="#2">Carson & Butcher, 1992</a>; P. 271] discusses six areas of pathological functioning which characterize the narcissist. In particular, four of these narcissistic character traits best illustrate the pattern discussed above. " (<a href="#1">1</a>) A narcissistic individual has a basic sense of inferiority, which underlies a preoccupation with fantasies of outstanding achievement; (<a href="#2">2</a>) a narcissistic individual is unable to trust and rely on others and thus develops numerous, shallow relationships to extract tributes from others; (<a href="#3">3</a>) A narcissistic individual has a shifting morality-always ready to shift values to gain favor; and (<a href="#4">4</a>) a narcissistic person is unable to remain in love, showing an impaired capacity for a committed relationship". <b>The Therapeutic Essence of Treating Narcissism</b> The narcissist who enters therapy does not think that there is something wrong with him or her. Typically, the narcissist seeks therapy because he or she is unable to maintain the grandiosity, which protects him or her from the feelings of despair. The 1999-05-09T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Narcissistic-Personality-Disorder-667.aspx