Psychopathology.
Psychopathology - Key Assessment c. Phobias. . An introduction to the disorder. Normally both fear and anxiety can be helpful, helping us to avoid dangerous situations, making us alert and giving us the motivation to deal with problems. However, if the feelings become too strong or go for too long, they can stop us from doing the things we want to and can make our lives miserable. A phobia is a fear of particular situations or things that are not dangerous and which most people do not find troublesome. Most common phobias are found in the following three categories Specific, Social and Agoraphobia. Specific phobia is characterized by extreme fear of an object or situation that is not harmful under general conditions. There are four major subtypes of specific phobias - animal type, situational type (planes, lifts, and enclosed spaces), natural environment (heights, storms, water) and blood-injection-injury type. Social phobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person has significant anxiety and discomfort related to a fear of being embarrassed, humiliated, or scorned by others in social or performance situations. Even when they manage to confront this fear, persons with social phobia usually feel very anxious before the event/outing, feel intensely uncomfortable throughout the event/outing and have lingering unpleasant feelings after the event/outing. Social phobia
Depression- Biological Explanations
Discuss biological explanation of depression. (25 marks) In order for depression to be diagnosed the person needs to show at least five of these symptoms everyday for a minimum of two weeks. These clinical characteristics for depression can be emotional symptoms; this can involve sadness, melancholy, self-involvement, guilt and even thoughts of suicide. Another characteristic could be a lack of motivation including passivity, loss of interest and energy. The person could also have cognitive problems such as thoughts of hopelessness, pessimism and lack of self-esteem. Finally there can be somatic symptoms such as loss or increase of appetite and weight, and sleep disturbances. Depression is a mood disorder which can have different variations; Unipolar disorder is most common and most severe form of depression and bipolar disorder is where the condition occurs in episodes of depression, periods of normality and periods of mania. This can be caused genetics which can predispose the individual to the disorder. Furthermore we would expect to find that relatives have similar chances of developing the disorder. Evidence from this can come from twin studies; MZ twins share 100% of their genes whereas DZ twins only have 50%. If genes are to be a facto in depression we would expect a higher number of MZ twins to share the disorder. One study based on nearly 200 pairs of twins found
Describe & Evaluate theories and/or research into the Evolutionary explanations of human reproductive behaviour
Describe and evaluate theories and/or research into the evolutionary explanations of human reproductive behaviour (24marks) Reproduction is fundamental to the survival of any genetic line. If an individual does not reproduce then that is the end of their genes. Therefore any characteristic that maximises an individual's ability to reproduce successfully is highly adaptive and likely to be naturally selected. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection suggest that the physical environment exerts selective pressure upon adaptive characteristics, which are traits that increase the survival potential of an individual because they enable them to better adapt to their ecological niche. The adaptive traits are genetically transmitted (inherited) because the individual survives to reproduce and this is known as 'survival of the fittest', where fitness is measured by the number of genes present in the next generation. However, natural selection cannot account for characteristics that seem disadvantageous, for example, the peacock's tail and the stag's large antlers, both of which would inhibit escape from predators. Darwin solved these problems in 1871 when he proposed the theory of sexual selection e.g. large antlers increase the chances of survival and reproductive success, as they are better at fighting for the harem. Intra means within and refers to the
"The biological approach tells us all we need to know about schizophrenia" with reference to the quote discuss genetic explanations of schizophrenia.
"The biological approach tells us all we need to know about schizophrenia" with reference to the quote discuss genetic explanations of schizophrenia. The biological approach claims that schizophrenia is caused by genetic, neurotransmitter or structural brain faults. The first of these is the claim that schizophrenia is genetically passed on; if a relative is diagnosed with schizophrenia the first degree relatives will develop schizophrenia. Grottesman (1991) fount that in monozygotic twins if one was diagnosed with schizophrenia then 48% of the time the other twin would go on to develop schizophrenia. In dizygotic twins Grottesman found that if one was diagnosed with schizophrenia then 18% of the time the other will go on to develop schizophrenia. This shows strong support when compared to the general population where 1% of people are diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, monozygotic twins are often reared in a very similar environment; they were born at about the same time and they get treated similarly. This implies that concordance rates between twins aren't reliable as the children will have been treated similarly therefore environmental factors can be an explanations for the development of schizophrenia in a pair of monozygotic twins. The same can be said for first degree relatives; they will still share a similar environment which could provide an explanation for
Teenagers in Depression.
Teenagers in Depression Depression is a common problem that affects men, women, young and old alike, but it is young adults suffering from depression who are not taken seriously by the rest of society. "What could teenagers possibly be depressed about?" This is a common statement from adults who do not understand the workings of the young mind, but teenage depression is a serious problem and can, in some cases lead to very tragic consequences. There is a dramatic increase in the number of children aged 5 to 14 who attempt suicide, according to Shamoo & Patros (1997) Despite the increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment, which may often continue into adulthood. According to Nutt, Bell, Materson & Short (2001), the reason why depression is often over-looked in children and adolescents is because children are not always able to express how they feel. For many teenagers, symptoms of depression are directly related to low self -esteem stemming from increased emphasis on peer popularity. For other teenagers, depression arises from poor family relations, which could include decreased family support and perceived rejection by parents, (Lasko 1996). "When parents are struggling over marital or career problems, or are ill themselves, teens may feel the tension and try to
The Racist Mind
The Racist Mind Short Essay Josie Torres 5/3/2011 I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. ~Martin Luther King, Jr. In the Book "The Racist Mind" by Raphael S. Ezekiel, racism is examined and more closely explored to why people would join hate groups. Ezekiel, who is Jewish and never attempted to hide it from the people he studied, vividly paints readers the results of seven years of research among America's racist rights. Despite his Jewish religion, Ezekiel's respondents surprisingly cooperated with him and allowed him to study them. He did his research with different groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and the Neo-Nazi's. He was interested in understanding the world that these racist leaders lived in and what caused them to feel and hate the way they do. In studying these groups thriving on hate and racism, Raphael Ezekiel would attend get-togethers, rallies and group meeting and observes and interacts with them. Through attending these events and with his observations, Ezekiel learned many things about these groups. First, he discovered that for these white racist leaders and groups, there was absolutely no grey area. Meaning, you were either
Critically Discuss the Causes of one Psychological Disorder Depression is one of the most common and treatable of all mental illnesses
Student: Zoe Wood Tutor: Nick Warmsley Theories of Depression ONCW - Psychology - Level 3 Assignment 2 Date of Submission: 15th March 2006 Critically Discuss the Causes of one Psychological Disorder Depression is one of the most common and treatable of all mental illnesses. The term 'depression' can be confusing and often referred to describe normal emotional reactions; however it is a widely studied psychological disorder that many people can suffer from. 340 million people in the world suffer from this mental disorder, which no one is immune to. It can happen to anybody from any social class, from any country, of any race. Everybody can feel 'down in the dumps' at times. These feelings of sadness and discouragement are perfectly normal especially during hard times, but a person who constantly feels like this and cannot 'snap out of it' may be a sufferer of this illness. Depression can take several other forms. In bipolar disorder, known as manic-depressive illness, a person's mood swings back and fourth between depression and mania. People with seasonal effective disorder, suffer from depression normally during the autumn and winter when there are fewer hours of daylight. In dysthymia, people feel depressed, have low-self esteem, and concentrate poorly most of the time. This often lasts for years but is a lot milder than major depression. Mental health Professions
Insomnia its affects and its treatments.
Insomnia is a common affliction. Half of the adult population has it over the course of a year, 35% experience insomnia on an occasional basis, and 12% on an ongoing basis. Insomnia is perhaps the second most prevalent health complaint after pain. Insomnia affects all ages, yet increases in prevalence with age, and women are twice as likely to have it compared to men. It is seen in all cultures and races as well. Even though one-third of Americans are affected by insomnia, 50% of these patients consider their insomnia serious, and 10% have even been prescribed a medication for the insomnia, only 5% of all insomniacs approach their physicians specifically for insomnia as a primary complaint. This is surprising, considering insomnia can have profound negative effects on health and well being. Insomniacs report difficulties with memory and task completion, are often irritable, and have greater difficulty staying awake during daytime tasks than non-insomniacs. Although long-term risks of insomnia have not been sufficiently assessed, scientists suggest depression and other emotional difficulties will develop with persistent insomnia. One of the causes of insomnia is the use of stimulants. Even though caffeine near bedtime may not disturb sleep, it may trigger awakenings later. Caffeine related ingredients are also found in soft drinks, chocolate, and strong tea. Nicotine is a
Describe and evaluate research into the stages of sleep
Describe and evaluate research into the stages of sleep To talk about a concept, we must first be clear on its definition. Psychologists describe sleep as an altered state of consciousness. It is a resting state in which an individual becomes relatively quiescent and relatively unaware of the environment. During sleep, which is in part a period of rest and relaxation, most physiological functions such as body temperature, blood pressure, and rate of breathing and heartbeat decrease. The amount of sleep needed depends on both the individual and the environment. With the invention of the "Electroencephalogram" or an "EEG" as it is more commonly known has made it possible to monitor the brain's electrical activity. The EEG picks up and records electrical activity through electrodes attached to the scalp. The reading of a waking person is clearly different than that of a sleeping person. The EEG pattern of our brain during waking periods is very rapid, irregular and low on voltage. This means that many neurons are firing at different intervals and at different times, with different strengths too. This type of irregular electrical activity in the brain during wakefulness is called beta waves or beta activity. When we are relaxed, sitting in the sofa watching T.V. without any mental arousal, the EEG records a waveform called alpha waves or alpha activity, slower than beta
Outline and evaluate two theories relating to the functions of sleep
Chris Stokell Outline and evaluate two theories relating to the functions of sleep The 1st theory I have chosen to look at is the problem solving theory the thinking being it is basically when you are asleep you dream, and these dreams may help you solve waking problems that you may have. Examples of this are the inventor of the automatic sowing machine who had a problem with the hole in the needle. One night he had a dream and from it became inspired and so moved the hole to the bottom of the needle enabling it to work and solving his problem. It dates back to time such as the Greeks and the Ancient Egyptians who thought solving gave many answers and people still use it now. One popular technique is to write a problem on a sheet of paper and place it under your pillow and the hope that your dream helps. Problems with this theory are that you cannot 100% prove it to be true because it may just be a coincidence and we do not always solve problems in our dreams. Another is that we only remember on average 5% of our dreams so are the other 95% solving problems but we don't remember them. It isn't likely and even if it were the surely we would remember them in order to solve our problem. A positive point is it is one of the oldest theories (Greeks, Egyptians) and is still believed by many you be true so it must have at least a small amount of truth to it The second theory I
