Critical Appreciation of Wollheim, R., and

Critical Appreciation of Wollheim, R., and Kermode, F. (editor). (1971) Freud Richard Wollheim author of 'Freud' was one of the most distinguished and productive philosophers of his generation. He made a significant contribution to the post war flourishing of British philosophy and as his career continued his work grew steadily more individual, rich and expressive (The Times 2003). For Wollheim psychoanalysis was crucial to his personal outlook and played a fundamental role in defining his outlook on art. This was reflected in his standing as an honorary member of the San Francisco Psychoanalytical Institute and honorary affiliate of the British Psychoanalytical Society. In addition to this in 1991 Wollheim was awarded for his distinguished services to psychoanalysis by the International Society for Psychoanalysis. It is these personal and political affiliations which shaped the highly uncritical nature of the text. 'Freud' published in 1971 was written during an era when psychoanalysis became an influential method for understanding modern literature and culture. Psychoanalytical theory had been particularly effective in the area of literary and film criticism, its reading techniques widely disseminated, even when they were not always labelled psychoanalytic. Richard Wollheim points out that psychologist Sigmund Freud's writings on art usually focussed on the psychology of

  • Word count: 1995
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Discuss critically the belief that conscience is the voice of G-d.

Talia Hershkorn Discuss critically the belief that conscience is the voice of G-d There are several definitions of the word conscience, one's conscience can either be understood as their ability to judge morally their own actions or the awareness one has that an action is morally forbidden. There are also four possible alternatives to the nature of conscience. The belief that it is naturally within us as a gift from g-d, it comes as a product of rational thought, it comes from an external authority or it is a psychological function. There are two theologians John Henry Newman and Joseph Butler who in particular hold the view that conscience is implanted in people by G-d. Newman's reasons for this belief are based on the fact that we feel ashamed or guilty if we do something wrong meaning that we have a sense that we are before someone-G-d. For Newman, then, conscience points to the existence of G-d as we instinctively are aware of being before a moral power. For Newman, the conscience not only lets us distinguish good and bad actions it also leads us to G-d. The conscience is like an inner voice that guides our behaviour and produces feelings of guilt and shame. From the conscience, Newman infers the existence of G-d. Butler argues that conscience is part of the human nature that guides us towards the moral integration of the self. Butler holds that we must obey our

  • Word count: 1072
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Death, Dying, and Bereavement

Death, Dying, and Bereavement For the last year, since my grandfather's death, I have been searching deep in myself to find the answer to the question, "If I was given six months, what would I do?" As many of you have already pointed out, I would make sure that I had no regrets. I have started a journal that I do not write in everyday, but I keep it close by so that if I hear a quote or read something that is valuable, I jot it down. I feel as though if pass early, then, my son, Jared, or anyone who is close to me will have a piece of me and what I was all about. I have a tiny note book for everyone that I know for things that come to mind that I would like to tell them, I am working on finding the way, and I do not want to wait too long. I am in the process of writing my novel, so I would work non-stop to finish it so I could get started in the publishing process. I have written out a "Bucket List" and publishing a book is on it. I would do as much traveling as I could as long as I could spend all of the time with Jared. I have to say that I believe that, "death is a transition to immortality." (Boyd, D., & Bee, H., 2006, Adult Development (4th ed) P.235) To me death is nothing to fear; you are just changing rooms. I am comfortable with it. The only sadness in death is for the ones left behind to wait for their ticket to be punched. It is an inconvenience for

  • Word count: 584
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 - 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness

Zoë Wood Psychology Freud's psychoanalytic approach to psychology Tutor: N. Warmsley 9th October 2005 Freud's Psychoanalytic Approach to Psychology The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 - 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness. He preformed studies to look into human personality, psychosexual development and conducted method of treatments to determine the causes of neurotic mental illness. Freud thought that mental illness was caused by early childhood trauma of which treatment for such illness could only be successful when these childhood memories were dealt with and overcome. He developed his own technique to try and remember and overcome the events from their past that had disturbed their development. He made his patients describe anything that came into their mind no matter how silly they thought it may be. This technique helped Freud determine the cause of the mental illness and encouraged the patient to resurface repressed memories. Freud thought this would help them come to terms with the events helping overcome the illness, which was said to be 'removing the neurosis'. According to Freud, everything we do, why we do things, who we are and how we became like this are all related to our sexual drive. Childhood sexual experiences will

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Describe and evaluate Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Describe and evaluate Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) Hans Selye conducted some research into stress from the 1930's until he died in 1982. He thought that short term stress (acute stress) can be adapted by the body because of the 'flight or fight' response which enables us to cope with the demands of the environment. Furthermore he added that prolonged stress (chronic stress) can be very damaging. The way Selye gathered these results was by doing experiments on rats and seeing how they responded to different types of stress. He noticed that there was a pattern in how the rats and hospital patients similarly responded to stress. This pattern was a typical syndrome called 'The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)'. GAS consisted of 3 stages; alarm reaction, resistance stage, and exhaustion. The body returns back to its normal functioning after the alarm reaction and exhaustion stage only happens when stress is prolonged. The first stage of GAS is the 'Alarm Reaction Stage'. During this stage there is an increase in activity in the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system (SAM) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA). These are the 2 main pathways. In the SAM the hypothalamus sends the message down the sympathetic branch to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and to the Adrenal Medulla. Adrenaline and Noradrenalin is then produced. The other

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Discuss issues with biological therapies

Discuss issues with biological therapies Biological therapies arise from the medical model of abnormal behaviour: mental disorder is an illness which results mainly from a chemical imbalance. Biological treatments are designed to redress this imbalance, through the administration of chemical drugs known as chemotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and, in rare cases, psychosurgery. As well as mental disorders, the biological approach also gives an explanation and treatment for stress and the role of stress management. This approach also shows the link between stress and the immune system. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are also explained by the medical model. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to treat mental disorders. For example anti-anxiety drugs consist of a class of drugs called benzodiazepines and minor tranquilliser designed to reduce levels of anxiety. These include Librium and Valium which were introduced in 1950s, and soon became the most prescribed drug in the world. However, the side-effects include drowsiness, dependence, withdrawal and toxicity However, benzodiazepines have been found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and panic. Gelernter and found them to be more effective than a placebo for social phobia and Lecrubier found that 60% of patients with panic disorder remained free of panic while on medication. Antidepressant drugs are

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Findings of the Obedience Studies

Consider whether the Findings of the Obedience Studies, of Milgram, Hofling and Zimbardo justify the Methods used to obtain them? Obedience is the act of obeying orders from others in the form of dutiful or submissive behaviour. We often don't notice how much of an influence people have on our behaviour, and there are many different factors which affect the way we act. For example, the people we are with, the level of authority that they may have compared to us, the setting, the situation and quite obviously our personality type. People obey authority for a number of reasons, such as to avoid punishment, for a reward or benefit and most importantly due to a certain person's authoritarian status. If somebody seems to have more power than ourselves, we tend to feel the need to obey them. Why do we feel obliged to respect and obey somebody, because of their high position in the hierarchy of authority? There have been many intriguing obedience studies which have helped psychologists to get a better insight into how and why us humans decide to obey or disobey, depending on the situation that we are in. although these studies have helped to reveal some important truths about human nature, does that make the unethical and unpleasant ways in which they were discovered acceptable? An impressive study which shows the power that people can have over our behaviour was carried out

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  • Subject: Psychology
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Interacting with VoiceXML applications via a Voice User Interface.

Introduction The Web has revolutionized how people communicate and share information. Businesses deploy millions of web services to consumers with Internet access. Internet and telephony used to be two separate technologies requiring a specialized telecom expert to build applications accessible over the phone. VoiceXML bridges the gap; it leverages the existing web infrastructure and enables web developers to build voice-enabled web applications accessible from any telephone, by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Users interact with VoiceXML applications via a Voice User Interface (VUI) similar to the way they interact with traditional web applications via a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Poorly designed VUI frustrate users quickly, resulting in operator assistance or disconnected calls. It does not matter how powerful the application is or how many features it supports, if users cannot or will not use it. Therefore, a well-designed VUI is essential to the success of any voice application. VoiceXML is designed for the rapid development of voice web applications, but it does not address usability. A quality VoiceXML application requires a well-designed VUI. This paper discusses the VoiceXML application development lifecycle focusing on application usability. The paper also describes key roles and skills required in each phase of the development cycle. It looks at how the HP

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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How do individual differences influence stress levels?

How do individual differences influence stress levels? The extent to which stress can affect a person is largely dependant on the type of personality they possess. An individual with a Type A personality is categorised as having aggressive tendencies combined with being a competitive high achiever with a fixation on time management. It is thought that these types of traits lead to increased stress levels and blood pressure, which in turn increase the possibility of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). This theory was tested by Friedman and Rosenman in the Western Collaborative Group Study (1960). They used around 3000 middle aged men that lived in California, and tested them for indicators of CHD before assessing their personality. After eight years they found that twice as many participants diagnosed as Type A died of cardiovascular trouble than those diagnosed as Type B (personalities lacking in the traits characteristic of Type A). It was also found that Type As are more likely to smoke and had higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, all of which are causes of cardiovascular problems. This does show a correlation between this type of personality and stress related death, but not a definite cause and effect. The experiment also does not take into account that many Type As had a family history of cardiovascular problems, which is indicative of genetic condition

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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Describe and evaluate any one approach to the study of Human Behaviour. Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytical approach.

Describe and evaluate any one approach to the study of Human Behaviour. Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytical approach. Sigmund Freud was a pioneer in the recognition of the unconscious mind, becoming the first Psychoanalyst and his theories are now widely accepted. Psychoanalysts today believe that Psychoanalysis is the most effective method of obtaining knowledge of the mind. It is a method of understanding mental functioning and the stages of growth and development. The Psychoanalytic theory seeks to explain the complex relationship between the body and mind and it's theories can be used to understand the role of emotions in medical illness. The validity of Psychoanalysis as a theory has been questioned since it was conceived in the early 1900's. Questions have been raised as to whether or not it is a science and the value of the data from which the theories involved are based. Psychoanalysis begins with the three forces of the physical apparatus- the id, the ego and the super ego. The id is unconscious, containing everything that is inherited or present at birth and instincts. The ego is conscious, it is responsible for the limitation of satisfactions and represents the influence of others such as parents, teachers, significant others, and other influences such as racial and cultural traditions. The theory states that instincts are the ultimate cause of all behaviour,

  • Word count: 2030
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Psychology
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