Critically Analyse Two Theoretical Approaches to Cognitive Development
Critically analyse two theoretical approaches to cognitive development
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, neurobiology and Freud’s seduction theory
The rationale for the essay will be to discuss how early childhood memories can contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) later in adult life. Negative early experiences such as child abuse can have a major impact on the development of the brain. Similar to adults with PTSD, children have trouble sleeping, can not control their memories of the trauma and are constantly on alert (Kuafman, Plotsky, Meyerhof & Charney 2000). Memory alterations connected to PTSD represent a complex interrelationship between brain and mind (Wilson & Keane 2004). The essay will therefore address a psychological and neurobiological approaches which have been typically associated with the diagnosis of PTSD. The psychological approach for discussion will be Freud’s(1896) psychodynamic model of neurosis which was one of the first paradigms to place emphasis on external stressor events (Wilson 2004). The essay will concentrate on the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory and briefly discuss the amygdala. Saplosky (1996) neurobiological study in relation to stress, glucorcotoids and hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory functioning. These brain areas will be discussed in relation to disturbing memories and deficits in memory functioning (Silver, McAllister & Yodofsky 2011).
Firstly it will be necessary to discuss what the term “memory” means. A simple definition of memory would be a persons power to remember things or the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information (Oxford 1964). A psychological definition is more complex and although memory is seen as a single term it refers to a multitude of human capacities (Medin & Pashler 2002). There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval each operation represents a stage in memory processing (Sternberg 2009).
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, neurobiology and Freud’s seduction theory
The rationale for the essay will be to discuss how early childhood memories can contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) later in adult life. Negative early experiences such as child abuse can have a major impact on the development of the brain. Similar to adults with PTSD, children have trouble sleeping, can not control their memories of the trauma and are constantly on alert (Kuafman, Plotsky, Meyerhof & Charney 2000). Memory alterations connected to PTSD represent a complex interrelationship between brain and mind (Wilson & Keane 2004). The essay will therefore address a psychological and neurobiological approaches which have been typically associated with the diagnosis of PTSD. The psychological approach for discussion will be Freud’s(1896) psychodynamic model of neurosis which was one of the first paradigms to place emphasis on external stressor events (Wilson 2004). The essay will concentrate on the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory and briefly discuss the amygdala. Saplosky (1996) neurobiological study in relation to stress, glucorcotoids and hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory functioning. These brain areas will be discussed in relation to disturbing memories and deficits in memory functioning (Silver, McAllister & Yodofsky 2011).
Firstly it will be necessary to discuss what the term “memory” means. A simple definition of memory would be a persons power to remember things or the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information (Oxford 1964). A psychological definition is more complex and although memory is seen as a single term it refers to a multitude of human capacities (Medin & Pashler 2002). There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval each operation represents a stage in memory processing (Sternberg 2009).