General Psychology: The Case Of Ben: A Psychological Case Study
Amy Beckman- Page
General Psychology
5 November 2013
The Case of Ben
Introduction
“The Case of Ben” analyzes eight different Psychology theories: Psychoanalytical, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biological and Evolutionary, and Sociocultural. Ben is a thirty-five year old male who works for a postal company and who began to have life changing problems. Throughout Ben’s life, he experiences weird behavior and thoughts, which can be explained by using the theories. He hears voices in his head, acts out in strange moods, and does things he knows he should not be doing. The treatment for each theory will explain why Ben is facing the troubles he is and how the theories relate to one another, which also important to know when describing …show more content…
Ben’s case.
Psychoanalytical
The Psychoanalytic theory deals with, id, ego, super ego, the five sexual stages and unconscious forces that motivate behavior. The psychoanalytical theory is based upon the work of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud proposed that the mind contained a part, which was hidden at all times only appearing in a symbolic form during dreams. Freud also states that sometimes this ‘hidden symbolic form’ would surface people’s behavior who had no idea they were acting the way they were (Ciccarelli 495). “Freud believed that the unconscious mind was the most important determining factor in human behavior and personality (Ciccarelli 495). He also said that id, ego, and superego are three parts of the personality itself (Ciccarelli 496). The id is presented at birth where as the ego develops out of a need to help deal with certain things and the superego is part of the personality that acts as moral center (Ciccarelli 497). The five sexual stages consist of the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages (Ciccarelli 498).
The psychoanalytic theory is different from that of the other theories because it divides the personality into three sections along with using parts of the unconscious mind (Ciccarelli 498). The first term that is used to describe Ben is free association. Free association is described as “talking about anything without fear of negative feedback” (Ciccarelli 503). This term means to the student that he or she can open up and talk about anything that comes to mind without being judged or negative (Ciccarelli 577). The second term that follows along with the psychoanalytic theory is dream interpretation or the “analysis of elements within a patient’s reported dream” (Ciccarelli 576). This term means to the student that assigning the meaning of dreams is useful when trying to understand the dream. Freud believed that the dreams ‘hidden symbolic form of dreams’ would surface because of dream interpretation since the repressed material is present (Ciccarelli 576). The decisions or actions people take are not made consciously, but are driven by some past experience, which could be a sexual, traumatic event or situation.
Ben had usual personal problems happening in his life that he could not explain. Free association is discussed when explaining Ben and his personal life because his co-workers and his supervisor talked him into seeking help from the company’s human resources department (Carson 3). Dream interpretation is used to describe Ben since the case reveals that Ben has always been “nervous with the girls and such” and stays away from social overtures with women. Ben has never been married and has his sexual needs met by visiting a prostitute regularly. He is unwilling to fully discuss his sexual encounters because his mother taught him to “never talk about dirty things” (Carson 1). Ben needs to decipher the hidden content of his problem with accepting women into his life (Ciccarelli 580). Ben has a nervous disorder which is triggered because the unconscious conflicts he has created with women (Ciccarelli 576). Ben insisted that he could feel his “organ rotting inside of him” even though all the medical tests proved him wrong, he believes “he is suffering form cirrhosis of the liver” (Carson 3). When treating the disease, often psychodynamic therapy works best because it is typically is shorter in duration than traditional psychoanalysis (Ciccarelli 577). “People who have nonpsychotic adjustment disorders, such as anxiety, somatoform, or dissociative disorders, are more likely to benefit from psychodynamic therapy” (Ciccarelli 577). Ben has somatoform, which is categorized as a disease that can be helped with therapy. Somatoform is a mental disorder where the case study believes he or she has a problem, which causes the illness to have body symptoms (Somatoform). The treatment therapy, psychodynamic therapy, is an “insight therapy that emphasizes revealing the unconscious conflicts, urges, and desires that are assumed to cause disordered emotions and behavior” (Ciccarelli 576). The subject “Ben” would benefit from the psychodynamic therapy because he would be able to tell his own reality from his dreams. Ben would realize what is truly happening in his life and what he is imaging is happening. Behavioral The Behavioral theory is the influence of past experience and environment in personality development. This theory deals with the increasing and decreasing of a certain behavior. Behavior responses are learned through classical or operant conditioning, learning, rewards or punishments received. Skinner “developed the theory, operant conditioning, which explains how voluntary behavior is learned. In his theory, behavioral responses that are followed by pleasurable consequences are strengthened, or reinforced. For example, a child who cries and is rewarded by getting his mother’s attention will cry again in the future” (Ciccarelli 14). Likewise, there are unpleasant consequences for inappropriate behavior.
The Behavioral theory is unique and different from the other theories because it focuses mainly on thinking and the thoughts that pass through a person’s mind. One term that describes the behavioral theory is reciprocal determinism, which is “how the factors of environment, personal characters, and behavior can interact to determine future behavior” (Ciccarelli 506). Reciprocal determinism was started by Bandura who believed the three influence factors is “the environment, which consists of the physical surroundings and the potential for reinforcement; the person and the behavior itself, which may or may not be reinforced at this particular time and place” (Ciccarelli 506). The term means to the student that environment and surroundings influence and affect personality and behavior. Another term that describes the behavior theory is locus of control, which is “the tendency for people to assume that they either have control or do not have control over events and consequences in their lives” (Ciccarelli 507). This term means to the student that people can control events that happen as individuals.
The behavior theory is used to describe Ben when he reports that he likes his job with a postal company where he has worked for 22 years (Carson 1). He is generally liked by his coworkers; however, during the past two years the coworkers said Ben’s interactions have turned inappropriate, i.e. he might smile when he is angry or seem agitated when everyone else is laughing (Carson 2). Reciprocal determinism fits with his emotions and environment. Because of his environment at work, his emotions change due to reciprocal determinism. Ben was an only child and although he reported that his parents “were kinda weird” but yet, they were “like him.” Ben may see himself as weird which may cause the strange reaction to his coworkers “ (Carson 1). Locus of control shows that Ben does not feel as if he is controlling his life, he feels that he is like his parents but not at the same time and is confused. The treatment plan for such disorders can be apparent conditioning in the form of positive reinforcement to modify behavior and the use of psychotherapy (Ciccarelli 182). Signs of improvement from the treatment would be better relations with his co-workers.
Cognitive
Cognitive perspective focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes, problem solving, language, and learning. Thinking is defined as “mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is processing information—organizing it, understanding it, and communicating it to others (Ciccarelli 254). The cognitive theory or way of thinking can be described as over generalization or over simplified. It is also categorized as negative thinking (Beckman-Page Chapter 15).
The cognitive theory is unique and different from the other theories because it is the irrational/illogical thinking (Beckman-Page Chapter 15). Pessimism or the “tendency to only alone one self to see the negative side of every situation” is a term used to describe Ben (Radwan). Pessimism is used to describe Ben because he started to double-check all of his deliveries after making a mistake. Pessimism to the student means negative thinking (Beckham-Page Chapter 15). He thought negatively about everything. He says making a mistake and having his co-workers tease him “weakened his low self-image and undercut his confidence in his ability to perform his job” (Carson 2). Ben is becoming too dramatic over the fact the he made one simple mistake. At one point Ben was scheduled to make a routine delivery, but instead of taking the box into the store, he handed it to a pedestrian who was on the street. When he gave the box to the pedestrian he explained “This is a gift from Jesus – please keep it with you always.” Ben has insisted that he is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver although medical tests have proven negative; he insists that he can feel the organ rotting inside of him (Carson 2). He now is almost OCD about making sure his deliveries are correct. “He routinely double-checks all of his deliveries, sometimes running back into stores to confirm that he has delivered the correct box” (Carson 2). Ben also claims he hears “celebrity voices telling him he made a mistake on one of his deliveries” (Carson 2). Another term for the cognitive theory is over generalization. Over generalization is a term to describe the cognitive theory. Over generalization is the “distortion of thinking in which a person draws sweeping conclusions based on one incident or event and applies those conclusion to events that are unrelated to the original” (Ciccarelli 585). This term means to the student that something is being over simplified. On example for Ben would be when he disconnect his phone at night “to avoid potential threatening phone calls” (Carson 3).
One treatment plan for the cognitive theory is journaling or writing down whatever comes to mind including thoughts, which will “serve as a emotional releaser” (Beckman-Page Chapter 15). This treatment would benefit Ben because by him writing down his emotions, he would be able to differentiate between his true emotions and his “feelings at the moment.” By journaling, Ben would know how he felt about the situation instead of his feelings being a “heat of the moment feeling.”
Humanistic
Humanistic perspective is the theory that people have “free will, the freedom to choose their own destiny, and strive for self-actualization, the achievement of one’s full potential” (Ciccarelli 14). “Humanists focus on conscious, subjective experiences of emotion and people’s sense of self, as well as the more immediate experiences in their daily lives rather than early childhood experiences of the distant past (Ciccarelli 578).
The humanistic theory is unique because it focuses on one self. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow (humanists) “wanted psychology to focus on the things that make people uniquely human, such as subjective emotions and the freedom to choose one’s own destiny” (Ciccarelli 507). It is different from the other theories because it is so “difficult to test scientifically” (Ciccarelli 509). One term that describes the humanistic theory is self-actualization. Self- actualization is defined as the involvement of fulfilling your potential and becoming all that you are capable of being (McDonald 4). This term means to the student that setting goals for one-self will help increase and boost self-esteem. A specific example of this term for Ben would be when Ben takes long walks every morning. This relates to this term because of Ben going on walks helps him boost his energy. Without taking those walks Ben does not have the self- actualization to realize how it truly affects him. Self-concept can be a term for the humanistic theory also. Self-concept is “based on what people are told by others and how the sense of self is reflect in the words and actions of important, significant people” (Ciccarelli 508). This term means to the student that self-concept is beliefs about one self. Self-concept is used to describe Ben because when he made a mistake with his deliveries, his co-workers teased him and “weakened his self image” (Carson 2). A treatment plan for this disorder would be gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy is “a form of directive insight therapy in which the therapist helps clients to accept all parts of their feelings and subjective experiences, using leading questions and planned experiences such as role-playing” (Ciccarelli 579). Gestalt therapy would help Ben because he would realize the positive features in his life and gain self-esteem and confidence.
Biological and Evolutionary
Biological and evolutionary perspectives focus on the physical body as an influence on the human.
The biological perspective is described as “emphasis is on physical or neurological factors and how they impact behavior, thought, and emotion” (Beckham-Page Chapter 2). “Hormones, heredity, brain chemical, tumors and diseases are some of the biological causes of behavior and mental events” (Ciccarelli 15). The evolutionary theory explains general “mental strategies and traits, such as why we lie, how attractiveness influences mate selection, why fear of snakes is so common, or why people universally like music and dancing” (Ciccarelli 16). The biological and evolutionary perspectives are different from other theories because they focus on influences and …show more content…
impacts.
The biological perspective describes Ben. Displacement is one term for the biological perspective that describes Ben. Displacement is defined as “taking out emotions on a substitute tareget” (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). This term means to the student not taking responsibility for one’s actions and having to blame them on another to make one self feel better. Displacement describes Ben because Ben would take walks every morning “sometimes lasting up to five hours” (Carson 1). Another term for the biological perspective is libido. Libido is a pleasure seeking energy (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). This term means to the student that it is a sex drive, which can explain why Ben felt the need to visit a prostitute to meet his sexual wants (Carson 1). “Evidence continues to mount for a genetic cause for schizophrenia, a mental disorder involving delusions, hallucinations and extremely distorted thinking” (Ciccarelli 16). Ben has the disorder of paranoia. The treatment plan for the biological theory perspective is psychotherapy and mediation. Psychotherapy is defined as “therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem is treated with biological or medical methods ot relieve symptoms” (Ciccarelli 574). If the treatment were effective, Ben would be able stop and lessen his paranoia thoughts and actions, which is beneficial.
Sociocultural
The Sociocultural perspective is the product of behavioral shaping within the context of family influences, the social group to which one belongs, and the culture within which the family and social group exists (Ciccarelli 534). Social psychology is “the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined or implied presence of others” (Ciccarelli 448). This theory is different from to the others because it compares the influences and the imagined situations. Culture psychology is “the need to consider the unique characteristics of culture in which behavior takes place” (Ciccarelli 534). This differs from other theories because it is about the characteristics that affect behavior of culture. Social psychology describes Ben and his behavior, thoughts, and actions.
Ben owned up to hearing celebrity voices when he was delivering his boxes saying he was making a mistake (Carson 2). Ben’s behavior was influenced by the voices. One term that describes Ben in a social psychology form is social impairment. Social impairment is “the tendency for the presence of other people to have a negative impact on the performance of a difficult task” (Ciccarelli 456). This term means to the student that social impairment is a disorder in people who have low self-confidence and allow others to hinder on their performance. Ben claimed his co-workers teasing him “undercut his confidence in his ability to perform his job” (Carson 2). Another term that describes Ben is conformity, which is “changing one’s own behavior to more closely match the actions of others” (Ciccarelli 449). This term means to the student that conformity is matching attitudes and ways of dealing in situations. Ben wanted to be ‘normal’ again. He did not want to hear the voices and give his deliveries to the wrong person. One treatment option for the social psychology theory is biomedical therapy. Biomedical therapy is “therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem methods to relieve symptoms” (CIccarelli 574). Ben will benefit from this because he will gain confidence when completing his duties at his
job.
Eclectic
Eclectic is the combination of “humanistic and cognitive behavioral therapies” (Ciccarelli 578). Basically, eclectic is an advancement to therapy that results from combining elements of several different approaches or techniques (Ciccarelli 578). Human complexity is the property that makes “it difficult to formulate its overall behavior in a given language, even when given reasonably complete information about its atomic components and their inter-relations” (Definition of Complexity). “Complexity is distinguished from ignorance,” which Ben could be said to have. He finally “sought help from his employer’s human resources department” at the desire of his supervisor (Carson 3). Humanism focuses on the conscious and subjective experiences of emotion and sense of self (CIccarelli 578). Cognitive focuses on how people think, remember, store and use information” (Ciccarelli 14). The cognitive theory also includes the “physical workings of the brain and nervous system” (Ciccarelli 15). This is complex because treatment recommendation would be psychotherapy to gain understanding of the emotion and drug therapy to treat the psychical effects of the brain and nervous system.
Conclusion
“The Case of Ben” deals with the eight different Psychology theories: Psychoanalytical, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biological and Evolutionary, and Sociocultural. Ben has high pessimism, where he thoughts are negative (Beckham-Page Chapter 15). Ben was described as having a nervous disorder with women and somatoform, which deals with the psychoanalytical theory (Carson 1). Ben also needed positive reinforcement when describing his behavior (Ciccarelli 182). Ben has a negative self-concept and self-actualization (Ciccarelli 14). Ben has a strong libido or high pleasure seeking energy, which explains the biological theory (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). Ben has a social impairment disorder where his thoughts are negative because of others. (Ciccarelli 456). Ben now can know why he is acting out in weird ways. He can base his actions off each theory and treatment. Ben also can tell if the treatment plan is working for him. For each strange behavior, mood swing, or even thought he knows why and how it is happening based on each of the psychology theories.
Works Cited
"A Definition of Complexity." Syntactic Measures of Complexity. N.p., 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
Beckman-Page, Amy. Psychology Notes . N.p.: Amy Beckman-Page, 2013. Print.
Carson, Robert C. and Susan Mineka. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. 11th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Web.
Ciccarelli, Sanundra K., and J. Noland White. Psychology. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Person Education, 2012. Print.
McDonald, MatthewWearing, Stephen. "A Reconceptualisation Of The Self In Humanistic Psychology: Heidegger, Foucault And The Sociocultural Turn." Journal Of Phenomenological Psychology 44.1 (2013): 37-59.Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Radwan, Farouk M. "The Ultimate Source for Understanding Yourself and Others."Dealing with Pessimism. Pessimism Psychology, Causes and Treatment. N.p., 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.
"Somatoform Disorders: Symptoms, Types, and Treatment." Mental Health Center. WebMD, 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.
A Definition of Complexity: Complexity is that property of a model which makes it difficult to formulate its overall behaviour in a given language, even when given reasonably complete information about its atomic components and their inter-relations.36 This is a general definition, which is intended to have different interpretations in different contexts. It relates the difficulty in formalisation of the whole to that of the formalisation of its parts (typically a ‘top-down’ model compared to a ‘bottom-up’ one) in the language. It is only applicable in cases where there is at least a possibility of gaining significant information about the components, thus clearly separating ignorance from complexity. Different conceptions of complexity depending on the base language chosen, the type of difficulty focused on and the type of formulation desired within that language.
McDonald This analysis suggests a way forward by offering a potential reconceptualization of the self in humanistic psychology through the existential-phenomenology of Martin Heidegger. We argue that Heidegger 's conception of the self takes account of subjectivities produced in discourse and institutional practice, while acknowledging the human capacity for actualization in his concept of the authentic-self.
Pessimism: These days everyone seems to be talking about optimism and positive thinking but for some people who are pessimistic such an advice sounds ridiculous.
Personally i can 't blame a pessimistic person for not accepting such advice about optimism because an advice can only work when it matches the person 's belief system.
Pessimism can certainly make your life worse, increase your bad moods and even result in depression. In my book, The ultimate guide to getting over depression i explained how depression can be nothing more than a state of loss of hope a person reaches after becoming pessimistic.
Of course a pessimist is on the top of the list of people who are likely to lose hope and get depressed. Because of these reasons i decided to write this article to help you understand the causes of pessimism and let you know about the best ways to deal with it.
What causes pessimism?
What causes pessimism? Why would someone always expect the worse?
The below are some possible psychological causes for pessimism:
1) Bad past experience: If a person failed many times he might start to believe that success is not possible and so become pessimistic. I am not saying that all pessimistic people are not successful but certainly pessimism holds many people back and prevents them from succeeding.
2) Poor company and pessimism: I am sure you have met at least one pessimistic person who never failed simply because he never tried anything!! Pessimism isn 't only caused by bad past experience but it can result from listening to people who tell you about their bad past experiences. If you are surrounded by pessimists then you will certainly become one after sometime even if you never failed before
3) Pessimism and the belief system: Why would 2 different people fail then one of them becomes a pessimist while the other remains optimistic?? This happens because of the differences in their belief system. Pessimism can be caused by the negative limiting beliefs people acquire in their lives and thus one of the best ways to deal with pessimism is to fix your belief system
4) Pessimism and religious beliefs: Certainly people who have certain religious beliefs tend to be more optimistic than those who don 't have any. Because pessimism is the absence of hope you can deal with pessimism by doing anything that could bring hope back
5) Pessimism and self confidence: No one can say that pessimistic people lack self confidence but its a fact that some people are pessimistic because of their lack of self confidence. If someone has self doubts or isn 't sure of his ability to succeed then he will certainly become a pessimist
Somatoform disorders are mental illnesses that cause bodily symptoms, including pain. The symptoms can 't be traced back to any physical cause. And they are not the result of substance abuse or another mental illness.
People with somatoform disorders are not faking their symptoms. The pain and other problems they experience are real. The symptoms can significantly affect daily functioning.
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Doctors need to perform many tests to rule out other possible causes before they diagnose a somatoform disorder.
A diagnosis of a somatoform disorder can create a lot of stress and frustration for patients. They may feel unsatisfied that there 's no known explanation for their symptoms. Stress often leads patients to become more worried about their health. This creates a vicious cycle that can persist for years.
Types and Symptoms of Somatoform Disorders
Symptoms and their severity vary depending on the type of somatoform disorder. There are several types of somatoform disorders:
Somatization disorder. This is also known as Briquet 's syndrome. Patients with this type have a long history of medical problems that starts before the age of 30.
The symptoms involve several different organs and body systems. The patient may report a combination of: pain neurologic problems gastrointestinal complaints sexual symptoms
Many people who have somatization disorder will also have an anxiety disorder.
Undifferentiated somatoform disorder. This is a less specific version of somatization disorder. A diagnosis requires that a person have one or more physical complaints of unexplained symptoms for at least six months.
Hypochondriasis. People with this type are preoccupied with concern they have a serious disease. They may believe that minor complaints are signs of very serious medical problems. For example, they may believe that a common headache is a sign of a brain tumor.
Body dysmorphic disorder. People with this disorder are obsessed with -- or may exaggerate -- a physical flaw. Patients may also imagine a flaw they don 't have.
The worry over this trait or flaw is typically constant. It may involve any part of the body. Patients can be obsessed with things such as wrinkles, hair, or the size or shape of the eyes, nose, or breasts.
Conversion disorder. This condition strikes when people have neurological symptoms that can 't be traced back to a medical cause. For example, patients may have symptoms such as: paralysis blindness hearing loss loss of sensation or numbness
Stress usually makes symptoms of conversion disorder worse.
Pain disorder. People who have pain disorder typically experience pain that started with a psychological stress or trauma.
For example, they develop an unexplained, chronic headache after a stressful life event.
Pain is the focus of the disorder. But psychological factors are believed to play a role in the perception and severity of the pain.
People with pain disorder frequently seek medical care. They may become socially isolated and experience problems with work and family life.
Somatoform disorder not otherwise specified. People with this type may have conditions that have features of other somatoform disorders. But they do not meet the full criteria for any other diagnosis.
Conditions that fall into this category include pseudocyesis. This is the mistaken belief of being pregnant based on other signs of pregnancy, including an expanding abdomen; feeling labor pains, nausea, breast changes, fetal movement; breast changes; and cessation of the menstrual period.
General Psychology
5 November 2013
The Case of Ben
Introduction
“The Case of Ben” analyzes eight different Psychology theories: Psychoanalytical, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biological and Evolutionary, and Sociocultural. Ben is a thirty-five year old male who works for a postal company and who began to have life changing problems. Throughout Ben’s life, he experiences weird behavior and thoughts, which can be explained by using the theories. He hears voices in his head, acts out in strange moods, and does things he knows he should not be doing. The treatment for each theory will explain why Ben is facing the troubles he is and how the theories relate to one another, which also important to know when describing …show more content…
Ben’s case.
Psychoanalytical
The Psychoanalytic theory deals with, id, ego, super ego, the five sexual stages and unconscious forces that motivate behavior. The psychoanalytical theory is based upon the work of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud proposed that the mind contained a part, which was hidden at all times only appearing in a symbolic form during dreams. Freud also states that sometimes this ‘hidden symbolic form’ would surface people’s behavior who had no idea they were acting the way they were (Ciccarelli 495). “Freud believed that the unconscious mind was the most important determining factor in human behavior and personality (Ciccarelli 495). He also said that id, ego, and superego are three parts of the personality itself (Ciccarelli 496). The id is presented at birth where as the ego develops out of a need to help deal with certain things and the superego is part of the personality that acts as moral center (Ciccarelli 497). The five sexual stages consist of the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages (Ciccarelli 498).
The psychoanalytic theory is different from that of the other theories because it divides the personality into three sections along with using parts of the unconscious mind (Ciccarelli 498). The first term that is used to describe Ben is free association. Free association is described as “talking about anything without fear of negative feedback” (Ciccarelli 503). This term means to the student that he or she can open up and talk about anything that comes to mind without being judged or negative (Ciccarelli 577). The second term that follows along with the psychoanalytic theory is dream interpretation or the “analysis of elements within a patient’s reported dream” (Ciccarelli 576). This term means to the student that assigning the meaning of dreams is useful when trying to understand the dream. Freud believed that the dreams ‘hidden symbolic form of dreams’ would surface because of dream interpretation since the repressed material is present (Ciccarelli 576). The decisions or actions people take are not made consciously, but are driven by some past experience, which could be a sexual, traumatic event or situation.
Ben had usual personal problems happening in his life that he could not explain. Free association is discussed when explaining Ben and his personal life because his co-workers and his supervisor talked him into seeking help from the company’s human resources department (Carson 3). Dream interpretation is used to describe Ben since the case reveals that Ben has always been “nervous with the girls and such” and stays away from social overtures with women. Ben has never been married and has his sexual needs met by visiting a prostitute regularly. He is unwilling to fully discuss his sexual encounters because his mother taught him to “never talk about dirty things” (Carson 1). Ben needs to decipher the hidden content of his problem with accepting women into his life (Ciccarelli 580). Ben has a nervous disorder which is triggered because the unconscious conflicts he has created with women (Ciccarelli 576). Ben insisted that he could feel his “organ rotting inside of him” even though all the medical tests proved him wrong, he believes “he is suffering form cirrhosis of the liver” (Carson 3). When treating the disease, often psychodynamic therapy works best because it is typically is shorter in duration than traditional psychoanalysis (Ciccarelli 577). “People who have nonpsychotic adjustment disorders, such as anxiety, somatoform, or dissociative disorders, are more likely to benefit from psychodynamic therapy” (Ciccarelli 577). Ben has somatoform, which is categorized as a disease that can be helped with therapy. Somatoform is a mental disorder where the case study believes he or she has a problem, which causes the illness to have body symptoms (Somatoform). The treatment therapy, psychodynamic therapy, is an “insight therapy that emphasizes revealing the unconscious conflicts, urges, and desires that are assumed to cause disordered emotions and behavior” (Ciccarelli 576). The subject “Ben” would benefit from the psychodynamic therapy because he would be able to tell his own reality from his dreams. Ben would realize what is truly happening in his life and what he is imaging is happening. Behavioral The Behavioral theory is the influence of past experience and environment in personality development. This theory deals with the increasing and decreasing of a certain behavior. Behavior responses are learned through classical or operant conditioning, learning, rewards or punishments received. Skinner “developed the theory, operant conditioning, which explains how voluntary behavior is learned. In his theory, behavioral responses that are followed by pleasurable consequences are strengthened, or reinforced. For example, a child who cries and is rewarded by getting his mother’s attention will cry again in the future” (Ciccarelli 14). Likewise, there are unpleasant consequences for inappropriate behavior.
The Behavioral theory is unique and different from the other theories because it focuses mainly on thinking and the thoughts that pass through a person’s mind. One term that describes the behavioral theory is reciprocal determinism, which is “how the factors of environment, personal characters, and behavior can interact to determine future behavior” (Ciccarelli 506). Reciprocal determinism was started by Bandura who believed the three influence factors is “the environment, which consists of the physical surroundings and the potential for reinforcement; the person and the behavior itself, which may or may not be reinforced at this particular time and place” (Ciccarelli 506). The term means to the student that environment and surroundings influence and affect personality and behavior. Another term that describes the behavior theory is locus of control, which is “the tendency for people to assume that they either have control or do not have control over events and consequences in their lives” (Ciccarelli 507). This term means to the student that people can control events that happen as individuals.
The behavior theory is used to describe Ben when he reports that he likes his job with a postal company where he has worked for 22 years (Carson 1). He is generally liked by his coworkers; however, during the past two years the coworkers said Ben’s interactions have turned inappropriate, i.e. he might smile when he is angry or seem agitated when everyone else is laughing (Carson 2). Reciprocal determinism fits with his emotions and environment. Because of his environment at work, his emotions change due to reciprocal determinism. Ben was an only child and although he reported that his parents “were kinda weird” but yet, they were “like him.” Ben may see himself as weird which may cause the strange reaction to his coworkers “ (Carson 1). Locus of control shows that Ben does not feel as if he is controlling his life, he feels that he is like his parents but not at the same time and is confused. The treatment plan for such disorders can be apparent conditioning in the form of positive reinforcement to modify behavior and the use of psychotherapy (Ciccarelli 182). Signs of improvement from the treatment would be better relations with his co-workers.
Cognitive
Cognitive perspective focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes, problem solving, language, and learning. Thinking is defined as “mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is processing information—organizing it, understanding it, and communicating it to others (Ciccarelli 254). The cognitive theory or way of thinking can be described as over generalization or over simplified. It is also categorized as negative thinking (Beckman-Page Chapter 15).
The cognitive theory is unique and different from the other theories because it is the irrational/illogical thinking (Beckman-Page Chapter 15). Pessimism or the “tendency to only alone one self to see the negative side of every situation” is a term used to describe Ben (Radwan). Pessimism is used to describe Ben because he started to double-check all of his deliveries after making a mistake. Pessimism to the student means negative thinking (Beckham-Page Chapter 15). He thought negatively about everything. He says making a mistake and having his co-workers tease him “weakened his low self-image and undercut his confidence in his ability to perform his job” (Carson 2). Ben is becoming too dramatic over the fact the he made one simple mistake. At one point Ben was scheduled to make a routine delivery, but instead of taking the box into the store, he handed it to a pedestrian who was on the street. When he gave the box to the pedestrian he explained “This is a gift from Jesus – please keep it with you always.” Ben has insisted that he is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver although medical tests have proven negative; he insists that he can feel the organ rotting inside of him (Carson 2). He now is almost OCD about making sure his deliveries are correct. “He routinely double-checks all of his deliveries, sometimes running back into stores to confirm that he has delivered the correct box” (Carson 2). Ben also claims he hears “celebrity voices telling him he made a mistake on one of his deliveries” (Carson 2). Another term for the cognitive theory is over generalization. Over generalization is a term to describe the cognitive theory. Over generalization is the “distortion of thinking in which a person draws sweeping conclusions based on one incident or event and applies those conclusion to events that are unrelated to the original” (Ciccarelli 585). This term means to the student that something is being over simplified. On example for Ben would be when he disconnect his phone at night “to avoid potential threatening phone calls” (Carson 3).
One treatment plan for the cognitive theory is journaling or writing down whatever comes to mind including thoughts, which will “serve as a emotional releaser” (Beckman-Page Chapter 15). This treatment would benefit Ben because by him writing down his emotions, he would be able to differentiate between his true emotions and his “feelings at the moment.” By journaling, Ben would know how he felt about the situation instead of his feelings being a “heat of the moment feeling.”
Humanistic
Humanistic perspective is the theory that people have “free will, the freedom to choose their own destiny, and strive for self-actualization, the achievement of one’s full potential” (Ciccarelli 14). “Humanists focus on conscious, subjective experiences of emotion and people’s sense of self, as well as the more immediate experiences in their daily lives rather than early childhood experiences of the distant past (Ciccarelli 578).
The humanistic theory is unique because it focuses on one self. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow (humanists) “wanted psychology to focus on the things that make people uniquely human, such as subjective emotions and the freedom to choose one’s own destiny” (Ciccarelli 507). It is different from the other theories because it is so “difficult to test scientifically” (Ciccarelli 509). One term that describes the humanistic theory is self-actualization. Self- actualization is defined as the involvement of fulfilling your potential and becoming all that you are capable of being (McDonald 4). This term means to the student that setting goals for one-self will help increase and boost self-esteem. A specific example of this term for Ben would be when Ben takes long walks every morning. This relates to this term because of Ben going on walks helps him boost his energy. Without taking those walks Ben does not have the self- actualization to realize how it truly affects him. Self-concept can be a term for the humanistic theory also. Self-concept is “based on what people are told by others and how the sense of self is reflect in the words and actions of important, significant people” (Ciccarelli 508). This term means to the student that self-concept is beliefs about one self. Self-concept is used to describe Ben because when he made a mistake with his deliveries, his co-workers teased him and “weakened his self image” (Carson 2). A treatment plan for this disorder would be gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy is “a form of directive insight therapy in which the therapist helps clients to accept all parts of their feelings and subjective experiences, using leading questions and planned experiences such as role-playing” (Ciccarelli 579). Gestalt therapy would help Ben because he would realize the positive features in his life and gain self-esteem and confidence.
Biological and Evolutionary
Biological and evolutionary perspectives focus on the physical body as an influence on the human.
The biological perspective is described as “emphasis is on physical or neurological factors and how they impact behavior, thought, and emotion” (Beckham-Page Chapter 2). “Hormones, heredity, brain chemical, tumors and diseases are some of the biological causes of behavior and mental events” (Ciccarelli 15). The evolutionary theory explains general “mental strategies and traits, such as why we lie, how attractiveness influences mate selection, why fear of snakes is so common, or why people universally like music and dancing” (Ciccarelli 16). The biological and evolutionary perspectives are different from other theories because they focus on influences and …show more content…
impacts.
The biological perspective describes Ben. Displacement is one term for the biological perspective that describes Ben. Displacement is defined as “taking out emotions on a substitute tareget” (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). This term means to the student not taking responsibility for one’s actions and having to blame them on another to make one self feel better. Displacement describes Ben because Ben would take walks every morning “sometimes lasting up to five hours” (Carson 1). Another term for the biological perspective is libido. Libido is a pleasure seeking energy (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). This term means to the student that it is a sex drive, which can explain why Ben felt the need to visit a prostitute to meet his sexual wants (Carson 1). “Evidence continues to mount for a genetic cause for schizophrenia, a mental disorder involving delusions, hallucinations and extremely distorted thinking” (Ciccarelli 16). Ben has the disorder of paranoia. The treatment plan for the biological theory perspective is psychotherapy and mediation. Psychotherapy is defined as “therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem is treated with biological or medical methods ot relieve symptoms” (Ciccarelli 574). If the treatment were effective, Ben would be able stop and lessen his paranoia thoughts and actions, which is beneficial.
Sociocultural
The Sociocultural perspective is the product of behavioral shaping within the context of family influences, the social group to which one belongs, and the culture within which the family and social group exists (Ciccarelli 534). Social psychology is “the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined or implied presence of others” (Ciccarelli 448). This theory is different from to the others because it compares the influences and the imagined situations. Culture psychology is “the need to consider the unique characteristics of culture in which behavior takes place” (Ciccarelli 534). This differs from other theories because it is about the characteristics that affect behavior of culture. Social psychology describes Ben and his behavior, thoughts, and actions.
Ben owned up to hearing celebrity voices when he was delivering his boxes saying he was making a mistake (Carson 2). Ben’s behavior was influenced by the voices. One term that describes Ben in a social psychology form is social impairment. Social impairment is “the tendency for the presence of other people to have a negative impact on the performance of a difficult task” (Ciccarelli 456). This term means to the student that social impairment is a disorder in people who have low self-confidence and allow others to hinder on their performance. Ben claimed his co-workers teasing him “undercut his confidence in his ability to perform his job” (Carson 2). Another term that describes Ben is conformity, which is “changing one’s own behavior to more closely match the actions of others” (Ciccarelli 449). This term means to the student that conformity is matching attitudes and ways of dealing in situations. Ben wanted to be ‘normal’ again. He did not want to hear the voices and give his deliveries to the wrong person. One treatment option for the social psychology theory is biomedical therapy. Biomedical therapy is “therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem methods to relieve symptoms” (CIccarelli 574). Ben will benefit from this because he will gain confidence when completing his duties at his
job.
Eclectic
Eclectic is the combination of “humanistic and cognitive behavioral therapies” (Ciccarelli 578). Basically, eclectic is an advancement to therapy that results from combining elements of several different approaches or techniques (Ciccarelli 578). Human complexity is the property that makes “it difficult to formulate its overall behavior in a given language, even when given reasonably complete information about its atomic components and their inter-relations” (Definition of Complexity). “Complexity is distinguished from ignorance,” which Ben could be said to have. He finally “sought help from his employer’s human resources department” at the desire of his supervisor (Carson 3). Humanism focuses on the conscious and subjective experiences of emotion and sense of self (CIccarelli 578). Cognitive focuses on how people think, remember, store and use information” (Ciccarelli 14). The cognitive theory also includes the “physical workings of the brain and nervous system” (Ciccarelli 15). This is complex because treatment recommendation would be psychotherapy to gain understanding of the emotion and drug therapy to treat the psychical effects of the brain and nervous system.
Conclusion
“The Case of Ben” deals with the eight different Psychology theories: Psychoanalytical, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biological and Evolutionary, and Sociocultural. Ben has high pessimism, where he thoughts are negative (Beckham-Page Chapter 15). Ben was described as having a nervous disorder with women and somatoform, which deals with the psychoanalytical theory (Carson 1). Ben also needed positive reinforcement when describing his behavior (Ciccarelli 182). Ben has a negative self-concept and self-actualization (Ciccarelli 14). Ben has a strong libido or high pleasure seeking energy, which explains the biological theory (Beckham-Page Chapter 13). Ben has a social impairment disorder where his thoughts are negative because of others. (Ciccarelli 456). Ben now can know why he is acting out in weird ways. He can base his actions off each theory and treatment. Ben also can tell if the treatment plan is working for him. For each strange behavior, mood swing, or even thought he knows why and how it is happening based on each of the psychology theories.
Works Cited
"A Definition of Complexity." Syntactic Measures of Complexity. N.p., 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
Beckman-Page, Amy. Psychology Notes . N.p.: Amy Beckman-Page, 2013. Print.
Carson, Robert C. and Susan Mineka. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. 11th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Web.
Ciccarelli, Sanundra K., and J. Noland White. Psychology. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Person Education, 2012. Print.
McDonald, MatthewWearing, Stephen. "A Reconceptualisation Of The Self In Humanistic Psychology: Heidegger, Foucault And The Sociocultural Turn." Journal Of Phenomenological Psychology 44.1 (2013): 37-59.Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Radwan, Farouk M. "The Ultimate Source for Understanding Yourself and Others."Dealing with Pessimism. Pessimism Psychology, Causes and Treatment. N.p., 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.
"Somatoform Disorders: Symptoms, Types, and Treatment." Mental Health Center. WebMD, 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.
A Definition of Complexity: Complexity is that property of a model which makes it difficult to formulate its overall behaviour in a given language, even when given reasonably complete information about its atomic components and their inter-relations.36 This is a general definition, which is intended to have different interpretations in different contexts. It relates the difficulty in formalisation of the whole to that of the formalisation of its parts (typically a ‘top-down’ model compared to a ‘bottom-up’ one) in the language. It is only applicable in cases where there is at least a possibility of gaining significant information about the components, thus clearly separating ignorance from complexity. Different conceptions of complexity depending on the base language chosen, the type of difficulty focused on and the type of formulation desired within that language.
McDonald This analysis suggests a way forward by offering a potential reconceptualization of the self in humanistic psychology through the existential-phenomenology of Martin Heidegger. We argue that Heidegger 's conception of the self takes account of subjectivities produced in discourse and institutional practice, while acknowledging the human capacity for actualization in his concept of the authentic-self.
Pessimism: These days everyone seems to be talking about optimism and positive thinking but for some people who are pessimistic such an advice sounds ridiculous.
Personally i can 't blame a pessimistic person for not accepting such advice about optimism because an advice can only work when it matches the person 's belief system.
Pessimism can certainly make your life worse, increase your bad moods and even result in depression. In my book, The ultimate guide to getting over depression i explained how depression can be nothing more than a state of loss of hope a person reaches after becoming pessimistic.
Of course a pessimist is on the top of the list of people who are likely to lose hope and get depressed. Because of these reasons i decided to write this article to help you understand the causes of pessimism and let you know about the best ways to deal with it.
What causes pessimism?
What causes pessimism? Why would someone always expect the worse?
The below are some possible psychological causes for pessimism:
1) Bad past experience: If a person failed many times he might start to believe that success is not possible and so become pessimistic. I am not saying that all pessimistic people are not successful but certainly pessimism holds many people back and prevents them from succeeding.
2) Poor company and pessimism: I am sure you have met at least one pessimistic person who never failed simply because he never tried anything!! Pessimism isn 't only caused by bad past experience but it can result from listening to people who tell you about their bad past experiences. If you are surrounded by pessimists then you will certainly become one after sometime even if you never failed before
3) Pessimism and the belief system: Why would 2 different people fail then one of them becomes a pessimist while the other remains optimistic?? This happens because of the differences in their belief system. Pessimism can be caused by the negative limiting beliefs people acquire in their lives and thus one of the best ways to deal with pessimism is to fix your belief system
4) Pessimism and religious beliefs: Certainly people who have certain religious beliefs tend to be more optimistic than those who don 't have any. Because pessimism is the absence of hope you can deal with pessimism by doing anything that could bring hope back
5) Pessimism and self confidence: No one can say that pessimistic people lack self confidence but its a fact that some people are pessimistic because of their lack of self confidence. If someone has self doubts or isn 't sure of his ability to succeed then he will certainly become a pessimist
Somatoform disorders are mental illnesses that cause bodily symptoms, including pain. The symptoms can 't be traced back to any physical cause. And they are not the result of substance abuse or another mental illness.
People with somatoform disorders are not faking their symptoms. The pain and other problems they experience are real. The symptoms can significantly affect daily functioning.
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Doctors need to perform many tests to rule out other possible causes before they diagnose a somatoform disorder.
A diagnosis of a somatoform disorder can create a lot of stress and frustration for patients. They may feel unsatisfied that there 's no known explanation for their symptoms. Stress often leads patients to become more worried about their health. This creates a vicious cycle that can persist for years.
Types and Symptoms of Somatoform Disorders
Symptoms and their severity vary depending on the type of somatoform disorder. There are several types of somatoform disorders:
Somatization disorder. This is also known as Briquet 's syndrome. Patients with this type have a long history of medical problems that starts before the age of 30.
The symptoms involve several different organs and body systems. The patient may report a combination of: pain neurologic problems gastrointestinal complaints sexual symptoms
Many people who have somatization disorder will also have an anxiety disorder.
Undifferentiated somatoform disorder. This is a less specific version of somatization disorder. A diagnosis requires that a person have one or more physical complaints of unexplained symptoms for at least six months.
Hypochondriasis. People with this type are preoccupied with concern they have a serious disease. They may believe that minor complaints are signs of very serious medical problems. For example, they may believe that a common headache is a sign of a brain tumor.
Body dysmorphic disorder. People with this disorder are obsessed with -- or may exaggerate -- a physical flaw. Patients may also imagine a flaw they don 't have.
The worry over this trait or flaw is typically constant. It may involve any part of the body. Patients can be obsessed with things such as wrinkles, hair, or the size or shape of the eyes, nose, or breasts.
Conversion disorder. This condition strikes when people have neurological symptoms that can 't be traced back to a medical cause. For example, patients may have symptoms such as: paralysis blindness hearing loss loss of sensation or numbness
Stress usually makes symptoms of conversion disorder worse.
Pain disorder. People who have pain disorder typically experience pain that started with a psychological stress or trauma.
For example, they develop an unexplained, chronic headache after a stressful life event.
Pain is the focus of the disorder. But psychological factors are believed to play a role in the perception and severity of the pain.
People with pain disorder frequently seek medical care. They may become socially isolated and experience problems with work and family life.
Somatoform disorder not otherwise specified. People with this type may have conditions that have features of other somatoform disorders. But they do not meet the full criteria for any other diagnosis.
Conditions that fall into this category include pseudocyesis. This is the mistaken belief of being pregnant based on other signs of pregnancy, including an expanding abdomen; feeling labor pains, nausea, breast changes, fetal movement; breast changes; and cessation of the menstrual period.