Reference no: EM131100677

Abnormal psychology

LeDoux's overarching theme for his book The Synaptic Self suggested that "we are what we think" because most behavior originates with a thought, which requires the communication of neurons. For this Assignment, you will be discussing the cognitive approach to understanding the development of abnormal behavior.

1. Explain one of the theories from the cognitive approach about how thinking is believed to increase a person's vulnerability to develop a mental disorder (e.g., learned helplessness, negative thinking, etc.).

2. Explain from the psychoanalytic approach about the unconscious mind and how it is believed to influence or motivate behavior.

3. Select one of the case studies and refer to either the cognitive approach or the psychoanalytic tradition (unconscious mind) theory and discuss a possible explanation of the individual's behavior.

STUDENT 1
Michelle Roof

The learned helplessness theory of depression was a result of the research conducted by Martin Seligman that concluded that people only become anxious or depressed when they decide that they have no control over the stress in their lives (Duran & Barlow, 2013). Anxiety comes from an initial stressing event; the depression could follow when the person believes that they are helpless in controlling the stressor. Duran and Barlow continue to explain that there are three depressive attributable styles. The first is internal, the person attributes that negative event that they are experiencing to their personal feelings, they blame themselves (Duran & Barlow, 2013). The second is stable, where even though the negative event has passed the person believes that all future events will also be their fault (Duran & Barlow, 2013). And the third is global, where these felling extend to other issues that are different from the original event (Duran & Barlow, 2013).

Helplessness is experienced in those that have anxiety and those suffering from depression. The difference between someone who has anxiety and someone who is depressed is that the person experiencing depression has made a decision, they gave up and became helpless about ever regaining control of the life event causing stress (Duran & Barlow, 2013). The unconscious mind is able to process and store information, as well as act on it, without the person even realize it is going on (Duran & Barlow, 2013). Accepting helplessness may not ever be realized by the person doing it, it could exist in the unconscious mind but it will have real effects on that person life.

The Case Study with Harrison is the most obvious for this issue. Harrison is experiencing Major Depressive Disorder and has continued to experience failure at work and failure at home. This causes him to become resentful and even more disengaged. The unconscious factors that could be effecting him are from experiences with his parents. His father was a dominant, controlling figure who never praised and only punished Harrison when he did not live up to his father's strict world view (Kaplan, n.d.). His mother also lived under this control and Harrison often heard her cry in her room. When he was in his first year of college his mother was found dead after overdosing on sleeping pills (Kaplan, n.d.). His parents played important roles when Harrison was growing up and could shape how he views himself as an adult, even unconsciously. The Case Study states that Harrison talks about his failure as a father and a husband, and now becomes annoyed with his wife. In the section describing his case this would seem untrue, however, it is what Harrison perceives about his life and is now changing how he acts towards his family.

Durand, M. V., & Barlow, D. H. (2013). Essentials of abnormal psychology. (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson Wadsworth.
Kaplan.edu. (n.d.). Abnormal Psychology: Case Study, case study 2: Harrison: Major Depressive Disorder. Retrieved from https://extmedia.kaplan.edu/artsSCi/PS440-1404A/case_studies/ps440_cs02_major_depressive_disorder.pdf

STUDENT 2

Richard Becker

Cognitive Approach to Understanding the Origins of Abnormal Behavior

1. One theory in understanding the the origins of abnormal behavior is related to theories from the cognitive approach. One cognitive approach theory is known as learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a theory that can generally apply to clients who are experiencing depression. The client has experienced so many downs, they start to believe there is nothing to do to improve their situation, so the client will simply become more depressed. This theory has been experimented on using animals, both dogs and rats. "If rats are confronted with a situation in which they receive occasional foot shocks, they can function well if they learn to cope with these shocks by doing something to avoid them (say, pressing a lever). But if the animals learn that their behavior has no effect on their environment-sometimes they get shocked and sometimes they don't, no matter what they do-they become "helpless"; they give up attempting to cope and seem to develop the animal equivalent of depression."

2. From a psychoanalytic approach, Freud and Breuer discovered the unconscious mind may have a part in influencing a person behavior, according to Durand and Barlow (2012). Freud and Breuer made the connection, while putting subjects into a hypnotic state. "While his patients were in the highly suggestible state of hypnosis, Breuer asked them to describe their problems, conflicts, and fears. Breuer observed two important phenomena during this process." (Durand &Barlow, 2012, pg. 15). The subjects would become emotional during the sessions, but relieved upon waking up out of the trance. Petients would also have no recollection to the connection between their emotional state, and their psychological disorder. Therefore, Freud and Breur felt as though the subconscious mind, effected how the conscious mind operated.

3. James was a former student, who suffered severe anxiety. The anxiety caused James to drop out of med school, lose his job, his girlfriend of three years, and his home. The symptoms forced James to even move back into his parents home, as he was now unable to provide for himself. From a cognitive standpoint, James' condition probably continued to worsen, as James never sought help. James had no coping skills to deal with these crisis situations, and therefore, the anxiety issue continued to force James to lose on opportunity after another. In James' mind, the only thing left to do was to give up, and move back home with his parents. James' response was similar to the experiments conducted with the rats, and the dogs. Each of James' anxiety attacks, is comparable to the dog, or the rat getting electrocuted. After so many shocks, James simply gave up. James it not only experiencing symptoms of General Anxiety Disorder, unless James gets treatment, James is also at risk of Clinical Depression as well.

Reference:
Durand, V. M., Barlow, D. H. (01/2012). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781285708263/