5.08 Final Project

Guidebook to content from Modules 1-5

Defense Against the Mechanisms

01.03 Psychodynamic Perspectives

Prominent psychological influence Sigmund Freud determined that the ego uses certain defense mechanisms to decide the best course of action when the components of the id and superego conflict. These mechanisms, or strategies, enable a person to get by with only moderate anxiety when a problem arises. However, these mechanisms can get in the way by covering an issue deeply nested in an individual. Defense mechanisms cover the problem with strategies like denial, repression, displacement, sublimation, projection, intellectualization, rationalization, regression, reaction formation, and compensation. Therapists involved with psychoanalysis try most to determine which mechanism a person is using in order to reveal the underlying problem.

Crossing the Stages to Satisfaction

02.06 Aging

When it comes to the development of individuals psychosocially, psychologist Erik Erikson is widely known for identifying stages of development along with "crisis theories" required for positive growth. Each stage of development contains a specific crisis that needs to be resolved before the individual can reach satisfaction. If the crisis is never overcome, individuals cannot progress. Most of my peers are in the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage which spans from age 20 to the early 40's. The crisis Erikson identified for this stage is that of forming meaningful relationships with others. These are more often on the terms of marriage than high-school relationships, and naturally such bonds take time to form. Some peers have not yet crossed the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage of 11-19 years. Naturally they are not yet satisfied with their position in society. Knowing the stages and crises can help steer individuals towards psychosocial satisfaction.

Albert Bandura is known as the father of social, or observational, learning, which is learning from observing what's in the environment. The Bobo doll experiment of the 1960's is a notable example, where Bandura documented children's' learned behaviors based on the observation of an adult acting with the inflatable doll. First impressions really do matter; when learning based on the environment, observational learning allows individuals to learn a specific behavior based on the mimicking of others. The individual repeats what was observed- sometimes called "monkey-see, monkey-do." The behavior can be learned wrong as easily as it can be learned properly, so the observation needs to be of the behavior the individual will learn in order to learn it correctly. Observational learning is applied to the teaching of various marine mammals, not only for entertainment training but for research on abilities, behaviors, and communication. Without observational learning, animal and human individuals may not have ever evolved.

First Impressions Matter!

03.03 Observational and Cognitive Learning

Stress is a natural part of life, but even natrual functions can have destructive consequences if not managed properly. Stress can be positive or negative, depending on whether it is eustress (excitement) or distress (anxiety). Stress is what manages the "flight or flight" response in nearly all living things. However, the brain and body- reponsible for producing stress hormones- do not know that homework due dates, conference calls, or busy work schedules are not really life threatning. The stress responses are meant to keep humans alive when in survival situations, but in modern day environments, stress can actually spiral out of control. In these instances, stress can become chronic and harmful. Negative effets like heart disease, sleep disorder, weight gain and loss, weakened immune system, and varying levels of depression are prominent among people who exhibit higher than normal levels of stress. The effect can even be increased due to personality types. Researchers studying stress classified people according to their personality. Common personality types are A and B, where type A personalities are far more susceptible to stress. Stress, then, can be varyingly stressful for different people according to their psychophysiology and positions in the world. Managing stress is crucial for staying healthy. Indviduals should often focus on what reduces their stress, whether it means vacationing each month, going to bed earlier, getting on top of homework, or taking speech classes to boost confidence in the workplace.

How Stressful is Your Stress?

04.05 Stress

Antisocial/ Narcissistic

Normal

Personality traits distinguish movie characters

personalities

Individuals can be affected by personality disorders, Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other personality problems.

Schizophrenic

Personality consists of the qualities that contribute to an individual's distinct character. Personality varies with everyone, but if patterns of behavior begin to inhibit functioning in a social setting, there may be an underlying disorder.

Personality disorders are classified as either Anxious/Fearful, Odd/Eccentric, or Dramatic/Impulsive. These disordes affect social functioning and are considered to be lifelong. Sometimes gender correlates with a disorder, such as more men fitting in the Odd/Eccentric and women into the Dramatic/Impulsive category.

Dissociative disorders include Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue, and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Amnesia and Fugue are associated with the response to severe stress. Fugue may occur if an individual undergoes severe stress continually- he may move to a new location and assume a new identity, sometimes for years without realizing the situation. DID is the most severe of the dissociative disorders where individuals develop different personalities, often with a different name, voice, age, gender, and mannerisms.

Schizophrenia is actually a set of disorders, each with identifying characteristics. Schizophrenic individuals experince a separation from reality distinguished by disturbed perceptions and disorganized thoughts.

Studying these disorders is crucial for people to undertand others who may have such psychological disorders. Just like a healthy personality, dissociative, schzophrenic, and personality disorders may vary but are distinguishable by main characteristics. Disorders do not make a person "bad" so much as they make a person "different." In reality, we are all different from each other; personality disorders are- more than anything- a deviation from the normal.

One for Each of Us

05.04 Personality, Dissociative, and Schizophrenic Disorders