Personality, Psychological Disorders, and Therapies

There are a total of 5 essay questions. You must complete all 5 questions to earn credit.  I will grade only TWO of these questions, chosen at random.  I will grade the same 2 questions for everyone in the course.  But, if you have a friend in another class of mine, I may choose TWO different items to grade for their class. 

----------------------Ch 12 Personality ------------------

Q1) Given that mass shootings seem to always be in the news,sadly, let's use this as an opportunity in the Personality Chapter to help us understand a shooter's behavior. This is not about any shooter in particular, and every case is different, so no need to do specific research about them. This is about general patterns of behavior and trying to see if *any* of the Personality theories can be applied to explain why a person can commit this kind of act. After all, every personality theory is about understanding how we think, feel, and behave, as you know!

Choose ONE personality theorist from the Personality chapter.  What would you imagine that this theorist would have to say about a school shooter? Remember to back up what they say with specific concepts from their theories, and explain them. 

Q2) From the list of Personality theories in the chapter, choose the ONE theory that you personally feel explains human behavior the best. There is no wrong choice, it's about choosing one you can "relate to" the most, meaning it matches how you see human behavior. 
Name the theory, and explain 2 *specific concepts* from the theory that you found most interesting (again, as if you were explaining this to a friend, conversational style).

----------------------------Ch 13 Psychological disorders--------------------

Q3) Here's a real patient Dr. C worked with during his internship at a VA Clinic in California, a long time ago... Patient "Mr. G" was a Vietnam era combat veteran who found himself in many combat tours. After his return to civilian life, he checked himself into the VA hospital for treatment, because primarily when it rained, he could not function, and would feel paralyzed, curled up in a fetal position. He said the rain 'smell' triggered his panic attacks because it had the same scent from his combat experience.

Your task: What do you think is Mr. G's diagnosis? I'll give you a clue, it's one of the Anxiety Disorders. In addition to giving the name of the disorder, you must show evidence that this is the likely correct disorder, by matching the symptoms to the criteria of the disorder. Need more hints?  I'll help you even further - it's either Panic Disorder, or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). So, if you chose one or the other, please use evidence from the book and explain why it's one or the other. Justify your choice the best you can, and avoid copying/pasting the list of symptoms; write them out as clearly as you can.

Q4) People often confuse Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as 'multiple personality disorder') with Schizophrenia disorder, but after taking Dr. C's class, you will never make that mistake again, right?  Describe both disorders, in your own clear,  less-techie language, and try to explain how they are different, and why you think everyday people use these terms incorrectly.

--------------------------------Ch. 14 Therapies-----------------------

Q5) This question covers several aspects of the chapter, so follow along carefully. Obviously I can't expect you to be able to play amateur clinical psychologist after one class in Psychology. However, let's do a role play: You have a friend, let's call him Aung Thu, that you suspect might be suffering from depression. What recommendations would you make to this person you care about?

Address the following subjects in your 'advice' giving.  Base your answers on objective information in the text book, not personal opinion.

A) What type of mental health professional would you recommend to Aung Thu? How would you explain the difference between the choices that are possible to him?
B) Let's say you want Aung Thu to seek counseling/therapy, which type of therapy would be considered best, psychoanalysis, humanistic, cognitive behavioral, etc.? What would you tell him about what you learned about the research about the effectiveness of various therapy techniques?
C) Would you also recommend medications to him? If so, why, or why not? Which type of mental health professional would he mostly likely need to see to get the prescribed medicines?
D) You're thinking of group therapy as a possible choice. Explain the advantages of group therapy to Aung Thu.
E) Lastly, Aung Thu confides in you that he's seriously thinking of suicide. You're not a mental health professional, but a friend. What should you do in this situation?