A. Agamemnon met a classmate in the SRJC cafeteria a few days before his Psychology 1A final. "How are you?"
said his classmate. "I am exhausted. I had a horrible dream last night. I was getting ready to study for my final and couldn't find my notes or my book. After looking for what was a long time in the dream, I finally found my notes and text, but they were in a language I didn't understand. Somebody yelled, "You're late for the exam!" and I woke up.
1. What is the manifest content of the dream? What might be the latent content of this dream according to Freud? What might Perls, the Gestalt Psychologist, say about this nightmare? During which part of the night - first half or second half - was Agamemnon's dream most likely to occur? During which stage of sleep?
B. Beecher, also an SRJC student, is sometimes enjoyable to be with - full of confidence and energy and able to study for hours and hours. At other times, she is depressed and anxious and sleeps all day. For days at a time, Beecher is not at home and skips classes. She also has money problems, sometimes "borrowing" from friends without
2. Beecher might have a drug problem or a psychological disorder. Which psychological disorder? Any ideas about which drug or drugs?
3. Which of Beecher's behaviors might indicate addiction? If Beecher were your friend, what might you say to
C. Chaucer became a California Highway Patrolman after his return from two combat tours in Afghanistan as a US Marine. In the past day, he was witness to a horrific accident in which there was a fire and fatalities. Usually, he would look forward to going home at the end of the day to his wife and children. He would talk to his wife about the day's events while they listened to some calm and relaxing music. This night, however, his family is on an overnight outing and he will be going home alone.
4. What categories of stressors, from the list of stressors in your notes and in the text, is Chaucer experiencing? Refer to the story above.
5. Chaucer has trouble falling asleep that night. When he does fall asleep, in his dreams, he relives an experience that occurred a year ago in Afghanistan when a bomb exploded less than 50 yards from his quarters. He awakes with a start and calls to his assistants to help with the wounded. What "disorder" is Chaucer experiencing? What are the risk factors for this condition?
D. Diana, a Warriors fan, can hardly wait for the basketball playoffs to be over so that she can know who the winner is. In general, she finds herself thinking over and over again about questions to which she has no answer. Diana tends to finish other people's sentences for them if they pause for a moment in the middle. When she takes an exam, or writes a paper, she goes over the material 20 or 30 times to make sure she has completed everything and that
6. Which principle of perceptual organization is involved in Diana's requiring answers to questions and in finishing other people's sentences. From what psychological disorder might Diana be suffering?
E. Eve is in her second semester at SRJC. Growing up in a middle-class suburban environment, the only daughter of first-generation Mexican-American parents, her life has been a happy one with a great deal of indulgence and support from a large family. However, when she moved away from home to attend the JC (her family lives in LA), Eve began to experience periods of extreme sadness. She missed her family and friends. Fortunately, her parents noticed that her sad periods were longer and more frequent, and they convinced Eve to see a psychologist at the SRJC Health Center.
7. From what disorder is Eve suffering? What is the other disorder in the same category? Of the list of stressors discussed in class and in your text, which ones apply to Eve's situation?
8. How might Psychoanalysis explain Eve's case? The Biological approach?The Humanist Approach? The Multicultural approach? Which of these do you prefer and why?
9. A widely used treatment for Eve's condition is drug therapy; which category of drugs? These drugs generally alleviate the symptoms of the condition from which Eve is suffering. From successful drug treatment, it is a logical fallacy to conclude that the cause of Eve's condition is biological. Which logical fallacy? Suppose we know that if a person with Eve's disorder is treated with the appropriate drug, the person is very likely to improve. What logical fallacy is involved in concluding that Eve was treated with drugs if all we know about her is that her condition has improved?
F. Jerry, the young man shown in the video, The Brain, Part 7, Madness, a small section of which was shown in class, has been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia.
10. Which of the general characteristics of altered states of consciousness are exhibited in schizophrenia?
G. Frances began therapy when she started to experience a number of fears: fear of driving, fear of strangers, even fear of leaving the house altogether, after her son moved away to college. At first, her therapist wanted to prescribe an anti-anxiety drug, but Frances preferred not to take medication. The therapist decided to take a different approach, suggesting that Frances keep a journal, from which it was revealed that Frances was most fearful on the weekends, which was when she had spent most of her time with her son before he moved away. The therapist suggested that on weekends she should start to take small trips by car, giving herself frequent reinforcements and keeping track of her progress in her journal. At the weekly meetings between Frances and her therapist, Frances would talk about what happened on the weekend; the therapist would, in a sincere and supportive tone of voice, paraphrase or restate what Frances said.
11. What is the eclectic approach to therapy? Is there evidence that Frances's therapist uses such an approach? Defend your answer by referring to the story above.
12. Briefly, what might a Psychoanalyst say is the basis of Frances's fears? A Humanist?
13. A Behaviorist? A Cognitivist?
H. Leroy is the saxophonist and leader of a Jazz quintet. Tonight the quintet will be playing at San Francisco Symphony Hall, their most important performance yet. Leroy woke up this morning feeling very much on edge after a fitful night's sleep. When he cooked breakfast, he dropped an egg on the floor. As he was getting ready to leave for the last rehearsal before the concert, Leroy couldn't find his keys right away. After the morning rehearsal, he took a short nap, and then, barely rested, went for a ten mile run, the third such run in as many days. After the run, he feels more awake and less stressed (although he feels the rehearsal was not perfect). Although tonight's performance would benefit from Leroy doing some final rehearsing, he rents a funny movie instead.
14. Leroy is at what stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome? Give evidence from the story for your answer.
15. In his efforts to cope with the upcoming performance, is Leroy dealing with the stress or the stressor? How can stress lead to learned helplessness? Some psychologists might say that Leroy's renting the movie is a sign of learned helplessness; others might say that the movie is a stress reducer. What do you think? And why? Imagine that Leroy's performance is excellent and he concludes that watching the movie was the cause of this excellent performance, which logical fallacy is involved?
I. Maive is five years old. When she was a baby her parents picked her up whenever she cried and accurately tended to her needs and wants. They held her often, played with her, talked to her and smiled at her. She learned that her primary caregivers could be counted on when she needed them. Maive's parents now provide firm structure and guidance without being overly controlling.
16. What does Maive's parents' behavior say about attachment? About Erikson's first stage of development? Which type of parenting do Maive's parents seem to favor? By which of the three types of parenting were you parented? Which type do you favor and why?
J. Oliver returned to teach at his old high school. As he walked the corridors, which were filled with teenagers talking, flirting and roughhousing, Oliver was filled with memories of his own adolescence, and how many changes
17. What does Erikson say is the most critical issue in adolescence? According to Erik Erikson, what are the characteristics of a successful resolution? An unsuccessful one?
18. Do you think adolescence is a difficult time for most teens? What are the major problems experienced by teens today? How have these problems changed since your parents were teens (if you are a teen or young adult), or, since you were a teen if you are now over thirty.
K. Paula is distressed after reading the morning paper - so much violence. There is an article about terrorists in a small town in the Middle East detonating a car bomb near a night club frequented by military personnel. The terrorists claim the bombing is a response to a recent attack on their headquarters by the military, in which some terrorists were injured. Closer to home, because of budget cuts, the animal shelter has decided that older animals who are not adopted within a week will be euthanized. Also, funds have been cut for the homeless shelter, so that even in the cold of winter, some homeless people will be turned away because of lack of space.
19. Using for the definition of aggression "behavior intended to hurt someone else", which of the four acts would be aggressive? Do the actions of the terrorists and the military differ with respect to being classified as aggressive, according to this definition?
L. Quincy was coming home from work on a crowded commuter train when his arms began to grow numb and he felt light headed and dizzy. Quincy asked aloud if someone could help him. None of the passengers made a move. Then Quincy pointed to a woman nearby and said, "You, please help me. I'm having a heart attack." At this, she, as well as two or three other people made appropriate moves to help.
20. What psychological phenomena may have prevented these bystanders from responding to Quincy's first plea for help? How did Quincy's second request overcome these obstacles?