The some of the most important things I learned is what is the definition of a disorder and how it is categorized. I had an understanding of the DSM-4, but the additions to the DSM-5 with its dimensions and frequency was refreshing. I thought in todays varied cultural mass there would need a change like that to focus attention where it is needed, and weed out just eccentric behavior. What I really was surprised to learn and think about was how much current psychology and threat is very new. Previous treatment and psychological perception was extremely skewed and had little to no scientific foundation. I learned something that I know has been said before but recently recognized. Modern Psychology is extremely young. Although most people don’t like to admit it S. Freud was a big reason for the change. Because he popularized the use of his methods, modern psychology and its wide theories were able to become a focus and educational topic. Modern Psychology as we know it started around the Second World War, and has evolved to what we currently accept. I also liked the Diathesis Stress model. This is something I could understand quite well and made a lot of sense with past experiences and me. Another theory I really liked was learned helplessness. I feel that this mentality is rampant in Millennials. The entitlement that many of this generation carries from learned helplessness that their parents and mentors placed on them while they grew up. Thinking that everything is always improving and things are done with ease without the use of force and hard work. This was extremely interested to read up on briefly.
Studying this information really has me thinking about how I would approach my psychological way of thinking. Following in the theory of nature, or rely of the theories of nurture. The mind can be effected in several ways and being extremely plastic in how it develops a clinician would have to also be flexible in how to approach different disorders to first understand them, and then with that, threat them appropriately. When reading about B.F. Skinner in the textbook (Durand, 2016) IU thought distinctly how I have been conditioned into thinking a certain way and how to act in a culture. This method of thought had me think about how we as society have been conditioned to react in certain way to situations. This impacts my ability to further understand others with different views and cultures. Because of social conditioning people’s cultural and upbringing tend to skew their perception of others. From religious radicals to political activists all have a set way of conditioning. When reading about Fear and Gender it made me think about how much these two aspects of life effect so much of how people act and react with circumstances. Fear is a motivator and an inhibitor. I didn’t realize how much it can effect one’s mindset and everyday function. Phobias come in large variety and also wide strengths. Fear is something that is constantly shaping my life and I can see it shape others as well. The Fear of letting others down, or letting ourselves down can change personal thoughts and actions. This was extremely thought provoking to ponder. It has lead me to think that fear is a major component in most of the psychological theories I’ve seen, albeit the term fear has a different name. Gender is something that carries weight for both sender of information and receiver of information. One’s gender has a great factor on how people view and interact with you. After thinking about this I will need to make more of an effort to look past physical aspects of a person (gender, age, etc) and register them as simply a person, to build a psychological makeup of them. By looking past these traits I believe clinicians would have a better ability assist others with their problems and make better treatments that would be useful for a greater number of people.
Reference
Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2016). Essentials of abnormal psychology.
