Exam 1 Psych 105

What people commonly say about Psych:

Don’t throw your life away, don’t waste your money, psychology is common sense

Misconceptions Ex:

Bats are blind they rely on Sonar, Napoleon was short, he wasn’t he was average size

Psych concern

Concern sin the first meeting of the American Psychological Association which was hosted by Upenn in 1892

Late 1950’s

-50% believed scientific approach benefits understanding human behavior

Mid 1980’s

-85% recognized psychology as a science

-83% believed that daily life experiences provided adequate training in psychology

-Vocational descriptions of psychologists = unscientific work with abnormal phenomena like aliens and spaceships, and the paranormal - this explains why some people think psychology majors are wasting time, etc.

Contemporary views

82% of Americans have positive view of psychology, can benefit real world problems, can have a positive impact on peoples lives, but many still see psychology as “Soft science”, “not a real science”

Misconception that psychology is not a real science

ex: Psychology book In the library categorized as a part of the psychology, parapsychology, and occult psychology. Organization reflects how people think about psychology. This enforce the false impression that contemporary psychology, parapsychology, and the occh

Psychologists don’t help?

DOnt take roe as public commentator seriously. Few publish psychological research for non scientists, few rewards, APA has renewed efforts to educate people but….. Some exception, Dan Gilberts Stumbling on Happiness

Serious Media doesn’t help

Most Americans get science news unintentionally a couple times a month, news media not a good source for scientific truth. Is it science or human-interest study? Ex: Time travel is possible. Scientific news not always accurate. Benefits limited even when stories are accurate, by poor understanding of scientific processes and applications. Ex: Children daycare are aggressive. (Correlational but assumed causation). Benefits even when stories are accurate, because believes affects reactions. Ex: schizophrenia is caused by genetics, not by environmental factors.

The psychiatrist in American Cartoons (Walter 1992)

Research on cartoon depictions of psychiatry from the 1940’’s to 1990’s showed similar trends. Balding bearded man with glasses who had earned a diploma. This is a description of Sigmund freud. Depicitions of mental health are based off freud

Entertainment media doesn’t help - Movie stereotypes of “Psychologists”

Dr.dippy

dr. evil

dr.wonderful

Psychiatrist

Needs MD, Prescribes medicine

Psychologists

Therapy, clinical psych

Psychiatrist vs Psychologists

People want a quick fix = medicine, therapy= people don’t have patience/time consuming

Disadvantages of medicine

1. Doesnt fix the problem, side effects

Movie stereotypes of psychosis - Dr. dippy

Dr. dippy- crazier than their patients . Stereotypes portray psychologists as people who need assistance with their own mental health and well being.

Movie stereotypes of psychosis - Dr. evil

Corrupt mind- controller/homicidal maniac

Movie stereotypes of psychosis - Dr. wonderful

Caring and competent, endless time for patients, cures by uncovering single traumatic event. Misrepresentation of the therapeutic process and the professional relationship. Contributes to the misunderstanding of therapy

Movie stereotypes of psychosis - Dr. Rigid

Strict killjoy, mean and bully clients. Ex: Girl interrupted movie, big bang theory, web therapy.

Movie stereotypes of psychosis - Dr. Line crosser

Unprofessional and inappropriate relationships with clients. The romantic- false notion that love conquers all. Dr, Sexy young woman, “saved” by love, misconceptions about patients/clients. Ex:29/34 animated Disney films studied=negative verbal references to mental illness. claws & fonts, 2004). Mostly negative. Usually criminal, dangerous, unpredictable, weak minded. Warrants fear, rejection, ridicule, delusion. Sometimesoverly positive: beliefs that patients are easy to cure. Consequences, self esteem.

Misconceptions about psychological disorders

Confuse symptoms, often misrepresented, diagnostic criteria, comprehensive evaluation (interview, history of behaviors). Treatments- Institution vs dialectical behavior therapy dbt.-Bipolar pd with manipulative & violent behavior) Misconceptions about psychological careers, many besides clinical/counseling psychology, cognitive psychologists, neuropsychologists.

Misconcptions about psychological research

Confusion pseudoscience, confusion with cheers. Psychologists are obsessed with rats you like rats become a psychologist. Confusion with “hidden camera” shows, often fail to preserve ethical boundaries. Misconceptions about diversity in psychology. -67% women, -15% non caucasian, -3% with disabilities.

Misconception Procreate

Children form misconnecting of psychology (doling &thelen, 1978), Which carry into adulthood (Weiss 1994, Wilson et al.. 2000)

Public Paradox

People want psychology to answer big questions but they do not want psychology informing their lives: am I normal? How do I make good life decisions, but fear of what scientific psychology might reveal, might uncover things we don’t want to know, might promote unwanted changes (bad tasting medicine), might demystify mysteries (love etc), might conflict with other beliefs, spiritual, religious, capitol punishments (death penalty), mirror image, perceptions, etc.

Course plan

Psychology’s identity- what contemporary psychology is. Psychology as a science- why psychology

The rise of insanity

History of insanity reflects the early history of psychology and psychiatry, historical insanity means immoral behaviors or behaviors that we now recognize as psychological disorders, early questions about the nature and origin of insanity were driven by religion, biology, and philosophy. Each is connected and concerned with aspects of the mind.

Religon

Soul

Biology

mind

Philosophy

consciousnessEarly

Early religious scholars

Were interested n connections between the mind and soul

Early philosophers were interested in

The role of the mind in our consciousness and in our understanding of reality.

Early biological scholars (biologists & doctors) were interested in

The connection of the mind & the brain and the body

Early reliogus beliefs

-Stone Age, evil spirits can reside in head, early exorcism. Trepanation: creates holes in head to release spirits

-1000 BC

People in multiple cultures believe deities responsible for health and illness. Offer sacrifices to spirits and deities to spare from illness/insanity

Early religious beliefs

Middle Ages. Clergy treat the abnormal, insanity might not be caused by demonic possession, early milled therapy. Calm place-monasteries and abbeys Malleus Maleficarum (hammer of witches). Described ways to identify, hunt and interrogate people who had been possessed. English translation available online. Reasserted the connection between spiritual possession and insanity

Middle Ages

-Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches) -Thousand burned and executed throughout Europe. Ways of interrogation: Borning. To see if someone is possessed from climbing, they will submerge in the water. Someone who is prevented from climbing out of river by other people with long pointed rods. Spiritually pore>Sank and died

Early Philosophical Beliefs (Plato) 428-348 BCE

Transmigration of souls (/a form of reincarnation). We are born with knowledge about the world (nativist). We have tripartite/ three part soul. Brain is seat of the soul. Mind part- rational thinking; what is real and true, immortal. Spirited and appetite part- mortal, less spiritual, made distinction between mind and our brain and between mind and personality. Rational-Logical, Spirited-emotional, Appetite-Physical desires. (Mind and body are different things)

Plato

Conflict an personalty. If rational part dominates it leads to true knowledge> your best personality. If appetite part dominates bodily urges and rational soul. Plato says people with mental illness are weak minded.

Early Philosophical beliefs - Aristotle

Disagreed with plato. Heart is the most important part of the body. Brain mainly for cooling blood. Souls and body are not independent. Madness= conflict between bodily drives and moral code. Ex: we are poor and hungry, we will be motivated to steal food but conflicted because it is socially unacceptable against the law.

Aristotle

Rational empiricist. Knowledge comes from observation/experiencing the world. Rational logical though is important, organized nature is reasoned ways. FIrst steps of scientific methos. Step 1: Ask hat is the question “Does humor make an online course better?” Step 2: Define terms “What do you mean yb humor? what do you mean by better? Step 3: Review what other (experts) think, step 4: Explain what you think scientific method

Early Philosophical Beliefs- Saint Augustine (354-430CE)

Neoplatonist who discussed tension within people arising from inner conflict. Identified different kinds of thought in their mind.