Write Essays On The Following Topics (all three together should be minimum six pages):
(1) Discuss specific strategies for working with children in a therapeutic setting. Include a number of techniques for various age groups.
(2) Discuss Anna Freud's contributions to child therapy. Don't write a biography. Look exclusively at her contributions.
(3) What is the basic psychological (thoughts, feelings, behaviors) profile of the teenager (over age 14)? Remember that the quest for self-identity, fueled by the emergence of abstract thinking, comes from socio-environmental factors (peers, school, family, media). The psychological profile emerges from the ways the teenager integrates messages and expectations and norms from the socio-environmental realm.
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Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Your Syllabus
Post University
Research Methodology for the Social Sciences – Independent Study
Mod 5 – May 5th – June 28th 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
Catalog Description:
This course emphasizes the methods and techniques for research in psychology and sociology, including both laboratory and survey techniques. Emphasis is placed on the development of empirical questions from theory, research design and control, construction of survey instruments, statistical analysis and interpretation of results. Exercises include development of an original research project appropriate to the student’s major field.
Required Text:
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11e). (bundle)
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will
1.understand the nature of psychology and sociology as empirical disciplines;
2.understand the nature of the scientific method and requirements of scientific investigation;
3.be able to formulate research questions;
4.be able to formulate operational definitions;
5.understand sampling theory and techniques
6.understand the principles of research design, a variety of specific methodologies and their uses, problems, and limits, including laboratory, clinical/case studies, survey studies, and field studies;
7.obtain first-hand experience in actual design, conducting, analysis, interpretation, and written reporting of research;
8.understand different scales of measurement and the appropriate statistical tests applied to the different scales;
9.know how to conduct a literature review;
10.know how to prepare research reports;
Course Schedule – Independent Study Content Areas
1. Introduction to Human Inquiry and Science;
2. Paradigms, Theory, & Social Research;
3. The Ethics and Politics of Social Research;
4. Research Design;
5. Conceptualization, Operationalization, & Measurement;
6. The Logic of Sampling;
7. Survey Research;
8. Social Statistics;
9. Quantitative Data Analysis;
10. Experiments;
11. Qualitative Field Research;
12. General Social Survey Review and Data Analysis
Evaluation Method:
The student will be graded as follows:
1. Objective/essay examinations 30% of final grade
2. Independent Research 30% of final grade
3. Research Report 40% of final grade
Research Methodology for the Social Sciences – Independent Study
Mod 5 – May 5th – June 28th 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
Catalog Description:
This course emphasizes the methods and techniques for research in psychology and sociology, including both laboratory and survey techniques. Emphasis is placed on the development of empirical questions from theory, research design and control, construction of survey instruments, statistical analysis and interpretation of results. Exercises include development of an original research project appropriate to the student’s major field.
Required Text:
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11e). (bundle)
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will
1.understand the nature of psychology and sociology as empirical disciplines;
2.understand the nature of the scientific method and requirements of scientific investigation;
3.be able to formulate research questions;
4.be able to formulate operational definitions;
5.understand sampling theory and techniques
6.understand the principles of research design, a variety of specific methodologies and their uses, problems, and limits, including laboratory, clinical/case studies, survey studies, and field studies;
7.obtain first-hand experience in actual design, conducting, analysis, interpretation, and written reporting of research;
8.understand different scales of measurement and the appropriate statistical tests applied to the different scales;
9.know how to conduct a literature review;
10.know how to prepare research reports;
Course Schedule – Independent Study Content Areas
1. Introduction to Human Inquiry and Science;
2. Paradigms, Theory, & Social Research;
3. The Ethics and Politics of Social Research;
4. Research Design;
5. Conceptualization, Operationalization, & Measurement;
6. The Logic of Sampling;
7. Survey Research;
8. Social Statistics;
9. Quantitative Data Analysis;
10. Experiments;
11. Qualitative Field Research;
12. General Social Survey Review and Data Analysis
Evaluation Method:
The student will be graded as follows:
1. Objective/essay examinations 30% of final grade
2. Independent Research 30% of final grade
3. Research Report 40% of final grade
Friday, May 09, 2008
Success Seeking vs Rational Expectations
Success Seeking vs. Rational Expectations
Professor Henry Schissler
Success is a culturally defined status or social standing. It encompasses specific standards that include; the need to accumulate wealth, money, and success-symbols (material possessions); the need for a level of recognition and celebrity, as well as prestige in the form of a “title” or career status identity.
Success is not viewed as a static status. Rather it boasts exhilarating and aggressive competition. It is a highly proactive process that necessitates unrelenting focus throughout one’s lifetime. Our culture reinforces the belief that success means happiness, and the climb to get there is invigorating.
Success-Drive is the amount of time men and women think about and engage in success seeking. Researchers have a hard time quantifying it: Is it how often we think about success? How often we want success? How often we become aroused by success seeking? Success-Drive is all that, and more.
Learn To Tame Your Success-Drive!
The Success Response Cycle consists of the following stages:
1. Desire. This stage, in which a man or woman begins to want or "desire" success gratification, will last anywhere from a moment to many years.
2. Arousal. This stage is characterized by the body’s initial response to feelings of success aspiration.
3. Plateau. This stage, the highest point of success excitement, is characterized by an increase in the body’s production of adrenaline and the release of the brain’s neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates and enhances pleasure seeking experiences
4. Resolution. The duration of this stage—the period during which the body returns to its pre-excitement state—varies greatly and is usually associated with being asleep. When awake, the Success Response Cycle will begin anew.
Successarexia is an emotional disorder caused by excessive success seeking behavior patterns. Individuals who suffer from this disorder tend to believe in the pursuit of perfection in all of the success activities that they engage in. Because of the inability of any person to reach perfection, the disorder remains active causing increasing levels of anxiety, hypervigilance, and chronic self-judgment.
Core American Values are transmitted to all of us through culture and are widely accepted by us as facts. We honor, recognize, even “worship” success that springs from individualism, individual effort and initiative. We embrace the ideal that an individual can rise from the bottom of society to its tippity-top. The personal freedom to do so and the value of freedom in general, pervade our lives. If someone fails to “get ahead,” we typically blame that individual and attack various character traits that have led to the failure. We do not see our society as the culprit, placing roadblocks in the individual’s way.
We place towering value on “becoming” as evidenced by personal achievement, especially outdoing others, and reaching full potential. “Becoming” includes getting ahead at work and school, and attaining wealth, power, and prestige. “God gives every bird his worm, but he does not throw it into the nest.”
We expect tasks to be completed with efficiency and practicality. In everyday living, we consider it important to complete tasks at a rapid pace; and we are always finding ways to increase efficiency. This obsession of ours causes us to value, as character traits, the ability to delay gratification, accept higher stress levels as “just a part of life,” and be willing to sacrifice time with family, friends, and leisure in general, for the good of our efficiency. Our reward is material comfort, achieved through the acquisition of status symbols, dining at favorite restaurants, having lots of choices for leisure time activity, and hiring someone to mow the lawn.
And when we speak about our belief in equality for all, we are really talking about equality of opportunity. Our history books are stuffed with stories of the American Dream envisioned and realized by men and women who epitomize the Core American Values.
Success Emphasis Theory The sociologist Robert Merton framed “becoming” around his theory of adaptation called “success emphasis.” He affirmed that the primary cultural goal and macro-level value in Western society is success, measured largely in terms of money. In fact, our society offers specific instructions on how to pursue success – go to school, work hard, do not quit, take advantages of opportunities, and so forth.
This success emphasis causes people to adapt, either by conforming to or by deviating from such cultural expectations. There are five basic forms of adaptation.
(1) Conformity to social norms, the most common adaptation, involves acceptance of both the overall societal goal and the approved means. It is not deviant.
(2) Innovation, a form of deviance, means accepting the goals but pursuing them with means regarded as improper.
(3) Ritualism, a form of deviance, means abandoning the success-goal and becoming committed to the institutional means (work). “Work for work’s sake” has meaning in many cultural & sub-cultural groups, including rural & urban poor church congregations.
(4) Retreatism, a form of deviance, means withdrawing from both the goals & the means to achieve. Vagrants and drug addicts are typically viewed as retreatists our society (Post Traumatic Success Disorder).
(5) Rebellion, a form of deviance, is the attempt to create a new social structure because of deep feelings of alienation from the cultural status quo. It is pro-active rather than a retreat. It means standing up to “what is”, rejecting it, and finding a new social structure.
Irrational Beliefs About Success Albert Ellis, Ph.D., the founder of Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy and a well known and well regarded psychologist, wrote A New Guide to Rational Living in 1975. In the book, he challenges various “irrational beliefs” that people often hold; they are “irrational” because they are self-defeating. They are beliefs that come from non-material culture, the generalized beliefs about what is right and wrong, true or false, good and bad. They are often “common sense knowledge of culture,” overgeneralized assumptions and stereotypical views about life.
One such “irrational belief” is the belief that we must be successful, that our self-worth raises and falls on our successes. Ellis talks about two ideas: that an individual must prove thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving; and that an individual must have competence or talent in some important area. These are direct impacts of “success emphasis.”
Ellis points out that these beliefs cause people to become, “fearful of failing at some task or goal.” And, as a consequence of this fear they, “usually manage to avoid trying for what they want because they construe failure as the worst of all possible crimes.”
On social value, Ellis asserts, “the notion that humans have value proportional to their accomplishments, and that if they lack competence or adequacy, they might as well curl up and die, includes several irrationalities.”
“Virtually nobody can prove competent and masterful in most respects and almost no one can display perfect adequacy and achievement...Trying to achieve outstandingness in one field of endeavor remains difficult, since millions of individuals compete in the same area. And the goal of behaving generally successfully has perfectionistic elements that doom the individual to serious disappointment.
“Achievement does not, except by arbitrary definition, relate to a person’s intrinsic worth. If individuals think themselves “better” or “greater” because they succeed at something, they may temporarily feel “worthier.” But they actually do not change their intrinsic value one iota by their successes; nor do they lower their “I-ness” by their failures”...
Ellis offers this advice: “To raise your “ego” by material or other achievements really means falsely to think yourself “better” that you previously proved. Most of what we call “pride” in accomplishment actually amounts to false pride: the silly belief that you have no worth unless you have accomplished, and the equally silly belief that because you have accomplished you have value as a person.”
He states that, “technically, you “are” not any particular thing...Whenever you use any form of the verb “to be,” you speak incorrectly. You “are” not a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. You “are” a human individual who practices these various kinds of occupations – but who also practices many other things...To identify, much less rate yourself according to your performance of some particular human activity, tends to create the illusion that you, a person, have only as much worth as that activity. And how much sense does that make?
Although accomplishment may bring you considerable advantages, fanatic devotion to the bitch-goddess success usually involves discomfort as well. Those hell-bent on achievement commonly push themselves beyond their limits of physical endurance; tolerate or invite painful conditions that they might avoid if not so determined to succeed; and rarely give themselves sufficient time to relax and enjoy what they do, nor time to lead better-rounded existences.
The frantic struggle for achievement usually reflects a dire need to excel others, to show that you act as well as or better than they do. But you remain you, and you will not exist as “yourself” (do what you largely like to do) if you must excel others. What have the others really got to do with you? If they have inferior traits, does that make you by one whit a better person? And if they excel you in this or that performance, does that make you a louse or a nogoodnick?...If you think that your “worth” as a human depends on how well your traits shape up and compare to those of others, you will practically always feel insecure and “worthless.” You will act other-directedly and divorced from what you might want to do with your one earthly existence. You will believe self-flagellating statements, such as: “I accept and enjoy myself only if I do as well as or better than others do.”
If you inordinately strive for success and feel anxious about failing, you will fear taking chances, making mistakes, doing the wrong thing, or doing many things you would really like to do. By insisting on outstanding achievement, you will leave yourself the pitifully narrow choices of (a) making mistakes and feeling depressed about them, or (b) refusing to try to do things for fear of making mistakes and feeling self-hatred about them. Having an unrealistically high level of aspiration foredooms you not only to failure but to fear of failing – which often has more pernicious effects than failure itself.
Success Emphasis Creates Perfectionists You have learned that other people value you because of how much you accomplish or achieve. As a result you have learned to value yourself only on the basis of other people's approval. Thus your self-esteem is based primarily on external standards. This can leave you vulnerable and excessively sensitive to the opinions and criticism of others. In attempting to protect yourself from such criticism, you determine that being perfect is your only defense.
A number of the following negative feelings, thoughts, and beliefs are associated with perfectionism:
• Fear of failure. Perfectionists often equate failure to achieve their goals with a lack of personal worth or value.
• Fear of making mistakes. Perfectionists often equate mistakes with failure. In orienting their lives around avoiding mistakes, perfectionists miss opportunities to learn and grow.
• Fear of disapproval. If they let others see their flaws, perfectionists often fear that they will no longer be accepted. Trying to be perfect is a way of trying to protect themselves from criticism, rejection, and disapproval.
• All-or-none thinking. Perfectionists frequently believe that they are worthless if their accomplishments are not perfect. Perfectionists have difficulty seeing situations in perspective. For example, a straight "A" student who receives a "B" might believe, "I am a total failure."
• Overemphasis on "shoulds." Perfectionists' lives are often structured by an endless list of "shoulds" that serve as rigid rules for how their lives must be led. With such an overemphasis on shoulds, perfectionists rarely take into account their own wants and desires.
• Believing that others are easily successful. Perfectionists tend to perceive others as achieving success with a minimum of effort, few errors, emotional stress, and maximum self-confidence. At the same time, perfectionists view their own efforts as unending and forever inadequate.
Perfectionistic attitudes set in motion a vicious cycle. First, perfectionists set unreachable goals. Second, they fail to meet these goals because the goals were impossible to begin with. Failure to reach them was thus inevitable. Third, the constant pressure to achieve perfection and the inevitable chronic failure reduce productivity and effectiveness. Fourth, this cycle leads perfectionists to be self-critical and self-blaming which results in lower self-esteem. It may also lead to anxiety and depression. At this point perfectionists may give up completely on their goals and set different goals thinking, "This time if only I try harder I will succeed." Such thinking sets the entire cycle in motion again.
This vicious cycle can be illustrated by looking at a way in which perfectionists often deal with interpersonal relationships. Perfectionists tend to anticipate or fear disapproval and rejection from those around them. Given such fear, perfectionists may react defensively to criticism and in doing so frustrate and alienate others. Without realizing it, perfectionists may also apply their unrealistically high standards to others, becoming critical and demanding of them. Furthermore, perfectionists may avoid letting others see their mistakes, not realizing that self-disclosure allows others to perceive them as more human and thus more likeable. Because of this vicious cycle perfectionists often have difficulty being close to people and therefore have less than satisfactory interpersonal relationships.
Change the Focus to Rational Expectations
Healthy goal setting and striving are quite different from the self-defeating process of perfectionism. Persons with Rational Expectations tend to set goals based on their own wants and desires rather than primarily in response to external expectations. Their goals are usually just one step beyond what they have already accomplished. In other words, their goals are realistic, internal, and potentially attainable. Persons with Rational Expectations take pleasure in the process of pursuing the task at hand rather than focusing only on the end result. When they experience disapproval or failure, their reactions are generally limited to specific situations rather than generalized to their entire self-worth.
Change Success Emphasis to Rational Expectations
The first step in changing from Success Emphasis to Rational Expectations is to realize that perfectionism is undesirable. Perfection is an illusion that is unattainable. The next step is to challenge the self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that fuel perfectionism. Some of the following strategies may help:
• Set realistic and reachable goals based on your own wants and needs and what you have accomplished in the past. This will enable you to achieve and also will lead to a greater sense of self-esteem.
• Set subsequent goals in a sequential manner. As you reach a goal, set your next goal one level beyond your present level of accomplishment.
• Put a filter on feedback you receive from others. Consider the source, and never personalize the feedback.
• Experiment with your standards for success. Choose any activity and instead of aiming for 100 percent, try for 90 percent, 80 percent, or even 60 percent success. This will help you to realize that the world does not end when you are not perfect.
• Focus on the process of doing an activity not just on the end result. Evaluate your success not only in terms of what you accomplished but also in terms of how much you enjoyed the task. Recognize that there can be value in the process of pursuing a goal.
• Use feelings of anxiety and depression as opportunities to ask yourself, "Have I set up impossible expectations for myself in this situation?"
• Confront the fears that may be behind your perfectionism by asking yourself, "What am I afraid of? What is the worst thing that could happen?"
• Recognize that many positive things can only be learned by making mistakes. When you make a mistake ask,
• "What can I learn from this experience?" More specifically, think of a recent mistake you have made and list all the things you can learn from it.
• Avoid all-or-none thinking in relation to your goals. Learn to discriminate the tasks you want to give high priority to from those tasks that are less important to you. On less important tasks, choose to put forth less effort. Once you have tried these suggestions, you are likely to realize that perfectionism is not a helpful or necessary influence in your life. There are alternative ways to think that are more beneficial. Not only are you likely to achieve more without your perfectionism, but you will feel better about yourself in the process
• “Your view of how people view you” is a learned way that people build self-perception. It is flawed and self-defeating.
The Experience of Competence “The qualities of the person himself, his physique, temperamental traits, mental abilities, special aptitudes, exert a marked influence over his behavior. They affect his evaluation by others and thus his evaluation of himself. This self-evaluation may range from a supreme and arrogant self-esteem to miserable feelings of inferiority.”
“The Experience of Competence, based on the effectiveness of one’s own activity in dealing with the environment, is a vital root of self-esteem. Behind many acts there is an intention, and it is possible for the individual to perceive very directly whether or not he succeeds in realizing his intention. If he succeeds, the individual not only achieves a goal but senses himself as having been able or competent to achieve it. He has pitted his mind and muscles against obstacles and resistant forces, and he has been able to bring about the change that he intended. This is what we mean by the experience of competence.
Professor Henry Schissler
Success is a culturally defined status or social standing. It encompasses specific standards that include; the need to accumulate wealth, money, and success-symbols (material possessions); the need for a level of recognition and celebrity, as well as prestige in the form of a “title” or career status identity.
Success is not viewed as a static status. Rather it boasts exhilarating and aggressive competition. It is a highly proactive process that necessitates unrelenting focus throughout one’s lifetime. Our culture reinforces the belief that success means happiness, and the climb to get there is invigorating.
Success-Drive is the amount of time men and women think about and engage in success seeking. Researchers have a hard time quantifying it: Is it how often we think about success? How often we want success? How often we become aroused by success seeking? Success-Drive is all that, and more.
Learn To Tame Your Success-Drive!
The Success Response Cycle consists of the following stages:
1. Desire. This stage, in which a man or woman begins to want or "desire" success gratification, will last anywhere from a moment to many years.
2. Arousal. This stage is characterized by the body’s initial response to feelings of success aspiration.
3. Plateau. This stage, the highest point of success excitement, is characterized by an increase in the body’s production of adrenaline and the release of the brain’s neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates and enhances pleasure seeking experiences
4. Resolution. The duration of this stage—the period during which the body returns to its pre-excitement state—varies greatly and is usually associated with being asleep. When awake, the Success Response Cycle will begin anew.
Successarexia is an emotional disorder caused by excessive success seeking behavior patterns. Individuals who suffer from this disorder tend to believe in the pursuit of perfection in all of the success activities that they engage in. Because of the inability of any person to reach perfection, the disorder remains active causing increasing levels of anxiety, hypervigilance, and chronic self-judgment.
Core American Values are transmitted to all of us through culture and are widely accepted by us as facts. We honor, recognize, even “worship” success that springs from individualism, individual effort and initiative. We embrace the ideal that an individual can rise from the bottom of society to its tippity-top. The personal freedom to do so and the value of freedom in general, pervade our lives. If someone fails to “get ahead,” we typically blame that individual and attack various character traits that have led to the failure. We do not see our society as the culprit, placing roadblocks in the individual’s way.
We place towering value on “becoming” as evidenced by personal achievement, especially outdoing others, and reaching full potential. “Becoming” includes getting ahead at work and school, and attaining wealth, power, and prestige. “God gives every bird his worm, but he does not throw it into the nest.”
We expect tasks to be completed with efficiency and practicality. In everyday living, we consider it important to complete tasks at a rapid pace; and we are always finding ways to increase efficiency. This obsession of ours causes us to value, as character traits, the ability to delay gratification, accept higher stress levels as “just a part of life,” and be willing to sacrifice time with family, friends, and leisure in general, for the good of our efficiency. Our reward is material comfort, achieved through the acquisition of status symbols, dining at favorite restaurants, having lots of choices for leisure time activity, and hiring someone to mow the lawn.
And when we speak about our belief in equality for all, we are really talking about equality of opportunity. Our history books are stuffed with stories of the American Dream envisioned and realized by men and women who epitomize the Core American Values.
Success Emphasis Theory The sociologist Robert Merton framed “becoming” around his theory of adaptation called “success emphasis.” He affirmed that the primary cultural goal and macro-level value in Western society is success, measured largely in terms of money. In fact, our society offers specific instructions on how to pursue success – go to school, work hard, do not quit, take advantages of opportunities, and so forth.
This success emphasis causes people to adapt, either by conforming to or by deviating from such cultural expectations. There are five basic forms of adaptation.
(1) Conformity to social norms, the most common adaptation, involves acceptance of both the overall societal goal and the approved means. It is not deviant.
(2) Innovation, a form of deviance, means accepting the goals but pursuing them with means regarded as improper.
(3) Ritualism, a form of deviance, means abandoning the success-goal and becoming committed to the institutional means (work). “Work for work’s sake” has meaning in many cultural & sub-cultural groups, including rural & urban poor church congregations.
(4) Retreatism, a form of deviance, means withdrawing from both the goals & the means to achieve. Vagrants and drug addicts are typically viewed as retreatists our society (Post Traumatic Success Disorder).
(5) Rebellion, a form of deviance, is the attempt to create a new social structure because of deep feelings of alienation from the cultural status quo. It is pro-active rather than a retreat. It means standing up to “what is”, rejecting it, and finding a new social structure.
Irrational Beliefs About Success Albert Ellis, Ph.D., the founder of Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy and a well known and well regarded psychologist, wrote A New Guide to Rational Living in 1975. In the book, he challenges various “irrational beliefs” that people often hold; they are “irrational” because they are self-defeating. They are beliefs that come from non-material culture, the generalized beliefs about what is right and wrong, true or false, good and bad. They are often “common sense knowledge of culture,” overgeneralized assumptions and stereotypical views about life.
One such “irrational belief” is the belief that we must be successful, that our self-worth raises and falls on our successes. Ellis talks about two ideas: that an individual must prove thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving; and that an individual must have competence or talent in some important area. These are direct impacts of “success emphasis.”
Ellis points out that these beliefs cause people to become, “fearful of failing at some task or goal.” And, as a consequence of this fear they, “usually manage to avoid trying for what they want because they construe failure as the worst of all possible crimes.”
On social value, Ellis asserts, “the notion that humans have value proportional to their accomplishments, and that if they lack competence or adequacy, they might as well curl up and die, includes several irrationalities.”
“Virtually nobody can prove competent and masterful in most respects and almost no one can display perfect adequacy and achievement...Trying to achieve outstandingness in one field of endeavor remains difficult, since millions of individuals compete in the same area. And the goal of behaving generally successfully has perfectionistic elements that doom the individual to serious disappointment.
“Achievement does not, except by arbitrary definition, relate to a person’s intrinsic worth. If individuals think themselves “better” or “greater” because they succeed at something, they may temporarily feel “worthier.” But they actually do not change their intrinsic value one iota by their successes; nor do they lower their “I-ness” by their failures”...
Ellis offers this advice: “To raise your “ego” by material or other achievements really means falsely to think yourself “better” that you previously proved. Most of what we call “pride” in accomplishment actually amounts to false pride: the silly belief that you have no worth unless you have accomplished, and the equally silly belief that because you have accomplished you have value as a person.”
He states that, “technically, you “are” not any particular thing...Whenever you use any form of the verb “to be,” you speak incorrectly. You “are” not a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. You “are” a human individual who practices these various kinds of occupations – but who also practices many other things...To identify, much less rate yourself according to your performance of some particular human activity, tends to create the illusion that you, a person, have only as much worth as that activity. And how much sense does that make?
Although accomplishment may bring you considerable advantages, fanatic devotion to the bitch-goddess success usually involves discomfort as well. Those hell-bent on achievement commonly push themselves beyond their limits of physical endurance; tolerate or invite painful conditions that they might avoid if not so determined to succeed; and rarely give themselves sufficient time to relax and enjoy what they do, nor time to lead better-rounded existences.
The frantic struggle for achievement usually reflects a dire need to excel others, to show that you act as well as or better than they do. But you remain you, and you will not exist as “yourself” (do what you largely like to do) if you must excel others. What have the others really got to do with you? If they have inferior traits, does that make you by one whit a better person? And if they excel you in this or that performance, does that make you a louse or a nogoodnick?...If you think that your “worth” as a human depends on how well your traits shape up and compare to those of others, you will practically always feel insecure and “worthless.” You will act other-directedly and divorced from what you might want to do with your one earthly existence. You will believe self-flagellating statements, such as: “I accept and enjoy myself only if I do as well as or better than others do.”
If you inordinately strive for success and feel anxious about failing, you will fear taking chances, making mistakes, doing the wrong thing, or doing many things you would really like to do. By insisting on outstanding achievement, you will leave yourself the pitifully narrow choices of (a) making mistakes and feeling depressed about them, or (b) refusing to try to do things for fear of making mistakes and feeling self-hatred about them. Having an unrealistically high level of aspiration foredooms you not only to failure but to fear of failing – which often has more pernicious effects than failure itself.
Success Emphasis Creates Perfectionists You have learned that other people value you because of how much you accomplish or achieve. As a result you have learned to value yourself only on the basis of other people's approval. Thus your self-esteem is based primarily on external standards. This can leave you vulnerable and excessively sensitive to the opinions and criticism of others. In attempting to protect yourself from such criticism, you determine that being perfect is your only defense.
A number of the following negative feelings, thoughts, and beliefs are associated with perfectionism:
• Fear of failure. Perfectionists often equate failure to achieve their goals with a lack of personal worth or value.
• Fear of making mistakes. Perfectionists often equate mistakes with failure. In orienting their lives around avoiding mistakes, perfectionists miss opportunities to learn and grow.
• Fear of disapproval. If they let others see their flaws, perfectionists often fear that they will no longer be accepted. Trying to be perfect is a way of trying to protect themselves from criticism, rejection, and disapproval.
• All-or-none thinking. Perfectionists frequently believe that they are worthless if their accomplishments are not perfect. Perfectionists have difficulty seeing situations in perspective. For example, a straight "A" student who receives a "B" might believe, "I am a total failure."
• Overemphasis on "shoulds." Perfectionists' lives are often structured by an endless list of "shoulds" that serve as rigid rules for how their lives must be led. With such an overemphasis on shoulds, perfectionists rarely take into account their own wants and desires.
• Believing that others are easily successful. Perfectionists tend to perceive others as achieving success with a minimum of effort, few errors, emotional stress, and maximum self-confidence. At the same time, perfectionists view their own efforts as unending and forever inadequate.
Perfectionistic attitudes set in motion a vicious cycle. First, perfectionists set unreachable goals. Second, they fail to meet these goals because the goals were impossible to begin with. Failure to reach them was thus inevitable. Third, the constant pressure to achieve perfection and the inevitable chronic failure reduce productivity and effectiveness. Fourth, this cycle leads perfectionists to be self-critical and self-blaming which results in lower self-esteem. It may also lead to anxiety and depression. At this point perfectionists may give up completely on their goals and set different goals thinking, "This time if only I try harder I will succeed." Such thinking sets the entire cycle in motion again.
This vicious cycle can be illustrated by looking at a way in which perfectionists often deal with interpersonal relationships. Perfectionists tend to anticipate or fear disapproval and rejection from those around them. Given such fear, perfectionists may react defensively to criticism and in doing so frustrate and alienate others. Without realizing it, perfectionists may also apply their unrealistically high standards to others, becoming critical and demanding of them. Furthermore, perfectionists may avoid letting others see their mistakes, not realizing that self-disclosure allows others to perceive them as more human and thus more likeable. Because of this vicious cycle perfectionists often have difficulty being close to people and therefore have less than satisfactory interpersonal relationships.
Change the Focus to Rational Expectations
Healthy goal setting and striving are quite different from the self-defeating process of perfectionism. Persons with Rational Expectations tend to set goals based on their own wants and desires rather than primarily in response to external expectations. Their goals are usually just one step beyond what they have already accomplished. In other words, their goals are realistic, internal, and potentially attainable. Persons with Rational Expectations take pleasure in the process of pursuing the task at hand rather than focusing only on the end result. When they experience disapproval or failure, their reactions are generally limited to specific situations rather than generalized to their entire self-worth.
Change Success Emphasis to Rational Expectations
The first step in changing from Success Emphasis to Rational Expectations is to realize that perfectionism is undesirable. Perfection is an illusion that is unattainable. The next step is to challenge the self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that fuel perfectionism. Some of the following strategies may help:
• Set realistic and reachable goals based on your own wants and needs and what you have accomplished in the past. This will enable you to achieve and also will lead to a greater sense of self-esteem.
• Set subsequent goals in a sequential manner. As you reach a goal, set your next goal one level beyond your present level of accomplishment.
• Put a filter on feedback you receive from others. Consider the source, and never personalize the feedback.
• Experiment with your standards for success. Choose any activity and instead of aiming for 100 percent, try for 90 percent, 80 percent, or even 60 percent success. This will help you to realize that the world does not end when you are not perfect.
• Focus on the process of doing an activity not just on the end result. Evaluate your success not only in terms of what you accomplished but also in terms of how much you enjoyed the task. Recognize that there can be value in the process of pursuing a goal.
• Use feelings of anxiety and depression as opportunities to ask yourself, "Have I set up impossible expectations for myself in this situation?"
• Confront the fears that may be behind your perfectionism by asking yourself, "What am I afraid of? What is the worst thing that could happen?"
• Recognize that many positive things can only be learned by making mistakes. When you make a mistake ask,
• "What can I learn from this experience?" More specifically, think of a recent mistake you have made and list all the things you can learn from it.
• Avoid all-or-none thinking in relation to your goals. Learn to discriminate the tasks you want to give high priority to from those tasks that are less important to you. On less important tasks, choose to put forth less effort. Once you have tried these suggestions, you are likely to realize that perfectionism is not a helpful or necessary influence in your life. There are alternative ways to think that are more beneficial. Not only are you likely to achieve more without your perfectionism, but you will feel better about yourself in the process
• “Your view of how people view you” is a learned way that people build self-perception. It is flawed and self-defeating.
The Experience of Competence “The qualities of the person himself, his physique, temperamental traits, mental abilities, special aptitudes, exert a marked influence over his behavior. They affect his evaluation by others and thus his evaluation of himself. This self-evaluation may range from a supreme and arrogant self-esteem to miserable feelings of inferiority.”
“The Experience of Competence, based on the effectiveness of one’s own activity in dealing with the environment, is a vital root of self-esteem. Behind many acts there is an intention, and it is possible for the individual to perceive very directly whether or not he succeeds in realizing his intention. If he succeeds, the individual not only achieves a goal but senses himself as having been able or competent to achieve it. He has pitted his mind and muscles against obstacles and resistant forces, and he has been able to bring about the change that he intended. This is what we mean by the experience of competence.
Core American Values Handout
Sociology Class Notes
Professor Henry Schissler
Core American Values
The United States, a pluralistic society, is made up of many different groups. They represent different political and social ideologies, religions and racial-ethnic groups, as well as countless thousands of interest groups that center around such divergent activities as collecting Barbie dolls and hunting quail.
But we do share core values (macro-level non-material culture). These values are generally assumed to be “the American way” and are taught to school children as morality and signs of good character. We are all socialized to believe in them through media presentations, political speeches, and in the workplace. Sociologist Robin Williams (no, not him) first identified these values in 1965.
1. Individualism (“Consistent Persistence”) Americans have traditionally prized success that comes from individual effort and initiative. They cherish the ideal that an individual can rise from the bottom of society to its very top. If someone fails to “get ahead,” Americans generally find fault with that individual, rather than with the social system for placing roadblocks in his or her path.
2. Achievement and Success (“Success Emphasis”) Americans place a high value on personal achievement, especially outdoing others. This value includes getting ahead at work and school, and attaining wealth, power, and prestige.
3. Activity and Work (“Work for Work’s Sake”) Americans expect people to work hard and to be busily engaged in some activity even when not at work.
4. Efficiency and Practicality Americans award high marks for getting things done efficiently. Even in everyday life, Americans consider it important to do things fast, and they constantly seek ways to increase efficiency.
5. Science and Technology Americans have a passion for applied science, for using science to control nature – to tame rivers and harness wind – and to develop new technology, from motorized scooters to talking computers.
6. Progress Americans expect rapid technological change. They believe that they should constantly build “more and better” gadgets that will help them move toward that vague goal called “progress.”
7. Material Comfort Americans expect a high level of material comfort. This comfort includes not only good nutrition, medical care, and housing, but also late-model cars and recreational playthings – from boats o computer games.
8. Humanitarianism Americans emphasize helpfulness, personal kindness, aid in mass disasters, and organized philanthropy.
9. Freedom This core value pervades U.S. life. It underscored the American Revolution, and Americans pride themselves on their personal freedom.
10. Democracy By this term, Americans refer to majority rule, to the right of everyone to express an opinion, and to representative government.
11. Equality It is impossible to understand Americans without being aware of the central role that the value of equality plays in their lives. Equality of opportunity has significantly influenced U.S. history and continues to mark relations between groups that make up U.S. society.
12. Racism and Group Superiority Although it contradicts freedom, democracy, and equality, Americans value some groups more than others and have done so throughout their history. The slaughter of Native Americans and the enslaving of Africans are the most notorious examples.
In 1975, Sociologist James Henslin updated Williams’ analysis be adding three values.
1. Education Americans are expected to go as far in school as their abilities and finances allow. Over the years, the definition of an “adequate” education has changed, and today a college education is considered an appropriate goal for most Americans. Those who have an opportunity for higher education and do not take it are sometimes viewed as doing something “wrong” – not merely as making a bad choice, but as somehow being involved in an immoral act.
2. Religiosity There is a feeling that “every true American ought to be religious.” This does not mean that everyone is expected to join a church, synagogue, or mosque, but that everyone ought to acknowledge a belief in a Supreme Being and follow some set of matching precepts. This value is so pervasive that Americans stamp “In God We Trust” on their money and declare in their national pledge of allegiance that they are “one nation under God.”
3. Romantic Love Americans feel that the only proper basis for marriage is romantic love. Songs, literature, mass media, and “folk beliefs” all stress this value. They especially love the theme that “love conquers all.”
Ideal Culture – the ideal values and norms of a people; the goals held out for them
Real Culture – the norms and values that people actually follow
Professor Henry Schissler
Core American Values
The United States, a pluralistic society, is made up of many different groups. They represent different political and social ideologies, religions and racial-ethnic groups, as well as countless thousands of interest groups that center around such divergent activities as collecting Barbie dolls and hunting quail.
But we do share core values (macro-level non-material culture). These values are generally assumed to be “the American way” and are taught to school children as morality and signs of good character. We are all socialized to believe in them through media presentations, political speeches, and in the workplace. Sociologist Robin Williams (no, not him) first identified these values in 1965.
1. Individualism (“Consistent Persistence”) Americans have traditionally prized success that comes from individual effort and initiative. They cherish the ideal that an individual can rise from the bottom of society to its very top. If someone fails to “get ahead,” Americans generally find fault with that individual, rather than with the social system for placing roadblocks in his or her path.
2. Achievement and Success (“Success Emphasis”) Americans place a high value on personal achievement, especially outdoing others. This value includes getting ahead at work and school, and attaining wealth, power, and prestige.
3. Activity and Work (“Work for Work’s Sake”) Americans expect people to work hard and to be busily engaged in some activity even when not at work.
4. Efficiency and Practicality Americans award high marks for getting things done efficiently. Even in everyday life, Americans consider it important to do things fast, and they constantly seek ways to increase efficiency.
5. Science and Technology Americans have a passion for applied science, for using science to control nature – to tame rivers and harness wind – and to develop new technology, from motorized scooters to talking computers.
6. Progress Americans expect rapid technological change. They believe that they should constantly build “more and better” gadgets that will help them move toward that vague goal called “progress.”
7. Material Comfort Americans expect a high level of material comfort. This comfort includes not only good nutrition, medical care, and housing, but also late-model cars and recreational playthings – from boats o computer games.
8. Humanitarianism Americans emphasize helpfulness, personal kindness, aid in mass disasters, and organized philanthropy.
9. Freedom This core value pervades U.S. life. It underscored the American Revolution, and Americans pride themselves on their personal freedom.
10. Democracy By this term, Americans refer to majority rule, to the right of everyone to express an opinion, and to representative government.
11. Equality It is impossible to understand Americans without being aware of the central role that the value of equality plays in their lives. Equality of opportunity has significantly influenced U.S. history and continues to mark relations between groups that make up U.S. society.
12. Racism and Group Superiority Although it contradicts freedom, democracy, and equality, Americans value some groups more than others and have done so throughout their history. The slaughter of Native Americans and the enslaving of Africans are the most notorious examples.
In 1975, Sociologist James Henslin updated Williams’ analysis be adding three values.
1. Education Americans are expected to go as far in school as their abilities and finances allow. Over the years, the definition of an “adequate” education has changed, and today a college education is considered an appropriate goal for most Americans. Those who have an opportunity for higher education and do not take it are sometimes viewed as doing something “wrong” – not merely as making a bad choice, but as somehow being involved in an immoral act.
2. Religiosity There is a feeling that “every true American ought to be religious.” This does not mean that everyone is expected to join a church, synagogue, or mosque, but that everyone ought to acknowledge a belief in a Supreme Being and follow some set of matching precepts. This value is so pervasive that Americans stamp “In God We Trust” on their money and declare in their national pledge of allegiance that they are “one nation under God.”
3. Romantic Love Americans feel that the only proper basis for marriage is romantic love. Songs, literature, mass media, and “folk beliefs” all stress this value. They especially love the theme that “love conquers all.”
Ideal Culture – the ideal values and norms of a people; the goals held out for them
Real Culture – the norms and values that people actually follow
Basic Temperament Handout
Class Notes
Professor Henry Schissler
Biopsychosocial Model
Basic Temperament
Temperament – one of the many components of personality – describes each child’s unique, biologically-based, consistent pattern of behavioral responses to people, events and conditions. Everyone, including individuals with disabilities, at every age, shows a degree of response – high, medium, low – to nine behavioral categories influenced by temperament.
1. Activity levels: Some people seem always to be in a state of flurry, others seem to exist on a level of permanent calm. Others are consistently at various points between these extremes.
2. Predominant mood: Some people are born optimists, some pessimists.
3. Intensity of reactions: Whether positive or negative, people express their feelings in degrees – more or less dramatically.
4. Rhythmicity: Everyone has a degree of regularity or predictability to personal habits. Much of this can be attributed to brain functions.
5. Approach/withdrawal: People’s initial perception and response to change ranges from interest and openness to aversion.
6. Adaptability: When confronted with new circumstances, some people can adjust right away, others take longer.
7. Sensory threshold: Some people’s senses seem that much sharper than others; some seem to get frustrated much easier than others.
8. Attention span or persistence: One person will grab onto an idea or an effort with great intensity; another gives up at the first perceived obstacle or is always turning to new interests.
9. Distractibility: Whether it is by sight, sound, odor or any other sense, some people immediately turn their attention from what they are doing to pursue the distraction. Others continue on the path in which they were originally headed.
- adapted from Peter A. Gorski M.D., Journal
of Developmental and Behavioral Pediat
Professor Henry Schissler
Biopsychosocial Model
Basic Temperament
Temperament – one of the many components of personality – describes each child’s unique, biologically-based, consistent pattern of behavioral responses to people, events and conditions. Everyone, including individuals with disabilities, at every age, shows a degree of response – high, medium, low – to nine behavioral categories influenced by temperament.
1. Activity levels: Some people seem always to be in a state of flurry, others seem to exist on a level of permanent calm. Others are consistently at various points between these extremes.
2. Predominant mood: Some people are born optimists, some pessimists.
3. Intensity of reactions: Whether positive or negative, people express their feelings in degrees – more or less dramatically.
4. Rhythmicity: Everyone has a degree of regularity or predictability to personal habits. Much of this can be attributed to brain functions.
5. Approach/withdrawal: People’s initial perception and response to change ranges from interest and openness to aversion.
6. Adaptability: When confronted with new circumstances, some people can adjust right away, others take longer.
7. Sensory threshold: Some people’s senses seem that much sharper than others; some seem to get frustrated much easier than others.
8. Attention span or persistence: One person will grab onto an idea or an effort with great intensity; another gives up at the first perceived obstacle or is always turning to new interests.
9. Distractibility: Whether it is by sight, sound, odor or any other sense, some people immediately turn their attention from what they are doing to pursue the distraction. Others continue on the path in which they were originally headed.
- adapted from Peter A. Gorski M.D., Journal
of Developmental and Behavioral Pediat
Biopsychosocial Model
The Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
We are a unique compilation of biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. These factors, together, mold our self-perception and our perception of the world around us.
The Self is a distinct identity that sets us apart from others. It continues to develop & change throughout our lives. It is our conscious, reflective sense of our own identity.
Formation of the Self
“There can be no doubt that the self, like everything else in an organism, develops and changes a great deal in the course of life. Its nucleus appears to be what is experienced as “I” and “me,” as distinguished from everything else that is “not me.” This distinction, whatever its primitive basis, is amplified and strengthened by learning: children find out by investigation that the foot is part of “me” and the favorite toy is not. As time goes on, “myself” assumes a fuller and richer meaning. It is compounded by bodily sensations, feelings, the image of one’s body, the sound of one’s name, the continuity of one’s memories, all leading to the experience of oneself as a unique and separate person having a continuous existence.” (157, 158)
Our overlapping biological, psychological, and socio-environmental elements are the catalysts for our thoughts, feelings, and patterns of behavior.
(1) Biological factors (called primary drives) are many, encompassing such things as our genetics and heredity, our numerous instincts, the basic genetic heritage that all humans share, and even our basic temperament, our innate disposition.
• Genetic Heritage – is responsible for such functions or attributes as height, weight, blood pressure, athletic ability, memory, “intelligence,” mental retardation, anxiety, inhibitions, schizophrenia, among others.
• Heredity – influences on behavior that are transmitted biologically from parent to child.
• Maturation – the unfolding of biologically determined behavior patterns.
Instincts
The roots of all instincts are found in the human driven for personal or species survival. That’s why they are deeply imbedded in us. Instincts are constructed either as proactive or reactive, depending upon the motivation that drives the instinctual response. We are typically unaware of their presence and their impact on our thoughts and behaviors. But because they are, in fact, a part of our thoughts and behaviors and they are bound up in the quest to satisfy human needs, our unconscious instinctual drives contribute greatly to our social traits and social behaviors because they are interacting with the social environments that we are living in.
Our basic instincts include:
• Adaptability; we are able to adapt to new circumstances and surroundings with relative ease; while some can adapt with greater emotional and physical agility, this basic instinct allows all of us to unconsciously focus on surviving and thriving in new environments
• Hunger, thirst, shelter; the motivations to satisfy these needs are fear and deprivation; the deepest motivational level is individual survival
o Depravation is an deeply felt and experienced motivator that causes reactive behaviors meant to satisfy unmet needs
• Pleasure seeking behavior, which includes sex, as well as any behaviors that cause the individual to feel gratification
o Motivations to satisfy these needs include the desire for good physical and emotional feelings, and feelings of deprivation; the deepest motivation level for sexual pleasure is species survival
o The desire for pleasure creates “urges” that can escalate to impulsivity and the emotion-driven need for instant gratification; the instincts’ “tactics” are there to assure that the pleasure is achieved
o The nature of impulsivity is that it is narcissistic, breeding lack of inhibition and curiosity which will lead to risk taking behavior
• The need for community focuses our desire to be a part of groups; this is motivated by fear of harm (fight/flight) or even fear of death
• The need for affiliation affirms as human need the desire to connect to other people in various kinds of relationships; this is motivated by generalized fear (anxiety), pleasure seeking needs, and deprivation
• Aggression is a core human instinct that varies widely in intensity; when a person feels threatened, a fear response triggers a reaction; should the threat and/or sensation intensify, aggression will step up to rage which is so strong an emotion that it triggers multiple biological and instinctual responses leading to a reaction
o People are often not consciously aware of their “fear”
o Aggression can also be tied to the dominance/submission function of instincts, seen primarily in males; the more aggressive members of a group will hold power (dominance), while the more submissive will not; this, interestingly, creates an order in groups which assists with species survival;
• The need for mastery is the person’s ability to influence his or her environment; and the need for competence is the person’s subjective assessment of that ability; this is a deep emotional motivation fueled by individual survival and dominance/submission resolution
o The experience of competence, based on the effectiveness of one’s own activity in dealing with the environment, is a vital root of self-esteem. Behind many acts there is an intention, and it is possible for the individual to perceive very directly whether or not he succeeds in realizing his intention. If he succeeds, the individual not only achieves a goal but senses himself as having been able or competent to achieve it. He has pitted his mind and muscles against obstacles and resistant forces, and he has been able to bring about the change that he intended. This is what we mean by the experience of competence.
• Temperament describes each person’s unique, biologically-based, consistent pattern of behavioral responses to people, events and conditions. Everyone shows a degree of response – high, medium, low – to the following behavioral categories influenced by temperament.
o Activity Levels: some people seem always to be in a state of flurry, others seem to exist on a level of permanent calm; most are consistently at various points between these extremes.
o Predominant Frame of Mind (disposition): some people’s glasses are half-full, others’ glasses are half-empty, still others have glasses that are half-empty with a leak
o Intensity of Reactions: whether positive or negative, people express their feelings in degrees – more or less dramatically.
o Rhythmicity: everyone has a degree of regularity or predictability to personal habits; much of this can be attributed to brain functions.
o Approach/Withdrawal: people’s initial perception and response to change ranges from interest and openness to aversion.
o Sensory Threshold: some people’s senses seem that much sharper than others; some seem to get frustrated much easier than others.
o Attention span or Persistence: one person will grab onto an idea or an effort with great intensity; another gives up at the first perceived obstacle or is always turning to new interests.
o Distractibility: whether it is by sight, sound, odor or any other sense, some people immediately turn their attention from what they are doing to pursue the distraction; others continue on the path in which they were originally headed.
- Journal of Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrics
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Need can be viewed from the “bio” of the bio-psycho-social perspective. The bottom three rungs of his triangle, basic needs, safety needs, and belonging and affiliation (or intimacy) needs are rooted in instinctual patterns of behavior.
(2) Socio-Environmental factors (secondary drives) come from society. A society is the largest form of human group, consisting of people who share common culture. Culture is the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society. It is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and beliefs. There are two types of culture:
o Material Culture consists of the objects created in a given society, which are its buildings, art, tools, and toys, print and broadcast media, and other tangible objects.
o Nonmaterial Culture (also called symbolic culture) includes the norms, laws, customs, ideas, and beliefs of a group of people. It has a strong presence in social behavior.
Culture defines the values, the generalized beliefs of the society, and the norms, the expected behaviors of those who live in the society.
Culture is transmitted to each and every one of us through the agents of socialization. Some of the agents of socialization are the family, peer groups, K-12 education and college, the workforce, sports, religion, clinical psychology, and the media. Each agent “instructs” us in the external workings of the society that we are a part of.
The words “tradition” and “law” are two great example of how agents work.
o Many beliefs and behaviors that families teach their kids are represented as tradition – “the way things are done”, or “what we’ve always believed in”. The clear implication of tradition is that it is the correct way to do something or the correct belief, even ideology, to have. As kids, we integrate tradition into our core beliefs of right/wrong, correct/incorrect feelings and behaviors without realizing that culture is being transmitted to us from the larger social structure.
o Laws are man and woman made statements of allowed behavior within the society. We follow laws because we are socialized to believe it is the morally correct thing to do and we do not wish to suffer punishments.
Success in a society depends upon the individual’s ability to integrate the norms and values into every day life, and to stick to them. Further, it necessitates the ability to embrace self-control when biologically based instincts attempt to overrule societal norms and values. The impulsive leap to instant gratification must become the ability to delay gratification. The desire for pleasure can be realized but only within the norms of social structure. Sexual gratification, for example, becomes boxed in by rules and regulations from culture, law, health class, religion, tradition, whew...
The “experience of competence” (defined on page three) morphs into the experience of social competence.
A great deal of the development of the self, which began within the family circle, occurs through interaction with friends, schoolmates, and friends. Through membership in groups the individual gains new experience with competition and cooperation, testing the suitability of various social roles, while through close friendship he learns a more detailed consideration of others and may in turn achieve a fuller understanding of himself. (159)
And it is social competence that enhances self-esteem (160-173):
The qualities of the person himself, his physique, temperamental traits, mental abilities, special aptitudes, exert a marked influence over his behavior. They affect his evaluation by others and thus his evaluation of himself (looking-glass self).Feelings of Social Competence are built up out of social experiences in which one has found it possible to produce intended effects in other people: to make them respond to you, help you, serve you, love you, accept your love, and learn from you.
Freud’s theory of personality can be viewed from the perspective of the “id” energy (represents the “bio”) being socially controlled by the “superego” energy (represents the “socio”). As long as the superego wins the war (after losing a number of battles along the way), the person achieves mastery and competence (from the bio). He also experiences social competence (from the socio). This will create ego-strength and, in layman’s terms, good self-esteem and sense of self-worth.
There are other potential clashes or considerations between bio and socio. Examples would be gender socialization, or a basic temperament that does not match societal expectations. But, typically, a balance needs to be discovered or the socio-environmental influences must trump biological instinctual drives for the good of the society.
Clinical Psychology mirrors a society or culture’s view of what is “abnormal” or deviant behavior. The field serves as a measuring stick for appropriate and inappropriate behavior in society. In this sense, Clinical Psychology serves as a societal agent of socialization and, therefore, is a part of the socio-environmental piece of the bio-psycho-social perspective.
Clinical Psychology publishes a text that is updated about every decade or so. The text The Diagnostic & Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders defines every “psychiatric diagnosis”, outlining the abnormal behaviors associated with the disorder. Treatment for the disorder is based around the premise that “success” means a return to normal behavior which is in line with the cultural values and norms that are transmitted to the individual through the agents of socialization.
Normal Behavior = Cured or “in remission”
There are a number of biologically based disorders like Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders that are in the individual’s genetic heritage. Normal or acceptable behavior for these forms of biologically-based mental illnesses can only be achieved through psychotropic or psychoactive medications.
But for disorders that are triggered by socio-environmental events like situational depression, normal or acceptable behavior can be achieved by resolving feelings associated with the trigger event(s). In modern society, psychotropic medications are used for more and more disorders. While advances in modern medicine are significant and important, the pharmaceutical industry is a massive bureaucratic corporation focused on profits. They market many of their drugs for disorders that originate in the socio-environmental realm.
An example is a series of disorders called Adjustment Disorders in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders. An individual is diagnosed (or labeled) with this psychiatric condition for various reasons –
o Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood
o Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety
o Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety & Depressed Mood
o Adjustment Disorder with Disturbance of Conduct
o Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions & Conduct
o Adjustment Disorder Unspecified
o Acute = less than 6 months & Chronic = over 6 months
What are individuals having trouble adjusting to?
According to the DSM, “The stressor may be a single event (e.g., termination of a romantic relationship), or there may be multiple stressors (e.g., marked business difficulties). Some stressors may accompany specific developmental events (e.g., going to school, leaving the parental home, becoming a parent, failing to attain occupational goals).”
These socio-environmental events are called “Psychosocial”. As defined by Clinical Psychology, they support societal expectations of “normal” and “abnormal”, and they serve as societal social controls as evidence by their ability to tell individuals what behavior is accepted in society and what behavior is not.
(3) Psychological factors are best described as our thoughts (cognition) and our feelings. Together, they define how we will behave. And behavior is what others see, what can be evaluated or measured as normal or abnormal, maladaptive or deviant.
In the bio-psycho-social perspective, psycho refers to the individual’s thoughts and feelings and ensuing behaviors that are a direct result of biological and socio-environmental factors. If, for example, a person feels threatened, his instinctual (primary) drives will advance an aggressive response. The threat itself is coming from the socio-environmental realm. Once the instinctual drive advances, the ensuing feelings and thoughts, and the eventual resolution of the feelings, are all in the psycho realm.
Another example. An eight-year-old boy is shy. Shyness is a part of biologically-based basic temperament. The boy’s shyness is troublesome to his father who envisions his son to be an assertive and outgoing boy. This definition of the boy’s desired behavior comes from society, from gender socialization, from the gender role of who boys are and how they should behave. The clash of bio and socio spark the psycho – feelings and thoughts that will motivate the shy boy’s behavior.
We are a unique compilation of biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. These factors, together, mold our self-perception and our perception of the world around us.
The Self is a distinct identity that sets us apart from others. It continues to develop & change throughout our lives. It is our conscious, reflective sense of our own identity.
Formation of the Self
“There can be no doubt that the self, like everything else in an organism, develops and changes a great deal in the course of life. Its nucleus appears to be what is experienced as “I” and “me,” as distinguished from everything else that is “not me.” This distinction, whatever its primitive basis, is amplified and strengthened by learning: children find out by investigation that the foot is part of “me” and the favorite toy is not. As time goes on, “myself” assumes a fuller and richer meaning. It is compounded by bodily sensations, feelings, the image of one’s body, the sound of one’s name, the continuity of one’s memories, all leading to the experience of oneself as a unique and separate person having a continuous existence.” (157, 158)
Our overlapping biological, psychological, and socio-environmental elements are the catalysts for our thoughts, feelings, and patterns of behavior.
(1) Biological factors (called primary drives) are many, encompassing such things as our genetics and heredity, our numerous instincts, the basic genetic heritage that all humans share, and even our basic temperament, our innate disposition.
• Genetic Heritage – is responsible for such functions or attributes as height, weight, blood pressure, athletic ability, memory, “intelligence,” mental retardation, anxiety, inhibitions, schizophrenia, among others.
• Heredity – influences on behavior that are transmitted biologically from parent to child.
• Maturation – the unfolding of biologically determined behavior patterns.
Instincts
The roots of all instincts are found in the human driven for personal or species survival. That’s why they are deeply imbedded in us. Instincts are constructed either as proactive or reactive, depending upon the motivation that drives the instinctual response. We are typically unaware of their presence and their impact on our thoughts and behaviors. But because they are, in fact, a part of our thoughts and behaviors and they are bound up in the quest to satisfy human needs, our unconscious instinctual drives contribute greatly to our social traits and social behaviors because they are interacting with the social environments that we are living in.
Our basic instincts include:
• Adaptability; we are able to adapt to new circumstances and surroundings with relative ease; while some can adapt with greater emotional and physical agility, this basic instinct allows all of us to unconsciously focus on surviving and thriving in new environments
• Hunger, thirst, shelter; the motivations to satisfy these needs are fear and deprivation; the deepest motivational level is individual survival
o Depravation is an deeply felt and experienced motivator that causes reactive behaviors meant to satisfy unmet needs
• Pleasure seeking behavior, which includes sex, as well as any behaviors that cause the individual to feel gratification
o Motivations to satisfy these needs include the desire for good physical and emotional feelings, and feelings of deprivation; the deepest motivation level for sexual pleasure is species survival
o The desire for pleasure creates “urges” that can escalate to impulsivity and the emotion-driven need for instant gratification; the instincts’ “tactics” are there to assure that the pleasure is achieved
o The nature of impulsivity is that it is narcissistic, breeding lack of inhibition and curiosity which will lead to risk taking behavior
• The need for community focuses our desire to be a part of groups; this is motivated by fear of harm (fight/flight) or even fear of death
• The need for affiliation affirms as human need the desire to connect to other people in various kinds of relationships; this is motivated by generalized fear (anxiety), pleasure seeking needs, and deprivation
• Aggression is a core human instinct that varies widely in intensity; when a person feels threatened, a fear response triggers a reaction; should the threat and/or sensation intensify, aggression will step up to rage which is so strong an emotion that it triggers multiple biological and instinctual responses leading to a reaction
o People are often not consciously aware of their “fear”
o Aggression can also be tied to the dominance/submission function of instincts, seen primarily in males; the more aggressive members of a group will hold power (dominance), while the more submissive will not; this, interestingly, creates an order in groups which assists with species survival;
• The need for mastery is the person’s ability to influence his or her environment; and the need for competence is the person’s subjective assessment of that ability; this is a deep emotional motivation fueled by individual survival and dominance/submission resolution
o The experience of competence, based on the effectiveness of one’s own activity in dealing with the environment, is a vital root of self-esteem. Behind many acts there is an intention, and it is possible for the individual to perceive very directly whether or not he succeeds in realizing his intention. If he succeeds, the individual not only achieves a goal but senses himself as having been able or competent to achieve it. He has pitted his mind and muscles against obstacles and resistant forces, and he has been able to bring about the change that he intended. This is what we mean by the experience of competence.
• Temperament describes each person’s unique, biologically-based, consistent pattern of behavioral responses to people, events and conditions. Everyone shows a degree of response – high, medium, low – to the following behavioral categories influenced by temperament.
o Activity Levels: some people seem always to be in a state of flurry, others seem to exist on a level of permanent calm; most are consistently at various points between these extremes.
o Predominant Frame of Mind (disposition): some people’s glasses are half-full, others’ glasses are half-empty, still others have glasses that are half-empty with a leak
o Intensity of Reactions: whether positive or negative, people express their feelings in degrees – more or less dramatically.
o Rhythmicity: everyone has a degree of regularity or predictability to personal habits; much of this can be attributed to brain functions.
o Approach/Withdrawal: people’s initial perception and response to change ranges from interest and openness to aversion.
o Sensory Threshold: some people’s senses seem that much sharper than others; some seem to get frustrated much easier than others.
o Attention span or Persistence: one person will grab onto an idea or an effort with great intensity; another gives up at the first perceived obstacle or is always turning to new interests.
o Distractibility: whether it is by sight, sound, odor or any other sense, some people immediately turn their attention from what they are doing to pursue the distraction; others continue on the path in which they were originally headed.
- Journal of Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrics
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Need can be viewed from the “bio” of the bio-psycho-social perspective. The bottom three rungs of his triangle, basic needs, safety needs, and belonging and affiliation (or intimacy) needs are rooted in instinctual patterns of behavior.
(2) Socio-Environmental factors (secondary drives) come from society. A society is the largest form of human group, consisting of people who share common culture. Culture is the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society. It is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and beliefs. There are two types of culture:
o Material Culture consists of the objects created in a given society, which are its buildings, art, tools, and toys, print and broadcast media, and other tangible objects.
o Nonmaterial Culture (also called symbolic culture) includes the norms, laws, customs, ideas, and beliefs of a group of people. It has a strong presence in social behavior.
Culture defines the values, the generalized beliefs of the society, and the norms, the expected behaviors of those who live in the society.
Culture is transmitted to each and every one of us through the agents of socialization. Some of the agents of socialization are the family, peer groups, K-12 education and college, the workforce, sports, religion, clinical psychology, and the media. Each agent “instructs” us in the external workings of the society that we are a part of.
The words “tradition” and “law” are two great example of how agents work.
o Many beliefs and behaviors that families teach their kids are represented as tradition – “the way things are done”, or “what we’ve always believed in”. The clear implication of tradition is that it is the correct way to do something or the correct belief, even ideology, to have. As kids, we integrate tradition into our core beliefs of right/wrong, correct/incorrect feelings and behaviors without realizing that culture is being transmitted to us from the larger social structure.
o Laws are man and woman made statements of allowed behavior within the society. We follow laws because we are socialized to believe it is the morally correct thing to do and we do not wish to suffer punishments.
Success in a society depends upon the individual’s ability to integrate the norms and values into every day life, and to stick to them. Further, it necessitates the ability to embrace self-control when biologically based instincts attempt to overrule societal norms and values. The impulsive leap to instant gratification must become the ability to delay gratification. The desire for pleasure can be realized but only within the norms of social structure. Sexual gratification, for example, becomes boxed in by rules and regulations from culture, law, health class, religion, tradition, whew...
The “experience of competence” (defined on page three) morphs into the experience of social competence.
A great deal of the development of the self, which began within the family circle, occurs through interaction with friends, schoolmates, and friends. Through membership in groups the individual gains new experience with competition and cooperation, testing the suitability of various social roles, while through close friendship he learns a more detailed consideration of others and may in turn achieve a fuller understanding of himself. (159)
And it is social competence that enhances self-esteem (160-173):
The qualities of the person himself, his physique, temperamental traits, mental abilities, special aptitudes, exert a marked influence over his behavior. They affect his evaluation by others and thus his evaluation of himself (looking-glass self).Feelings of Social Competence are built up out of social experiences in which one has found it possible to produce intended effects in other people: to make them respond to you, help you, serve you, love you, accept your love, and learn from you.
Freud’s theory of personality can be viewed from the perspective of the “id” energy (represents the “bio”) being socially controlled by the “superego” energy (represents the “socio”). As long as the superego wins the war (after losing a number of battles along the way), the person achieves mastery and competence (from the bio). He also experiences social competence (from the socio). This will create ego-strength and, in layman’s terms, good self-esteem and sense of self-worth.
There are other potential clashes or considerations between bio and socio. Examples would be gender socialization, or a basic temperament that does not match societal expectations. But, typically, a balance needs to be discovered or the socio-environmental influences must trump biological instinctual drives for the good of the society.
Clinical Psychology mirrors a society or culture’s view of what is “abnormal” or deviant behavior. The field serves as a measuring stick for appropriate and inappropriate behavior in society. In this sense, Clinical Psychology serves as a societal agent of socialization and, therefore, is a part of the socio-environmental piece of the bio-psycho-social perspective.
Clinical Psychology publishes a text that is updated about every decade or so. The text The Diagnostic & Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders defines every “psychiatric diagnosis”, outlining the abnormal behaviors associated with the disorder. Treatment for the disorder is based around the premise that “success” means a return to normal behavior which is in line with the cultural values and norms that are transmitted to the individual through the agents of socialization.
Normal Behavior = Cured or “in remission”
There are a number of biologically based disorders like Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders that are in the individual’s genetic heritage. Normal or acceptable behavior for these forms of biologically-based mental illnesses can only be achieved through psychotropic or psychoactive medications.
But for disorders that are triggered by socio-environmental events like situational depression, normal or acceptable behavior can be achieved by resolving feelings associated with the trigger event(s). In modern society, psychotropic medications are used for more and more disorders. While advances in modern medicine are significant and important, the pharmaceutical industry is a massive bureaucratic corporation focused on profits. They market many of their drugs for disorders that originate in the socio-environmental realm.
An example is a series of disorders called Adjustment Disorders in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders. An individual is diagnosed (or labeled) with this psychiatric condition for various reasons –
o Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood
o Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety
o Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety & Depressed Mood
o Adjustment Disorder with Disturbance of Conduct
o Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions & Conduct
o Adjustment Disorder Unspecified
o Acute = less than 6 months & Chronic = over 6 months
What are individuals having trouble adjusting to?
According to the DSM, “The stressor may be a single event (e.g., termination of a romantic relationship), or there may be multiple stressors (e.g., marked business difficulties). Some stressors may accompany specific developmental events (e.g., going to school, leaving the parental home, becoming a parent, failing to attain occupational goals).”
These socio-environmental events are called “Psychosocial”. As defined by Clinical Psychology, they support societal expectations of “normal” and “abnormal”, and they serve as societal social controls as evidence by their ability to tell individuals what behavior is accepted in society and what behavior is not.
(3) Psychological factors are best described as our thoughts (cognition) and our feelings. Together, they define how we will behave. And behavior is what others see, what can be evaluated or measured as normal or abnormal, maladaptive or deviant.
In the bio-psycho-social perspective, psycho refers to the individual’s thoughts and feelings and ensuing behaviors that are a direct result of biological and socio-environmental factors. If, for example, a person feels threatened, his instinctual (primary) drives will advance an aggressive response. The threat itself is coming from the socio-environmental realm. Once the instinctual drive advances, the ensuing feelings and thoughts, and the eventual resolution of the feelings, are all in the psycho realm.
Another example. An eight-year-old boy is shy. Shyness is a part of biologically-based basic temperament. The boy’s shyness is troublesome to his father who envisions his son to be an assertive and outgoing boy. This definition of the boy’s desired behavior comes from society, from gender socialization, from the gender role of who boys are and how they should behave. The clash of bio and socio spark the psycho – feelings and thoughts that will motivate the shy boy’s behavior.
Your Syllabus
HSV 330.97 – Theory & Practice of Group Counseling
Post University
COURSE SYLLABUS
Saturday Schedule, May 10 – June 28 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
“Large Iced, Light With Milk Only.”
380 Cedar Lane, Cheshire, CT 06410
Cell – 203-430-1411
EMAIL – henryschissler@cox.com
REQUIRED TEXT:
Corey, Gerald, Theory & Practice of Group Counseling. NY: Brooks Cole, 2008
RECOMMENDED & REFERENCED TEXTS:
American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Revised. Washington DC: APA, 2003
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the conclusion of this course the student will:
• Discuss five therapies and their approaches to group counseling
• Explain dynamics of group process on a “systemic” level
• Discuss various outcome expectations for clients in at least two time limited and two ongoing therapy groups and four “topical” groups
• Articulate an understanding of personal biases and prejudices that might impact effective group counseling
• Demonstrate an understanding of five major areas of psychopathology
• Have an understanding of diverse populations in a group therapeutic process
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
• Diverse Groups Assignment – 25%
• Elements of Group Process: Time-Limited and Topical – 25%
• Children & Adolescent Group – 35%
• Attendance & Participation – 15%
• Make Up Assignment(s) For Missed Classes
CLASS SCHEDULE
May 10 – Instructor & Class Introductions; Syllabus Review; Review of Class Materials; Overview of Basics from Psychology, Sociology & Human Services; Labeling Theory; Bio-Psycho-Social Model; Review of DSM-IV; the Johari Window
May 17 – Social Sciences perspectives on Groups and Group Dynamics; Ethnomethodology; Groups in Mental Health, Addiction, Anger Management, Criminal Justice & Other Settings; Groups for Children; Treatment Planning Strategizing for Groups: DSM-IV; the Multimodal Therapist; Corey, Chapters 1- 5; Assignment #1 Due
May 24 – Current Issues in Group Process: Iraq War Veterans and PTSD, Self-Help: Addictions as Diseases, Behavioral Dysfunction as Diseases; Team Building; Domestic Violence; Sexual Assault Crisis Groups; The Psychoanalytic Approach and the Adlerian Approach to Groups, Corey, Chapters 6 & 7;
May 31 –Corey, Chapters 8, 11 & 12, Psychodrama in Groups; Gestalt Therapy in Groups; Empty Chairs in Group; Transactional Analysis in Groups; Assignment #2 Due
June 7 – Corey, Chapters 9 & 10; Person-Centered Approach to Groups; Existential Approach to Groups
June 14 – Flag Day – Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Groups, Behavioral Interventions With Children; Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy in Groups; Reality Therapy in Groups; Corey, Chapters 13 – 15; Assignment #3 Due
June 21 – First Day Of Summer – Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in Groups; Narrative Therapy and Other Newer Modalities; Corey, Chapter 16; Assignment #3 Due
June 28 – Corey, Chapters 17 & 18; Integrative Perspectives: Comparisons and Contrasts; Building the Therapeutic “Bag of Techniques,” the Multimodal Group Therapist
CELL PHONE POLICY: Turn it off! Check it during breaks! NEVER leave the class to answer a call. If you need to keep it on for any important reason, just let me know at the beginning of class.
MISSED CLASS MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT:
Choose one of the chapters from the class that you missed, and write an overview of the theory and practice of that particular group therapy process. Four pages minimum
EVALUATION CRITERIA – SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION
Assignment #1: DIVERSITY IN GROUP THERAPY MEMBERSHIP
Discuss the impacts of diverse group members: teenagers, adults of different social classes, men and women, persons from different races, ethnic groups, religions, and gay/lesbian group members. Paper is four pages minimum using Corey and minimal Internet resources, properly footnoted and referenced.
Assignment #2: ELEMENTS OF GROUP PROCESS: TIME LIMITED & TOPICAL
Group therapy is very diverse. Therapists will use group therapy for many different types of problems and concerns. There are two general ways of categorizing group therapy
1. the time limits set on the duration of the group
2. the focus of the group and the way group members are selected
(1) Group therapy can be offered on an ongoing basis or for a specific number of sessions. In an ongoing group, once the group starts, it continues indefinitely, with some group members completing treatment and leaving the group and others joining along the way as openings are available in the group. Time limited groups are limited to a specific number of sessions, with a distinct beginning, middle and end
(2) The focus of the group is another way of categorizing group therapy. Some groups are more general in focus, with goals related to improving overall life satisfaction and effective life functioning, especially in the area of interpersonal relationships.
Other groups are "focused" or "topical" therapy groups. There are therapy groups for Depression, Stress Management Skills, Parenting Skills, Assertiveness, Women's or Men's Groups, among many others.
Pick one type of group from #1 and one from #2. Using Corey and Internet research on group specifics, write a four-page (minimum) paper that discusses the various elements of each group process.
Assignment #3: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENT GROUP
In a five page (minimum) paper, discuss the types of therapeutic processes you might use and some of the key topics or issues you would want to pursue with group members. You are the therapist for a time-limited group (16 sessions) for children and teenagers who lost a parent to suicide.
Post University
COURSE SYLLABUS
Saturday Schedule, May 10 – June 28 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
“Large Iced, Light With Milk Only.”
380 Cedar Lane, Cheshire, CT 06410
Cell – 203-430-1411
EMAIL – henryschissler@cox.com
REQUIRED TEXT:
Corey, Gerald, Theory & Practice of Group Counseling. NY: Brooks Cole, 2008
RECOMMENDED & REFERENCED TEXTS:
American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Revised. Washington DC: APA, 2003
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the conclusion of this course the student will:
• Discuss five therapies and their approaches to group counseling
• Explain dynamics of group process on a “systemic” level
• Discuss various outcome expectations for clients in at least two time limited and two ongoing therapy groups and four “topical” groups
• Articulate an understanding of personal biases and prejudices that might impact effective group counseling
• Demonstrate an understanding of five major areas of psychopathology
• Have an understanding of diverse populations in a group therapeutic process
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
• Diverse Groups Assignment – 25%
• Elements of Group Process: Time-Limited and Topical – 25%
• Children & Adolescent Group – 35%
• Attendance & Participation – 15%
• Make Up Assignment(s) For Missed Classes
CLASS SCHEDULE
May 10 – Instructor & Class Introductions; Syllabus Review; Review of Class Materials; Overview of Basics from Psychology, Sociology & Human Services; Labeling Theory; Bio-Psycho-Social Model; Review of DSM-IV; the Johari Window
May 17 – Social Sciences perspectives on Groups and Group Dynamics; Ethnomethodology; Groups in Mental Health, Addiction, Anger Management, Criminal Justice & Other Settings; Groups for Children; Treatment Planning Strategizing for Groups: DSM-IV; the Multimodal Therapist; Corey, Chapters 1- 5; Assignment #1 Due
May 24 – Current Issues in Group Process: Iraq War Veterans and PTSD, Self-Help: Addictions as Diseases, Behavioral Dysfunction as Diseases; Team Building; Domestic Violence; Sexual Assault Crisis Groups; The Psychoanalytic Approach and the Adlerian Approach to Groups, Corey, Chapters 6 & 7;
May 31 –Corey, Chapters 8, 11 & 12, Psychodrama in Groups; Gestalt Therapy in Groups; Empty Chairs in Group; Transactional Analysis in Groups; Assignment #2 Due
June 7 – Corey, Chapters 9 & 10; Person-Centered Approach to Groups; Existential Approach to Groups
June 14 – Flag Day – Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Groups, Behavioral Interventions With Children; Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy in Groups; Reality Therapy in Groups; Corey, Chapters 13 – 15; Assignment #3 Due
June 21 – First Day Of Summer – Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in Groups; Narrative Therapy and Other Newer Modalities; Corey, Chapter 16; Assignment #3 Due
June 28 – Corey, Chapters 17 & 18; Integrative Perspectives: Comparisons and Contrasts; Building the Therapeutic “Bag of Techniques,” the Multimodal Group Therapist
CELL PHONE POLICY: Turn it off! Check it during breaks! NEVER leave the class to answer a call. If you need to keep it on for any important reason, just let me know at the beginning of class.
MISSED CLASS MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT:
Choose one of the chapters from the class that you missed, and write an overview of the theory and practice of that particular group therapy process. Four pages minimum
EVALUATION CRITERIA – SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION
Assignment #1: DIVERSITY IN GROUP THERAPY MEMBERSHIP
Discuss the impacts of diverse group members: teenagers, adults of different social classes, men and women, persons from different races, ethnic groups, religions, and gay/lesbian group members. Paper is four pages minimum using Corey and minimal Internet resources, properly footnoted and referenced.
Assignment #2: ELEMENTS OF GROUP PROCESS: TIME LIMITED & TOPICAL
Group therapy is very diverse. Therapists will use group therapy for many different types of problems and concerns. There are two general ways of categorizing group therapy
1. the time limits set on the duration of the group
2. the focus of the group and the way group members are selected
(1) Group therapy can be offered on an ongoing basis or for a specific number of sessions. In an ongoing group, once the group starts, it continues indefinitely, with some group members completing treatment and leaving the group and others joining along the way as openings are available in the group. Time limited groups are limited to a specific number of sessions, with a distinct beginning, middle and end
(2) The focus of the group is another way of categorizing group therapy. Some groups are more general in focus, with goals related to improving overall life satisfaction and effective life functioning, especially in the area of interpersonal relationships.
Other groups are "focused" or "topical" therapy groups. There are therapy groups for Depression, Stress Management Skills, Parenting Skills, Assertiveness, Women's or Men's Groups, among many others.
Pick one type of group from #1 and one from #2. Using Corey and Internet research on group specifics, write a four-page (minimum) paper that discusses the various elements of each group process.
Assignment #3: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENT GROUP
In a five page (minimum) paper, discuss the types of therapeutic processes you might use and some of the key topics or issues you would want to pursue with group members. You are the therapist for a time-limited group (16 sessions) for children and teenagers who lost a parent to suicide.
Your Syllabus
HSV 309.97 – Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy
Post University
COURSE SYLLABUS
Saturday Schedule, May 10 – June 28 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
“Large Iced,, Light With Milk Only.”
380 Cedar Lane, Cheshire, CT 06410
Cell – 203-430-1411
EMAIL – henryschissler@cox.com
REQUIRED TEXT:
Corey, Gerald, Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy, 8th Edition. NY: Brooks Cole, 2009
RECOMMENDED & REFERENCED TEXTS:
American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Revised. Washington DC: APA, 2003
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course consists of an overview of the three major schools of counseling and psychotherapy: the psychoanalytic, the behaviorist, and the humanistic. While most theories and their authors are represented, particular emphasis is placed on non-directive counseling methods in order to prepare entry level counselors for effective interaction and assessment of clients with personal social problems while at the same time, learning “deferring” and “referring” techniques for those individuals with significant psychopathology. Also, students are exposed to the traditions and ethics of counseling practice.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the conclusion of this course the student will:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the three major schools of counseling
• Be able to compare and contrast the three major schools
• Discuss five types of therapy: theory and practice
• Articulate an understanding of personal biases and prejudices that might impact effective counseling
• Complete a genogram and discuss its importance in Systems Theory
• Demonstrate an understanding of both “deferring” and “referring” techniques
• Demonstrate an understanding of five major areas of psychopathology
• Have an understanding of “crisis intervention” and referral
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
• Case Studies Assignment
• Corey Workbook Assignment
• Who Are Your Clients Assignment
• Attendance & General Participation
• Role-playing & Feedback
• Make Up Assignment(s) For Missed Classes
CLASS SCHEDULE
May 10 – Instructor & Class Introductions; Syllabus Review; Review of Class Handouts; Overview of Basics from Psychology, Sociology & Human Services; Discussion of Biases & Prejudices; Who Are Your Clients? Discussion of Genograms
May 17 – Broad Categories of Counseling: Theory & Practice; History of Theory Development; Bio-Psycho-Social model: Exhaustive -> Focused Problem List -> Treatment Plan Options; the Multimodal Therapist; Corey, Chapters 2, 3 & 14
May 24 – Corey Workbook Assignment Due; Discussion of Genograms; Issues of Substance Abuse & Dependence; Special Populations; Body Image; Trauma Resolution; Iraq War Veterans; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 4 & 5
May 31 – Psychoanalytic Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Existential Therapy; Discussion of Theories; Who Are Your Clients? Part Two; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 6 & 7
June 7 – Case Studies Paper Due; Who Are Your Clients? Part Three; Person-Centered Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional-Analysis; Discussion of Theories; Role-plays; Corey, Chapter 8 & 9
June 14 – Flag Day – Behavioral Therapy, Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy; Discussion of Theories; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 10, 11 & 12
June 21 – First Day Of Summer – Discussion of Who Are Your Clients? (Papers Due Today) Open Class: Time Used To Catch Up On Any & Every Topic and/or Role-play Themes That We Haven’t Had Time For
June 28 – Wrap-Up: “Choosing Your Theoretical Perspective” Roundtable Discussion
GRADING:
1. Corey Workbook Assignment: You will receive various pages from the Corey workbook to complete. Be sure to give thorough responses. (25%)
2. Case Studies Papers: You will construct exhaustive to focused problem lists and treatment plans for two or three cases. (25%)
3. Who Are Your Clients? Paper; Four typewritten pages on one or two client groups. What are their special needs? What special considerations do you need to make as their counselor? (25%)
4. Attendance/General Participation: Attendance is required and please arrive on time. If you miss a class, you are responsible for arranging details of a makeup assignment for the missed class. Participation is expected. (10%)
5. Participation: Role-Plays & Feedback: You should expect to participate in role-playing activities and to give feedback after role-plays. (15%)
CELL PHONE POLICY: Turn it off! Check it during breaks! NEVER leave the class to answer a call. If you need to keep it on for any important reason, just let me know at the beginning of class.
MISSED CLASS MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT:
Choose two groups from Who Are Your Clients list and complete a four-page paper with same criteria as the class assignment – or – request a Corey Workbook Assignment
Post University
COURSE SYLLABUS
Saturday Schedule, May 10 – June 28 2008
Professor Henry Schissler
“Large Iced,, Light With Milk Only.”
380 Cedar Lane, Cheshire, CT 06410
Cell – 203-430-1411
EMAIL – henryschissler@cox.com
REQUIRED TEXT:
Corey, Gerald, Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy, 8th Edition. NY: Brooks Cole, 2009
RECOMMENDED & REFERENCED TEXTS:
American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Revised. Washington DC: APA, 2003
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course consists of an overview of the three major schools of counseling and psychotherapy: the psychoanalytic, the behaviorist, and the humanistic. While most theories and their authors are represented, particular emphasis is placed on non-directive counseling methods in order to prepare entry level counselors for effective interaction and assessment of clients with personal social problems while at the same time, learning “deferring” and “referring” techniques for those individuals with significant psychopathology. Also, students are exposed to the traditions and ethics of counseling practice.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the conclusion of this course the student will:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the three major schools of counseling
• Be able to compare and contrast the three major schools
• Discuss five types of therapy: theory and practice
• Articulate an understanding of personal biases and prejudices that might impact effective counseling
• Complete a genogram and discuss its importance in Systems Theory
• Demonstrate an understanding of both “deferring” and “referring” techniques
• Demonstrate an understanding of five major areas of psychopathology
• Have an understanding of “crisis intervention” and referral
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
• Case Studies Assignment
• Corey Workbook Assignment
• Who Are Your Clients Assignment
• Attendance & General Participation
• Role-playing & Feedback
• Make Up Assignment(s) For Missed Classes
CLASS SCHEDULE
May 10 – Instructor & Class Introductions; Syllabus Review; Review of Class Handouts; Overview of Basics from Psychology, Sociology & Human Services; Discussion of Biases & Prejudices; Who Are Your Clients? Discussion of Genograms
May 17 – Broad Categories of Counseling: Theory & Practice; History of Theory Development; Bio-Psycho-Social model: Exhaustive -> Focused Problem List -> Treatment Plan Options; the Multimodal Therapist; Corey, Chapters 2, 3 & 14
May 24 – Corey Workbook Assignment Due; Discussion of Genograms; Issues of Substance Abuse & Dependence; Special Populations; Body Image; Trauma Resolution; Iraq War Veterans; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 4 & 5
May 31 – Psychoanalytic Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Existential Therapy; Discussion of Theories; Who Are Your Clients? Part Two; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 6 & 7
June 7 – Case Studies Paper Due; Who Are Your Clients? Part Three; Person-Centered Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional-Analysis; Discussion of Theories; Role-plays; Corey, Chapter 8 & 9
June 14 – Flag Day – Behavioral Therapy, Rational-Emotive-Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy; Discussion of Theories; Role-plays; Corey, Chapters 10, 11 & 12
June 21 – First Day Of Summer – Discussion of Who Are Your Clients? (Papers Due Today) Open Class: Time Used To Catch Up On Any & Every Topic and/or Role-play Themes That We Haven’t Had Time For
June 28 – Wrap-Up: “Choosing Your Theoretical Perspective” Roundtable Discussion
GRADING:
1. Corey Workbook Assignment: You will receive various pages from the Corey workbook to complete. Be sure to give thorough responses. (25%)
2. Case Studies Papers: You will construct exhaustive to focused problem lists and treatment plans for two or three cases. (25%)
3. Who Are Your Clients? Paper; Four typewritten pages on one or two client groups. What are their special needs? What special considerations do you need to make as their counselor? (25%)
4. Attendance/General Participation: Attendance is required and please arrive on time. If you miss a class, you are responsible for arranging details of a makeup assignment for the missed class. Participation is expected. (10%)
5. Participation: Role-Plays & Feedback: You should expect to participate in role-playing activities and to give feedback after role-plays. (15%)
CELL PHONE POLICY: Turn it off! Check it during breaks! NEVER leave the class to answer a call. If you need to keep it on for any important reason, just let me know at the beginning of class.
MISSED CLASS MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT:
Choose two groups from Who Are Your Clients list and complete a four-page paper with same criteria as the class assignment – or – request a Corey Workbook Assignment
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