Psychological Definitions of Abnormal Behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychological Definitions of Abnormal Behavior Essay According to the science of psychology one’s behavior needs to follow a certain criteria in order to be deemed â€Å"normal†. If one’s behavior does not match the criteria, their behavior is seen as undesirable and wrong (requires change). For this physiologists need to be able to view a person’s behavior and be able to tell the difference between normal and abnormal. Whilst defining the â€Å"normality† of ones behavior physiologists need to be careful to remain objective and as free of any bias as possible, furthermore their experiment to determine ones behavior needs to be repeatable and reliable. In order to do this psychologists often consults the characteristics of ideal mental health proposed by Marie Jahoda in 1958. Marie Jahoda proposed 6 different characteristics for ideal mental health after surveying different doctors and psychologists; this is the list she came up with: * Positive self esteem and a strong sense of identity * Personal growth and development * Ability to cope with stressful situations (integration) * Autonomy and independence * Accurate perception of reality * Successful mastery of the environment, particularly relationships. Jahoda argued that if one does not meet these criteria then ones behavior can be deemed abnormal as a result of an existing problem. This in my opinion provides a strong applicable foundation for the determination of ones â€Å"normality† of behavior. However the problem with Jahoda’s ideal mental health scheme is the fact that the results obtained rely solely on the observer’s judgment, therefore presenting a inevitable bias not to mention the fact that no person can truly ever meet all of the suggested criteria. This mean that according to Jahoda every person is abnormal. Another way to look for abnormal behavior for psychologists is to find deviation form the social norm (majority). This is done by observing ones actions in public and seeing how normal it is. For example if you see someone wearing a bikini/swim trunks whilst walking around a supermarket, his or her behavior would be deemed as abnormal. The limitations of observing behavior in this manor lay in the fact that different cultures have different norms. Not to mention the fact that in any given culture norms evolve. What may have once been acceptable in the 80’s is not necessarily acceptable today. Abnormality of one’s behavior can also be monitored by looking at its statistical frequency. Meaning how common ones behavior is when compared to the rest of the public. If one’s behavior is shared by many it is deemed common and therefore â€Å"normal†, however if ones behavior is uncommon or rare, it is deemed abnormal. For example one may say that an individual who has an IQ below or above the average level of IQ in society is abnormal. The problem with this system is the fact that, it does not account for the desirability of the given behavior. In other words this system claims that both low and high IQ’s are an abnormality that need to be treated. Physiologists and others interested in â€Å"normality†, look over at ones behavior to see how well they can function. If one is unable to function adequately they are deemed abnormal. In order to determine how well one functions, psychologists consult Rosenhan and Seligman’s list of characteristics that define abnormality (1989). Rosenhan and Seligman argued that in order to classify someone as â€Å"inadequate in life† they must meet several of the characteristics as a pose to only one. This is their list: * Suffering * Maladaptiveness (danger to self) * Vividness unconventionality (stands out) * Unpredictably loss of control * Irrationality/incomprehensibility * Causes observer discomfort * Violates moral/social standards The possible limitation to Rosenhan and Seligman’s list of characteristics is the fact that â€Å"normal† people engage in activates which are potentially harmful like drinking or smoking, these people are not classed as abnormal. It is very difficult to classify behavior as to date no scheme to do so exists, which is perfect. Physiologists must tread carefully when labeling one with a disorder. Bias will always be present in one form or another, however the results can be deemed reliable if practicing psychologists consult multiple schemes in order to have a better chance of an accurate diagnosis. Bibliography * Class handout â€Å"abnormal?† Mrs campion. * DefiningAbnormality. AS Psychology /. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174252/DefiningAbnormality. * Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html.

Literature Reflects Life in The Gilded Age :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Literature Reflects Life in The Gilded Age As immigrants began to flood into America in the late 1800's and early 1900's, they had hopes of a miraculous new life in the Land of the Free. They may have thought that they would not have to live in cramped and unsanitary conditions as they had in their old homes. They may have had hopes of finding a great new career that would skyrocket them to fame and fortune and allow them to live like the Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Morgans did. It could be possible that all their hopes were assured once they caught sight of the New York City skyline, expanding as far as the eye could see and stretching like arms spread welcoming home a loved one. The sun may have been shining bright and golden, bathing the not-so-distant city in a fantastic light. At a distance it was quite possibly one of the most exquisite sights that their eyes had ever come upon. However, the land that looked so beautiful and grand from the distance was actually filled with greed, corruption, and opportunists. That is h ow America can be described during the Gilded Age. The wrapping was pretty, but the present was awful. Such wealthy entrepreneurs as the Rockefellers and Carnegies helped to make America the beauty that she was on the outside, but to an extent they also contributed to the rotten inside. America's new European residents lived in cramped apartments and worked in unsafe factories. The factories housed the latest technology of the Gilded Age, the assembly line. The mass production that the assembly line brought about made the rich richer, but did nothing to help the poor. They were working long hours in sometimes extremely dangerous conditions. Injuries and even deaths would occur due to faulty machinery or exhausted employees, but these occurrences were often ignored or covered up to avoid any bad publicity. As the immigrants flooded the big cities seeking jobs, other Americans headed west with the expansion of the railroad. However, nobody seemed to take into consideration that they would be intruding on the American Indian's territory. It also seemed that no one cared. America was gree dy for land that lay to the west and would be quite deceitful in getting the land that they wanted. The American Indians were pushed further and further west, and their tribes began to dwindle.

Summary of Everyday Use

Alice’s Walker’s, â€Å"Everyday Use†, tells a story of a southern, African American family that consist of Mama, the story’s narrator, and her two daughters, Dee, the oldest, and her sister, Maggie. Set during the back to Africa movement of the early 1970’s, when African Americans removed their surnames or names fully and adopted new names that represented their African heritage, Dee leaves home for college and returns to announce the change of her name from Dee to Wangero. She collects items that Mama and Maggie uses everyday to take with her, and finally tries to take a quilt that has been stitched together by her family for generations. â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker reveals the intracultural class within the Black community as African Americans struggle to piece together the elements of their lives that are both African and American into a cohesive whole. Alice Walker characterizes Dee as an aggressive, confident woman who normally gets what she wants. Mama recalls, â€Å"Dee wanted nice things†¦. She was determined to stare down any disaster in her effort†¦At sixteen she had a style of her own: and knew what style was† (paragraph 12). Dee has ambitions and goals and lets nothing stop her from reaching them. She has her own way of going about things and is determined to get her way no matter what. Highly intelligent and ambitious, Dee goes to school to further her education and to expand her horizon, and, while in college, Dee learns the culture of her people. However, Dee’s intelligence and ambition are characteristics that lead to the conflict in the story because they also reveal Dee’s naivety and the static nature of Walker’s character development. Because she always gets her way, Dee is single minded and does not see the clash she creates between herself and her family members. When she first returns home, she snaps photos of Mama and Maggie sitting on the porch as if they are artifacts of an old way of life, illustrating their setting in an old way of life, and her modern, Afro-centric world. She flaunts her education by reading to Mama and Maggie and gives unnecessary information as if they are dimwits further contrasting herself with her mother and sister, and does not realize the division she is causing. Dee has gotten all that she has wanted; however, her education does not indicate a dynamic development in her character. The level of Dee’s greed and superiority are finally revealed as she tries to take a quilt Mama has promised to Maggie. Dee and Mama argue for a while then Dee claims, â€Å"Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts†¦They’re riceless†¦You just don’t understand†¦Your heritage† (paragraph 66-81). Dee knows the objects are of valuable, so she wants to show them off, in her world, as an example of her coming from nothing to the college educated woman she has become. Walker’s character development allows the setting to show in the contrast of Dee’s world, her stroking hand adorned in bangles as pa rt of her African grab, against the faded much used quilt from Mama and Maggie’s world. Dee believes Mama doesn’t understand her own heritage because the quilt is rare and valuable, and she doesn’t see why Maggie, who doesn’t know how valuable the quilts are and will put it to everyday use, should have them. Even though Dee is gifted and excels in school, she is completely unaware that her true cultural heritage, honor, survival, family and family history, have been passed down through generations. Driven by ego and blinded to the truth, Dee thinks her culture is found in books rather than the stitches of the quilts, the fabric of her mother’s promise to her children. Mama wants to honor her promise to give the quilts to Maggie, and it was Mama who provided Dee with the opportunity to receive an education, â€Å"But that was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school† (paragraph 11). Dee, however, does not realize the history of her culture is not just in the quilts, the items and pictures, but the people that take the knowledge and abilities they learned from their ancestors to provide for the current and next generation; that’s why culture heritage can not be learned in school. On the other hand, Maggie, the sister who does not go to school, is fully aware of her cultural heritage. Maggie, being very family-orientated, reveals the knowledge of her family. Dee asks for the dasher, her friend asks if Uncle Buddy had made it and they both look at Mama for confirmation, but it was Maggie who says, â€Å"Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash†¦His name was Henry, but they called him Stash† (paragraph 52). In recognition of Maggie’s expertise of the family’s history Dee says Maggie has the brain of an elephant; meaning she remembers a lot. Maggie comprehends the family history and can identify what responsibilities people in the family possessed. Mama’s brother-in-law, her sister’s husband, helped Mama’s family by making them a dasher; Walker uses this to illustrate how united their families are because they assist each other when needed. In addition, they gave Mama’s brother-in-law a nickname; nicknames are a sign of affection and Maggie calls him by his nickname which shows their close relationship. Maggie inherited her culture customs. Mama explains, â€Å"She knows she is not bright†¦She will marry John Thomas and then I’ll be free to sit here and I guess just sing church songs to myself† (paragraph 13). Maggie will become like her mom and keep the tradition of the southern black woman because she too is uneducated, will marry, and raise kids. Walker reveals the cultural heritage of southern blacks that they are supposed to get married and raise children. Maggie tells Mama Dee can have the quilt, which was promised to her, and she can remember her grandmother without the quilt. Maggie says, â€Å"She can have them, Mama†¦I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts† (paragraph 74). Then Mama explains, â€Å"It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught her how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds oh her skirt† (paragraph 75). Maggie doesn’t need the quilt to remember her grandmother because she has memories which are more valuable to her than the quilt. The quilt is just a symbol of the memories Maggie had with her grandmother. Grandma Dee and Big Dee taught Maggie the skill of quilting which has been passed down through family generations. This shows the cultural heritage of the family that they are skilled quilt makers. Maggie is very family-orientated she learns the family skill of making quilts, has knowledge of the family tree and its history. Maggie is very close with her family because she calls them by their nicknames and has plenty of memories of the family. She will continue to pass on the culture heritage of the family by marrying, having children, teaching her children how to quilt, and keeping the family close together as did the people before her; she is her family cultural heritage. What makes the story well written is because it reminds people that they are their cultural heritage and that’s not something people can just get from a one dimensional textbook. It shows how two people can be raised by the same mother and have a different view of life, as in they are sisters by blood, grow up in the same house, and be so far apart. There is one sibling, Dee, she has a lot of text book knowledge of her people’s history, but loses touch with her own cultural heritage, and than there is the other sister, Maggie, she has no text book knowledge of her people’s history but is living proof of her people’s history. A great lesson people need to learn because people are losing touch with their family morals and becoming less family orientated, which is weakening a lot of families. United people stand together and divided people falls, which is the key lesson the story, teaches and makes it a well written story because it is able to take something that is happening in real life and reflects it to where an average person can relate.

Terrorism and Surveillance Are You Being Watched - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1011 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Topics: Terrorism Essay Did you like this example? Running Head: TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 1 Are You Being Watched? Valuable Information TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 2 Abstract My Reaction Paper in Module 5 discusses the many different methods of conducting surveillance. It will also introduce the three (3) different types moving surveillance, fixed (also known as stationary and picket) and combination surveillance. What’s more, surveillance is in some ways it is an expression of power. It is like being watch in all aspects of life. Having a stranger watching can make a person uncomfortable and evidentially become hostile. There are several different methods the FBI uses in surveying a suspect or suspects, their criminal activity, and their patterns. It is often done in secret, and surveillance is often done secretly and at the request of the authority. TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 3 Valuable Information Terrorists that are planning attacks usually follow a distinct process. Since 9/11, th e terrorist was apparently working in vengeance for the United State’s support of Israel and its participation in the Persian War as well as its continued military presence in the Middle East. While some terrorists lived in the United States and had taken flying lessons, other terrorist had illegally come into the United States smuggling with knives and other weapons through security at the airport. They chose airlines that were bound for long journeys; thus the airplanes had to be full of fuel. So, one of the terrorists was able to walk through security without anyone stopping him and asking to see his identity. Due to the sufficient increase in counterterrorism, many terrorist attacks have been prevented. The effects after 9/11 should lessen the threats by continuing the conduct concentrated attempts before they are completed. One of the best weapons in the war on terrorist attacks is the ongoing and continued surveillance combined with successful investigations. With surveillance, there are three (3) types moving, fixed (also known as stationary and picket) and combination. Moving is beneficial because it â€Å"follow the subject wherever he or she goes.† (Dyson, 2012, p. 132) The investigator follows the subject until he/she stops and resumes when they do. Prior to the surveillance, the goal for the investigator should be to know already the subject in case he/she eludes them. However, the fixed surveillance (also known as stationary and picket) is surveillance in which â€Å"investigators assume stationary positions along what they believe TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 4 will be the subject’s logical route.† (Dyson, 2012, p. 134) The investigators will note his/her activities as they move. Those investigators stay at their station while doing so. The third and final type of surveillance is the combination surveillance. Just like its name, the combination is combined with both moving and fixed surveillance. â€Å"it is intended to limit some of the risks involved – reducing the number of personnel required in the fixed.† (Dyson, 2012, p. 134) It can also be used when the subject’s destination is unknown. It is especially effective because since it is partly a fixed coverage when the subject moves, the investigator does not. Not all surveillances should be the same with different subjects. There are six (6) methods in the conduction of surveillances. They all can be done with the three (3) types of surveillance’s mentioned above. One of those methods is called Around-the- Clock Coverage. It is just that, surveillance around the clock for 24-hour. This surveillance should not be done if the subject is confined to a small space with little movement and places to go. The second method for surveillance is Limited Hour Coverage. Although it would make sense to surveillance a subject when he/she is at work, home, etc. Limited Hour is coverage when the subject is expec ted to commit a crime. It is possible they will commit the offence anywhere, but it is highly unlikely they will at home or their employment. The third method is called the Specific Coverage. This method is the furtherance of the criminal activity the subject will commit from information that was received. It is only through the intelligence from other agencies that make this method useful. TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 5 The fourth method is Capsule Coverage. This method is used when the investigator has no idea if the subject will commit an illegal activity. If an investigator uses this method, â€Å"subject’s life is divided into segments, and coverage is provided for each segment for a given period to develop a pattern of behavior.† (Dyson, 2012, p. 136) This method is best used to learn of the subject’s daily activities. There are several parts of this process. One part is the investigator creates capsules based on the days of the week while it is staged at least 24 hours on Monday’s for a month time, Tuesday the following month and forth. If the weekend is needed, Saturday surveillance could be done during a month as well. Because there are numerous surveillances at different months, this coverage works well when the investigator wishes to learn the daily activities of the subject. The Event Coverage is to watch the subject at a particular event. Because this particular type is that terrorist usually attack on days where there is an important significance. If there is not a particular reason to watch the subject, this method can be a tremendous waste of time, resources and energy. And finally there is the Spot Check Coverage. This method is used to do occasionally spot checks on subjects. This is the most regularly used method. Like many things, there are those spot checks that are occasionally done with very little though. TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 6 As you can see, there are numerous methods for doing surveillan ces. Depending on the subject/terrorists actions and their groups, an investigator/s can find out whatever they want just through surveillances. In conclusion, there have been many changes since 9/11. One change has been at the airports. Now anyone traveling must check in with their baggage at least two (2) hours before their flight. With this come restrictions on what an individual can bring on board such as carrying liquids and toiletries in clear bottles. TERRORISM: SURVEILLANCE 7 References 1. Dyson, W. E. (2015). Terrorism: An Investigators Handbook (4th ed.). New York: Anderson Publishing. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Terrorism and Surveillance: Are You Being Watched?" essay for you Create order