The paper will use case study # 4 Sumi to discuss the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and give the possible treatment of the same.
Task 2
Sumi is suffered from generalized anxiety disorder. She is extremely worried about school work and daily tasks. Even when there is no reason to worry, she grows anxious until she cannot manage her school life and she had to quit. Sumi is experiencing tension and worries. She also anticipates disasters and fears that she will be charged responsible for the occurrence. The thought of the day often brings her anxiety and restlessness. According to the National Institute of Mental Illnesses (2016), GAD may lead to uncontrolled worries about work, life, school, family, and health. The rationale used to identify the disorder is the symptoms Sumi presented with which are the characteristic of the disorder.
The symptoms include excessive worrying, expecting the worst, anticipating a disaster even when there are no signs of impending danger, and being unable to relax. The analysis of Sumi case confirms that she is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, a psychological condition that is associated with abnormal worries. The American Association of Psychiatry (2018) describes the condition as among the commonest mental disorders that affect most adolescents in the United States. Sumi developed the symptoms of GAD at an early age that led to the uncontrolled outcomes of leaving the university.
Task 3
Psychologists use a combination of two therapies in the treatment of GAD. The practice has proved effective in the management of the patients. For instance, the best approach involves the use of anti-anxiety medications combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The anti-anxiety drugs such as D-cycloserine, have a high potency and achieve symptoms relive within a short period for as long as the patient adheres to the medication. It is also associated with minimum side effects; however, the patient may feel drowsy (Mufson, 2018). A GAD client may develop tolerance to the drug and therefore, the psychotherapists recommend short-term use of D-cycloserine (Crits-Christoph " Newman, 2011). The drug is contraindicated in alcoholics because they may become dependent. The American Association of Psychiatry (2018) has identified the drug to be effective when combined with behavioral therapy.
The cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has also proved useful in treating GAD. The psychotherapist utilizes the cognitive part to help change the patient’s thinking pattern while the behavioral aspect helps the client to be transformed in the way they react to provoking situations (Crits-Christoph " Newman, 2011). For example, CBT can help Sumi to overcome her anxiety for impending disaster and to understand that she should not be held responsible for any danger arising. The therapy will enable her to confront her fears and distance herself from situations that trigger anxiety. The therapists should determine how much of the therapy the patient needs.
Moreover, for effectiveness, the treatment is directed to the patient's specific anxieties. For example, Sumi should be treated with GAD with the aim of minimizing the symptoms. The psychologists should focus on reducing the unnecessary worries of school and anticipating for disaster. CBT has no side effects other than a temporarily increased anxiety and discomfort (Mufson, 2018). The therapy should last for twelve weeks with anti-anxiety medication being given.
The two therapeutic interventions will work together to reduce the symptoms and decrease the chances of relapse than if any of the therapy would be used alone. There is a probability of the patient recovering completely and going back to their normal life. The drug is administered immediately before undergoing a CBT session (American Psychiatric Association, 2018). Its interaction with the brain receptors for fear and anxiety helps achieve its therapeutic purpose. The combination of CBT sessions will help change the behavior and the thinking of the patient. The combined therapy will be effective in managing Sumi’s disorder.
References
American Psychiatric Association, A. P. (2018, May 3). Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder
Crits-Christoph, P., " Newman, M. G. (2011). Combined Medication and Cognitive Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25(8), 1087–1094.
National Institute of Mental Health, N. I. (2016). Generalized Anxiety Disorder: When Worry Gets Out of Control. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mufson, M. J. (2018). How effective is combination therapy for treating an anxiety disorder? Psychiatry. Retrieved from https://www.sharecare.com/health/anxiety-disorders-treatment/how-effective-combination-therapy-anxiety
Social Psychology
Task 1
The below web address is the image taken during President Obama's campaign. The image utilizes the social psychological aspects of attitude change, behavior influence, and persuasion. The image contributed to Obama’s win. http://open.lib.umn.edu/socialpsychology/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/04/43bf4e76a7e5c5ef4a8530d82b15e8c3.jpg
Task 2
The image is intended to change the people’s attitude. Influence their behavior and persuade them to vote for President Obama. The advert utilized techniques of social psychology such as emotional and cognitive persuasion and change of attitude. Persuasion aims at changing people’s thoughts and feelings as well as the behavior (Stangor, 2015). Attitude enables the audience to think and feel positive about an advert or a product. Therefore social psychology tools have been utilized by companies, individuals, and campaigns to convince people to buy the products or vote them (Fiske, Gilbert, " Lindzey, 2010). Many adverts are designed to play with the person’s psychology by influencing their behavior, changing their attitude, and achieving persuasion.
First, the image changed the voters' attitude by making them think positively of Obama and his reign. The image focused on self-interest with the aim of reaching the Americans who had experienced a high gas price. The image captures Senator McCain, Obama's opponent standing next to gas station while a fuel pump moved across the image. The idea was to influence the people to change their attitude and see Obama as a clean candidate who would promote affordable energy to all Americans (Stangor, 2015). The image labels McCain as a person responsible for the increased fuel prices because he accepted money from oil companies.
Besides, the aspect of persuasion has been utilized in the image. For example, his speech talked about his willingness to make a difference in America. He created a strong social influence and positive emotions that convinced the Americans that he would be the best candidate. The image captured slogans such as ‘Yes We Can’ that persuades people to vote for him against his competitor (Stangor, 2015). The strong persuasive messages achieved a social influence that changed the people’s attitude and feelings towards Obama’s campaign. The utilization of the two principles of social psychology led to his win.
Task 3
The relationship between attitude and behavioral change can be used to explain the effectiveness of social psychology. For example, when the behavior change, the thoughts, and beliefs that are characteristics of attitude are also subject transformation too. The image changed the Americans attitude and behavior too (Fiske, Gilbert, " Lindzey, 2010). Voting Obama gave them more things to like about him and not just the fuel agenda. The advert will help influence the people’s thinking and feel the inclusive nature of Obama’s leadership by involving them. The slogan, ‘Yes We Can’ influenced attitude change of the electorate felt that they would be part of the government (Stangor, 2015). The effect would be behavior change that translates evidenced in the voter turnout. It is evident that attitude change relates positively to behavioral transformation.
References
Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D. T., " Lindzey, G. (2010). The Handbook of Social Psychology. Wiley Publishers.
Stangor, C. (2015). Chapter 5: Attitudes, Behavior, and Persuasion. In Principles of Social Psychology. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.
Motivation
Task 1
Humanistic psychology is a perspective that focuses on the study of the whole person. It encompasses human behavior through the eyes of the observer and the person doing the behavior. The humanistic approach may motivate someone’s decision to enroll in a university. The psychological approach believes that a person’s behavior is connected to their inner feelings (McLeod, 2013). Therefore, if a student wants to join a college, they may have an inward drive to pursue a career in medicine thus feels motivated to enroll in the school.
Moreover, humanistic psychology views each person as unique and free to change their lives. A person is responsible for their happiness and well-being. Therefore, an individual may be motivated to join a university to pursue their happiness and wellbeing (McLeod, 2013). This is a step to self-actualization and a step to pursuing their dreams. A person may be motivated to join the university because they want to have a good life and happiness that they have achieved their dreams. The humanistic perspective of psychology studies an individual as a whole, what they like and the direction they would want to take in life (McLeod, 2013). The decision to join a university may be motivated by the factors attributed to the perspective in psychology.
Task 2
Self-determination theory (SDT) as developed by Ryan and Deci (2000) can be used to illustrate the things the lectures should do in a university to enhance the student’s autonomy, competency, and relatedness. The theory assumes that the human nature has the propensity to be influenced by the environment and that it has the interest in learning to develop one’s knowledge (Ryan " Deci, 2000). The lectures must introduce the external controls that influence the learning climates. For example, being interested in studying medicine, factors such as the finances and the physical environment the student grew in may undermine relatedness (Ryan, 2015). The pupil must be guided to focus on the issues that increase the relatedness between the student and the teacher to enhance high-quality outcomes.
Again, the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are critical in optimizing educational contexts. The evidence is provided that lectures that support students’ psychological growth are able to boost their autonomy and competency. A pupil who is given the mandate to choose the career they want to pursue in college end up becoming self-reliant and can work hard to achieve their goals (Ryan " Deci, 2000). Autonomy also enhances competency, and a student is likely to become expert in their chosen field of study. It is evident that SDT has a strong implication to both the classroom work and the psychological development of the student.
Task 3
My field of study in medicine and my client is a pregnant mother who is HIV positive carrying a baby who is HIV negative. My recommendation to the client is concerning a parenting plan that she should not breastfeed her baby to avoid transmission of the virus to the child.
The client may not comply with my recommendation and they might choose to breastfeed their young one. The humanistic approach in psychology may be applied in the situation (McLeod, 2013). The mother may feel that breastfeeding is good for her and is fulfilling her roles as a mother. She might choose to satisfy her needs and be the best mother to her child.
The humanistic perspective can be used to provide a method of approaching my recommendation to ensure the patient follows in the future. This is by engaging the client to think on what is good not only for her but also for their child. I would let her analyze the consequences of transmitting the virus to the child (McLeod, 2013). She might feel better as a mother because she has fulfilled her roles in parenting, but what is the fate of the baby. The strategy would help a future mother to adhere to recommendations given by the doctor.
References
McLeod, S. (2013). Psychology Perspectives. Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html
Ryan, R. (2015). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom. Applying self-determination theory to educational work, 7(5), 133-144.
Ryan, R., " Deci, E. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychological Association, 55(1), 68-78.
