...Outline and evaluate research into personality types and stress related illness. (12 marks) Friedman and Rosenman identified two types of personality that relate to individual responses to stress these were type A and type B. Type A personalities are said to be impatient, competitive, ambitious, aggressive, find it hard to relax. In contrast, type B personalities are the opposite, being less driven, more easy going, patient and able to relax. Friedman and Rosenman conducted a longitudinal study in which 3000 middle aged men in california were examined for signs of CHD, while there personalities were also assessed using a structured interview. The findings showed after 81/2 years, twice as many type A participants had died of cardiovascular problems. while over 12% of type A participants had experiencedd a heart attack compared to just 6% of type B participants. Friedman and Rosenman concluded that Type A behaviour signifcantly increased the risk of coronary heart disease, and that personality types can contributre to stress related illness. A strenght of this study is its sample size as there is a increase in population validity. This is because 3000 participants were used which therefore provides a more representative set of results. However on the other hand a criticism of this study is it also lack external validity as all the participants were male therefore it cant be generalised to other cultures. Furthermore a study which is against Friedman and Rosenman is Myrtek...
Words: 381 - Pages: 2
...Unnoticed Antisocial Personality Disorder The treatment available for any type of mental illness in the 1960’s didn’t have much diversity to it only ranging from a couple of medications like “chloryl hydrate, bromides, and barbiturates” to sedate the patients and lobotomies that were used during this time but they had a high death rate of “twenty five percent” and leftmost showing “a total absence of feeling” (Foerschner). The first antidepressant was introduced in the 1980’s by the name of “Prozac” before this there was no medication that could properly treat depression (Foerschner). With the very limited treatments for mental illness, it was very hard to cure and help mental illness in the 1960’s. In modern day there are many different approaches...
Words: 1608 - Pages: 7
...determine both illness and health issues in people. A number of factors makeups the multi-factorial model like the environment, different stressors, social cultural traits, and behavior. These ranges of factors include problems and different forms of stress in and out of a person’s control. There may be many factors that cause illness like genetic, family upbringing, traumatic events, and life experiences, all of these factors can have a positive or negative effect on a person. Some people can also create illness depending on the person's reactions and coping abilities. With any disorder, there are many factors to consider. Behavior Personality and behavior figure in a large number of health issues in people. The factors are seen in a large number of death’s the can be prevented in the United States alone. First cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable illnesses and diseases; According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) in 2009 the CDC reported more than 443,000 deaths from smoking and second-hand smoke combined. The CDC also reported the nearly 46 million people in the United States smoke despite the risk factors like cancer of the mouth, lungs and throat, or even death” (Tobacco Use, para. 1). The number of deaths could decrease if people choose a different method to relieve stress. Smoking is a behavior that chosen not required. Alcohol consumption is also another factor that causes health and illness problems with-in...
Words: 1129 - Pages: 5
...far as 5000 BC. Since that time, three hundred different kinds of mental illnesses have been documented. Out of those hundreds of illnesses, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a recently discovered mental illness that was first listed as a diagnosable illness in 1980 and affects 1.6 percent of adults in the United States. This mental illness is thought to be produced by genetic and environmental factors which cause the victim to have symptoms like unstable moods, behavior, and relationships, which can be treated through therapy and medication. While Borderline Personality Disorder is still in its early stages of research, most scientists agree that genetic and environmental factors are likely to be involved. Examinations on twins with BPD suggest that the illness is strongly inherited. Another study shows that a person can inherit personality traits from family members, particularly focusing on impulsiveness and aggression. Although 60 percent of Borderline Personality Disorder cases are genetically inherited, it can also be developed through environmental factors. Environmental causes tend to be associated with poor parenting or unstable families. Some examples are early separation from one or both parents, repeated...
Words: 418 - Pages: 2
...Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness that is marked by unstable moods, behaviors and relationships according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Though it is not uncommon for an adult to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, it is not common for an adolescent to be diagnosed. There are many symptoms of borderline personality disorder that are very similar to the mental changes adolescents go through while entering and progressing through puberty. According to the article on www.psychiatrictimes.com , there are nine criteria that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) uses in order to decide whether or not a child is suffering from borderline personality disorder: 1) Efforts to avoid abandonment a. They will do anything in order to save a relationship, whether it is a boyfriend/girlfriend or best friend. b. If a breakup of the relationship does occur, there is an increased risk of suicide. 2) Unstable relationships a. Patients with borderline personality disorder tend to have relationships that are either over idealized or devalued. b. They are the best person in the world one minute and the enemy the next. c. They have an all or nothing, black or white type of thinking. 3) Unstable sense of self a. Self-loathing b. Hard to tell whether it is normal behavior or a symptom of borderline personality disorder because adolescents without bpd feel this way. 4) Dangerous impulsivity a...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...1: Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness marked by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships. Because some people with severe borderline personality disorder have brief psychotic episodes, experts originally thought of this illness as atypical, or borderline, versions of other mental disorders. While mental health experts now generally agree that the name "borderline personality disorder" is misleading, a more accurate term does not exist yet. The symptoms of borderline disorder were first described in the medical literature over 3000 years ago. The disorder has gained increasing visibility over the past three decades. The full spectrum of symptoms of borderline disorder typically first appears in the teenage years and early twenties. Although some children with significant behavioral disturbances may develop readily diagnosable borderline disorder as they get older, it is very difficult to make the diagnosis in children. It is estimated that more than 14 million American adults, distributed equally between men and women, have borderline personality disorder. It is more common than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: an estimated 11% of outpatients, 20% of psychiatric inpatients and 6% of primary care visits meet the criteria for the disorder. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis can be difficult. As ,ost patients with bipolar disorder go years before receiving an appropriate diagnosis and starting mood stabilizers[1] As with all personality disorders, the...
Words: 2237 - Pages: 9
...Unit 4222-619 Understand mental health problems (CMH 302) Outcome 1. Know the main forms of mental ill health 1 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association. It is a classification of mental disorders which offers a common language and classification of mental disorders. It is used by the medical profession, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and health insurers. The fifth edition was published in 2013. DSM 4 divided each psychiatric diagnosis into five dimensions or axes, each one relating to different aspects of disorder or disability. AXIS I: Clinical Disorders (all mental disorders except Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation) Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation Axis III: General Medical Conditions (must be connected to a Mental Disorder) Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems (for example limited social support network) Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (Psychological, social and job-related functions are evaluated on a continuum between mental health and extreme mental disorder) The fifth edition has simplified this classification into three sections rather than the multiaxial system, but there has been much criticism of the new edition with doubts been thrown as to its impartiality, resulting in a petition calling for an outside review of DSM 5. In Europe there is a tendency to favour the I.C.D. as a means of classifying mental illnesses. The...
Words: 5294 - Pages: 22
...TOPIC 1: MENTAL DISORDERS AND CRIME 1.0 INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL DISORDER A mental disorder is depicted as a significant behavioral or psychological pattern, which leads to distress or impairment in important areas of functioning or a higher risk of suffering from pain, disability, loss of freedom and death (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Mental disorder affects a person’s mood, thinking and also behavior. The general types of mental disorders include mood disorder, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and psychotic disorders. 2.0 SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS These signs may include the feelings of excessive anxiety, intense fear, odd speech or thinking patterns, marked changes in behavior and mood, withdrawal from social interaction and the lost of interest in activities that are normally enjoyed. 3.0 THE LINK BETWEEN MENTAL DISORDERS AND CRIME Personally, I think that there is a positive correlation between mental disorders and crime. However, not all individuals with mental disorders are certain to commit crime. The possibility of crime being committed by these individuals may depend on external factors which trigger their biological predisposition to violate the rights of others. In the following discussion, I have included several studies which stated that mental disorders may lead to crime. 3.1 SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION & AGGRESSION Results from a study have shown that individuals with psychotic disorders were...
Words: 1948 - Pages: 8
...Case Study of John Hinckley Janeen Tipton PSY/410 July 22, 2012 Dr. Johnson Case Study of John Hinckley In the field of psychology, a science evolved nearly 100 years ago, named Abnormal Psychology. This field addresses those with mental illnesses/disorders with diagnosing, treatment, and other forms of therapies such as behavioral and cognitive therapies. In order to properly diagnose an individual with any form of disorder, if one exists, it is imperative that the client divulge all feelings, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions for a proper diagnosis. There are individuals who are predisposed for certain disorders which are found at an early age, and then there are others that symptoms seem to arise later in life such as in the case of John Hinckley, who also failed at being honest about symptoms, behaviors, thoughts which due to this, proper psychiatric care could not be implemented leading to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, a former U.S. President. John Hinckley’s Childhood John Hinckley had what is to be considered a normal childhood as that of his peers. By the age of nine years Hinckley and his family had moved twice within the same State; however the second move at nine years of age seemed hard for Hinckley as he lost some of his friends and social status (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 325). After graduating high school in 1973, he moved again to Colorado only to return in 1974 to attend college. Hinckley only...
Words: 1564 - Pages: 7
...Analyzing the Formation of Habits Hugo Navarro PSY/250 Sept. 17, 2012 Steven Gonzalez Analyzing the Formation of Habits In the following, I will analyze one of my habits and how the habit was developed. I will discuss whether or not there were role models for this habit and which people influenced the adoption of this habit. If the habit continues and if there has ever been a time when I have attempted to break the habit will be analyzed. The behavioral personality theory will be used to explain why I have this habit. I will describe components of social and cognitive theory and explain why the habit formed. I will develop a plan that applies operant conditioning to change the habit. In conclusion, I will discuss which theory best explains my personality. According to make-or-break-habits.com, habits are routine behaviors done on a regular basis. They are recurrent and often unconscious patterns of behavior and are acquired through frequent repetition. Many of these are unconscious as we don’t even realize we are doing them. Personally, I have a smoking habit. I believe that I picked this habit by watching both of my Parents, my Grand Parents, and most of my Aunts and Uncles smoke. Some would consider smoking and addiction. In my opinion, a habit can also be an addiction. Some believe the term addiction should be reserved for describing a physical dependency on chemical substances such as alcohol and drugs. Other addictions include a range of compulsive...
Words: 943 - Pages: 4
...How to live with Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that is not easy to diagnose nor to describe. Some symptoms of borderline personality disorder are intense mood-swings, impulsive behaviors, and problems with self-worth. Along with this they also have problems with dealing with anxiety and stress. People with history of borderline personality disorder usually comes from some kind of childhood trauma, abuse or neglect. Being able to notice the symptoms is the first step to being able to live a healthy and productive life. This will not happen in days, weeks or even months. This kind of intense treatment can take years. Taking the next step can be a hard one. That is getting treatment for yourself. Like all illnesses it takes time as well as money. Finding the right doctor and therapist is important to do. A doctor and therapist will help you get on the proper medications that are needed to help treat borderline personality disorder. It is common not to stay with the first therapist or doctor that you find. So feel free to switch them to find one that you feel comfortable talking to and that you can be honest with. Along with taking medications given by your doctor along with treatment from the therapist will be the greatest help in the road to healing. While all this is going on it can be a little scary and a bit overwhelming, so it is important to stay positive and find good and...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...overwhelming process that may not be possible, even for the most intelligent and well known psychiatrist. Most individuals shy away from understanding psychological disorders because of the stigma that surrounds them. Some disorders like anxiety and depression are swept under the rug while disorders like schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder are seen as dangerous. It is important to fully understand a mental illness and one illness that individual’s seem to lack knowledge of is dissociative identity disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder, commonly referred to as just DID, is a dissociative disorder where people may “adopt as many as 100 new identifies, all simultaneously coexisting,...
Words: 1132 - Pages: 5
...Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar Disorder James Tierney University of Maryland University College Abstract Many movies have portrayed characters with either a form of Bipolar disorder or a type of Personality disorder whether it is for dramatic purposes or to engage the viewer into the mindset of a psychological thriller. Whatever their reasoning, more often than not, the portrayal is inaccurate. There is however a film that I have chosen that borderlines accuracy to a degree. Girl Interrupted is based on the memoirs of an actual person who was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. Although an adaption of her biography with the usual artistic liberties, it can be used as a case study in the theory of psychology. I intend to show the similarities between borderline personality disorder verses bipolar disorder. Susanna Kaysen, with whom the movie was based, was diagnosed as borderline back in 1967, if she were seen today by a mental health professional, would she now be considered bipolar? Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar Disorder Susanna Kayson was a young woman who was admitted into Mclean hospital at age 18 after a suicide attempt. A movie called Girl Interrupted was made chronicling her stay at this hospital. There she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. In the movie although they portrayed some of her symptoms accurately, it focused more on her friendship and experiences with other patients instead of her in particular...
Words: 1272 - Pages: 6
...Both Edson and Palahniuk use a physical or mental illness in the start and further development of their character. We see the character development of Vivian Bearing start based on the fact that she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This being the illness that helps begins her characterization. The story starts off with her first character trait being that she has cancer and we then see how she develops as a character because of this illness. Showing that Edson uses the illness to develop Vivian’s character. The main focus of the story becomes how Vivian develops as a person because of /due to the cancer (Edson). We see this idea back up in an article by Jacqueline Vanhoutte when she states “we still think about cancer as a disease of the self. W;t proves no exception to this rule: it proposes that cancer offers an occasion for self-extension” which backs up the idea that Vivian’s character is built and extended from the fact that she has cancer (Vanhoutte). Vivian is a character created from an illness similar to the Narrator in Fight Club. Where in Fight Club we see, the Narrator starts off by explaining that he has insomnia, and our first character traits we see from the Narrator are based off the fact that he has insomnia. Insomnia being the illness used to characterize the Narrator. Later on in...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...first article is Assessing Personality in the DSM-5: The Utility of Bipolar Constructs. The second is Predicting the Behavior of Offenders with Personality Disorder: Issues for Investigative Psychology. The last article is Interactions between Bipolar Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder in Trait Impulsivity and Severity of Illness. All articles have something to do with personality disorders. The article Assessing Personality in the DSM-5: The utility of Bipolar Constructs was written by Douglas B. Samuel. The 8 page article was published by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This article was about the DSM-5 labeling the personality disorders as categorical constructs. Most of the categorical labels can provide relatively straightforward and rapid communication about a person. These types of categories will lead to more stimulating research and generate specific treatment recommendations. There are some disadvantages to the categorical approach including the excessive diagnostic co occurrence, inadequate coverage, excessive heterogeneity within the categories, lack of meaningful or well-validated boundary between normal and disordered personality, and dissatisfaction among the clinicians who use it. The article researched the benefits of a unipolar model. They pointed out one hazard of the unipolar model if the failure to appreciate the potential for maladaptivity at the opposite end of a given trait. The purpose of the research of personality disorders is to take a historic...
Words: 1116 - Pages: 5
