Application of Clinical Psychology

Case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observations are a few research methods used by psychologists to facilitate the understanding of behavior. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages that are used in particular research scenarios. Techniques like observation or interactions between the researcher and the subject(s) such as extensive interviews to restrained experiments are what some research methods heavily rely on to be validated.

Abnormal behavior relates to the influence of psychological factors, biological factors as well as the social factors referring to inadequate relationships. In the face of diverse definition, abnormal behavior refers to the deviating from norm, which norm is the typical behavior or characteristic of the population. As such, Jim behavior is abnormal because it violates moral and conventional mores of the society (Violates societal standards), as such causing social discomfort to others. For instance, Jim fails to recognize the social cues in conversation thereby annoying other interlocutors. Jim is this case is behaving in a manner counterproductive to his own well being by

People have always been curious on what makes a serial killer; after all, it is difficult to imagine murdering multiple people and not feeling an ounce of guilt or emotion afterwards. In severe cases, this is what a person having antisocial personality disorder is capable of. Infamous serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson were believed to have this disorder. Personality disorders in general can range from mild to severe in the afflicter’s actions, but antisocial PD is arguably one of the most dangerous seen in human behavior history.

Psychology can be applied to everyday life in many ways. The three main ways Psychology applies to my life is through motivation and emotion, Stress and health and Psychological therapies. These topics of psychology are the ones that best describe my life. When most people think of psychology they think of therapists and psychological disorders. Psychology is much more than that and applies to everyone’s life in some form.

In Psychology 101, you learn about a personal fable; something that I have not lost. I have always wanted to change the world that I was destined for greatness and teaching elementary school students gives me that power. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

     One type of therapy used is psychotherapy, which “should focus on helping the individual understand the nature and consequences of his disorder so he can be helped to control his behavior” (Black, 2000). Another type of therapy used is cognitive therapy,

The authors explain that addiction is caused by people adopting excessive habit to compensate for the painful void from lack of psychosocial integration. The lack of psychosocial integration is rooted from the dislocation

According to Leshner (1998) at its core, addiction is actually a brain disease. There are many factors that come into consideration with addiction which are specific to each individual such as their physiological state, his or her genetics, environmental and societal situation, and how he or she is embedded into society comes together in the end. Some of these contributing factors can be controlled or modified in order to treat an addiction, while other cannot be modified such as genetics and some psychological states. These two key factors are those that researchers in both the medical and psychology fields have studied, to determine better treatment options as they can present a barrier in creating effective addiction management

Is addiction a brain disease? The definition of disease is a disorder in an organism that produces specific signs/symptoms that affects a specific location and isn’t a direct result of any kind of physical injury. Addiction is a compulsive need for any substance or service that can cause a person or organism to form a habit, and is a chronic disease of brain reward and causes dysfunctions in the circuits. Addiction is also characterized by the inability to consistently abstain impairment in behavioral control. The idea that addiction is a brain disease is just about universally accepted among scientist that focus on addiction (Corrigan,2008). However few believe that addiction is not a brain disease because they claim that neural dysfunction is not sufficient for disease. (NCBI, 2012). Some agree that addiction occurs in the brain but should not be considered a brain disease or a disease at all(Lawrence 2013). Substance abuse is the most common addiction that people base their decision upon. These drugs affect the brain and cause different reactions to the rest of the of the body. The types of drugs include: hallucinogens, opioids, sedatives, stimulants, etc. cause different

It is my strong desire to attend Fielding Graduate University APA (American Psychological Association) accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology. I have always been intrigued by the human mind for as long as I can remember, specifically the psychopathology of it. I truly enjoy conducting psychological research, learning about psychopathology and how to treat it. While conducting research and learning, it is important to remember that the purpose of psychology isn’t to predict a person’s thoughts, actions, and behaviors, but to understand them. There are dozens of events that occurred in my twenty-five years of life that led me to this meaningful choice of pursuing a doctorate. The two most significant events were when I was in the

Addiction is like all behaviours “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006).

Addictions are strongholds and bondages that are more often than not difficult to overcome. The addiction holds a person’s well-being captive which result in unusual behavioral patterns. According to Gabor Maté and Arold Langeveld “addiction means be to a slave” relatively speaking when a person is addicted in reality they are a slave to the stimuli. Furthermore the outcome of addiction will result in behavioral patterns that will satisfy the addiction.

Abnormal and clinical psychology are two branches in the field of psychological studies. In simple words, abnormal psychology can be defined as the study of people who engage in unusual behavior and emotional thoughts. These actions and thoughts are considered abnormal compared to those of other members of society, and they significantly interfere with their functioning in life. Clinical psychology goes hand in hand with abnormal psychology because it is the study that deals with the assessment and treatment of those abnormal actions. Learning about these branches of psychology can help us understand and predict behaviors of people who that are affected by these disorders. It is also essential to advance our knowledge to help assess the people who suffer these illnesses to lead a life of better quality. In this paper, a case study that entails a brief vignette of a 35 year old paralegal named Greg will be analyzed. According to concepts of abnormal and clinical psychology, Greg will be diagnosed with the psychological disorder of obsessive-compulsive disorder (more formally known as OCD) that might have originated in the anal stage of the psychoanalytic theory, for which cognitive behavioral therapy will be used as a possible treatment.

* Predict: Offering predictions (or hypotheses) about how a given condition or set of conditions will affect

Psychology is an extraordinarily diverse field with hundreds of career paths. Some specialties, like treating the mentally ill, are familiar to most. Others, like helping with the design of advanced computer systems or studying memory, are less well-known. What psychologists have in common is a shared interest in mind and behavior. In their work they draw on an ever-expanding body of scientific knowledge about how humans think, act, and feel, and apply the information to their special areas of expertise. The profession of clinical psychology encompasses both research and statistics, through which is learned fundamental data about behavior; and practice, through which that knowledge is applied in helping to solve