How Two Impulsivity Measures Are Used For Human Behavior Exist

home and run in with the law. Through research and parents report on their child’s disruptive behavior, medical profession put a tag on this troubling disorder as attention-deficit/hyperactivity impulsivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, I will describe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, describe the prevalence of ADHD, outline methods or strategies that address ADHD, and describe the identification and the assessment process of ADHD.

According to the research conducted by Dr. Laura A. King, the Frederick A. Middlebush Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia, “ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioral disorders of childhood, in which individuals show at least one of the following: impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention.”

The flaw of impulsivity is one that can hinder someone if they are unlucky enough to have this weakness. Whenever I make an impulsive decision, it almost always causes a new problem, or something negative happens. The flaw of impulsivity is generally not the kind of trait a person would want to have. (hook) Protagonists of the short stories “The Sniper”, “A Sound of Thunder”, and “Harrison Bergeron” all show share a form of weakness that affects the their decisions and the trajectory of their lives. (transition) The main characters from these three stories share the same weakness or flaw; their impulsivity. (thesis)

The PFC is not fully developed until the mid-twenties of a person’s life. “It is considered the seat of the ‘rational’ brain, since its functions include high level reasoning, decision making, impulse control, assessment of consequences, forward planning behavior modification and priority setting.” Behaviors such as impulsivity, inflexibility, emotional volatility and risk taking by adolescents can be explained by the lack of development in the PFC. Adolescents are more likely to not make rational choices under the conditions of high emotions and intense pressure; “they are more likely to act impulsively or without full consideration of the consequences”

Therefore, as a strength of the PCL-R system, unlike APD, an antisocial lifestyle is only part of the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy (Fine, & Kennett, 2004, p. 425). Where as psychometric analysis of the PCL-R consistently identifies two factors. One of the factors corresponds to personality features, such as lacking guilt or remorse, or a lack of empathy, while the other looks into features of antisocial lifestyles, such as impulsivity or poor behaviour controls (Fine & Kennett, 2004, p. 425). The PCL-R gives individuals that are being assessed in these traits and behaviors a score from a 3-point scale (0,1, 2) (Hare et al., 2006, p. 59). Where 0 indicates that the characteristic being assessed was definitely not present or did not apply, 1 stating that there

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Arlington, VA: Author.

                   Members of the Department of Psychology of the University of Kentucky conducted a study of symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity-inattention (HIA) and conduct problems (CP). The symptoms are that of ADHD and CD, however are renamed to be sure no to misrepresent the study or its findings. The study took a form of surveys through a ten to twelve year span, and eventually led to laboratory studies at the end of the study.

(2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th Ed) (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Disorder description in DSM-II included ineffectual responses to any physical, intellectual, social, or emotional demands placed on the individual. Despite the lack of any real physical or intellectual deficits, these patients appear poorly adapted to their environment, are inept, have poor judgment, are socially unstable, lack physical and emotional stamina, and chronically cannot cope with everyday stress and strain. Detailed, behaviorally specific criteria were not provided for any of the disorders in DSM-II.

The prefrontal cortex which is the center for planning, reasoning, thinking of the consequences of our own actions, and self-control, is not fully developed during teenage years which explains the tendency towards risk taking and impulsiveness. The limbic and paralimbic areas are particularly responsive to emotional and social stimuli and seem to have an increased activity during adolescence. The same study states that the limbic system is not always hypersensitive during adolescence but “in the presence of peers or under conditions of emotional arousal, however, the socioemotional network becomes sufficiently activated to diminish the regulatory effectiveness of the cognitive-control network” (Steinberg,

Reckless disregard for others. 6 consistent irresponsibility. 7. Lack of remorse for others.” (Abnormal psychology, 356).

Dombeck, M., Hoermann, S., Zupanick, E.C. (2011). Personality Disorders: Problems with current diagnostic system. MentalHelp. Retrieved on 14th March, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=569

The role of the health internal locus of control is further related to these health-related decision-making behaviours, outside the parameters of IQ. Atkins and Fallowfield (2006), reported women with lower locus of control omitted taking medication for diagnosed breast cancer. Similarly, Gale, Batty and Deary (2008), found that positive health outcomes and behaviours at age 30 were predicted by a higher locus of control in childhood. Kruger, Caspi and Moffitt (2000) noted that compliance is made up of at least two psychological components; an ability competency that relates to the ‘can do’ and a motivational competency that denotes the ‘will do’ aspect of compliance. This motivational competency is often conceptualised as conscientiousness and is noted to provide a motivational-volition needed by individuals to navigate through the complexity of medical information, execute preventative measures against negative health outcomes, and attenuate those risks, both personal and environmental (Lubinski, 2009). Finally, Schwartz and colleagues (1995) found that conscientiousness, permanency of mood and a lack of cheerfulness was associated with lower mortality rates. This sample, however, was an unrepresentative sample, with participants being white, middle-class children with higher than average IQ within the United States. It appears that despite the strong influence of IQ on health-related behaviours, individual differences such as internal locus of control, motivation and personality also influence individual’s health-related

There are several ideas and findings around trait theories, psychodynamic theories, cognitive theories of personality, mental disorders and offending and the connection that these theories have with a person’s antisocial behaviour. The most common theories were

American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.