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My Commitment to Psychology Essay

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My Commitment to Psychology

Several experiences have stimulated my commitment to psychology. The first is the fact that my mother is diagnosed schizophrenic. As a child I did not understand why her behavior was so different from other adults. Her behavior prompted my curiosity involving the development, duration, and treatment of schizophrenics. At an early age I gained insight about how society is not always accepting of those persons who are "unusual" or "abnormal". She is a high functioning person who is in an institution. I felt there had to be alternative ways to deal with her behaviors than to put her away from a close supportive family.

A second experience involves my academic background. The knowledge I have …show more content…

My research experience was supervised by Dr. Osman. I was involved in the data collection within the research areas of pain, anxiety, and suicide. Also I was a teaching assistant for Dr. Whitsett in a research methods course. I was responsible for implementing understanding of the material and the processes involved in five students from a class of twenty. I guided their writing of a bibliography and a proposal. I gained more experience for myself in understanding the research process for later use in graduate school and beyond.

My practicum at the Battered Women's Shelter enlightened my understanding of interpersonal interaction and how different individuals deal with crisis situations in their own unique ways. I observed a minimal part of male-female relations within the realm of violence. This including how the development of the male versus the female gendered personalities can affect overt as well as covert behavior in adult interpersonal interaction.

The third experience was a difficult one. It involved a friend who was a substance abuser. While using these psychoactive substances he displayed cognitive and behavioral problems. The time duration of his abuse and termination of use of these drugs was an educational period for me. I observed in him the behavior, affect, and cognitive aspects I had learned in my academic courses. I have an interest in how drug abuse is psychologically and sociologically oriented and how preventative measures

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