Psychosocial History: Barry Egan

When people think of an “illness” they typically don’t automatically think of mental illness. They think about HIV, cancer, or even a cold or flu. However when it comes to mental illness it is a whole different idea. But is mental illness even real? Addressed in the book, The Myth of Mental Illness (1961), a psychiatrist Thomas Szasz argues that the idea of classifying psychological and emotional difficulties as “illnesses” takes away sense of control. Instead of holding people personally and morally responsible for their actions, he states, doctors attempt to “treat” the person, often with medications. Diagnosing mental illness, on the other hand, argue that mental disorders are as real as physical diseases and diagnosing them allows people

When doing research I found that Benjamin Rush was the father of the American Psychiatry from 1745 to 1813. Rush claimed that “the cause of madness is seated primarily in the blood vessels of the brain” and that mental derangement occurs because the brain is “overcharged” with blood. Also, I researched that Rush had a “Negritude”. In 1797, Rush declared that blacks suffered from a disease called negritude. This he claimed derived from leprosy and caused the skin to be dark and that segregation would therefore prevent infection. He stated that the skin turning white, at which point the person would be considered sane, signified the only cure.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers are two extremely renowned individuals who have greatly contributed to the history of psychology. Their contributions are the foundation for the tools, techniques, and methodologies used by psychologist today. Although, each psychologist is from different times and developed different methods, they shared a passion for the workings of the human mind. As a result, their drive and foundation has motivated and prompted new theories and research for the future. This paper will provide a summary of two articles highlighting the processes contemporary psychologists use to develop the theories of Freud and Rogers. It also explains their views of human nature and worldviews as

Review of Thomas Szasz. M.D.,The Myth Of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct.

Growing up may not always be easy but you learn a lot about yourself through the journey. In my first year of elementary school, one of my friends was getting bullied by a boy. He would push her down after recess and make her feel really bad about herself. It got to the point where he would do it every single day and I got sick of it. I had to step in and stand up for her, so I ended up yelling at him for being mean to her. I never gave up for her. He was surprised that I stood up for her because no one else did. I never realized why he was being mean to her until I got older because he was white and she was black. He was being mean to her because of her race and gender. (November 13).

Laurell K. Hamilton spoke in great words that, “there are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” Hamilton embodied a central state of mind of a person who is mentally ill. The wounds mentioned are those caused, and worsened, by traumatic events and public perception of a person with a mental illness. The women in the short stories that have been read embody an internal injury caused by an outward force. In “Story of an Hour”, “Rose for Emily”, and “Yellow Wallpaper” it is impactfully shown how traumatic life experiences can lead to and worsen mental illnesses.

In early American history, individuals with mental illnesses have been neglected and suffered inhuman treatments. Some were beaten, lobotomized, sterilized, restrained, in addition to other kinds of abuse. Mental illness was thought to be the cause of supernatural dreadful curse from the Gods or a demonic possession. Trepanning (the opening of the skull) is the earliest known treatment for individuals with mental illness. This practice was believed to release evil spirits (Kemp, 2007). Laws were passed giving power to take custody over the mentally ill including selling their possessions and properties and be imprisoned (Kofman, 2012). The first psychiatric hospital in the U.S. was the Pennsylvania Hospital where mentally ill patients were left in cold basements because they were considered not affected by cold or hot environments and restraint with iron shackles. They were put on display like zoo animals to the public for sell by the doctors (Kofmen, 2012). These individuals were punished and isolated and kept far out of the eyes of society, hidden as if they did not exist. They were either maintained by living with their families and considered a source of embarrassment or institutionalized

The horrendous acts of Barry affects many characters over the course of the novel, including Bill Kingsley, James Scobie and Ishmael himself. The first and most obvious act of bullying seen in the book is during roll call when Ishmael’s name is called out. Barry being the boy he is, he shouted, “Ishmael? That's a wussy crap name!”

Henceforth, following the course of despicable bias that he had experienced, Saul had been led down a path of mental stress and unstableness. First occurrences of his change of mind happen immediately after the event of joining the Marlboros. As Saul took shifts playing the game, he “sat alone in that territory of emptiness, eight inches on either side of me announcing to everyone that I was different, that I was not welcome even among my own. Finally, it changed the game for me. If they wanted me to be a savage, that’s what I would give them.” After numerous insults towards his race in relation to his skills, Saul is sick and tired of the partiality shown towards him, and decides to give the game what it really wanted all along; an animal,

Client appears to be very sad in regards of the gunshot incident, and the fact that her friends were involved in the incident. It appears to be that although this incident did not happen to the client directly, she is very distressed by it, and she feels a lot of pain and sadness to accept this event. Client appears to be hesitated to share her emotions with her best friends in regards of the incident. It seems like client has difficulties to accept that her friends use humor to cope with the gunshot incident. It appears that client is angry at her friends' parents based on her description although client further denied it. Client seems to want to control over things that she does not have control of such as when client mentioned that she does not want her friends to go back to work yet. Although client is feeling a lot of distress from the incident, it appears that client is aware of the importance of self-care. Client would likely benefit from increase social support, and self-care

Therefore, the young man has promised himself that he will not be like his father, who he said is “not a nice man.” His mother and younger siblings depend more on this client than his father, and his mother has told him, “You’re my rock because you father isn’t” Consequently, this situation has resulted in family turmoil, resulting in the client taking on too much responsibility.

Initially, coming to Reynolds was not my original plan after graduating from Varina high school in 2015. At first, I wanted to continue my education at VCU and I did get accepted, but the money just was not right. When I realized that I did not have enough scholarships, grants, or money saved up to go VCU I had to make another decision, but I was in denial at the same time. VCU was my dream school growing up. Everything was just mapped out in my mind until my parents and I seen the tuition total to attend. I had no other choice, but to come to Reynolds. As I was debating on what was the best thing to do, my mom signed me up without telling me. When I found out I was filled up with a mix of emotion. I was scared, nervous, upset, and

Growing up as a child, I was different from the rest of the kids in my current community. I grew up in a tiny religious dot, barely recognizably on a map; West Union, Ohio. I moved to Cincinnati shortly before my first grade year, but I can visually account for many memories that were created during my first portion of life in West Union.

In discussion of my personal theory of Psychopathology I will include (a) the definition of psychopathology, (b) etiology and progression of pathology, (c) the implications of the theory of psychopathology for treatment, (d) the process of counseling and the roles the counselor and client play (e) the ethical implications of this theory of psychopathology

Man is a product of the culture in which he is born and brought up. For the same reason, no one can negate the influence of the society in forming one’s personality. I am well aware of the fact that my views, thoughts, and attitude have been shaped by the society I live in; hence, any attempt to sketch my personal experiences would be incomplete without referring to the part played by my surroundings. Throughout my life, I have paid utmost importance to initiating and maintaining interpersonal relationships with others. I had to face varied situations out there, both joyous and depressing. However, each instance was a great lesson for me to learn several things about my practical life – I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that I have learned more outside the four walls of my classroom than within them. My autobiography is closely associated with my social connections including my experiences with my family, educational institution, and the larger society I reside within.