Maria del Carmen Lara Muñoz – Mexican psychologist

It is know that combinations of environmental and biological factors can cause mental illnesses (Stewart, 2009). However, knowledge on how mental illness may play a role in the patients’ lives isn’t well understood. Researcher Maria del Carmen Lara Muñoz dedicates her time investigating the effects of mental conditions and raises awareness on the importance of … Read more

How to Talk with an Autistic Child

Pediatric Occupational Therapy Skills for the Job of Living 21 Jan. 2015 How to Talk with an Autistic Child Children with autism are unique and interpret the world differently compared to other children. In terms of social and communicative skills, they show highly visible differences. Children with autism seem to be worth of a language … Read more

Comparing Functionalism and Behaviorism

Functionalism Functionalism is the theory that says a person’s experiences should factor their behavior. Not to get mixed up with behaviorism, functionalism is about previous experience where as a behaviorist look is about how external factors influence the way that people behave. This is probably one of the most easily accepted theories to the general … Read more

Consider systemic (family and relationship) issues in a counselling case study

Introduction In this assignment I will explore the possibilities of systemic counselling for a fictional character, “Jamiel”. I will first look at Jamiel’s life, his background, history and the Systemic and Sociocultural issues revolving why he is suffering with fear and sadness. I will look at the reasons behind why Jamiel may be requiring some … Read more

Sigmund Freud’s Contribution to the field of Psychology

Sigmund Freud was among the top minds of the 19th and 20th century. His contributions to the world of medicine alone are worthy of admiration, but as the father of psychoanalysis, Freud has impacted the world in a way that still persists today. His creation, psychoanalysis, formed a whole new perspective on the treatment of … Read more

Evolutionary psychology

Conceived as a field of inquiry, evolutionary psychology can be characterised as the ‘evolutionary-oriented study of human behaviour and cognition’. On such an understanding evolutionary psychology can recognise several logically independent levels of explanation, each in response to different kinds of question. Hence, no account at any given level of explanation has entailments for other … Read more

The Six Ethical Issues used in Psychology

Within Psychology, Six Ethical Guidelines were introduced to protect the well-being, health and dignity of any participants that were involved in Psychological Research. These Ethical Guidelines were originally drafted by the British Psychological Society (BPS) in 1959, before being revised in 1990 and again in 2009 (The British Psychology Society, 2009). Prior to the Ethical … Read more

Theories on emotional processing in the brain

There are many different theories on emotional processing in the brain as they are constantly being developed due to the gain of understanding about the individual. This is important because it shows that the earlier theories may lack detail and are therefore too simplistic. This may be due to the constriction of advanced technology of … Read more

Personality continuity and change over the lifespan

Personality continuity and change over the lifespan is a topic that has been well researched, examined, and continues to emit new discoveries and topics of discussion. To determine changes in personality versus what maintains it includes factors like longitudinal studies and the examination of the BIG 5 personality traits. The increase, decrease, and consistency of … Read more

Classical conditioning (case study – food allergy to MSG)

Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in knowledge or behavior that is the result of experience (Domjan, 60). Although most people think of learning regarding the knowledge we absorb from our lectures or a set of skills acquired through practice, these aspects represent only one component of learning phenomena learned during lecture, with … Read more

“Individuals who develop psychiatric disorders differ premorbidly from those who do not.”

Theorists historically have sought explanations from two spheres in the attempt to understand the antecedents of psychopathology. One perspective that has long been held is that individuals who develop psychiatric disorders differ premorbidly from those who do not (Monroe & Simons, 1991). These differences were believed to be constitutional in origin. More than 100 years … Read more

How the individual comes to develop their identity

The field of lifespan development examines the patterns of growth, change, and stability in one’s behavior, personality, cognitive abilities, and physicality over the course of their life (Feldman, p. 3). For individuals, as Erikson suggests, evolve and progress through a number of distinct, age-related stages, each of which present a newer conflict for the individual … Read more

Trust – the fundamental groundwork of one’s relationship with others

Traumatic events have serious repercussions on a person’s psychological, emotional and physical well-being. The traumatic events are caused by various natural and environmental factors in one’s life, including their cultural and gender identities, their upbringing, the location and the   However, traumatic events has the biggest impact on one’s interpersonal relationships. “Trauma breaches the attachments of … Read more

Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory of Attachment and the Behaviourist’s Theory of Attachment

I’m going to discuss Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory of Attachment and the Behaviourist’s Theory of Attachment which demonstrate two very different perspectives on attachment, which is universally accepted as a fundamental stage in a humans development. Ainsworth (1973) and Bowlby (1969) stated that attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to … Read more

Nature versus nurture

The field of psychology has continually kept me bordering enjoyment and obsession, especially the topic of developmental psychology. One of the largest researched ideas is that of nature versus nurture; the questioning of what creates each person’s personality. Many psychologists and scientists alike have argued that the environment is what shapes humans, while many others … Read more