Humanities Homework Help

the questions 

1.Psychologists and other mental health experts work hard to create definitions of psychological disorders. They might use infrequency, deviation from social norms, personal distress, or impairment in daily functioning as a way to draw the line between normal and abnormal.

• In your opinion, how should that line should      be drawn?
• Of the four criteria mentioned, which one do      you think is the most important and why?
• What other criteria could be used to      distinguish abnormal from normal (generated at least one factor); why      do you think psychologists don’t consider it?
• 2-Do you agree with the hypothesis that gender-specific socialization influences the rates of anxiety disorders among men and women? Imagine two soccer games on adjacent fields—one between teams of 7-year-old girls, the other between teams of 7-year-old boys. Each game happens to include a player with a specific phobia of lightning and thunder. 
  • When dark clouds appear and the first      thunderclap sounds, how do you think parents and coaches will react to the      terrified boy and girl?
  • What if the kids were age 15 rather than age      7?
  • What does your response suggest about the      influence of socialization on the development of anxiety disorders?
  • How might socialization impact the development      of other disorders? Discuss a specific example from another class of      disorders. 
  • 3- As technology improves, the option of seeing a therapist via a videoconference app (similar to Zoom or FaceTime) is increasingly available. In fact, in the current health crisis, most outpatient mental health treatment in the US has transitioned to this format. 
    • From your perspective, what are the most      important pros and cons of cybertherapy in contrast with traditional      in-person therapy?
    • What groups of people would benefit most      from having cybertherapy as an option? Explain your answer.
    • What groups of people may not receive the      mental health treatment they need if cybertherapy is their only option?      Explain your answer.
      

Reply:

1

I think the biggest difference between normal and abnormal is that abnormality can pose a threat to the safety of others. Normal behavior does not pose a threat to other people’s behavior. Of the four criteria above, I think the most important is personal pain. Because I think personal distress is the root of the other three. Because personal distress has reached a level that individuals cannot bear, subsequent deviations from social norms occur. I think mental health levels are also an important factor in distinguishing between normal and abnormal. Psychologists don’t think so, probably because it’s hard to determine a precise standard of mental health.

2

I do agree and disagree with the hypothesis that gender-specific socialization influences the rates of anxiety disorder among men and women. In the example of the soccer game I believe that the girls parents would try and comfort her whereas the boys parents would tell him to toughen up. Age does influence a lot of the behaviors because as you get older you grow up and tend to be less scared of certain things. In this example I think both genders would realize it is just a storm and that it cannot hurt them. A specific disorder that could be brought up is anorexia nervosa, anorexia nervosa is a very dangerous disorder than both boys and girls can develop by seeing the idea body types on social media. As you get into highschool this is a huge issue you will encounter whether you are confident in your body as a male or female. I think this is a perfect example for gender-specific socialization.

3

• Some pros with being cyber is that it is always available if you have a webcam or computer. The con is when your in person the therapist can fully interpret your emotions with body language and vocal. Being online it limits the therapist opportunities to know what is wrong.
• People that are scared to go in person or people who do not live near a therapist can benifit therapy being able to go cyber. But the people who can not beneift from it are those who do not have access to internet or a computer with a webcam.