683 words

Criminal behavior and mental disorder: distinguishing psychopathology from crime

As Bartol & Bartol (2008) point out, criminal behavior must be distinguished from criminogenic psychopathologies. Anti-social personality disorder, for example, is an official diagnosis listed in the tome DSM-IV, used as the benchmark for all psychological diagnoses.

~4 min read

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1,080 words

Personal sources of math anxiety and test performance pressure

I did not realize before that I had any feelings of anxiety related to the subject of mathematics. Math is not the most difficult subject although certainly it can be challenging. Yet, my writing indicates that I do feel math-related anxiety which therefore need to be better understood.

~6 min read

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629 words

Cultural influences on Big Five personality traits in clinical practice

Agreeableness and Conscientiousness are seen to be a result of culture that combines to form a personality trait. With this in mind can it be asserted that a practitioner needs to understand either of the two and not both to be able to treat or counsel their clients?

~4 min read

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2,303 words

Defense mechanisms in substance abuse counselors and therapy outcomes

Psychologists, particularly psychodynamically-oriented psychologists, view defense mechanisms as allowing people to distance themselves from unpleasant feelings, thoughts, or behaviors.

~12 min read

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680 words

Jonathan Haidt's happiness hypothesis and the divided self

I approached Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis with the same sort of hubris that I tend to exhibit when someone asks me if I like a work of art. I am quite confident that I can point to art that I like, while being less consistently able to tell why I like or don't like a work of art.

~4 min read

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1,310 words

Casino house edge and gambling odds in America

Casino gambling in the United States is growing rapidly and shows no signs of abating. Since the first casinos opened on Native American reservations, many states have seen the potential revenue that gambling can add to its coffers.

~7 min read

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1,069 words

Philip Caputo's exploration of truth and deception in A Rumor of War

In 1977, Philip Caputo wrote A Rumor of War, to document his experience as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Caputo does not "pretend" to write about history, politics, "power, strategy, influence, national interests, or foreign policy," (xiii).

~6 min read

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1,851 words

The power of optimism: improving life through positive perspective

What is optimism? Why should we want to make our lives better? What is the power of optimism? How can people become more optimistic? How can people harness the power of optimism to improve their lives? The problem with life is -- it's hard.

~10 min read

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633 words

The four basic phenomena of classical conditioning

Classical conditioning is one of the most famous forms of behavioral 'learning.' It is epitomized in the experiment of Pavlov's dog. The dog was conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell because the dog associated eating with that particular noise.

~4 min read

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981 words

Media manipulation in Barbie dolls and Disney films on children

In two perceptive and provocative essays, authors Ann duCille and Henry Giroux examine toys, movies and media and examine ways in which the modern commercial culture directs the development of a child's psychology.

~5 min read

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