Psychological disorders fairly portrayed in the mass media
Science
Question 1)It is imperative to highlight that each of the seven major perspectives in psychology emphasizes different factors believed to contribute to abnormal behavior, but in practice they overlap. Consider the phenomenon of compulsive hoarding. Everyone sometimes makes an impulse purchase, and most people are reluctant to discard some possessions that are of questionable value. Interestingly enough when the acquisition of these “things” becomes extreme, it can interfere with basic aspects of the living, such as cleaning, cooking, sleeping on a bed, gaining access to a useable lavatory facility, and moving around one’s home – essentially being a “death-trap”.
This abnormal behavior is associated with several psychological disorders, but it is most commonly found in people who have obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD (an anxiety disorder discussed in our chapter reading for this week).
Now, can you imagine how each of the seven major perspectives might explain compulsive hoarding?
Question 2)Since the beginning of the movie age, from The Cabinet if Dr. Caligari to Terminator 2, from Silence of the Lambs to a Beautiful Mind, mentally ill people and their treatment have been the subject of some of Hollywood’s most popular and influential films. According to the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, the shame and embarrassment caused by the stigma that surrounds a diagnosis of mental illness is the “most formidable obstacle of future progress in the arena of mental illness and health.”
Are people with psychological disorders fairly portrayed in the mass media? Why or why not?
