PSY 243: Behavior Disorders (Fall, 2009)

Dr. Stephen Dine Young

Office: Science Center 156

Office Hours: M & F 1-2; W 9-10 & by appointment

Phone: 866-7319

e-mail: youngst@hanover.edu

Class Times: 3:00-4:50 M,W

Course Description and Goals

The first goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of behavior disorders (sometimes called ‘abnormal psychology’ or ‘psychopathology’); you will become familiar with the identifying characteristics (diagnosis), causes (etiology) and treatments of commonly recognized mental disorders. The second goal is to help you carefully and critically evaluate the process by which particular behaviors are designated as ‘disordered’ (or ‘pathological’ or ‘abnormal’). Important issues involving values, research methodology and theory will be considered. Finally, you will be encouraged to apply your knowledge of behavior disorders to broader aspects of human functioning in such domains as culture, literature, religion, etc. Issues of human ‘sameness’ and ‘difference’ will be repeatedly highlighted.

The following goals of the Psychology Major are advanced in this course:

· Students should be able to recognize and differentiate the major theories, principles, findings, and methods of the discipline of psychology as it is commonly defined and practiced in the current time period.

· Students should be able to critique empirical studies in psychology with regard to their ethics, the validity of their design, results, and conclusions.

· Students should understand the relationship of psychology to other disciplines in the liberal arts, particularly those with strong historical connections (biology, philosophy, sociology, etc.).

· Students should be prepared to pursue a career of their choice, either inside or outside of psychology.

Texts

Sarason, I.G. & Sarason, B.R. (2005). Abnormal psychology: The problem of maladaptive behavior (11^th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Kaysen, Susan. (1993). Girl, interrupted. Turtle Bay Books.

Additional Readings

Benedict, R. (1959). Patterns of culture (pp. 130-172). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Hitchcock, A. (Prod. & Dir.). (1954). Rear window. Paramount.

Keen, S. (1986). Faces of the enemy: Reflections on the hostile imagination (pp. 19-24; 99-105). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Kramer, P. (1993). Listening to Prozac (ix-xix; 1-21). NY: Viking Press.

Loftus, E.F. (1993). The reality of repressed memories. American Psychologist, 48(5), 518-537.

Sacks, O. (1990). The man who mistook his wife for a hat (pp. 3-22). New York: HarperPerennial

Shapiro, D. (1965). Neurotic Styles (pp. 54-64). New York: Basic Books.

Spiegel, D.A. (1999). Dissociative disorders. In R.E. Hales, S.C. Yudofsky & J.A. Talbott (Eds.), American Psychiatric Press textbook of psychiatry. Wash, DC: Am. Psychiatric Press.

Szasz, T. (1960). The myth of mental illness. American Psychologist, 15, 113-118.

Watkins, M. (1990). Invisible guests: The development of imaginal dialogues (Ch. 151-172). Boston: Sigo Press.

Wood, R. (1977). Hitchcock’s films (pp. 100-107). South Brunswick, NJ: A.S. Barnes.

Exams

There will be three in-class exams for this course, each worth 100 points. All tests will be primarily short essay, long answer and matching. The content of the tests will be drawn from both class and the readings.

Madison State Field Trips

A tour of Madison State Hospital will be required for this class. Times will be arranged early in the semester. In addition, I hope to arrange one or two “party groups” where we visit different units of the hospital. They will not be required, but I strongly recommend you go to as many as you can.

Course Writings

There will also 5 homework assignments worth 10 points each that will be designed to prepare you for classroom discussions. The homework exercises will sometimes be assigned the day before they are due, so be sure to check in if you miss a class. Homework assignments will be subject to a 50% deduction per class period unless special arrangements are made.

A final paper (8-10 pages) will be worth 100 points. For this paper, each student will identify a character in some narrative medium (e.g., film, television, literature, poetry, theater, etc.) that they believe is symptomatic of one or more of the disorders discussed in the course. Students will describe, diagnose and speculate on the causes and possible treatments for this “disordered” character. Detailed instructions will be presented in class. Papers turned in late are subject to a 10% deduction per weekday.

Attendance, Preparation & Participation

Class attendance is expected and will be taken for each class. Students are allowed one unexcused absence throughout the term without penalty. Unexcused absences after the first will result in a deduction of 5 points per class from the student’s overall grade.

Also, regular, informed participation is expected. This means that students should be attentive and prepared for class, they should ask questions, and they should participate actively in classroom discussions. Participation will be worth 50 points and will be factored in based on the following scale:

Outstanding 50 points

Excellent 45 points

Very Good 40 points

Average 35 points

Below Average 30 or below

Grading (Total of 600 points)

540-600 A

480-539 B

420-479 C

360-419 D

359 & Below F

Assignment of +’s & -’s will be made based the overall distribution of scores and other factors (e.g., participation and attendance).

If there is anything preventing you from doing your best in this class (medical issues, learning disabilities, personal issues, etc.), please contact me as soon as possible, and I will do what I can to help you maximize your learning in this course.

Class Schedule

Date Topic Reading

9/7 Introduction to course; Definitions of mental S&S, Ch. 1

illness

9/9 “Formal parallels”; Historical background S&S, Ch. 1

9/14 Exploring Girl, Interrupted Kaysen

9/16 Theories of maladaptive behavior S&S, Ch. 2

9/21 The classification of maladaptive behavior S&S, Ch. 4; Szasz

9/23 The assessment of maladaptive behavior S&S, Ch. 4

9/28 The treatment of maladaptive behavior S&S, Ch. 3

9/30 The mental health treatment system S&S, Ch. 17

10/5 Exam #1

10/7 Stress & Bodily Disorders S&S, Chs. 5, 6 & 7

10/12 Anxiety Disorders S&S, Ch. 8

10/14 Dissociation S&S, Ch. 5; Spiegel; Watkins

10/19 PTSD; Memory S&S, Ch. 8; Loftus

10/21 & 10/28 Mood disorders; Medications S&S, Ch. 11; Kramer

10/26 Fall Break

11/2 & 11/4 Schizophrenia & other psychotic disorders S&S, Ch.12

11/9 Exam #2

11/11 Cognitive disorders S&S, Ch. 13; Sacks

11/16 Substance disorders; Dual diagnosis S&S, Ch. 14

11/18 Childhood disorders; Eating Disorders S&S, Ch. 15

11/23 Developmental disorders S&S, Ch. 16

11/25 Thanksgiving Break

11/30 Personality disorders S&S, Ch. 10

12/2 Rear Window Hitchcock

12/7 Sexual variations/disorders; Voyeurism as a S&S, Ch.9; Wood

‘cultural pathology’

12/9 Paranoia as a mode of human functioning Keen; Shapiro; Benedict

Wk. of 12/14 Final Exam (as per college schedule)