Author Archives: wattsanna

First Impression Post: Week 7

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Addiction is a rampant problem that impacts countless individuals and their families. Thankfully, as time has progressed, the understanding of how addiction works has increased and treatments have become more developed. Yet, there is no simple answer in regards to how to fix it; there is no perfect answer. At this point in time, there are two main models as to how addiction is treated: the abstinence model and the harm reduction model. While the abstinence model focuses mainly on cutting the addiction cold turkey in a group setting, like a 12 step program, the harm reduction model focuses on taking away some of the risky behavior associated with addiction. It seems to me that ultimately the abstinence model would be the most ideal, as the drug is completely removed from the individual’s life. However, we do not live in a perfect world and the physiological need for the drug can be stronger than will-power. The harm reduction model provides a means for the addicted person to begin the process of making healthier life decisions. While it is not completely eradicating the drug, it allows the addict to live in a safer environment. Through needle exchange programs and testing for laced drugs, the greater risk to society is reduced. It is more realistic to emphasize a program like this because it takes into account that no matter what, there will always be individuals that are going to be under the influence of the drug. The use of the harm reduction model could also be a means to progress into an abstinence treatment. Rather than choosing one or the other, utilizing both models could be the most beneficial.

If I were in the situation where one of my loved ones was grappling with addiction, I would want him or her to try and utilize the services in the harm reduction model. Addiction has biological effects as well, so services in the harm reduction model have the potential to help the individual work down from their addiction. It allows them to take steps his or herself; as well as take the steps necessary to continue treatment while remaining in a relatively safer environment. A concept that I learned in my social work class is that the services that are provided by this model, such as the needle exchange, are meant to be practiced without stigma. Essentially, the individuals that run these programs do so to provide a space where those who do have a problem can come without being judged or ostracized. This can make a world of difference for an individual who has been battling with drug addiction for an extended period of time. I would not recommend to the loved one that this path is the end all be all, but rather have it serve as a means to get the footing needed in order to make positive lifestyle and health changes that promote sobriety.

Spotlight Post: 1

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Divorce is a situation that is neither pleasant nor easy to deal with, for both the parents as well as their children. Previously, divorce was seen as a taboo and an act that was to be avoided at all costs. However today, divorce rates seem to climb higher and higher with the passing years, the phenomenon appears to be commonplace, and almost expected in some cases. However, the impacts of such a drastic change on children have two very strong and very different viewpoints. Some say that divorce has little effect on children, while others claim that divorce enacts irreversible damage. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a nonprofit group of over 8,700 licensed and experienced child psychiatrists, children who have parents in the midst of a divorce have the potential to become more vulnerable to poor mental health after suffering the traumatic experience of a divorce. These children face physical and social distress as aggressive tendencies, self-esteem issues, trouble with relationships and deep-set sadness and guilt tend to ensue (2013). Dr. Catherine Lee and Karen Bax of the US National Library of Medicine also support this claim stating that children that have parents going through a divorce experience emotional and behavioral changes in the ensuing months. The distress that the children face is many times connected to feelings of guilt and responsibility for the situation, as well as ultimately being separated from a member of their family unit (2000).

On the other side of the spectrum, Brette Sember, a former divorce attorney, mediator and Law Guardian from the Huffington Post, claims that divorce has the potential to actually save children from harm. In her 2015 article, “Why a Good Divorce Is Better Than a Bad Marriage for Kids”, she states that an unhealthy marriage can expose children to extensive violence, abuse, and emotional trauma. She levels that divorce certainly has permanent effects on children, however, the argument still stands that two positive and healthy homes are better than one unhealthy and toxic one. While not every home environment that is considering or going through a divorce is abusive per say, the toxicity of the situation hinders healthy outcomes for children. Hal Arkowitz and Scott Lilienfeld, advisors for Scientific American Mind, as well as associate and professors of psychology at University of Arizona and Emory University respectively, counter that children recover from the effects of divorce at a rapid rate. In their article “Is Divorce Bad for Children?”, it is stated that children that are exposed to less toxic relationships within the family unit are after better off than children that do experience it in a pre-divorce family. Stress brought about the situation can cause short-term struggle and ultimately may only affect the child seriously in childhood and adolescence. “Scientific research does not support the view that problems in adulthood are prevalent; it instead demonstrates that most children of divorce become well-adjusted adults” (Arkowitz, H., & Lilienfeld, S., 2013).
The varied stances on the effects of divorce tend to stand on a slippery slope. After compiling the information regarding each side, I have come to the conclusion that divorce is the healthiest choice in some cases and does not completely set the child up for failure in the future. This is not to say that it is the end-all-be-all answer, but rather if the situation is toxic and no other option can save the marriage divorce could serve as a viable last resort. Ultimately, the best outcome would be to keep the family unit intact to allow the child or children to have the best chance of developing properly and positively; yet, we do not live in a perfect world. In situations where the parental relationship causes obvious mental and emotional distress on the child, or in cases where the child’s safety and well-being are in jeopardy, a separation of the parents could prove to be the best option. In situations where divorce is used, the needs of the children should be taken care of first and foremost. The disruption of the family has clear effects on the child, and without proper attention from the parent and even counseling or therapy, the negative social and behavioral tendencies can become more concrete. The transition can be more traumatic if the situation is not handled with care; ensuring the child does not feel as though the sequence of events is connected to his or her actions, and that any concerns regarding self-esteem or acting out through aggressiveness and withdrawing are taken seriously, to promote greater outcomes. The physical and mental health concerns associated with children of divorced parents can be addressed in a manner that empowers the child and creates a healthy environment for him or her to grow up and become a well-adjusted adult.

First Impression: Week 6

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Studying is a concept that I never had a particular problem with, however, the beginning of this semester proved to be a rude awakening. I have always been a conscientious student and how I do in school has always been important to me. I tend to find that I retain information better when I write it out multiple times, so that is exactly what I do before exams. I write out notes on the chapters being covered from the textbook, I write out a sheet of key points from lectures and I write out practice exam questions if a review is provided. Sometimes Quizlet comes to the rescue if a particular exam is heavy with vocabulary terms. However, this last exam really threw me for a loop. In hindsight, I probably could have taken some additional quiet time away from the stresses of my other classes and friends to focus on details more. Needless to say, there needed to be changes made before the second exam, as there will NOT be a repeat of such a poor performance. For this second exam, I have begun reviewing the information both in the notes from the text and the notes from the lecture at the end of every week. Rather than trying to cram everything into 2 or 3 days of hardcore and time-consuming review, I am working on spreading out my review over the course of the weeks leading up to test day. This way my brain has a better chance of retaining information that is essential for the exam. This method is also allowing me to complete my other schoolwork with less stress. Last time I was scrambling to finish other assignments in the few days leading up to the exam because I devoted huge chunks of my time to review alone. Cramming is a bad habit that I carried over from high school that is proving to be difficult to break. However, my new technique seems to be putting me in a better place than I was weeks ago and I hope that it will be exactly what I need to bring up my grade. So far, a less stressful environment is more beneficial for learning, I have been finding. This elongated studying, good sleep, minimizing stress and remembering to take breaks regularly, is my recipe for saving my grade in the upcoming weeks.

First Impression Post #3

--Original published at *Psych 105*

For this week’s first impression blog post, I chose to watch the TED talk regarding psychopathic killers. The talk was given by a Neuroscientist by the name of Jim Fallon and was dutifully named “Exploring the mind of a killer”. This topic interested me because I have always had an affinity for things that are traditionally seen as scary and freaky. Horror movies and television shows, such as Criminal Minds, have been favorites of mine for the majority of my short life. The inner workings of how the human mind and how it can potentially go so wrong is immensely interesting to me.

Fallon’s talk began with his philosophy of how psychopathic killers are made. According to Fallon, the components of such an individual are a combination of his or her environment, genetics and brain damage. Many of the individuals he gave as examples in the beginning moments of his talk were names that have become media icons for their horrendous and seemingly impossible actions. Ted Bundy, John Gacey, and Charles Manson were a handful of such examples. Fallon found through the use of PET scans that many of these individuals sustained damage to their orbital cortex and their interior temporal lobes. This, in addition to the presence of the MAOA gene, that results in the brain becoming unresponsive to the hormone serotonin. He also exposure to serious violence before the individual reaches puberty can create a situation where psychopathic tendencies can become present. This cycle, as prolonged violence becomes more prevalent, can perpetuate entire generations of damaged brains. Fallon goes on to tell his own family history about how his distant cousins, including Lizzie Borden, were murderers; a particular fact that I found interesting. He then began conducting brain scans on his own family members to see who could have the potential, not necessarily prove, to be a murderer.

I found Dr. Fallon to be trustworthy. The research he conducted on the convicted psychopathic murders were done anonymously, in order to reduce bias. His colleagues requested his input and executive eye to determine differences in the brains. He has been a leader in his field for a number of years and is currently at the University of California.

A study that could be conducted based on the information gathered from Dr. Fallon’s TED talk could be one regarding how the presence of brain damage affects an individual’s tendency to display psychopathic tendencies. Individuals with brain damage can receive PET scans in order to determine which area of the brain is affected. A short survey can be given to each individual to gauge their moral and reasoning abilites. Such data could be compared to those without brain damage. The purpose of the study would be to investigate the correlation between psychopathic tendencies and brain damage, as brain damage does not necessarily mean that the individual would become a psychopath.

First Impression Week 3: Parenting

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Adequate parenting is a topic that remains on the minds of thousands on a daily basis? Am I doing this right? What if I’m scarring my children? While there are countless opinions as to which of these styles is the most beneficial to child development, I personally do not think there is one magic answer to create the perfect storm that will result in the perfect adult. However, this does not mean that there are parenting styles that do not work and rather sabotage children from what they will experience as adults in the ‘real world’. It seems that today, many parents want to have a hand in every aspect of their child’s life and want to prevent him or her from having any hardship. While I see the thought process of wanting to protect your child from harm, there also comes a point where children need to learn lessons for themselves. I remember a while back there was an article in the newspaper where a parent went and harassed the teachers in the local middle school until they agreed to give their child an A in the class. This over-involvement more than likely damaged the child’s ability to perform everyday tasks independently. Not to mention the skewed morals that are being reinforced. It is also important to remember that a single child does not fit in a predetermined mold, no matter how hard one might try. The child as a unique being needs to be taken into account when discerning a parenting style. Not all children are outgoing and personable, and not on the other hand, not all children are quiet either. There is no single parenting style that will completely be applicable to every situation.

I believe that one has to work to get anywhere in life, even children. While there are instances where a child requires assistance and an extra hand, as they are still learning and developing, I do not believe that everything should be done for him or her. Mistakes and imperfect situations open the door to learning. A child that has everything done for him or her will have a rude awakening when they reach adulthood and find that no one is going to be willing to do everything for them. I have found, especially in my own upbringing and the upbringing of my younger brothers, that allowing a child to develop self-sufficiency and feel their way through uncomfortable situations are key to becoming a contributing member of society. From personal experience, I can attest that without my parents forcing me to figure things out on my own and discern a path through novel situations, I would not be the person I am today. Failures should be learned from, victories should be acknowledged and everything in between should serve as a growing experience. Adulthood isn’t going to cater to every individual, so child rearing should be individualized to the child, but in such a way that they can adapt to their surroundings wherever they may end up.

About Me

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Hi! I’m Anna Watts and I’m from the suburbs right outside of Philly. I’m a freshman Occupational Therapy major here at Etown and have survived my first semester of college. I can’t wait to start Psych. I’m enrolled in this class now to fulfill the requirements for my major and because I find psychology interesting. I took AP Psych in high school and I absolutely adored it. I hope that psych here is as amazing as I think it will be. When I think of psychology I think of people and how it seems impossible to understand what people are thinking. Then as I learn more about the details of the various areas of psychology, the seemingly undecipherable actions of people seem a little bit more understandable. The sections that seem the most interesting are the brain on the micro level, emotions, and personality theory. I can see the most interesting of the three being the brain on a micro level. I always found the parts of the brain and how they work extremely interesting. The sections that seem the least interesting are the operant conditioning, theories of intelligence, and the mechanics of sleep. I found sleep a little monotonous. At the end of this class, I hope to have a greater understanding of the fundamentals of psychology.