Psychotherapy Essay -- Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

My preferred theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The main assumption of CBT is that events and situations in life do not cause emotional problems (e.g., guilt or depression); rather problems are a by-product irrational beliefs and perceptions about the situations (Corey, 2009). The goals of CBT focus on correcting the client’s automatic and self-defeating thoughts, which should ultimately help them to develop a more adaptive philosophy of life (Corey, 2009). CBT focuses on putting insight into action, so by creating insight and changing thoughts the client should be able to understand and modify their behaviors and emotions. I like that this approach focuses on challenging and changing the client’s cognitive distortions, core beliefs, automatic thoughts, and schemas. Another positive aspect is that this approach focuses on the cognitive triad, which consists of how one views the self, the world, and the future (Corey, 2009). Furthermore, CBT places responsibility on the individual to take an active role and make the changes to their thoughts and behaviors, both in and out of the therapy sessions (Corey, 2009). In order to bring about change, the client needs to understand that the primary source of difficulty lies in their belief system and how they perceive events (Kellogg & Young, 2008). CBT has manualized treatment techniques, is short-term, and teaches the client skills to change their thoughts or beliefs in the future (Kellogg &Young, 2008). CBT is open to using techniques from other approaches that fit the needs of the client, and the empirically validated techniques of CBT, when individualized for the client, work well in other approaches (Corey, 2009). Overall, CBT is a structured approach th... ...to aspects of the disorder (Scaturo, 2001). It is rare for a client to come into therapy with only one disorder that has the outlined symptoms of the diagnosis that calls for a particular treatment. Therefore, following the manual stringently may not help the client improve, but making slight deviations depending on the client’s characteristics and circumstances may allow the technique to be successfully adapted and useful for the individual. It is also likely that clinical psychologist add their own individual preferences to therapy no matter what therapeutic approach or technique they use (Scaturo, 2001). A balance between the use of manualized treatments and clinical judgment to formulate the case conceptualization need to be used in order to gather enough information on the client to successfully use any necessary treatment techniques (Craske & Zucker, 2001). Psychotherapy Essay -- Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy My preferred theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The main assumption of CBT is that events and situations in life do not cause emotional problems (e.g., guilt or depression); rather problems are a by-product irrational beliefs and perceptions about the situations (Corey, 2009). The goals of CBT focus on correcting the client’s automatic and self-defeating thoughts, which should ultimately help them to develop a more adaptive philosophy of life (Corey, 2009). CBT focuses on putting insight into action, so by creating insight and changing thoughts the client should be able to understand and modify their behaviors and emotions. I like that this approach focuses on challenging and changing the client’s cognitive distortions, core beliefs, automatic thoughts, and schemas. Another positive aspect is that this approach focuses on the cognitive triad, which consists of how one views the self, the world, and the future (Corey, 2009). Furthermore, CBT places responsibility on the individual to take an active role and make the changes to their thoughts and behaviors, both in and out of the therapy sessions (Corey, 2009). In order to bring about change, the client needs to understand that the primary source of difficulty lies in their belief system and how they perceive events (Kellogg & Young, 2008). CBT has manualized treatment techniques, is short-term, and teaches the client skills to change their thoughts or beliefs in the future (Kellogg &Young, 2008). CBT is open to using techniques from other approaches that fit the needs of the client, and the empirically validated techniques of CBT, when individualized for the client, work well in other approaches (Corey, 2009). Overall, CBT is a structured approach th... ...to aspects of the disorder (Scaturo, 2001). It is rare for a client to come into therapy with only one disorder that has the outlined symptoms of the diagnosis that calls for a particular treatment. Therefore, following the manual stringently may not help the client improve, but making slight deviations depending on the client’s characteristics and circumstances may allow the technique to be successfully adapted and useful for the individual. It is also likely that clinical psychologist add their own individual preferences to therapy no matter what therapeutic approach or technique they use (Scaturo, 2001). A balance between the use of manualized treatments and clinical judgment to formulate the case conceptualization need to be used in order to gather enough information on the client to successfully use any necessary treatment techniques (Craske & Zucker, 2001).

Mill’s Utilitarianism Essay

In the beginning of Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill states that throughout history very little progress has been made towards developing a set of moral standards to judge what is morally right or wrong. Although a certain disagreement about such foundations can also be found in the most â€Å"certain† sciences, in those areas truths can still have meaning without understanding the principles underlying them. On the other hand, in philosophy, where all actions exist to proceed towards a particular end, statements unfounded upon a general principle have very little validity. Therefore Mill says that in order to know what morality dictates, it is necessary to know by what standard human actions should be judged. He rejects the idea of a moral instinct inherent in human mind, which supplies us with this ability to judge. Even if such a sense would exist, it wouldn’t show us whether something is right or wrong in a particular matter. Instead, Mill assumes that right and wrong are questions of experience and he tries to show that the principle of utility or â€Å"the greatest happiness principle† is the foundation of this distinction. In Chapter two, Mill tries to reply to some common misconceptions about utilitarianism. He claims that many people mistake utility as the rejection of pleasures, whereas in reality, it is pleasure itself, promoting happiness. He thus defines utilitarianism as the creed which â€Å"holds that actions are right in the proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness†. Accordingly pleasure and absence of pain are the only goals that are inherently good and desirable in themselves. Every other action or experience is only insofar good as it promotes pleasure. However, it is wrong to assume people should only do what makes them personally happy. Instead the standard of judging an act is the happiness of all people. Therefore people shouldn’t distinguish between their own happiness and the happiness of others. The motives underlying a certain act are of no importance in utilitarianism. Instead only the results of our conduct, or more specifically the impact on the general happiness, are to consider. In continuing, Mill states that some pleasures are more valuable than others, so not only the quantity but also the quality of pleasures resulting from a certain act determines its moral rightness. We can experience this difference in quality when we give one pleasure a clear preference over another, although it comes along with a greater amount of discomfort, and would not dismiss it for any quantity of the other pleasure. Mill claims that, given equal access to all kinds of pleasures, every man or woman gives priority to those employing their higher faculties. Appropriately he writes that †it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, is of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question†. Thus only people who have experienced both the higher and the lower pleasures are qualified to judge the quality of a pleasure. But by what extent are pleasures measurable or comparable? And what is it that makes a â€Å"higher† pleasure superior over a â€Å"lower†? Another criticism Mill responds to is that happiness can’t be the goal of human actions, since it’s unattainable. Moreover, detractors of the utilitarian moral state that a life without happiness is quite possible, and all noble beings have become virtuous by renunciation. Mill objects that if happiness is defined as moments of rapture, â€Å"in an existence made up of few and transitory pains† and not as a â€Å"continuity of highly pleasurable excitement† happiness is quite attainable. The only reason why mankind is not yet in this condition of happiness is because our education and our social arrangements are inadequate. Concerning the objection that virtuous men renounced happiness Mill asserts that those noble men acted as martyrs, sacrificing their own happiness in order to increase the happiness of other people. However, such a sacrifice is not in itself an act of good but only insofar as it helps others. Mill presents a couple of other misapprehensions of utilitarian ethics, which he says are obviously wrong but which many people nevertheless believe. First, utilitarianism is often accused to be godless, because its foundation is human happiness, and not the will of god. But if we assume that god desires in the first instance the happiness of his creatures, then utilitarianism is more profoundly religious than any other doctrine. Another objection holds that there is not enough time to outweigh the effects on the general happiness prior to every action taken. Mill replies that such a claim also implies that if our conduct is guided by Christianity we’d have to read the Old and New Testament every time before we act. Obviously this is not possible. Instead he asserts that we had the entire duration of human existence to learn by experience which actions lead to certain results. The last critique Mill responds to is that utilitarianism legitimates immoral tendencies by justifying the break of rules by referring to an increase of utility. He replies that this problem can not only be found in utilitarianism but also in every other creed. Does this argument really dispel misconceptions about utilitarianism? In the beginning of chapter three Mill asserts that every moral philosophy needs some source of obligation in order to be binding. Regarding utilitarianism this binding force consists of internal and external sanctions. External sanctions include â€Å"the hope of favour and the fear of displeasure from our fellow creatures or from the Ruler of the Universe†. Internal sanctions on the other hand, are feelings in our own conscience and create a pain if we violate duty. This second type of sanction is considered to be more powerful. Thus to provide a force which is binding enough to influence people’s conduct, utilitarianism needs to appeal to people’s inner sentiment. Mill claims that in fact every moral sentiment could be cultivated, no matter how bad it is. However such â€Å"artificial† feelings, will eventually crumble when they are analyzed thoroughly. The utilitarian morality on the other hand, emerges as a particularly strong foundation because it’s consistent with the social nature of human sentiments: every one of us has an innate â€Å"desire to be in unity with our fellow creatures†. Mill finally emphasizes that this natural sentiment needs to be nourished through education and law. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. John Stuart, Mill, Utilitarianism, ed. Mary Waldrep (Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. , 2007), 1. [ 2 ]. Mill, 6. [ 3 ]. Mill, 8. [ 4 ]. Mill, 11. [ 5 ]. Mill, 11. [ 6 ]. Mill, 24. [ 7 ]. Mill, 27.

Domestic Violence Essay - 1988 Words

Domestic Violence - Final Research Paper Alysia Rodgers PSY 325: Statistics for the Behavioral amp; Social Sciences Dr. Andrew Edelman July 10th, 2011 I. Introduction to Domestic Violence Many people in this world suffer from domestic violence. It is an evil that harms the core of the human race. From very young children, to older people, the generations are affected by its plague. The most difficult part about domestic violence is the fact that it burns deep inside a person’s heart. In the bible, it is learned that the heart is the mind, the will, the thoughts, the emotions. These are the areas that it deeply wounds, and brings devastation too many families. This paper†¦show more content†¦The issue here, is the children effected by this. Earlier there was discussion about how it affects the children involved, their development, and how they may cope in social settings because of it. Implications globally are on a larger scale of the issue. Showing us that there are most likely many children going through social problems because of their experience with, domestic violence. One of the other things that is relevant to point out that some of the statistics shown in these articles are unclear, and questionable. In an earlier article, †Domestic Violence Statistics: An over view, Prevalence and Trends,† it states that,† about four to six million relationships suffer from domestic violence.† On the other hand, one of the articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica on this topic says that the number is,† two to four million.â⠂¬  This means that the studies that were done are questionable, also where they got their information is in question, as well. Topped with the year this information was gathered in the article for the reader. One of the things the researchers of these articles could have done is check to see if result is significantly relevant (Aron, 2011 pg. 162). They could have checked their sources, and began to figure out the mean of the numbers to get a more consistent number for the data (Aron, 2011). Additionally, in the Encyclopedia, Britannica article it states that teenagers as young as 15 years oldShow MoreRelatedDomestic violence1229 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ 3/1/13 Domestic Violence Persuasive Essay Final Draft â€Å"Every year, in the United States there are over 3 million incidents of reported domestic violence. Every year, 4,000 victims of domestic violence are killed.† (Domestic Violence: Disturbing Facts about Domestic Violence). Domestic violence is a crime that is not just committed in the United States, but worldwide. This crime is committed every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. Anybody can be a victim or the abuser. ThisRead MoreDomestic Violence1340 Words   |  6 PagesDomestic Violence is a problem sweeping the nation. This problem can affect anyone from anywhere but is generally acting out upon children and adult women in abusive relationships. Domestic violence is emotionally and physically scarring for anyone involved, and as a result could take multiple intervention meetings to begin to understand the issue, alleviate the associated problems, and to assist the victim in getting back on his or her feet. The consequences of abuse include anxiety, d epressionRead MoreDomestic Violence2691 Words   |  11 Pagestowards domestic violence have changed considerably. Once, the only avenue that existed for victims of domestic violence was through criminal law. Today, all states of Australia have enacted various forms of domestic violence legislation to deal with this growing problem within our communities. The Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld) provides a broader and more contemporary definition of what constitutes domestic and family violence. 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EllenRead MoreDomestic Violence And Sexual Violence1237 Words   |  5 Pages1.0 Introduction Domestic violence or intimate partner violence can occur in any type of relationship. There are many types of domestic violence including; social, physical, emotional and spiritual. Domestic violence is all about one person wanting control and power over the other and it can be expressed in many ways. It can occur in more than one way such as; coercion, threats, intimidation, isolation, stalking, sexual abuse, and economic abuse. It can also be a single act or a pattern of behaviourRead MoreDomestic Abuse And Domestic Violence965 Words   |  4 PagesI chose to do the domestic survivors subculture I feel as if it was a great topic to focus on its going to reveal a lot of emotion. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Domestic violence sometimes called battering is against the law. At first glance, it is hard to imagine why a victim of domestic violence would voluntarily remain in the relationship with the abuser. As you may know domestic violence doesn’t always start off as violence it starts off as in the form of love. The abuser feels asRead MoreThe Effects Of Violence On Domestic Violence1380 Words   |  6 Pagesobject to violence, because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent†, quoted by Mahatma Gandhi. Violence is defined as an unjust or unwarranted exertion of power or force to intentionally injure, damage, or destroy something or someone. Amongst the various types of violence, there is one in particular that has been causing an ongoing debate within societies across the world; this certain type of violence is known as domestic violence. Domestic violence, alsoRead MoreDomestic Violence And Sexual Violence1535 Words   |  7 Pageslifetime (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2015). 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