General Psychology: Reaction paper 1 Guidelines

The reaction paper is meant to give you a deeper understanding of the concepts we cover in this course. For this first reaction paper I have focused on mental disorders and their treatment. All the options in this paper pertain to psychological disorders that we will cover in the course.

You will graded upon the following areas:

Understanding of material

· You will be graded on your ability to demonstrate that you completely read/watched the chosen work and that you understood the material. Basically, this is a BRIEF summary of your chosen work.

Reaction to Material

· You will be graded on your ability to give a clear opinion and/or a well-developed argument about the work you chose.

In-Depth Analysis of the Evidence for or Against your Reaction

· You will be graded on your ability to give an in-depth analysis of evidence that supports or refutes your reaction to the work. Students will find and cite at least two other sources that support or refute their reaction. For example, the work you chose advocates for a confrontational style that you find to be uncomfortable. In the previous section you discussed your discomfort with treatment of an individual in one of the movies. In this section you discuss whether evidence backs this method of treatment as effective or finds it to be harmful. As another example, you may feel that the work you have chosen ignores an important aspect of assessing or treating a particular type of psychological disorder. In this section, you would provide evidence that the factor you consider to be important has been found to be an central consideration in assessing or treating this type of mental health issue.

Grammar, Readability, and Page Length

· Your paper should be well organized and must meet a minimum page length of 3 FULL pages (not counting title page or reference page)

To help get you started, here is a sample outline focusing on possible heading. You don’t necessarily have to follow the sample outline is long is the areas above are covered.

Sample Outline:

Title Page (Not counted towards the minimum 3 page total)

Introduction (No more than half a page. I will count off if you make this section too long as it would serve as filler. In other words, be efficient with your summary)

· Include your summary here

Reaction (Should range somewhere between 1-2 pages)

Analysis of Psychological Concepts (Should range somewhere between 1-2 pages)

Reference Page (Not counted towards the minimum 3 page total)

I want you to have the opportunity to chose which work that will be the subject of your reaction paper. I find that we learn best when we are able to choose works that represent topics of interest. As such, I would like you to choose 1 of the following 3 options as the subject of the reaction paper. To be clear, you only need to base your reaction paper on 1 of the options below.

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Option 1: Movie Time–Inpatient Treatment & One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Mental health treatment has vastly changed over time. Even in the last few decades, treatment of psychological concerns have changed, usually to the benefit of individuals seeking treatment. The film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest provides an excellent look at inpatient treatment in the early 1960s. I recommend thinking about ethics and human rights as you watch the film. Additionally, the film is educational in that it has scenes that show electroconvulsive therapy and the effects of a lobotomy. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made, so you can’t go wrong with this choice.

You will likely have rent this one. It is available at most video rental services. Here is a link to the movie on Amazon Instant Video:

P.S. The film is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. You may read the book instead of watching the film if you prefer.

Option 2: Movie Time—As Good as it Gets

Psychological disorders are frequently depicted in films, sometimes accurately and sometimes very inaccurately. For this option, I have chosen a film that places Obsessive Compulsive Disorder at the center of a…romantic comedy. A critically lauded film, nominated for 7 Oscars and winning 2 of them, As Good as it Gets was loved by the public when it was released. Underneath the surface, the film does have a few things to say about OCD and mental illness in general. Are these assertions accurate or fabricated to make a more entertaining movie? Pop some popcorn and find out!

This one is on Netflix. It is also available at most video rental services. Here is a link to the movie on Amazon Instant Video if you don’t have Netflix:

Option 3: Movie Time—Reign on Me

Various types of crises are frequently depicted in films, sometimes accurately and sometimes very inaccurately. For this option, I have chosen a film that shows an individual in a transcrisis state, meaning that his current reality is affected by an unresolved crisis. Some things to ponder as you watch: Are the depictions in the film of an individual traumatized by a past event an accurate portrayal of what occurs in such a situation? What factors have contributed to the prolonging of the crisis? Has anything helped the individual?

You will likely have rent this one. It is available at most video rental services. Here is a link to the movie on Amazon Instant Video: