HONORS PSYCHOLOGY

MS. ROTHWEILER

LAP 2

8 CLASS MEETINGS

2016

Abnormal Psychology

Stress, Anxiety, and Disorders

Each of us has probably thought, I cannot do one more thing. I am so overwhelmed. This feeling is not unusual for any person living
within a highly industrialized society. The demands push fun and relaxation onto the back burner. The technology and fast pace
lifestyle makes us feel vulnerable. Likewise, we become susceptible to stress, anxiety, and possible mental illnesses. What we
consider necessities -cell phones, pagers, fax machines, and email- can make us captive to the beck and call of others. Yet the stress
in our lives is not necessarily bad. It is when we allow the demands to control our lives, when we do not initiate problem solving
techniques, or when we refuse to say no, that stress becomes a danger to us.
Stress can have a myriad of physical effects. From simple headaches and backaches to coronary diseases, stress attacks the immune
system and debilitates the person. However, the attack does not restrict itself to the physical. Stress has as great of an effect on the
mental health of an individual. Chronic stress can result in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Stockholm syndrome, depression, or
personality disorders. If left unchecked, stress is dangerous.
Coping with stress is as easy as pie. If that was true, then the 70% of all illnesses
treated by doctors would not be stress related. However, there are a number of ways
individuals can attack the problem. Positive coping techniques such as exercise,
meditation, and time-management, can produce a lifestyle that is not dominated by
stress. Changing lifestyles, such as avoiding fast foods, stop smoking, and
increasing the amount of rest and relaxation, will reduce stress. Most importantly, the
greatest weapon against stress is a positive mental attitude.
Despite the numerous solutions to stress, many individuals allow anxiety to grow. As
a result, they suffer from neurosis (anxiety disorders) or psychosis. Although the
latter is associated with neurological states as well as emotional, stress is a
contributing factor to the severity of the state. Once stress has evolved to the
neurosis or psychosis stage, psychotherapy is necessary.
Rationale
Stress is unavoidable. How one responds to stress is the key to being healthy or ill. In this LAP students will identify the causes of
stress, positive ways to cope with stress, and what happens when stress becomes chronic. Since many individuals will cross over to
chronic stress and seek help from a psychology profession, it is also important to understand the different therapeutic approaches and
which is appropriate for a particular emotional disorder

stress

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY

MS. ROTHWEILER

LAP 2

8 CLASS MEETINGS

2016

Objectives
1.Evaluate how an individual effectively deals with stress
2. Analyze why stress impacts individually differently
3. Identify and describe the various types of personality disorders
6. Evaluate the 6 styles of therapy in terms of goals and techniques
7. Analyze the medical treatments for abnormal behavior
8. Define the following:
Type A Personality
Type B Personality
distress
eustress
phobia
Panic attack
electroconvulsive therapy Lobotomy
conflict
stress
PTSD
insanity
neurotic
mania
somatoform disorders
conversion disorders
Fugue
amnesia
Voyeurism
schizoid

General Adaptation Syndrome

Learned helplessness
psychotherapy
transference
direct coping
affective disorders
panic disorders
hypochondria
multiple personality
narcissism

Burnout
Fight or Flight
free association
frustration
defensive coping
psychotic
OCD
dissociative disorder
paraphilias

Essential Questions:
1. Is stress avoidable?
2. How detrimental is a personality disorder?
3. What treatment is the most effective for treating abnormal behavior?

LAP PROJECT
It may seem that theres nothing you can do about your stress level. The assignments arent going to stop
coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your job or family responsibilities will
always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that
youre in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your
environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, a balance which provides
time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun plus the resiliency to hold up under pressure and meet
challenges head on.
Your journal has three phases, with phase three needing to be submitted the last class day of February, March,
and April
Phase One : of your Journal:

Using the stressors chart for two days, identify what stresses you out. Then rank these in terms from your greatest stressor to what
creates the least amount of stress. To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY

MS. ROTHWEILER

LAP 2

8 CLASS MEETINGS

2016

1. Do you explain away stress as temporary (I just have a million things going on right now) even though you cant remember the last
time you took a breather?
2. Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (Things are always crazy around here) or as a part of your
personality (I have a lot of nervous energy, thats all).
3. Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?
To conclude phase one, do a one or two paragraph analysis which must include:
What caused your stress (make a guess if youre unsure).
How you felt, both physically and emotionally. ( Give the stress level a score of 1-10)
How you acted in response - emotionally and physically- is the stressor as great as you first perceive it, i.e the little old lady in
front of me I am behaving at a level 8 but it really was a 2.)
What you did to make yourself feel better.
Check rubrics for paragraph writing and journaling.

This phase is DUE LAST DAY OF THE LAP

Remember this is a two day process, which must be completed as you are experiencing the situation ;you cannot do it after
the fact. In other words, do not do it any later than that evening and not a week later.

The next two phases are a semester project

Phase 2 of the journal Analyze how your cope or respond to your stress. Select one day each week to analyze. Select the day prior
to the actual date. In your analysis ask yourself:. Do I use:
defense mechanisms as defined by Freud
direct coping as explained in your textbook in class or your text
or in a damaging manner that creates a temporary solution
Smoking
Drinking Overeating or undereating Sleeping
Procrastinating Using pills or drugs to relax
Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
Taking out your stress on others
(lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)
(http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm)
Write a one paragraph analysis of phase 2. Again refer to the rubrics. DUE March 18
Phase 3: Develop a plan for reducing stress in your life? Utilize:
your book
the website- http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
The website - http://www.gentle-stress-relief.com/stress-plan.html
to develop a plan that you will follow for the next three months. Write out the plan and submit it with the reflection

For the last two weeks of April, do a weekly reflection on how well you followed your plan and what effects did your plan have. THIS

IS DUE MAY 1 by midnight

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY

MS. ROTHWEILER

LAP 2

2016

8 CLASS MEETINGS

LAP Calendar

Class Meeting

Day/Date

Class Focus

Assignment Due
At the beginning
of class

First Class Meeting

Feb 18

Introduction to Stress
And de-stressing exercise

None

Second Class
Meeting

Feb 22

Complete Introduction
progressive relaxation

None

Third Class Meeting

Feb 24

Activity On stress and Intro to Activity 2

First day of stress

analysis for stress
journal

Fourth Class
Meeting

Feb 26

Parameters of Mental Illness

2-1

Fifth Class Meeting

March 1

In class do the diagnosing mental

disorders activity

2-2

Sixth Class Meeting

March 2

Suggesting treatments for abnormal

behavior

2-3
2-4

Book

Due by March 20

Man Who Mistook His Wife for a

HAT

Explanation of Assignments

Due Date

2.1 Read chapter 11 in your text. As you read, take notes

Fourth

2.2 Complete the Obsessive Compulsive test available on classroom

Bring to class

Fifth

2.3 Read chapter 12 in your text. Take notes

Must be submitted by classroom

Sixth

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY

MS. ROTHWEILER

LAP 2

2016

8 CLASS MEETINGS

2-4 Select any of the following topics and do a journal write (submit via
classroom

Sixth

1. Does psychotherapy really work?

2. Should psychologists be able to prescribe drugs
3. Are antidepressants too easily prescribes
4. Is electroconvulsive therapy safe?
Check journal rubric

Enrichment
On the rothiwa.com are video clips to watch. Each video clip is in its own folder with a worksheet to be completed. The worksheets
tells you how many points it is worth
Watch the dvd in Ms. Rothweilers room on Stress. 5 points. Write a 10-12 analysis of the program.

Watch one of the following films - do a similar character analysis as you did for assignment 2-3
Henry A Portrait of A Serial Killer
Clean Shaven
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Sybil
5 points
Bring in a Halloween costume that portrays a specific psychological disorder i.e. a narcissist would have a dummy or a
doll strapped to a mirror or carrying a mirror We will display the displays.
5 points
Research one of these rare disorders and write up a 2-3 page report- double space MLA format. Include sources.
Capgras Syndrome, Ekboms syndrome, munchausen syndrome, or folie a deux
5 points