As I have mentioned several times during the semester, each chapter that we have covered looked at a particular area in the field of psychology. Those chapters or topics in each chapter are associated with the perspectives in psychology that we discussed in chapter 1. In essence, each chapter builds on the perspectives that aim to explain psychological science, each in its own way. For example, the biological perspective looks at the influences of the brain and nervous system, which includes what we inherit form our parents. This, in turn, is looked fully in chapter 2, biological psychology. In the chapters that followed, we looked at how our brain and nervous system affects our development and our learning, as well as, some aspects of our personality. We know that biology, our genetic background, also influences the development of psychological disorders, with some having been more clearly identified.

Well, guess what? It turns out that we can use those same perspectives to guide the types of psychological treatments that clinical psychologists provide. What do you think that the biological perspective states about treatment? Uhm…I am sure that your answer was medication or some type of medical treatment. I am sure that’s what you said and I am also sure that you remember that psychologists do not prescribe medications, even though we are doctors with a PhD or PsyD degree; psychiatrists prescribe medications because they went to medical school and their degree is MD for medical doctor. Therefore, clinicians in mental health often work closely with psychiatrists, as many disorders respond best to a combination of medication and therapy.

What I am trying to say is that each of the perspectives contribute to different types of psychotherapies. For this discussion, use 1 of the following perspectives to describe what they see as the origin/cause of 2 of the psychological disorders listed below and how they approach to treatment. I urge you to choose a disorders that interest you. If a disorder is not listed, you can substitute the one you are interested for one of the ones I have listed. Just make sure to answer the questions.

Perspectives/Models: (choose one)

• Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic
• Humanistic,
• Biological,
• Behavioral
• Cognitive

Disorders: (explain two disorders based on the perspective you chose)

• Anxiety Disorders: Panic, Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• Bipolar Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Personality Disorders: Narcissistic, Borderline, Antisocial