1. Chapters 1,2, and 3 were our foundational chapters.

They included a brief history of the

early years and the strategies that were tried and largely failed as clinical psychology
developed a more humane approach to treatment. How effectively would you say this
history, subsequent models for contemporary treatment, and assessment methods were
presented? If you could make any changes to that foundation, describe what you would
like.
        Chapter 1 discussed the four main D’s of abnormality which are dangerous, distress,
deviance and dysfunction. Chapter 2 on the other hand discussed the five models of
abnormality which included the biological model, psychodynamic model, behavioral model,
cognitive model and the humanistic model. For each model they discussed how it shows
abnormal behavior and the treatments that go along with it. Finally, in chapter 3, the author
discusses the utility of projective tests and the problems or issues that came along with them.
For example, many of these tests did not show much reliability or validity. In addition, the DSM 5
which is a classification system was talked about along with all the changes and modifications
made to it. Lastly, it ends with the different therapy sessions and if they are effective or not.
Personally, I think the textbook did a good job of showing and explaining all of these topics
because it truly went into depth and had many examples that helped me understand the
concepts more. In addition, the class time we had once a week really helped me understand the
topics more because it was a quick introduction to what we will be reading on our own time. I
also liked during class how we would relate the topics we were learning about back to personal
experiences, it would help me gain a better concept. If I could make one change to the
foundation of class and topics maybe I would break up some of the chapters or make some of
them a little shorter because I would zone out sometimes when reading because it was a lot of
information at once.

2. We discussed many disorders, many of which have a core of anxiety and distress, that is
then layered with other behaviors and emotional states. Which one of these related
disorders did you feel was presented effectively that you got the most from learning
about? Was there something else you would have liked to have spent more time
discussing?
    One disorder that we learned about that was presented effectively and I got the most
learning from was generalized anxiety disorder. Maybe people including myself think
they know what generalized anxiety is but at the end of the day there is so much more to
the disorder than we know as explained throughout the textbook and in class. From the
cognitive perspectives to all the different types of anxiety and therapy sessions it really
taught me information I was not aware about. Many of my friends struggle with anxiety
but I did not know the extent of it until class this semester. I also was not aware of all the
different disorders that are related to anxiety like obsessive compulsive disorder and
phobias. It was also very interesting learning about the biological side of anxiety with all
the certain neurotransmitters and what exactly is going on in an individual's brain
suffering from anxiety. One topic I wish we spent more time on in class and outside of
class was eating disorders. We did go into depth about the different eating disorders in
class but that was the topic that interested me personally the most, so I wish we spent
more than a week on it. Many people in my family including me have struggled with
social anxiety and certain eating disorders so it was very interesting to hear the cause
and effect of all the different eating disorders and how it can truly affect an individual’s
mental and physical health. 
3. Which disorder's discussion do you feel will be the most helpful to you as you think about
your future career choices?
    When I go into my future career, I hope to become an occupational therapist. One
topic or topics that I think will be the most helpful to me in the future that we learned
about in class are the abnormal behaviors in individuals and disorders that are
genetically related like Alzheimer’s. Many older individuals who suffer with Alzheimer’s
or dementia need assistants with different coordination because they sometimes forget
how to do certain aspects in life so I can help them regain that knowledge or aspect they
are missing out on. In addition, when individuals go to an occupational therapist, they
are struggling to complete daily life tasks or have trouble with certain motor skills, so
learning about different abnormal behaviors in the brain helped me understand where
the patients are coming from or what caused the patient to be struggling with their motor
skills. Lastly, OT’s don’t just help with their patient’s physical health but mental health too
so learning about the different abnormal behaviors in an individual's brain will help me
understand their mental health better.