Somatoform & Dissociation SyllabusPsych Disorders
Feb. 2015Mr. Aiello
Somatoform & Dissociation Disorders
Unit Syllabus
Enduring Understanding:
The way Hollywood portrays mental illness has a powerful effect on public perceptions of people with mental illness.
Essential Question:
How does the media’s portrayal of people with psychological disorders affect the way Americans think about mental illness?
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE - By the end of this course, students will be able to:
•Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM system of diagnosing and categorizing psychological illnesses.
•Explain the major characteristics of the different perspectives of psychology and how they are used to identify and treat people with psychological disorders.
•Describe the techniques and devices used by writers and filmmakers to influence the audience’s attitudes and beliefs about people with psychological disorders.
•Differentiate between accurate and inaccurate portrayals of the characteristics of psychopathology, persons with mental illness, psychotherapy, and therapists.
•Identify and explain the harmful effects of inaccurate portrayals of people with psychological disorders in film and mass media in general.
•Discuss and investigate suggestions for more accurate ways to portray people with mental illnesses in the media.
Unlike our first unit, this second unit will look at some disorders where anxiety is noticeably absent. Some of the most famous psychologists and psychiatrists from the early years of the field used patients with these disorders to establish their theories and approaches to understanding mental illness. Through the years, many criticisms and eventually alternative explanations have been offered to explain these strange disorders.
We will be watching the 1977 television event, Sybil starring Joanne Woodward and Sally Field.
At the end of this unit, we will have a traditional test over the first two units.
Essential Questions:
• How can a clinician tell the difference between a person with a real physical ailment and one with a somatoform disorder?
•How does dissociation help the person to relieve their overwhelming anxiety?
•Explain the controversy surrounding dissociative identity disorder.
NightHomeplay assignment
Friday,Jan. 31Seligman, pp 221 – 233.
Monday,Feb. 2Seligman, pp 233 – 247.
Tuesday,Feb. 3Get caught up with the chapter readings.
Wednesday,Feb. 4Young, Ch. 2: “The Search for Meaning – Psychological Interpretations in the Movies”
Thursday, Feb. 5Otto Wahl, Ch. 1: “Madness, Madness Everywhere”
Friday,Feb. 6None
Monday,Feb. 9Wahl, Ch. 2: “Words and Laughter”
Tuesday,Feb. 10Debbie Nathan, “Sybil Exposed” and complete your Sybil viewing guide.
Wednesday,Feb. 11Study for the Test tomorrow.
Thursday, Feb. 12Seligman, pp 249 – 264.