PSY 121 Take Home Exam: Study Design of Psychological Disorders

This research paper presents a study design on psychological disorders, addressing the lack of clear diagnostic tests and the impact on individuals and society. The study aims to understand the causes and potential treatments for these disorders, focusing on the role of social learning theory. The paper highlights the importance of societal positivity and support in improving the lives of those affected by mental health issues. It emphasizes the need for tailored treatment approaches, considering individual differences and circumstances. The study design aligns with the goals of psychology, including describing, explaining, predicting, and potentially controlling human behavior to improve the quality of life. The study design is based on the student's take-home exam from PSY 121 at the university.

[Psychology]
2020
University
Student Credentials

Research Paper 1
Research Question:
One of the topics that interest me is concerning the Psychological Disorders. The main issue
with a psychological disorder is that there is no clear test to figure out if a person has a
psychological disorder apart from counselling. There are clear examples in the form of
criminals like Luka Magnotta and Mark Twichell where people were unable to figure out the
psychological issue these had before they committed a crime, so gruesome, that they had to
be sent to rehabilitation centres as well as attend mental health clinics while serving
punishments. It is fascinating to know about people’s lives and the way they think (Lillebuen,
2012).
Purpose of the Study:
The purpose behind this study is to help understand why psychological disorders take place
or how? This paper also focuses on what measures can be taken in order to keep track of the
situation or analyse or figure out certain ways in which people with psychological disorders
can be treated. Psychological Disorders affect each individual in different ways. It affects
their lives, as well as the lives of the people surrounding them. In order to improve the
situation, people suffering from mental or psychological disorders are referred to
psychologists as well as counsellors as they try to assist these people and provide them with
the apt services. This does not just inflict on the lives of the people suffering but also their
families and loved ones.
Critical Thinking:
Psychology is not just about facing some serious issues like suicidal tendencies or as such,
but it is the study of the whole process of how grave issues come into existence. It all initiates
from a very small thing as in, taking it too seriously when one call another fat or not being

Research Paper 2
able to figure out how individuals feel or overthinking about anything. All of the above
mentioned are very small issues that grow into bigger problems. Minor depressive state for a
few minutes can turn into chronic depression very fast as it is just a matter of time.
Researchers have found that an approximate of 10- 15 per cent of Canadians are prone to
Psychological Disorders every year. It can be caused by various aspects as in it can be related
to racism, socioeconomic class, poor, unemployed, or even of a certain ethnic group. As per
the researchers it has also been found out that instead of being a new concept of mental
health, theses psychological issues have been here since forever though people had less
awareness regarding them and had a stigma associated to it, which is why, people in early
years did not discuss these issues often (Michaels, López, Rüsch, & Corrigan, 2017). Anxiety
Disorders like, PTSD, OCD, or even GAD have become such a common sight in Canada and
the stigma associated with it does not help either. Constant Anxiety attacks and as such
makes the growth of an individual difficult (North & North, 2017).
After collecting a lot of data in connection with the issue by these researchers and scholars, it
can be concluded that the researchers have just provided the numbers, while when
psychologists are consulted, there seems to be a huge lack in the system that provides
assistance to the individuals with mental issues. There has been a lot of racism or gender
based abuses or incidences that have risen up. These cause a lot of gaps between what the
researchers talk about and what actually happens. All of these result in slow deterioration of
the mental states of the people who actually have chronic mental issues like depression and
anxiety (Kring & Johnson, 2018).
Hypothesis:
Based on the research, it can be said that the decisions made by the individuals in power or
system will not help the people suffering from the mental issues much. Individuals need to

Research Paper 3
assists each other and make situation better for each other. There have been many theories as
well as aspects according to which the famous theorists have stated how people can get well
but it is all theoretical. Every individual is different from each other and theories have to be
moulded in such a manner that individuals can be benefitted from them. Each Psychological
issue is different, each person’s way of thinking is different and to a certain extent
circumstances of every individual is different, and hence, there is a requirement of just a
framework to be developed and the counsellors while dealing with the people can mould the
internal policies and way of treatment (Kendal, Boogert, Rendell, Laland, Webster, & Jones,
2018).
Theory:
Social learning theory applies the best in such situations where people need to understand
more about the psychological disorders as it is the best way to understand what and how the
individual reacts with people who are close to him /her or the manner in which reaction is
given by the individual while communicating with the society. The manner in which a person
portrays himself /herself in the external world is another way that the counsellor or the one
treating can understand the individual better. The thoughts that dominate one’s mind can be
known through a certain processes, by getting in touch with the experts or the individuals
who know a lot and as such (Kalkstein, Kleiman, Wakslak, Liberman, & Trope, 2016).
Society plays a very important role in developing psychological disorders as it is the one that
affects individuals in several ways. People might not be affected in the most pleasant manner
but ultimately everything affects vulnerable people (Akers & Jennings, 2016).

Research Paper 4
Conclusion
As per the above understanding, society reflecting positive behaviour can be life changing for
people struggling to survive. There are numerous people in the world who are currently
battling to survive their inner negative thought process. People with extreme anxiety,
depression or any kind of other mental issue can be helped only by spreading positivity
around as it will yield the best results as people will be more open to listening, much more
open to discussing things and ultimately the statistics related to people with such issues can
be reduced.

Research Paper 5
Bibliography
Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2016). Social learning theory. In Wiley Handbooks in
Criminology and Criminal Justice (pp. 230-240).
Kalkstein, D. A., Kleiman, T., Wakslak, C. J., Liberman, N., & Trope, Y. (2016). Social
learning across psychological distance. Journal of personality and social psychology,
1.
Kendal, R. L., Boogert, N. J., Rendell, L., Laland, K. N., Webster, M., & Jones, P. L. (2018).
Social learning strategies: Bridge-building between fields. Trends in cognitive
sciences, 651-665.
Kring, A. M., & Johnson, S. L. (2018). Abnormal psychology: The science and treatment of
psychological disorders. John Wiley & Sons.
Lillebuen, S. (2012). Murder feed: Luka Magnotta and Mark Twitchell. Retrieved April 9,
2020, from Steve Lillebuen: http://www.stevelillebuen.com/crime-and-justice/luka-
magnotta-mark-twitchell-snuff-film-dexter-social-media/
Michaels, P. J., López, M., Rüsch, N., & Corrigan, P. W. (2017). Constructs and concepts
comprising the stigma of mental illness. Psychology, Society, & Education, 183-194.
North, M. M., & North, S. M. (2017). Virtual reality therapy for treatment of psychological
disorders. In In Career Paths in Telemental Health (pp. 263-268). Springer, Cham.