Angela Shuback
Food, Society, & Culture in a Global Perspective
March 2, 2015
Disciplinary Thinking and Ethical Frameworks in Psychology
As a discipline, psychology goes about defining research questions through
different types of research designs (i.e., true experiment, case study). Once a research
question is posed and a study design is decided on, the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
must approve a study before it is performed to ensure that it will be performed ethically.
These various research questions allow us to ethically gather information about human
behavior and cognition and help us to apply that information to our understanding of
humans and our interactions with others.
One such research design, a case study, allows psychologists to follow one
individual very closely for a period of time to observe their symptoms, diagnose a
disorder, and develop a treatment plan to improve their life. The purpose of this case
study analysis project was to diagnose a mentally ill patient with the correct Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition; DSM-5) clinical diagnosis and to
explain why I believed the individual should receive this diagnosis based on what I
learned about anxiety disorders and theoretical frameworks in Abnormal Psychology.
This assignment specifically encompassed the areas central to the field of
psychopathology: clinical features, etiology, and treatment. The clinical features area
encompasses the pattern of symptoms and features that characterize DSM-5 disorders.
Etiology encompasses the various causes that may explain why a disorder might occur.
In my Abnormal Psychology course, the etiology of a disorder was based off of the
biopsychosocial model of psychology, comprised of the social systems perspective,
biological perspective, cognitive perspective, and behavioral perspective; together these
perspectives contributed to the possible causes of the development of a psychological
disorder. Finally, the treatment area of psychopathology is how to best intervene in the
life of a person with a psychological disorder and how to improve their conditions.
This paper specifically focuses on the etiology and treatment aspects of
psychopathology through a case study of Nora McCoy Wilson. In this assignment, I read
Nora’s case study, which provided some background on her life and recent symptoms;
decided on the correct DSM-5 diagnosis to give Nora based on her symptoms; postulated
why Nora may have developed panic disorder and agoraphobia based on details from her
four perspectives of the biopsychosocial model of psychopathology; and then discussed
treatment goals and the steps I would take to treat Nora for her anxiety disorders.
I completed this case study analysis assignment in an Abnormal Psychology
course. Abnormal Psychology provided me with a broad overview of the DSM-5 and an
introduction to many of the psychological disorders that exist. This course also provided
me with a comprehensive understanding of normal versus abnormal human behaviors and
cognitions. Each day in class, my professor would present us with a case study of an
individual with a psychological disorder from the unit we were discussing (i.e., anxiety
disorders, mood disorders, sexual disorders, schizophrenia), and then he had us split up
into clinical teams to discuss the patient’s symptoms, diagnosis, etiology, and course of
action for treatment. Abnormal Psychology was most applicable to individuals entering
into clinical psychology, counseling, psychiatry, and social work, because individuals
who work in these professions generally work as part of a clinical team. On days that we
did not work on a case study, my professor lectured on the characteristics of various
anxiety, mood, and sexual disorders and how these certain classifications of disorders are
normally treated in a clinical setting.
This course aimed to accomplish the following goals during the semester: (1) To
acquire a basic understanding of commonly seen psychological disorders, such as
schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders (2) To acquire a basic ability to
work with and apply theoretical concepts when analyzing individuals with psychological
disorders and the causes of the disorders (3) To gain a basic understanding of
interventions used to treat psychological disorders and (4) To explore certain social and
legal aspects associated with these disorders. The clear goals set forth in this course
provided me with clear expectations for the course and illustrated the disciplinary
knowledge that my professor hoped to instill in us. I truly believe that I gained a
thorough understanding of the symptoms and characteristics of commonly seen
psychological disorders throughout this course. The second goal of this course remains
especially important to disciplinary theory and ethical reasoning. Through using the
biopsychosocial model, I was able to effectively acquire a basic ability to work with and
apply theoretical concepts when analyzing individuals with psychological disorders and
the causes of those disorders, which helped me to formulate treatment plans.
This assignment exhibited the interdisciplinary aspect of the field of psychology.
Psychology uses many overarching theoretical approaches in order to explain human
cognitions, behaviors, biology, and social systems. For example, my abnormal
psychology course used the theoretical approach of the biopsychosocial model to
understand the etiology of psychological disorders. This theoretical model allowed me to
approach each individual’s case in a uniform way, while taking into account many
different events and circumstances that may have caused a psychological disorder to
develop in the first place. I used the biopsychosocial perspective in this case study
analysis project to diagnose Nora with panic disorder and agoraphobia, two types of
anxiety disorders. I also used certain psychological learning theories, such as social
learning theory and conditioning in this project and throughout this course, those of
which are seen widely across the field of psychology and in human behavior in general.
My ability to read Nora’s case study, identify symptoms of different anxiety disorders
that I learned about in the course, and develop a comprehensive, ethical treatment plan
for Nora are all evidence of my understanding of disciplinary thinking and ethical
reasoning in the field of psychology.
As a field, psychology’s interdisciplinary nature contributes to many subdisciplines of psychology, as well as many other fields of study. Its questions and
theories regarding human cognition and behavior can be applied to disciplines, such as
sociology, human services, and public health, to name a few. The questions
psychologists have often posed, such as “Why do individuals think the way they do?” or
“What behaviors characterize an anxiety disorder?” are highly relatable to the human
population in general and provide us with knowledge about our species and the world we
live in. Although we may not have answers to such inquiries, they are extremely relevant
questions to ask in the field of psychology. The field as a whole aims to understand
every facet of human behavior and cognition and has questions that relate to these
innumerable facets of the discipline, therefore there is not one main question that the field
of psychology poses. Psychologists are constantly working to answer these various
questions to better understand the world around us and contribute to human society as a
whole. Completing this case study analysis project allowed me to meet the goals of this
course and truly illustrates how psychology contributes to the betterment of society
through psychological analysis and treatment.
I believe that my case study analysis project had many strengths. First, I correctly
diagnosed Nora with a comorbid diagnosis of panic disorder and agoraphobia. This
correct diagnosis illustrates that I was intimately familiar with the criteria of the DSM-5
for both panic disorder and agoraphobia and that I was able to identify those symptoms
within the context of an individual’s daily life and distinguish them from those of other
disorders. As shown on my case study analysis score sheet (attached), my professor
believed that I displayed deep coverage of the application of terms and principles in
analyzing Nora’s case; he believed that my diagnosis was analytical and well explained.
Next, my ability to incorporate academic journal articles into my prior knowledge of the
characteristics of anxiety disorders allowed me to develop a strong argument for the
biological basis of Nora’s trait neuroticism and panic disorder, for example. In general,
my ability to effectively incorporate academic journal articles into my paper displayed
my understanding of what reputable sources in my field of study look like and how to
support my arguments with the existing literature. Finally, my ability to correctly
identify Nora’s disorder and its possible causes allowed me to develop specific treatment
goals, along with a comprehensive, customized treatment plan, in order to reduce the
number of panic attacks Nora experienced and to improve her life overall. My professor
believed that I provided a very well constructed and detailed treatment plan, which can
also be seen on my attached score sheet. My ability to identify symptoms of a disorder
and develop a treatment plan around those symptoms is vital in the field of clinical
psychology, so my strengths in this assignment will hopefully parallel my strengths as a
clinical psychologist in the future.
Though I believe this case study analysis project had many strengths, there were a
few aspects of the paper that could be improved upon. First, I confused the terms
negative and positive reinforcement when discussing Nora’s agoraphobia in the context
of the behavioral perspective of the biopsychosocial model. Additionally, I made some
minor mistakes in a few of the APA style references in my reference list. These
weaknesses could be improved easily by ensuring that I thoroughly understand the
definitions of terms I want to include in my paper before using them and carefully
reading the latest edition of the APA Style Manual when compiling my reference list.
Overall, I believe that this case study analysis project was very beneficial to me as
a psychology student and future clinician. It allowed me to take an in depth look at a
specific patient with a psychological disorder and to apply theoretical concepts from the
field of psychology (i.e., the biopsychosocial model) in order to diagnose a disorder,
understand its etiology, and develop a treatment plan. In clinical psychology, these are
the exact steps that are taken to diagnose and treat individuals with psychological
disorders, so this was very applicable to my future career. The various steps taken and
theoretical framework used to diagnose a patient exhibits the interdisciplinary nature of
the field of psychology and the ethical reasoning used in both research and clinical
practice.