Abnormal Psychology 2372
Semester Group Project
Project Description:
You are divided into groups with your classmates and are part of a clinical team. Each
team is assigned a specific psychological disorder that they will research and present on.
In addition, as part of the learning process, each team will present a case vignette of a
well-known, famous person (a celebrity) who displays the symptoms and behaviors of the
disorder. A representation of a disorder is one of the best tools in helping us better
understand what a disorder may look like or how it may be expressed.
Project Objectives:
The purpose of this activity is to assist students in better understanding psychological
disorders. At the end of the task, each member should be able to:
1. Identify the etiology of the assigned disorder
2. Identify the specific diagnostic criteria of the assigned disorder
3. Provide clinical examples/case vignettes of the assigned disorder
4. Comment on current treatment for the assigned disorder
Collectively, at the end of the task, each member will learn the following tools:
1. Identify and research the multiple factors that contribute to a disorder
2. Use the DSM-IV-TR to identify the diagnostic criteria for disorders
3. Understand case vignettes, containing the history and current symptoms, as a learning
tool
Group Roles:
Each student has been assigned to a group of 4 members. Each member in the group has
a specific role and responsibility. Each member’s contributions will be used in the final
project. Please decide among yourself which role each group member will be responsible
for.
Etiology/Historian CoordinatorThis member will research the history and causes of the disorder. This will include the
factors that contribute to the development using an Integrative Model. That is, factors
that need to be included are biological, psychological, and social/environmental factors.
Current research must also be presented to include a research article no earlier than
2002.
Diagnostic CoordinatorThis member will research the specific criteria needed to diagnosis an individual with a
disorder, based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Additionally, you will need to include the
symptoms that will be expressed by the disorder. That is, you will include the behaviors
and interactions that an individual with the disorder will demonstrate. Current research
must also be presented to include a research article no earlier than 2002.
Case Vignette CoordinatorThis member will identify a well-known, famous individual with the disorder. You will
need to research the biographical history of the client, including factors that you think
might have contributed to the disorder. Along with the history, you will need to include
current symptoms and/or behaviors that client is displaying. Current research must also
be presented to include a research article no earlier than 2002 that discuss current
treatment methods or potential future treatment methods for the disorder.
Case Vignette CoordinatorThis member will identify another well-known, famous individual with the disorder. You
will need to research the biographical history of the client, including factors that you
think might have contributed to the disorder. Along with the history, you will need to
include current symptoms and/or behaviors that client is displaying. Current research
must also be presented to include a research article no earlier than 2002 that discuss
current treatment methods or potential future treatment methods for the disorder.
Project Requirements
Each group will need to develop a PowerPoint Presentation based on the information
researched by the group members. Therefore, there should be PowerPoint slides
representing information gathered from EACH group member. Individual members are
responsible for contributing the slides to the Final Group PowerPoint Presentation. The
whole group will be given 20 minutes for the presentation. This provides each member
of the group 5 minutes of presentation time.
Additionally, each group member will need to write a 3 page paper about the research
article they chose. The paper will include the summary of the journal article and a
description of its implications. Please use APA-style in the paper.
Assessment of Group Project
I will assess each student based on their slide contributions and presentation individually.
The presentation is worth 40 points and the paper is worth 20 points for a total of 60
points on the assignment.
Topic Choices
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
2. Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia Nervosa
3. Dissociative Identity Disorder
4. Antisocial Personality Disorder
5. Pedophilia
6. Gender Identity Disorder
7. Schizophrenia
8. Major Depressive Disorder
9. Borderline Personality Disorder
10. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder