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Professional Portfolio

Course Project: Professional Work Samples

Course Code: PSY492

Adriana Brito

October 19, 2009

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In order to demonstrate my Cognitive abilities I would like to present an assignment that

I had in a Cognition and Learning class in 2007.

The assignment was about a group of students who should complete a research and

summarize their findings on the status about the endangered species in question. The teacher

reminds them that the ultimate goal of the project is not only to raise awareness around the plight

of the species, but also to propose and promote a solution to protect and repopulate the species.

The solution for protection and repopulation must be reasonable and demonstrate consideration

for the species’ environment and governmental stakeholders.

The assignment wanted us to:

Describe the problem solving process that Maria’s students have to engage in to propose

a solution.

Relate the process of reasoning and problem solving to concepts that have been covered

during this week.

A solution becomes apparent only when the problem solver’s perception of the problem

changes. Maria’s students will have to brain storm their solution for the endangered species.

Maria gave them enough information about how to find their sources for the task she asked.

They will need to spend some time discussing possible solutions and then take a break of a few

days. Mulling over of the problem may allow for the space they need to conjure up the one key

insightful solution. At times, individuals might be unaware of how close they are to finding a

solution. This is because the conceptual shifts that precede forming a solution are often sudden

and unanticipated.

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A means- end analysis strategy should be used in order to avoid that the students feel

overwhelmed by the amount of research that they have to do. As beginners, Maria’s students can

employ a general problem solving strategy that follows the five steps covered by the acronym,

I.D.E.A.L (Argosy Online, 2007). They will have to identify the problem from different angles,

define and represent the problem by finding the relevant information and excluding all that is

irrelevant. They will have to explore possible strategies like using verbalization, and as I said

before, they will have to subdivide the problem. Also, they will have to anticipate outcomes and

evaluate the results by checking for evidence that confirms their solution. Again, they will have

to make sure that everything that they have done has reached the best solution. Once they have

established sub goals, putting together the information that will proof the species’ plight, they

can present their essay.

Individuals systematically generate different possibilities for a given situation. Maria has

used a very appropriate method of reasoning with her students: expository teaching. The focus of

this approach is to encourage meaningful learning based on explanation (Argosy Online, 2007).

In the expository-teaching approach, Maria provided an analogy and explained what it

meant for her students. She also provided students with a model for analysis of an analogy.

Students learned as they assimilated the information provided by their teacher-directed strategy.

As our book Cognitive Psychology says: “Using such a deductive approach is appropriate, when

you want to teach relationships among several concepts. This type of instruction often uses

concept maps that support new information. Students must understand the use of the concept

map. Teaching through deductive reasoning is most appropriate for students of 10 years age and

older.” Maria’s students are older than that and they can assimilate this technique very well.

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Reference:

Argosy University (2007). Cognition and Learning – Module 7 http://myeclassonline.com

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In order to illustrate Communication skills and Interpersonal Effective I will use one

work.

Characteristics of Effective Email Communication

The evolution of computers during the last decades has changed the industrialized parts

of our world dramatically. While the computer originally was used only as a calculator, it now

has evolved to a communications device that links people to each other and to information.

In this essay, we provide an analysis of effective email communication based on the

importance of the content in an email message, proper grammar, and the subculture that has

developed because of electronic mail. Electronic mail, also known as email, is one of the most

well known computer applications today. Email facilitates communication by its high speed,

asynchronous, and computer processability, and provides opportunities to increase productivity,

worker satisfaction, and organizational viability (Rice & Bair 1984; Safayeni, Lee & MacGregor

1988). Among Internet users, email is considered as the most important application on the

Internet (Katz & Aspden 1997).

A recent report estimated that over 7 trillion emails were sent worldwide last year! Spam

messages are jamming in-boxes across the globe and the average office worker now gets

between 60-200 messages a day. (Jon Keel, 1998) As email has become a more common form

of communication, we have become deluged with both the number of emails and the amount of

content in the emails both wanted and unwanted. This has made communication via email less

effective. As more people used email and became more familiar with it, they also became more

comfortable using it and very few took the time to learn how to communicate effectively through

email.

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The widespread uses of email and usenet interfaces from Netscape and Microsoft have

enabled the linking of web addresses within the body of posts. In addition to conversing one-on

one, users now increasingly refer, via an automated link, to web-based resources. Granted, users

don not communicate with each other directly through the web, they must always return to a

communication (e-mail) program to exchange comments.

At a first glance e-mail and instant massages appear to lack the richness of other

channels. They do not communicate the tone of your voice, posture, gesture or facial the desired

expression. The e-mailers can choose the level of clarity or ambiguity, serious or humor, logic or

emotion. There is one risk that should be mentioned and that is misinterpretation.

One of the risks of communicating by email is that without the important messages

encoded through facial expression and tone of the voice, the receiver may misunderstand the

sender's intention. The use of sarcasm, irony, anger, criticism, complaints or even humor should

be avoided.

Another misunderstanding is the wrong use of grammar and/or misspelled words. The use of

comma is a great example. The same sentence can have a whole different meaning if the comma

is misplaced. The massage would be different entirely.

The sentences below provide an example of a possible misunderstanding due to incorrect

grammar.

1. I detest liars like you; I believe that honesty is the best policy.

2. I detest liars; like you, I believe that honesty is the best policy.

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Another example is misspelling a word. It can make no sense if the word is written

incorrectly. An example is provided below of the meaning being unclear due to a misspelled

word:

1. The police of this company is to be honest.

2. The policy of this company is to be honest.

People may not understand the message and confusion will arise when misspelled words are

used.

The first and probably most important characteristic of good email communication is

having a clear and concise subject. When people open their email program they see who the

email is sent from and the subject. A subject that just says, “Hey” or “Urgent, Need your Input”

does not properly describe what it is that is being communicated. A subject of “Want to go to

movies Friday Night with the Gang?” Or “March 6, 9AM Management meeting – Need your

ideas” are much more effective subjects for communication. It is also important the content

matches the subject. A subject asking about going to the movies should not be connected with a

long email complaining about a romance that is on the rocks.

Viewing text on a computer can be hard to read or the reader may not have a lot of time,

so the email content should be concise and not much more than an entire screen. If there is a lot

of information that needs to be communicated through an email, often an attachment that is easy

to print and conveniently formatted would be much easier than for the user to try and scroll back

and forth through the email to get the information. Setting an email program to wrap the text at

75-80 characters per line will help many other email programs to read the email easier without

having to use the scroll bar from left to right. All capitals are hard to read and considered rude

because many think it is like “yelling” via email.

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Even though email communication often seems conversational because of the speed with

which the communication is able to travel, it is more effective to have the content of the email

formalized so there are fewer misunderstandings in phrases that may not as common to the

reader. Proper formatting with line breaks and paragraphs can make it much easier for the reader

to understand.

If a response is needed, it is best to phrase a question so you can get the answer you want.

For example, if you take several paragraphs to talk about the movies you might want to see on

Friday night and you end it with “Wanna go?” you may not get the reply of which movie and

what time is desired. On the other hand, after describing the movies, you ask “Which movie and

time sounds good to you? or if you are not able to go what would be a better time?” would

probably get an answer that would be more accurate and would not require further emails to

clarify the communication.

When responding to an email, make sure you quote what you are replying to. For

example, if you just write “Sounds Great!” in a reply the sender may not know what you are

talking about. “Would you like to get coffee tomorrow at 6am?

Sounds great!” makes a lot more sense. For clarity and length it may be beneficial in a

email conversation that has gone back and forth several times to edit or remove some of the old

text and leave only text that is being currently discussed.

Limited use of pronouns is another characteristic of successful email communication.

When writing or replying to an email, using more proper names and less pronouns will clarify

who the writer is talking about and give less chance of misunderstanding. For example, “John

got up and gave a demonstration about how his manager talked to his workers. He showed him

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how to better communicate with them,” seems confusing and it is not clear if John or his

manager is being talked about.

With the advent of new programs, fonts and graphics, it is very important to remember to

limit or not use fonts, colors, small programs or graphics unless you know the receiver has the

ability to see, read or use them. Formatting an email may turn messy for the reader if their email

programs are not compatible. When formatting does not properly work for the receiver, it can

make the email communication very hard to understand and not effective.

Any weblinks inserted into an email should be tested by the sender before sending the

email. If the link requires any login information the sender should include that information as

well in the email. It can hinder communication and even make the reader skip over important

information contained in the links if they cannot connect to the link.

One of the reasons email use has grown so quickly is the speed at which the

communication can happen and yet still be on each person’s time. The way that this can be a

characteristic of good communication is if all parties involved in the communication can reply in

a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, it is important to check email regularly and respond as

soon as possible so email communication can utilize this effective characteristic. If someone

sends an email on Wednesday asking four people if they would like to see a movie on Friday, it

will not be effective communication if one person responds late Thursday and the other responds

Friday after the movie would have started.

E-mail has become a huge part of our technology-packed culture with the ease reliability,

and speed of itself. Nevertheless, more than just being a part of our culture, email has shaped our

culture as well. Some may even venture to say that email has created it’s own culture and

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language – whether this be beneficial or detrimental to business, personal, and all other types of

communication remains the opinion of the millions of people who use email every single day.

In addition to email becoming its own form of communication in our culture, it has

developed its own etiquette. Similar to the “rights” and “wrongs” of face-to-face communication,

sending an email, especially in a business setting, requires the user to obey the etiquette of email.

As mentioned previously in this report, in order to communicate effectively through email, one

must use the proper language and proper format to ensure that the message that the sender is

trying to convey is not lost. If the sender is unaware of these email rights and wrongs, the

recipient of the message will often make a judgment about that person. Suler (2004) wrote: “Like

any subculture, the world of emailing has developed a unique language, if you appropriately use

the parlance; you are demonstrating your knowledge of belonging to the subculture” (2004).

There are so many acronyms and abbreviations used in email that often times a message

can be misunderstood or not understood at all. These abbreviations have developed for just the

same reasons that email became so popular so quickly – the speed and efficiency of

communication (Suler, 2004). Having the appropriate knowledge of these abbreviations is a must

for any person who wants to communicate effectively within the subculture that is email.

Another important cultural influence of email is related to business and how our culture

is using email at work. One of the major benefits of email is that it supposed to help us be more

connected with our co-workers and clients. Email helps us quickly send a message when the time

to make a call or go visit a client is not available. Some argue, however, that the subculture of

email is a lazy one. “The communication hierarchy goes something like this: face, voice, email,

text. Top to bottom, each requires less focused commitment, involves less interactivity and

includes fewer of the core cues of communication: facts and feelings”(Duffy, 2007). Email may

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give us a reason to ignore a client or coworker who is not one we want to visit or even talk to

during the day – just send a quick email message and it is assumed that communication has

happened.

The culture of email can affect negatively our personal and business relationships by

“taking the human element out of communication” (Duffy, 2007). A person’s facial expressions

and emotions cannot be seen via an email message. As a culture, we have attempted to add

“emoticons” to further convey expressions through email. For example, we will put a smiley face

at the end of something that is meant to be funny. Unfortunately, no text will ever be able to

replace the body language and emotional expression part of face-to-face communication. In fact,

email can often escalate a situation by communicating ineffectively the senders point.

“Comments in email are often seen as curt and sometimes harsh” (Duffy, 2007). Two people

sending email back and forth to each other could be extremely angry or not at all angry at each

other and not even know it! It is interesting that in these types of situations, a phone call or face-

to-face meeting is needed in order to clear up the confusion.

There are many characteristics of an email to remember so that email is an effective form

of mediated communication. As discussed in this paper, grammar, punctuation, spelling,

content, use and respect of time and understanding of current culture when used effectively are

just some of the characteristics that make email an effective form of communication.

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References:

Crystal, (2006) Effective Email Writing Proper Email Writing is Essential for Your Success,

published Sep 28, 2006, retrieved from

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/65197/effective_email_writing.html

Duffy, M. (2007) why your lazy email habit is bad for business. Advertising Age, 78(47), 24-24.

From http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?vid=10&hid=14&sid=32ddc3bb-f63d-4f71-

a20f=ehostlive

Friedman, David (2004) Eight Tips For More Effective Email Communication , Every Monday

Volume 3 Issue 7, retrieved from http://www.imakenews.com/orcc/e_article000227828.cfm

Katz J. & Aspden P. (1997): Motives, Hurdles and Dropouts: Who is on the and off the Internet

and why. Communications of the ACM, 40(4), 97-102. http://heatproof.blogspot.com/

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Keel, Jon (1998) 15 Top Tips for Effective Email Communication, retrieved from

http://www.thewritemarket.com/mcnn/index.php?mcnn=keel&title=15%20Top%20Tips%20for

%20Effective%20Email%20Communication

MindTools, Effective Email - How to communicate powerfully by email, Retrieved from

http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/EmailCommunication.htm on February 21, 2008

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Rice R. & Bair J. (1984): New Organizational Media and Productivity. In Ronald E. Rice &

Associates: The New Media: Communication, Research, and Technology, pp. 185-216, CA: Sage

Publications.

Sherword, Kaitlin Duck (2001) A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email Revision 2.0, Retrieved

from http://webfoot.com/advice/email.top.php

Suler, J. (2004) The Psychology of Cyberspace: Email Relationships. Retrieved from

http://www.-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/emailrel.html

With the purpose to demonstrate my understanding of Ethics and Diversity issues in Psychology

I will use a discussion question from my Human Resource Management class

Module 2 – Assignment 1Human Resource Management – MGT411Professor Bonnie Adriana Brito

The verdict in the case of Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc was sexual

discrimination, or sexual harassment and the case was submitted. In the Dictionary the definition

for sexual harassment is: Unwelcome and often intimidating verbal or physical sexual advances.

Sexual harassment often carries with it threats of employment reprisals if such advances are

refused (Argosy, 2008). The federal government and courts have defined sexual harassment as

illegal employment discrimination (Mathis & Jackson, 2008).

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Normally sexual harassment is between two different genders. Contrarily, in this case

scenario it was between men – man, for that reason made the point so debatable.

Sexual harassment can occur in many different workplace relationships, for instance; between

supervisors and employee, between employees, customers and employee and many more

(Argosy, 2008).

Usually, gay and lesbian workers have not found much in the law to protect them from

discrimination and harassment in the place of work. Times are changing; nevertheless, and an

increasing number of employers are finding themselves accountable for providing a workplace

that's free of harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In the article of examining the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), they say

that fairness for gay and lesbian individuals in the work place is critically compromised based on

the employment discrimination they experience, as well as being denied promotion, harassment,

fired, even denied a job. Although Title VII does not list sexual orientation as a protected class,

local and state governments are approving laws to protect homosexuals from discrimination and

harassment in the work place (Examining the Employment Nondiscrimination Act).

Discrimination toward sexual harassment or sexual orientation harassment brings many

concerns and conflicts to an organization. The organization that does not take proper actions

against sexual harassment or sexual orientation harassment is account liable for its actions or

better saying non-actions.

There are some legal aspects that were created to give employees equal employment

rights. The law of Title VII was created to protect workers from being discriminated against

based on their race, gender, color, religion and national origin (Argosy, 2008). The same goes for

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the decision of hiring, promoting or termination of these employees. An organization has to be

aware of this law and put in practice in order to avoid lawsuits or other kind of complications.

Another legal aspect would be The Civil Rights Act. When a sexual harassment complaint is file,

the EEOC that supervise any complains about sexual harassment in an organization, revise all

the records. After that, the employer is asked to respond. In conclusion, the best way of avoiding

sexual harassment is to prevent it (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). Employers have to communicate

with their employees that there would be no tolerance in regard sexual harassment. Also, the

employer has to take immediate action when an employee complains about this issue and seek

investigation. By choosing not to take any actions toward this issue, organization will be facing

fines to state and federal governments and damages to employees (Oncale v. Sundowner).

The case in article Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc; was a sexual harassment

case based on one of the sexual harassment types the Hostile Work Environment. In an

aggressive work atmosphere, the harasser generates a hostile, difficult and stressful work place

(Mathis & Jackson, 2008). That was exactly what happened with Oncale. He felt threatened and

quit his job even fearing for his life. This kind of attitude will affect the employee’s behavior and

even his/her efficiency.

Reference:

Argosy University, (2008). Human Resource Management: Module 2

Mathis, R.L. & Jackson, J. H. (2008). Human Resource Management (12th Ed.) Mason, Ohio: Thomson-South Western

Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc. - Oral Argument http://www.oyez.org/cases/1990-1999/1997/1997_96_568/argument/

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ONCALE v. SUNDOWNER OFFSHORE SERVICES, INC. (96-568)83 F.3d 118, reversed and remanded.http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/96-568.ZO.html

Examining the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA): The Scientists Perspective

http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/enda.html

With the intent to demonstrate skills in research I will present an assignment from my

Interpersonal Effectiveness class related to a research that I did about communicating and listening.

The assignment is a reflection.

My Reflection

Besides being the most common form of communication, listening is perhaps a more

appreciated skill than speaking (Alder, Rosenfeld & Proctor, 2007). Effective listening requires

certain techniques. I tried to incorporate as many techniques as I could in a conversation with a

colleague that I feel very comfortable with at work. Some techniques used in the conversation

for my reflection were Questioning, Empathizing, Supporting, and Advising as they were the

easiest to be used since they are intrinsic in my personality. On the other hand, Silent Listening,

Paraphrasing and Evaluating for me were the most difficult for me to incorporate.

Each method has its own characteristics, giving the listener some advantages or

disadvantage in the process itself. The method of questioning helps to clarify the meaning of the

speech; it also helps the speaker to better explore his/her thoughts. For example, in the

conversation I had with Inez, I questioned her about what she was explaining me to make sure

that her explanation was exactly what I understood. She responded very positively to that

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method, assuring me that I was acknowledging the explanation correctly. Empathizing will take

you to a position of identity with the speaker. The sentiment of empathy involves genuine

concern and agreement. Some responses can be verbal or non verbal. For instance, nodding, eye

contact and even as simple a word as “Wow” were used in the conversation. The speaker

understood the method used as a response of complicity. Another method that is simple for me to

use is the Supporting one. There are several types of Supportive responses. In each one there is

no question of the value of receiving support, especially when the speaker is facing a personal

problem. With Inez, she was facing discrimination at work and I gave her my support for the

situation. She was very touched with the kind words. Sometimes to make oneself available for

the person’s need is more effective in the process of recovery. Advising is intrinsic in me but

unfortunately sometimes given when not solicited, although not in Inez’s case. She asked me to

give my opinion and advice. After talking about the issues she was facing she agreed that there

are some actions to be taken but she will think about it before doing anything. There is a natural

excitement to tell people how to act in a specific situation that you are not involved. Sometimes

advising can harm the person in question. In a way it is easier because you do not suffer the

consequences of the final action. Responsibilities are avoided for the adviser.

Silent Listening is the most difficult technique for me to apply in a conversation. I tried to

be quiet and let Inez talk but I had the impulse of interrupting her to give my advice. Sometimes

she was upset with my interruption, and in those cases I apologized and stayed quiet. My

nonverbal responses come automatically, the supportive attitude is natural. To be a quiet listener,

for my personality, would be associated to sadness or disapproval, even an avoidance strategy. I

understand that sometimes to be quiet is the best answer one can give. However, I still have a

long way to go to incorporate this technique in my being, so I can respond more professionally

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and rationally to the listener in matter. Silent listening is a technique that many could benefit

from it if used more often (Alder, Rosenfeld, Proctor, 2007).

Reading this chapter about the paraphrasing method really opened my eyes for a whole

new perception of communication. A good communication can be judged by the understanding

of the message or dialogue between two or more people. If the listening process is misunderstood

the communication will not be complete. When both sides could understand the conversation,

communication is then created. The paraphrasing in a way helps you to make sure that the

message is being transmitted and being understood. Even though I am not accurate with this

technique I started to introduce this method in my communication skills. Inez was very upset

about the episode about the discrimination and when I interrupted her using paraphrasing

technique she became somewhat more relaxed. This technique breaks the heat of a discussion;

you show much more commitment to mindful listening when you reiterate the speaker’s

communication. Even though I had a good response using it in my conversation with Inez, I am

not familiar with this technique, but using it in conversation I know that I can only benefit from

its method.

Evaluating was another difficult method to use in the conversation. You do not always

you have knowledge of the subject discussed in a conversation or even have enough

understanding to pronounce yourself. Normally when in a conversation that I am not familiar

with the topic, I am quiet listening very attentively. Mistakes will occur, if evaluation occurs

without the proper analysis and knowledge. When the speaker requests your evaluation, chances

are that your response will be better received. For instance, even though I never suffer any

discrimination, I could put myself in her place and understand the severity of the subject

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involved. In addition, if using evaluation method, it is recommended to be truly helpful and not

as a critical remark.

In this whole process of conversation I kept in my mind trying to use all methods and at

the same time listen what the speaker was saying. For me, this was the most difficult task. There

was a time that I was lost and could not remember what we were talking about. Inez could notice

that something I was different and asked me if I was ok because I looked a little tense. I was

trying to avoid the explanation because it was going to ruin my reflection. I was impressed to see

how easy is for a person to interact with someone if just listening. People sometimes need to be

heard.

Trying to use so many techniques in one single conversation was very hard. In future

conversations, I will try to focus more in a couple of techniques like paraphrasing, supporting,

advising. This will help me to spotlight the conversation and sincerity will be expressed easily.

Reference:

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Adler, R.B., Proctor II, R. F., & Rosenfeld, L.B. (2007) The process of interpersonal

communication, Interplay. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

In order to apply knowledge in psychology I would like to illustrate with an assignment that I did

in the class of Children and Violence. The assignment explains the issue to be addressed by the

child-adoption specialist.

Adoption

Cindy and George decided to adopt 5-year-old Dusan, who is an orphan from Croatia.

Cindy was able to review Dusan’s background at the adoption agency. She determined that

Dusan’s parents died in the war. Dusan’s father was a resistance fighter, and his mother

attempted to save her children from insurgents. At the tender age of four, Dusan witnessed his

mother’s rape and murder, and the brutal killing of his two older sisters. The report indicated that

the only reason Dusan survived was that his mother fell on him as she died. The impact knocked

him unconscious. He was found, approximately a week later, still inside the house, malnourished

and dehydrated. Cindy and George decide to meet a child-adoption specialist for a local

community agency to determine the developmental and psychological issues that Dusan might

face. They also want to increase his resilience. How would you address these issues if you were

the adoption specialist? As you all review this question, think of the child's age at the time of the

exposure to violence. Specifically, how might the trauma affect his development in all domains?

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Once Cindy and George are seeking adoption they also have to be prepared to deal with

all the psychological issues Dusan will face during his growth. Dusan had witnessed a lot of

brutal acts against his family. Children who have witnessed that kind of trauma are often

wounded psychologically, and the wounds are likely to stay with them well into their adult life

(Argosy online, 2009). Cindy and George had already started in the right track by seeking

professional help for their future child. Once they have already mentioned that they want to

increase Dusan’s resilience, some strategies can be implemented. Before mentioning the

strategies we have to explain that because of the unknown length of time involved and

uncertainty about how long Dusan had been exposed to war the strategies required for applying

resilience would be different.

Mike Wessells says that the greatest consequence he experienced in everyday life in a child that

had experienced the devastation of war was the loss of hope. Unfortunately, when a child loses

hope they just surrender forgetting about their future (APA Online, 2009).

The loss of his family gives Dusan a significant stress, especially since the biggest

mediating factor in how he copes is a solid family relationship (Impact of Armed Conflict in

Children). To have adoptive parents that would be able to foster resilience and reinforce support

to Dusan will be crucial for his psychological recovery.

The early age when the event happened may increase the effect over Dusan’s life. Some

researchers believe that the younger the child the more traumatic the effects (Argosy Online,

2009). This is because the older the child the easier it will be for him or her to detect a danger

situation, and also to understand a war context and help family members in case of an

emergency.

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Strategies like being very caring in Dusan’s emotions would be strongly recommended

for Cindy and George. Thoughts like feeling responsible for his family death or guilt for

surviving while others died, anxiety, fear, concerns about safety and worry with danger,

regression in his behavior (specially for being younger), are expected from Dusan. It will be

important for him to obtain care for his emotional problems that may result from being a

spectator to the murder of his mother and sisters.

Another way to help Dusan recover from that horrible experience will be having a

routine. Keeping a routine may give him a sense of stability and he would not feel so vulnerable.

Even though all those strategies should be implemented and attention to Dusan’s

emotions Cindy and George have to be persistent and love him unconditionally. Dusan will feel

accepted, stable and that he is secure in his new environment. I would also recommend therapy

for him to keep on helping in that long process of coping with his horrific experience.

Reference:

Argosy University (2009). Children and Violence – http://myeclassonline.com

Children in the hit of war - Volume 32, No. 8 September 2001

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http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep01/childwar.html

Impact of Armed Conflict on Children

http://www.unicef.org/graca/

One of my works that I would like to use as a demonstration of my knowledge foundation on the

field of psychology would be an assignment that I did in Maladaptive Behavior and

Psychopathology in which I develop an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment Plan.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment Plan

When describing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) it is important to clarify the

meaning of it. To be obsessive is to have an obsession, such as persistent thoughts, ideas,

impulses, or images that seem to occupy the individual’s consciousness. Compulsion, on the

other hand, is a repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that an individual experience the urge

to perform in order to avoid or decrease anxiety (Comer, 2010). You can say that OCD is taking

place when a combination of an obsession and a compulsion is present. The patient may realize

that his obsession is not reasonable and he may try to ignore or stop them. Instead this only

increases his distress and anxiety causing a lot of distress and interfering in daily activities.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms include both obsessions and compulsions.

Some of its symptoms are:

Hand washing until your skin becomes raw

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Counting in certain patterns

Making sure all your canned goods face the same way

Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched

Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove

Intense distress when objects aren't orderly or facing the right way

Impulses to shout obscenities in inappropriate situations

Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands

Replaying pornographic images in your mind

When an individual can identify some of those symptoms in his/ her life it is suggested for

him or her to seek help. In the website “Design Thinking” an individual will find more details

about OCD and how they can get their life back on track. They also offer a free private

consultation by phone where you can have the facility to address your concerns immediately.

Another website that offers so much other information in regard symptoms, mental Health

professionals how to choose them, what kind of treatment they offer and much more can be

found in this web site named “GEONious.com”. Another resource for help that can be used is to

watch a movie that has OCD as their motive. “As good as it gets” (stars Jack Nicholson and

Helen Hunt); “Matchstick Men” (star Nicolas Cage); “It is not me is my OCD” a documentary

about OCD.

Also, books can help to better understand OCD. The list is immense but I will recommend some

as:

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Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide by by Lorrin

Koran; Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and staying well by

Fred Penzel, Ph.D.

There is a hotline to call OCD:

UOCD Hotline Phone: 1-800-639-7462

To get more information there is also a website to different kinds of Behavior Disorder :

Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

There are several treatment options available for individuals with obsessive-compulsive

disorder, such as: medication, psychotherapy, and neurosurgical treatment.

When treated with medication, individuals with OCD will benefit from certain

psychiatric medication. This treatment approach is directed towards a specific receptor deficit.

The first-line medication prescribed in individuals with OCD is a medication that targets

serotonin. Some common serotonin medication can be fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

(Comer, 2010). One of the benefits of antidepressant treatment is that it balances the level of

serotonin in the brain.

When treated by using psychotherapy the one that has the most positive response is

behavioral therapy. The behavioral focuses on modifying or "unlearning" those maladaptive

behaviors that causes psychological discomfort. "Exposure and response prevention" technique,

a graduate exposure to the stimuli that create tension will be used, also the prevention of the

engagement into typical response that cause temporary relief. The exposure will be held in safe,

comforting, and confidential settings where the individuals face their anxiety or distress causing

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stimuli, either direct or through imagination. The "exposure and response prevention" technique

is based on the idea that the therapeutic effect is achieved as the individual confronts their fears

and discontinue their escape response. The goal of this technique is to make the individual to get

used to something that used to produce anxiety or distress to him/her.

Last but not least is the neurosurgical treatment. This is a limited option to a small

number of individuals with OCD when they don't respond to other treatment options and their

symptoms are severe and refractory.

References:

Comer, R., J. (2010) Abnormal Psychology. (7th ed.). New York: NY: Worth Publishing

Design Thinking - http://www.designedthinking.com/Fear/OCD/ocd.html?OVRAW=obsessive

%20compulsive%20disorder&OVKEY=obsessive%20compulsive

%20disorder&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=5714147011&OVKWID=29642220511

GEONious.com - http://www.geonius.com/ocd/

Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -

http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/ocd_organizations.html

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Student Self-Appraisal of Learning

After twenty years of waiting to return to studying I finally can start seeing myself with

my Bachelor’s Degree. To pursue a degree in Psychology was a long journey but I would say a

successful one.

I got married, moved a lot, had children, and two years ago I could go back to school.

During my two years in Argosy Online University I thought I would face some difficulties in

getting practice once I was studying online. To my surprise the classes were all illustrated with

practical subjects, the assignments were related to real situations where the student should take

actions towards the issue presented. I could never expect that I would achieve so much with

practical information in an online course. Argosy went beyond my initial expectations. During

these years I would talk about my achievements and aspirations with friends and family. I would

share my experience in very interesting classes that I had during my course as Industrial/

Organizational Psychology, Interviewing Techniques, Human resource Management,

Organizational Behavior, Organizational Leadership in Organizations, and Cultural Diversity in

the Workplace. I am mentioning those classes in particular because those are related to my

major. By sharing all my experiences with my friends I could not expect that they could actually

be paying attention to my speech for their own interest. One of my friends invited me to become

a consultant in a very prestigious firm which helped me even more with hands on practice.

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While I was working as a consultant in that firm I could put on practice many theories

that I had learned in Argosy. I planned for the organization necessities; I used interview

strategies to choose the perfect candidate, and gave training for new employees. By using those

techniques I could help the improvement and performance of the firm and employees.

When the project finished I received many complements about my performance, the way

I innovated the company’s ideas of performance with my new techniques and fresh ideas.

Having the opportunity to be part of Argosy Online program opened my professional

horizon. I know that I will always be learning new subjects, and techniques, because people

change and so their necessities, but I can say that Argosy had gave me roots, and prepared me to

explore and face the challenges that will arise in my professional career.