PSY 303 Final Paper Aileen Wuornos
PSY 303 Final Paper Aileen Wuornos
For your Final Paper, you will
demonstrate your knowledge of psychopathology and apply your skills to a
realistic scenario. Throughout this course, you have developed unique knowledge
and skill sets that will allow you to critically analyze depictions of
psychopathology in popular media and historical case examples from an informed
point of view.
Your Final Paper will be a
psychological report that must be based on Aileen Wuornos case study. You may
not use examples from your personal life in the psychological report since
doing so would be unethical (see Standards 2.04 and 9.01a in the Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct).
As you create this report, you will be
taking on the role of a clinician who is conducting an assessment and providing
treatment recommendations for a patient (a character from your selected film or
historical case study). Please note that a psychological report does not follow
the same structure for reports you may have used in other courses. Your report
must follow the format below and it must include each of the sections and their
headings listed in this order:
- Identifying InformationWithin this section, you
will describe basic information on your patient, including the
person’s name, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, occupation, and
location of residence (country, state, and region). - Chief Complaint/Presenting Problem Within this section, you will
include the patient’s primary complaint verbatim to identify the main
source of his or her distress and/or concerns. If there is no verbatim
complaint, include observable information to create an overall picture of
the presenting problem.Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to address the
following question (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- What are the patient’s complaints? (e.g., the patient
might complain about “feeling on edge” or experiencing stress)
interpret specific behavioral issues and intrapsychic conflicts as they
relate to abnormal behavior, behavior patterns, maladaptive thought
processes, and potential unconscious conflicts. Interpret and comment on
the patient’s chief complaint and/or presenting problem in the context and
language of the symptoms found in the DSM-5. (e.g., the patient who
complains about “feeling on edge” might actually be experiencing
symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder or generalized anxiety
disorder)
will analyze your patient’s personal background and history of
abnormal behavior(s) that inform your diagnostic impression. You will also
gather information about the patient’s cultural background and cultural
norms.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following questions (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- Where did the patient grow up?
- What cultures did the patient experience throughout
life? - What was the patient’s school life like?
- What were his or her grades? What is his or her
highest level of education? - What is the patient’s interpersonal relationship history?
- What was/is the patient’s romantic relationship
history? - What was/is the patient’s friendship history?
analyze the patient’s familial relationship(s) and identify any
abnormalities that might affect future treatment. You will also integrate
information about the patient’s family and cultural background to identify
any maladaptive behaviors and relational patterns.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following questions (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- How old were the patient’s parents when the patient
was born? - Who were the patient’s primary caregivers?
- What was/is family life like? (Include any information
relevant to your diagnostic impression.) - Did the family move often?
- What was/is the patient’s relationship with their
siblings (if applicable)? - What culture did/does the family come from?
- What belief systems are attached to that culture?
describe the patient’s therapy history to inform your diagnostic
impression. Analyze the patient’s therapy history to identify the
effectiveness of previous treatment(s). Analyze previous treatment
interventions based on information and knowledge of the patient’s cultural
background.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following questions (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- Who was the previous therapist (if applicable)?
- How long did the previous therapy/therapies last?
- What was the patient’s diagnosis?
- What interventions did the therapist(s) use?
- Were those interventions appropriate for the patient’s
culture? - Was treatment successful?
analyze the patient’s medical history and comment on any possible medical
conditions that could influence your diagnostic impression. Interpret
specific behavioral issues as they relate to salient medical conditions.
If the person has any medical conditions, indicate that in this section.
Integrate information and knowledge about the patient’s cultural
background as it affects treatment options for medical conditions.
analyze and comment on the patient’s substance use to identify any
potential issues that could influence your diagnostic impression.
Interpret specific behavioral issues as they relate to substance use. If
the person misuses specific substances, indicate that in this section.
Integrate information and knowledge about the patient’s cultural
background to inform your interpretation of substance misuse in this
patient’s case.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following questions (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- Which substances does the patient use? (Include any
over-the-counter, herbal, and/or prescription medications.) - For how long has the patient used the substance?
- What is the patient’s quantity and frequency of use?
interpret specific collateral information as it relates to your patient’s
abnormal behavior and behavior patterns. You will also integrate information
and knowledge regarding the patient’s culture in your evaluation of the
maladaptive behavior as reported by the collateral sources.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following questions (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- What do other people have to say about the patient’s
behavior? - Are there any commonalities between the collateral
sources’ reports? - Do the collateral sources have any psychological
issues that might exacerbate the patient’s problems? - Are there any police reports?
- Are there any personality testing or intelligence
testing reports available?
analyze the patient’s behavior and mental processes. There are two parts
to this section. To begin your analysis, you will write a brief evaluation
of each theory of personality development that you learned about in this
course and determine whether or not each theoretical orientation can be
used to conceptualize the patient’s current situation and treatment goals.
Next, use one major theoretical orientation to write an in-depth analysis
for your results of evaluation section. Within the context of this
theoretical perspective, you will analyze all of the information from the
previous sections. Analyze specific behaviors, cognitions, and
intrapsychic processes as they relate to your diagnostic impression.
Integrate knowledge of the patient’s cultural background and norms within
that culture as you prepare your supporting evidence.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer the
following question (further elaboration within this section is encouraged
where possible):
- Based on the information you gathered in the previous
sections, what led to the patient’s current state?
provide your diagnosis for the patient. To demonstrate your understanding
of diagnostic procedure and justification, specifically address each
symptom that the patient displayed and relate each symptom to a diagnostic
criterion in the DSM-5. Analyze the patient’s behaviors and mental
processes within your differential justification. Clearly demonstrate that
the patient meets criteria to be given a diagnosis. If the patient does
not meet criteria for any diagnosis based on your assessment, explain why.
Also, explore any alternative diagnoses and explain why these were not
chosen.
you provide treatment recommendations for the person to help them improve
his or her quality of life. These recommendations must be based on the
theoretical orientation you used in your Results of Evaluation. Explain
why you chose your treatment intervention(s) and include peer-reviewed
articles that support your choice(s). If treatment is not necessary,
explain why. Pay close attention to the person’s culture since some
treatment options may be insensitive to his or her culture or way of
living.
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
- Must follow the report outline provided above with the
requisite headings and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in
the Ashford Writing Center. - Must include a title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must address the assessment with critical thought.
- Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources that were
published within the last ten years, in addition to the text, a minimum
of four must be from the Ashford University Library. - Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in
the Ashford Writing Center. - Must include a separate reference page that is
formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
