Psychological+Approaches

media type="custom" key="3632603"

Psychology: Case study #6

Name: Aubrie.

For the case study listed below you are to attempt to identify how each of the six (seven?) approaches to psychology would attempt to explain and solve the issues brought up. Please be as detailed as you can be. Only one summary needs to be turned in for your group.

Kathy is a twenty-one year old female. Kathy is in her senior year at a prestigious university and is studying pre-law. Kathy has always been a straight A student and fine athlete. Kathy has been told she should enter a local beauty pageant because of her incredible looks. Recently Kathy has been preoccupied with food. She is concerned that she is becoming overweight and has begun counting and recording all of her calories. She has also given some thought to smoking as a way to help her maintain her weight. On several occasions Kathy has admitted to throwing up her food, but indicated she might have had a mild case of food poisoning or the flu. Kathy’s weight is actually going down and her friends are concerned for her.

How would each of the psychological approaches we have discussed explain what is happening to Kathy and how would they prescribe treatment?

Kathy has become preoccupied with food, but has a fear of gaining too much weight. If she thinks that she is starting to become overweight, she becomes anxious, and her brain releases chemicals that cause her to malfunction and behave abnormally. She has thought about smoking to overcome the physical urge to eat. She has thrown up her food on several occasions. Her body has become malnourished and resulted in an unhealthy personality. Kathy has become preoccupied with food, but has a fear of gaining too much weight. She learned at young age that her beauty was associated with her weight because of comments made by a boyfriend. He used to tell her that fat people eat too much food. Now Kathy is older and has become preoccupied with food. She is counting calories and worried about her weight. Her ideas of her own beauty are twisted by the haunting comments of the old boyfriend. As a result, she has started purging and has become dangerously unhealthy. Kathy has become preoccupied with food, but has a fear of gaining too much weight. Kathy has personally convinced herself that she is over-weight, despite the positive comments friends have made about her. She has made the conscious choice to purge, but can call on her own internal resources to overcome this unhealthy self image. Kathy has become preoccupied with food, but has a fear of gaining too much weight. Unconsciously, Kathy believes she is overweight. These unconscious impulses control her everyday behavior. This explains why she would choose to purge her food to lose weight. **Cognitive:** Kathy has become preoccupied with food, but has a fear of gaining too much weight. In the past, Kathy noticed that the skinny girls receive more attention than the obese girls. This has contributed to Kathy’s fear of gaining weight. She continuously tells herself that she is fat and must lose weight. These thoughts result in Kathy’s decision to purge and obsess over food. Kathy is in her senior year at a prestigious university and is studying pre-law. Kathy has always been a straight A student and fine athlete. Kathy has been told she should enter a local beauty pageant because of her incredible looks. Kathy has grown up around healthy and athletic individuals. She attends a good school that encourages a positive self image and a healthy lifestyle. Her fear of not maintaining her good self image and healthy weight has caused her to behave in a dangerous manner. This has resulted in Kathy becoming unhealthy physically and mentally. **Eclectic** (best combination of all approaches): Kathy’s behavior is the result of learned behavior and the pressures her environment puts on being “thin.” Even though Kathy has the ability to overcome these beliefs, she is obsessed with the attention she receives from her negative behavior. Kathy has consciously chosen to use her dangerous and negative behavior to obtain love and attention from the people around her.
 * Biopsychological**:
 * Behaviorism**:
 * Humanism**:
 * Psychoanalytical**:
 * Sociocultural:**

**What other information would you like to have to help you get a clearer picture of what is happening to Kathy?** It would have been helpful to know more information about Kathy's past. Her up-bringing could have had a major effect on her obsession with her weight. It would have been helpful to know more about her relationships with others as well. Her ability to have relationships with other people could have an affect on the way she feels about herself.