Exploring Topics in Psychology - Units 2-3 and 4

Freud's Treatment and Concepts of Self

UNITS 2-3

1. Your hands are paralyzed from the wrists to the fingers, though you can move your arms.  You arrive on time for your appointment at the offices of Dr. Sigmund Freud in Vienna, 1912.  What is the name of the treatment Freud uses to help you?  What does this involve?  To treat you, Freud explains the three parts of the self and their relationship to each other—what are these?  What are the three levels of consciousness?  Using these terms in your essay answer, what might you learn is the likely cause of your paralysis after several appointments with Dr. Freud?  One of the links from Dead Poets’ Society in the Blackboard YOUTUBE file or case histories of shell-shocked soldiers in World War I may help you answer the question.   

2. Canadian media philosopher Marshall McLuhan stated that people of the world now live in a “global village.”  What does he mean? In your essay, explain key terms from Unit 3 readings including –globalization and multinational corporations–and also explain how the Internet is creating a “global village.”  

3. Consider carefully Zimbardo’s article “Banality of Heroism” in Unit 3. If you were ever a prisoner (or a guard), would you have been able to endure the experience without a major change in your behaviour?  Would you have acted differently than those college students did in the roles they were forced to play?  Knowing what this research says about the power of prison situations to have a negative effect on human behavior, how do they differ from the ‘prisons’ that people often create for themselves. Focus on ONE of the situations for the rest of your response:

· ‘prison’ created in marriages where one spouse becomes ‘guard’ and the other becomes ‘prisoner’—connect the behavior here to Zimbardo’s experiment.

· ‘prison’ created in neurosis where one aspect of the person becomes the ‘prisoner’ who is told he/she is inadequate and hopeless, while another aspect serves as a personal ‘guard’—connect the behavior here to Zimbardo’s experiment.

· silent ‘prison’ of shyness, where the shy person is simultaneously his or her own ‘guard’ and ‘prisoner’—connect the behavior here to Zimbardo’s experiment.

UNIT 4    (HAPPINESS --De Botton and Frankl articles)   

4. Describe the way the word “happiness” has changed over time and what happiness has meant at different times (See PPT).  What is unusual about Epicurus’ definition of “happiness” compared to other Ancient Greek philosophers?  What three mistakes does Epicurus say people usually make when thinking about happiness (See Epicurus Word document and link) and what three recommendations does he make? What are some of the 21^st century definitions of happiness and what are some of the problems with these definitions, according to Daniel Gilbert (see Gilbert lecture link)? How does Viktor Frankl approach happiness?  What life experiences give him his unique viewpoint and what does he consider happiness to be?)?  Make sure your answer uses direct information from the course materials, Powerpoints and the links provided.

UNIT 4  (MUSIC --Leutwyler article) (ANSWER a AND  b)

5. Review the information on “exploring the musical brain” from the Leutwyler article, the handouts and Powerpoints.  Choose ONE period of music (Baroque, Classical, or Romantic) from Blackboard in the Music Youtube file.

a. How does the period of music you have chosen (Baroque, Classical, or Romantic) relate to the brain scan effects that Leutwyler described in her article and in the Oliver Sacks Youtube? If you had a brain scan while listening one of these periods of music, what effects should the music you have chosen have on your brain and what would be the effects on you overall?  Your mood, feelings?

b. Can you make a specific connection between the period of music you have chosen above and your own favorite music?  If you had a brain scan while listening to your favorite music, what do you think would show up on the scan?   Make sure to refer to the new science of biomusicology described in Leutwyler’s article and Oliver Sacks’s Youtube?

ug11) till Friday night(Aug,14) -- 2 1/2 hours -- one sitting, CANNOT exit and come back