Case Of Jane And Ben: Behavioral Psychology Perspective And Counseling Plan

Introducing Jane

1. Choose a subject from one of the vignettes provided below.

2. Include an Introduction identifying the scope of your paper.

3. Briefly introduce your subject.

4. Describe his/her personality from ONE of the following perspectives: Trait perspective, Cognitive/Behavioral Perspective, Psychoanalytic Perspective, or The Social-Learning Approach (Use a heading to make it clear which perspective you are describing).

5. Highlight the significant terms associated with your chosen perspective. For example, in discussing the subject from a psychoanalytic perspective, you will stress important terms such as "the unconscious," "the id," "the ego," "the Super Ego," "defenses," and so forth.

6. Use your chosen perspective to inform a case conceptualization (i.e., your understanding of the client’s issues).
Use your chosen perspective to develop a plan for counseling this client.

Jane is an only child. She was born naturally with no complications at birth. Jane’s parents divorced when she was eight years old. Her father was an alcoholic and had regularly beaten her and her mother. Jane describes both parents as very critical of her behavior and emotions. She reports one experience where she was forced to sit in a closet for hours because she cried when her pet goldfish died. After the divorce, according to Jane, neither parent wanted her so she went to live with an aunt who remained distant and aloof toward her, only meeting her basic needs for food and shelter. Jane began cutting her arms and legs with a razor blade after the move. She did poorly academically. She would often threaten to kill herself but no one took these threats seriously. Jane had difficulty maintaining friendships. Her former friends describe her as unpredictable and intense. For example, she would often yell at them, “You don’t really want to be my friend so get out of here” and other times she would beg them to stay with her. They report that Jane would get upset if she did not get her way.  Jane reports that she enjoys being around others and longs for companions.  She attends as many parties as she can, even ones she has not been invited to. She explains that she feels “more alive” when around others. Jane reports that she is frequently bored and often feels empty inside. She likes to drive her car as fast as she can on back country roads. She often turns off the headlights and flies through four-way stops and reports that she likes the thrill. She has been married twice, both times very passionate but stormy relationships. She once tried to stab her second husband during one of her violent rages because she wanted to sell their home and buy a houseboat and he did not. She had just watched a TV show where a couple had done this. Jane shops frequently, especially when she is stressed or depressed which seems to occur quite often. She has declared bankruptcy numerous times in her life and blames the credit card companies for letting her buy so many items on credit. She has tried a number of drugs over the years, but mainly uses alcohol to “deaden the pain.” Jane has been fired from numerous jobs due to issues with getting along with co-workers, customers, and managers. She was also caught stealing from one of her employers. Jane often reports feeling anxious and unhappy.

Ben is the oldest child in a sib-ship of three. His father had frequent bouts of psychotic behavior while Ben was growing up. He often witnessed intense angry outbursts from his father that seemed to come out of nowhere. Throughout his childhood, his mother emphasized that he must be careful about making mistakes and impressed upon him that he was different from other people. In high school he was noted to be a troublemaker and often got into physical altercations with other students. His frequent defense was that they were “ganging up on me.” He did very well academically and believed he was intellectually superior to his teachers. He was once under investigation by the local police because his neighbor reported that he continuously let her dog out of the fenced yard as he constantly complained that she let it out to specifically bark and annoy him. He never held a job very long although he did earn several advanced degrees. He was once fired because after being passed up for a promotion he verbally attacked his co-worker, who was promoted, accusing him of stealing his ideas. Ben avoids crowds and social events. He attributes this to his mistrust of people and feeling as though he always has to watch his back. He was married once which ended quickly in divorce after he constantly accused his wife of cheating even though he sought ways to be with her almost 24 hours a day. He has only one close friend who describes Ben as “tense and ready to pounce at the smallest perceived slight.” He indicates they get along well as long as they do what Ben wants and on his terms.

Introducing Jane

Psychology refers to science of the behavior that includes conscious along with the unconscious phenomena. It talks about the feelings and thoughts of an individual. Psychology is indicative of academic discipline that has immense scope along with diverse interests. It helps in understanding emergent properties of the brain along with varieties of the epiphenomena that it manifests (Schultz & Schultz, 2016).  Psychology is a branch of the social science that helps in understanding individuals along with groups by the establishment of general principles. The subject Jane faces psychological issues owing to the circumstances of her life. Behaviorism refers to the theoretical perspective where the learning can be described in relation to stimulus-response relationship. This report discusses about the case of Jane from the behavioral perspective and talks about the issues that Jane faces. The report also makes a counseling plan for Jane that can help Jane in getting over her behavioral related problems.

Jane is the only child of her parents and she did not have to face any kind of complications at the time of her birth. The parents of Jane got divorced when she was of the age eight. The father of Jane was an alcoholic who used to beat Jane along with her mother. The parents of Jane used to view her behavior with a lot of criticism. Her parents did not acknowledge her emotions and this caused severe mental problem for Jane. Jane was compelled to sit within a closet for many hours owing to the fact that she cried because her pet goldfish had died. After the divorce of her parents, Jane was neglected by her aunt who remained aloof from her. The aunt only provided her with the basic needs pertaining to food along with shelter (Cockerham, 2016).  Jane used to cut her arms along with her legs by taking recourse to a razor blade after she moved to her aunt’s home. Jane was also not able to perform well in the academic field. Jane often gave the threat that she would kill herself but these threats were not taken seriously by other people. Jane could not maintain the friendships owing to the problems in her life. The friends of Jane said that her behavior was very unpredictable. Jane used to shout at her friends and told them that if they did not want to be her friend they could go away from the place. Jane at other times would however ask her friends so that they would stay with her. The friends of Jane said that Jane would become very upset if her demand was not met.

Jane enjoyed being with her companions and she longed to stay with them. Jane attended many parties and she even used to attend the parties where she was not invited. Jane used to feel lively when she was around other people. Jane used to feel bored at home and she felt that something was missing in her life. She enjoyed driving her car very fast when she was on the country road. She used to put off the headlight and she enjoyed the thrill when she was driving. Jane had been married twice and she had passionate relationships with the men in her lives. She tried to kill her second husband once in a moment of rage. Jane wanted to sell the home and buy houseboat but her husband was not agreeing to her plans. This had caused her to attack her husband. Jane had recently watched a television show where this kind of act was carried out and this had caused her to indulge in this kind of behavior. Jane indulges herself in shopping when she was depressed that used to occur often. Jane was declared bankrupt many times in her lives and she used to put the blame on credit card companies for allowing her to purchase items on that of credit. Jane had even tried drugs but she mainly used to take recourse to alcohol so that it could lessen her pain. Jane had to move from one job to another because she could not go along with the co-workers along with managers. Jane was also caught in the act of stealing from one of her employers. Jane used to feel anxious and she used to feel unhappy most of the time.

The Case of Jane - Behavioral Perspective

In the first half of the twentieth century, a school of thought called behaviorism emerged to become a strong force in the realm of psychology. The behaviorists believed in the fact that psychology should focus on the observable behaviours so that it can become a scientific discipline. The behavioral perspective states that the environment of an individual has a great influence on the development of an individual (Scull, 2018). It is a systematic approach in relation to understanding the behavior of the humans. It states that behavior is a kind of reflex which is produced on account of stimuli within the environment. The behaviorists accept role played by inheritance in the determination of behavior but the main focus is laid on the environmental factors. Behaviorism combines different elements of philosophy along with the psychological theory. It rose owing to reaction to that of depth psychology that proved to be difficult in making the predictions which could be tested in the experimental basis. The behaviorist theories in relation to child development state that environmental interaction influences the behaviour of an individual. This theory does not take into consideration the internal thoughts but focuses on how experiences are responsible for shaping the behavior of an individual. The behavioral theory states how our thought process has an influence on how people carry on interactions with the world (Spitzer, Endicott & Franchi, 2018). Behaviorism emphasizes on the fact that the social relationships that an individual has a great influence on the life of an individual. Jane exhibits abnormalities in relation to her behavior and the behavioral perspective helps in stating clear he reasons that has given birth to the abnormal tendencies in Jane. It brings out the fact that witnessing abusive relationships in her life paves the way for creating psychological impact on an individual.

The environment that Jane had to face from her childhood had a great influence on her life. Jane did not get supportive parents and she had to witness her father beating her mother. This caused her great amount of mental agony and this can help in describing the failure in the relationships of her life. She was not emotionally stable and this can be witnessed in the fact that she often could not get along with her friends. She used to behave harshly with her friends but at the same time felt that she needed their support and their concern (Nelson et al., 2017).  The fact that she was even not given proper attention by her aunt after the divorce of her parents caused her grave mental agony. She could not accept that fact that she was unwanted by most of the people who were around her and this gave rise to a great amount of mental turmoil. Jane used to feel deprived and hence she took recourse to cutting her arms along with her legs. She was also not able to perform well academically owing to the fact that she could not focus on her life owing to the maladjustments in her life. Jane could not maintain any kind of friendly relations and later on she also could not adjust to any job owing to the fact that she was emotionally not balanced. The events and the circumstances that she had to face in her life made her incapable of any kind of adjustments in her life. She used to behave in an predictable manner on the basis of her whims and did not take into consideration the point of view of other people by whom she was surrounded. Jane was ignored and not meted out proper treatment by most of the people who surrounded her and so in the similar strain Jane did not respect any relationships in her life. The relationships that Jane had with her husbands were not smooth and she had tumultuous relationships with them. In one particular instance she even tried to murder her husband owing to the fact that he was not listening to her demands (Wichers, 2014).  She also took recourse to drugs so that it could help her in filling the emptiness that existed in her life. The fact that she was not emotionally in a balance state can be understood from the fact that she used to blame the credit card companies for her going bankrupt. She felt that she was not responsible for it but the credit card companies that made her to buy so many kinds of items. She got addicted to alcohol so that it could help her in forgetting the harsh circumstances of her life. She used to drown herself in alcohol so that it could help her in forgetting the painful memories of her life.

Counseling Plan for Jane

On the basis of the behavior perspective, it can be ascertained that the social environment that an individual has gives rise to the pattern of behavior of an individual. Jane was looked down by most of her kin and this had a great influence on her mental set-up. She could not adjust to the painful circumstances in her life owing to the fact that she did not receive any kind of proper emotional support in her life. The lack of moral support in her life forced her from bad situation to another that cost her badly. She could not attest to the fact that she was avoided and neglected by most of the close relations in her life. Jane had seen her father beating her mother so she did not have any idea regarding what a sound marriage was life. This acted like a barrier in the path of her own relationships in her life- whether with her friends or employers or husbands. Jane grew incapable of understanding the people around her and she could not understand the perspective of other people. Jane could hence not adjust well to the people who were around her. The depression that Jane had to face in her life caused her to indulge herself in the act of shopping which satisfied her momentarily but could not drive away the monotony and the loneliness that prevailed in her life (Thompson et al., 2018).  The fact that witnessing an act of violence on a television show compelled her to engage in a violent act speaks volumes about the fact that she was emotionally in a very vulnerable state. She was emotionally in a very fragile state and this caused her to indulge herself in violent acts in her life.

Jane used to enjoy the thrill of driving and she felt as if the car driving fast can take her away from the sorrows that surrounded her life. The act of driving provided her with a thrill that she felt can take away the gloom that pervaded her life. Jane also used to take part in her parties as it gave her the illusion that she was not alone in her life and she had many people with whom she could get along in her life. It provided Jane with a false sense of security that she felt could help her in retaining the happiness in her life (Fernandez et al., 2015).  She even used to attend the parties when was not invited as she felt that she had the right to occupy a distinct position in the life of other people. She felt that she was important for other people and other people would miss her company if she were not with them.

Jane can be provided with counseling that can help her in rising above the difficult situations in her life. Talking therapy can be used on Jane that can help her in revealing her thoughts along with feelings. Jane can talk to a trained professional that can help in revealing the reason for her peculiar behaviours. The health professional should not be biased and should be sympathetic towards Jane. The professional should be capable of making Jane understand herself better and should guide her regarding how to control her angry outbursts and her negative emotions.

The Case of Ben

Cognitive behavior therapy can be provided to Jane that can prove to be useful in recognizing the manner cognition along with behavior can have an effect on the way of feeling of an individual. Cognitive behavior therapy can be used for Jane that can help in treating the mental disorder of Jane (Raykos et al., 2018).  This therapy can prove to be influential in changing the thoughts along with behavior of Jane that can help her in going along with the people in her life. The cognitive behavior therapy should be used for bringing out the innermost feelings of Jane that can help in soothing her soul. The therapist can talk about the positive aspects in her parents that can help shifting the negative thought pattern of Jane along with reaction to a more positive along with realistic approach (Luthans, Youssef & Luthans, 2015).

Jane can be asked during her counseling sessions about the friends who are valuable to her in life. She can then be asked to state the reasons why she feels that she they are good to her. This can be followed by asking Jane about the good attributes that Jane has and the things that other people value in her. It can cause Jane to integrate the good qualities that a person has and can prove to be useful in bringing about positive changes in her behavior. This can be useful in making Jane for about all the negative aspects in her life and integrate good aspects in her personality. Jane would then try to show the qualities that an ideal individual should have in her personality and may be useful in enabling her to go along with the other people in the society.

Conclusion

Psychology is indicative of science of behavior which includes the conscious and unconscious phenomena. Psychology talks about the feelings that an individual has and it is an academic discipline that has large amount of scope. Jane was the only child to her parents and there were no complications at the time of her birth. Jane’s parents were separated when he was eight years old and this left a deep mental impression on Jane. Jane used to witness her father beating her mother and this caused her a lot of mental agony. Her behavior was criticized by her parents and this left a deep impression on the mind of Jane. Behavioral perspective talks about the fact that social environment has a great amount of influence in the developing of an individual. Counseling can be beneficial for Jane that can help her in removing the bitter feelings that she has for various individuals in her life. Talking therapy can prove to be useful for Jane that can help in bringing out the innermost thoughts of Jane. A trained professional can help in bringing out the reasons why Jane behaves in an uncertain manner. Cognitive behavior therapy should be used on Jane which can be useful in treating her mental disorder. This can help her in changing thoughts which can help Jane in getting along with the people in her life.

References

Cockerham, W. C. (2016). Sociology of mental disorder. Taylor & Francis.

Fernandez, E., Salem, D., Swift, J. K., & Ramtahal, N. (2015). Meta-analysis of dropout from cognitive behavioral therapy: Magnitude, timing, and moderators. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(6), 1108.

Luthans, F., Youssef, C., & Luthans, B. (2015). Behaviorism. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-3.

Nelson, B., McGorry, P. D., Wichers, M., Wigman, J. T., & Hartmann, J. A. (2017). Moving from static to dynamic models of the onset of mental disorder: a review. JAMA psychiatry, 74(5), 528-534.

Raykos, B. C., Erceg-Hurn, D. M., McEvoy, P. M., Fursland, A., & Waller, G. (2018). Severe and enduring anorexia nervosa? Illness severity and duration are unrelated to outcomes from cognitive behaviour therapy. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 86(8), 702.

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Theories of personality (11th ed.). Belmont, CA Wadsworth.

Scull, A. (2018). Social order/mental disorder: Anglo-American psychiatry in historical perspective. Routledge.

Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J., & Franchi, J. A. M. (2018, September). Medical and mental disorder: Proposed definition and criteria. In Annales Médico-psychologiques, revue psychiatrique (Vol. 176, No. 7, pp. 656-665). Elsevier Masson.

Thompson, K., Schwartzman, D., D'Iuso, D., Dobson, K. S., & Drapeau, M. (2018). Client and Therapist Interpersonal Behaviour in Cognitive Therapy for Depression. Canadian Journal of Counselling & Psychotherapy/Revue Canadienne de Counseling et de Psychothérapie, 52(3).

Wichers, M. (2014). The dynamic nature of depression: a new micro-level perspective of mental disorder that meets current challenges. Psychological medicine, 44(7), 1349-1360.