...Rowe Psychological Egoism In this paper I will argue against psychological egoism. More specifically, I will argue against hedonistic psychological egoism, a popular form of psychological egoism. Hedonistic psychological egoism is the view that the ultimate motive for human action is the desire to experience pleasure or avoid pain. I will begin by contrasting psychological egoism with ethical egoism. I will then discuss arguments that support psychological egoism, and refute those arguments using Rachels’ and Feinberg’s view’s against the theory. I will conclude by arguing that psychological egoism is implausible as it is incapable of being falsified, and fails to distinguish critical terms proposed in the theory. I will begin by defining psychological egoism. Psychological egoism is the view that people always act according to their self-interest. According to this view, our only intrinsic desires are desires for the advancement of our own self-interest. But we can still have instrumental desires for other things. Instrumental desires are desires that you have only because you believe that satisfying that desire will help you satisfy some other desire. For example, I may desire to write this paper only because I believe that by writing this paper I will get a good grade, and I desire to get a good grade; I don’t intrinsically desire to write this paper. Now that I have defined psychological egoism, I will contrast the theory with ethical egoism. Psychological egoism...
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...Psychological Testing PSY/475 Psychological Testing In this paper the subject is to summarize the major assumptions and fundamental questions associated with psychological testing. The author begins by defining the term test. Next, the author describes the major categories of tests and identifies the major uses and users of these tests. Last the paper compares and contrasts the concepts of reliability and validity and discusses how they affect the field of psychological testing. The Standards for Education and Psychological Testing defines test as, “An evaluative device or procedure in which a sample of an examinee’s behavior (is) evaluated and scored using a standardized process” (Hogan, 2007, pg. 38). Anastasi and Cronbach, both traditional textbook authors, define the term test as, “an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior” and “a systematic procedure for observing behavior and describing it with the aid of numerical scales or fixed categories” (Hogan, 2007, pg. 38). In psychology, tests are used to make important decisions about an individual. Testing samples a person’s behavior, creates a standardized measure, and contributes in making important decisions about the individual taking the test. Testing is used in many different areas and is used to sample a person behavior, create a standardize measure, and contribute in making important decisions. For example, college admissions officers consult test score before admitting or rejecting...
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...Psychological Testing Tabitha Taney PSY/475 September 18, 2013 Maggie Boone Psychological Testing There are tests of every type that most people will have to take throughout their lives. There are driving tests, tests to get into college, tests in all varieties of schools and even in the workplace, when being hired or promoted. There are also tests in the world of psychology, including testing in schools and the workplace. Psychological testing will be defined, with a few different varying descriptions from a few sources, since there is not just one definition for this type of test. The major categories of tests will be described and the major uses and users of these tests will be identified. The concepts of reliability and validity will be compared and contrasted, and how they both impact the field of psychological testing will be discussed. Definition of the term “test” “The glossary of the authoritative Standards for Educational and Psychology Tests,” according to our textbook, “says that a test is an evaluative device or procedure in which a sample of an examinee’s behavior in a specified domain is obtained and subsequently evaluated and scored...
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...Psychological Abuse Coral Nichols Liberty University Abstract Psychological abuse is a form of abuse that affects many woman across all cultures and ages. This form of abuse takes on at least two different forms: emotional and verbal abuse. These two types of abuse are not the same; however they often can be very closely compared. It is understood that if one of these forms of abuse is present then the other form of abuse is often present as well. One whom works in the helping profession needs to be able to define these types of abuse as well as be able to understand the effects of the abuse on the victim. One must also be able to understand a variety of treatment methods to be able to aid the client in the healing process. A Christian counselor must also be able to provide biblical insight in the situation for the client. Introduction Abuse against women happens in many forms; some people might considering one form of abuse more damaging than others. In order for one to have a basic concept of abuse it must be defined; Krishna, Prasanna, Sheikh & Dattatreya (2014), reports “mistreatment; harming or injuring another, abuse can be divided into two categories internal and external. The external abuse is the focus on this paper, it can be physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse or sexual abuse” (p.18). The basic understanding of abuse is that it produces a negative outcome for the victim. The most prevalent form of abuse towards women is domestic violence; it...
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...Psychological egoism is the view that everyone always acts selfishly. It describes human nature as being wholly self-centered and self-motivated. Psychological egoism is different from ethical egoism in their “direction of fit” to the world. Psychological ego-ism is a factual theory. It aims to fit the world. In the world is not how psychological ego-ism says it is because someone acts unselfishly, then something is wrong with psycho-logical egoism. In my opinion this argument is completely wrong and unsound. According to James Rachel, an author of “Elements of Moral Philosophy,” there two main arguments exist against psychological egoism. The first argument can be formulated as such: 1) Everyone always does what they most want to do. 2) If everyone always does what they most want to do, they act selfishly 3) Everyone always acts selfishly. Opponents claim that psychological egoism renders ethics useless. There two cri-ticisms of this argument. First criticism is on premise one: “It is not the case that everyone always does what they most want to do because sometimes people do what they are obligated to do. They are either forced to do it because someone makes them or they do it because they seek the end result of it, such as a visit to the dentist entails.” (J. Rachels p. 70) In his book “Elements of Moral Philosophy” Rachel gives great examples to support this criti-cism: “the soldier who falls on the grenade to save his buddies, the person who runs into the busy...
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...Psychological Disorders & Treatment Paper Candace Ward PSY/203 Foundation of Psychology November 16, 2015 Kurtis Armstrong Psychological Disorders is a disorder of the mind involving thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that cause either self or others significant distress. Significant distress can mean the person is unable to function, meet personal needs on their own, or are a danger to themselves or others. There are many types of psychological disorders, this paper will focus on Dependent personality disorders, cyclothymic disorders and well as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. I will also include treatments and what each treatment option will entail. This paper will be concluded with my thoughts on how these disorders can affect our everyday lives and how important it is to be aware of these particular disorders. Dependent personality disorders or DPD is a psychological disorder that is characterized by a persuasive psychological dependence on other people. According to the Psych Central, Dependent personality disorders lead individuals to engage in dependent and submissive behaviors as well as sometimes being seen as “clingy” or “Clinging” to others. It also mentioned that people who suffer with dependent personality disorders tend to have self-doubt, they may belittle themselves a lot, and or repeatedly refer to themselves as “stupid.” Symptom may include having a difficult time making everyday decisions. For example, the individual may need extra help...
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...Psychological Disorders Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when someone has gone through or experienced a traumatic event in their life. The person suffering from PTSD experiences reoccurring episodes of the traumatic event they experienced. There are many different types of traumatic events that could trigger this disease. Some examples that may lead to PTSD are witnessing a crime, domestic abuse, and war. The most experience I have had with PTSD is learning about soldiers who have been affected by fighting in war. I’ve read several fiction novels that display a soldier dealing with PTSD. In Tim O’Brien’s fiction novel The Things They Carried, many soldiers are affected by fighting in the Vietnam War. The book takes the reader through the soldiers’ experiences while fighting, and then fast-forwards to years down the road when the veterans are much older. The reason for this is to show how the veterans are still affected by the war many years later. One particular soldier, Norman Bowker, spent his late years reflecting on his time in the war. He blamed himself for what happened to his fellow soldiers. He first handily watched one of his good friends die in combat. Bowker had the chance to save his friend, but he was unable to do so. Norman had reoccurring episodes where he found himself in the middle of combat, not knowing what to do. After these episodes occurred, he felt no purpose of living anymore. The aftermath of the war is what got to Bowker...
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...Psychological Testing Serena Bair Psy. 475 May 14, 2011 Psychological Testing Psychological testing can provide a great deal of information for many people. People that rely on psychological testing include, but are not limited to psychologists, teachers, parents, behavioral specialists, and psychiatrists. In order for these people to understand the information given to them they need to have a basic understanding of psychological tests. There is a variety of tests available for testing people, and each of these tests has specific uses. These tests must also have a degree of reliability and validity in order to be useful in the field of psychological testing. The major assumptions and fundamental questions also need to be addressed. Tests The majority of people have a basic idea of the definition of a test. A test, (2011) according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “something (as a series of questions or exercises) for measuring the skill, knowledge, intelligence, capacities, or aptitudes of an individual or group”. This definition can fit some of the areas of psychological testing but six common elements are present in the meaning of “test” in the context of behavioral sciences (Hogan, 2007) These six common features that are present in the definition of a psychological test are: a test is some type of procedure or device, yields information, the procedure or device yields information about behavior, a sample of a behavior or cognitive process rather than...
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...Psychological Trauma & Post Trauma Therapy: Part 1: Attachment Failures and Dorothy Allison as a Client One of the more significant aspects of social development is the formation of attachment. For many, the first occurrence of attachment is during infancy with a caregiver (typically the mother). For Dorothy Allison, we can assume that from her book she had a positive attachment to her mother beginning at infancy. Granted her mother worked and was a single parent, however it this cannot be discredited because Allison’s needs as an infant were met (e.g. her mother seemed present and did not abandon her baby or harm the baby, baby was fed/clothed). According to the actual story, Allison’s abuse began at a much younger age than in the retelling—regardless, sexually and physically abused at a young age, Allison watched her mother stand by her attacker. For a moment, we have to pause and just consider what torment this child experienced. We can then assume Allison was questioning her own self-worth, blaming herself, and stuck between wanting to love her mother and possibly hating her mother all at the same time. As a young child, Allison’s attachment to her mother was shattered; her primary caregiver failed her. Allison’s other caregivers were present, but the one adult whom she had formed a close bond with passes away, leaving her again without a caregiver or a responsible adult figure. Working with Allison as an adult, I would start by evaluating if she...
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...Psychological Testing Testing has become a very important factor in the world today. Everyone at one point in their lives has gone through some form of testing or has done a test. Tests were developed in order to find out information on someone. Thests are being used by many professionals around the world in many fields of study including psychology. In addition there are many type of tests and they are categorized into 5 major categories. First is the mental ability tests, then the achievement tests followed by the personality tests, the interest and attitudes tests and ending with the neuropsychological tests. Taking a test depends a lot on the reliability and validity of the information on the test. Major Categories The mental ability tests is a tests that measures a persons mental ability. It is a tests that shows just how much mental capacity a person is able to retain as knowledgeable information for future reference. An example of the mental ability tests is the SAT test. This test is given to future college students. The achievement test is another test and this test points out how much a person knows about a certain or particular field. An example of this test would be that of the TAKS or STAR test. This test is given to students in many schools in order to determine a childs level of knowledge. This test would provide professionals with enough information or the knowledge that a student know for instance about grammar such as sentence structure or...
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...Psychological health in the workplace Including mental health in your business model is important to a healthy workplace. Poor mental health not only hurts the individual, it also reduces corporate profits. It's important that all levels of the workplace - including the Board of Directors, management, finance, and human resources departments - get involved to incorporate mental health at your workplace in order to ensure proper functioning of firm. There is also a legislative requirement for employers to protect the mental and physical health of their employees. Many provincial occupational health and safety acts have been expanded to include harm to psychological well-being in the definition of harassment. In jurisdictions that do not have explicit legislation dealing with psychological health in the workplace, the general duty clause would apply. The most important organizational factors that impact organizational health, the health of individual employees and the financial bottom line, including the way work is carried out and the context in which work occurs, are Psychological Support, Organizational Culture, Clear Leadership & Expectations, Civility & Respect, Psychological Job Fit, Growth & Development, Recognition & Reward, Involvement & Influence, Workload Management, Engagement, Balance, Psychological Protection, Protection of Physical Safety. Apart from the aforesaid factors, a key issue affecting an employee’s health is stress. Taber's Cyclopedic...
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...With more combat cases, psychological diseases have influenced soldiers adversely during war time and postwar period. Depression, as a mediating factor, worsens the experience of combat trauma and intensify the PTSD symptoms (Griffith 464). According to scholarly research, Veterans may suffer from both physical injury and psychological trauma during wartime. After returning from the warzone, they are likely to have painful memories about the war. Therefore, Trouble coping with experiences or losses can lead to depression (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). According to Kearney, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a worldwide problem that is associated with “major decrements” in life quality, and it has “comorbidity across the lifespan”...
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...Coping with the Psychological Trauma of Cancer LaHoya Blount COM/172 November 15, 2011 Cassandra Baker Abstract After reading this research paper, it is understood how both men and women cope with the diagnosis of cancer as well as the psychological trauma they experience. Both positive and negative coping styles that patients experience are explained in this paper. Information is given that compares and contrast upon gender concerning patients’ posttraumatic stress disorder and the psychological trauma they face. Sources and coping styles are included that may become helpful in handling the emotional and physical trauma patients may have. Psychological Effects of Cancer Many Americans are diagnosed with various forms of cancer every day. Once diagnosed with cancer the patient go through some form of psychological trauma. Psychological trauma also known as post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with a specific medical illness in this paper it is cancer. Depending on the gender of the patient, the news of having been diagnosed with cancer takes each patient through some difficulties. Although all patients have to deal with being diagnosed with cancer, there are differences and similarities in each gender when dealing with the psychological trauma of cancer (Hagger & Orbell, 2006; Hampton, 2000). Men and women face emotional and physical trauma during treatment of cancer. Both men and women go through depression and anxiety. Men deal with the diagnosis...
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...Introduction to Psychological Testing Psychological testing is used in many areas today, the term test in psychological testing refers to a “procedure used to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something or someone, before it is used in a widespread manner” When it comes to psychological testing these tests are either in written form, visual form, or verbal form through evaluations (Dorland, 2007). Psychological testing is also known as psychological assessments, these tests are used by psychologists to help them get a better idea of a person’s behavior (Framingham, 2001). Many psychologists and companies also use these tests to help them with problems solving, in many different areas for a person including mental health issues, personality issues, and to test IQ (Framingham, 2001). Psychological tests are used to measure people’s performance however they can also tests what is going on with the person in the present, psychological tests cannot predict how a person will be in the future (Framingham, 2001). When it comes to psychological tests, there are many different kinds and styles, there are four major types used one of the clinical interview, assessment of intellectual functioning, personality tests, and behavioral tests (Framingham, 2001). There are also other non-primary tests used for achievement in school, career, work, counseling, management skills, and career planning (Framingham, 2001). Psychological tests are used to help with numerous...
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...Introduction to Psychological Testing Andrea K. Clark 06/15/2015 PSY/475 Introduction to Psychological Testing The goal of this paper is the summarization of key suppositions and basic questions related to psychological testing. A definition of the term ‘test’ shall be provided, as well as explanations of the main test types and identification of the chief users and usages of these tests. Additionally, there shall be a discussion of a comparison and contrast of reliability and validity beliefs and how they influence psychological testing. Definition of Test The definition of a test is “a critical examination, observation, or evaluation” that generates information (Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015). Tests are utilized to identify, characterize or measure an individual’s or group’s knowledge, intellect, skills, capabilities or aptitudes. In the psychological fields, tests are assessment tools that standardize these characterizations, measurements, and identifications. Psychological tests are “a systematic procedure for observing behavior and describing it with the aid of numerical scales or fixed categories” (Hogan, 2007, p. 39). Main Test Types, Chief Usages, and Users According to Hogan (2007), “we classify tests into five major categories: mental ability, achievement, personality, interests, and neuropsychological tests, with several subdivisions within some of the major categories” (p. 41). There are also different test classification methods: standardized, non-standardized...
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