Psychological Disorders in Popular Culture

Psychology 100

People with psychological disorders are often depicted by the popular media. You can see people in movies, on television, on the news and elsewhere who are troubled for one reason or another. Characters of songs or books often suffer from a psychological disorder of one kind or another.

Your assignment is to select a person or character that suffers from a psychological disorder from the news, a movie, television series, song, book, or any other popular media source. The important point is that the character is NOT formally diagnosed in your source.

Use the first few paragraphs of your report to introduce and describe the disorder you will discuss. You will need to research information from more than just the textbook. You should include:

a) a description of the primary population affected by this disorder (gender, age, etc.),

b) a description of the primary symptoms experienced by people who are diagnosed with this disorder,

c) a description of factors contributing to this disorder (i.e., genetic predisposition, stressors, etc.), and

d) a description of successful treatment of this disorder (therapy, medication, etc.).

Then introduce the person or character you wish to discuss and illustrate clearly with behavioral examples, why you feel this character suffers from the psychological disorder described. Your description should map very closely onto the description of the disorder at the start of your paper.

Submit a 2-4 page, double-spaced, typed paper of your “disorder report” at the start of class on Tuesday, 5/4. 10 points will be deducted for each day late and papers will NOT be accepted after Tuesday, 5/11 (the last day of class). Optional drafts are due by Tuesday 4/27.

Grading for this paper

Many parts of the paper will be broken down into 10-point blocks. The following descriptions outline how points will be allotted for the paper.

10 points: Excellent discussion and presentation of relevant information that is well-organized and thought-out. It is free of grammatical and spelling errors, shows that the writer thought about the issue, was able to put information into their own words, and was presented in a logical manner to the reader.

Specifically for relating behaviors and symptoms: An excellent, well thought-out and expressed connection between behaviors and symptoms. Inferences seem accurate and symptoms are interpreted correctly. A depth of understanding of symptoms and how to apply them to characters is evident.

9 points: A very good discussion and presentation of relevant information, free of major grammatical and spelling errors that would distract from the writing.

Relating behaviors and symptoms: A very good, well thought-out and expressed connection between behaviors and symptoms that is clear, with accurate inferences, and a correct interpretation of symptoms.

8 points: A good discussion and satisfactory presentation of relevant information. It may be slightly lacking in thought or sound like a regurgitation of what may have been read. Or a better discussion that has some grammatical errors which distract from the writing.

Behaviors/symptoms: A good job relating symptoms to behaviors for most symptoms or a good attempt at expressing the relationship between symptoms and behaviors is made with no major errors.

7 points: A discussion of the material that lacks depth or misses some points that are relevant to the section.

Behaviors/symptoms: Relationships are vague and are alluded to rather than stated for the reader in a clear, concise way. Not many symptoms are discussed in order to make the case for the person having the disorder.

3-6 points: A relatively poor discussion of the material or major grammatical/spelling errors that distract significantly from the writing.

Behaviors/symptoms: Lacking a thorough discussion of symptoms as they relate to behaviors or not discussing enough behaviors or symptoms.

1-2 points: Relevant issue is mentioned but not discussed in a satisfactory manner (i.e., many errors and little thought put into answering the relevant questions).

0 points: Section missing.