Posted: November 4th, 2021

Essentials of Psychology Case Studies Research Essay

 

Case Study 1: “The Case of the Woman Who Dreams of Stress,” page 162

1. There is a lack of consensus among scientists as to why and how much people should sleep. When it comes to sleep, there is a wide range of individual needs rather than a set number of hours. Sleep, on the other hand, is essential to human well-being. Our bodies appear to rejuvenate themselves during sleep, allowing us to unwind and recharge. With her current sleep issues, Arlene is likely to be constantly exhausted. But Arlene finds sleeping difficult because of the stress she experiences daily.

However, this is perfectly normal; there is nothing wrong with her now. Her insomnia may be alleviated by employing a variety of techniques. Arlene’s dreams aren’t out of the ordinary either. All of us have aspirations. When people are asleep, they typically go through the motions of their daily routine.

This is Arlene’s place of employment. Her daily worries and anxieties are being processed in her sleep in accordance with the theory of dreams-for-survival.

Since such dreams are common to everyone, they are not abnormal or unique to her. In her dreams, nothing wrong with her needs to be checked out. She may have less frightening dreams to alleviate some of the stress of her day-to-day life.

2. This theory is the best explanation for Arlene’s disturbing dreams. According to this theory, Dreams reflect our anxieties, desires, ideas, and indecisions in a way that is consistent with our daily lives. Arlene worries about not being able to live up to the standards she has set for herself in her dreams. To put it another way, Arlene is afraid she won’t be able to complete her work.

The theory goes that Alene’s dreams help her focus and consolidate her memories to help her survive. As a result of this, she has dreams in which she tries to solve work-related issues in her waking life. She is reliving and reassessing relevant memories from her daily life and searching for answers.

3. Meditation is a means to alter one’s consciousness so that the participant lets go and becomes unaware of any outside stimulation. Arlene could use meditation to cool down and reach a state of relaxation. Meditation also offers her the opportunity to gain more insights about herself and the complications she’s facing in life, potentially leading to optimism, solutions, and more energy, as well as fewer fears and worries.

Hence, being more relaxed and less stressed might help her overcome her insomnia and improve her sleep.
Therefore, it would be advisable for Arlene to meditate shortly before she goes to bed. If Arlene meditated over an extended period, it could significantly help her improve her health.

For instance, the biological changes meditation can produce aid in decreasing one’s heart rate and blood pressure. This may counteract the effects of the caffeine she consumes. Lastly, meditation can also change one’s brain wave patterns.

4. Most importantly, to overcome her insomnia, Arlene must reduce the amount of caffeine she consumes regularly and daily. Instead, a simple glass of warm milk before going to bed may contribute to Arlene falling asleep. Arlene could also benefit from exercises and workouts in the afternoon to use up her remaining energy and become even more tired.

Furthermore, I would suggest Arlene set a regular bedtime schedule. She shouldn’t necessarily try to force herself to fall asleep, but she should try to teach her body’s internal mechanisms at bedtime. Presuming she cannot fall asleep, she should leave the bed and return again when she feels tired.

As suggested in answer to question three, mediation could also play a significant role in relaxing, unwinding stress and tension, and thus help Arlene to fall asleep more easily. If Arlene’s insomnia is related to stress she cannot resolve by herself, she may seek to participate in psychotherapy to cope and deal with the stress and issues better. If all these suggestions fail, I would advise Arlene to see a sleeping disorder specialist. Medication such as sleeping pills should not be taken before seeing a physician or sleeping disorder specialist.

5. Caffeine is a stimulant and, therefore, a drug that causes drug highs. Rises in blood pressure, heart rate, and muscular tension are some of the results of caffeine’s effects on the central nervous system. Arlene’s caffeine intake enables her to master her daily life without feeling tired and through mood improvements.

The caffeine likely increases her attentiveness and reduces her reaction time, making her function more productively. However, a large amount of caffeine Arlene is consuming daily doubtlessly accounts for (at least in part) her constant nervousness and her insomnia, not letting her body come to rest.

Additionally, just like in In Arlene’s case, regular caffeine users can build up a biological dependence. A sudden end to her caffeine consumption could lead to various effects such as extreme tiredness, bad mood, headaches, and even depression. I would advise Arlene to reduce the amount of caffeine she consumes gradually. That way, she would inflict less stress on her body than with a sudden stop allowing her body to adjust appropriately.

Case Study 2: “The Case of John Buckingham, the New Guy on the Job,” page 530

1. When John moved across the country, he was unaware of the much more laid-back culture in the region joined. Thus, John dressed as he would dress in the area they came from. The behavior of John’s new co-workers suggests that they found his manner of dress strange, unusual, and probably somewhat weird since they were unfamiliar with it.

From their perspective, John may have seemed “alien” and like a misfit who does not intend to be part of the group. Presumably, John’s colleagues attributed this to his disposition, formed by his personality characteristics and internal traits. In reality, it might be completely different, though.

John might decide on his style of clothing according to situational causes. He chose to dress in the same manner he had dressed before doing the same work since he thought it would be the right thing. Soon after experiencing how the style of dress of his new co-workers differed from his old ones, he changed the way he dressed.

This suggests that John chose to dress in a way that he thought was appropriate to the given situation rather than to his personal preference. His co-workers made a mistake in attributing John’s manner of dress to his disposition instead of the situation.

Furthermore, they likely made up their mind about John’s personality and behavior based on a sample of his behavior and his manner of dress. Finally, John’s new co-workers acted hesitant, distant, and avoidant. However, this started to change after John changed his manner of dress, appeared, and blended in.

2. Schemas enable us to make up our minds and predict how others are with quite a little information about them available to us. We categorize people of specific types based on sets of cognitions about people and experiences. In John’s case, his new co-workers might very well have been using a faulty schema.

They didn’t know too much about him yet as they didn’t have the chance to get to know him properly. In fact, all they know so far, so it seems, is his manner of dress. Yet, with very little information about John apparent to them, they decided about him and predicted what kind of person he might be in no time.

In the process of forming their impression about John, his co-workers were probably affected by at least two types of biases: the “fundamental attribution error” and “the halo effect.” The “fundamental attribution error” refers to people’s tendency to exaggerate dispositional causes of someone’s behavior.

As described in answer to question one, his co-workers likely overattributed John’s behavior (his manner of dress) to his disposition instead of the situation. “The halo effect” lets us establish misperceptions about others by inferring the uniformity of one’s positive or negative characteristics. In the case of John, his “strange” manner of dress led his new co-workers to view him as an entirely different and weird person.

There is no definite evidence, but it could well be that the “assumed-similarity bias” also played a role indirectly. This bias stands for our tendency to believe that other people are similar to us right when we meet them for the first time. Thus, his new co-workers could have seen John as someone similar to themselves.
Then, they would believe that John stems from an environment with similar customs and would not understand his differing behavior.

3. People, groups and the entire social environment can often demonstrate considerable pressure on individuals, significantly impacting them. This pressure is caused by social influence. For John, the group of his new co-workers will, from now on, play an essential and central role in his daily life.

Therefore, John likely desired to get along well and to become part of a group of colleagues. However, every group has its own established set of rules, standards, expectations, and norms. If people don’t adhere to these and “fit in,” they will likely be ignored, rejected, or even excluded.

John already experienced his fellow colleagues’ avoidant and repellent behavior right on the first day. It was obvious to him how he differed from the others and the probable reason for their behavior. If he wanted to become part of the group and be included, it was clear what he had to do, adjust his manner of dress and follow the beliefs and standards of the group.

Hence, the group of colleges generated serious unspoken pressure on John, resulting in his conformity. Conformity reflects the personal changes in attitude or behavior of a person motivated by the desire to be part of the social environment.
4. As discussed already, John’s new co-worker’s first impression of him was not very good. He came from far away, with a different background and other standards. People are often cautious when encountering people that differ from what appears to be usual.

They appear hesitant and often make judgments after collecting very few impressions. The fact that John did come from somewhere else and was not a member of the group just yet could also have created some negative prejudices against him. This, combined with the biases described in answer to question two, is likely to have led to the hesitant behavior of the co-workers.

This can be resolved through John’s conformity on the one hand and through time that passes. Then, the group will get to know him better personally and collect more experiences with him and his personality and behavior in various situations.

5. If I were the human resources director of this company, I would better sensitize the employees and new employees joining the company. First, I would organize regular seminars and workshops to educate the employees about the different social, ethical, and religious backgrounds of each other.

Especially in a large company, this seems extremely important because of the variety of different personalities present. The employees should better understand each other, resulting in better acceptance of differences. Next, I would hold regular team events where all the employees, including management, can focus on getting to know each other better without the daily work environment, which can ultimately increase cohesion and productivity.

Furthermore, I would focus on employees being able to switch between positions within the company more frequently. That way, they will be able to broaden their skills and knowledge and often work with different colleges. This would also prevent certain employees from setting subgroups without interacting with the rest of the employees anymore.

Creating a mobbing and discrimination department that intervenes when incidents occur is also essential. Last, before new employees come to work, they should receive a welcome event where they are introduced to the company’s policies and standards and the customs of the company’s employees to be able to cope and adjust better and start well into their new career.

These implementations can be well justified to the company president because they will benefit the company’s overall success. First, the satisfaction of the staff will rise. Second, happier employees will result in fewer sick leaves for psychological reasons. Third, the image of the company will improve. And fourth, these suggestions will ultimately result in increased productivity and, thus, more profits.