Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome is a condition that we have all heard about, so I thought it would be a good mental disorder to blog about. The cause of Tourette's is unknown for sure, but it is presumed that both genetic and environmental factors are involved. The tics are the most known characteristic of tourette syndrome. These are movements that occur randomly in between normal motor movements. There are no treatments specificially for the tics, but the disorder may be treated. Tourette syndrome can be managed, for exapmle Tim Howard, a professional goalkeeper, has tourette syndrome and he says that it is not a problem. It is interesting to see that some disorders can be so serious and not a problem at the same time.

Classical Conditioning

This example of classical conditioning is something that I think we all are conditioned to. The doorbell. The doorbell is rung meaning that someone is at your house and you need to open the door.

Someone at your house -> open the door
Doorbell rung + someone at your house -> open the door
Doorbell rung -> open the door

Savant Syndrome

This week we had presentations on brain disorders. The one I took most interest in was savant syndrome. It is caused by genetics or by damage to one side of the brain. When this happens the other side of the brain becomes like a super brain and has incridible focus. These savants can do extraordinary tasks, such as balancer calculations or artistic ability. We talked about one savant named Alonzo. If you give him a chunk of clay he can make any animal with perfect detail. But this disease does have some downfall. Most savants have autism and very poor social skills. There is no cure for savant syndrome either. Like all diseases,it has symptoms, but this disease is a little different because it actually has a "pro."

Jung, Adler, and Horney

The Collective Unconscious fits to everyone. It is not personal like the Personal Unconscious.  Your Collective Unconscious is the storehouse that keeps all of your religious, spiritual and mythological symbols and experiences. Archetypes structure the Collective Unconscious.  Archetypes are the deep structures of the psyche or spiritual forms which are examples of things in the material world. When Jung interpreted these archetypes, he found that there are matrixes, or patters, that are behind all or our religious concepts. He believed that archetypes were overarching things that exist in all cultures. This would be your fairy tales, superheroes and religious beliefs. They are all that you think is good and pure. Jung believed that these archetypes affected us and our thoughts when we respond to things in the material world.

Alfred Adler was a follower of Sigmund Freud. He believed that children went through a period of feeling inferior. He feels this way because the child is surrounded by older and stronger adults. Adler believed that if a child did not meet certain challenges in life, they would get inferiority complex. I think is basically just jealously. You should not feel like a lesser person to others because they have money or are stronger, you are just jealous of them.

Karen Horney was very opposed of Freud’s theory of penis envy. She believed that it does happen in some women, but men suffered just as much from womb envy. Horney felt like men were jealous of a woman’s ability to bear a child. She thought that the men’s want to have their name live on was just a cover up for their inability to bear, carry, and nurture a child.

Psych So Far

So far in Psychology I have learned a lot. I came into this class knowing next to nothing. Today we started learning about Frued's id, ego, and superego. I'm not completely sure I know what it is though. If I am correct then in a superhero movie, the id would be the villain, the ego would be all of the city and the people who have to choose who to follow, and the superego would be the superhero.