Notes for Mr. Brown’s 11th grade Emotional Health class.

 

What is Mental Health?

   The National Association for Mental health defines mental health as

            #1 being comfortable with yourself.

            #2 feeling good about your relationships with others.

            #3 being able to meet the demands of life.

We studied a list of 27 Characteristics of Positive Mental Health.

http://www.jacobbrown.com/RidgewoodHealthEd/grade11-2006-EmotionalHealth/27MHCharacteristics.jpg

 

 

Unit 2

Defense Mechanisms and Other Coping Strategies

            Or  What do we do when other people are weird?

 

 

 

            Stress  What Stresses us?

                        What do we do?    --- Stress management.

                        Two Types:  Distress - negative feelings  - Please study these links!

                                                http://academic.cuesta.edu/wholehealth/Level2/Lecpages/str05.htm

                                            Eustress - positive feelings

                                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustress

                                                http://academic.cuesta.edu/wholehealth/Level2/Lecpages/str04.htm

 

            GAS - General Adaptation Syndrome

                                                http://library.thinkquest.org/C0123421/gas.htm

                                                Hans Selye:  http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch12/bio12.mhtml

                        Alarm  -  Flight or Fight  -  List of Alarm Responses

                           Stories-HS math and eustress

                                        Jack and the 10 million.

                        Resistance

                        Homeostasis or Exhaustion (I can't take it anymore!)

                                    Exhaustion- We can't solve the problem so what do we do?

 

            Coping Devises and Defense Mechanisms

                        DM video (movie scenes)

                           UTI - Noah in kitchen with Helen = denial

                                    - Eddie and Noah in Bar = projection

                                    - Terri and Helen after back to school night. = substitution

                           Fried Green Tomatoes- car smash in parking lot by Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates)

                                                                                displacement

                              -Food fight between Ruth Jamison and Idgie Threadgoode  = Sublimation

                                                (Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson

 

Defense Mechanisms

 

Compensation:     Making up for weakness in one area by working hard to achieve success in another area.

 

Conversion:    Intolerable impulses or conflicts are converted into Physical Symptoms.

 

*Denial:     Negation or non-acceptance of important (stressful) aspects of reality.

 

*Displacement:   Shifting unacceptable impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person.

 

Identification:    Individual assumes qualities of  someone else so they can avoid the stress of thinking about their    own shortcomings

 

*Projection:     An individual disguises their unacceptable impulses by believing  others have those same qualities.

 

Rationalization:   An individual offers self-justifying explanations for behavior in place of real more threatening explanations.

 

*Reaction Formation:   The individual behaves in the opposite manner of their unacceptable impulses or thoughts.

 

Regression:  The individual retreats, when faced with anxiety, to a more immature psychological role.

 

*Repression:   The individual banishes anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings and memories from conscious thought.

 

*Sublimation:  The channeling of unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions (or goals).

*-Must learn the marked defenses for Mr. Brown's test.

 

Defenses (synonymous words: Words we use when describing defense mechanism behavior)

rationalizing, justifying, projecting, blaming, accusing judging, moralizing, analyzing, explaining, generalizing, debating, arguing, questioning, switching, denying, superior, minimizing, evading, defiance, attacking, withdrawing, silence, talking, shouting, laughing, joking, staring, sighing, agreeing, grinning, complying,, sexuality, inferior, fragile, cute, crying, hostile

 

 

Why do we use Defense Mechanisms:

                - reduce anxiety

                - enhance self esteem

                - protect the ego.

 

Eating Disorders:

You must Study and Learn the information on the following link:

            http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/eating-disorders

 

Interesting Self Image Videos:

            http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049560]/

 

 

Drug Education:

We reviewed Mr. Brown's chart of psychoactive drugs.

                  http://www.jacobbrown.com/RidgewoodHealthEd/grade11-2006-EmotionalHealth/DrugChartP1.jpg

 

                  http://www.jacobbrown.com/RidgewoodHealthEd/grade11-2006-EmotionalHealth/DrugChartP2.jpg

 

Lesson on Addictions:  We read an article about opiate addiction and watched a video that said addiction was a choice.

From Mr. Brown's point of view:  Addiction is an over used word in our culture!

                Physical addiction is actual chemical changes in cells caused by overuse.

                Emotional addiction is use or action to the point of distress or dysfunction.

                Sometimes both conditions are present.

Are our "addictions" hard wired into our genes or are they choices?  Mr. Brown thinks both are present and the wise person learns to tell the difference!

Placebo:  We read two points of view and looked at  some illusions.    http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/