These crises, far from abating, seemed rather to increase. One day, while I was in the principal’s office, suddenly the room became enormous, illuminated by a dreadful electric light that cast false shadows. Everything was exact, smooth, artificial, extremely tense; the chairs and tables seemed models here and there…Profound dread overwhelmed me, and as though lost, I looked around desperately for help. I heard people talking, but I did not grasp the meaning of the words. The voices were metallic, without warmth or color. From time to time, a word detached itself from the rest. It repeated itself over and over in my head, absurd, as though cut off by a knife.” (p. 6). 

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As I'm sitting in my oversized teal bean bag chair, laptop on my lap with my "Introduction to Psychology" book written by macmillan/Hayden MacNeil next to me on my table, I imagine in my head what it's like to experience psychosis. I personally don't think I have anyone in my family that suffers psychosis but I do have a couple that suffers from depression, even my clients from my job experiences depression and bipolar disorder. I took a psychology class because I was so interested in understanding individual behavior. I am currently a CNA and use to work in a nursing home facility (Life Care Centers of America) in Michigan City, IN but now I do home-care for Graceful Aging Home-care here in Indianapolis. I've dealt with mainly dementia care patients which not only raised me to have so many questions but also gave me the interest to learn about it.

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I am mainly focusing on the mental health portion of psychology. As I took notes reading and doing my own research I found out how psychology came to be. According to the book (stated from above), Kurt Lewin, today known as the father of modern social psychology, was an influential psychologist. Lewin developed a theory inspired by Gestalt psychology that stressed the significance of individual personalities, interpersonal conflicts, and situational variables. By building upon Gestalt ideas and adapting them to human behavior, Kurt Lewin contributed to Gestalt psychology. He was also one of the first psychologist to examine human behavior systematically, shaping social, experimental, and personality psychology.  He developed this simple formula, B=f(P+E+PE). This is used throughout the whole psychology field which means "that an individuals behavior (B) is a function (f) of the person (P), including their history, personality and motivation, and their environment (E), which includes both their physical and social surroundings (World of Work project)."

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Psychology plays a big role in our lives especially our mental health. One may ask well what does psychology have to do with our mental health? Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. This all relates back to that formula (B=f(P+E+PE).  People are believed to experience emotional difficulties when they hold irrational beliefs about self and the environment. As I'm sitting in my oversized bean bag chair, I lean back and think to myself. I have experienced multiple emotional difficulties, especially when it comes to school. I wouldn't necessarily say that I have fell under depression but close to it. Just being under so much stress really lowers my self-esteem and it just affects my everyday living. A couple of ways I do to handle my stress is exercise or listen to music.

 

In the past, mental health therapists dealt primarily with psychiatric disorders and the health problems that resulted from them. Their emphasis was less on individual variables such as motivation, emotional flexibility, and more on the mental illness symptoms exhibited. Mental disorders activate neural connections that trigger negative thinking, behavior and emotions. For disorders like schizophrenia and depression, cognitive behavioral therapy helps people recognize and alter negative or counterproductive patterns of thinking and actions, replacing them with more precise thoughts and practical behaviors. It can help an individual reflect on current issues and how to fix them. In the "real world" it requires learning new skills. I think that these therapies really make a difference in those who experience mental health issues. My relative has attended therapy for some years now and I can honestly say that she is doing a whole lot better with what had happened to her family in a tragic accident. 

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This Immersion experience has been difficult but very informative. I did expect this to go very well actually and I expected to learn a lot from it. Taking this psychology class has helped me learn the scientific method, how to evaluate sources of information, and how to think critically about the information I encounter on a daily basis.