Personal Epistemology

1255 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Review of Literature of Anxiety

Without even realizing it, everyone has a personal paradigm regarding everything that they understand. Throughout my life, my personal paradigm has changed regarding the topic of mental illness, especially anxiety. I began with a positivistic paradigm, but overtime have become more interpretivistic due to personal experiences with mental illness. This paper will discuss my ontology and epistemology regarding mental illness as a positivist, and how my views have changed to become more phenomenologically-based. I was first truly introduced to the topic of mental illness while in high school. This is where I had learned my ontology; that mental illness is real, and so is anxiety. I also learned that anxiety could be measured using a tool to understand …show more content…

I feel that this is very true because when my epistemology was the method of authority and empirical knowledge, my view of anxiety as an illness was very different than it is now that I have experience with the illness myself, as well as seeing others with it and having different experiences with it. I could reflect and see that I had created my own image of anxiety and this image was very narrow-minded and may not suit …show more content…

These views were created by my epistemology which included method of authority and empirical knowing, which were my teachers, doctors, and textbooks in school. Now that I have had more experience with anxiety and mental illness, both personally and by interacting with others with mental illnesses, my personal paradigm has changed and I have become phenomenological in my ontology and epistemology. I now see that values are real and personal opinions and experiences can be considered real knowledge. These realizations will help me become a better social worker by considering personal experiences and the values of those that I hope to help in order to be more efficient and empathic with helping people. I will also know not to generalize people based on their illnesses and to understand that some information can be transferred amongst people while others

Show More
Related

  • The Mega-Marketing Depression Of Japan Case Study

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Culture is a collection of religion, traditions, and beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is created and maintained through the repetition of stories and behavior. It is never definite because it is continuously being modified to match current trends, however, historical principles are still relevant. With respect to mental illness, culture is crucial to how people choose to deal with society and the methods used to diagnose and cope with mental illnesses. In Watters’

    Read More

  • Bio-Psychosocial Assessment Case Study

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, through this assignment, I have learned that a theory is an interrelated set of concepts and propositions, organized into deductive systems that explain relationships among different aspects. It is an overall explanation of the person in environment configuration, and helps explain why a problem is occurring. It will also provide a social worker with a set of ideas that will help the social worker get a better understanding of the problem. In addition, there are many different theories, and perspectives that are used in the social work field to empower people and to promote a positive society for all. This particular case is associated with bio-psychosocial approach

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Individual Psychology

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    In comparing and contrasting the definition of mental disorder in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5) to the Individual Psychology perspective, one is presented with the dichotomy between the mental illness model and the mental health model. The DSM-5, driven by the use of categorizations and classifications, tends to align with a more strict mental illness, or medical model. In contrast, the Individual Psychology perspective, aims to direct focus back onto the uniqueness of each individual. Individual Psychology returns attention to the significance holistic care plays in the wellness of the individual.

    Read More

  • Understanding Mental Illness: A Multidimensional Approach

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    And some researcher has suggested that this model does not reduce stigma. (Thomas Szasz, 2002) states “Liberation by oppression: a comparative study of slavery and psychiatry”. Szasz argues that mental health is a rhetorical invention itself. Psychiatric often stigmatise by insisting that mental illness problems are brain diseases and most Psychiatrist doesn’t see these things as ‘disease ‘ . Thomas SZAZ claims mental illness would only refer to behavioural deviations that have a well-defined organic basis. Other deviant behaviours the product of “problems of living”. Brown and Harris (1978) found major negative life events make people vulnerable to clinical depression. Other researchers found that certain types of life events are more likely to be associated with a development of mental disorders than others—events that are “no normative, unexpected, uncontrollable, clustered in time.” The key problem with this explanation is that coerced and forced medication is generally wrong and that psychiatrists do not warn individual about many of psychiatric drugs potential side

    Read More

  • Social Stigma Essay

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental illness can be described as a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Social stigma plays a vital role in this disease as it can make mental health problems worse, as well as making it harder for the individual to recover; resulting in a person not seeking the help that they need. There are many structural levels of mental health such as the labelling, discrimination, emotional and stereotypical aspects of a person's mental illness condition. Modern day anti-stigma studies have shown that biogenetic and psychosocial methods have aided in the ultimate goal of properly treating mental illnesses. Mental illness has been associated with biogenetic methods/treatments as a means of finding

    Read More

  • Judging between Abnormal and Normal Behavior with the help of David Rosenhan's “Who’s Crazy Here, Anyway?”

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    David Rosenhan questioned whether these characteristics of mental health “reside in the patients or in the situations and contexts in which the observ...

    Read More

  • Mental Illness

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental illness is any disease or condition that reconstruct the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, relates to others and to his or her surroundings. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, and can be presented in different forms, such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Anxiety disorder, Depression, and Obsessive compulsive disorder. (NHS Choices, 2013) When mental illness is not being treated appropriately, the individual often find coping with life’s daily routine and demand difficult. There are various models being used in the treatment of mental illness, such as Medical model, Social model, Psychological model and Family models. (Mental HealthCare, 2013)

    Read More

  • Medicating Mental Illnesses

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although about 450 million people in the world currently are suffering from a mental illness, many untreated, the topic still remains taboo in modern society (Mental Health). For years, people with mental illnesses have been shut away or institutionalized, and despite cultural progression in many areas, mental illnesses are still shamed and rarely brought to light outside of the psychiatric community. The many different forms in which mental illness can occur are incredibly prevalent in the world today, and there is a substantial debate about the way that they should be handled. Some people are of the opinion that mental illness is merely a variance in perception and that it either can be fixed through therapy or should not be treated at all, and that treatment can have negative side effects. Other groups of people believe that mental illness is a very serious affliction and should be treated as a disease through a combination of counselling and medication because people suffering from an untreated mental illness are a danger to themselves and society as a whole. This debate is a popular one, discussed everywhere from the medical field to the dinner table, and it is such because of the numerous lives it affects on the well-being of fellow members of society and the economy. People suffering from mental illnesses are afflicted with anything from delusions, to manic periods, to periods of deep emotional darkness due to experiences and brain chemistry (Johnson). Due to the negative effects untreated mental illness has been proven to have on the human well-being and society as a whole, medication should most certainly be seen as a valid and sometimes necessary way to treat those who suffer from mental illnesses.

    Read More

  • Mental Media Essay

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental illness can be defined as a variety of disorders within the brain that can affect an individual’s mood, way of thinking and behaviour. These illnesses are caused by biological, psychological and sociological influences. Mental illnesses have become more prominent throughout communities while the seeking for help or a cure has appeared to become less evident. In today’s society, mental illnesses are portrayed through various media platforms in a way that causes such a stigma around the illness that it affects those who suffer almost as much as the illness itself.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Classification Systems in Psychiatry

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    Doward, J. (2013), Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist? The Observer 12 May.

    Read More

  • Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the C.D.C ( Centers for Disease Control) the term mental health is commonly used in reference to mental illness. However, knowledge in the field has advanced to a level that completely separates the two terminologies. But even so mental health and mental illness are indeed in fact related, they represent different psychological state of mind with in a person. Mental health refers to our physical and emotional well being. Mental health is mainly all about how we behave, interact, and think. It c...

    Read More

  • Things That Influence My Personal Worldview

    2238 Words  | 5 Pages

    Worldview is how you view the world around you and your place in it. Obviously a worldview is shaped and expanded over the course of a lifetime by many different influences. It is important to really examine your worldview and support it using many viewpoints. This paper will be made up of three parts all incorporating my worldview. In the first part I will explain my worldview in detail. In the second part I will be comparing my worldview to another. Finally, in the third part I will use my worldview to support my stance on an ethical dilemma of abortion.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: My Personal Worldview

    1871 Words  | 4 Pages

    I will be introducing my personal worldview and what I believe. I will then, review and discuss most of the questions I conducted in my interview. I used some of my own questions formulate my interview, but then related them to the Sire textbook questions. My interview questions and answers are relevant and most intriguing to the reader. I discovered complexities, consistencies and inconsistencies within my interview. I will then, compare and contrast my personal worldview with my interviewee. My conclusion will restate and overall recap of my worldview and my interviewee’s worldview.

    Read More

  • Positive Psychology Essay

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude” by Oprah Winfrey which shows the power that people have over their minds and their actions. Recently there have been numerous developments in the field of positive psychology. Positive psychology depends on how we decide to frame the world around us as well as, can be controlled by how we choose to see our lives and everything around us in a positive light or a negative light. Additionally, this process of reframing things to reflect everything in a positive manner is important for people to thrive and be motivated to achieve their goals. However, when it comes to mental disorders there is only so much a person can do as abnormal mental states are definite in their diagnosis and understanding of the mental disorder whereas, in positive psychology whether or not a person is ill does not play a factor rather positive psychologists try and better society as a whole. As a result, a person can be diagnosed with a mental disorder through observed symptoms whereas, in positive psychology it is more difficult as diagnosing true happiness is a challenge.

    Read More

  • Individual Reality Essay

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because all individuals possess different sets of experiences and perspectives, their individual realities, or their interactions with and responses to their surroundings, differ accordingly. While the outside reality that exists independently from human interaction remains consistently unaffected by individuals’ perceptions, one’s individual reality can change and shift as a result of changes in perception that can be triggered by events, relationships, and interactions with others. Leslie Bell’s “Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” Oliver Sacks’s “The Mind’s Eye,” and Martha Stout’s “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday” collectively address this idea that the realization of individual realities

    Read More

More about Personal Epistemology

Open Document