Ap Psychology Chapter 4

Chapter 4 discusses the several states of consciousness: the nature of consciousness, sleep and dreams, psychoactive drugs, hypnosis, and meditation. Consciousness is a crucial part of human experience, it represents that private inner mind where we think, feel, plan, wish, pray, omagine, and quietly relive experiences. William James described the mind as a stream of consciousness, a continuous flow of changing sensations, images thoughts, and feelings. Consciousness has two major parts: awareness and arousal. Awareness includes the awareness of the self and thoughts about one's experiences. Arousal is the physiological state of being engaged with the environment. Theory of mind refers to individuals understanding that they and others think,

Sleep is a way to conserve energy, is restorative, centers on the role of sleep in brain plasticity, and can enhance your memory. Insomnia is a sleep disorder which an individual can have problems falling asleep, waking up during the night, or waking up to early. Another is Somnambulism, which is sleepwalking or sleep talking. Nightmares are a frightening dream that awakens a dreamer from REM sleep. Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness or as a psychological state of altered attention and expectation in which the individual is unusually receptive to suggestions. Meditations involves attaining a peaceful state of mind in which thoughts are not occupied by worry: the meditator is mindfully present to his or her thoughts and feelings but is not consumed by them. This topic interests me because I personally didn’t know all the different states of consciousness there were. I enjoyed learning all of them and seeing which one I have had or had

This section discusses health psychology and behavioral medicine, making positive life changes, resources for effective life change, controlling stress, behaving, and your good life. Health psychology emphasizes psychology’s role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness. It reflects the belief that lifestyle choices, behaviors, and psychological characteristics can play important roles in health. The mind is responsible for much of what happens in the body, it is not the only factor, the body may influence the mind as well. Making positive life changes include health behaviors- practices that have an impact on physical well being. The stages of change model describes the process by which individuals give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles. The model has five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation/ determination, action/ willpower, and