PSY 1012 Chapter 13 Assignment(Susan, a college student)

1. Susan, a college student, is anxious whenever she must speak. Her anxiety motivates her to prepare meticulously and rehearse material again and again. Is Susan’s reaction normal, or does she have an anxiety disorder? Explain the criteria you used in arriving at your answer.

2. In recent years, several best-selling books have argued that most emotional problems can be traced to an unhappy or traumatic childhood (an abusive or dysfunctional family, “toxic” parents, suppression of the “inner child”). What are two possible benefits of focusing on childhood as the time when emotional problems originate, and what are two possible drawbacks?

3. Some mental health professionals (though not most psychologists) think that PMS should be classified as a mental disorder. Drawing on evidence from Chapter 5 of your textbook and information in Chapter 11, write a paragraph giving some arguments against this position.