Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'American psycho'

The purpose of this project was to develop and write a grant proposal to secure funds on behalf of the Herald Community Center for a psycho-educational program for Chinese adults providing direct care for aging parents. The proposed program entitled Caring for You, Caring for Me will focus on Chinese caregivers residing in the San Gabriel Valley. Traditionally, families of Chinese descent encounter numerous barriers when attempting to access support services for their aging parents. These barriers can include financial strain on the family caregiver, language incompatibility with service providers, and a lack of cultural responsiveness to the needs of the Chinese older adult community. The overarching goal of the proposed program will be to decrease the burden and stress often experienced by Chinese adult children in a caregiving role. The actual submission or funding for this program was not required for the completion of this project.

My essay is an investigation of American Psychos Patrick Bateman. Why is Patrick Batemans identity one so easily described as shallow and superficial? I discuss theese questions from a marxists point of view putting Bateman in the context of Georg Lukács theories of reification. I compare the structure of Patrick Batemans identity with the idea of an reified identity to se how the mechanisms of reification creates the entity that is Patrick Bateman.

My conclusion is that one answer to Batemans shallowness is the phenomenon of reification. To get a grasp of how shallowness might be understood I combine the theories of Lukács with Bakhtins idea of the aouthorative discourse.

If one look upon reification as an aouthorative discourse and one also presume that human existence is social and verbal the conclusion is that Patrick Bateman cannot exist because of what he is an example of. Patrick Bateman has only access to one voice, the voice of consumer capitalism and it is the singularity of Bateman that constitutes his ”not thereness”.

Many Filipino Americans experience mental health disparities, yet they are the ethnic group least likely to seek mental health services. When left untreated, the severity of the original mental health needs may increase and lead to additional behavioral health concerns. The purpose of the proposed short-term mental health program is to provide culturally sensitive psycho-education to address the barriers many Filipino Americans face when seeking mental health services. The psycho-education topics will include general mental health education, mental health experience for Filipino Americans, the barriers faced by this population, how to communicate about mental health disparities and mental health resources. With potential funding support from the California Wellness Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health of underserved and low-income Californians, this program will be made available to bridge the gaps in access and quality mental health care at Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) Wellness Center in Filipinotown of Los Angeles, California. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not required for the successful completion of this grant proposal.

The purpose of this study was to explore the health affects caregiver stress has on caregivers in the Latino community of patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The purpose of this project was to identify a potential funding source and write a grant to fund a Latino caregiver psycho-educational support group in the city of Maywood, California.

Researchers and clinical practitioners have grown concerned with the underutilization of support programs in the Latino community. The Latino community has unique needs and responds to culturally sensitive support groups. The Alzheimer’s Association identified caregiver intervention programs as an important area of study. Funded by the Archstone Foundation, this project examines research of the unique needs this large aging community has. VISTA Adult Day Health Care Center serves a large Latino community. This program is presented as a structured psycho-educational support group. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.

Background: Hypertension (HTN), also referred to as a silent killer, has been the leading cause of mortality in the world for more than 10 years. Uncontrolled HTN is associated with cardiovascular complications like stroke, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Disparity is noted in hypertension prevalence, blood pressure control, cardiovascular burden and adherence to hypertension treatment regimens, with worse consequences for Blacks/African Americans compared to their racial counterparts. Multiple factors account for these differences and include biological, psychological and socio-cultural issues. Despite the many salient factors identified to be associated with adherence to hypertensive treatment regimens, as well as current strategies in place, high cardiovascular burden from uncontrolled HTN persist in Black communities.

Purpose: To determine the strongest factors associated with adherence to hypertension treatment regimens among all of the most salient factors identified by prior research, within the context of a community sample of Black/African Americans residing in an urban setting.

Design: Cross-sectional, correlation design.

Theoretical Framework: The Biopsychosocial model framework. Data Analysis: Data analysis consisted of descriptive and bivariate analysis of the predictor variables. Significant variables was analyzed using multiple linear regression model to identify the strongest variables predicting adherence.

Result: Four factors remained significant predictors to adherence in the final regression model: Annual income [$10,000-$20,000 (β= .21, p = .04); annual income $40,001-$80,000 (β = .25, p = .03), Full-time work status (β= -.23 p = .04), Last blood pressure within normal range (β= .19, p = .02) and Depressive symptoms (β = -.20, p = .02).

Implications: The identification of mainly inter-related psychosocial factors (depressive symptoms, income and employment status) as significant predictors of adherence in this sample has implications for priority psychosocial assessment (depression screening in particular), when rendering care to hypertensive Black/African American patients.

Keywords: hypertension, hypertension control disparity, Blacks or African Americans, antihypertensive treatment regimens, adherence

This study applies a depth symbolic approach with hermeneutic methodology to examine the psychological legacy of the historical Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) and its impact on the psyche of the Chinese American. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first and only American legislation that ever prohibited a group of immigrants from entering America solely on the basis of race. The voice of the Chinese American was silenced and the shadow cast on their psyche was long lasting. Through the analysis of two autobiographies and six poems written by the Chinese Americans that directly experienced and bore witness to the exclusion era, this study explores the identity formation, self-definition, self-expression, coping patterns, and models of functioning of the Chinese American. Hidden and forgotten themes and contents in the Chinese American psyche are also uncovered. This research employs an exploratory method of analysis by interweaving personal narratives, cultural symbolism, and mythical images with historical, political, and social events. The emic “bottom up” perspective taken in this study intends to obtain knowledge directly from the experience of a minority group to inform and broaden the theoretical foundation of depth psychology with a diverse and multicultural scope. The study concludes that the unique psychic representation of the Chinese American emerges at the interface of their inner and outer realities. The findings reflect on the pioneer and defiant characteristics of the Chinese American, and their repressed aggression and incomplete mourning over loss.

Dogs categorized as pit bulls are entangled with American sociocultural and psychological dynamics, and alternately imagined as noble, vicious, and sweet. Depth psychology holds that untended unconscious dynamics overwhelm situations and manifest in undesired ways such as violence and oppression. This research explored the unconscious dynamics in pit bull phenomena and asked whether archetypal understandings of these phenomena can promote compassion, social justice, and well-being for dogs and humans. Employing a hermeneutic methodology with a depth psychological lens, this research sought an archetypal understanding of pit bull fighting, breed-specific legislation (BSL), negative breed-based stereotypes, and pit bull rescue and advocacy through hermeneutic dialogues with texts representing these phenomena. Findings showed that the worlds of White dogfighters and game dog breeders contain a complex array of archetypal elements, including archetypes of Warrior, Hero, Wise Old Man, and Magician, and themes of initiation and alchemy. These worlds are also sites for productions of White American heteromasculine personae. Other findings showed that BSL, negative breed stereotypes, and pit bull rescue and advocacy represent transformations of the pit bull image through alchemical stages of destructive nigredo and purifying albedo. These stages showed how the pit bull image emerges from White social anxieties and is employed to reestablish White comfort. An integrated rubedo stage of the pit bull image, in which all of these dynamics are made conscious, is promoted to support social justice and well-being for dogs and humans.

The epitome of psychoanalysis is the process of psyche integration—making the unconscious conscious. As such, the unconscious material holds that which is feared most, the unknown. Buried within the unconscious, the shadow is born; an eerie abyss of repressed emotions, unwanted memories, and forgotten fantasies. Accessing this material can be wearisome, even distressing, without skillful clinical support. This dissertation postulates using literature as conduit in a therapeutic setting to facilitate psyche integration and healthy psychological development. The foundation of depth psychology lends a perfect lens through which to view a literary work because of the emphasis for considering the presence of the unconscious. A hermeneutic research methodology and imaginal approach are used to discuss unconscious material derived from the textual themes and characters in selected works of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s works provide an appropriate framework to hold shadow material as he utilized and personified psychological affects directly correlated to the shadow, and they still possess the ability to connect to their reader a century and a half after conception. The selected works for this dissertation analysis include: “Ligeia” (1838), “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839), and “William Wilson” (1840).

Keywords: Edgar Allan Poe, shadow, literature, textual hermeneutic wheel, imaginal, depth psychology.

This thesis explores alienation from one’s cultural and ethnic legacy and its ramifications for Chicanos, other ethnic groups, and biracial individuals. From a depth psychological perspective, the impact of loss of language and culture for individuals in these populations is investigated in relation to the development of psyche and the individuation process. Understanding of the unhealed wounds of loss of land, both physically and spiritually, has affected the Chicano psyche in relation to itself and the world. Seven themes are indentified and discussed regarding the cultural unconscious in order to provide for therapists a greater understanding of the psyches and cultural background of Chicanos and other ethnic groups. This information can assist therapists to be more culturally competent when working with these populations. The definitive purpose of the study is to learn how depth psychology can better serve this community and bring insight to what the soul is calling for.