Psychological Vignette Johns Compass - Case Study Example

Vignette Analysis Phenomenological theorists From a phonological perspective, it is essential to that John is a young man who has suffered various tragedies in his life and the most traumatizing of these was the suicide of his father when he was quite young. One would suggest that John’s metal illness comes about as a result of the fear that he has concerning the possibility of his ending up committing suicide like his father and grandfather before him and this creates a situation where he is beside himself with worry. This worry is developed as a result of his not knowing when the impulse to commit suicide will come about and bring him to the point of ending his life. The life of this young man is dominated by the events surrounding the deaths of his father and grandfather and the belief that he might end up following in their footsteps. This is a situation that he does not desire to happen because it might bring about a situation where he stops living his life and instead comes to be dominated by the possibility of his death (Cervone and Pervin, 2013). His family history is a one that he wishes to escape mainly because he is not able to mentally protect himself from the prospect that he might end up taking his own life. The fact that his father and grandfather took their own lives is a constant chip on his shoulder because despite all that he does to ensure that he has a better understanding of why they were motivated to commit such acts, he cannot come to a proper conclusion. It is possible that as a result of the way that these men died, John feels inadequate because they are a constant shadow in his life and this is to such an extent that he ends up fearing that he might be genetically triggered to commit suicide as well. There are instances where he likely comes to question the sanity of the male members of his family and wonders whether he has inherited the gene that will probably bring about his eventual end through suicide. John’s ability to realize that he has a problem shows that his thought is deeply rooted on the reality of his life rather than any form of delusion that is a basic characteristic of individuals that are completely mad and have no comprehension of the realities that are taking place around them. It is most likely that living with his mother and grandmother at the age of twenty eight is one of the factors that might be contributing to the stress and depression that he might be experiencing. This is because at that age, he should be an independent man who can take care of himself without any help from anyone. The fact that he is still living at home means that he has still to attain the level of independence necessary to ensure that he is confident to take on life head on. For an adult such as John, such a situation would be most depressing, especially when one considers that living at home means that he is still a dependant and he has to deal with being looked down upon by his peers. The depression that he displays is a reflection of the heavy mental burden that he bears and this is especially true of his self-esteem where he feels inadequate as a man. Moreover, he does not know what to do with himself especially when he considers that he is dependent on the women in his life to support him (Cervone and Pervin, 2013). His Hispanic background is one where the man is the family’s breadwinner and it is he who has to provide for the rest of the family. This is certainly not the case with John who ends up not feeling adequate since he is most likely not the one who provides for his family. Such thoughts would bring to the fore the reasons behind why his father and grandfather committed suicide and it might be his belief that they did so because they were not capable of taking care of their families in the same way as him. Under such a circumstance, it becomes difficult for John to focus away from the reasons behind their suicide and instead leads him to come to the conclusion that he will most likely commit suicide as a result of his own frustrations. These thoughts might be a reason behind the anxiety that he shows during the interview and might also be as a result of his lack of self-esteem since he is not confident that he will be able to make a life for himself apart from his family’s suicidal past. One would suggest that it is mainly because of the depression that he feels as well as the manner that his paternal family died that makes him not to focus on the positive side of life and trying to become as independent as possible. Trait theorists From a trait perspective, John seems to be an individual who lacks most of the traits that make persons within society function normally and this can be attributed to the suicide history in his family as well as his feelings of inadequacy. It is essential to note that John does not seems to have the trait of being open to experience and this can be seen through his inability to learn from the past of his father and grandfather and move on from it in order to make himself a better person (Vandenbos et al, 2014). He is an individual who has allowed his life to be dominated by the suicides of his father and grandfather and believes that just because he is of their blood, he will also end up committing suicide. He does not take advantage of his knowledge of his family’s past in order to make a new life for himself and this in such a manner where he will ensure that he has a much different outcome from the men in his family. His seeming lack of wide interests is a trait that shows an extremely sheltered background and might be as a result of his having lived with his mother and grandmother for most of his life. These are women who lost their husbands at an early age and as a result, John is the only remaining connection that they have to them. A possible consequence of this scenario is that it brought about a situation where they might be overly protective of John and this makes him not only feel inadequate, but also incapable of taking care of his own interests. The fact that John is quite afraid of his ending up being a suicide case like his father is as a result of his not having something serious to live for. It he had wide interests, he would not have the time that is currently available to him to ruminate over the possibility of his ending up committing suicide and would instead wish to live his life in a manner that is independent of his past. Furthermore, the anxiety that John displays during the interview is a testament of his lack of self-confidence since his obsession with his possible suicide as well as the sheltered life that he has lived have led to his not having developed the most basic social skills. The lack of a strong paternal figure when he was growing up might also be a reason behind his not being self-confident because he did not have an example that he could emulate, resulting in anxiety when it comes to his being in the presence of strangers. It is essential to note that despite having the fear of following in the footsteps of the men in his family; John is a young man whose thoughts are based on reality. He does not have the symptoms of a man who is likely to commit irrational acts. This is a positive sign because it shows that he is quite capable of dealing with the issues at hand if only he is provided with enough assistance. It is possible that the anxiety and depression that he displays is as a result of the fear that he might be put into a mental facility as a result of being diagnosed as being chronically mentally ill and this might create a situation where he is separated from the rest of his family. Under such a circumstance, it becomes difficult for him to deal with the reality of the situation, hence the anxiety that he displays. This is a man who feels that he is a victim of circumstances rather than of his own actions as seen through his belief that he might end up committing suicide just because his father and grandfather before him did it. These are circumstances which John seems to be obsessed with suicide and it makes it difficult to live his life normally because he is not capable of moving on from what happened in the past. He does not attach enough value to his personality which can help him move on from the actions of his forbearers and instead focus on building his own life without their influence. This obsession with the possibility of ending his own life makes it extremely difficult for him to focus on the bigger picture, which is actually living it to the fullest. John also seems to show symptoms of neuroticism which are manifested through his show of fear over the possibility of his life ending by suicide (Vandenbos et al, 2014). The anxiety and depression that he displays are manifestations of neuroticism because he is unsure of how to handle himself in a situation where he is faced with a dark family history and does not know when it will likely catch up with him. One would suggest that these symptoms are a fair predictor of possibly negative experiences in John’s life in case he is not provided with the necessary psychological help to aid in averting the coming crisis. John’s tendency to worry is a symptom of harm avoidance because he is not able to get over the fact that his father and grandfather committed suicide. His excessive worrying over a situation that might not happen to him is bad for his mental health and it is essential that he gets help as soon as possible so that he can be able to live a normal life. Biological/Genetic theorists When John’s problem is considered from a biological perspective, it involves the study of the structure of his brain and this in such a manner as to determine the way that his brain reacts to the situations surrounding him. A study through the Five Factor Model shows that John’s lack of openness to experience might not in any way be related to any brain structures and might come about as a result of the experiences that he has undergone since he was young (DeYoung, 2010). He is a man who has experienced suicide through his family history and this is a situation that he finds most disturbing and it has made him to become obsessed with the belief that the same will happen to him. John’s fear to get on with his life can be related to his lack of openness and this is what has left him in a circumstance where he feels tied down by the history of his own family. It is essential to note that as a result of his being firmly entrenched in reality; John seems to be highly conscientious, because he has conformed to his own conscience. This is extremely important because it shows that despite his problems, John’s lateral prefrontal cortex is one that has an increased volume, meaning that he is still able to voluntarily control his own behavior. Under such a circumstance, John is firmly rooted to reality and does not have to be committed to a mental facility in order for his problem to be solved. His being able to voluntarily control his behavior is essential because it shows that despite his fear of ending up like his father, he has the capacity to reason with himself and come to the conclusion that it would not be in his best interests to end his life. Furthermore, its shows that he has a capacity for planning which can be used to ensure that he is able to turn his thinking around to more positive thoughts that can help him get on with his life. Through his disposition, one comes to the conclusion that John is an introvert and this is normally related with a decrease in the volume of the medial orbitofrontal cortex of the brain. This is a region that is tasked with the processing of reward information and the fact that John has a decreased volume means that he is an individual who prefers to be on his own and does not project his personality outwards. Such a situation would lead to his obsessing over his thoughts and this might be a reason behind his fear that he might end up like his father and grandfather before him who took their lives in their early thirties; an age that he too at 28 is approaching. It is through his introversion that he ends up feeling as if the suicide history within his family is a part of him and that he might end up being a victim, a situation that is not a guarantee. John’s living with both his mother and grandmother is a sign of his possible disagreeableness because under such circumstances, it is possible that he has a small social circle where he has few friends and this creates a situation where he is not able to live in a friendly environment. Agreeableness is normally related to an increase in the volume of the regions of the brain that are concerned with the processing of information concerning the mental state of other people (DeYoung, 2010). In other words, it might be as a result of his not being able to understand the motivations behind his father and grandfather having committed suicide that is keeping him in fear that he might end up being a suicide case as well. If he had understood the motivations of suicide within his family, it is possible that he would have realized that they did not in any way concern him and that he is obsessing over something that is not likely to happen. John also seems to be showing signs of neuroticism and this is normally related to the brain regions that deal with such aspects as punishment, threats, as well as negative emotions. His concern about ending up committing suicide like his father and grandfather seems to be as a result of negative emotions that come about as a result of these two incidents. John might be reflecting on these incidents because he has come to believe that he is either inadequate in life or that there is a possibility that the suicides might be a genetic characteristics among the men of his family. It is therefore essential that John be given the necessary psychological help to ensure that he does not fall into the kind of depression that might lead him to commit suicide simply because the males within his family did the same. References Cervone, D. & Pervin, L.A. (2013). Personality: Theory and Research. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. DeYoung, C.G. (2010). Personality neuroscience and the Biology of traits. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(12), 1165–1180. Vandenbos, G.R., Meidenbauer, E. & Frank-McNeil, J. (2014). Psychotherapy Theories and Techniques: A Reader. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. Read More