Case Scenario 1

Jeremy is an eight year old boy that is experiencing problems at home and at school. While at home, his mother often complains that he is very messy, disorganized, and is frequently interrupting others. At school, his teachers report that he is often distracted, fidgety, restless, and frequently losing his work or leaving it incomplete. Jeremy's mother feels that his behavior is getting in the way of his school success and worries about his lack of friends. Jeremy does not get along well with his peers because they get annoyed with his erratic and unpredictable behavior, along with his inability to stay focused during any type of game. It appears that Jeremy could be struggling with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Case Scenario 2

Sylvia is a 28 year old, stay-at-home mother raising two small children with her husband, who travels frequently for his work. Sylvia finds herself feeling bored and isolated a lot of the time. She finds herself overeating and then feeling bad about her weight gain. She has trouble sleeping at night and takes frequent naps during the day. She has persistent thoughts that she is an unlikable person and cannot manage to do anything right. She feels guilty that she is not a good enough mother to her children. When her husband is home, she questions if he loves her and secretly wonders if he does not. She feels hopeless that her life will get better and no longer enjoys doing things that she once did. It appears that Sylvia is struggling with Major Depression.

Case Scenario 3

John is a 24 year old college graduate, who recently began working as a mechanical engineer. He worked very hard throughout college and it has paid off with a new job and a good salary. John frequently finds himself worrying that he will not succeed in his new job and has persistent thoughts that he might be a failure. John finds himself arriving early for work because he has trouble sleeping in the morning (thinking about everything he needs to do for his job). He works until well past dinner time, so that he can make sure not to forget all the details of his job. When he tries to relax, he thinks about work left undone and responsibilities left unfulfilled. Along with constantly monitoring his ‘to-do list', John finds himself checking and rechecking the work he does, to continually monitor mistakes that could be made. He finds himself counting things over and over. More and more, his supervisor is complaining that it takes John too long to do work because he is never satisfied with it and gets distracted with his counting. John feels lonely, as his arduous work schedule leaves little time to socialize or develop any personal relationships. It appears that John may be struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

It is important to remember that diagnosing people and recommending psychological treatment is for psychology professionals specifically trained in this area. Furthermore, these psychology professionals should avoid working with friends, family members, or anyone else that they have another relationship with besides the therapist/client relationship. This is known as the "dual relationship" concept and it is an ethical standard for working in psychology. It helps with professionalism, objectivity, and protects both the psychologist and the client. After reading and considering the case scenario that you chose, apply the four dominant theories of psychology to help you further understand the case.

For each school of thought (Psychodynamic, Behavioral, Humanistic, and Cognitive) write a paragraph about what this theory tells you about psychology and what techniques it may recommend to help the person in your case scenario. Describe how you feel this knowledge could be applied to your professional work. Keeping in mind the dual relationship concept, explain how this knowledge could be helpful to psychology professionals.

It is applicable to all fields in the sense that no matter what you work in you may encounter a person with a mental health issue, supervise a difficult person who has one, or actually go into the field working with them. It is all around us and good to have a working knowledge.