Overview
For the current assignment, you will write a reflective paper discussing your personal perspective on the causes and treatments of psychopathology using personal, scholarly, and biblical support. A key purpose of reflective writing is to encourage you to consider how your experiences, assumptions, values, and beliefs shape your thinking and your acceptance of and opposition to new ideas. Reflective writing also helps to improve your analytical skills because it requires you to express what you think and explain why you think it.
To complete the present assignment, you will critically evaluate the various theoretical approaches to conceptualizing and treating psychopathology and analyze them in view of your personal background, values, life experiences, and personality. Then you will explain which one theory and associated therapeutic techniques align most closely with your own worldview. Finally, you will explain whether the theoretical perspective that you selected also aligns with a Christian worldview.
Instructions
Content Requirements
- Include a title page, 5–7 pages of expository content, and a references page.
- In the Introduction of your paper: a) state the purpose of your paper, b) summarize the main points that you will make in your paper, and c) explain why it is important for you to examine your thinking about the causes and treatment of psychopathology.
- In the Body of your paper, address the following issues:
- Describe and Evaluate: Using scholarly citations (e.g., the course textbook(s), journal articles), summarize the primary tenets of the six main etiological perspectives of psychopathology discussed throughout the term (e.g., physiological, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, family systems, and sociocultural), and then describe at least one strength and one weakness of each.
- Analyze: Identify the ONE perspective that aligns most directly with your own personal worldview, and use reflective analysis of your experiences, assumptions, values, and beliefs to explain why it fits with your worldview.
- Synthesize: Using at least one scriptural citation, build a biblical argument to explain whether the one perspective that you chose also fits with a Christian worldview.
- In the Conclusion of your paper: remind your reader about the purpose of the paper, restate the main issues that you explored in your paper, and discuss how what you learned while reflecting about your thoughts will help you to grow personally and/or professionally.
Formatting Specifications
- In-text citations are provided and formatted according to current APA guidelines.
- All text is typed and double-spaced in a standard, university-approved font.
- All pages utilize 1-inch margins.
- A current APA-formatted title page is provided.
- A current APA-formatted references page is included.
- Individual references on the references page are formatted according to current APA guidelines.
- Sources on the references page match sources cited in the body of the paper.
Writing and Organization
- Write in a scholarly writing style with a formal, graduate-level tone
- Be concise, not wordy
- Organize your ideas logically (e.g., effective use of transition when moving from one idea to the next).
- Utilize appropriate grammar, diction and punctuation
- Seek feedback from other “editors.” Have someone else review your paper for clarity and coherence before submitting. Other people will be able to point out parts of your paper that are murky and may need revision.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.