2008 m. lapkričio 6 d., ketvirtadienis

Psychology of kleptomania

The dictionary describes kleptomania as the inability to resist impulses to steal. The things that are stolen are not needed for personal use. They are also not taken for their monetary value. Let's try to look deeper into this problem.
Kleptomania was first officially recognized in the US as a mental disorder only in the 1960s. This is quite a rare condition, studies suggest that only 0.6% of the general population may have this disorder and that this is more common in females.
The exact cause of this mental illness is still unknown, but scientists presume that it is caused by depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders. There is version which says that kleptomania mau be transmitted genetically.
The treating may be various. It may include such therapies as cognitive-behavioral or rational-emotive. There is recommended treatment with various medicaments as well.
In conclusion, at first sight it may seem that kleptomania isn't very serious illness, but in my opinion it is. I think very important is to understand people with this mental disorder and treat them not as thieves but as a having serious mental problems.

Psychology of laughter

Beyond a doubt, laughter is a fundamental part of our everyday life. We are so used to it that we don't give a thought to how important it is. Laughter, it is said, is the best medicine. There are lots of evidence to prove that.
To start with, it reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort. There were done various researches and it was noticed, that the group of patients who were suffering an intense pain, requested fewer tranquilizers and aspirin when they were watching comedies and laughing, than the group, who watched drama.
What is more, laughter reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike. It also helps your blood vessels function better. In other words, laughing is good for our heart and brain.
In addition to this, laughter not only cures, but it also improves our job performance, it establishes a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection between two pepole. It can be said, that it unites people.
In conclusion, laughter not only have an impact on our physical health, it also has a great importance in our social life. Many will agree, that it is more pleasant to communicate with smiling people, so let's smile and laugh more frequently, after all it is not so difficult.

Sleep and dreams

"Sleep and dreams" is the 14th module in Robert S. Feldman's coursebook "Understanding Psychology". This module gives a learner valuable information about states of consciousness. Few of them, unarguably, are such states as sleep and dream.
In the first part of the module, author presents the main information about what happens during sleep. The writer clearly describes 4 stages of sleep and specifically pays atention to the REM stage, in another words "a rapid eye movement stage". In addition to this, Robert S. Feldman writes about the importance of sleep and gives some interesting facts about how many hours people need to sleep on average and how it is changing as people get older.
The second part of the module tells about dreams. The writer writes about the function and meaning of dreaming. What is more, Robert S. Feldman presents the learner the main theories about dreams, letting to look at the question from different perspectives. In the end of the module, author gives the reader some advices how to fight with a sleeplessness.
In conclusion, Robert S. Feldman in his 14th module lets the reader to know the main facts about such states of consciousness as sleep and dreams. The author gives many interesting facts, describes researches and various theories, which helps to look at questions from different points of view.