PS1050 Losing Weight and Changing Eating Habits Paper
PS1050 Losing Weight and Changing Eating Habits Paper
Directions
In LP4 you identified a habit you wish you did not have. You also wrote about how you acquired the habit and any possible attempts to stop the habit. You then explored how to extinguish this habit using the principles of operant conditioning.
Reread your essay from that assignment. In this assignment you will assess the acquisition and maintenance of your habit using the following four psychological perspectives:
• Humanistic
• Psychodynamic
• Neuroscience
• Cognitive
You will be expected to describe why you developed this habit, what purpose having this habit serves in your life, and how you will break this habit – according to each perspective. You will need to use at least 3 concepts from each perspective to support your answer.
Here’s an example of an answer for this assignment. Please note that this example is not fully developed; it is intended to provide you with an overall direction for this assignment.
Example
Identified habit: Nervous laughter in inappropriate times
Why this habit developed and how is it reinforced:
Behavioral (from LP4 Assignment): behavior was positively reinforced with gaining attention from the mother whenever nervous laughter was displayed.
Humanistic: esteem needs are not being met, feeling insignificant around other people, attempt to fulfill belonging needs.
Psychodynamic: unconscious need for attention, superego’s reaction when uncomfortable with conversation, defense mechanism.
Neuroscience: family trait (heritability), mother and sister exhibit same behavior.
Cognitive: interpret nervous laughter as exhibiting happy/fun personality traits instead of annoying, interpret the attention gained from nervous laughter as showing acceptance with others.