Theory of Schizophrenia Paper

Guidelines for Final Topical Paper
Abnormal Psychology PSY 3150
Spring, 2020

As described in the syllabus, one of the requirements for this class is a final, integrative paper:

Topical paper. In ten double-spaced, 11-point font, word-processed pages or so we would like you to attempt an integration of the various data sources for the class. That is, in your chosen area of guest expertship, or perhaps in another area of interest that has been piqued by the class, you will summarize and critique the diagnostic and autobiographical perspectives you have read, and cast each within the context of the course material as a whole and of our classroom interactions. You will also want to evaluate the relation between the lived experience of life in your chosen category (e.g., what we term “depression”) and the diagnostic description of life in this category. We will discuss this assignment at greater length in class—the paper will be worth 50 points as well. (see the guidelines on CourseDen).

Although as promised we will “discuss this assignment at greater length in class,” we thought it would also be helpful to have some written guidelines. So here they are:

⦁ The papers are due on the last regularly scheduled class day (THURSDAY, April 23rd). Late papers will not be accepted out of fairness to all participants in the class (including me, because I need to do a lot of reading and grading before the deadline for turning in the grades).
⦁ The paper will count 50 points, a whole half-test worth, so DO A GOOD JOB ON IT, okay?
⦁ Your paper is to represent your own work. You may write it in whichever format you choose for referencing and such (although APA format is preferred), but make certain that you do not quote from other sources without acknowledging them with a reference. DO NOT “cut and paste” from any internet sites. We’ll both be bored, and you will not receive any credit for your paper.
⦁ The 10 pages is intended to be a general guideline. I’m thinking this is about what it will take you to do a good job, but if your work winds up being a bit longer or shorter than that, don’t worry about it.

The paper will have three sections:

1. A critical and scholarly summary of the “textbook story” about the disorder or problem you choose.
In this section you will provide an informed psychology-talk review of the disorder, using the textbook AND OTHER MATERIALS including internet, professional journals, and other textbooks. As we talked about in class, the references provided in our text in the chapters discussing various disorders might be a good starting point for your exploration. This section of the paper will be about four pages or so, so you’ll need to include only what is most essential and important to understanding the disorder from a psychological perspective. Do not, for example, over-emphasize the medical or biological perspective on something like substance struggles. Talk psychology talk about it, hmm? PSY 3150 Theory of Schizophrenia Paper

1. An echoing, amplifying, and celebrating of the “person story” around the disorder or problem you choose.
This section is where you will summarize in some detail the most interesting, relevant, and powerful perspectives on the lived experience of life in the category you choose, based on your reading (or in some cases on other data sources such as your interviews with friends or family members who have struggled, or your introspection about your own struggles). Here you won’t want to “talk psychology talk,” but rather illustrate in as much depth as about four pages will allow what it’s like to live life as an X.

1. A comparison and contrast of these two sections.
The final two pages or so of your paper will be devoted to comparing and contrasting the textbook story with the lived experience story around the problem or disorder you choose. This is the place for sentences and paragraphs that begin, “It is interesting to me that the textbook story about depression doesn’t mention….” and “Unlike what would be expected based on the DSM-IV list of symptoms of panic disorder…” or “In a way that is quite similar to Freud’s theory of eating disorders….”. You might also relate the textbook and the person stories to other disorders: “It seems to me that Jason’s experience of alcoholism is really more similar to a Major Depressive Disorder, in his….”. You could even address some of the big questions we’ve been asking around “normal vs. abnormal” or “stress-diathesis” or various theory stories or whatever. You get the idea…build linkages between the first two sections of your paper and what else you have come to know about “abnormal psychology” from this class.