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Case Study 1: The Case of the Woman Who Dreams of Stress

Case Study 2: The Case of John Buckingham, the New Guy on the Job

YOUR NAME AND STUDENT ID

July 24, 2017

Essentials of Psychology SSC130

Assignment 250064

166 Essentials of Psychology

Case Study 1: The Case of the Woman Who Dreams of Stress

1. Arlene is worried that her recent dream experiences indicate that something is wrong with her. If you were Arlene’s friend and wanted to reassure her, how would you help her to understand the normal experience of sleep and dreams?

Our normal pattern of sleep is the passing through five stages of sleep, each with its own brain wave activity. First is the transition from wakefulness to sleep (about 1-7 minutes with theta waves). Stage 2 is identified by “fast-frequency bursts of activity called sleep spindles” (Gokalp, 1999). From stage 2 through stage 4 our bodies are gradually relaxing. About 30 minutes after falling asleep we pass through stage 3 to stage 4 where there are delta waves and it is our deepest sleep. There is a spike in secretion of the growth hormone in stage 4. We then return to stage 2 and enter what is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Here, we dream. The cycle can occur 5-6 times during 8 hours.

Tell her that she is in a loop … poor sleep leaves her never feel genuinely rested, with days filled with fatigue and consequently a limited attention span fraught with worry. Then, she is so fatigued at night that she does not go through the normal sleep cycle. This is called “REM rebound where [the] brain prioritizes REM sleep, forcing [the sleeper] to have it earlier and for a longer amount of time” (Emerson, 2016). Since REM sleep is dream sleep, reinforcing bad dreams, the person has more bad dreams.

2. What theory of dreaming seems to best explain Arlene’s disturbing dreams, and why?

We do not fully understand why we dream. There are some theories that relate to Arlene’s experiences. One is called the threat-simulation theory. This theory says that dreams allow us to practice threatening situations or insecure situations, so that if they do arise in real life, we have already thought out our response. Most likely, Arlene is experiencing the cognitive developmental theory of dreaming that says the dream content reflects the dreamers’ cognitive development – his or her knowledge and understanding” (Why Do We Dream, n.d.).

3. How might medication help Arlene?

Anti-anxiety medication does not help because anxiety and bad dreams are processed in different areas of the brain. More than likely any seemingly helpful medications will not help, and even might bring the dreams. “Antidepressants, narcotics, and even some blood pressure medications can also cause nightmares” (Nightmares in Adults, n.d.).

4. If you were Arlene’s health care provider, how would you advise her to overcome her insomnia?

If she has gone to her health care provider, then she has taken the first step in overcoming the insomnia: talking to someone about it. Be sure to exercise regularly. Be sure that the bedroom is a place of tranquility associated with sleep so that she does not associate the room with stress or stressful activities.

5. What are some effects on Arlene of her high caffeine intake? What would happen if she just suddenly stopped drinking coffee and energy drinks? How would you advise her to modify her caffeine use?

Withdrawal from substances that her body has become accustomed to may trigger nightmares. She should decrease the amounts of coffee and energy drinks gradually. She needs to know that caffeine can stay in her body for more than 12 hours. Herbal tea is a good substitute for a hot beverage before bedtime. Some other herbal remedies may help such as Valerian root.

Case Study 2: The Case of John Buckingham, the New Guy on the Job

1. What does the behavior of John’s co-workers toward John suggest about their attributions for his initial manner of dress?

People are more comfortable with things they know. They associate other things with “foreign” situations. His appearance had them wondering about the man himself. On the second day, even though John changed his attire to be more similar to his co-workers, they were still suspicious of him. Perhaps he was making fun of them. In any case, he had not earned their trust with the wardrobe change.

Being aware of the workers, and having the worker’s being aware of John is a social interaction where decisions have to be made by both sides, subjectively about the other. While he didn’t mean to, he got their attention. It is a step in social orientation between humans, rather like the process animals go through when they circle each other.

2. Describe the kinds of biases that might have affected John’s co-workers as they formed impressions of him on his first day. Could they have been using a faulty schema to understand him? Is there evidence of the halo effect?

Perhaps they believed that John’s suit and tie were appropriate for a “city slicker” with a large ego and fast cars and a different way of life. It wasn’t as if they had not seen this attire before, it is just that it is associated with other things that they don’t like, know, or trust.

There is evidence of the halo effect. Apparently the co-workers’ overall impression of John has moved them to be reluctant to having interactions with him. Their judgment is colored by these first impressions. The more a person looks and acts like the others, the better person he is judged to be. John’s clothing was an all encompassing force behind this halo effect.

The co-workers definitely used a faulty schema in their comprehension of John by his appearance. They did not have any basis for judging the man for his qualities, but only have the strange work attire to go on. This passes along to their opinion about the man, vaguely defining him.

3. Explain why John changed his manner of dress so soon after starting his new job. What processes were likely involved in his decision to do so?

In the social interaction, John noticed that he was the different one because of his clothes. Man likes to fit in and not stand out in situations like this. There is a palpable air of discomfort for them. To try to relieve this discomfort, they adopt mannerisms of the group, including their clothing. Whether or not he consciously knew that the group felt threatened, he knew that one unthreatening step would be to try to look like everyone else. Until everything is scoped out regarding the informal social rules, he at least wanted to be one of the regular employees, at least in appearance.

4. John’s co-workers seemed very hesitant to “warm up” to John. How would you explain to John their initial reluctance to like him very much?

Before you came, there was a settling in the office. Everyone knew the routines. People knew their unofficial jobs, such as office clown, party planner, and other various leader positions. This balance was about to be disturbed by you. It will take some time, but the balance will be restored, you will find your role and status in the office groupings, and things will proceed comfortably for all. No matter what they say, people dislike change that they have no control over. Your presence, and not you, disrupted the office culture.

5. If you were the human resources director for this company, what strategies could you employ to prevent experiences like John’s? How would you justify the implementation of these strategies to the company president?

I would arrange an orientation protocol. An effective beginning for any new employee is to assign a buddy to take them around and introduce them to the office culture. Rather than have the employee read an employee manual, have him shown the company while discussing the items in the manual. If the new employee is treated like a guest or trainee, he won’t be so threatening to the other employees. He will become familiar and this will allow him to ask questions, learn about people, and let them learn about him.

Suggest that the employee email someone at the company and ask questions like “what should I expect” to get an idea of what is going on and what part they can play.

Justifying these strategies to the company president should not be difficult. Anyone can tell when an office is a little off, and the president is no exception. Ask him to recall how he felt as a new employee and see if this will induce him to approve any strategies to make inclusion friends. After all, a happy, comfortable company produces more and better products.

References

Emerson, S. (2016). When Anxiety Gives You Bad Dreams That Give You More Anxiety and Bad Dreams. Retrieved from

Gokalp. G. (1999). Sleep and Dreams. Retrieved from

Nightmares in Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Why do We Dream? (n.d.). Retrieved from

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