INSTRUCTIONS:
The topic of the paper is a famous (or infamous) individual who had been or currently is alive (in other words, not a fictional character). There are two parts to this paper. Details for Part 1 are given below. This section is to be submitted as a draft – you will get feedback, but the draft will not be graded. Information for Part 2 of the paper will be sent later. Part 1 covers the individual’s personal history (with a focus mostly on events prior to age 22) including: a brief summary of why/what they are famous for (1 brief paragraph) Information about the person’s background including: family history (did they grow up with their parents; any siblings; family problems such as economic, divorce, illness/death of siblings, parents or close relatives education – any problems (learning, suspensions); did they attend school with their peers; di they complete high school (why not) socialization – interpersonal relationships up through approximately age 22 (friends, romantic) – did it go well (if not, what problems were there) traumatic events/life changing events – what, when, impact psychological diagnosis – if they were diagnosed with a disorder, you can include this information history of legal/criminal problems (if any) history of substance use/abuse/dependence (if any) Sources of information for this part of the paper may include: books, articles from peer-reviewed journals, newspaper articles, magazine articles, websites. However, you may use no more than 5 sources that are not either from a book or a peer-reviewed journal. You will submit a Reference section as a part of this draft. Famous/Infamous Person - Part 2 Part 1 of your paper focused on the background of your individual (i.e., their childhood and family background, traumatic events/life changing events, psychosocial problems, problems with drugs and/or alcohol, legal problems). In some cases, life was going along fine until your individual became famous, and that’s when problems started for them (with family, peers, the community at large, or even simply their own adjustment to becoming famous). However, for the individuals who became Infamous as teens, their actions brought them into a negative spotlight. The section that follows, on Psychosocial Stressors, reflects information that used to be a formal part of the diagnostic formulation (Axis IV) in DSM IV-TR (the DSM prior to DSM-5). You can organize some of the information you gathered for Part 1 to do this section in bullet form (with at least a few short sentences to explain your point. Of the five (5) categories of Psychosocial Stressors, some might not apply at all to your individual, in which case you will write ‘N/A’ for that category. A. Psychosocial Stressors - (everyone has some, even if it’s: the economy, or having to move far away from family in order to work with an Olympic coach, or having to change business managers, or long stretches of time on tour/traveling to venues for performances & games). You can do this section in bullet form, but you’ll need a few sentences to explain your point. 1. Problems with primary support group (e.g., immediate family -grandparents, parents/sibs; friends/significant others – divorce, domestic violence) 2. Housing problems – inadequate housing, homelessness, frequent moves 3. Economic problems – unemployment, underemployment, food insecurity 4. Problems with access to health care services (physical or mental health) 5. Problems related to interaction with the legal system – arrest, incarceration, probation, parole (mandatory treatment for drugs/alcohol, anger management, sex crimes, etc.) B. We spoke of Resilience earlier in the semester. Briefly, resilience is the ability to bounce back (positively) from challenges, hardship, even trauma. Did your individual show resilience? Please explain. C. Brief description of Risk Factors & Protective Factors in the individual’s life (as they were growing up or once they had to deal with being famous – this can be in bullet form D. Problematic Behaviors: If your individual became famous for something positive, but engaged in Problematic Behaviors once they were famous, you would address it in this next section. In almost all cases, individuals become Infamous because they engaged in problematic behaviors. Please briefly specify the problematic behavior. In either case, what do you know about Antecedents (or triggers) to the problematic behavior? What do you know about Perpetuating Factors? Antecedents/triggers (these are things that Perpetuating Factors (what reinforces are close in time that seem to set the person off) the behavior so that it continues) (see examples 1 & 2 below) (see examples 1 & 2 below) 1. people judging your person for their past 1. your person lashes out on social media behavior or problems 2. your person isn’t given the acting role/singing 2. your person typically drinks or uses drugs to relax contract they expected E. The last section involves developing a brief Treatment Plan. Remember, even consistently happy, successful people can use a boost (or refocusing) sometimes – think of this like having a life coach or a personal trainer. Maybe it’s as simple as scheduling down-time, a vacation, etc. A primary objective of treatment is to get the person to develop positive/effective coping strategies to deal with stressors. Something that is a maladaptive or ineffective coping strategy at this point in time (such as sucking one’s thumb, having a tantrum, etc.) might have been effective at another point in time or in another situation. Coping Strategies I. positive/effective coping strategies: II. maladaptive/ineffective coping strategies: Focus of treatment (what are the target behaviors your individual will work on): Long range goal (Something that might take about a year – e.g., ongoing treatment compliance (maintenance of sobriety, ongoing medication compliance, keeping appointments and actively participating, etc.) Short term objectives – (the steps to get you to your long range goal) First month – Example: seeking help from a licensed/certified professional and speaking with someone when you have accepted that you have a problem. Take stabilizing medication for the first month and see if the medication is working. First three months – Example: make steps in changing maladaptive/inappropriate/ineffective behavior (e.g., finding outlets to express/release anger, surrounding oneself with positive people, get an AA sponsor, continuing in treatment as needed/required First six months – Example: continue treatment if needed/required; seek a different level of treatment (e.g., couple’s therapy; hypnosis for weight loss or smoking cessation; group therapy to improve social skills, anger management)