Memory and Emotion in Real-life: PTSD

What is PTSD?


   Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an emotional illness that that is classified as an anxiety disorder and usually develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience.

What are the symptoms?
 1 symptoms: the sufferer re-experiences the traumatic incident
ex. nightmares, flashback
Class 2 symptoms: the sufferer displays avoidance, wants to stay away from anything that may possibly remind her/him of the trauma. May also display lack of responsiveness or interest to all life circumstances
ex. sights, smells, sounds, conversations associated or reminding of trauma, unable to enjoy once joyful activities or have loving feeling
Class 3 symptoms: hyperarousal
ex.  irritable all the time or inability to sleep.
What causes PTSD?



it can be caused by some highly unsafe experiences

 
Briefly explain how memory and emotion relate to PTSD.

Emotion and Memory = Flashbulb Memory? -copy right from Mr. D

At first i think we need knw what is a Flashbulb Memory.
A flashbulb memory is a highly detailed, exceptionally vivid 'snapshot' of the moment and circumstances in which a piece of surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) news was heard.

Research each of the studies listed below relating to FBM (flashbulb memory) and post your responses on your blog.  Post each one as a separate entry and include one picture along with links to the sites where you acquired your information.

Explain the study – Brown & Kulik (1977)

• What was the aim of the study?

         Investigate whether dramatic, or personally significant events can cause "flashbulb" memories

• Explain in 2-3 sentences, the procedure of this study

            the procedure of this study was using a  retrospective questionnaire assessed the memories of 80 US past for the conditions when the surprise news was learned from public events.

• What were the findings of this study?

     flashbulb memory more likely for unexpected and personally relevant shocking events

• What is the conclusion from this study?

   Dramatic events can cause a physiological imprinting of a memory of the event

• Explain one limitation (weakness) of this study.

     Data collected through questionnaires, so it is impossible to verify the accuracy of memories reported.

Explain the study – Neisser & Harsch (1992)

• What was the aim of the study?

            suggest that FBMs may not be as accurate or permanent as the theory states.

• Explain in 2-3 sentences, the procedure of this study

             A questionnaire was administered to 106 participants on the day after the space-shuttle exploded (Jan 1996). Among the questions asked were 5 about how they heard the news: where they were, what they were doing, who told them, what time it occurred etc. Thirty-two months later the participants were asked to complete the questionnaire again and their results compared to the original.

• What were the findings of this study?

               the participants' memories of how they learned the news about challenger changed over time. Assuming Paticipants were more accurate one day after the disaster, it can be concluded that their memories about how they had heard the news deteriorated significantly during the subsequent two and half years. This suggests that FBMs are not very reliable.

• What is the conclusion from this study?

               FBMs may be ordinary memories.

• Explain one limitation (weakness) of this study.

            They do not include a control condition to allow for a comparison between normal memories and flashbulb memories. They simply assume that flashbulb memories are better remembered than other kinds of memories.

Explain the study – Talarico & Rubin (2003)

• What was the aim of the study?

• Explain in 2-3 sentences, the procedure of this study

           participants to recall the events of 9.11 2001 on 4 occasions: 1, 7 ,42 and 224 days after the attack. they also tested the participants' memory for an everyday with the attack. once more, memory was tested 4 times, following the same time arrangements used for the recall of the attack.

• What were the findings of this study?

            FBMs remained very vivid throughout the study.

• What is the conclusion from this study?

• Explain one limitation (weakness) of this study. 

seneca on Anger VS Lazarus- Appraisal theory of emtion

Lazarus apprisal theory is how we assess the events that cause arousal determines which emotion we experience, and how we reacted to what we have being through. 
there is 2 appraisals in this theory.
primry apprisal is a event personally relevant?  and this result is basic positive/ negative approach/ avoidance responses.
Secondary appraisal procide information about a person's coping option in a situation. for example people would think as : can i chang the situation to make it less threatening? or can i change the situation by how i feel?  And  the Lazarus' result have been support in many studies but these studies are often ecologically invalid.

The video Seneca on Anger have made many cases to help us to understand how  to change our emotion by our mind, to less the anger or to feel more positive.
Philosopher Seneca identified his belief about the source of emotions such as anger: we don't think enough about the things that could go wrong and therefore, we are surprised when they occur.  As a result of surprise we feel angry over our disappontment or feelings of helplessness - it is then that emotions are the strongest.

 If people can just have some bad preparation before everything happens so people can have less anger or disappiont than its suppose be. Because in this world , in your life, nothing is going be perfectly just as you have planed to be.

When we are putting these both of philosophy and Lazarus theory together, things become more clear and more reasonable.they have a same common is its all can help people to control our emtions instead of let people be mieserable for little things. it can help people think in a more positive and happily way. !

Facial Expressions Show Language Barriers, Too

(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142131.htm)

This article is represent that people who are from different country and different culture have different facial experience.
they found that people from east Asia have a tougher time to express their emotion on face than  European
people from different culture are expressing their facial expressions more on different parts, for example eastern people express more on the eye, But the western people more express on the mouth and cheek.