WK 2 DQ'S 1

Wk 2 DQ's
University of Phoenix
Elements of Clinical Psychology
PSY/480
October 2013

Wk 2 DQ's
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Wk 2 DQ 1:
Identify at least one contributor to each of the four theoretical approaches in
clinical psychology, along with his or her specific theories or views about human
behavior.
The Psychodynamic Approach: Carl Jung and Harry Stack Sullivan are my chosen
contributors to the Psychodynamic Approach theory.
I like Jung because he was one of the first ones to very prominently disagree with some
parts of Freuds psychodynamic theory and revise it with his own perspective, particularly the
parts where Freud focused on the ties to sexuality. Jung also brought a different perspective to
the table by including things such as spiritual influences and how they also were part of a
persons development and sometimes have a significant influence in a persons life. Following
that same line of thinking, Sullivan brought his own perspective of the theory to the table with a
focus on how interpersonal relationships were psychologically important to the individuals
personality and other developmental processes (Plante, 2011).
The Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches: My choice for this approach
would be Aaron Beck because of his incredible contribution to the field through his development
of cognitive therapy. He originally developed this to help treat disorders like depression, but it
has since been adapted to treat other disorders too. By using this theory to evaluate and
challenge beliefs and assumptions that a person has built up in their life, Beck was about to help
individuals train themselves in different ways to avoid or lessen behavioral and/or attitude issues
(Plante, 2011).
The Humanistic Approach: This is a hard one to choose just one person, as all three of
the highest contributors were very important and all three had some very important theories and
discoveries, however, I think that Carl Rogers stands out to me the most. Rogers perspective
was all about focusing on the patient, the client-centered perspective, and really trying to help
the client be ok with their experience and to try to understand them as best as possible. One of
his main points in this theory was that people are continually changing and growing in their lives
and this type of therapy focused on harnessing the individuals desire to change (Plante, 2011).
The Family Systems Approach: According to Plante (2011), this group of approaches
began with the Bateson group in Palo Alto, CA, during the 1950s (Plante, 2011, p. 124) and
came about as a stop gap to fill in different areas that some of the other approaches did not
cover. The main goal of the approach is to treat the family unit as a whole to help improve
relationships and help the family to learn how to communication better with each other, in
addition to working on problems together (Plante, 2011).
Of the five different variations within this approach, the one that peaks my interest the
most is The Structural Approach created by Salvador Minuchin, because it is something that is
very relevant and pertinent to issues Im experiencing in my life. This particular approach
focuses on the different levels of relationship within the family group and helps to change and/or
WK 2 DQ'S 2

restructure them in appropriate ways. Some of the main goals are to build a balanced
relationship between the different family members that is healthy and functional (Plante, 2011).
Which of the four approaches do you find most and least interesting? Explain
your response.
Even though I have read about each of these approaches, I have not been able to study
them in depth enough in order to make a determination about which I find the most or least
interesting. Everything that I am learning right now is very interesting to me. In these classes
we move so fast through the information that we dont get to study things that deeply, and as
such I havent been able to determine which ones I like better than the others, or which ones I
dislike. In a year my opinion might be different, but at this time I have no distinct likes or
dislikes.




Wk 2 DQ 2:
When I first began preparing to answer this question I was very confused by the
wording. I kept thinking that most psychologist use tests to help diagnose their patients,
yet the question refers to testing instruments and it didnt really make sense to me. After
reading the textbook and doing a significant amount of research online, I have discovered
that what I thought was just referred to as psychological tests are also known as
psychological testing instruments (Plante, 2011); they are pretty much interchangeable
when discussing, though the general public will most likely use the term psychological tests
while those with extensive education and training are probably more likely to be the ones to
refer to them as psychological testing instruments.
What types of testing instruments do psychologists use to make a diagnosis?
Psychological testing instruments or psychological tests as most people would call
them, are very widely used and there are almost an uncountable amount of them. A better
perspective might be to focus on the most prominent and widely used ones on the market; it
also does not take into account tests that are privately created by individual psychologists or
that are unpublished, etc.
The process of assessing a psychological patient to diagnose their issues contains many
different activities and steps. One of these is the assessment phase which includes tests
that the psychologist will administer to the client or observe them participating in. Theses
psychological tests are very specialized and the scores from the client will be compared with
other normal scores in order to help the psychologist diagnose their patient (Plante, 2011).
Depending on what issues the client is having, the type of testing, or use of testing
instruments, will vary; age is also a factor, as some tests have abbreviated or age range
tests for children. The psychologist will find out what the issues are, do some basic
assessments, and then proceed to choosing which testing instruments to use. It is not
generally something that can be chosen instantaneously, they will generally spend some
time looking at all the different tests that are available and then choose which one(s) is/are
right for their client. One of the main considerations is that the test be not only reliable but
valid so that it helps the psychologist to give or determine a correct diagnosis (Plante, 2011).
There are several different types of testing instruments; one is checklists and inventories
and the other is psychological tests. Checklists and inventories are similar to tests however
they are different in that they are not as in-depth, take less time, yet can still cover multiple
areas of concern. Additionally, if the psychologist is working with a group, these types of
assessments can be administered to large groups of people, unlike most tests, which are
generally administered to only one individual at a time.
WK 2 DQ'S 3

Some examples of checklists and inventories are the Beck Inventories (The Beck
Depression Inventory, The Beck Anxiety Scale, and The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, as
well as youth and childrens versions of these assessments), The Achenbach Systems of
Empirically Based Assessments is another very prominently used tool and in this group the
Child Behavior Checklist, both parent and teacher versions, are the most used. Additionally,
the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, used to screen for psychiatric issues, is among the list
of commonly used assessments. These three are some of the most common checklists and
inventories used; however, there are many other types and varieties of checklists and
inventories that psychologists use to help gather information in determining a diagnosis
(Plante, 2011).
Psychological tests are the other type of instruments that psychologists use to help them
diagnose a patient. As with checklists and inventories, there are many, many different types
and varieties of psychological tests which have been and are currently used nowadays; they
range from the basic and non-invasive (such as physiological assessments for breathing and
heart rates, blood pressure, etc.) to the complex (for example neuroimaging tests like MRIs,
PET and CT scans, etc.). Additionally within the umbrella of psychological tests, there are
certain ones that are used specifically for cognitive (intelligence) and personality testing. Some
examples of cognitive tests are the SAT, various IQ tests, the Wechsler Scales series, the
Stanford-Binet series, and a variety of others. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory,
The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventories, The Sixteen Personality Factors, and the Neo-
Personality Inventory-Revised, as well as other types of tests like The Rorschach, are examples
of personality tests (Plante, 2011).
Which ones do you think are most effective? Explain why.
I dont know that in this stage of learning I would be able to make a clear distinction of which
tests are the most effective. There are countless opinions available as to what other people
believe are the best or most effective ones, however, with no personal experience or training on
any of these tests, I dont believe I am qualified to answer that. It also depends on the client
one is working with, as to what test will be the most effective, and even sometimes that is not a
sure thing; it may take several different tests to be able to have reliable results that will lead to
making a good diagnosis.

References
Plante, T. G. (2011). Contemporary clinical psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.


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