Classification of Behavior - Essay Example

Running Head: ification of Behavior Behavior and ification of Abnormal Behaviors Affiliation CausalExplanationThe individual is having a repetitive nightmare which possibly relates to underlying fears or anxiety. The person might be undergoing a conflict which he cannot resolve or it could also mean a wish to get away from something. According to American Psychiatric Association (1994), nightmares are elaborate dreams that cause high levels of anxiety or terror. In psychodynamic terms nightmares are graphic depictions of raw, primitive emotions such as aggression and rage that have not been incorporated into the conscious psyche.

Thus we tend to encounter these aspects of our unconscious lives as terrifying dream images in whose presence we feel completely helpless. In general the content of nightmares revolves around imminent harm being caused to the individual (e.g., being chased, threatened, injured, etc.) Repetitive dreams indicate that you are continuing to miss the point about the meaning of the dream. Treatment planPsychological treatment involves changing thoughts and behaviors. In recent years, Barry Krakow and his colleagues (2001) at the University of New Mexico have conducted numerous studies regarding a promising psychological treatment for nightmares.

Another group of researchers (Forbes, Phelps, & McHugh, 2001) applied the treatment to Vietnam combat veterans and found similarly promising results in a small pilot study. Imagery Rehearsal TherapyIt is classified as a cognitive-behavioral treatment. It does not involve the use of medications. In brief, the treatment involves helping the clients change the endings of their nightmares, while they are awake, so that the ending is no longer upsetting. The client is then instructed to rehearse the new, non-threatening images associated with the changed dream.

There are different ways of dealing with nightmares when they are occurring. If the person can calm themselves down enough, they can become conscious of the fact that they are dreaming, which is an important aspect.As per systems approach groups and individuals, are considered as systems in homeostasis. It focuses on practically addressing current relationship patterns. As we have talked earlier that the individual might be undergoing a conflict that conflict could be originating somewhere from the relationships with family or organization.

This approach neither attempts a 'treatment of causes' nor of symptoms, rather it gives living systems nudges that help them to develop new patterns together, taking on a new organizational structure that allows growth. ReferencesGibson, L. E. Nightmares. A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet. National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Veterans Affairs, Government of the United States Retrieved January 21, 2008 from www.westga.edu/gadmh/ResourcesPublications/Military/Nightmares%20from%20VA.pdf.Freud, S.

Dream Interpretation. Retrieved January 21 from http://www.guidetopsychology.com/dreams.htmAmerican Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Forbes, D., Phelps, A., & McHugh, T. (2001). Treatment of combat-related nightmares using imagery rehearsal: A pilot study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 14, 433-442.Krakow, B., Johnston, L., Melendrez, D., Hollifield, M., Warner, T.D., Chavez-Kennedy, D., et al. (2001).

An open-label trial of evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy for nightmares and insomnia in crime victims with PTSD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 2043-2047.