Abnormal Psychology
Thought Paper #2
This paper will consist of you reading a book or watching a movie/tv show with a depiction of mental illness and writing a two-page paper on it. Your thought paper should not merely summarize the plot of the book or movie, rather it should be a critical analysis of how the mental illness was portrayed. Be sure to include a discussion of the symptoms presented and how the symptoms do or do not coincide with DSM diagnostic criteria for that illness. Furthermore, consider whether the movie/tv show or book provided a well-rounded portrayal of the mental illness.
An example topic for this paper would be the following: examining Russell Crowe’s portrayal of a man with schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mindand how it may or may not be a good or realistic portrayal of schizophrenia. You could discuss the symptoms shown by Crowe’s character and compare it to the DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia. Additionally, you could discuss whether this portrayal increases or decreases stigma associated with schizophrenia. There are many more things that can be discussed in such a paper—these are some ideas.
Papers will be graded for completion and on their effectiveness of incorporating class material, clarity of thought, organization, grammar, and spelling. Writing is an essential skill, and poor- quality papers that have not been proofread or structured effectively will receive poor grades. Papers should not exceed 3 pages (double-spaced; 12-point Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins). For every day the paper is late, the grade will be reduced by 5 points.
Points Points Earned
Discussion of a movie/book/tv show with depiction of mental illness.
2
Detailed discussion of mental illness, including symptoms
6
Critical analysis of how the movie/book/tv show portrays that mental illness
10
Quality of Writing
- Clear organization and sentence structure
- Appropriate grammar and punctuation
8
Formatting
- 2 pages (not to exceed 3 pages)
- Double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins
- No typos
4
Total 30
Rubric
