Research (notes)

Even though I prefer counselling to research, my psychology degree provided me with the knowledge of how important research is.  There are many schools of thoughts when it comes to therapy.  I prefer to consider each person individually, keeping in mind all my experiences and studies within the various schools of thought.  I shall always be a student, because there is always new information from new or developed research.  How can I benefit my client if I don't appreciate the whole person and don't work hard enough to be the best that I can be for that person?  That includes understanding his or her own background, traumatic experiences, spiritual and religious background and concerns.   A client may may not even know what it is that is actually bothering her/him.

Research Designs include case studies and correlational studies.

Case Studies       Freud and Erickson used the case study approach extensively in recording the personal histories of patients and subject participants in their clinical work.  Case studies are detailed in depth history of a single individual.  One looks for individual differences as well as shared patterns among individuals.  Case studies provide a hypothesis or suggestions that may be examined in more detail in other types of research designs.

 Correlational Studies   A case study may suggest some relationship between early rearing and later personality.  An example is authoritarian parenting might show up in greater aggression at school.  Where as authority-based parenting correlates (relates) to more mature manners of coping with responsibility and daily stress and therefore less aggression at school.  Other relationships to be explored are between amount of tv violence viewed and tendency toward aggression or degree of identity crises resolution and later adjustment to career choice.  Correlations show how two variables are related, in what way positive or negative and demonstrate how strong the relationship is strong or weak.  Correlations do not specify cause and effect relationships, just that there may be a relationship.  Other variables, perhaps a third variable may influence the relationship between  the amount of schooling and likelihood of having dementia for people over 75 years of age.  The likelihood of dementia increase with amount of schooling decrease, a negative correlation.  However, little or no schooling may result from poor living standards which increase the likelihood of health problems.  Therefore, the correlation between schooling and dementia is influenced by other variables.

to be continued.....