The main purpose of the study was to show the career path I would like to take, any relevant history and the reasons that influenced a move towards that career. Its objective was to analyze the interests and relevant variables that contributed to my interest in child psychiatry as a career. This involved giving a background about child psychiatry and the various theories and research methods that apply to the field. Child psychiatry is a specialization from clinical psychology which is believed to have been started in 1896 by Lightner Witmer at the University of Pennsylvania. However, it was only after the 1 st and 2 nd world wars that the field really took off to try and explain and treat the mental and emotional scars of the wars. It attracted huge interest from scholars promoting specialization which resulted in better solutions and options available for those in need of psychological help (Article Review Option #1).
Two theories that have greatly contributed to child psychiatry and have been applied widely in psychological research are the Skinner (1974) behavioral theory and Freud’s (1935) psychoanalytic theory. Skinner theory acknowledges that behavior is influenced by its consequences, either through reinforcements or punishment. Freud’s psychoanalytic sexual development theory was developed to understand the factors that drive people to behave differently in relation to sexuality (Jones & Elcock, 2001). Freud’s theory, for example, has played an important role in the understanding of sexuality which has become such an issue of debate and research is still ongoing on the effects the society’s views on sexuality have on children. This study helped sharpen my career focus since understanding the history and theories applied in child psychiatry provided me with a clear blueprint as to where the discipline has come from and is heading to, apart from motivating me to come up with new approaches to deal with the psychological challenges affecting our society and children in particular.
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References
Article Review Option #1: Bio Basis assignment
Jones D., Elcock J. (2001). History and Theories of Psychology: A Critical Perspective. Arnold
