Using First-Person Accounts to Teach Students about Psychological Disorders

Abstract

Undergraduate students in abnormal psychology read autobiographical writings supplementing a textbook to help them appreciate the subjective experience of psychological difficulties and see actual examples of symptoms. Forty-one students responded to questions about the perceived quality of their learning from both the autobiographies and the textbook. Students reported that first-person accounts were more helpful than the textbook in increasing their appreciation of what it would be like to have a particular disorder and feel empathy for someone with a disorder.

Department

Psychology

Publication Date

1-2000

Journal Title

Teaching of Psychology

Publisher

Sage Publications

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1207/S15328023TOP2701_9

Document Type

Article

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