PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY
In Spy x Family, Loid is exhausted and accidentally calls Yor by the name of a former spy contact. According to Freud, why did this "slip of the tongue" happen?
Because the unconscious mind is a reservoir of memories outside of conscious awareness, and its contents can occasionally pop up and influence behaviour.
In Haikyuu, Hinata gets his first spike completely blocked by a tall defender. He immediately drops his head and thinks, "I'm hopeless; I'll never be able to score a point again." Diagnose his cognitive distortion.
Overgeneralizing. He is assuming that because of this one negative event, every event thereafter will also be negative.
In Spy x Family, Anya hates studying. To fix this, Loid starts giving her a bag of peanuts immediately after she finishes a worksheet. What operant conditioning technique is Loid using?
Positive reinforcement. He is presenting favourable outcomes (peanuts) after the behaviour to strengthen or increase it.
In Avatar, Uncle Iroh firmly believes that Zuko is innately good and just needs the freedom to find his own positive path. This perfectly aligns with the fundamental belief of which branch of psychology?
Humanism. It assumes people are innately good and are motivated to achieve their full potential.
In Sakamoto Days, a young, rogue assassin decides to wear the standard, boring black suit to a meeting, even though they hate it, just to avoid being yelled at by the bosses. What specific type of conformity is this?
Normative conformity; changing behaviour to avoid punishments and gain rewards.
In Demon Slayer, Zenitsu is terrified of entering the spider forest. What might his ID, Super Ego say? As the decision-maker dealing with reality, what might his Ego say to resolve this?
His Id screams, "Run away and live!", while his Superego says, "It is your duty to save people". The Ego weighs costs and benefits to find a realistic compromise, it may tell Zenitsu to go in, but to stay behind Tanjiro and only attack if absolutely necessary.
In Assassination Classroom, Nagisa gets a 98% on a math test. Instead of celebrating his near-perfect score, he obsesses for days over the one single equation he messed up. Diagnose his cognitive distortion.
Mental filtering. He has a tendency to ignore positives and focus only on negatives.
In Gravity Falls, Dipper sneaks out into the woods when he was told to stay inside. Grunkle Stan responds by taking away Dipper's mystery journal for the week. What operant conditioning technique is this?
Negative punishment. He is punishing by removal to decrease the bad behaviour of sneaking out.
In Black Clover, the Wizard King's ultimate goal is to create a kingdom where every single citizen, regardless of class, can reach their full potential and achieve their dreams. What is the humanistic term for reaching one's full potential?
Self-actualization
In TMNT (2012), when Master Splinter enters the dojo, Leonardo immediately stops talking, bows, and waits for instruction. He is following expected behaviours in a specific situation. What is the social psychology term for this expected plan?
A social script.
In Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, a warrior cannot remember the traumatic details of his village being destroyed, but feels intense anxiety whenever he sees fire. What defense mechanism is this, and why is his mind doing it?
Repression; his mind is unconsciously blocking the memory to avoid the emotional pain associated with it.
In Avatar, Sokka sees Aang and Katara flying off on Appa to practice waterbending. Sokka immediately assumes they excluded him because they secretly think he is annoying. Diagnose his cognitive distortion.
Personalizing. He is taking their action personally and assuming it is connected to him, when it has nothing to do with him at all.
In Haikyuu, Daichi tells his team: "If we win the next match, we won't have to run our penalty laps." What operant conditioning technique is Daichi using to motivate them?
Negative reinforcement. He is increasing their drive to win by promising the removal of something considered unpleasant.
In Demon Slayer, before Tanjiro can even begin to focus on mastering advanced sword techniques (higher-level goals), what two basic foundational needs must he secure for himself and Nezuko, according to Maslow's Hierarchy?
Physiological needs (food, water, shelter) and Safety needs (personal security, health).
In The Clone Wars, during Order 66, perfectly good Clone Troopers violently turned on their Jedi generals simply because Supreme Chancellor Palpatine commanded them to. What psychological concept explains this?
Obedience. Changing one's behaviour because an authority figure has told you to do so.
In My Hero Academia, a Bakugo who secretly feels highly insecure about his own skills constantly yells at Deku, accusing him of being inferior. Which defense mechanism explains the striker's behaviour?
Projection. Bakugo is projecting his own unacceptable feelings of insecurity onto Deku rather than confronting them in himself.
In Ascension of a Bookworm, Myne's first batch of paper gets ruined. She cries, "If I can't make paper today, I will literally never be able to read a book again and my life is over!" Diagnose her cognitive distortion.
Catastrophizing. She is assuming the worst possible outcome.
In Kaiju No. 8, Kafka is violently attacked by a Kaiju. Now, just the distinct smell of Kaiju tissue causes him to freeze in fear. Identify the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus in this scenario.
The unconditioned stimulus is the violent attack (naturally triggers a reflexive response). The conditioned stimulus is the smell of Kaiju tissue, which became associated with the attack.
A behaviorist would say a villain turned out evil simply because of their toxic environment. How would a Humanist psychologist argue against this, using the concept of free will?
Humanists argue that environment isn't everything; individuals have free will to make their own personal choices and are motivated to self-actualize.
In Young Justice, the senior Justice League members hold classified meetings in the main hall. The young sidekicks (Robin, Kid Flash, etc.) view the senior members as a totally different, untouchable tier of heroes. From the sidekicks' perspective, identify the in-group and the out-group.
The sidekicks are the in-group (the group they identify with). The senior Justice League members are the out-group (the group viewed as fundamentally different).
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko feels immense anger towards Aang as he is unable to catch him. Instead of acting out destructively against his crew, he channels that intense emotion into rigorous, daily firebending training. Identify the defense mechanism and explain why psychoanalysts view it positively.
Sublimation. It is a way of dealing with undesirable urges by channeling that energy into things that are beneficial.
In Black Clover, Asta is depressed, thinking, "I have zero magic, so I am a total failure." As his cognitive therapist, provide a "cognitive reframe" to help him look at his situation from a different, positive perspective.
Answers will vary, show a shift in mindset to look at the situation from a slightly different perspective. I.e "Because you have no magic, your enemies can't track your mana, making you the ultimate unpredictable fighter."
Traditional behaviorists believe we are strictly controlled by our environment. How does Cognitive Behaviorism differ in explaining why two students might react completely differently to failing the exact same test?
Cognitive behaviorism explores how a person's thoughts and emotions affect their actions, rather than focusing just on observable behaviour. One student might think "I need to study harder," while the other thinks "I'm stupid," leading to different behaviours.
In Spy x Family, Anya, once an orphan, now has access to plenty of food (Physiological) and a safe place to sleep (Safety). According to Maslow, what is the next psychological need Loid and Yor must fulfill for her so she can continue to develop?
Love and belonging (friendship, family, a sense of connection).
In Assassination Classroom, Koro-sensei is flying on the other side of the world, but a student decides to study hard anyway because they mentally picture Koro-sensei's disappointed face if they fail. What type of social presence is influencing the student?
Imagined presence. The student is mentally picturing someone observing them, even if no one is actually present.