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Chapter 4
Consciousness
Biological Rhythms
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Biological changes that occur on a near24 hour cycle. “Circadian Rhythms”
Disruptions in circadian rhythms
Jet Lag
Shift work
Melatonin – a hormone which can help
alleviate disrupted circadian rhythms and
help people to sleep.
The Brain and Sleep
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there are various brain areas and several
neurotransmitters that control the sleep-wake
cycle
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There is no single “Morpheus” area of the brain
responsible for sleep.
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prescription drugs for insomnia?
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They are usually barbiturates or tranquilizers.
They decrease REM and Stage 4 sleep.
There is a danger of developing psychological
or physical dependency on them.
Sleep Stages
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Stages 3 and 4 decrease, while REM
sleep increases during the night.
Cycles occur about every 90 minutes
The most vivid dreams occur during
REM sleep.
(“Paradoxical Sleep”)
Sleep replenishes what was depleted
during daytime activities.
Sleep Apnea
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It is characterized by periods of more than 10
seconds without breathing
It is accompanied by repeated awakenings,
gasping for breath, and daytime sleepiness
It is a suspected factor in SIDS, snoring, high
blood pressure, and heart damage
The suspected cause of sleep apnea is an
upper airway blockage or a brain failure to
signal the diaphragm
Dreams according to Freud
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Freud believed that dreams were the
"royal road to the unconscious.“
“Wish Fulfillment” – dreams are disguised
symbols of repressed desires and
anxieties.
Dreams allow forbidden or unacceptable
impulses to rise to the surface of
consciousness.
Freud's ideas about how and why dreams
happen have received little or no scientific
support
Psychoanalytic (Sigmund Freud)
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Manifest Content – the actual, literal
dream story.
Latent Content – the underlying (true)
meaning of the dream story.
Biological View of Dreams
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Activation-synthesis theory of dreaming –
J.A. Hobson & R.W. McCarley (1977)
Dreams are the by-product of random stimulation of brain cells, and that
the brain attempts to combine this stimulation into a coherent pattern
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When certain cells in the brain stem are
randomly stimulated, the rational
Cerebral cortex attempts to “synthesize”
a story in order to make sense out of the
random stimulation.
The Cognitive View
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The Information Processing approach to
dreaming.
Dreams help us sift through and sort
out our everyday experiences.
If you’re worried about an upcoming
test, you might dream about school.
Psychoactive Drugs
Changes in body processes that make a drug
necessary for minimum daily functioning
Craving or mental desire for the effects
of a drug
Dependence & Addiction
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Psychological dependence can be
strong enough to cause an "addict"
to return to drug use after physical
dependence has been overcome.
Depressants
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Depress the Central Nervous System
causing relaxation, drowsiness or even
unconsciousness
Alcohol – (the most dangerous of the Psychoactive
drugs according to the AMA)
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Barbiturates
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Anti-anxiety drugs
(Valium, Seconal etc.)
Alcohol Facts
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50 percent of all murders, suicides, spousal abuse, and
accidental deaths involve alcohol.
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Fifty percent of all highway fatalities involve alcohol.
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Alcohol is the third leading cause of birth defects.
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Teens are one of the largest groups of alcohol abusers,
but usually deny they have a problem.
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Acts as a stimulant in very low doses, but is classified
as a depressant
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Considered the most dangerous & physically damaging
of all psychoactive drugs by the AMA
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Mixed with other depressant drugs, it can cause death.
Stimulants
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Stimulants act on the Central Nervous
System to increase overall activity.
Nicotine –
Increases the chances of acquiring lung cancer,
bronchitis, emphysema, and heart disease. Doubles the risk of heart
attack in nonsmokers who are regularly exposed to passive smoke.
stimulates the same brain areas as cocaine, and is addictive.
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Cocaine – highly addicting stimulant – smoked, snorted, injected
Amphetamine (Methamphetamine) –
An ever increasing problem in Mid-Western States
Hallucinogens
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LSD -
can be extremely dangerous, leading to accidents, death,
suicide & flashbacks which can occur long after use of the drug has
ceased.
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Mescaline – derived from the peyote cactus
Psilocybin – hallucinogenic mushrooms
Marijuana - can impair memory and learning, impair lung
functioning and the immune response, and decrease testosterone
levels and reduce sperm
Narcotics
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Opiates- Derived from the Opium poppy.
Sometimes used Medically, to relieve
pain. Seldom habit-forming when
administered medically.
Opium
Heroin
Morphine
Codeine
Cross-Cultural Altered States
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In a 1973 survey of 488 societies,
Bourguignon found that 90% practice
institutionally-recognized methods of
altering consciousness.
Practices included the use of drugs,
fasting, dancing & chanting.