BNS 108: Psychology for Nurses
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY • MODULE 1
Introduction to Psychology as a Science & Health Applications
Scientific Foundations & Nursing Relevance
- Subtopic: Definition, Scope, and Historical Origins of Scientific Psychology
- Subtopic: Psychology as an Empirical Science: Research Methods, Observation & Experimentation
- Subtopic: Relevance of Behavioral Science and Psychological Principles to Nursing Practice
- Subtopic: Major Branches: Health Psychology, Clinical, Developmental, Social & Neuropsychology
- Subtopic: Biological Bases of Behavior: Neurotransmitters, Nervous System & Endocrine Influences
COGNITIVE PROCESSES • MODULE 2
Human Learning, Memory Architecture & Forgetting
Principles of Learning & Conditioning
- Subtopic: Classical Conditioning (Pavlovian Conditioning): Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery & Generalization
- Subtopic: Operant Conditioning (Skinnerian Conditioning): Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement
- Subtopic: Punishment vs. Reinforcement Schedules (Fixed/Variable Ratio and Interval Schedules)
- Subtopic: Bandura’s Observational / Social Learning Theory: Modeling, Vicarious Reinforcement & Imitation
- Subtopic: Cognitive Learning Theories and Identification of Common Learning Disabilities
Memory Systems & Theories of Forgetting
- Subtopic: Memory Processes: Information Encoding, Memory Storage, and Retrieval Dynamics
- Subtopic: Sensory Memory Registers: Iconic (Visual) and Echoic (Auditory) Memory
- Subtopic: Short-Term Memory (STM) & Working Memory: Miller’s Law (7±2), Chunking & Rehearsal
- Subtopic: Long-Term Memory (LTM): Explicit (Declarative/Episodic) vs. Implicit (Procedural) Memory
- Subtopic: Memory Pathology: Anterograde Amnesia, Retrograde Amnesia & Neurological Memory Deficits
- Subtopic: Theories of Forgetting: Trace Decay Theory, Interference Theory (Proactive vs. Retroactive)
- Subtopic: Motivated Forgetting: Freud’s Repression Theory & Retrieval Failure Theories
- Subtopic: Neurobiological Consolidation Theory & Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance Recall
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES • MODULE 3
Sensation, Perception & Personality Theories
Attention & Perceptual Organization
- Subtopic: Sensation vs. Perception: Sensory Thresholds, Signal Detection & Transduction
- Subtopic: Attentional Mechanisms: Selective Attention, Divided Attention & Factors Affecting Focus
- Subtopic: Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization: Figure-Ground, Proximity, Similarity & Closure
- Subtopic: Perceptual Constancy (Size, Shape, Brightness) & Depth Perception Cues
- Subtopic: Perceptual Errors, Optical Illusions & Clinical Hallucinations in Nursing Assessment
Theories of Personality
- Subtopic: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory: Structural Model (Id, Ego, Superego) & Consciousness Levels
- Subtopic: Ego Defense Mechanisms: Projection, Rationalization, Displacement, Sublimation, Reaction Formation
- Subtopic: Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency & Genital Fixations
- Subtopic: Carl Jung’s Analytical Psychology: Personal vs. Collective Unconscious, Archetypes & Introversion
- Subtopic: Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology: Inferiority Complex, Striving for Superiority & Birth Order
- Subtopic: Humanistic Personality Theories: Carl Rogers (Self-Concept, Unconditional Regard) & Abraham Maslow
- Subtopic: Trait Theories of Personality: Allport, Eysenck’s PEN Model & The Big Five Personality Traits
- Subtopic: Clinical Application of Personality Theories in Caring for Children, Adults, and the Elderly
SOCIAL DYNAMICS • MODULE 4
Social Psychology, Attitudes & Interpersonal Dynamics
Social Cognition, Perception & Attitudes
- Subtopic: Principles of Social Cognition & Social Influence on Health Behaviors
- Subtopic: Person Perception: Impression Formation, Primacy Effects, and Halo Effects
- Subtopic: Attribution Theory: Internal (Dispositional) vs. External (Situational) Attributions
- Subtopic: Attributional Errors: Fundamental Attribution Error, Actor-Observer Bias & Self-Serving Bias
- Subtopic: Attitudes: The ABC Model (Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive Components)
- Subtopic: Attitude Formation, Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger) & Persuasion Techniques
- Subtopic: Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stigmatization in Clinical Care Settings
Interpersonal Relationships, Aggression & Violence
- Subtopic: Interpersonal Attraction: Proximity, Similarity, Complementarity & Reciprocity
- Subtopic: Life Cycle and Stages of Close Human Relationships: Formation, Maintenance & Dissolution
- Subtopic: Theories of Human Aggression: Biological, Evolutionary & Instinct Theories
- Subtopic: Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis & Social Learning of Aggression (Bandura)
- Subtopic: Environmental, Social, and Psychological Triggers of Aggression and Clinical Violence
- Subtopic: De-escalation Techniques and Psychological Management of Aggressive Patients
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT • MODULE 5
Lifespan Human Development & Developmental Theories
Principles & Perspectives of Development
- Subtopic: Domains of Human Development: Physical, Cognitive & Psychosocial Development
- Subtopic: Controversies in Human Development: Nature vs. Nurture, Continuity vs. Discontinuity
- Subtopic: Biological and Maturation Perspectives on Human Growth
- Subtopic: Cephalocaudal and Proximodistal Patterns of Motor and Neuromuscular Growth
- Subtopic: Critical and Sensitive Periods in Early Neurological and Psychological Growth
Theories of Human Development
- Subtopic: Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages: Trust vs. Mistrust through Integrity vs. Despair
- Subtopic: Jean Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete & Formal Operational
- Subtopic: Piagetian Cognitive Concepts: Schemas, Assimilation, Accommodation & Object Permanence
- Subtopic: Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) & Scaffolding
- Subtopic: Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development: Preconventional, Conventional & Postconventional
- Subtopic: Adolescence: Identity Crisis, Peer Pressure, Risk-Taking & Egocentrism (Elkind)
- Subtopic: Adulthood, Aging, and Geriatric Transitions: Cognitive Changes, Retirement & Bereavement
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INFANT DEVELOPMENT • MODULE 6
Infant Perception, Language Acquisition & Attachment Security
Infant Sensation & Cognitive Milestones
- Subtopic: Infant Sensory Capacities: Visual Acuity, Contrast Sensitivity & The Visual Cliff (Gibson & Walk)
- Subtopic: Auditory Preferences in Neonates, Speech Sound Discrimination & Maternal Voice Recognition
- Subtopic: Olfactory, Gustatory, and Tactile Capabilities in Newborns
- Subtopic: Piaget’s Sensorimotor Sub-Stages & Circular Reactions (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary)
Language Acquisition & Attachment Dynamics
- Subtopic: Structural Components of Language: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics & Pragmatics
- Subtopic: Theories of Language: Nativist (Chomsky’s LAD), Behaviorist (Skinner) & Interactionist Models
- Subtopic: Stages of Language Acquisition: Crying, Cooing, Babbling, Holophrastic Speech & Telegraphic Speech
- Subtopic: John Bowlby’s Ethological Attachment Theory: Preattachment, Clear-Cut Attachment & Working Models
- Subtopic: Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation: Secure, Insecure-Avoidant & Insecure-Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment
- Subtopic: Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment Patterns & Long-Term Impacts on Child Mental Health
- Subtopic: Maternal Sensitivity, Environmental Deprivation, and the Father’s Special Role in Bonding
CLINICAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY • MODULE 7
Abnormal Psychology & Clinical Assessment of Mental Disorders
Concepts of Abnormality & Diagnostic Systems
- Subtopic: Defining Abnormality: The 4 Ds (Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction, Danger)
- Subtopic: Historical and Cross-Cultural Concepts of Mental Illness and Spiritual Explanations
- Subtopic: Theoretical Models of Psychopathology: Biological, Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral & Sociocultural
- Subtopic: The Biopsychosocial Model and Diathesis-Stress Framework in Mental Disorders
- Subtopic: Diagnostic Classification Systems: DSM Multiaxial Diagnosis & ICD Frameworks
- Subtopic: Principles of Differential Diagnosis, Comorbidity, and Prognosis in Psychiatric Care
Symptomatology: Assessment of Thought & Perception
- Subtopic: Disorders of Perception: Sensory Distortions, Illusions & Hallucinations (Auditory, Visual, Tactile)
- Subtopic: Kurt Schneider’s First-Rank Symptoms of Severe Psychosis
- Subtopic: Disorders of Stream of Thought: Flight of Ideas, Retardation, Thought Blocking & Pressure of Speech
- Subtopic: Disorders of Form of Thought: Loosening of Associations, Derailment, Neologisms & Tangentiality
- Subtopic: Disorders of Content of Thought: Delusions (Persecutory, Grandiose, Nihilistic, Somatic, Reference)
- Subtopic: Disorders of Possession of Thought: Thought Insertion, Thought Withdrawal & Thought Broadcasting
- Subtopic: Mental State Examination (MSE): Clinical Interviewing Techniques in Healthcare Facilities
NEUROTIC SPECTRUM • MODULE 8
Anxiety Disorders, OCD & Dissociative Conditions
Anxiety & Obsessive-Compulsive Syndromes
- Subtopic: Pathophysiology and Symptoms of Pathological Anxiety vs. Normal Physiological Fear
- Subtopic: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Excessive Worry, Motor Tension & Autonomic Hyperactivity
- Subtopic: Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: Panic Attacks, Anticipatory Anxiety & Avoidance Behavior
- Subtopic: Specific Phobias (Animal, Natural Environment, Blood-Injection-Injury) & Social Anxiety Disorder
- Subtopic: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Intrusive Obsessions vs. Ritualistic Compulsions
- Subtopic: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Acute Stress Disorder: Intrusions, Avoidance & Hyperarousal
- Subtopic: Psychological Interventions: Cognitive Restructuring, Systematic Desensitization & Exposure Therapy
Dissociative & Somatoform Disorders
- Subtopic: Mechanisms of Psychological Dissociation as a Trauma Defense Mechanism
- Subtopic: Dissociative Amnesia and Dissociative Fugue: Psychogenic Loss of Autobiographical Memory
- Subtopic: Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder): Alters, Trauma & Amnesia
- Subtopic: Depersonalization and Derealization Disorder: Clinical Signs and Differential Diagnosis
- Subtopic: Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder): Motor/Sensory Losses & La Belle Indifférence
SEVERE DISORDERS • MODULE 9
Personality Disorders, Schizophrenia & Affective Syndromes
Personality Disorders (Clusters A, B & C)
- Subtopic: General Diagnostic Criteria and Pathogenesis of Enduring Personality Pathology
- Subtopic: Cluster A (Odd/Eccentric): Paranoid Personality Disorder (Suspiciousness, Distrust)
- Subtopic: Cluster A: Schizoid Personality Disorder (Social Detachment, Flat Affect)
- Subtopic: Cluster A: Schizotypal Personality Disorder (Cognitive Distortions, Magical Thinking)
- Subtopic: Cluster B (Dramatic/Erratic): Antisocial Personality Disorder (Callous Disregard, Deceit, Lawbreaking)
- Subtopic: Cluster B: Borderline Personality Disorder (Affective Instability, Identity Disturbance, Splitting)
- Subtopic: Cluster B: Histrionic Personality Disorder (Attention-Seeking, Excessive Emotionality)
- Subtopic: Cluster B: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Grandiosity, Lack of Empathy, Need for Admiration)
- Subtopic: Cluster C (Anxious/Fearful): Avoidant, Dependent & Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders
- Subtopic: Passive-Aggressive, Sadistic, and Self-Defeating Personality Traits and Nursing Approaches
Schizophrenia, Affective & Related Disorders
- Subtopic: Schizophrenia: Etiology, Genetic Vulnerability, Neurotransmitter Hypotheses (Dopamine)
- Subtopic: Positive Symptoms (Hallucinations, Delusions) vs. Negative Symptoms (Avolition, Alogia, Anhedonia)
- Subtopic: Subtypes of Schizophrenia: Paranoid Type, Disorganized (Hebephrenic) Type & Catatonic Type
- Subtopic: Catatonic Signs: Waxy Flexibility, Negativism, Stupor, Posturing, Echopraxia & Echolalia
- Subtopic: Mood (Affective) Disorders: Major Depressive Disorder (Unipolar Depression) & Suicide Risk
- Subtopic: Bipolar Affective Disorder (Manic Depression): Manic Episodes, Hypomania & Cyclothymia
- Subtopic: Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders: Tolerance, Physical Dependence & Withdrawal States
- Subtopic: Human Sexual Dysfunctions: Arousal, Orgasmic, and Pain Disorders
Prescribed Textbooks & References
Core academic textbooks and clinical references prescribed by the NCHE Bachelor of Nursing Science syllabus.
- Gross, R. (2005). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior (5th ed.). London: Hodder Arnold.
- Walker, J., Payne, S., Smith, P. & Jarrett, N. (2007). Psychology for Nurses and the Caring Professions (3rd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press / McGraw-Hill.
- Kring, A.M., Davison, G.C., Neale, J.M. & Johnson, S.L. (2009). Abnormal Psychology (11th ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
- Morrison, V. & Bennett, P. (2006). An Introduction to Health Psychology (2nd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education / Prentice Hall.
- Taylor, S.E. (2006). Health Psychology (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
- Stroebe, W. (2001). Social Psychology and Health (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.
- American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Follow your university’s current approved course outline for official course codes, teaching order and assessments. This directory organises supplementary revision resources.
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