Purpose
Reflection paper on Joanne Greenberg, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. This paper will offer students a chance to look at the novel as a whole and evaluate the arc of Deborah Blau’s hospitalization, and the role psychotherapy played in her healing, according to the author’s depiction.
By successfully completing this assignment students will be able to:
Explain how the patient’s presentation and the psychotherapist’s interpretation and practice reflect the contexts in which they have come into a relationship (CLO #3)
Analyze the evidentiary basis for historical and contemporary debates concerning the origins and treatment of mental illness as biological, or as culturally and environmentally produced (CLO #5)
Please write a critical essay about Joanne Greenberg’s novel, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. The essay should be at least 750 words – no penalty for going over the suggested word count.
Choose one of the following prompts to answer:
Topic choice #1:
Analyze the arc of Deborah Blau’s hospital stay. How long was she in the hospital? What were the components of the treatment and the hospital environment that influenced change, both positive and negative, in Deborah? Consider the psychotherapy with Dr. Fried; the interaction on the wards with patients and staff; and the rules and structure of the hospital. Consider as well the course of Deborah’s illness as you understand it. What were the major factors that affected Deborah’s fluctuating view of herself in the world? Why do you think she got better and was able to leave the hospital?
Topic choice #2:
If you would like to write on a different topic related to the Greenberg novel and the Hornstein biography, please run it past me in plenty of time for you to complete the essay.
Use as context the background chapters in Hornstein’s biography of Frieda Fromm Reichmann, her career at Chestnut Lodge, and her real-life treatment of the teenager Joanne Greenberg. Feel free also to use insights or arguments in the video Take These Broken Wings. You are of course free to use additional sources, but this is not required.
Important note: In the discussion post, please identify which topic choice is being answered.
Submission Details
Length: 3-page paper (750 words)
Please submit the essay as an upload in Word, Pages, Google Docs, or other standard documents format.
Grading Criteria
Content: The answer is appropriate to the question. Content is factually correct.
Style and grammar: Uses technical or scientific terminology appropriately and correctly. No major grammatical or spelling errors.
Organization: Clear sense of order. Begins with a thesis or topic sentence. Supporting points are presented in a logical progression.
Personal Growth: Strong articulation of personal and intellectual response to the evolution of course themes and ideas. (Excellent rating does not require agreement with or positive passion for the content of the course.)
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