Lesson Plan One
Stigma and Chronic Mental Illness

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Grade Level: 11th and 12th

Materials: Copy of the film Imagining Robert and vcr.

Subjects: Social science, psychology

Time Needed for Completion: Three to four fifty-minute class periods

Objectives for students:

To gain general knowledge about the history of the asylum and deinstitutionalizaton

To apply this general knowledge to the experiences of one individual (Robert Neuegeboren) and his family

Standards Area: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Correlates with standards for the teaching of psychology in high school outlined by the American Psychological Association.

CONTENT STANDARD

4: Impact of mental disorders

4.2 Discuss the stigma associated with abnormal behavior.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

Citing historic or fictional examples of stigmatized behavior

Speculating about how abnormal conditions might influence acceptance in contemporary life

4.3 Speculate about means for promoting greater understanding of abnormal behavior.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

Describing historic efforts to promote tolerance of those stigmatized by mental disorder

Developing a strategy to promote support for individuals with specific mental disorders

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