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10 features May 12, 2017 W WHEN COMMON BEHAVIORS AND THOUGHTS CROSS A LINE AND BECOME A MEDICAL PROBLEM From rumors spreading throughout the media that our own president may have one to often misidentified behaviors in our own lives-- personality disorders can seem mysterious and complex, and though they are often talked about, they are also frequently misunderstood. “Personality disorders are behavior patterns that interfere with daily living,” school psychologist, Lynn Groeling said. “They disrupt relationships with family, friends and employers.” Personality disorders, like most diseases, are out of a person’s control and have purely medical origins. “They are brain dysfunctions and they are not clear behaviors that a person has control over,” school psychologist Christina Ramirez said. “When you have a personality disorder, you have an obsessive or compulsive need to do something, and it’s the only way you feel right.” Groeling explained how a personality disorder -- such as narcissistic personality disorder -- is difficult to self-diagnose because to someone with this personality disorder, their behavior seems rational. “If you have a personality disorder, it brain is more common for [other] people to alert you of it because you think that your own XIAO HE behavior is normal,” Groeling said. Like any illness, a diagnosis should not be based on online quizzes, but instead drain needs a professional evaluation. “It has to be diagnosed by a medically licensed mental health professional because there is certain criteria you need to meet in order to be officially diagnosed. Often people think that normal behavior patterns are a problem when in reality they are not,” Groeling said. One might notice different symptoms or characteristics of a personality disorder and think they themselves have the personality disorder. However, there has to be consistent disruption in one’s life in order for it to become a problem that requires professional help. “It is completely normal for somebody to check the stove before going to work; even though this is a characteristic of a personality disorder, it does not become a problem until it disrupts their life,” Groeling said. “If this person checks the stove to the point where they are late to work, or it disrupts their daily life in any way, then they should get a diagnostic evaluation.” Misconceptions that follow personality disorders can cloud our judgement and our true understanding of these disorders, as AP Psychology teacher Suzanne Savard explained. “A lot of people think antisocial behavior is you not wanting to talk to others and withdrawing from social situations. People even think that being an introvert is somehow being antisocial,” said Savard. “However, antisocial behavior is when you are averse to society and act against social norms in an aggressive and violent way.” Adolescence is a time when teenagers try to find themselves and extreme feelings can be normal. “Someone with a personality disorder might focus on only negative thoughts; we may have thoughts like this but we eventually move on, whereas some- BY MARTYLINETTE SANCHEZ AND NATALIA WOLNY features editor and asst. features editor PERSONALITY DISORDERS UNMASKED Paranoid Personality Disorder: A person has trouble trusting family and friends. They also have trouble building relationships. A person is always suspicious and looks for ways to confirm ideas of distrust. They are also easily humiliated and hold strong grudges. Antisocial Personality Disorder: A person does not follow social rules or responsibilities, is easily aggressive, never feels guilty and does not learn from experiences. They can appear sociable, but in reality they do not have substantial, long-term relationships. Borderline Personality Disorder: A person lacks confidence, fears abandonment, is emotionally unstable and gets angry easily. Suicidal thoughts are common and often result from earlier childhood experiences. Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A person feels a lot of self importance and feels the need to be admired. They lack the ability to empathize with others and use other people to meet their goals. If they feel like they have been humiliated, they get extremely angry. Dependent Personality Disorder: A person lacks confidence in their abilities and constantly needs help making simple decisions, regularly leaving these decisions for others to make. Avoidant Personality Disorder: It is common for people with this personality disorder to also have an anxiety disorder. A person with this personality disorder avoids interacting with others, due to the fear of rejection. Source: Psychology Today one with a disorder becomes fixated on these things,” Savard said. Ramirez explained how personality disorder terminology is seen in our daily lives, but that it’s often applied incorrectly. “It’s common to use these disorders as labels. It’s a way of labeling things and identifying feelings that we are not sure of,” Ramirez said. “It’s great that we’re using this terminology because that means more people are aware of these disorders, but we also have to be careful not to make normal life experiences into mental health disorders.” According to Professor Allen Frances, the psychiatrist who wrote the defining clinical characteristics for narcissistic personality disorder, although it might be tempting for one to say that President Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder it, “is a stigmatising insult to the mentally ill.” “He may be a world-class narcissist, but this doesn’t make him mentally ill, because he does not suffer from the distress and impairment required to diagnose mental disorder,” Frances wrote in the New York Times. Because of the possibility of misidentifying mental health issues such as personality disorders, “people should refrain from making conclusions because only a medically licensed professional can diagnose it,” Groeling said. Personality disorders often change people’s perception of normal life events. “People with personality disorders interpret events differently and their sense of self is often quite skewed,” Savard said. At Maine West there is a psychology department, consisting of three psychologists and three social workers. “There is always help available, and there are treatments within our community that are lowcost or free,” Ramirez said. “Adolescence is a time that’s really hard, and there’s a lot of feelings. Many have a hard time controlling their emotions; we understand and want to help.”
W May 12, 2017 EDITORIAL POLICY The student-produced newspaper of Maine West High School, the Westerner, is dedicated to maintaining the values of truth, integrity, and courage in reporting. The Westerner provides an open public forum for free and responsible expression of student opinion, as well as balanced coverage of issues of student interest. The staff encourages discussion and free expression between all members of the school and community and maintains its responsibility to inform and educate the student body. Unsigned editorials represent the majority viewpoint of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, which are subject to editing for length and clarity, must be signed by name and may be published upon approval from the editorial board. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the Westerner, nor should any opinion expressed in the Westerner be construed as the opinion or policy of the adviser, the Westerner staff as a whole, the school staff, the school administration, or District 207 school board. EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Catherine Buchaniec, Bhagirath Mehta Associate Editor-in-Chief: Matthew Montanile News Editors: Chris Rios, Catherine Buchaniec Features Editor: Martylinette Sanchez In-Depth Editor: Matthew Montanile Sports Editors: Amaan Siddiqui, Dominik Bronakowski Opinions Editor: Bhagirath Mehta Entertainment Editor: Kara Dempsey Photo/Art Editor: Danny Fowler Assistant Editors: Corinne Bellot, Olivia Bitcon, Ashley Dwy, Natalia Wolny STAFF MEMBERS: Sarah Smail, Malaika Zaidi, Ashna Thomas, Masooma Sultan, Arline Vargas, Abigail Milovanicevic, Jelena Pejovic, Jenna Robbins, Ivonne Sanchez, Grace Yue, Destiny Onyeise, Suzanna Linek, Alexandra Malewicz, Nana Agyarko, Monroe Torkelson, Vincent Parcelli, Sarah Lane, Greta Sorensen, Nina Palmer, Suzanna Linek, Xiao Lin He ADVISOR:Laurie McGowan VIEW FROM THE BOARD OF STUDENT EDITORS testing the limits As crunch time approaches and final grades loom ahead, which means there is considerable duplicate students are steeped in fervent studying. This year, however, instruction and assessment happening. The more semester grades will reflect the fine print of new policies Westerner also asked, “When you retake implemented at Maine West. or redo a summative, are you Policies introduced at the beginning of the school year, mainly motivated by wanting to learn more or wanting such as the 40% policy and a new retake policy, have come under the magnifying glass due to their promise to aid students in their quest for a straight-A report card. percent said they wanted to learn more, to raise your grade?” Only 5 This semester, the district also added another policy: the while 95 percent of students said they privilege of being allowed to skip the final for a class if students take the AP exam. This provides an incentive for stu- Hidden beneath the shiny veneer were in it for the grade. dents to not only sign up for AP classes, but also to make of comfort that these new policies provide lies an unpleasant truth—these sure that they take the AP test for each of the AP classes that they are in. policies influence students However, there is a loophole for certain teachers to administer tests that essentially serve as finals. The policy allows policies may have ap- to slack off. While these teachers to give summatives before AP tests, if they are used peal to students, they to assess students’ preparedness. In itself, this may not seem are impractical and encourage unsound study bad, as teachers often provide extra practice for the AP test. Unfortunately, this means that practice tests are not always habits. Providing motivation optional and students must come in on weekends and before or after school on weekdays to earn points, regardless of the first time they are given for students not to study for tests whether or not they are taking an AP test. Although AP preparation should definitely be offered and encouraged during those times, students should not be required to come outside of school hours for assessments. A far better time for many teachers to give these mock AP tests — that count for scores in class — would be on the juniors' SAT day, as freshman, sophomores and seniors had no school. Just as frustrating, if teachers merely rebrand “finals” as “summatives” in order to give them early or slide past the no-exam rule, the policy serves little purpose as certain teachers will administer tests, no matter what. If you’re going to create an incentive for students to do what you want them to do—take the official AP test offered by the College Board— then students should get the perk they were promised. With great changes in policies, there appears to come greater creativity in applying or using them, which has been the case for both the 40% and retake policies, too. Every teacher and department has different interpretations of how to carry these rules out, while students take advantage of the policies far more than administrators may have expected and largely for other purposes. The 40% policy refers to the district-wide mandate that the lowest grade for any assignment, quiz or test—complete or incomplete—is 40%. According to the district, the policy helps students avoid “killer zeros” that lower their grades and diminish a student’s hopes of passing. In addition, every teacher now must allow students the opportunity to retake summative tests after meeting various retake criteria. Some students who miss more than a single assignment or test often do not have any inclination to make them up, especially if they can receive forty percent of points for no work at all. Expecting a policy that automatically pays student nearly half of the points for a given assignment to serve as anything other than a deterrent for many students to finish all their assignments, reveals a distinct lack of understanding into the inner workings of the typical teenager’s mind. Purportedly, the retake policy allows students to take a test again if they had a bad day or weren’t fully prepared the first time they took the test and just want another chance to improve. Many students, however, want to retake far more than just a few tests and instead, retake every test possible to try to boost their grade. In a Westerner survey, only five percent of students said they hadn't taken a retake this year, opinions 11 79% - YES DID THE AP EXAM EXEMPTION POLICY MOTIVATE YOU TO TAKE THE AP EXAM IN ONE OF YOUR CLASSES? 21% - NO or do their homework promotes a culture of not putting forth the best effort the first time, and we end up rewarding irresponsibility. Yet, it is not only the policies themselves we take issue with; it is also the lack of consistency with which they are implemented. A number of teachers have used the policy as an opportunity to motivate students to do better: they replace assignments that received a grade higher than a 40%, but still not an A or a B, with a 40% until the students decides to correct or re-do the assignment. Other classes implement a policy where homework is marked for completion, but has no weight towards students’ final grade. If students show themselves capable of putting in the effort to complete homework, they are eligible for a retake. As far as retakes go, some teachers make sure students get the help they need and give plenty of opportunities for their students to ask questions before their retakes. Others, however, neglect to bring up retakes, if students do not ask, or instead, provide mainly quizzes, which are not subject to the retake policy. For the sake of consistency, some teachers use the same tests for both the original test and the retake, but this often means that students either make the same mistakes again or use the time in between to research the exact questions and answers online. We sympathize with teachers who are trying to accommodate the individual requests and needs of the 100-150 students they see each day. However, inconsistencies lead to confusion among students, as well as gaming of the system. These policies should be used consistently, if they are to exist, rather than how a few individuals see fit. That being said, if teachers have concerns about the way students take advantage of these policies, the policies should be changed to take account of that. School should be about the joy of learning, not the joy of figuring out how to beat the system. Until these policies are rectified and implemented meaningfully in a way that both students and teachers can appreciate, students will suffer from being graded seemingly objectively with the policies that are interpreted subjectively.
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