Michael D. Bakst, PHD

The College of Southern Nevada

The Mission of the College is to create opportunities that have the potential for changing lives through the provision of quality teaching and experiences that enrich the community it serves.

Welcome

Welcome to the World of Psychology and all that it has to offer. The Mission Statement reflected above operates as the predicate for understanding ourselves and those around us. In order to effect change we have to know what we are changing and to do this we also have to know who is being changed. Psychology is the media we use to describe, explain, predict & influence behavior and mental processes.

The study of Psychology helps us understand how people feel, think and act – and by studying others we learn about ourselves. It is a journey of exploration & you are the captain of your own discovery with some guidance from Michael D. Bakst, Ph.D, your professor.

Aaron Beck (1921 – Present)

Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)

BF (Burrhus Frederic) Skinner (1904 – 1990)

Fritz Perls (1893 -1970)

Aaron Beck (1921 – Present)

Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)

BF (Burrhus Frederic) Skinner (1904 – 1990)

Fritz Perls (1893 -1970)

My
Background

I have been on the Faculty of CSN since 2005 and before that I taught graduate students at LaVerne University in California. I have a Masters Degree In Business Administration; second Masters Degree in Psychology followed by A Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with my dissertation entitled: “Neuropsychological, Cognitive and Developmental Consequences of An Acute Burn Trauma”.
I have also been mistaken for George Clooney which is a burden that I bare with grace.

My
Approach

Students today are faced with many options including staying in college and graduating; dealing with employment during and after college and accommodating social media while being part of a generation that enjoys the immediacy that technology brings to everyday life. In other words college has a lot to compete with.

In light of the above my goal is to make education relevant and timely. To accomplish this I incorporate news items with psychological overtones into our class lectures. I also believe that my initial thrust is to instill a love for the discipline of psychology making exams less threatening and keeping a term paper to a level that compliments understanding not volume. In all my lectures I incorporate videos and graphics with a corresponding set available for students to download as noted below – all with a smile.

My
Courses

The world of Psychology offers many different types of courses creating many opportunities for students and faculty alike. I currently teach the following courses:

General Psychology - Psy 101 which cover the basics of behavior and mental processes.

Abnormal Psychology – Psy 241 which delineates, in depth, diseases and disorders that can result in dysfunction, danger, distress and deviance which can consume and effect behavior and thoughts.

Articles of
Interest

Aging Brain


Antisocial Personality, Sociopathy, and Psychopathy


APA Style Guide 1


Brain Facts and Figures


Carl Jung and the Holy Grail of the Unconscious


Date Rape Drug


Do You Really Only Use 10 Percent of Your Brain


Effect of Smartphones On Kids Under 12


Mysterious Marijuana Vomiting Disorder


Photographic Memory_ Eidetic Imagery in the Brain


The Sad Tale of Little Albert


Therapies in General

What Babies Really Know