Chapter 15 First Impression Post

For this assignment, I decided to analyze the four major types of psychotherapy. From reading the textbook, I believe behavioral therapy to be the most effective. This type of therapy focuses on learning tools for eliminating certain behaviors. This goes further than just understanding the emotions. It gives patients an array of resources to use when feeling anxious, during an episode, or however their symptoms present themselves.

Cognitive therapy is the second best way of psychotherapy. This type of therapy changes the way the patient thinks, because thinking determines feelings. It is useful to understand the reason why patients acts a certain way, in attempt to change their thinking. When their thinking changes, they can more easily handle the symptoms. In some cases, the shift in outlook may be sufficient in reducing symptoms. In other cases, patients may not be able to eliminate their thoughts, so behavioral psychology would be more useful.

Humanistic psychology is the third best form of psychotherapy. It revolves around understanding oneself. It helps to settle inner conflicts and focuses on self-fulfillment. This type of psychotherapy makes the patients responsible for their emotions, which motivates them to be aware of and accept their symptoms. It has an emphasis on growth. This is useful because it provides an individualistic approach to each patient, however it does not give tools that can be implemented into daily life in order to reduce symptoms.

I have deemed psychodynamic therapy to be the least effective. This type of therapy recognizes common themes among situations. For example, it can determine what makes a patient anxious. This form presents itself in a casual, face-to-face conversation. It works on reclaiming unconscious feelings in hopes to eliminate symptoms. This is not as effective as other types of therapy because it only understands emotions. It does not give much attention to ways the symptoms can be reduced. I have experienced this type of therapy. Although it was beneficial to be aware of common emotions in different situations, I did not have many tools to use when presented with anxious situations.

Psychology in the Media

Summary:

In 1973, John M. Darley and C. Daniel Batson published the study, “‘From Jerusalem to Jericho’: A study of situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior.” This study was based off the Good Samaritan Bible story and used Princeton University seminary students as participants. First, the participants took questionnaires to determine their reasons for pursuing priesthood. This determined three categories: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and a quest for the meaning of life. Then, the students were told to prepare a speech about the possible jobs seminary students could pursue. Half of the students were told the story of the Good Samaritan prior to the next step. After the students had their speeches prepared, they individually walked to another building to continue the study. The independent variable had three groups depending on how much of a rush they were in to get to the second building. They encountered a fallen individual, with his head down, groaning, and coughing. The participants were graded on a scale from zero to five on how helpful they were to the troubled man. When they got to the second building, they were asked several questions about helping the needy, in order to validate the results. The results determined the amount of hurry to be the factor in determining the helpfulness of the participants. The presence of the Good Samaritan story and the motivation for priesthood had no effect. This determined that situational factors are more important than dispositional ones.

Reflection:

I decided to include all of the main points in my summary. The independent variables were stated along with how they were measured. I also included some background information about the study. I chose to include these details because I wish they were included in Glenn Geher’s “My Favorite Psychology Study.” I read this popular culture article before I read the scientific journal article. After I read the journal article, I noticed some details that should have been added, so I included them in my summary.

I included how the variables were operationalized. The independent variables were clearly stated, and the summary included how data collection was done. The participants were all seminary students at Princeton University, as stated at the beginning of the summary. The participants were assigned to several groups throughout the study, as clearly shown in the study. One of the groups were determined by personal motivations, and the others by random assignment. The independent variable that made a difference utilized random assignment, so it is credible. The method does not allow for causal claims because the independent variables are unrelated. The conclusions of this post are generalized to the correct population because it educates the class about a particular study. Although I do not have a degree in psychology (yet), it is acceptable because a blog post is casual way of conveying information.

The study, as published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, was much more detailed than Geher’s post. The journal had more sophisticated diction. The popular culture article stuck with a casual tone and defined terms that scientists would know. This is expected because a scientific journal attracts a scholarly audience, while a popular culture article targets the general population. The scientific journal answered all five of the critical questions. The popular culture article only answered a few. It described how variables were operationalized, how participants were selected, and how the participants were assigned to groups. They are similar because they explained the study in a chronological manner and conveyed the same conclusions.

Through analyzing the differences between the scientific journal and the website article, I noticed several differences between the style of writing. Scientists, as learned from the scientific journal, are more attentive to detail and explain the entire study. While analyzing the popular culture article, I noticed that these articles focus only on the important parts of the study, while using simple diction and defining complicated terms. In my blog post, I used a mixture of both styles. I made this decision because this post is not as scholarly as a scientific journal, but is still used for educational purposes.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201703/my-favorite-psychology-study

Darley, J. M., & Batson, C. D. (1973). ‘From Jerusalem to Jericho’: A study of
situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior [PDF].
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Chapter 14 First Impression Post

For this assignment, I watched the video stimulating the life of someone with schizophrenia. The person had shaky vision and heightened senses. The sound of the water droplets in the sink, car beeping, and outside noises were prominent. There were many negative voices in the person’s head that sometimes were fighting with each other, and other times telling the person that he is “stupid,” along with other negative adjectives. He did not take his medication. There was a news story about a robbery on the television. The man kept thinking, “they know,” which leads me to believe the man did it. The people on the television were directly talking to him. When the pizza came, the man was hesitant to open the door, and made the interaction as quickly as possible. He believed that the pizza man was a part of a group plotting against him, and that the pizza was poisonous. He heard pounding on the door, and thought someone was breaking in. It was actually a woman who lived with him, and it was unclear whether she was a wife, mother, or another figure. She noticed that he did not take his medicine and told him to take it. She told him that he should go outside, which was percieved as offensive to the man.

The stimulation is similar to how schizophrenia is seen in the media, although schizophrenia cannot be classified as whole because every person shows it differently. People with schizophrenia are commonly known to not take their medicine. They are withdrawn, which is shown because the man stayed in his house all day with no desire to leave. I was also not surprised by the man’s heightened senses. People with schizophrenia sometimes are criminals, as seen in the news broadcast. Also, I expected the man to have trouble making decisions. I wish the video showed the man talking. Schizophrenia in the media is shown by abnormal speech and sentences that do not make sense, so I wonder how the video would have portrayed that. The video was intriguing, and I am looking forward to learning more about mental illness in this chapter.

Chapter 13 First Impression

First, I took the Jung Typology Test from Human Metrics. My letters are ENFJ. I am distinctly extraverted and judgmental. This is accurate because I am outgoing and affirmative in my choices. I am moderately intuitive and feeling. I go with what I think is best, but also factor in my peers’ opinions and facts. I have a decent blend between making my decisions based on emotions and facts. An ENFJ is organized, helpful, decisive, and have great social skills. Because these skills match my personality, this test is accurate. The test is credible because it uses Jung’s commonly used test, the test questions were relevant, and the results were similar to the ones from other websites.

I also took a test from the Personality Test Center. It used this or that scenarios. I was also scored as an ENFJ. Since my result was repeated from the last test and shows characteristics of my personality, it is accurate. The test seems credible because it utilized Jung’s way of classification, which is widely accepted.

The next test was from the Open Source Psychometrics Project. It is the “Big Five” personality test. I can assume that it is credible since it is recommended for scientific validity and used in psychological research. There were five measurements of agreeability for each statement. For this test, I rarely had a neutral selection. My choices were either that I strongly agree or strongly disagree. The test stated that I am 96% extroverted, 7% emotionally stable, 91% agreeable, 97% consciencious, and 52% intellectual/imaginative. I think that I am more emotionally stable than 7%, but other than that, the results lined up with my personality well.

The last test was the Color Quiz. It is popular among doctors, psychologists, and universities across Europe, so I can assume that it is credible. I am not fully convinced that personality can be determined by how somebody chooses colored squares, however I believe in it slightly because my results seemed accurate. The test said that I am emotional, have no tolerance for arrogance, keep peace, and feels the need to fulfill my dreams.

Chapter 9 First Impression Post

Throughout my education experience, I have had both positive and negative experiences with educators. My high school biology teacher sticks out to me. She is an amazing teacher and does everything she can to support her students, whether it be academically or emotionally. She would always tell me how much she believed in me and thought that I would make a great physician. This encouraged me to study hard to obtain a high grade in the class. Her positive energy made me look forward to going to class each day. I was enthusiastic about biology, and was really eager to succeed. My teacher’s enthusiasm and my hard work allowed me to earn a high A in the class.

That same year, I also had a teacher who was constantly miserable. She belittled all of her students and fostered a negative environment. I never felt that I was good enough. I had her class during a time when my anxiety was at a high point, and I had a couple anxiety attacks in her class. Even while discussing my anxiety with her, she was very insensitive about it, which made me feel ashamed. Her negative energy made it hard to focus, because I was constantly worried that she would call on me, then embarrass me if I got the wrong answer. My mind was always hyperactive and anxious during class, which led me to obtain a grade lower than what I had hoped.

My experiences have shaped my opinion about what education should be like. Educators should develop relationships with their students, because everyone learns differently. The educator can understand the student’s goals, strengths, and weaknesses. This individualized approach lets the educator be like a mentor to students, not just someone who throws information at them. Educators should be passionate about their work. If a person is not caring, enthusiastic, and have a strong inclination to share the beauty of a certain subject, then that person should not be an educator. Students spend much time with their teachers/professors, so they should feel comfortable and cared for, but also pushed to succeed.

Chapter 11 First Impression

Throughout my academic career, I have tried several different stress management techniques, and have found several practices that work for me. I have started practicing yoga about a year ago. It is a valuable escape from reality that allows me to focus on myself for one hour out of the day. I owe my thanks to Professor Lorenzen in the Spanish department, who is my yoga instructor. While practicing yoga, I have found value in meditation. Meditation does not have to take long and is a great way to clear my mind. I have started implementing yoga in between study breaks, and whenever I am overwhelmed. I tend to get overwhelmed frequently, since I have been struggling with anxiety since I was around thirteen years old. I am on an antidepressant, which has been working well. It eliminates excess stress so that I can experience as much stress as any other student, which as you know, is still a lot.

Stress has impacted much of my life, which is why I have explored many techniques. Regardless, I still have more practices I want to implement in to my daily life. I do rigorous exercise twice a week, but I think if I do it more often, it would release more stress. During the spring, I ran several miles almost every day, and that was a great way to relieve stress and aggression. I need to go back to that routine, especially when the fall semester starts. One thing I want to implement is learning to accept the things I cannot control. Since I like to plan every aspect of my life, when something is out of my control, I become stressed. Forget about a five year plan, I have an 100 year plan. This trait has its upsides and downsides, and I am looking for ways to cope with its downsides. Another thing I want to try is breathing exercises. I know that breathing exercises work for many people, so I want to try it also.

Chapter 10 First Impression

For this assignment, I watched Dan Gilbert’s Ted Talk, “The Surprising Science of Happiness.” He described how our psychological immune system allows us to be happy, even if the situation does not seem favorable. For example, he described how people that won the lottery and people that became paraplegic are equally as happy one year after the events. This was surprising to me. I had always thought that people’s happiness are mostly controlled by their situations. The presentation encourages me to have an optimistic outlook on life.

The speaker was Dan Gilbert. He is a Harvard psychologist and the author of “Stumbling on Happiness.” Gilbert is credible because he is a scholar at a top institution. The talk was also credible because of the research that supported his point.

Gilbert analyzed the lives of Jim Wright, Moreese Bickham, and Harry S. Langerman. Jim Wright was a powerful Democrat that ended up losing his money and support once a secret was leaked. Moreese Bickham was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Harry S. Langerman almost invested in McDonalds before it became famous, but missed out on gaining large sums of money. All of these men were happy with their situations. Bickham even described his experience in prison as “glorious.” It did not matter how unfortunate their situations were, they were able to generate their own happiness.

There was a study done which allowed participants to rank which Monet print they liked the best. Then, they were given the choice to keep one of the two middle rankings. After some time, the painting they chose was ranked higher, and the painting they chose against was ranked lower than before, when the participants did the test again. This shows how people become delighted with what they have, even if it did not seem favorable at the beginning.

Another study was done at Harvard during a photography class. There were two groups: one got to pick which one of two photos to keep, the other had no choice of which one to keep. After some time, the students that had no choice were more satisfied with their photo. People become content with what they have when not given a choice.

The message is reasonable because it is backed by data and is easily applicable to life. After watching the video, I realized that happiness is not determined by situations that happen in life. If people in terrible situations can be just as happy as those in great ones, I should not focus getting what I want, but instead make synthetic happiness. This can me done through acknowledging that you will be happy with either outcome, so you should not stress about the decision or situation. This will allow you go through life without worry.

Chapter 3 First Impression

Recently, I have been desiring to alter my sleep schedule, and hopefully this chapter will give me tips on how to do so. On the typical school night, I sleep from 12 to 6am, since I always have 8am classes. During the morning, I am energized and have minimal trouble paying attention. In the afternoon, I struggle to stay awake and am ready for my nap. I take a nap from around 3 to 5pm. This gives me enough energy to study, exercise, go to club meetings, or events in the evening. Although I get 8 hours of sleep total, I think that the breakdown of those hours are unhealthy. I am tired throughout the day, so I think that if I had all eight hours at once, I would be more energized.

When I saw this prompt, it reminded me of one image that has gone viral on social media. It says that you can only pick two of the following: good grades, a social life, or sleep. This predicament is something I have been navigating, and I am sure many other college students have been as well. I believe that it is possible for college students to get at least seven hours of sleep, but it may involve sacrifice to do so. A student may have to cut back on work hours, or limit how often they socialize in order to get sufficient sleep. In my case, I will not go to sleep until I am 100% confident that I am prepared for the next day of classes. After many late nights, I was urged to make a study schedule. Each day, I set aside two hours to be focused on my schoolwork. This new implementation has caused me to let go of a major commitment, but I do not regret it because I am now getting 6 hours of sleep throughout the night, and 2 hours during the day. Since I have prioritized by sleep, I am a happier person and have better grades. I would advise any student to make their sleep a priority.

Chapter 8 First Impression

Throughout middle school and high school, I have established several studying techniques that work for me. An essential one is that I take notes from the lecture, take notes from the book, then compile the information in to a master study guide. This is my first college course, so this is helping me to organize a large sum of material, that I did not have in high school. If the exam has much vocabulary, I utilize flash cards. These really help me because I have to produce the definition without context. If I can produce the definitions without context, it makes me more confident when I enter an exam. For processes like action potential and synapse, I like to draw out the steps. It takes away the complexity of understanding something abstract, since I have a visual guide. These methods have helped me throughout high school, but there are several things I need to improve on before I am a full time college student.

Sometimes I focus too much on specific information, I forget to analyze the big picture. This happened to be in my Anatomy and Physiology course last spring. Although I impressed my teacher with specific details and definitions, they were not necessary to understanding the process as a whole. Another studying flaw that I have is studying in the wrong environment. I have a busy schedule, so I like to spend time around my family, even if I am just simply studying in their presence. My brothers are 15 and 12, so this environment can get loud, and I would be better off studying in a quiet space like my bedroom. Relating to my busy schedule, many times I find myself studying at extreme hours of the night. Since I am extremely tired, I am not very productive in my studying. Because this course is online and mostly at your own pace, it has helped me combat this flaw. I need to learn to combat this flaw before my 8am biology lecture in the fall.

For the first exam, I compiled my notes from the lectures and the textbook to create a massive study guide. It was essential for me to include examples for different topics. For example, I put an example of a case study in my study guide so I can further understand what that research method is. I got ahead of schedule for the first exam so I could spend an entire day reading over my notes and going through my flashcards. One thing I. would change is that I studied in a loud environment. For the next exam, I will find a quieter space to focus on the material. I will definitely implement these strategies for the next exam.