Chapter 13
I didn't have to read very far into the chapter to find something of interest, conformity. Conformity refers to the tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure. In simpler form it is peer pressure, which is a more universal term. People tend to follow another's example because they do not want to be wrong by not following. An example of conformity is when you go out to eat at a restaurant, everyone in front of you orders water and even though you are craving lemonade you ask for a water as well.
I like to think of myself as a non-conformist, because I do not like to do what everyone else is doing so much that I will go out of of my way to be opposite as someone else. A close friend actually pointed this out to me, because her and myself are complete 180's. It is not as though I flip flop how I feel about something or change my opinion, I just choose to take the road less traveled. For example, when choosing a dress to wear last year for a Youth in Government assembly day, it was a color blocked dress. At this point color blocking was not yet 'in' and since the style has become popular I have not purchased another color blocked outfit. It is not because I do not like the style, I merely just outgrew it.
This weekend I was lucky enough to attend Youth in Government Model Assembly and both of my room mates knew of the elevator study. And so spending four days in a hotel gave us plenty of time to attempt and see the reactions of people in an elevator if we were to turn and face the back wall instead of the door. The first time we did it, we told a few of the guys to turn around with us as we were approaching another floor. The guests walked in, commented on our backs turned but stayed facing the front. Another time, a woman got on, commented on our backs turned, and faced the back wall with us. Both situations were quite humorous to us, and it was interesting to see the action and result first hand.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Post #30 Stress and Health
In analysis of myself, I feel as though I handle stress very well beyond an extent. By this I mean that, the more stress I have I can typically get more accomplished than if it is just a slightly nagging situation because it pushes me to relinquish this stress.
I handle stress differently depending upon the situation, however. If the situation involves school work, I will typically make lists of things I have to get done and then further go on to organize these into a time table of when I will work on each item. So, pertaining to school work organization is my stress reliever. If the stress is the source of a falling apart friendship or family disagreement, it is much harder to handle because it takes an emotional toll. To handle this sort of stress, I typically take on a more seniority role and become very formal in the way I talk to people, but at the same time trying to ignore the tension which occurs through contact with these sort of people.
To reduce stress and be healthier, I believe exercising and eating right is the answer for helping yourself feel better. It won't help the problem go away, but it will make you feel more whole and prepared to take on any challenge. Exercise has been proven to release hormones into your body, actually relieving your stress. And when you eat better, you begin to see a physical change in yourself, whether it be weight loss or just being more fit and toned. When you are pleased with your body image, it is one less stressor you need to worry about and you become a more enjoyable person to be around.
I handle stress differently depending upon the situation, however. If the situation involves school work, I will typically make lists of things I have to get done and then further go on to organize these into a time table of when I will work on each item. So, pertaining to school work organization is my stress reliever. If the stress is the source of a falling apart friendship or family disagreement, it is much harder to handle because it takes an emotional toll. To handle this sort of stress, I typically take on a more seniority role and become very formal in the way I talk to people, but at the same time trying to ignore the tension which occurs through contact with these sort of people.
To reduce stress and be healthier, I believe exercising and eating right is the answer for helping yourself feel better. It won't help the problem go away, but it will make you feel more whole and prepared to take on any challenge. Exercise has been proven to release hormones into your body, actually relieving your stress. And when you eat better, you begin to see a physical change in yourself, whether it be weight loss or just being more fit and toned. When you are pleased with your body image, it is one less stressor you need to worry about and you become a more enjoyable person to be around.
Post #29
Chapter 12
As finals approach for Shakopee students, as well as many other high schoolers, stress is an idea which is on everyone's mind whether we realize it or not. It dictates our lives and how we go about accomplishing tasks and our performance. Studying in preparation for a final exam can be considered the most stressful thing in a well applied student. To cope with stress, we may gain control of the situation in order to handle the situation. And this can be done in one of five ways: behavioral, cognitive, decisional, informational, and emotional. Behavioral and informational are the most applicable to schooling.
Behavioral control is the ability to step up and do something to reduce the impact of the situation. According to the text, students who are able to take advantage of this type of control are less likely to develop a drinking problem. This is because, when stressed people tend to outsource to alleviate the stress, in this study the outsource is alcohol. But also, if one were to take it from the test taking point of view, it can be made applicable to studying. By better preparing, studying, you are able to reduce the impact, worry or surprise, when taking the test. You will know the material from before hand so you will not stress as much over the material, because you already studied and know it.
Informational control is the ability to acquire information about a stressful event. The textbook gives the example of knowing what types of questions will be asked about on a test. In relation to this class, we take the online quizzes and the practice exams in preparation for a test. This way, the questions are formatted the exact same way and the information we need to know is directed towards us.
The two can be combined to create a prefect studying situation. By taking the initiative to study and knowing what to study, the test should be fairly easy and efficient.
As finals approach for Shakopee students, as well as many other high schoolers, stress is an idea which is on everyone's mind whether we realize it or not. It dictates our lives and how we go about accomplishing tasks and our performance. Studying in preparation for a final exam can be considered the most stressful thing in a well applied student. To cope with stress, we may gain control of the situation in order to handle the situation. And this can be done in one of five ways: behavioral, cognitive, decisional, informational, and emotional. Behavioral and informational are the most applicable to schooling.
Behavioral control is the ability to step up and do something to reduce the impact of the situation. According to the text, students who are able to take advantage of this type of control are less likely to develop a drinking problem. This is because, when stressed people tend to outsource to alleviate the stress, in this study the outsource is alcohol. But also, if one were to take it from the test taking point of view, it can be made applicable to studying. By better preparing, studying, you are able to reduce the impact, worry or surprise, when taking the test. You will know the material from before hand so you will not stress as much over the material, because you already studied and know it.
Informational control is the ability to acquire information about a stressful event. The textbook gives the example of knowing what types of questions will be asked about on a test. In relation to this class, we take the online quizzes and the practice exams in preparation for a test. This way, the questions are formatted the exact same way and the information we need to know is directed towards us.
The two can be combined to create a prefect studying situation. By taking the initiative to study and knowing what to study, the test should be fairly easy and efficient.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Post #28 Disorder Blog
A disorder I have not viewed in lecture just yet, is ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This disorder is diagnosed most typically in children and affects three to five percent of school age children. The symptoms include an inattentiveness and impulsivity. For those of us who do not have this disorder, we may look on it as being those hyper kids who cannot sit still during class. If undiagnosed as a child, in adulthood the symptoms are more restlessness rather than hyperactivity.
There is no direct cause of ADHD though heredity is the most common link. Along with ADHD most children will have at least one other developmental problem, and in some cases a psychiatric problem such as depression.
It appears as though more and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD in the past five years. My first realized encounter with someone with ADHD was in the sixth grade. I was assigned to take notes for a classmate because she could not stay focused long enough to do them herself. I didn't think much of it until she tried to run away from school in the middle of the day and carried around a pet rock, and then I started to connect the dots. Today, it does not seem as impactful to find out a friend has the disorder. You merely shrug it off and say you had no idea. And most times people do not have any idea, because it is possible to medicate the symptoms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u82nzTzL7To
There is no direct cause of ADHD though heredity is the most common link. Along with ADHD most children will have at least one other developmental problem, and in some cases a psychiatric problem such as depression.
It appears as though more and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD in the past five years. My first realized encounter with someone with ADHD was in the sixth grade. I was assigned to take notes for a classmate because she could not stay focused long enough to do them herself. I didn't think much of it until she tried to run away from school in the middle of the day and carried around a pet rock, and then I started to connect the dots. Today, it does not seem as impactful to find out a friend has the disorder. You merely shrug it off and say you had no idea. And most times people do not have any idea, because it is possible to medicate the symptoms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u82nzTzL7To
Post #27
Chapter 16 was without a doubt the most boring chapter in the entire text. And I can say that since I have read the entire book. It was if though the authors took information that could have and should have been compiled into a short section within a chapter, and stretched it out with fillers.Treatments for psychological problems could very well have been fit in with chapter 15 when it goes into detail about the different psychological disorders. But instead of continuing to rant about how poor and unnecessary this chapter was, I will instead go into group therapies which was only slightly interesting.
Group therapies are anonymous group meetings where individuals can enter into a safe environment with people who are struggling with the same issues as them, to talk and get help. Group therapies began in the 1920's and are quite popular due to the low cost, time-saving, and efficiency. Topics being addressed can range from alcoholism, drug addiction, sex addiction, or eating disorders. Based off of given research, those who attend fair no better than those who go with different treatment options, though no worse either.
I have two close friends, one of who belonged to a gamblers anonymous group as well as one who belonged to a drug addiction group. Both still go to meetings and struggle day to day, but know now that they have somebody to talk to who is going through the same miseries as they are.
Group therapies are anonymous group meetings where individuals can enter into a safe environment with people who are struggling with the same issues as them, to talk and get help. Group therapies began in the 1920's and are quite popular due to the low cost, time-saving, and efficiency. Topics being addressed can range from alcoholism, drug addiction, sex addiction, or eating disorders. Based off of given research, those who attend fair no better than those who go with different treatment options, though no worse either.
I have two close friends, one of who belonged to a gamblers anonymous group as well as one who belonged to a drug addiction group. Both still go to meetings and struggle day to day, but know now that they have somebody to talk to who is going through the same miseries as they are.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Post #26
Chapter 15, was actually full of information on the disorders, but it was hard to pick something specific enough to write about and relate to my own life.
In the beginning of the chapter, the authors give a brief history on how mental patients once were forced into psych wards and chained down in beds with little social contact. After a long period of time, Dorothea Dix changed the way the United States viewed these patients. She set up an approach called moral treatment, which advocated that mental illness patients be treated with dignity. In 1950 a new drug came about, chloropromazine, that revolutionized mental health. Many patients were sent on remission because it worked so well, providing more reason to shut down mental institutions. With these people back on the street, it was a toss up whether or not they would become integrated into American life, or would fall back off the medication at a loss of follow-up programs.
Media still portrays these mental institutions as prevalent. In the television show Revenge, the main actress' mother is seen in flashbacks as being strapped to a hospital bed and in some cases wearing a straight jacket. This is a poor display of reality because these methods are an exaggeration and would only be used in serious cases.
Also, I was recently going through my family's genealogy and found a birth certificate I never knew of. It was for a great uncle who showed to be the youngest in the family of my grandmother's family. When I asked my dad about him, he told me that when he was born he had certain mental disabilities and grandma never knew him. It is an unspoken secret on that side of the family. But he was sent to a hospital, and my father does not know whether he is still around or not. He may have been one of those people locked up in a room in a straight jacket, or he could have been saved by the miracle drug.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Post #25 Extra Credit #5
I recently posted about students taking the SAT or ACT and how well that reflects their intelligence, so reading and writing about this article seems to be a good follow up.
The article "Psychologists Debate the Meaning of Students Failing the SAT," is short but it gives a good idea to readers that there may be an actual problem with the test and the people taking it. The 2012 SAT scores showed fifty-seven percent of test takers did not meet standards which would make them successful in college. Scores were down among all demographics and groups, including socioeconomic status. And apparently a student's test scores do predict how well a student does in college as an incoming freshman. The article said that socioeconomic status was taken into account when calculating the decrease in scores. In the prediction of how well a student does in college, researchers take into account: GPA, SAT scores, and controlling both socioeconomic status, and parent's education, the results showed each thing has an impact on the college student's success.
Another thing I could relate to within the article, was the act of controlling certain factors within the study to prevent a bias or skewed results. I am taking AP Statistics and much of the same language I learned in that class. So it is interesting to see how well correlated the two classes are when it comes to the studies presented in psychology. I find I am noticing these things more often than not. In fact last chapter in Stats, Mr. Paulson (my teacher) referenced that what we would be taking about is something we talk about in CIS Psychology. And it turns out, this exact thing I am writing about, control groups and correlation, we spent a great deal talking about.
The article "Psychologists Debate the Meaning of Students Failing the SAT," is short but it gives a good idea to readers that there may be an actual problem with the test and the people taking it. The 2012 SAT scores showed fifty-seven percent of test takers did not meet standards which would make them successful in college. Scores were down among all demographics and groups, including socioeconomic status. And apparently a student's test scores do predict how well a student does in college as an incoming freshman. The article said that socioeconomic status was taken into account when calculating the decrease in scores. In the prediction of how well a student does in college, researchers take into account: GPA, SAT scores, and controlling both socioeconomic status, and parent's education, the results showed each thing has an impact on the college student's success.
Another thing I could relate to within the article, was the act of controlling certain factors within the study to prevent a bias or skewed results. I am taking AP Statistics and much of the same language I learned in that class. So it is interesting to see how well correlated the two classes are when it comes to the studies presented in psychology. I find I am noticing these things more often than not. In fact last chapter in Stats, Mr. Paulson (my teacher) referenced that what we would be taking about is something we talk about in CIS Psychology. And it turns out, this exact thing I am writing about, control groups and correlation, we spent a great deal talking about.
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