Blog 10

After reviewing my first blog entry, my expectations for the class were to learn more about how the world around us effects our behavior, how we effect the world around us, prejudice, and how to be a better student overall. Looking back at my expectations I do believe I have achieved them. I was surprised about how much activities were centered around the self and various factor that influence the self. My attitude about social psychology has not really changed. I enjoyed learning about social psychology before this class and still do now. If I were take the class again I would try to stay more organized. My classes for the semester have been very writing heavy and keeping track of all the assignments for my classes was kind of a struggle for me. I did start to take more organized notes since starting this class. Instead of jotting down key terms, I’ve been trying to keep to the Cornell note method and so far it has helped keeping my notes more visually organized. One skill I have learned since taking this class that I can use in my professional life is being able to relate material to another concept. This class has had us relate concepts from the text to real life or to other classes. I think that skill is useful because it’s important to pull concepts from various methods and theory in order to come up with solutions.

Blog 9

The top three things I learned in this course is how we view ourselves, the effects of prejudice on groups of people, and our response to the world around us. I found the topic of introspection and analyzing the self very informative. Assignment two had us choose pictures that represented who we are. After doing that assignment I had noticed I chose pictures where I looked happy. Thinking about why I chose those pictures helped me realize who I try to portray myself to be and who I want to be. The same with blog two and four. Analyzing our work ethic and how we study helped me learn about areas that I’m strong in and what I need to work on and focus on more, especially with studying. As far as prejudice and how we view the world around us, I think assignment one, blog six, and blog five really helped with understanding the material and relating it to the world around us. Assignment one discussed heuristics and had us define each type and give examples for each. Prior to this class I had not talked about the different types of heuristics before. When working on blog five and six I kept thinking about what kind of heuristics applied and how it plays into prejudice. Advertisements and the media’s portrayal of various groups, either racial, genders, etc, plays a large in heuristics and prejudice. Certain prejudices can still be portrayed in these advertisements and media. An example would be how women are portrayed in the media. The media sexualizes women still and portrays them in vulnerable poses and situations and in some cases objectifies women. This can cause society to be desensitized to these images and when people think of a woman they think of those ads and pictures. In my family and society class we talked a lot about the woman’s role in marriage and family. Even today, with woman potentially being the money maker of the family they still subconsciously compensate in order to fit the typical gender stereotype of a “woman’s role”. This can be partly due to society’s portrayal of women and what comes to mind when we think of women.

Blog 8

The sexual conflict article breaks up sexual conflict into three sections and discusses the differences between men and women. DeWall brings up the idea that sexual conflict is predisposed in our genes. Our evolutionary process triggers different responses to intimacy and sexual conflict. The three stages are before sex, during a relationship, and after a breakup. He briefly goes over the differences between men and women and then proposes the idea to think of situations that have upset us or when we have upset others. Overall, I think the article was interesting. I especially agree that dealing with sexual conflict is a “when” not an “if”. I was shocked at the statistics given for the prior to consummation section and how often men and women feign emotional/sexual interest to gain the others attention. I have definitely been guilty of feigning sexual interest, especially when I was younger, thinking that is how I was supposed to attract a boyfriend. I was also able to relate to being stalked by a man after a break up. It was scary at the time and scary, even now, reading that it is quite common in some form or another. I think some ways men upset women is when they entertain other women even though they are in a relationship and lying about infidelity. I’ve had boyfriends who would flirt with other women in front of me, to the point I felt like I was the third wheel, and my last relationship ended because he would constantly lie to me about cheating on me even though I knew he was. Some ways women can upset men is being clingy or jealous. I know some men who have female friends and their significant other gets so jealous to the point of asking them to end their friendships. I’ve been guilty of being overly jealous at times and try to remind myself to reel it in.

Blog 7

Self regulation is the ability to control ones emotions, thoughts, and actions. Emotional intelligence is knowing how our thoughts, actions, and behaviors can effect others as well as how others can effect us in the same way and how we handle that. The described how self regulation plays a role in emotional intelligence as well as gave advice on how to regulate your emotions. Self regulation is important to emotional intelligence because being able to slow down and process your own feelings can effect how you act out towards another person. The video gave examples of breathing exercises in order to help self regulation. I have heard of this as well as other grounding techniques before. I deal with anxiety and using grounding techniques really help with slowing down any chaotic thoughts to a more calm state of being. Personally I start with a breathing exercise, just like in the video, then I concentrate on something I can hear, see, and touch. I think grounding exercises are great for self regulation. When it comes to emotional intelligence I believe I have a decent grasp. I tend to think before I say anything as well as think if my words could be misinterpreted due to context or emotions. One example is whenever I get into an argument with someone, if I feel like I’m too upset, I will let the other person to excuse me for a moment. Once I get a grasp on my feelings, and why I’m feeling that way, I’ll go talk with them and try to relay my own feelings without invalidating theirs. One way I could improve my emotional intelligence is with strangers. I’m more aware of how my actions effect people I know more than strangers. So it is more common for me to have that “knee jerk reaction” with strangers on the road or in a shop than with my friends or family.

Blog 6

Overall this Ted Talk was pretty surprising. I have talked about the  sexualization of women in ads with previous classes but this video was  shocking because of the ads they showed. The speaker showed examples of older ads and then showed newer ads. The newer ads were far more  sexualized than  the older ads. 

This ad is shown in the video. The ad points out various flaws about  womens breast in order to sell their hair styling products. This ad is  relevant to the speakers point because she compares it to another picture of a man in an ad. While men are also sexualized in ads, it is not done in the  way that woman are targeted. Woman are pointed out their flaws and  insecurities while men are portrayed as strong in powerful stances. The  Picture below also shows that kind of dynamic between men and women.  The suit company advertises a man in a suit while they objectify a woman right next to him.  

The speaker also pointed out that ads are targeting children more and  more. She talks about how babies can recognize ads and companies are  marketing to younger and younger children. The picture below shows both a male and female child being sexualized in an ad. I think this point was the most shocking to me. Some of the other pictures she showed were even  more shocking and had children in bikinis. 

I believe this picture below is the perfect example of ads objectifying and dehumanizing women. The woman below is naked and is used as a prop to show off their products. Her only purpose is to bring in sex appeal and being used a prop. Her face is masked which also relates to other images she showed of ads only using certain body parts to show off their product.  

Blog 5

For the reliable advertisement I chose one from the CDC. The AD is simple  and suggests that opioids are harmful. The goal of the AD is to learn about  opioids and their addictive properties from the CDC website itself. The AD  illustrates perceived credibility because there is no financial gain from the  source itself. They are not asking to buy a product or information, they are  just trying to spread awareness of the harms of prescription opioids. The  CDC itself is a credible source for medical and prevention information.

For the not credible advertisement I chose an AD for Proactive. Proactive is a skincare company. While there is nothing wrong with skincare or the  company itself, the advertisement shows Katy Perry and implies the secret  to her clear skin is proactive. Factors that contribute to it being perceived as not credible is that many celebrities are paid to be the face of their  company and advertisements. They are paid to promote their products even though they most likely do not even use the product. Katy Perry has the  money to get professional treatments and skincare. I highly doubt she uses an everyday product marketed as affordable to the masses.

I chose an Adore Me advertisement for the attractive AD. Adore Me is a  women’s underwear company that markets itself as an inclusive brand with models and sizes of all types. This AD specifically portrays four woman of  various sizes. The background is beautiful and their underwear is a  matching red. I found this AD effective because it portrays attractiveness in different types of women. It promotes the idea that any woman can look  beautiful and attractive in their clothing. 

Blog 4

After taking exam 1 and reviewing my answers, I have a better idea of how to prepare for the next exam. I took notes as I went through the modules and the chapters but they were not very detailed notes. When it came time for exam 1 I looked over the review sheet and studied the topics in the chapters. I didn’t give myself the recommended week to study. For the next exam I do plan on utilizing the review sheet more effectively. I also think giving myself more time for note taking and getting more organized with my notes will help me with studying.

I chose this image because I always hating having to take Cornell notes in high school. I think after reflecting and taking a look at my notes for exam 1 I think using the Cornell method could really help me. My notes were all over the place and kind of hard to follow when reviewing for the exam.

Blog 3

I have definitely seen similarities in music taste in my friends and family. I see more similarities with my friends rather than my family. I remember bonding with coworkers over similar music tastes and we would also go to concerts together to see some of our favorite bands. I never really thought music and values had a connection but looking at my relationships now I do see the connection. A song I associate with my boyfriend is “Wonderwall” by Oasis. He would always play this song when we went out on dates and we would sing and dance to it. Whenever I think of my friends I always think of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! at the Disco. My friends and I were obsessed with that song in high school and we would always play it in the car whenever we were going somewhere together. I associate “Enjoy the Silence” with my brother. I remember when I was little I used to love watching my brother play video games on the xbox. Whenever we would hang out in the game room together we had that song on repeat. We still listen to it whenever we play games together. For my mom I associate “Moscas en la Casa” by Shakira. She would always play Shakira in the car and we would sing along together whenever this song came up. I associate “A Star Crossed Wasteland” by In This Moment with my sister. I remember one weekend we were talking about the band and listening to this song. We had wanted to see them in concert but the next day we found out they were actually in town for a free concert because they were just passing through and we had just missed them. We were so upset over it but now we just laugh about it. Finally, I associate “Here I go Again” by Whitesnake with my uncle. A long time ago he had his own band and for my tenth birthday he surprised me by playing this song for me, which was my favorite song at the time.

Blog 2

I believe I am a hard working student. I always try my best. I always try to schedule out time in order to complete tasks on time. I may not always understand material but when I set goals I do my best to achieve them. I believe I am confident in my capability to achieve my academic goals. I know I can do well if I apply myself and I know my resources to help me reach my goals. I think one factor that would me increase my confidence is overcoming my anxiety. Every time I take a test I get nervous that I may not have studied enough. I always look at things I could have done better and that can take a toll mentally. I think what contributes to that anxiety is my lack of organization. I am a terrible note taker and have a hard time keeping my schedule on a calendar. I think if I was more organized I would be more confident in my capabilities.

My self efficacy results came out higher than I expected, with a 34/40. A lot of the questions centered around the idea of overcoming challenges and accomplishing goals. I do believe if I set my mind to something I can accomplish my goal. Overcoming challenges is just a part of life. There will always be some hurdle to cross or unexpected changes. I try my best to not let those get in the way of my goals. I believe this drive started in high school. I got my associates degree before my high school degree. That in itself came with a lot of challenges academically. That experience helped me learn that I can do anything I set my mind to. That kind of thinking helped me get through navy schools and training, various types of certifications, and even helped propel me to a new career. Nothing comes easy and every step of the way I had my doubts in my own capabilities but I never let that stop me.

Blog 1

After looking over the course objects I think understanding what effects social interactions and forming relationships is helpful for me because I work one on one with children and their families. It is important to build a strong professional relationship with clients and their family because it builds trust and improves the overall therapeutic environment. Understanding those factors will help me be more aware of how I present myself as well as how my actions hinder or help the relationships I make.

I hope learn more about how prejudices and discriminations are formed. I think it is an important topic to understand, especially today. Coming from a family of immigrants I have seen how prejudices can effect people on a daily basis. I’ve always believed knowledge and understanding to be key in fighting certain prejudices and we can use it to help better ourselves and those around us.

Strategies I intend to implement to help me succeed in this course is being more organized. I am putting together a physical calendar with due dates for my assignments in this course as well as my other classes. I hope to be able to manage my time more efficiently this semester as well.

I chose this image to illustrate anchoring and adjustment heuristic. I’m very guilty of buying things on “sale” simply because it is a “good deal”. I do hope to be more careful of this in the future and look more into what I’m buying. Numbers aren’t always facts and have been used before, especially in statistics, to manipulate a target audience.