Quite a bit of time has passed since I wrote my first blog post for this class, and going back and reading the expectations and what I expected to take from this class is very interesting. I feel as though academically in this course, I have succeeded greatly. Some of my other psychology classes were a bit harder for me to grasp, so my grades weren’t the best all throughout the semester. At first, I found the course layout for this class to be a bit confusing but as time went on and I completed more assignments, I got the hang of it. This course has forced me to apply a lot of the different things I have learned to different parts of my life. For example, in this course, we have talked about attitudes and they affect our lives, our behaviors, and how they are formed so while I am at work I encounter a lot of different people that require me to assess their attitudes and how our encounter is going to go.

So far this semester, I feel as though I have learned/completed most if not all of the course objectives. Spending my time reading the chapters and completing the assignments has helped me understand and grasp the course objectives a bit better versus not completing the assigned work and the assigned readings. My initial course expectations were to be able to apply what I have learned to my daily interactions with people and I have been doing that at work, at home, and out in public places. Also, another expectation was for me to gain general knowledge about social psychology and I feel like I have learned a lot throughout the semester that I did not know before.

My attitude towards social psychology has not changed, if anything taking this course has widened what I originally thought social psychology was. The only thing that I would change if I ever take this course over would be the time I took this course. I would have preferred to take this course during the summer semester or during a past semester.

I chose to include this screenshot of my grades for this course because it shows how hard I have worked on all of my assignments and how far I have come from other psychology classes that I have struggled in. Some of the assignments in this course, I struggled with but I worked hard and ultimately succeeded.

Blog 9

This course has provided tons of in-depth information about several topics that have intrigued me during the duration of the semester. Some of those topics include love, the self, and prejudices/discrimination. The topics listed have been incorporated into different ePortfolio content, whether it was blogs, assignments, or assignment takeaways. Love and the different styles of love showed up in Assignment 4, the self was talked about in assignment 2, and prejudices/discrimination was featured in module 8 archive.

An example of “The Self” would apply differently in child psychology then it would in social psychology. In child psychology, children go through a phase where they only think about themselves in most times. They think the world revolves around them, but in social psychology “The Self” refers to a person trying to figure out who they are, what represents them, and how other people view them in society.

On assignment 4, the chosen topic was Love and Styles of Love so I wrote about how the different styles of love were applicable to my love life and my current relationship. This specific assignment also related back to another ePortfolio assignment, blog number 8, which included a bit more information on sexual conflict, how men upset women, and vice versa. I think the concepts overlap greatly due to the fact that the topics are very similar and they build on one another. The assignment 4 talks about the different styles of love and blog 8 talks about how relationships differ due to sexual conflict and just conflict period.

I chose to include a screenshot of all of the tabs I had open for this blog post. Going back and reviewing the past assignments, blog posts, module archives, and the textbook were a part of my process to find what concepts I was going to include in this post. There was so many different topics that I could have chosen from so part of my organizational “process” was to essentially open up all assignments and modules to review.

Blog 8

The article about mating was definitely interesting to read. Some of the information in the article is new to me and other information is common sense, especially being in a long-term relationship. Sexual conflict is a real concept in and out of relationships. This article really made me think about how sexual conflict affects me and my relationship and how I upset my boyfriend and vice versa.

Men upset women in so many ways and sometimes they may not even realize what they are doing. I know multiple women can relate to this example. Men catcall women when we are just minding our business and when we express that we are not interested, they get upset and call us out of our names along with other things. A few examples would be when men ignore us, pretend to understand what we’re saying, lie for no reason, and uphold double standards.

As much as some women deny any wrongdoing to men, women do things to upset men just as much as men upset women. Women tend to overthink/overanalyze everything which can lead to issues within a relationship. Also, some other things women do to upset men include expecting too much too soon, not saying what they mean, being dramatic all the time, and lying.

I chose this photo because it encompasses the concept of men and women upsetting each other. Some people think that it’s either one or the other upsetting their partner, but most likely men and women upset each other more often than most would like to believe. Men and women like to place blame on each other when it’s both causing certain issues.

Blog 7

In the video, Linda Ferguson talked about regulating our emotions, controlling them, and choosing what we want to do about them. Emotions and the way we think are connected in more ways than previously thought. Self-regulation and emotional intelligence have an interconnected relationship due to the fact that one could improve their emotional intelligence through self-regulation and vice versa.

Emotional intelligence to me is being able to control and think about how I am feeling during a situation. I have a hard time controlling my emotions sometimes and they just spew out in the moment and it’s hard to control feelings in the middle of a heated conversation. My EQ could definitely use some improving because controlling my emotions is something that I have struggled with for most of my teenage years. Emotions are such big feelings and learning how to control, perceive, and regulate them would bring so much calmness to my well-being and self-regulation.

I included this screenshot of my results from an emotional intelligence quiz to further my point on having to make some improvements. Emotions are big things to deal with, so learning that I have a low emotional intelligence lets me know that I have some things to work on.

Blog 6

This Ted Talk revealed a lot of information that women and teenagers need as they are growing up and heading out into the world. A lot of the information that Jean talked about was very accurate and eye-opening. While I was watching, some of the ads that she displayed really caught me off guard because of the vulgarity and lack of trying to hide what is really trying to be portrayed. Advertisers know exactly what they are doing when they run ads that may cause women to be ashamed of their bodies or feel the need to constantly modify themselves to fit with society’s standards.

Before this presentation, I have noticed how ads distort, stereotype, and dehumanize women and manipulate people into buying their products. Sometimes I would find myself wanting to buy certain things due to the great advertising, but then I realize that’s what they want me to do. Most products that are being advertised create a sense of false hope in most women because they think a product will make them look a certain way, when it is most likely editing and photoshop. Advertisements that contain women, find some way to degrade and dehumanize them to the point where women think that they aren’t good enough.

Jean Kilbourne not only talked about the way ads portray women, she talked about the way ads want men to sexualize women and how different men ads are versus women ads. This Ted talk is calling for action against the constant sexualization and distortion in advertisement period, regardless of it is for men or women.

The images that I collected for this blog illustrate some of the things that Kilbourne talked about in her Ted Talk. For example, she talked about how women’s bodies are constantly used to market certain products. Also, advertisements are made to make women in the world feel as though their bodies aren’t good enough for society.

Blog 5

Picture A is of a famous athlete, LeBron James, in one of his Powerade commercial advertisements. Picture A represents a credible source because Powerade is considered a sports drink and LeBron James is one of the most known athletes in the world. Powerade is catering towards people who play sports and are looking for a drink after vigorous exercise. Displaying LeBron James as the face of this Powerade Zero drink makes people want to buy it. As an athlete, people expect him to know what kind of sports drinks that he prefers, so he should have some level of expertise on what he is looking for in a sports drink as an athlete. Most people will think that if he drinks it, then I should drink the same drink as LeBron James.

Picture B is an advertisement that doctors are encouraging the smoking of cigarettes, Camels to be specific, versus any other brand of cigarettes. Picture B represents a not credible source because for one the person in the ad is more than likely a hired actor versus a real doctor. Also, more often than not, doctors highly recommend their patients to NOT smoke cigarettes of any kind due to the health issues that can result from smoking. Camel ran this ad so people would believe that doctors are smoking Camels, you should be too. They are trying to make money for their company so they had to run an advertisement that would get people to buy their brand specifically.

Picture C is a very creative billboard by Tylenol that sums up what a headache feels like and how relief can be achieved. This billboard is considered an attractive source because it catches the attention of people based on its appearance. I think this billboard is very effective at getting Tylenol’s point across as well as catching the attention of any people walking or driving by.

Blog 4

I was very happy with my test results for Exam 1. I studied very hard and thoroughly to ensure that I got a good grade, and in the end, I definitely got a good grade. While reviewing the question that I missed, I realized that I got that question wrong due to misunderstanding and misreading the question. After I read the question again, I realized the correct answer.

I started my test review early because I knew some of the concepts were challenging to me. I kept a schedule on what chapters I would read and when I would start reading them. Keeping a schedule helped me out tremendously with studying certain concepts and properly spacing out my studying in time for the exam.

I chose to include this image of my schedule for this course to show how I organize all of my assignments and readings. Organizing my readings helps me stay on track during the modules while also simultaneously study for the upcoming exams.

Blog 3

Music plays a big part in many peoples’ lives. It helps people relax, cope with stress, and even focus better. Music is something that can bring people together whether it’s in a friendship or a relationship. Music and relationships do have some correlation but they aren’t exclusively connected. Sharing music taste with your partner is an added bonus to the relationship. If two people share the same music taste then that is something they have in common with one another along with other similar values, ideas, and personalities.

My boyfriend and I do not have similar music tastes. He prefers to listen to more rap music, and I prefer to listen to more R&B and pop music. I listen to rap music sometimes throughout the day but most of my music library consists of R&B songs from various years and artists. Also, my best friend and I have semi-similar music taste. We listen to most of the same people, give or take, but she may like one of their songs and I don’t and vice versa. Between my boyfriend and my best friend, I believe that we do share most of the same values and ideals with some differences here and there.

I chose these specific songs for these categories because every time I listen to these songs I think of the people I listed, a memorable moment, or myself. I could have chosen many different songs for each of the categories but the songs I chose fit better than others.

Blog 2

On the General Self-Efficacy Scale, I scored a 29. I didn’t bother taking it again because I answered all of the questions accurately and to the best of my ability. My score is the average score that most people get (29/2.9) but this may be because overall I have a mixed sense of confidence. Sometimes I have a great attitude towards things but other times I just feel overwhelmed and incapable.

I believe that I am an above average student. I have always done very well in school ever since kindergarten if you’d count that. Every school year, I always made the Honor Roll. Honor Roll is essentially an academic pat on the back for getting good grades throughout the whole quarter, and I never missed one ceremony. My parents’ expected me to get good grades all the time, so it just became a constant goal to continue to make them proud all throughout high school and now college. As of right now, my current level of confidence as a student is somewhat still the same as it has always been. Some days I feel less capable and other days I feel more than capable to complete work, study, and take notes for 4+ classes. Raising my GPA, continue getting on the Dean’s List, and getting accepted into nursing school will definitely increase my confidence levels as a student.

	Not at all true	Hardly True	Moderately True	Exactly True
I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough				x
If someone opposes me, I can find the means and ways to get what I want.			x
It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish my goals.				x
I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events			x
Thanks to my resourcefulness, I know how to handle unforeseen situations.		x
I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort			x
I can remain calm when facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping abilities.		x
When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions.		x
If I am in trouble, I can usually think of a solution			x
I can usually handle whatever comes my way.			x

I chose to create this table so that it mimics the original assessment as closely as possible so it would be just as easy to understand and interpret. Also, taking the time to create this table makes me feel like I put in a lot of work to demonstrate my capabilities.

Blog 1

The course objectives listed in the syllabus are meant to give me and other students a breakdown of what we should overall take from the course. While re-reading them, I understand how they can help me in the future in various ways. One of the course objectives describes being able to explain attitudes and how they are formed and changed. That objective alone will help me in the future because attitudes are a big part of human beings and how it relates to their behavior.

I expect to get a lot out of this course. The set up is different from my other classes, but overall it seems like a unique way to connect what I’m learning to build my own website. At the end of the semester, I expect to be able to take what I have learned and be able to apply it to my career and even my daily interactions with people. I am hoping to gain general knowledge about social psychology that allows me to dive deeper into relationships, attitudes, and prejudices. I plan to implement a strict schedule to complete assignments on time while also taking notes for the chapters and implementing a study schedule.

Social Wheels Turning

I chose this picture because I believe that it embodies the complexity of the human brain and the need for them to be social beings. The arrows are shown going back and forth between each person because human beings show reciprocity and knowledge going back and forth.