ATA5

ATA4

Assignment 4 was interesting to look at the different types of love and what areas I scored higher or lower in. While I find this type of test fun to do I also believe that is so much about people’s relationships that are a mystery. I feel that there are some things that cannot be described in words or explained in ways that make sense to anyone else. My husband and I married very quickly (within 5 months of meeting) and have been married for a little over 15 years and we have always just worked. But I have known other couples who have had a similar experience and the relationship fell apart rather quickly. There is a part of any relationship that oftentimes has no explanation but some people are simply drawn to each other. I believe this can be true in all kinds of relationships not just romantic ones. I also believe that the results of the love style test would vary depending on your age and your experience with relationships. I am positive that at a different time in my life my answers would have been different because my expectations have changed.

ATA3

This assignment has brought to the forefront of my mind of a lot of racial issues going on in our country in the last several years and the chapter on heuristics and how our assumptions can be incorrect. A lot of times people of all different races tend to lump everyone from a different race into a certain mindset. But most of the time those assumptions would be incorrect. Not all people see things the way this comedian spouted his rude words. Sometimes, I feel like we all forgot that we can not assume that just because someone belongs to a certain group does not mean that they believe all the same things that that particular group says that stand for. I belong to a large Baptist church here locally but I guarantee that if you gathered 50 people from that church that their opinions on many things would vary. While the few core beliefs that we hold would be something we would believe in, it does not mean that we would agree on anything else that was brought up.

I believe that we all need to learn to listen to each other. But not just listen we all have to learn to communicate effectively the point we are trying to make. However, we all have to be willing to utilize both of those skills before anything can truly change. Compromise is not something that most people are very good at. We prefer to point the finger and yell they are wrong and we are right. But the truth is the only way forward with true change is for all parties involved to actively listen and communicate.

ATA2

Assignment 2 showed me how important it is to be self aware. Dealing with special needs children at home and at work if it often important that I am more aware of my own emotions and state of mind then for me to beware of theirs. What I mean by that is that when dealing with difficult behavior that these children often display I must be able to control my own emotions and actions. It is important for me to be aware of what I am capable of and my state of mind.

Some people may not understand how the assignment and this aspect of my thinking combine so I will try to connect the two a little better. The only way in my mind to be self aware enough to control yourself in high stress situations is to be as self aware as possible. It is important to know what personality trait is in the forefront in all the roles that you play and to realize that just because that trait may be at the forefront does not mean that the traits do not come to the front when put in a high stress situation. It takes time and great effort to be self aware and to be honest with yourself when you can/cannot handle something. For example, my oldest son who is now 13 and bigger than me has Fragile X Syndrome. He can go into meltdown mode quicker than you can snap your fingers. He does not often get there now but from the time he was 2 until he was 9 it was something that we frequently dealt with. I had to know where I was emotionally at all times because I had to know when I needed to ask my mom or my husband to step in because I was unable to control myself enough to effectively deal with the situation that arose. So in my mind any time that we can evaluate our inner thoughts, emotions, or traits it can give us valuable tools to deal with future situations.

ATA1

The first few assignments it has brought out how everyone handles things in different ways and how we all play multiple roles in life. Chapter two also showed me how while we can use prior experiences and information about certain groups can help us draw important conclusions but may also not always be true. 

Both of these concepts I believe most mothers can relate to these things. As mothers we all participate in wearing many hats at one time, nurse, cook, chauffeur, mom, maid, etc., while there are more examples this is the easiest one for me to relate to. As moms we also tend to do quick evaluations of others that we come across to check for the safety of the current situation that we are in and with our kids. For me, I love this role! I never thought I wanted to be a mom then once I became a mom, I knew there was no other role I truly wanted to perform. I love being all things to my family. But for someone looking into my situation may only see the craziness that makes up my life and think that it does not seem so amazing! But it is all about perspective and the way we choose to look at it. That is why I choose the below illustration.