- Module 10 Archive- Social norms: This was my favorite activity because it allowed me to violate social norms. One of the social norms that I violated was in regard to appearance. I decided to wear a big cowboy hat on my head and an old Rudolph the red nose reindeer nose on top of my nose out in a public disc golf park with my boyfriend and his friends. I had gotten a lot of funny lots and even some laughs. It felt really weird to be dressed like that and I probably would not do it again, but this just goes to show that social norms are very powerful. It is so easy to say that you wouldn’t conform to certain things, however, it seems almost like an automatic and learned behavior. This truly goes to show how much conscious effort it requires to break a social norm, since they are so embedded in our society and behaviors.
- Module 8 Archive- Stereotypes: This activity opened my mind regarding stereotypes. I have never considered that these stereotypes may have evolved over the years. Before doing this assignment, I previously thought that all of the general stereotypes of individuals remained the same. Thankfully, I was proven wrong! One of the stereotypes that changed over time was the stereotype regarding Blacks, and how the stereotype went from superstitious/lazy to superstitious/musical. I attribute this change in stereotype to the possible contributions made to music during the time period of which the stereotype was changed. Even though stereotypes are not the most accurate of representations of entire groups of people, individuals still consciously or unconsciously judge people based off of their previous encounters of individuals of the same group. Overall, I found it interesting and insightful to discover that the more as time goes on, the more we learn about individuals and change our perceptions on certain things.
- Module 7 Archive- Attitudes and Behaviors: This activity was very interesting and immediately applied what I read in the textbook to real life, more specifically, myself. Upon completing both surveys, I noticed that I agreed with all of the statements in the Attitude survey, however, when I completed the behavior survey, I noticed that I did not act on all of the things I initially agreed with. This caused me to feel very uncomfortable and almost instantly look for excuses as to why I couldn’t or haven’t performed the behavior. I believe we often feel a need to restore balance between attitude and behavior in order to feel better about ourselves. In addition to the previous statement, we also strive for that balance because we have this inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony.
4. Module 11 Archive- Prosocial Behavior: This activity was fantastic and was true to the information regarding prosocial behavior in the textbook. It was almost surprising to discover that happiness and selfishness do not go well with each other. Before completing the assignment, I initially thought that selfish people were happier because they would be getting what they want and when they want it, however, once I recalled the information from the readings things began to click. People that help others are more likely to be happier because when you give to others that gives you more satisfaction. Helping others can help give us a sense of purpose, help us to feel needed or appreciated, etc. In addition, engaging in prosocial behavior also allows us to connect with others, improve our own status, and even improve our moods. I personally enjoy helping others because of the happiness I obtain from doing so. Also, I have noticed that the feeling of happiness is more long lasting when I give to other people rather than when I am treating myself.
5. Module 12 Archive- Aggression:
This assignment required for me to determine which statements I found to be aggressive. The statements that I found to be most aggressive were the ones that were openly physical in description such as “A man viciously kicks a cat”. However, upon completion of the assignment I noticed that aggression comes in many forms. Overall, I perceive an individual committing a harmful act on someone or something else to be the best representation of aggression. However, it was interesting to realize that aggression could be involved in many different scenarios such as self defense and instinctual behavior. It is also fascinating how aggression can be portrayed in a variety of ways that are not always obvious upon first glance. For example, when an individual is plotting the murder of someone, because we cannot read peoples’ minds, it would be difficult for us to be aware of such a thing, unless behavioral cues gave us a clue. Similarly to what was previously stated, one reason as to why I may not have perceived certain statements as aggressive is because of the involvement of an individual’s perception of intent which cause people to perceive aggression differently.
