Blog 10

Looking back, this course has provided me with loads of valuable information. I have learned about how people develop prejudices and discriminatory attitudes and beliefs, how close relationships are formed, how people view themselves, and how they want others to perceive them as, and much more. I believe some of my favorite modules had to do with the self and how we change our behavior in certain situations because we want people to see us a a certain way. This was particularly interesting for me as I am a person who always wants to make everyone else happy. I know this is impossible, but I still often change my actions to try and make others happy. Learning about this allowed me to reflect on this and notice that I need to try and focus on making myself and the people I am close with happy and being the best me I can be, instead of just trying to please everyone else. I really enjoyed this course content, and if I have one thing I wish I could have done differently it would be to devote more time to delve into the content more. I covered the information required in the course and completed all my assignments, but I wish I had more time this semester to spend extra time on this course because all the topics were a lot of fun to cover. I will definitely be keeping the textbook and referring back to it often. Which is why I chose a picture of the cover of the book as my representative image, as it is one of the first textbooks I have used that has been really enjoyable to read.

Blog 9

I want to start this blog by saying I have enjoyed this course and its format throughout the semester. I have never been in a class that involved developing a website such as our e-portfolios and I really enjoyed getting the chance to try something new and develop an awesome summary of everything I have learned in this course. For my representative image, I chose a screenshot of my e-portfolio as I believe it has been a great tool to sum up my semester in this class.

The first concept on my top three things learned this semester is heuristics. I have taken a few psychology courses before, mostly developmental and child psychology courses, however I had never had this concept discussed before. I found the section on heuristics interesting as I think it is very intriguing to understand why people make the rapid decisions they do. I also enjoyed the sections on the self. I self-reflect a lot and I enjoyed learning about the self and our perception of ourselves compared to how others see us. I also enjoyed learning about the benefits of nonconformity and how it is important to maintain individuality.

The topic of prejudice came into play in both Blog 6 in which I discussed advertisements that stereotyped and sexualized women and in Assignment 3 Takeaway in which I discussed my reactions to Michael Richards’ racial tirade. The difference between the two was that in the ads the stereotyping was done intentionally, to serve as a punchline, whereas in Richards’ situation I believe that his racial rant was provoked by unruly audience members and was ultimately a very inappropriate mistake.

One concept that I saw cross over into another course was persuasion. Before I switched my major to Human Services I was a Public Relations and Marketing major. In that class, we discussed the aspects of persuasion in the context to use these aspects to our advantage in trying to sell things to people. However, in this class persuasion was discussed as more of a trap, and it was discussed how to point out when an advertisement is trying to make you think a certain way. It was explained how to recognize and avoid falling into the trap of persuasion techniques rather than explaining how to use them to persuade. I found this an interesting connection between two very different courses.

Blog 8

https://www.facebook.com/Rockinhmarketing/photos/a.909325705830166/140972047912401

This was a very interesting article explaining some of the causes of conflict between partners in a relationship. I definitely agree with the point on jealousy that there can be worry about your partner’s fidelity. Putting all your trust in someone can be very intimidating and stressful at first, but if the relationship lasts and that person keeps your trust it is amazing to know you have someone you can have complete faith in.

I believe one of the biggest things that causes conflict between men and women is miscommunication. I know many women want to talk problems out, find a fix for them calmly. While men can be more intense when there is a disagreement and want to shout and yell, or retreat and be alone to cool off before discussing the issue. I know personally, I like to try to resolve issues immediately, as unresolved conflicts tend to cause me more stress.

One simple thing that I know my dad does that irritates my mom and my boyfriend does that irritates me, is when we are getting ready to leave for a trip. Both my dad and my boyfriend find some unrelated project that for some reason has to be done before we leave. While my mom and I are the ones packing and getting everything ready to go. My dad is worse about this than my boyfriend as my boyfriend’s projects are usually related to the trip in some way, just not things I would think are extremely important to get done. This is just one simple thing that I can think of that causes conflict between men and women. Because often my boyfriend and I are packing to leave for a rodeo, my image above represents that idea.

Blog 7

Emotional intelligence allows us to be aware of our emotions and be able to appropriately control them in various situations. It also involves being able to think positively bout yourself and your abilities in difficult situations. It closely ties in with self-regulation as if one has a high EQ (emotional intelligence) then they are more in touch with their emotions and can better control their actions and emotions. To me, emotional intelligence means being able to control your emotions and remain calm and in a state to think at all times even in difficult and highly stressful situations. I believe one of the biggest tests of one’s emotional intelligence is driving, especially in heavy traffic. It is very difficult to remain calm when someone cuts you off, or will not let you merge. This is especially true if another driver does something that could endanger you. It takes a strong person to not get worked up and remain calm and focused on maintaining your own safe driving. I know I struggle with getting upset when people cut me off or tailgate me especially when I am driving my horse trailer as the reckless driver is putting me and my horses at risk.

I believe horses have taught me a great deal about self-regulation. Because they are prey animals, they can sense their rider’s fear, stress, etc. which makes them fearful, stressed, and nervous as well. I have learned to control my emotions and remain calm while I am riding and I believe that has transferred over to other areas of my life. I will admit however, driving in traffic is still an area where my emotional intelligence could improve.

Blog 6

Prior to this video, I had noticed that women are often sexualized in ads. In many makeup and beauty ads, such as the Maybelline ad I chose to include in my selection of ads above, an example of “perfect” beauty is portrayed. This gives women the idea that in order to be perceived as beautiful, they must use products that cover up their natural appearance. This was one of the ideas conveyed in the video. Another ad I chose to include involves Katy Perry holding two bags of Pop Chips in front of her breasts with the saying “There’s nothing fake about ‘em.” This ad infers that many women have fake breasts, which for some is a choice they make, but for others who have had to have their real breasts removed due to illness such as breast cancer this is a highly demeaning message. Two of my other ad selections, from Burger King and Carl’s Jrs, sexualize women and have slogans with sexual undertones designed to sell their products. This is dehumanizing to women as they are being portrayed as sexual items. The last ad I chose is different from the others. It is part of Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign. I included it because it breaks the trend of ads that dehumanize or stereotype women. This ad campaign promotes women to show their real beauty and includes models whose pictures have not been retouched. This ad campaign was designed to set Dove apart from other beauty companies and show they support women and their real beauty.

Blog 5

Picture A is an advertisement for Sensodyne toothpaste. On the ad it contains a testimonial from a dentist, Dr. Gauri Mohile saying she recommends patients to use Sensodyne toothpaste. This ad provides an example of a credible source because a dentist is supposed to be an expert in their field, therefore if a dentist is recommending a specific toothpaste then people are more likely to view the recommendation as credible. In general, people trust dentists’ opinion when it comes to their toothpastes, which is why many toothpaste ads such as this one incorporate real dentists in their advertisements.

Picture B is a political campaign ad from the 2012 presidential election between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. It depicts a quote from a newspaper about Romney’s bad economic record with the tagline, “It didn’t work then.” This is supposed to elude to the fact that Romney’s history does not set him up to be a good candidate for president. This is an example of a non-credible source as the ad is sponsored by Barack Obama, who was competing against Romney for the presidency. Therefore, Obama had a personal stake in the race and this could be perceived as an non-credible claim.

Picture C is a ad for Diet Coke depicting Taylor Swift pouring herself a class of Diet Coke. This is an example of an attractive source as Taylor Swift is a very famous celebrity and if her fans see she is drinking Diet Coke then they are more likely to follow her example. I believe using Taylor Swift as a model is especially effective for companies as many of her fans are teens, who are easily persuaded and tend to greatly look up to their favorite celebrities. Attractive sources are usually effective as people look up to their favorite celebrities and want to be like them. Therefore if they see one of their favorite celebrities using a product, they will use it too to be more like the celebrity.

 

Blog 4

For this first test, I was overall happy with my grade. I only missed 5 questions which I did not think was too bad considering I did not put as much time into studying as I would have liked to. I did go back and review my incorrect answers after the test to clarify and ensure I knew the material I found myself extremely busy at work the week before the test and did not put my usual amount of study time in. I reviewed the review sheet and textbook briefly, but next time I want to spend more time on it and try to space my review out more instead of only having one day of review. The picture I included with this blog depicts the textbook with the course schedule. For this next test, I am going to schedule my review better to ensure I give the time to studying that I give to my regular coursework, as I know it is just as if not more important. Hopefully this plan will work and I can improve my grade on the next test. I am truly enjoying the coursework and the material and am ready to tackle the rest of the semester.

Blog 3

I definitely think there is a connection between music preferences and relationships. Most of my friends, both growing up and currently always had similar music tastes to me and we also shared many of the same values. I definitely notice this with my boyfriend, Ryan. We have very similar tastes in music, which serves us well especially on long car trips! I remember when we first started dating he played a song in the truck that most people I know hated, but it was a song I really liked. He said it was one of his favorites too. Maybe it was a good omen as we have now been together for almost 3 years. We mostly enjoy country and classic rock music, but we listen to a wide variety of different genres. We also share many of the same values and ideals. I have also noticed that my relationship is closer with my sister who shares similar music taste with me than with my other sister whose choice in music clashes with mine most of the time. This could also be due to a difference in other interests and hobbies, but I still thought it was interesting to note.

My Soundtrack:

Significant Other: Millionaire- Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton is Ryan and I’s favorite singer next month we are going to see him in concert for the second time. This is one of his newer songs and it is one of my favorites. It talks about how love is greater than gold, and if you have enough love you are a millionaire. This is true in my relationship with my boyfriend as although we are not the richest money wise, we are definitely rich in love.

My hometown: Small Town USA- Justin Moore

Being a military kid, we moved around a lot when I was younger. So when my parents finally settled down on our farm in Nokesville, VA when I was 12, I was happy to adopt the town as my hometown. This song has always reminded me of Nokesville.

My sisters: Count on Me- Bruno Mars

My sisters and I always all loved this song, which is impressive as my one sister has very different taste in music, and it rings true to my relationship with them. We will always be there for each other and can count on each other no matter what.

My parents: Baby Girl- Sugarland

This song reminds me of my relationship with my parents as although I am not pursuing a career as a singer like the song talks about, my parents have always been supportive of all my endeavors from my rodeo hobby to helping me through college. Someday there will be a day when I can start to repay them for all they have done for me.

My hobby: Rodeo- Garth Brooks

I have been riding horses since I was seven years old and in the past 7 years have been focused on barrel racing and team roping which are both rodeo events. Rodeo has become a huge part of my life, it is even how I met my boyfriend.

My outlook on life: Take Me Home Country Roads- John Denver

I travel a lot to horse shows and rodeo competitions and as much fun as I have traveling and competing it is always a great feeling to be on the road home. This song is an awesome song to listen to in the car, making it the perfect headed home song. It reminds me that no matter how far I may travel, it is always important to remember where you came from.

Blog 2

Confidence

This is a picture of me speaking at my high school graduation. I chose this picture because it represents how my academic success in high school put me on the path to becoming a confident and successful student in college.

I believe I am a pretty confident student. I have always done well in school and enjoyed most of my classes, even the challenging ones. In high school, some of my most challenging classes were my favorites as although they were extremely frustrating at times, they provided me with the most feeling of accomplishment and reward after I completed them successfully. I believe my confidence level is so high as a student because of my previous academic success. I went into high school just wanting to get good enough grades to get into any college I wanted to. I knew I did not want to go to an ivy league, just to a good state school. I ended up being second in my class. I attended the University of Kentucky for one year and was successful there, but transferred back closer to home for reasons completely unrelated to my academics. My confidence still took a minor hit as I thought about how people would think of me leaving a big state school to finish my prerequisites at a community college and then finishing my bachelors through an online program. However, I try to remember that as long as I am happy and still thriving academically, it does not matter what other people think. I believe the one thing that could increase my confidence as a student would be to kick my bad procrastinating habit. I am slowly but surely trying to kick this habit through more careful scheduling and time management, but it has always been a struggle for me. I always get my assignments in on time, but I do tend to push them close to the due date. My Self Efficacy results resemble my confidence as a student as I scored in the 80s in all three categories (believe in your ability, ability can grow with effort, and overall).  I believe these results have been reflected in my academic career from overcoming difficult classes in high school, to adapting to and being successful in college classes in several different formats from in person to online.

Blog 1

The above picture depicts me with two of my friends from high school. This represents the course objective of learning about how close relationships are formed. The course objectives will greatly help me in my future in the field of human services as most of the objectives have to do with learning about how people form attitudes and opinions about others and develop relationships. This will greatly help me in developing relationships with future clients and colleagues. Understanding how our relationships influence our behavior can help us in developing better relationships. Also, in the world we live in today another course objective of learning about the origins and effects of prejudice and discrimination is extremely important. Prejudice and discrimination is present in our everyday lives and understanding its origins will help us to avoid it and hopefully create a better world moving forward. In this course, I hope to learn more about how people’s opinions of others develop and how their relationships affect their daily behavior. In order to ensure success, I will make sure to keep up with assignments and participate in all class activities to get the most out of my experience.