Blog 10
This course has been very interesting and I think I’ve enjoyed it more than I expected. I knew I would learn about different cultures and how my stereotyping is probably untrue and I think that I definitely understand more now. I’ve enjoyed comparing different cultures to my own and having to think critically while making these comparisons such as with the assignment where we were to look at advertising and media from other countries. I found out that the basics of marketing are the same no matter where you are in the world. I enjoyed having more freedom of creativity with these blogs and also with the Assignments.
I chose countries for the different research opportunities that I know I want to visit so it was fun to read about them from a cultural psychology standpoint. I also learned how to use WordPress for the first time and now I’m using it for my personal food and photography blog that I like to do as a hobby so that was definitely a good skill to learn.
If I could do anything differently for this course it would be to get out of my comfort zone more with the research and choose countries that I really know nothing about instead of those countries that I have researched in the past.
I chose this as my visual representative because this course has inspired me to want to get out of my comfort zone and take part in the cultures that I really know nothing about but now know that psychologically we are probably pretty similar in many ways.
Blog 9
The top three things I’ve learned in this course so far are that I am an interdependent person (Blog 5), that I view and stereotype cultures differently than they might truly be (Blog 8), and that cultures advertise in similar ways because people across the world respond to sales techniques in the same ways, found in ATA 4.
I think that Assignment 4, specifically sexism in advertising, related to Blog 7 about classic plots from fairytales and the effect on females. Both of these assignments looked into how society views women and how it can impact young women later in life. I agree that many ads do show women in a way that can be poor for body image in a young or teenage girl but I do not think that showing a woman in traditional gender roles in a fairytale kids movie is going to hurt the future life of a woman.
A concept that goes between most classes is the subject of emotion. Right now ,we are studying emotion in Lifespan Development as well as Psychology of Sex in adolescents. This is a huge subject that can really be studied and applied in any psychology course.
Blog 8
My experience with international travel has been limited but I still feel that I have seen how people express their emotions in some cultures. I had always been told display rules about Europeans that they are non-emotional and don’t show sensitivities in public. I found this to be somewhat true when I visited France and the people weren’t generally warm. I have to say though, universally this is becoming the norm. I come from a small town where most of the people know each other and are friendly towards even those that they don’t know. When I travelled to New York City for the first time I expected people to be warm because it was was I am used to. I always smile at people as I pass them on the street and found that people in “the city” did not reciprocate or give a positive attitude back. Now I believe that this is universal and that people are less likely to give kindness to strangers which is very sad.
However, in Europe I did notice that there were more public displays of affection than anywhere I had experienced before. I see this in America but I felt like I saw it so much more in Paris but maybe noticed it more since it is “the City of Love.”
I chose this photo because it shows the emotions expressed in European culture that I had never experienced so much in America. I definitely noticed more PDA between couples while traveling in Europe.
Blog 7
Growing up I was definitely one of those girls who loved princess movies and had all the costumes. I definitely don’t think overall there is anything wrong with kids watching these fairytales. Yes, the main plot line typically displayed a young, beautiful damsel in distress just waiting on a man to save her. I do think that this shows the cultural vales and morals that are believed fairly widespread. However, I don’t think that if your child watches one of these movies or hears a story that they will be at a disadvantage and model their life after it. I think that young girls should be allowed to play the “princess” role and dress up and it will have no detrimental effect on how they allow men to treat them later in life. While being a traditional woman myself, I have no problem fixing my own problems and will never rely on a man to “save me.” I am lucky to have strong male figures in my life that do help me but I am also a very independent woman.
With all that being said, I do appreciate the fact that these fairytales are becoming more inclusive lately. I think this does help children who feel that they do not fit the mold.
A character that really stood out to me as a child was “Mulan” from Disney. She ultimately became my favorite Disney Princess because I felt like she could dress up and be very feminine but she was also willing to go into a masculine role to save her family and prove that she could be just as good as the men, and it was proven.
I chose this image because it represents one of my favorite fairytales and Disney Princesses. She wasn’t the typical damsel in distress and made a point to stand up for herself and her family.
Blog 6
The Self Determination Theory discusses personality and human determination focusing on three human basic needs; autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I feel that I satisfy autonomy where I take control of my own life because I have started making decisions based on my future and not what others think I should be doing. I was working a job that did not satisfy or challenge me so I took a chance on another opportunity even when I felt that I was letting my current boss down, and looked out for myself. I satisfy competence by working hard to get to where I eventually want to be. I satisfy relatedness by keeping a good relationship with everyone I encounter whether in my personal life or professional. I hate conflict so I usually stay away from anything that causes a disagreement between people but I am learning that sometimes conflict is unavoidable. No one likes to feel like they don’t belong in a group but I have realized as an adult it is almost impossible for everyone to like you.
I chose this image because it is so true. I am so non-confrontational that I won’t even send food back when it is completely wrong from what I ordered. I know this is a character flaw but I am slowly working on it!
Blog 5
I dug deep to write statements that describe myself. I think I came out as more interdependent because I really care about the people in my life right now. Numbers 3, 4, and 8 are more associated with Independent construal of self. These were the statements more associated with my professional life where I look out for my best interests to get where I want to be, such as hard working and outgoing. Statements 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 were related to interdependent self. These were statements such as loyal, non-confrontational, loving, etc. I definitely believe that I am more interdependent. As much as I love being in charge and working on things alone, I could not be where I am today without the help of my loved ones. I usually always put their happiness first and it helps me be more confident when I have them backing me up. However, one of my favorite quotes is “if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you aways got,” said by Albert Einstein. This is related to independent construal of self because it speaks of making changes to get the results you want. I think I am more closely interdependent but there are definitely aspects of my life where I am more independent.
I chose this picture because it shows me in my favorite place in the world doing what I love to do best; walking on the beach with my dog. This is what I do when I want to get away and be independent and need to escape from the world.
Blog 4
After reviewing my Exam 1 results I was so happy to see how I scored. I am always so nervous to take the first test in a new class and now know that I was as prepared as I possibly could’ve been. I prepared for this test by first reading the chapter without taking notes, then going back and writing notes for the section and being sure to write out the definitions of the bold terms and later make note cards. This helped me take in the information first without being distracted on what I thought was most important. Reading the chapter twice through really submitted the info to memory. I reviewed my notes on the section nightly so that I wasn’t cramming the day of taking the exam. I worked through each point on the review sheet first just from memory to see where I stood, then adding more information to the topics from my notes and the book.
Reflecting on and reviewing my results from Exam 1 will help prepare me for the next exam because I know that my study technique was effective. I will continue to progress through the course the same way that I did for this first section.
This photo represents one of the most effective study techniques for me; note cards. Reviewing note cards is a simple memory trick that I can do anywhere.
Blog 3
I took the NEO Inventory quiz and scored fairly average in all categories. I scored a 28 in the Openness category which I find to be appropriate because I am outgoing and like to meet others, but I have no problem working on an issue by myself, and sometimes actually prefer that. I scored a 38 in the Conscientiousness category which puts my at the higher end of average. I believe this was very fitting because I do try to put in the time and effort with school work and in my professional life but I would not see myself as an “overachiever.” I know that if I put the effort in my work can be more than satisfactory. I scored a 34 in Agreeableness which was put me in the high score range. I was not surprised by this because I go out of my way to be kind to others and make others happy. Many times I tend to put others needs ahead of my own which is a great thing but can also be detrimental to myself. My Extraversion score was a 30, putting my at the high end of average. I can be very social but I also like to have alone time. I love meeting people but I have a small group of friends and don’t feel the need to have others around me constantly. In my job, I have to be fairly outgoing to network with people and it has helped me become more comfortable being social in a professional setting. The final category was Neuroticism in which I scored a 28. This was an average score and made sense for my personality. I am generally a calm easy going person but sometimes I feel guilty when I put myself ahead of others. I know this is essential to get where I want to be in life but I definitely feel guilt when I choose working over spending time with friends and family.
I chose this word cluster because it outlines my main personality traits. I am very loyal to my friends and family and light hearted while also being hard working to achieve my personal goals in school and in the working world.
Blog 2
When I was growing up, there was a constant “next step” that I was aware of. I attended a small private school where no one really took their own path but knew that the end result was to go to a four year university. It seemed easy to me where all I knew was study hard and go to college. I never realized how lucky I was to have parents and peers that pushed me to do my best and go to a school that would set me up for success, until now.
Now as a college senior, after multiple major changes, I see that all of my actions and the pressure from parents and teachers have brought me to this point. I really only chose to pursue higher education because that is what was expected of me for my entire life. I never knew, until applying for full-time jobs, just how important that a college degree is. College is about finding out who you are as an adult and what you truly want out of life. You are challenged academically and socially and I definitely would not have had the same opportunities or experiences if I had chosen to immediately go into the working world after high school. I have learned those life values that will help me in my career. I think one of the most important things I have picked up along the way is how to socially interact naturally with professionals face-to-face, which is a skill some my age do not have.
“Multi-Task”
I chose this photo because it is completely representative of my current life choices. I am working full time while finishing my degree so weekdays are full of multi-tasking. On my down time in the office I do my school work and I am very thankful that my job is flexible. This job opportunity presented itself in 2018 and I could not wait to get real experience while achieving my college degree.
Blog 1
I believe that Cross Cultural Psychology will be very beneficial to me in both my professional and personal life. I hope to develop the skills to help interact with those in other cultures. I think that this is crucial to success in any industry as you will come across people from all over the world and if you’re lucky, get to travel to other areas.
Becoming familiarized with upper level psychology research will help me in many of my other courses while at ODU, and will help me in my future career with researching and planning, even if I am not directly involved in a science field. Being well versed in research is so important for working in any industry. I plan to stay open-minded and review nightly to succeed in this course. There is a lot of information and it will take time to truly learn. Luckily, I find psychology so interesting that I do not think I’ll have a problem keeping up with the material.
“Cultural Stereotyping”
http://www.thinking-people.co.uk/what/culture/index.html
I chose this image because I thought it was comical and also very representative of how we stereotype others. If I saw someone wearing a French style outfit, i would make assumptions of their character based on what I know of people under the “French umbrella.” I hope to gain better perspective from this course and not stereotype as much.