Ａｓｓｉｇｎｍｅｎｔ ＃４

This assignment delved into self-discovery through the Styles of Love questionnaire. This questionnaire defines the way individuals love and exhibit their emotions in six different categories. These categories range from manipulation in relationships to the level of selflessness a person values. From this assignment, I did not discover many things that I was previously aware of. However, I found it interesting to be able to place specific categories and explanations to the way that I feel and act in romantic relationships. It was interesting to see the questions that correlate to certain feelings I have, as some of them directly aligned with my thought processes in my past relationships. I would have found it even more interesting if I could discover why I scored some of the ways that I did, beyond my own personal thoughts.

This assignment was very personally relevant to me as I have just recently gotten out of a relationship. A lot of the traits that I noticed in the questionnaire were present in my most recent relationships. I do not feel as if this was a disadvantage to me, but I do feel as if I can continually mature within my experiences and further learn how to cultivate the most healthy partnerships. I believe that making a good friend out of a potential partner before dating them is one of the best ways to do this. This particular assignment reminded me of the chapter on the self, and how introspection can be used sometimes to discover more about the inner-self. In relationships, I feel as if introspection can be especially important to deal with issues and conflicts, as well as thinking about how to be better for your partner. As a young adult, I find this beneficial as I still have a lot of growth to do especially in the realm of love. I feel as if this questionnaire was helpful in discovering where I can start on the journey.

Multi-Perception

This assignment allowed me to view myself through multiple lenses, which is why I chose this photo and labeled it “multi-perception”. Each of the categories describing how I view relationships and love represents a different part of myself, some positive and some that need work. Personally, I love this depiction of one woman and her multiple faces, as I feel like this assignment opened me up to discovering all of my “faces”.

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/3-heads-are-better-than-1-joshua-beighley.html

Ａｓｓｉｇｎｍｅｎｔ ＃３

Out of all of the assignments assigned so far during this semester, this one has been the most relevant to me and my personal life as it discussed racial slurs and racism. Viewing the performance by Michael Richard was more saddening than surprising, as I have seen many displays of outward hatred by racists in person and online.  The hatred and anger that he showed was only the tip of the iceberg when discussing the racial issues that America is currently faced with. While Michael Richard did give an ill-conceived apology on Letterman, part of me wishes that his act would have happened in 2020. I say this because 2020 has become a time of social justice and awareness, and his actions would have faced a significantly higher amount of accountability. I am proud and excited to live through another movement of social awareness, where I have personally made a change by protesting and marching for the awareness of my community’s issues. My experiences are mostly what made this assignment so polarizing and interesting to me, as I was truly allowed to analyze racism in a critical context and use my experiences and observations in a practical way.

The discussion of if racial slurs can be used in a non-offensive way was also relevant to me personally and current culture in general. With the popularity of music that uses the n-word as a term of endearment, many people have begun to discuss if the usage by non-Black people is permissible. While this is a tricky argument, I believe that it comes down to the history of the slur. I believe that racial slurs regardless of context are racist, and I am proud of the direction society is taking to impose accountability. With this, I hope that ignorance will be lessened among people who do not understand the impact that slurs can have. Even though my hope is far-fetched, I hope that one day society can agree to take the words of advice from the community who is impacted by the action, and behave accordingly. 

The chapter in the textbook titled “Causes and Cures of Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination” was a very interesting read. Perhaps why some people do not see using racial slurs in songs and other social settings as racist is dependent on their perception of racism. As the book mentions (and as it is evident in society), different groups perceive racism in different ways. While I don’t think racist actions should be excused, it is interesting to learn about the many psychological and situational factors that can contribute to racist behaviors. Personally, I do not think that racism and stereotyping can ever be eradicated — at least in my lifetime. In the meantime, I think that education and awareness are essential. While I have not taken a class specifically focusing on racial relations, I hope that I have the opportunity to learn more about this topic and perhaps see other viewpoints.

Black Lives Matter Plaza

This is an image that I captured this past summer at a Black Lives Matter protest in D.C. Despite the racism that some people (such as Michael Richard above) choose to display, communities are continually uniting to discover power, love, and hope within diversity. Battles are constantly being fought to ensure justice and equality for all, and ignorance simply drives this unification.

Ａｓｓｉｇｎｍｅｎｔ ＃２

The second assignment was centered around the self. This included self-concept, self-control, and self-perception. These factors are things that most individuals have and use on a daily basis to facilitate successful connections and communication with others. From the research I did into these topics during this assignment, I learned more about myself through examining myself through the lens of these concepts. I was able to identify and recognize how each related to me, and how well I embody each in what I do. Utilizing pictures was helpful for this assignment because it truly allowed me to view how these concepts were reflected in my actions. I especially feel as if using pictures as a reference for this assignment allowed me to reflect on my journey of building a positive self-concept. This assignment was relevant to me as overall it allowed me to examine the positive attributes of my character, as well as things that can be adjusted.

This assignment was not only useful in examining me. I learned that I can also observe the self-control and self-concept of others by carefully analyzing their actions and patterns. I have no intention of using this in a negative or manipulative way. However, I find it useful to correctly observe how others act and why they might behave in a certain way. This can be beneficial in my career as a large part of any kind of therapy is understanding the patient.  A child with low self-control may not be able to have the same attention span as a controlled child. A child with a low self-concept may have difficulty with confidently expressing their concerns and worries. Therefore, learning how to read others accurately can be beneficial in these situations. I chose the picture of me during graduation to represent this assignment. This picture is relevant because this event reaffirmed my positive self-concept, as it allowed me to showcase my accomplishments over the years.

Graduation

I chose this image to reflect my self-concept as at this moment I was very proud of myself and show confidence in my accomplishments.

Ａｓｓｉｇｎｍｅｎｔ ＃１

The first assignment discussed the different heuristics, or mental shortcuts, used in cognitive thinking to make judgments in scenarios. These heuristics included: representative, status quo, availability, and anchoring and adjustment. Each heuristic was defined, described, and analyzed. An example was given for each one, and the positive and negative aspects of the heuristic were described. I learned many things from this assignment. From analyzing each bias, I was able to understand each one more and create original examples for each of the biases. This allowed me to realize that these biases are frequent in everyday life. Not only did I begin to notice when these biases are used by others in conversation and in the media but I also noticed that I often use these ways of thinking daily to make decisions. Learning that these cognitive shortcuts can have downsides and can be disadvantageous will cause me to be increasingly aware of them in my own thought and to avoid them in the future. 

This lesson on heuristics was a more in-depth explanation of what I learned in my AP Psychology course. In class, we performed an exercise to demonstrate how heuristics might work in a professional scenario. This exercise has stuck with me over the years due to how race, gender, and age can often impact applications to certain companies. This assignment was personally relevant to me because I consider myself an observer. I often listen carefully to other people’s words, and I will find it interesting to pick out heuristics used in conversations. I will also be more cautious of them in my own conversations. This lesson is also important to my future career, as it will be centered around working with children. Therefore, it will be very important for me to avoid biases and pre-judgments. I chose the corresponding photo of an airplane because a common fear of many people is flying. This fear is an example of the availability heuristic because movies and news media often highlight plane crashes, despite car crashes being more likely.

“I hate flying, I’d rather drive”

A common example of the availability heuristic. Many people would rather drive than fly due to movies and news media popularizing plane crashes. However, it is significantly more likely to experience a car crash.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/jet-cloud-landing-aircraft-46148/