Blog #10

I chose this image because it is a representation of how big my brain has gotten from all the knowledge that was given to me in this course.

My initial expectations from this course did not change and I still intend to incorporate the knowledge I gain from this course into my lifestyle as well as my future career choice. I feel that I have achieved the course objectives set from the syllabus. My attitude towards Cross-Cultural Psychology hasn’t changed much through out this course. I have gained more respect for how other cultures handle how our culture, the American culture, has treated theirs over the years. I think the only thing I would do differently during this course is to get a new computer. Since mine has not worked up to my standards of reliability. I believe that when it comes to academically, my GPA may have gotten better after this course. Finally, the skill that I have gained from this course is to not assume other cultures are the same as ours when it comes to reading physical ways to convey emotions. This skill will help me in my professional life by allowing me to work uninhibited with others from different cultures.

I chose this image because we are thinking about what we learned from our assignments.

Blog #9

The top three things I learned form this course would be how different culture’s view competitiveness in assignment two takeaway, how different cultures perceive emotion through facial expressions in Blog post #8, and how after taking the NEO personality inventory test, I wasn’t surprised by the findings, in Blog post #3. It was interesting to me how different cultures viewed and reacted to competitiveness compared to that of the American culture. I was intrigued how other cultures viewed and presented emotions differently through their facial expressions and how the American culture could potentially misunderstand how other cultures express their emotions. I wasn’t surprised to find that the NEO personality inventory test found that I scored low in extroversion and neuroticism but highly in introversion, which I believe to be genetic. It was interesting to me to learn how the big five personality trait theory was linked to the self-determination theory in how wealthy countries gauged their subjective well-being values. The big five personality trait theory viewed the important personality traits as a whole and the self-determination theory puts those personality values through a microscope to determine whether or not they have intrinsic values or extrinsic values. I was also able to link the knowledge I gained about the big give personality trait theory and the self-determination theory to the Theories of Personality course I took previously.

I chose this image because emojis are a way to express emotions in a universal way.

Blog #8

I’ve worked with many people from various cultural backgrounds. I have noticed that people of other cultures are less likely to display emotions than that of people who are American in culture. It was also interesting in how they would interpret our emotional reactions. The women of Asian decent were very reserved and didn’t show emotions easily compared to those who were of Latin decent. It was often very difficult to determine how they felt about you or the situations with how reserved they were. I’m not that surprised at why they are hard to read or why they are so reserved in showing their emotions. Not every culture shows emotions the same or are allowed to express their emotions freely. The concept of universality and cultural displays of emotion would be beneficial to understand emotions of people from other cultures. Just because someone is smiling at you doesn’t mean they are happy. It could just mean that they are being polite. This theory could help us understand how facial expressions of emotions can be explained culturally and universally.

I chose this image because Merida is a strong female character.

Blog #7

When it comes to fairy tales, I do believe that they can portray some very archaic cultural norms and values. I don’t necessarily believe that they fit in this day and age. I think that they represent a bygone age where women were expected to be more submissive and were supposed to be the epitome of femininity that way their prince charming would want to rescue them. The consequences of having characters like that are that little girls will see the movies and want to mirror those characters. We need for little girls to be more outgoing and willing to do things for themselves instead of waiting on a male to provide and rescue them. I believe that with the times we are living in now, this old way of looking at female lead roles in fairy tales needs to be updated. Other fairy tale Disney esque characters that are providing a positive influence for little girls to look up to are characters like Moana or Merida. Those characters provide for themselves and do not need to rely on a male to help save them in the end.

I chose this image because, in the spirit of self-determination, I am a very goal oriented person!

Blog #6

My need for autonomy is being satisfied because I am the one making the decisions that govern my life. My need for competence is being satisfied because I am understanding that what I am doing is for my eventual greater good. My need for relatedness is being satisfied because I have the ability to relate with others and they have the ability to relate with me.

I chose this image because it is a physical representation of my personality and how I think I am on the inside (house on the left), versus how people view me through my actions (house on the right).

Blog #5

I am strong when I need to be, I am weird all the time. I am fierce when staring down obstacles, I am shy until you get to know me. I am determined to see my goals through, I am awkward to be around. I am tempestuous when I’m crossed, I am clever at problem solving. I am spirited in doing the things I love, I am obstinate and will get my way.

When it comes to how I view myself, I don’t necessarily agree that I have an independent construal of self. By saying that, I mean that I don’t see myself as a singular unit. The only times I would need to be focused on me is in situations like statement numbers 1, 3, 5, and 7. Those statements are when I am acting alone and not relying on others. However, if I were to view myself from others perspectives and have a more interdependent construal of self, then I would have to choose statements 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. I tend to see myself as part of a bigger picture interconnecting with others in a group.

The proverbs that I chose for the independent self are “Adversity and loss make a wise man”. This proverb pretty much says that whatever hardships you go through, it makes you better as a person. The proverb I chose for interdependent self is “Deception is the better part of valor”. This proverb says that sometimes it is better not to be brave and stand out.

I chose this Gif because it was a very stressful situation and it represents how I felt in that moment!

Blog #4

I reviewed the Exam 1 answers and I’ve only come to one conclusion on how to help in my test taking strategy, get a new computer. I had started taking the exam and things were going well, until my computer decided to freeze and crash. By the time I was able to get it back up and running, there was only 5 min until the test was supposed to expire. The system only counted the questions I had answered. Fortunately, I got most of them right. So at least I know I was doing good before it crashed. Going forward, my note and test taking strategy will most likely not change. Since it would have worked if things didn’t go south.

Blog #3

When it comes to the NEO personality inventory test, I am not too surprised at the results. The two categories that I scored low in, extroversion and neuroticism, are categories that I do not associate with. I feel that my personality is strongly derived from my genetics. My mother’s family is very quiet and reserved. My father’s family is reserved as well, but they tend to have a more type A personality base. All the other scores were relatively average. I prefer to be at home by myself rather than socializing. The score of openness is a little surprising, but then again, I have learned to be more open to new experiences. Especially in my field of work. One needs to be open and understanding to what the patients needs are and how they act, given their psychiatric diagnosis. Overall, I agree with the results of the test. However, I do know that self-inventory surveys or tests are unreliable.

The reason I chose this image is because it provides a glimpse into some of the books I have had to read for the courses that cross over in both fields of study I am participating in. Both Legal courses and Psychology courses.

Blog #2

For me, understanding why people do the things they do and what makes them who they are is very high on my life value scale. Without understanding why a person is offended or affected by certain actions is key to navigating through life. This knowledge also helps in my career path. Becoming a lawyer would require some skills in understanding human behavior. Especially if I intend to become proficient in jury selection or assessing whether someone is able to mentally stand trial. As a university student, the driving force that made this path possible was coming to the realization that even though I was in a decently paying joy, I was no where near happy or fulfilled in my life. Also, the fact that there was no opportunity for advancement. Those two things helped me to decide that higher education was the only means to becoming more satisfied with a career. My parents also helped solidify my career path choices. I had always wanted to become a lawyer, ever since I was little. My mother told me I wasn’t smart enough to handle more complicated career paths. My father was an abusive alcoholic. His behaviors made me want to pursue psychology. That way I could get a greater understanding of what made him the way he was and what drove him to choose the lifestyle he was living. Without those two pushes, I don’t believe I would be where I am today.

Blog #1

My expectations for this course are to gain a working knowledge and a better understand of cultural research, diversity, and sensitivity and how to incorporate it into my lifestyle as well as career. I intend to thoroughly apply psychological research on cultural diversity in our world to better facilitate me in my career as a Lawyer. With the ability to incorporate the learnings I plan on receiving in this course, I believe it will make me a more caring and understanding Lawyer. The strategies I intend to implement are consistently keeping a watch on the schedule and turning in on time.