Blog 10

My course expectations for this class stayed the same as I expected them. Going through the semester, it has taught me many different theories as well as definitions that I had never known until now. As the semester comes to a close, I look back knowing that there was a lot of information to take in. Even so, the different assignments and as well as blogs helped with retaining the information and reflecting on what I had learned. My personal opinion on Social Psychology is that it was very interesting. As I stated in my first blog, Psychology itself is very intriguing to me. Going through this class has been very informative and will be very useful in my years to come. Looking back I fell back into my same ways as I did before and ended up missing assignments and turning some things in late. If I took this class again, that is what I would change. After all these years I still do that to myself and I am very upset about it. The main way that I’ve grown academically is that this class has taught me to reflect more on the tasks that I do for my classes. As well, this is a good skill that I can look back on and use in further classes as well as a career. Rather than just doing it and turning it in, think about as to why I did it and why I responded the way I did depending on the prompt. For my professional life, the art of reflection has a big impact on people, not just for school purposes.

Blog 8

After reading this article, I learned more regarding the differences in how mating goes on within the male and female mind. Being the article is titled “Sexual Conflict: Uncovering the Mysteries of the Mating Battleground,” you can imagine that would be the information it pertains to. Males being more focused on pairing widely whereas women pair wisely. Meaning men will get together with more women while females will be specific as to what male they choose. Being that males and females may find multiple people or stick with a single individual, there will be times where the male upsets the female and vise-versa. One that was stated in the article is that a male will lie just to up his chances of having sex. This would be the case also for me flipped around. I don’t need someone lying to me just to get in my pants. One for a female upsetting a male would be that she very obviously admires other guys while she is with her boyfriend. Now I understand that there are very good looking people out there, but very blatantly either looking at them with “hungry eyes” or saying something obviously directed toward their looks is pretty annoying and could be pretty hurtful to certain guys if they have low self-confidence.

Blog 7

From the information in the video Self-Regulation and EQ go hand-in-hand. Self-regulation is the way that you are able to control your emotional state and how you deal with those feelings. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize those emotions and have the ability to control them. A way that I display EQ is how I deal with stress. She explained it pretty well in the video as to what I do as well. I essentially do the same type of breathing as she does. Two seconds in and two out, four in and four out, up to 10. I borrowed this technique from one of my former choir directors. We used this as a part of our breathing exercises to help breath support. Come to find out, it helps quite a bit in calming me down as well.

Blog 6

I’ve actually seen this same Ted Talk in previous years of school. Watching it again made it no better to see. Ads for different types of beauty products and even simple ads for everyday things are somehow able to degrade women. They give women a set standard that has to be met to be accepted in society. Things like “use this to look younger” or “cover-up those flaws.” It is a shame that even today, we still set a high and unmeetable expectation. When it comes to simple products, women are also very sexualized, showing off lots of skin and skimpy clothing in order to gain the attention of the viewer. Saying that it has gotten better doesn’t deny the fact that it is still relevant now, just in a different light than it was back then. Not to mention the ads of younger children that are caked with makeup and in small undergarments. It’s truly a shame that to show off products, they would sexualize small children. Below are five different types of ads that show the degrading and sexualization of women used to sell a product.

Blog 4

For this exam, I will say that I dropped the ball and ended up not studying as much as I should have. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of classmates who let me look over the review sheet they completed before I took the exam which helped immensely. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have passed this exam. With that said, I will be sure to plan my testing and studying much better for the next ones coming up.

As for the feedback, I have always thought it was helpful when it comes to exams especially. Being able to get direct feedback from the professor helps me because it allows me to look over and adjust my test-taking strategies. That way I can fine-tune them for the exams to come; which also applies to all my classes.

Blog 3

I’m not sure where to being with talking about music and relationships. Music as a whole is a big part of my life and only got stronger when I joined the choir back in high school. As the article talks about, I notice myself getting close to those who have a similar music taste as I do. As well, going along with the article, those who I associate with have similar values as I do. I listen to a wide range of music, so in that regard, I enjoy hearing about each person’s taste in music. Half the time, if I’m originally not into an artist that they have introduced to me, I end up listening to them more and add them to a mental list of artists I like.

My Soundtrack

Life outlook – Change on the rise (Avi Kaplan)
Myself – High Hopes (Panic! At The Disco)
Mom – Mother (Sugarland)
Best Friend – A friend like you (Andy Grammer)
Brother – September (Earth, Wind & Fire) (He was born in September, just not the 21st :P)
The intensity of my enjoyment of gaming – Rip & Tear (Mick Gordon)

Blog 2

As a student, I see myself to be average. I do the work that’s required of me for the class, I show up for the class if it isn’t online, just a normal everyday student. As for my confidence as a student, I think it is pretty high by itself. Things like turning assignments in early and seeing my high grades on assignments are just a couple of things that bring up my confidence as a student. The fruits of my labor are the things that really lift my spirits. Seeing the amount of time I spent on an assignment paid off in the end. There are times where I don’t see myself being very successful in school and I tend to start turning in things either late or not at all. Then my grade suffers as does my confidence and it all just snowballs.

After taking the GSE and seeing my score, which was 29, I thought that it was pretty accurate. I will say at times that I will wait until the last minute to get an assignment done, which is not at all efficient. Then again, when I give myself that extra day or two to get it completed, I’m able to take my time and make sure the content of the assignment is correct and it will get me the best grade possible.

Blog 1

Psychology as a whole has been an interest of mine since my first Psych class at TCC. So being able to continue that interest throughout these years at ODU will be great. Specifically, in this class, I will be able to use this in essentially anything that I do in the future whether it is in the field of psychology or not. Assessing how people interact with each other, knowing about where prejudice and discrimination arose from and how it affects us, those things can be used in everyday life. Now I don’t mean going up to someone off the streets and taking notes, but none the less, that information is useful in plenty of situations.

I expect to gain a vast amount of knowledge from this course. That is a vague statement, but it means more under the surface. Because I have an interest in this field, I will actually retain the information that I learn from this course. If my interest isn’t strong in something, it goes in one ear and out the other. With psychology, the different words, theories, definitions, that sticks with me so I can go out and apply it into the career that I end up going into. Unlike other classes, I am going to make sure I understand and enforce the things that I learn here and how they can affect or have affected my personal life. Doing that will drill it into my head, that way I don’t forget it. Staying on top of assignments is a big one as well, I cannot afford to turn anything in late (I have caught myself procrastinating many of times, which is something I plan to kick this semester and the ones to come). I look forward to learning more about Social Psychology and how my life will be changed in the future by it.

Title: The Journey to Come