As I reflect upon my initial post (Blog 1), I come to the realization that this class has been very fulfilling and has nailed the syllabus to the door. This course and the material within has helped clarify many of my life’s unconscious truths. From musical to visual entertainment, from my everyday decision making to emotional intelligence, and from relationships to communication methods, social psychology has been the driving force of my very being. Though I had a deep down, mild understanding of who I was, how I felt, and why I felt that way, I never had the terminology and scientific understanding of it all. This course has helped me develop a deep appreciation for social psychology and human reasoning. I have been able to trace back to my childhood and recount many of my past memories, turning them into a more clear story. This has helped me realize a lot of my decision-making habits, hone in on my communication skills, and find purpose in some of the emotional feelings I have found to be unnecessary beforehand. I deeply value all I have learned in this course and hope that I can use some of the knowledge I have gained to help others come to understand who they are on a more scientific and intimate way.

This is a screenshot of my computer with dual windows open. In the window to the right, my first blog post (Blog 1) is opened as I read over it to reflect on my initial expectations for the course and to gather my thoughts for this post (Blog 10). In the window to the left, I have opened my rough draft of this post. This is the way I have always worked and utilized during this course. I have had a pleasure working at this course and have learned more than I expected to.

I find this article very interesting and wish I would have had it at my side before, during, and even after some of my relationships. As humorous as it may seem, some of the simple truths laced throughout the sexual conflict article by Nathan DeWall, are clear and concise enough for the average Joe or Jane. Though sexual preferences and habits are deemed personal and touchy subjects, this article could be of good use to many, if delivered on time and in good taste. I believe having this knowledge could help prevent men and women alike from making those simple, yet drastic mistakes most of us seem to make before, during, and after our relationships take flight…and often crash.

I believe, at least in my experience, that women upset men with simplicity, well because that’s all it takes – and that is not to say that their upsetting behavior is always done intentionally. Before I say anything else, my marriage is fantastic – don’t get me wrong, but my wife and I both do our fair share of upsetting one another. One thing my beautiful gem tends to do that bothers me is…well…the photo below explains it all…

I chose this photo of our toilet paper holder in its unsatisfactory, depressing, and frustrating state because it is something that upsets me. Though a simple fix, this dilemma is a household nightmare that causes stress, depression, and inconvenience…for me alone 😉

Self-regulation and emotional-intelligence work hand-in-hand to help bring a person’s awareness of their inner self to surface. These two psychological characteristics do so by giving a person the opportunity to distinguish judgments from feelings and rational thinking from emotional feelings. Furthermore, self-regulation and emotional-intelligence do the same in reverse, by assisting us in aligning our judgments to our feelings, and our rational thinking with our emotional feeling, both in which complement the other and offer an individual a higher level of self-awareness and understanding. Together, self-awareness and self-regulation help us respond to life’s occurrences more critically, with more understanding, and with more rationale.

Emotional intelligence, to me, is having an intimate relationship and understanding of how we feel about, process, and react to the diverse situations life throws our way. I believe emotional intelligence is a reflection of a person’s inner awareness and reveals their personal characteristics, especially in moments of high stress and uncertainty. Also, I believe emotional-awareness is something we all have a tendency of underappreciating. So often, we seem to react with a ‘knee-jerk’ and do not take the time to develop useful and meaningful thoughts that lead to positive reactions.

An example I like to use for how I display emotional-awareness is when my children have mini meltdowns. Often my five-year-old and four-year-old twins have a hard time processing their emotions and can be a lot to handle all at once. In these situations, I like to take a short but needed moment to process the situation and give as much patience as possible. I come from a family with a history of high-stress anxiety so I am always on alert and try to stay aware of my stress levels. I always take my time through talking with my girls collectively and individually, followed by taking time to reflect on each situation to have a better understanding of how to make the next one a little easier for everyone.

I chose this screenshot of a post I added to Instagram a short while ago as it is a fine representation of what I wrote of above. The verbiage tells the story and I find it perfect for the assignment. Also, I love the humor aspect of it!

This video, though a little dated, is very factual and sheds light on the methods that the media and advertisement gurus use to distort, stereotype, and dehumanize women while manipulating people into buying their products. This video explains how ads sell concepts, normalcy, and tell us who we should be. I was deeply disturbed by some of the facts regarding how ads create a disgusting climate that shifts attitudes, especially those towards woman and children. I am a father of three little girls and some of the images and explanations regarding the ads were deeply disturbing. I have been affected in a great way by this video and will be sure to take more precaution when viewing and deciphering advertisements of all degrees. Nonetheless, I do believe this video’s dating reveals itself as she explains, in the beginning, the depiction of nuclear families, non-handicapped persons, and people of Caucasian ethnicity being the norm for advertisements. I appreciate the video, but we have made extreme advances since this video in the realm of advertising for diversity concerning race, family dynamics, and even physical capabilities. However, I do believe differential gender representation still cripples many people perceptions and mold many minds into thinking what the media and advertisements sell. Also, regarding the status of our advertising norms since this video, I must say it seems like sex and subjection of women is clearly still prevalent and used to capitalize on selling, manipulation, and capitalization. Below is a representative screenshot that depicts five ads that support the claims in the video. I chose five statements Kilbourne Jean spoke of in the video and simply Googled the title and chose an appropriate photo that came up, regarding the verbiage.

The first photo is a depiction of Ideal Female Beauty. This photo depicts a woman split in half by what she looks like naturally, and what the “ideal female” should look like. This is clearly the culture’s norm and pushes females to buy products that will aid them in looking similar. The norm is based on flawlessness and seemingly impossible.

The second photo is arguably an objectifying photo that uses a sexual innuendo and is very distasteful. This photo is degrading and supposedly humorous, yet it simultaneously sends out a powerful sexual message, all while denying it.

The third photo is a depiction of a typical professional woman. The caption reads: Look like a girl, Act like a lady, Think like a man, Work like a boss. This message states that woman should look like girls, yet act like ladies, and think like a man as if female thinking is not valued. This is warped, devaluing, and divisive.

The fourth photo reads: Cheat on your girlfriend, not your workout. This ad is disgustingly devaluing toward women and is sending a message to men that the gym is more important, more valuable, and has more long-term worth than a relationship with a woman.

The fifth photo sends multiple messages. Not only is the text a play on race as it reads: Bold new look (the African American woman, rather than a white woman), but the photo itself sends the message that not only is she a thing, but she is a thing for sale. This ad showcases that woman’s bodies and products are interchangeable.

Credible source: Covergirl – Featuring Katy Perry

This source is credible for several reasons. The Covergirl name itself is exceptionally well-known in the makeup industry and is sold almost anywhere. Secondly, the ad features iconic pop-star, Katie Perry, who is well-received and a credible music sensation in the United States and abroad. This ad offers the notion that the communicators (those who designed it) are knowledgeable in the art of advertising. The layout is modern, clean, and conveys precisely what people are attracted to. Furthermore, this ad features a spin on the relevant hashtag platform in the verbiage of #instaGLAMYOURSELF, which is an eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth). This also adds another level of trustworthiness which proves this ad to be a powerhouse in the communicator’s credibility.

Not Credible source: Smarter than Botox

At first glance, one can conclude this ad is clearly not credible. This picture features the quick pop-up, thumbnail-sized, inconvenience ad-feel that bombards your daily internet searching. The ad clearly states on the side: simulated imagery, which is a tell-tell sign of inconclusive results concerning the effectiveness of the product. The ad also looks to be photoshopped and has the “click-bait” vibe with the large – click here TRY IT FREE – rectangle on the bottom right and the clickable area just below the product name. The only thing I find potentially credible is the after the product name. Nonetheless, if I were looking for skincare in this realm, I would avoid this product, just due to the ad and the ineffective communication it offers.

Attractive source: Anytime Fitness

I found this ad to be attractive, yet not wholly valid. Initially, seeing someone in excellent shape on a gym advertisement can be either intimidating or reassuring. Intimidating for someone who is not familiar with the fitness world and is apprehensive to dive into that atmosphere, and reassuring for those who are seasoned in the industry and are looking for a gym that has all they need to achieve their goals. For those that may be apprehensive, seeing someone in seemingly perfect shape may discourage them or give them false expectations, which may lead to a short-lived fitness experience. I found this aspect to be ineffective in attracting all types of people. On a positive note, the ad showcases the man in half business attire and half shirt off (fitness attire), which attracts those who may consider their lives too busy for a gym membership. This aspect of the ad communicated to people that, though your life may be busy, we’re here when you need us. This 24-hour experience is sometimes the only option for some and is highly appealing to those with extreme schedules.

The below representative photo depicts my work as I gathered information for each ad in separate windows. This allowed me to focus on each individually while ensuring there was continuity throughout.

What is it that helps us remember significant moments in time, the periods past that make our hearts race when brought to mind, the phases that cause us to pause in the midst of life’s business? –  it is the music. Music has a way of creating bookmarks, memories, and points of reference in the story of our lives that demonstrate the preferences, similarities, and attractions that exemplify our choice for relationships.

I love music that tells a story, has personal and experiential depth, and offers the listener more than just ‘rhythm and blues’. Likewise, my wife, Amber is the same, a depth-seeker in the music realm. Someone who values storytelling and a song that generates questions towards the pursuit of meaning, origin, and potentially, destiny. Songs can lead us on journeys or leave us right where we are – but we prefer the songs that take us for a ride. I believe this is why Amber and I initially were attracted to one another, and continue to understand each other. Music helps us sift through life’s ups and downs and gives us the opportunity to lose ourselves in what it all means.

This is a screenshot of ‘A Blaze of Feather’s, “Winter”’, playing on youtube. This song is one of Amber and I’s favorite, as it has been a song we tend to put on when life needs a pause, or when we are traveling for vacation. This song has often been the start of reevaluation and often, temporary escape.

*** My Soundtrack ***

Life Outlook: Meant to Be – Florida Georgia Line

My Children: You’re ‘Gonna’ Miss This – Trace Adkins

My Wife: You are the Best Thing – Ray Lamontagne

Me: I Am – Nathanial Ratliff

My Parents: Family Bible – Willie Nelson

My love of Travel: Old Pine – Ben Howard

When pondering the question: “What kind of student am I?”, I immediately consider circumstances, as other people may do as well. Being a student is a beautiful thing, and when focusing solely on that, the idea is simple. However, most, if not all people, like myself, are faced with other responsibilities that make being a student not so simple. Nonetheless, the kind of student we are is not only a reflection of our academic abilities but can be shaped by all the other obligations we must tend to on a daily basis.

I like to think of myself as a well-prepared student that enjoys learning. I am an adult learner who has returned to the formal education realm after twelve years of absence. I graduated High School in 2005 and immediately entered the workforce, completely abandoning formal education due to a lack of mentorship and self-discipline. However, since then, I have developed a lot of structure and learned to organize and practice effective time-management.

I have a lot of confidence in my educational abilities, especially in the communications field. Initially, I entered into higher education learning with the initiative of becoming a nurse. After spending seven years in the Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist (Public Affairs), I decided to try something new. Come to find out, chemistry and biology were not for me. I became deflated and almost gave up. Thankfully, I was able to shift gears and hop back on the communications route. I learned that my niche is in communications and where I belong. I believe I can continue to increase my confidence level if can progressively sharpen my skills, on all levels of communication.

Lastly, my self-efficacy results show that I have confidence, yet have some room to grow. I believe there is always room for improvement and a person should still accept imperfections as an opportunity for sharpening and refining. My results were a 92.5 in Believe in your ability, a 92 in Ability can grow with effort and a 92.3 as an overall score.

This photo is a depiction of me with my result displayed on the screen of my MacBook. I decided to choose this photo to avoid merely posting a screenshot of my survey results.

Upon my first read of the course objectives, I came to the conclusion that this course is designed to be highly beneficial to not only students’ personally, but professionally as well. I believe knowing how psychologists test hypotheses about individual and group behavior will be great information on how and why we behave the way we do. This will also provide insight into the perception of behavior on a clinical level. Furthermore, I believe the course objectives will help me in understanding how I perceive others and why, which will lead me toward effectively compartmentalize my thoughts and also, my communication approach.

I hope this course will sharpen my communication skills by further understanding psychological processes used throughout daily life, whether at home, during social gatherings, or in professional settings. I hope to gain the ability to effectively discern other peoples’ emotions, speech, and actions to be a more effective leader and communicator. Increasing an understanding of the psychological processes we go through can help me detect situational obstacles and lead me to practical problem-solving.

I am really excited to gain formal knowledge in social psychology and to apply the skills I gain in my day-to-day life.

I chose this photo to showcase my technique while working through assignments. I typically have multiple windows up in order to multitask and this offers me the ability to navigate from one platform to the next with ease. I love working on the MacBook featured in this photo and have become very accustomed to spending hours at a time on it while I work through homework and other responsibilities.