Blog 10

 

In my first blog post, the main outcome I hoped to gain from this course was to expand my understanding of my social interactions with others regarding their roles in our interactions and my own. I feel that this is exactly what I gained from this course. I feel that my expectations proved to be realistic, and an excellent representation of what I actually learned during this semester.

According to the syllabus, the objectives for this class are “Outline the procedures social psychologists use to test hypotheses about the behavior of

individuals and of groups, discuss the processes through which people perceive and attempt to understand others, explain how attitudes are formed and changed, and how they are related to behavior, discuss the origins and effects of prejudice and discrimination, [and] discuss the factors that influence our liking for other individuals and that lead to the formation of close relationships.” I believe that I have achieved these objectives.

 

My attitudes about Social Psychology have only slightly changed since August. At that time, I believed that it was important, but I have learned that it is an even more essential part of understanding the way the human mind works than I initially thought. If I could take the class again, I would spend more time focusing on becoming intimately acquainted with the material presented. In fact, I plan to do independent research on my own time, learning more about the way we interact with each other in society.

 

Professionally, I feel that the skills I learned regarding our prejudices and errors in judgement will be what helps me the most. I will be even more vigilant in monitoring implicit judgements I might be making, and evaluating my own actions when dealing with other people.

 

Blog 9

I think above all in this course, I have learned things about myself. I have learned the reasons behind the ways I interact with others, and the fallacies that are sometimes involved in those interactions. The most interesting thing of all to me was heuristics, which was discussed very early in the class, but which I have thought about nearly every day since. I was unaware before then how predisposed my own decision-making processes might be, and how much my biases or subconscious ideas might influence those decisions so strongly. Since learning about it, I have tried to be more conscientious and thorough when making even small choices.

Two assignments that I found to be very interconnected were the soundtrack blog and the self-portrait essay. It was extremely interesting to me to analyze the image that I was portraying to others through my social media photographs, versus the way I view myself and my relationships through song. They were also both very meaningful assignments because I take a lot of photographs to document experiences and emotions, and music is a huge part of the way that I relate to myself and others.

Until this class, Psychology of Sex was my favorite course, and I found myself relating many of the things we learned this semester to that area of study. It was not a huge jump from one to the other, since both dealt in some way with interpersonal relationships. I believe I mentioned this in the “styles of love” assignment, but we went over that last semester in the other class. Social Psychology helped me to understand more about the various love styles and how they manifest in my own life, while Psychology of Sex gave me more of a general knowledge of the styles and what they mean to others.

The image I chose for this blog is representative to me of the way that different subjects and experiences are connected. So many things are relatable to each other, not just in this course or in school, but also in all our experiences as human beings. I believe that psychology is the study of this interconnectedness of life.

 

Blog 8

I believe that women and men can both upset each other in different ways, based sometimes upon societal conditioning related to gender. For instance, women tend to be more encouraged to share their emotions, whereas men tend to be discouraged from emotional self-disclosure. This leads to conflict between the sexes because women may become frustrated with a man’s lack of ability to bond by expressing his feelings, and the male may be annoyed by what they perceive as nagging to discuss topics they’ve been taught to keep private.

Along these same lines, it tends to be more tolerable for a woman to be chatty in general, and women may want to have long conversations about trivial things with their male partners, who may be more inclined to short, concise answers. This can lead to obvious conflict when the male partner would rather be silent, while the female partner would like to bond through conversation.

I was unable to relate to the portions of the article that discussed male desire to procreate versus female desire for stability because this does not ring true in my relationships, past or present. Particularly in my marriage, I tend to be the one with the wandering eye, while my husband values a solid, stable, foundation. I don’t doubt that these are typical evolutionary traits among the sexes, but my partner and I may simply be atypical. I have a medical disorder that, among other things, leads to excess androgen production, while my partner has a medical issue of the pituitary gland, and these could also explain why we function slightly differently than the gender norm.

 

Blog 7

Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to identify and express their personal feelings. Self-regulation is related in that it is the ability to control one’s emotions. Someone with higher emotional intelligence is likely more able to self-regulate their feelings and keep these emotions under control.

I believe that I am very emotionally intelligent, and the EQ test I took indicates this is correct. I think it may be a result of being naturally short-tempered, but also empathetic. I learned early in my life that I do not like the results of my anger on others. As a result, I began to identify my feelings in all aspects of my life, in an attempt to regulate my feelings of anger so that I did not hurt others with my words or actions. It is helpful particularly in arguments with my husband, who is also short-tempered. When we have arguments, I am able to assess the situation and deescalate it before it gets too out of hand.

 

Blog 6

I feel that the video, Killing Us Softly III, was very poignant. I think the topic of objectification of women in the media has been discussed frequently during my lifetime, but that there have not been significant changes. The dehumanization of women, however, is something that I have not thought of as frequently.

As a woman, particularly one in her thirties, whose body has undergone significant changes after three pregnancies, I can definitely appreciate the concerns Kilbourne raises. I think that she makes extremely valid points, and that though our culture has made changes that seem somewhat significant, like having models who are of slightly more realistic body types, we still have a long way to go to achieve a realistic, unharmful, representation of women in advertising. Kilbourne is so accurate in stating that advertising colors the way women are perceived in all aspects of life.

The ads I chose are respectively for milk, an advertising agency, perfume, and beauty products. I found the suggestively sexual nature of the advertisement for the ad agency to me the most telling. It points to exactly what they think their clients want, and what they will give them: the gratuitous objectification and sexualization of women. All five examples showed women either being objectified and used as currency to sell things.

 

Blog 4

I admittedly did not prepare as well as I should have for the first exam this semester. I didn’t take enough notes, nor did I use the review sheet. Essentially, what I learned from Test 1, is that I need to take better notes, keep up with my studying, and use the tools given to me! I have made some adjustments to my personal schedule to allow for more time for schoolwork, and hopefully this will help me during the rest of the semester.

 

Blog 3

Humans are inherently community beings, and because of this, it is necessary to comprehend the basis of social interaction to understand the species. Since I plan to work closely with other people, and intend to help them as much as I can, it is imperative that I have knowledge about human behavior as it relates to interaction with others, the motives involved, and how to steer interpersonal exchanges in the most productive paths. This course is essential to my goals in community service and psychology, in that it will equip me with these tools.

From this course, I expect to acquire a wealth of knowledge about how and why people form relationships, and the problems that may arise in social dealings, and how to solve these issues. By the end of the semester, I hope to have learned what I can do to assist people in their relationships with others. I also anticipate that I will be able to better understand my own motives and shortcomings in my personal interactions with other people.

In order to be successful in this class, I strive to read the materials presented and follow up with outside research based upon what we’ve learned in each chapter. I plan to complete the required assignments and manage my time so that I can achieve my maximum potential in this course, and all my courses. I look forward to everything this class has to offer!

 

Blog 2

I think that I am a confident, capable student. I was taught by my parents and teachers from a very young age that I can achieve anything that I set out to do. One of my father’s many mantras that he repeated to my siblings and myself was, “If someone else can do something, so can you.” This idea has colored my thinking throughout my life. I thoroughly believe that if something is at all possible, I can accomplish it if I set my mind to it.

Because of this, I am not sure how I can increase or improve my confidence levels, but I do know some factors that could help me achieve my goals. Among these are staying focused on the tasks that I set forth to complete, and making sure that I am taking steps in the right direction. I also try to celebrate my victories and not focus on minor setbacks.

My self-efficacy results seem to confirm what I already believe about by ability to accomplish tasks. I have included a screenshot of these results. According to the survey, I believe in my abilities as a student.

 

Blog 1

Humans are inherently community beings, and because of this, it is necessary to comprehend the basis of social interaction to understand the species. Since I plan to work closely with other people, and intend to help them as much as I can, it is imperative that I have knowledge about human behavior as it relates to interaction with others, the motives involved, and how to steer interpersonal exchanges in the most productive paths. This course is essential to my goals in community service and psychology, in that it will equip me with these tools.

From this course, I expect to acquire a wealth of knowledge about how and why people form relationships, and the problems that may arise in social dealings, and how to solve these issues. By the end of the semester, I hope to have learned what I can do to assist people in their relationships with others. I also anticipate that I will be able to better understand my own motives and shortcomings in my personal interactions with other people.

In order to be successful in this class, I strive to read the materials presented and follow up with outside research based upon what we’ve learned in each chapter. I plan to complete the required assignments and manage my time so that I can achieve my maximum potential in this course, and all my courses. I look forward to everything this class has to offer!