ATA4:
For my fourth and final assignment, I compared advertisements in North American and Chinese cultures. All of them represented gender in some way, and I was able to utilize these images to discover how gender roles are portrayed in these two cultures. Most of my findings were similar, there were clear and distinct gender roles used to target either men or women for advertisements. For example, in North American cultures they use colors to distinctly separate toys for different genders. Pink was used for girls and blue was used for boys. This can pose great threat for the younger generations growing up. These advertisements will continue the cycle of gender roles. In Chinese cultures their messages were similar, but a bit more transparent. For example, advertisements for jobs clearly stated they wanted men to apply and used pretty girls to target them. These advertisements strengthen gender roles when people see these actions publicly. To me, learning about these types of advertisements still being used was disappointing. There are many other classes I’ve been in that include the topic of gender roles. One example being my first sociology class. We had an assignment to walk around a store and spot any examples of gender roles. I went straight to the toy aisle, and they had many pink and blue labels. I quickly learned this is the reason these roles still exist. They are learned in our childhood.
Chinese culture advertisement:
I chose this picture to help visualize what I found in Chinese culture advertisements. As you can see, under “job requirements” it specifically states “men.” These advertisements and jobs are not only discriminating against women but lowering their self-esteem and depriving them of work.
ATA3:
For our third assignment, we read through a series of blogs focused on a student’s study abroad trip. I selected another psychology major and read about her trip to Jamaica. Two common themes occurred to me as I read from her first blog to her last: Identity and self-concept. In the beginning of her trip, she mentions how she related to another American female on the trip with her. Throughout her time in Jamaica, she finds herself adapting and bonding more with the locals. Toward the end of her trip she emphasizes how much she identifies with her new community. Also along the trip, she thinks back to when she was a child. She came from a decent family, had all her needs met and more. She realized how lucky she was when she compares herself to the community where children in Jamaica grow up. There is insufficient housing, bumpy roads, and low family involvement. These children continue to thrive regardless of their situations. This reminded me of a concept I learned in child psychology last semester called resiliency. Resiliency happens when a person is able to overcome difficult traumas or crisis and continue life as it was before. The children in Jamaica are given countless disadvantages compared to other children and they still continue to live their lives to the fullest. Many of these concepts I was able to reflect on while reading these blogs, I was able to strengthen my understanding and learn how to apply terms to real life. I can also use them to describe my personal life. For example, I can strengthen my self-concept by learning about the world around me. It helps to compare yourself to others in order to learn about yourself.
Dr. Seuss on Resiliency:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/191139.Oh_the_Places_You_ll_Go_
I chose this image from Dr. Seuss’s book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” because I believe the whole book helps to demonstrate resiliency and how you are in charge of your own thoughts and actions. I loved this book and a child and it continues to motivate me.
ATA2:
For our second assignment, we read through Robert Kohls’s 13 values he believed all Americans held. He created this explanation of values for non-Americans so they could understand why we do certain thigs and when they come to visit, they are more prepared. We were to choose a value we felt related most to us. I chose the value of Time and Its Control. This value represents the need for Americans to plan and keep a schedule for their daily lives. Americans also believe if they are not using their time to be productive, it is time wasted. Kohls warned non-Americans we were always on the move and to never be late. I related 100% of this value. I believe it first started in high school, I would fall behind if I did not plan when to study or do my work. Now in college and working, it makes life more manageable. While reading through the list of values, I was reminded of another topic we learned in this class, the Five-Factor Model or Personality. Using this universal taxonomy, we can see how our personalities relate to other countries. Both 13 values and the Big Five help us gain a better understanding of how countries relate, or maybe more how we differ.
My Planner 02/08-02/14:
I chose to take this picture of my planner to help represent why I chose the value of Time and Its Control. Every Sunday I write down my work schedule and my assignments for school. Once completed, I cross them off. It may look messy, however, it keeps me very organized.
ATA1:
For our first assignment of the semester, we learned the six stages of intercultural sensitivity and selected one we identified with. Each stage explained/related to how a person reacted toward other cultures. Acceptance of Difference best fits where I currently am, and Adaptation of Difference is where I would like to be in the future. The difference between these two stages is that Acceptance of Difference recognizes the differences between cultures and sets them apart. Adaptation of Difference gains the ability to emphasize with other cultures through experience. I believe this stage will help me best with my education and future work. For example, I hope to work in clinical psychology, and I may need to empathize with someone from another culture to help them to the best of my ability. Considering this, I was reminded of a different topic I learned in my Clinical Supervision in Psychology class. That topic was multicultural competence. While intercultural sensitivity relates to cultural awareness, multicultural competence relates to knowledge and skills needed to work in a diverse world. I believe intercultural sensitivity is one of those skills needed to fully obtain and understand multicultural competence.
I chose this quote by Albert Einstein because it related to one of the reasons why I identified with Acceptance of Difference. I was raised to respect others around me. This stage is about acknowledging the differences between cultures and even if we don’t agree with them, still respect them. For example, if someone in this stage did not understand something about a culture, they would ask respectfully and/or try to learn more.