ATA 5:
https://www.rogerkallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Unknown-3.jpeg
I chose this image as it represents the main idea of what I learned from assignment five.
Assignment five was very difficult for me. I had a hard time finding a journal article that was applicable to a topic covered in this course. But I was able to find a journal article on Alexithymia, Negative Emotions, and Sexual Behavior in Heterosexual University Students from Italy on Google Scholar. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between alexithymia scores and sexual behavior in a sample of college students. It was concluded from the study that alexithymia scores and sexual behaviors can be influenced by the effect of negative emotions.
By reading this journal article, I learned about how negative emotions can affect sexual behaviors. I also was able to research and learn more about Italian culture and how it compares/contrasts to American culture. In my Introduction to Psychology course, I learned about psychological disorders. The psychological disorders of depression and anxiety can cause a person to have negative emotions. These negative emotions can impact many aspects of their everyday life, including their sexual behavior.
While doing the research to complete this assignment, I learned a lot. Something that was personally relevant to me was how powerful our emotions are. A negative emotion can control and dictate our lives to be different than we want them to be. This was shown in this study that I read and discussed for this assignment. I have learned to be more mindful and cognizant of how I’m feeling and how much I allow my emotions to affect me as a person. I believe that this is an important lesson for everyone to learn.
ATA 4:
Image 1: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3f2485243f7283d0b0e1691c0f8558a520903d6a/0_0_500_889/master/500.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c52c9d1bb20162d01b18a8882dd71a6
Image 2: https://noahamandaandeliswebsite.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/2/19925315/9793619_orig.jpg
I chose these images as these are two of the advertisements that I analyzed for assignment four.
I thought that this was a very interesting assignment. I had not done an assignment like this previously. I am very aware of gender inequalities in the United States and other countries worldwide. I personally witness gender inequalities in my own personal life. I just learned in my sociology course about the inequalities that women face in the workplace. It was stated in the textbook that women only make seventy-seven cents for every dollar that their male counterparts make. Women also do not get promoted to management positions as much as men. Gender inequalities are very apparent in the workplace in the United States.
A country’s view on gender inequalities can be very apparent in their advertisements. I compared advertisements from the United States and the United Kingdom. I found that advertisements from both countries are very similar in nature. They both send the same message that women should fulfill their stereotypical gender role of being a “Suzy homemaker” by being a stay at home wife and/or mom, instead of pursuing their career goals. Advertisements can drastically change culture and how people view gender roles. People must be very careful about how much they allow advertisements to impact and sway their views and opinions.
ATA 2:
https://stickybranding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SBQ-Hard-Work-946×532.jpg
I chose the image above as it is representative of the value that I discussed for this assignment.
After reading L. Robert Kohl’s work “The Values Americans Live By,” I started to ponder about my lifestyle and values. The value that I could relate to and apply to my life the most was action and work orientation. I am a very hardworking individual. I believe that hard work and dedication ultimately leads to an individual’s success. But, that it is very important to take time out of our busy schedules to spend time with our loved ones, I have experienced this value in action in my own life through the actions of my family, friends, and myself. As a toddler, my single mother worked 2 jobs and attended a university. She worked extremely hard to provide for my family and give us a good future.
While completing this assignment, I learned that other cultures do not agree with this value. Leisure and family time are very important to them and are valued more. I learned that this is depicted in the spread of McDonald’s and how non-American cultures have not accepted the fast-food industry, in my Sociology course. It is very important in other cultures to have healthy, slow-pace family meals. Their values around meals do not align with the McDonald’s model that has been imposed on their countries.
ATA 1:
https://redshoemovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/letsbuildnebraska.blogspot.com_.png
I chose the image above as it shows people of many cultures. This is a great pictorial representation of the first assignment where the stages of intercultural sensitivity were discussed and we were asked to identify with one.
Assignment 1 was very interesting to me. I really enjoyed the fact that I could learn more about myself personally. The assignment taught me about the different stages of cultural sensitivity and what the thoughts and beliefs of a person in each stage are. I personally identified with stage four of the model: acceptance of difference.
This assignment has given me a look into how I view and feel about other cultures. Doing this assignment provided me the opportunity to really comprehend what cultural sensitivity is and how it relates to me in my life in the past, currently, and in the future. For the majority of my life I have not interacted with people of many cultures. I grew up in a small town where the majority of the population was a singular race. When I moved onto campus, I reacted with people of different cultures everyday. This was a very new concept for me. In the future I plan to travel. It is important to me that I am educated on how to best communicate and interact with people of different cultures. I am only on stage four of Milton Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, but I plan to continue to implement practices in my life to increase my cultural sensitivity and ultimately reach stage six of the model. The concepts covered in this assignment really made me think about and evaluate my personal life and my value of cross-cultural sensitivity.