ATA 5
For this assignment, we were tasked with doing five nice things for people over the course of a week. Throughout the week, I realized that it takes very little effort to think about someone else and show them kindness. From greeting someone with a smile to giving someone something they have always wanted, a little kindness can make someone’s day, week, or year better. I believe that people should treat each other the way that they would want to be treated if the roles were reversed. If you would want someone to help you out if you were in need, maybe do the same thing for someone else. I believe in karma, that whatever a person does will eventually come back to them. If everyone could show kindness to others, then the world would be better off.
I was able to apply this to a topic that was discussed in my abnormal psychology course during the spring semester. We discussed how people with mental illnesses were often times thrown in jail when they had psychotic breaks. Many of the people were initially treated like criminals and with cruelty. I don’t believe that this is how anyone would want to be treated ever or how anyone should ever be treated. I was also able to apply this to my lifespan development course last semester. We discussed how different relationship styles in the family can affect your development and future relationships. If your parent is cold and closed off, you may also become cold and closed off or you may become emotionally needy (clingy and manic).
I chose this image because it shows a person lending a helping hand to another. Below I have selected a quote that encompasses what I believe about being kind to others and lending a hand to those in need.
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Diana, Princess of Whales
ATA 4
In Assignment 4, we got to discover the different styles of love. We were tasked with taking the Scales of Love questionnaire. This questionnaire divided love into six different types of love: Eros, Ludos, Storge, Pragma, Mania, and Agape. The scores from this these questions indicated which styles of love I am high and low in. When I opened the questionnaire, I recognized it; it was one of the extra credit opportunities provided in my Lifespan Development class last semester. After taking it again, I went through my assignments to compare my scores. They were nearly the same, which is expected after only a few short months. I thought of my current relationship while answering these questions and reflected on the past to see how much I have changed. This helped me to realize what areas of love I have improved over the years and what I want to keep working on.
I chose this photo of my boyfriend and I because it shows how happy we are together, even in times of sadness. He is one of my best friends and I am glad he came into my life. I love spending time with him and cannot wait to see where life takes us.
ATA 2
Assignment 2 was a creative way for us to explore our self-concept and self-presentation. We had to gather some photographs to represent who we are. This assignment gave us the opportunity to introspect and share different aspects about ourselves. I learned about how and why we may choose to reveal parts of ourselves to different people. I learned that introspection is a good way to learn about and understand myself, but it can lead me astray.
Reflecting on the photos that I chose helped me realize that I do not exaggerate much of anything about myself. However, I do tend to overlook my negative traits a bit and all my photos do as well. This slight overlook of traits in photos helps to improve my self-esteem because the photos remind me that, even in difficult times, I can find happiness.
I was able to apply this assignment to my life development class. In that class, we talked about how as we grow up, we have moments where we look back on our life and see how far we have come. When we are older, we use this information to see what legacy we will be leaving behind.
“A person can only grow as much as his horizon allows.”
John Powell
I chose this photo because even though I feel that I know who I am, I am constantly learning new things about myself and improving myself. I believe that a person’s growth is endless, so long as they do not hold themselves back.
ATA 1
Assignment 1 was interesting because it was all about how our brains use cognitive shortcuts, heuristics, to make decisions. I learned about four types of heuristics: representativeness, availability, anchoring and adjustment, and status quo. Each heuristic is a different way that we make decisions quickly, without analyzing every piece of information. We use these heuristics all the time without even realizing it and it can often lead to wrong and harmful judgements. I was able to relate this assignment to the events that have happened this year. This assignment helped me to understand why and how people come to make their assumptions.
While reading about heuristics and writing my paper, I was most intrigued by the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. I went out to eat with my boyfriend at Olive Garden and when the food came out, there was so much. I couldn’t help thinking about what I had read about the heuristics. The anchor in this scenario, was the food that came out to my table. If I had eaten all the food in one sitting, I most certainly would have been overly full and gone into a “food coma.” I knew there was no way I could eat all of it in one sitting, so I decided I would try to eat half of it and put the rest in a box to take home. The image I chose is my example of making an adequate and possibly healthy adjustment to the portion size I was given at the restaurant.
