Blog 10
My initial course expectations were realistic. I am confident I have a deeper understanding and knowledge of psychological research and theory that focus on cultural impacts on behaviors globally. I now understand the magnitude of culture on human behavior. This course coincided with all of my classes this semester, allowing me to apply the information learned to multiple areas. Although I still have much to learn, I am significantly more culturally competent than at the beginning of the semester. I took this coursework seriously and performed well throughout the semester. I would only make adjustments in one area, remembering to write the visual artifact explanation on all of my blogs. I somehow missed a few!
Throughout this semester, I have grown academically regarding perceptions. I now read articles, blogs, or opinion-based writing with more open-mindedness and understanding. I now consider the writers’ experiences, enculturation, and nation of origin when reading their pieces. As a result, I want to ensure I remain culturally competent and cognizant of my own bias in forming opinions. These new patterns in thinking are invaluable in a professional setting. I am now a more desirable employee because I consider the impact of my words and biases on fellow employees and the workplace environment.
https://www.ecald.com/resources/cultural-competence-assessment-tools/cultural-competence-continuum/
I chose the above image because it represents the area I have experienced the most academic growth. Being culturally competent and proficient is essential in academics and professional settings.
Blog 9
After reviewing my e-Portfolio, I concluded the top three things I have learned in this course thus far: the Unites States is an individualist culture with a high emphasis on time. Second, there are societal and evolutionary aspects to gender stereotypes. Finally, I realized how my deep interpersonal relationships impact my identity.
Assignment Takeaway 4 mirrored the themes in Blog 7 regarding media portrayals of gender stereotypes. By examining gender stereotypes in movies and printed advertisements in different countries, I observed the portrayal of women as sex symbols, submissives, and weaker than their male counterparts. This finding was interesting as I had assumed that Denmark’s self-proclaimed “progressive” country would have displayed fewer gender stereotypes in its media.
There was a connection in the material between Module 7 and 12 archived items and Blog 5. All three of these assignments highlighted the value I place on interpersonal relationships regarding my identity. My photos of happy moments in Module 7 show my display of socially engaged emotions. Blog 5 illustrates my interdependent construal of self. Finally, Module 12 Archive displays my protective cradling body language as a wife and mother.
I also noticed several instances where the topics covered in this class related to work I am doing in different courses. For example, when reading about individualist cultures in this course, I also covered them in my Positive Psychology course. I found similar themes in The Values American Live by, and my Positive Psych text Positive Psychology The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. In Kohls’s (1984) article, the value of time in American culture is explained as one of the most significant values we utilize. Our individualistic culture treats time like a spendable commodity (Kohls, 1984). This idea is represented in my Positive Psychology textbook by explaining that because Americans are individualistic, there is a need for uniqueness, which feeds into our obsession with time (Lopez et al., 2019, p. 30).
Kohls, L. R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Washington, DC: Meridian House Internal.
Lopez, S. J., Pedrotti, J. T., & Snyder, C. R. (2019). Positive Psychology The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths (4th ed.). Sage.
I chose the above image to illustrate the process I utilized to review and summarize what I have learned in this course thus far. First, I had my course work open and my Google Drive, e-Portfolio, and textbook. Next, I reviewed all my assignments to find the correlations of the material explained in this blog.
Blog 8
I have noticed that everyone has some unique way of expressing themselves, even in the same culture. When there are cultural differences, the differences in emotional expression are more noticeable. For example, my friend from the U.K. is very reserved and proper when she first meets someone. As time progresses, she relaxes more, which is similar to my friends from the U.S. and more representative of behaviors I expect. However, my friend from the U.K. does not discuss negative emotions in a large setting. She often says something like, “I’m British; we don’t show emotion.” Although she is partially kidding, there is some truth in her behavior to that mindset. She will withhold information and smile more when around other people, which is confusing at times because she is very forthcoming when she and I are alone. While she can recognize many of the facial expressions I make, she often asks,” what is that face?” She assumes that I am upset or uncomfortable if I am not smiling, which indicates the emphasis placed on the expression of the mouth by Western cultures (Emotion perception across cultures, 2016). I am simply thinking of something I have to do most of the time. She interprets my thoughtful/distracted expression as upset.
Americans allow and encourage expressive communication even if the expression is negative. Any expression I make that is not my typical smile or enthusiastic demeanor confuses my friend. She often texts me to ask if anyone is angry with her because she cannot always interpret the nonverbal cues when we are in a group setting. These tendencies make sense after reading the section in the text about cultural display rules and how they determine our reaction to expression (Matsumoto & Juang, 2019, p. 214). While some universal facial expressions are easy to interpret, the cultural display rules impact our social interactions.
Emotion perception across cultures. (2016, October 9). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/between-cultures/201610/emotion-perception-across-cultures
Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2019). Culture and psychology (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
https://www.quotemaster.org/repressed+emotions
I chose this image because it is a quote from famous English actress Emily Blunt, who married famous American actor John Krasinski. The quote mirrors my experiences with my British friend and fits this assignment well!
Blog 7
I believe many fairy tales perpetuated the social and cultural norms that women are weak, submissive, helpless, and waiting for a prince to save them from their situation. Often, a grand romance or love interest leads the female characters into dangerous situations. Then the savior (the prince) shows up to remedy all the problems. I am a fan of the more recent animated films with no love story and female characters being heroines. Showing children nongender conforming characters helps create the perception that children can be whomever they wish. Showing children that all gender and races have equal potential is pertinent to creating new gender norms. If we enculturate our youth with images of equality, they will have different gender, racial, and ability norms as they develop.
When Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was released, I was three years old. I remember watching that movie my entire childhood. I loved it so much. Belle was the only princess with brown hair and brown eyes, so I identified with her more than other princesses. I also grew up with brothers and had the mentality that I could do anything that a boy could. Therefore, the importance of having a female animated character be the heroine and self-reliant was inspiring as a child. Belle was intelligent, fierce, relentless, family-oriented, and morally centered.
I chose this visual because it encompasses the values of inclusiveness. Unfortunately, there cannot be fair representation in society while media outlets such as films only represent majority populations and outdated gender stereotypes.
Blog 6
Regarding Self-Determination Theory, I find my intrinsic need to succeed academically less significant than my extrinsic need. When deciding to attend college, I was intrinsically motivated. I chose to get an education because I was interested in the subject content. I am also extrinsically motivated due to the societal pressure to get a college degree. I have maintained some autonomy through my competence level in my courses. I am motivated to make good grades because I try to be efficient with my time. If I am going to tackle an endeavor and devote time to it, I try to achieve my best performance at the task. The good grades reassure me of my competence which motivates me to keep trying. I have been an exclusively online student for several years. I maintain relatedness by discussing my course work with my husband, who is also a student currently. He understands my frustrations and encourages me to continue working hard to maintain excellence.
I chose this photo to represent how I fulfill my need for competence academically. Above are all the classes I have completed at ODU. Regardless of changes in my personal life, such as becoming a wife and mother since I began school, I still maintain the level of competency that motivates me to keep my intense work ethic.
Blog 5
Statements 3,4,5,6,8,9, and 10 all reflect my interpersonal construals of self. Statements 1,2 and 7 are representatives of my independent construal of self. I am generous, funny, and in college. The most salient aspects of my identity are in context to my interpersonal relationships. I have been a wife for over a decade and a stay-at-home mother for nine years. For the past ten years, my primary responsibilities have been taking care of my family. As a result, I no longer think of myself as an independent unit. I experience the most happiness when I am with my family and friends. I am also highly social and have many interpersonal relationships with my friends.
“The early bird catches the worm” was the first proverb that came to mind. This proverb reflects independent thinking. This proverb has been widely publicized and repeated—our culture values highly hardworking people. There is also a sense of competition for superiority in most of life’s endeavors. Therefore, it does not surprise me that I could think of a saying that encourages individuals to be prompt and exceed expectations to receive rewards.
I chose this image because my identity as a mother is what I primarily describe myself as first. This facet of my personality utilizes most of my time, love, energy, and focus. Simultaneously, motherhood has provided me with more pride and joy than any other aspect of my identity. It represents my focus on interpersonal relationships.
Blog 4
I missed one question on exam one. After reviewing the exam, I realized I did not read the question thoroughly. I get nervous while taking exams which results in me rushing through the questions. I like to review all my answers before I submit them, but in this instance, I still did not pay attention to the wording in the question I missed. I studied the material for many hours over the past several weeks. I highlight in the text as I read the chapters. I used the review sheet as a reference while studying. If I had not highlighted the study guide’s information, I then added it to my digital notes. I will continue to study the way I did for this test.
I chose this image to represent the number of notes I took while reading the course content. I try to be very meticulous with notetaking to better prepare for exams.
Blog 3
According to the NEO personality test, I scored average in Neuroticism, very high in Extroversion, while ranking high in Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. I refer to myself as neurotic quite often. I have had anxiety issues as far back as I can remember. I have been dealing with OCD since I was a child. My OCD is rooted in fear of germs that then bleeds over into most areas of my life. I have particular methods for washing dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning my house. If I cannot complete my cleanliness routines the way I am accustomed, I develop anxiety. My high Conscientiousness score and anxiety are intermixed. I have to be organized and in control of certain things, or my anxiety spikes. I am aware I have irrational thoughts and behaviors around cleanliness, so I have had to make significant concessions since marrying and having children. I do not want to enculturate my children to have the same anxieties, so I try not to force my habits on them. My desire to have my children avoid developing this type of anxiety pushes me into my own version of exposure therapies. I do things constantly that spikes my anxiety, such as; visit playgrounds, amusement parks, public pools, public bathrooms, and any public space. I continue to participate in activities that make me uncomfortable so my children may have a sense of normalcy.
Contradictory to my high anxiety, I am very extroverted. I am very social and very open about my germ anxiety. All of my close friends know that I have Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer wherever we go. I host regular get-togethers and frequent public gatherings. I try to be welcoming to new people I meet. For example, I always welcome new parents to our neighborhood by offering my phone number and inviting them to attend one of our weekend soirees. I value my personal relationships, so my friends mean a great deal to me. I throw surprise birthday parties, offer to babysit, and try to be available whenever a vent session is needed. I exhibit high openness because I am very open with my feelings. I have an active imagination, and I frequently discuss my quirky thoughts and ideas with my friends and family. Finally, I am a massive advocate for straightforward communications. I was not surprised to rate high on the Agreeableness scale. I practice honest and forthcoming communication methods to eliminate confusion. Sometimes, being direct can lead to the perception that I am rude or cold, but that is not the case.
Personality Word Cloud
This word cloud represents my most prevalent self-assessed traits. Although they seem very contradictory, I think the above traits are my most valuable and obvious.
Blog 2
As I begin to consider potential career options, I have noticed I emphasize Action/work Orientation, Time and its Control, Change, and Practicality and Efficiency (Kohls,1984). I did not decide to attend college until I was twenty. After starting and stopping the process many times over the past decade, I am finally almost finished with my Bachelor’s in Psychology. My family relocated two times in twelve months during my senior year in high school. We ended up living in Georgia after I graduated. I never considered going to college because I was not too fond of school, and no teacher or adult ever encouraged me to go to college. Finally, I found myself living in a new state with no friends, and the company I was working for closed suddenly. I felt aimless and was unsure what my future held, so I decided to get an education.
Once I had decided to attend college, my parents offered support by paying for my first semester’s tuition. After the first semester, I was financially responsible for my college expenses. I was highly motivated to earn a high GPA to qualify for the available scholarships. I emphasize the same values regarding career performance and my higher education. As an adult, I strive for perfection in my endeavors. I hear people say things like “C equals a degree,” and I cannot relate to that sentiment. I view the time I spend away from my husband and children to be extremely valuable. If I am going to sacrifice time from what I value most, I will ensure that I am practical, efficient, and hardworking. These will be my most vital attributes when I begin searching for employment.
Kohls, L. R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Washington, DC: Meridian House Internal.
Demonstrated Values
The image above is a picture of my current GPA. I have worked very hard throughout my higher education to maintain stellar grades. Unfortunately, my transfer GPA is not listed because it was also close to a 4.0. I spend my time wisely and efficiently to ensure I perform to the best of my abilities.
Blog 1
The objectives of Psyc 420 focus on broadening the understanding of different cultures. This course also teaches how to engage with members from culturally diverse backgrounds. Being politically correct and knowledgeable of diversity will ensure I understand and appropriate counselor. I hope this course helps me realize any faulty perceptions I may have about other cultures and eliminate them. I anticipate this course will enable me to become competent at remaining open-minded, respectful, and more educated when dealing with cultural diversity. I intend to cover all the course materials, study diligently, and apply the information to daily interactions.
Cross-Cultural Diversity
This image is a colorful and vibrant visual of different aspects of culture. The picture is a metaphor for how I perceive cultural diversity. I may not understand all the words in this image, but I found it beautiful and exciting, just like cultural diversity.