Blog 10

My initial thoughts were to develop a better understanding behind societal psychology and this course has definitely provided that. Learning about practical concepts like America being more individualistic and Asian/other countries being more collectivist for instance are two concepts that have especially stuck with me. It even allows me to see how other cultures perceive my own and how I can better accommodate someone different than me by dissolving ethnocentrism and become more socially aware and diversified. Heuristics were also very intriguing to me, to have a label to define what so many do, and truly sub-consciously, is really eye opening. I feel I have achieved the course objectives well and learned a lot in the process. Staying organized and not procrastinating have been two huge differences in my approach to this semester and have ultimately served me well.

My attitude towards Social Psychology is that I hope to continue to learn more about it, seeing its relevance so clearly. I really enjoyed the course content as it touched on a broad range of scenarios, perceptions, and classifications. I would take the class in person, if I took it again. Obviously the current health pandemic is what prohibited that during this semester, but I would love student interaction that you can really only get in a class room of like minded individuals, in person. The will power to stay on task and maintain a schedule via virtual class has helped me grow tremendously as a student. If I did not put information into my calendar this would have been a wreck like I experienced in the past. But learning from those mistakes resulted in a much less stressful semester given the atmosphere of the times. That would also fall under a skill I gained from my experience with this course that will benefit me in my future profession.

Blog 9

For this blog entry I want to recognize three things I learned about that stick out from this semester; heuristics, the concept of one’s self, and implicit bias. Heuristics was rather interesting because it seems to come natural for humans to make quick assumptions to categorize anything. Learning how this can impact our thought process negatively in the spirit of saving time, was a clear indicator we must commit to deep thought regarding life-especially the people we live among within in. The concept of one’s self was something we covered in detail. It was clarifying to learn how this dictates the way we perceive ourselves, links to how we treat and observe others. I think it was a great way to learn more about the functional human. Implicit bias was another topic discussed that especially seemed relevant to consider, given the current atmosphere within our country and even the rest of the world. It taught me how to identify my own and how to counter that, acknowledgment/recognition seeming to be the first step in breaking down that inner intrusive voice. Blog 8 relates to the heuristics we learned about in the essence of making assumptions. I can gather many ways men irritate women and vice versa, but they are still generalities that don’t apply to all. It’s remembered that is important to consider given the context of the lessons. The concept of ethnocentrism in this course related to my Human Services work. I was able to learn about it from a psychology standpoint here and read further on how that plays a key component with cultural competence when serving the community. Not to mention how important it is to be aware of this and take measures to become as inclusive as possible to best serve all since we are all different.

Blog 8

After reading the PDF article many scenarios come to mind. With the first image, a snap shot of commentary from the HBO Show Broad City, Ilana and Abbi are told to “smile” from a man. This is a prime example of how men anger women. They (not all, speaking in generalities) take it upon their selves to insert their opinions on how a woman going about her day should look. You would never hear a man tell another man to do that, they might even get frazzled by the idea due to internalized homophobia. They often interject their opinions, abortion rights, thinking women are too emotional (Trump though), thinking we are less intelligent, fragile, or should remain in roles created centuries ago (you all also used to go off to war or hold down the finances for the household). Bottom line (lots of) men do many things to disenfranchise, invalidate, or demoralize and objectify women.

An example of how women anger men is by, well I could say existing, with our own intuitions, autonomy, and intelligence. Not being a maid, mother, or mere sexual object is sometimes hard for them to grasp. That seems to trigger many men who need to have their egos validated. Women choosing to not lay dormant and docile, to rebel against the patriarchy (free the nipple campaign, me too, etc.), and to no longer comfort the male inferiority complex so many have, some possibly unsure where its roots even come from. Sometimes men are subjected to the same systems women suffer from, just in differing ways, these archaic systems are to blame and luckily amidst modern times a lot of amazing men have taken on feminism, equality. However there are vast instances of the inequalities displaced on women based on male hierarchy among our societal structures that have been around for centuries, worldwide. Women refuting those, even something as simple as calling for nipple equality, has perplexed a lot of the male species. They claim to (most) be hyper-intelligent, so I’m sure they’ll catch on soon enough.

Blog 6

The ads I viewed in the Ted Talk were not surprising to me. I am a millennial vulva owner who is hyper aware to the ways in which society views woman on a multidimensional spectrum. It’s so complex to break down the intricacies of generalized human perception, but also quite simple to disseminate. Instead of viewing a person as an object, making assumptions, relying on heuristics to guide your point of view, or even taking a past interaction with a member of this sex and deciding that speaks for all; one can avoid a lot of sexism if they took initiative to simply treat all as equal. However these original advertisements pictured above chose to stick to status quo and objectifying women, even portraying them as willing to go along, simply to please the male existence. We must be obedient and of simple mind to think-though it’s oh so hard, slim but full breasted with a plump behind but heavens no hips or to be too thick, beautiful but not promiscuous, gratuitous for men’s existence, and eager to please. Not to say men don’t experience sexism too, they are to be tough, emotionless, muscular, assertive, etc. and if you are not then you are violently (sometimes literally) opposed by male counterparts, even worse (to the macho’s of the world) could be referred to as homosexual or feminine like. The video helped me gain a deeper understanding to see how men have their own tribulations and societal roles they must feel, I do feel empathy for them, especially to the men who feel confined to this structuralist identity. However my generation is crushing these norms and to see men express emotion, ladies or theydy’s (as we say for more neutrality) embrace their more masculine sides, etc. is quite freeing.

Blog 5

In the first ad the original image is of a pretty empty common area. You can see in the second, edited image there seems to be a lot more people present. The edited, perceived non-credible, image was released and publicized in order for 45 to appear much more celebrated than he is. However, the fact that he had to have a government employee edit and release a new image goes to show two things. One, he is incredibly insecure and immature, and two he must flatter his inflated ego in order to present as the image he holds within his own empty head to the public, by doing what ever he must to fulfill that deep seeded need. What a tell.

The second ad is of 45 saying “No More Games, This is a National Emergency”. Which begs the question, so before this point you admit to playing games with American lives? This Ad at first glance is perceived as credible, but with a quick search you can find out the betraying image of unity and seriousness is a fallacy, as his whole presidency has been. How come he now wants to take things with intent, does that mean before he was not doing so? What kind of consistency does that show the American people in this confusing ad? None, is the answer.

In the final ad you see the 46th presidential nominee, with his slogan “Build Back Better”. This ad is attractive because it is one with a decent slogan, a candidate who doesn’t appear inhuman, and you can quickly investigate further to see what he represents and is about. The image is clean and clear and allows a quick message to be shown about what this nominee represents and stands for. His intent is to gain the presidency so obviously there is intent behind each message being broadcast, but he has not yet received that position, so he must prove worthy first. Especially amidst times where the internet creates a haven for folks to be able to pick apart every image and word from history to present. One must be as attractive and on point as possible.

Blog 4

After reviewing the questions I got wrong on my exam I noticed they were ones where applying the concepts we learned, based on knowledge of how they are used in life scenarios, seemed to trip me up a bit. To me this means I need to not only understand the text definitions but practice recognizing those in the real world. To better prepare for my next exam, I will make sure to try and include examples under the definitions I take in my notes. This way I can get more comfortable with application versus focusing only on memorization of the basic concept.

I think by making these adjustments to my notes it will help my process of understanding in the future. Also I’m considering printing out the exam review way ahead of time and being conscious of those emphasized key terms while going through new course material. This way I have an idea of the prioritized terms prior to the next exam. This will allow me to focus my attention on gaining a deeper understanding to better prepare for future exams.

Blog 3

Nicki Minaj- Super Bass: This song reminds me of my child hood best friend Nicole. We would have all the windows down in her jeep, sing every lyric, while dancing wild for all to see. This takes me back to a time of being care free and purely enjoying each others company.

The Cranberries-Zombie: My mother’s taste in music varied, but I remeber us both belting this out in her suburban, getting hyped for my field hockey tournaments years ago. Every time I hear this I remember those moments of psyching myself up with my mom over an incredible woman’s voice.

Neck Deep- A part of Me: This song brings about memories with my sister, two years younger. Sometimes the only escape we had growing up was to get in our car and drive down the parkway screaming this at the top of our lungs. It was cathartic and a shared moment of letting go. I cherish those times.

Filter- Hey Man, Nice Shot: Even though my relationship with my father is estranged, he admittedly has decent taste in music. I remember hearing this song he would play and enjoying it, he would then go into great detail as to what the lyrics captured and what the underlying message was.

Smashing Pumpkins- Mayo: My past partner and I were together for almost 5 years, and though that has ended we remain great friends. This song reminds me of him because it was his favorite and led me to love the Pumpkins more than I already did. When ever I hear them I remember the moments we shared jamming out in our home or car together.

Balance and Composure- More to Me: This band came along in my adolescent years. Though they no longer make music, what is available has made a big impact on me. The lyrics in this song actually gave me inspiration for a tattoo I came up with. A tree ring on my elbow, I wanted to express the many levels with in me and how I constantly am discovering new ones.

I definitely think music and relationships can create a connection, though the specifics will look different for each individual. I personally don’t hold it against someone if they like a certain kind of my music that I may loathe, say country for instance. However, I will also throw a fit if they try to trap me into listening to it, I just won’t do it. But I appreciate everyone’s individual taste, it makes them unique. I can say most of the people in my life share similarities in music taste with me, but not in totality. Usually differing relationship characteristics can be found just as differing music taste varies from person to person. I don’t think alternate opinions here would be an end all be all, though others may feel differently. But the aspect of hearing a song and connecting with an individual based on your common love for the beat, lyrics, etc. is really something special to share.

Blog 2

For this blog I decided to use an image of the GSE test I used to score my self as a student. This allowed me to see on paper I trust myself and have more faith in my abilities than the sometimes negative intrusive thoughts allow. I have always been decent when it’s come to school. Not super successful in my past, but always able to do what I needed in order to succeed. A lot of my early educational days were under the roof of a very tumultuous home life. This surely took away from some of the dedication I may have channeled better given a safer space. Even while working on my associates I found dedicating time to general education courses to be unfulfilling and just a necessary part of getting me to a certain conceivable goal.

As I got a little older and progressed in my studies I also did a ton of interpersonal work. This allowed me to see I didn’t trust my self in various ways, including my scholastic abilities. By making the conscious decision I would no longer let past faults and practices fail me I knew I had to make an effort to begin practicing new ones to better serve my current self. Especially recognizing there is no invisible hand that will swoop in and save me, it’s essentially up to me to create the life path that I want and to make that easier on myself by practicing different methods to aide in achieving that. Not to say I am not met with thoughts of procrastination or disinterest, but I choose to not listen to those and self sabotage my productivity anymore.

I now have a much higher level of confidence in myself as a student because I know I am fully capable of initiating change if I decide and dedicate myself to it. It’s like learning to take your power back and grab the driver seat in your own life. The reward is not something measurable, but the feeling of satisfaction is reignited every time I turn in something a head of a deadline, with no added stressors I would usually inflict on myself. This has transpired into many other dimensions in my life, even when it comes to self love and acceptance and in turn made me and all around more decent human. Learning from other scholars I admire, listening and implementing their advice, observing successful and unsuccessful methods others have tried are all tools I use to better benefit my own scholastic journey.

Blog 1

I have always been a successful procrastinator. It has gotten me to this point where I am able to continue my path of ongoing learning while achieving a Bachelors in Psychology, Minor in Human Services. However, when looking back on previous educational experiences I noticed how much stress that caused me as well. I decided to take a different approach with a new school to help ease my transition into Old Dominion. This time I will review all of my class syllabus’s and create an easily viewable master copy. Then I input all major assignment dates into a Google calendar app on my phone. I made a conscious decision to get a head start in order to account for lost time I may experience due to working full time and being a functioning social human being. Based on the syllabus I expect to be constantly engaged in thought provoking material. I enjoy learning the details surrounding the normality’s of humanity that many may not think as in depth about. No fault of their own, many haven’t been subjected to such detailed course content. Taking this course will allow me tools to think deeper, approach situations/people with a broader perspective, and ultimately bring my career choice a bit closer to fruition.

I believe my early up bringing certainly played a role in my natural path of selecting Psychology as my life calling, or career choice. Though many others have suffered worse, my own traumas left me with the impression I must understand the “why” behind many peoples actions/perceptions/influences/opinions/etc. Though I quickly have learned there is rarely a definite solution or concrete answer, I’ve accepted and made peace with that. Now I anticipate learning the depths of the human experience as a whole to better understand my peers and reciprocate ways to aide them on their own journeys. Rather than focusing on the burden life puts on us, I want to embrace the precious time we have and promote others to seize control over what they can and worry less about things we can not.