eP Blog 10

My initial expectations of this course were to learn more about my clients and their drivers. I have grown in my understanding of social psychology and how I can better influence my clients. The largest area I have grown is understanding the process of how people understand one another. After looking back at the course objectives, I am confident I have learned how to influence liking with other people in order to form a close relationship. Furthermore, I have been able to make closer connections with my clients through what I have learned in this course.

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic we are experiencing, my attitudes towards this course has changed. I have adapted what we have learned about building and maintaining a close relationship with my customers over the telephone. Typically, I can read a person’s body language when we meet face to face.

The one thing I would do differently if I took this class over again would be to study more for our first test. I was not prepared and did not score well; I wish I was able to change the outcome. By learning this lesson, I have grown academically to always be prepared before taking a test in a new class. Typically, I struggle to maintain time to study as well as work full time.

The skill I will take away from this course is learning how to understand people’s point of view from their lens. Most people only look at their point of view and do not account for the other persons point of view. This is the case especially in sales because most salespeople want to sell a lot of something so they can make commission.

eP Blog 9

I have learned a lot from taking this social psychology course. The most important takeaway for me so far is discussing difficult topics. For example, discussing if a person using a racial slur is racist this was our third assignment takeaway. I learned to get out of my comfort zone by examining this issue.  Another takeaway is being self-reflective in answering questions on how I want to be loved. Areas like these aren’t something I discuss openly or frequently. I had to be self-observant to answer these questions truthfully and honestly. I had to take a deeper look into myself while writing this assignment.

Finally, I learned about social intelligence and self-regulation in eP Blog 7. I have been in sales for a few years and never examined my state of mind while dealing with my clients. Typically, I have a goal of a meeting or call to achieve a sale or progress a conversation in the sale cycle. This assignment showed me how I need to take a step back and self-examine in this area in order to be better.

In my opinion, this class closely relates to a persuasion class I took last year. While persuasion focuses mostly on the desired outcome, social psychology is more about social interactions. I believe the correspondence bias is similar to persuasion as a person is looking to portray a certain style or characteristic in order to achieve the ultimate goal. For example, if I didn’t shave or showed up late to a meeting, I would look unprofessional and be less persuasive than if I was on time.

eP Blog 8

I found this article about mating very interesting. I though it brought up a lot of good points in relationships and marriages. One area I was surprised wasn’t mentioned in the article is the age of relationship. In my opinion, there would be different mating behaviors if two twenty-year old’s compared to two forty-year old’s.

How do men upset women? In my opinion men upset women by being distant or inattentive. Also, how men communicate being frustrated or stressed can come off directed at a woman. Another area would be sensitivity, most men aren’t sensitive to women and their feelings or simply don’t understand their sensitivities. Men are mostly driven by physical appearance.

How do women upset men? In my opinion, women upset men by being dramatic or making a small issue into a larger issue. Also, how they tend to communicate to men. Women tend to be very emotional in their relationships while some men don’t understand that level of emotions. I also believe men feel women nag them to do chores or bicker about different issues.

I chose to use this photo to describe how men and women communicate.

eP Blog 7

Self-regulation is part of emotional intelligence because it is how you manage your own emotions and abilities. Emotional intelligence is being aware of your emotions and feelings, and it is very important in my day to day life. With a career in sales, I need to be aware of my emotions to ensure I am not always portraying how I am feeling with a client. Also, I am an emotional person by nature. For example, if my favorite sports team is losing in a game, I will start yelling at my television.

Furthermore, I am an emotional driver, and this is an area in which I could use more emotional intelligence. If a person speeds past me or cuts me off, I immediately have an emotional or aggressive reaction like honking my horn. I believe this is partially out of fear; I don’t want to get into a car accident, especially at a high rate of speed. I would like to change my negative reactions while driving.

eP Blog 6

I viewed the Ted Talk by Jean Kilbourne discussing how ads reflect women. Prior to viewing this video, I haven’t noticed how ads distort or stereotype women to sell more products. I have noticed, however, that many company ads seem to have models that are fake, or photo shopped. Furthermore, I was not aware that companies manipulate women to buy their beauty products by dehumanizing them.

I have a new understanding of differential gender representation in advertisements. Before this assignment, I didn’t put much effort into looking at advertisements. I was surprised to learn men are more dominate in ads and women are more submissive. Furthermore, I was displeased that companies are starting to use young girls and dressing them up like adult women.

eP Blog 5

Picture 1 represents a credible source because it illustrates the earths warming temperatures from the past 2019 years. This was illustrated by Dr. Ed Hawkins who studied the earths temperatures going back thousands of years. This is a credible source because Dr. Hawkins has expertise in this field. Furthermore, each line on this chart represents a year of temperatures. In my opinion, this is a credible source because it clearly shows our temperature is getting warmer year after year.

Picture 2 represents an advertisement that is not credible. This picture describes how great our stock market is doing and Donald Trump is taking the credit for the stock market gains. The reason this is not a credible advertisement is because Donald Trump has a personal gain in this being spread around. With it being an election year, he is looking to portray himself in the best light possible.

Picture number three represents ad attractiveness. I chose the advertisement for Nike with Tiger Woods holding up his hands in victory. The ad reads, “The Face of Confidents” with the nike swoosh. I found this attractive source effective because Tiger is known as one of the best golfers to ever live. Furthermore, he is on a comeback and has been playing golf extremely well. I believe this is typical of athletes and commercials because many kids look up to them and want to wear the same clothing and items as professionals.

Blog 4 

After taking the first exam, I reviewed the answers I did not get correct. This was a painful process as I did not score well on this test. I felt my notes were accurate on the course reading but were not detailed enough. I had a general sense of what I believed would be on the test. However, some sections were very detailed, and my notes were insufficient. I mixed up a few definitions I had written in my notes, which hurt my overall grade, and I also didn’t take enough time to review my notes and class information. I watched each Jeopardy game and took notes, but I didn’t review these notes before the test.

I did not use the review sheet before taking the test. The feedback from looking up the correct answers will help me study more before the next two tests. It can be difficult for me to find time to study during the week because of my work schedule. Typically, I work more than fifty-five hours a week, and it is difficult to do schoolwork after a long day. There is no excuse for not studying enough, and I will ensure that I am more detail-oriented with memorizing definitions and course material.

Blog 3

Music can play a large role in our lives. In my opinion, music brings people closer together whether it is a romantic partner or a friend driving around town. A song has the power to move your emotions if you are happy, excited, sad, or lonely. I believe music is so important in our lives because it gives expression to how we are feeling in relationships. The impact of a particular song can also last over time. If you hear an old song, it can often bring back a memory from years ago.

My wife and friends share the same music preferences. Even before I met my wife, we listened to the same music when we were in middle and high school. I am confident if two people like the same type of music they share similar values. I remember in high school, people made mixed CDs to share with everyone. Music brings everyone together.

Here is a list of songs I associate with key people in my life:

My wife – Chris Young “Who I Am With You”

We chose this to be our song as our first dance as a married couple.

My mom – Lynyrd Skynyrd “Simple Man”

I danced with my mom at our wedding to Simple Man.

My older brother – Needtobreathe “Brother”

I love the lyrics of this song because it really describes a relationship with a brother.

My friend, Luke – Diamond Rio “Meet In The Middle”

Luke and I used to sing along to this as we drove around his farm.

My Hockey Coach – Big & Rich “Comin’ To Your City”

I played this song in our locker room before every hockey game, and it became our team anthem.

My former roommate, Nick – Toby Keith “Beer For My Horses”

We used to listen to this song in college after driving back to our house from rugby games.

My Song – Switchfoot “Meant To Live”

I played this song on a mission trip to Romania with my Church Band.

Blog 2

I believe I am a dedicated student when I am able to prioritize my time. I feel that I have strong confidence in my academic ability because I can relate my past work experiences to different challenges. For example, I am used to running reports and having to dig for information I need, this helps my confidence level in school. Although I am confident, one area I could increase my schoolwork is planning time. I consistently work 55-60 hours in any given week. Once my workday is over that is when I try to start focusing on school. Typically, I leave larger assignments to the weekends where I can focus more intensely.

My results might not be accurate, but I scored a 34. To be honest, I don’t lack confidence when it comes to school because my work is more demanding. Also, I am in sales and you have to be confident in yourself to get the job done. I am a firm believer in hard work paying off. I am able to accomplish more by being confident.

        

Blog 1

I am excited to gain insight into Social Psychology by taking this class. I am confident in my ability to use what we learn to help influence my sales experience. Currently, I am looking to learn more about my customers and their behaviors and drivers, essentially, why they do what they do. By understanding their behaviors and drivers I will have the opportunity to understand their process and influence their decision making.

I have had to change some preconceived expectations about my company from my customer base. By learning more about Social Psychology I hope to have closer relationships with my clients. My goal is to be a business partner and not just another salesman. Ultimately, by implementing the strategies of this course I can gain more access to businesses and employees.

Meme: Social Emotions