ATA5

Assignment 5 is about “Paying It Forward”. This assignment is related to the Prosocial Behavior Module 11 in which we learned about motivations to help others and factors that increase and decrease those motivations.  This assignment required me to write about 5 good deeds I did for strangers over the period of a week. In this assignment I learned that not only does helping strangers make recipients feel happier, but it also made me feel happier.  In addition, when thinking back on this module, I remembered a time when I was in the drive thru line at Starbucks and a random person in front of me paid for my drink. That act of kindness motivated me to pay it forward to the next person behind me in the line. This memory supports what I learned in Module 11 about prosocial behavior.

Below is a visual representation of my personal takeaway for this assignment. I chose this photo because it demonstrates how acts of kindness can multiply into more acts of kindness.

ATA4

Assignment 4 is related to the six subscales of love. The six subscales of love are Eros, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania and Agape. Eros is related to physical preferences, early attraction and emotional intensity. Ludus love is related to game playing. Storge love is related to having a combination of love and friendship. Pragma love is related to love planning. Mania love is a weak identity of self and the lover. Agape love is all-giving and non-demanding love.

As a result of this assignment, I learned that I have low levels of Storge and Pragma love. I also learned that I have high levels of Eros, Ludus, Mania and Agape love. In analyzing the levels of love for each of the six subscales, I realized that my current relationship has greatly influenced those scores.

Lastly, the picture below represents the Mania subscale of love. I chose this picture as a reminder of the importance of self-certainty.

ATA3

Assignment 3 was related to prejudice. For this assignment, I wrote an essay regarding whether it’s possible to rattle off a list of racial slurs without a racist intent or without it revealing a deep-seeded prejudice. In writing that essay, I came to the understanding that a person can rattle off racial slurs without racist intent. However, it still means the person has deep-rooted prejudice, regardless of the intent. I also learned that a racist person may have been developed by conditioning of family, friends, society etc. In addition, I learned that racist people may have had limited experiences or interactions with people outside of their own group. As a person of color, this essay was relevant to me because I have experienced racism and I now understand why someone become racist.

Lastly, I chose the picture below because it shows how a person may mentally separate his/her self from another person. This picture is a good representation of prejudice.

ATA2

The top artifact I think was most engaging was Module 6. I liked this activity because it allowed me to see myself in different aspects. It also helped me understand that people may have different perceptions of me based on roles I play in their lives. In addition, I learned that I act a lot differently in some roles when compared to other roles. For example, I am a lot more anxious and humorous in my role of as a wife and mother. However, I am a more serious and quiet to strangers and co-workers.

Further, this activity supported the idea that I am not being inauthentic when I’m in different roles. The feeling of being inauthentic was something that always bothered me. The reason why this bothered me is because I couldn’t seem to understand why I had to be a “different person” for different roles, people or settings (especially at work). Now I know that I am not being inauthentic and that different aspects require different parts of myself. Below is an original picture by me representing the different aspects of my self concept.

ATA1

In regards to this week’s assignment, I was able to review the seven course objectives and brainstorm how those objectives will help me in the future. The assignment also allowed me to realize my expectations for this course. In addition, it enabled me to create strategies that will ensure my successful completion of the course. Upon completion of this assignment, I’ve learned that I typically underestimate how much time is needed to complete course work and that I need to plan further ahead. The picture I’ve chosen to represent my personal takeaway is a picture of my new planner with due dates for assignments. I chose this picture because it represents my takeaway for this week which is planning ahead.