Blog 10
https://images.app.goo.gl/YZjBPxs4V5RdmiLL9
Looking back over the course of the semester and the course objectives, I feel as though we thoroughly covered each topic in detail. Having a better understanding of attitudes and how and why they are formed, social cognition, the formation of relationships as well as our understanding of others exceeded my initial expectations. Social Psychology encompasses more than just our social interactions as the picture above explains. Being able to apply several of the principles during my daily interactions with others has made me more cognizant of what is happening around me, my own attitudes and behaviors as well as a given me a greater appreciation for others. If I took this class again, I would create different study habits to allow ample time for all of the additional resources that are provided for re-enforcement. Being more socially aware to how attitudes are formed and changed and how they affect a person’s behavior will help me in my future endeavors in Criminal Justice.
Blog 9
https://images.app.goo.gl/GytNVM84Uc3ZVV8e7
Looking back over the material that we have covered in this course I have learned a great deal about the social component of psychology especially with regard to relationships and how and why we think and feel the way we do. Social psychology reminds me of the tree of life – rooted in personal strength and development, consciously and unconsciously growing towards and contributing to something uniquely beautiful – LIFE!
All of the blogs, assignments and modules discussed thus far have each had an impact on my perception and understanding about human relationships. Having a better understanding of the causes of behavior and social cognition and the inter-workings they have on our feelings and emotions and our actions towards others. Analyzing and describing pictures of myself for Assignment 2 was more difficult than I expected because it forced me to really look at myself from someone else’s eyes. This assignment along with the Self-Regulation Questionnaire from Blog 7 has helped me understand myself better which will in turn affect my behavior and relationships with others.
In my Correctional Institutions class, many of the concepts and theories that we have learned in this class have helped me see various criminogenic situations from a psychological perspective.
Blog 8
https://images.app.goo.gl/6Sns54DJm5JFQC6b8
Relationships are comprised of on-going give and takes between two individuals. Sexual conflict within romantic relationships is often the source of many arguments and can also be problematic. Women tend to seek partners that are good providers, seek to be valued and tend to need more reassurance of their partners commitment which can be emotionally, verbally or physically to reduce feelings of insecurity. Men tend to have the need of feeling validated and seek to find a partner that exhibits traits of being compassionate, understanding, sympathetic and suitable to maintain good housekeeping and child rearing. Sexual conflict arises when traits are not fully optimized. Communication and trust are imperative foundations to any successful relationship.
The slides on what women and men do to upset each other brings attention to various conflicts between sexes. Marriage is a commitment between two people that have chosen each other based off of their traits, the level of their importance and/or attractiveness and the concept of reproduction. If a woman desires a large family but a man seeks a small family or even to have no children at all can place tension on the relationship thus causing sexual conflict as illustrated in the picture above. A woman that is perceived to constantly nag, criticize or even gloat and brag can be upsetting to men whereas a man that is perceived to not listen or be insensitive to a woman’s needs and feelings can contribute to sexual conflict between them. While sexual conflict may not be a make or break for some couples it is a very important component to a healthy, sustainable relationship.
Blog 7
https://sciences.ucf.edu/psychology/myemotions-hxus/
Emotional Intelligence refers to the way in which a person handles their own emotions as well as the emotions of others. There are several components of a person’s emotional intelligence the core being self-awareness, or your ability to recognize and manage your own emotions and assess your strengths and limitations. I scored 5.75 which indicates that I have a slightly higher than average understanding of my own emotions, their impact on situations and relationships as well as heightened self-confidence. I also scored on the upper end (5.5/7) with regard to my awareness of others emotions which coincides with my perceived empathy towards others feelings.
Self-regulation addresses the ability to change or adapt to stressful situations as well as the ability to turn negative emotions into more positive ones by utilizing various techniques such as deep breathing, taking a walk or meditating. My score of 5.5 shows that I tend to handle stress well when faced with obstacles, keeping impulses at a minimum while using my emotions constructively to obtain goals. I feel that both of these scores accurately describe and support how well I feel I understand not only my emotions but those of others. A good example is when dealing with an angry customer, giving them my undivided attention, listening intently to why they are upset, validating their feelings and then working together towards a satisfactory resolution (goal) while maintaining my composure not allowing their negative emotions disrupt my positive ones.
Blog 6
I have always been aware cognizant of the way that women are portrayed and sexualized in ads but I was shocked to learn to what extent. Jean Kilbourne’s The Dangerous Ways Ads See Women brought a completely new perspective to the concept of how advertisements not only influence our choices as consumers but also our subconscious attitudes and behaviors towards women and girls, the long-term psychological effects they can cause and the means of normalizing objectification. It is no secret that companies have used photoshop to alter a females appearance be it their complexion, their physical appearance or even skin tone and hair color. I have never seen several of the ads she discussed and was befuddled by the blatant pornographic undertones so casually used as a sales pitch. These type of ads are degrading and demeaning to women of all ages, races and cultures and can have severe negative long-term effects on them, especially children.
The ads above are examples of how women are sexualized and used by companies to draw attention to their product while degrading and dehumanizing the sexuality of women. Both American Apparel ads and the KitKat ad are overtly sexually provocative suggesting sexual gratification which is totally nonrelevant to the product but alludes to a desired feeling attractive to men. While the ad for the chicken sandwich doesn’t have a woman’s face or body the message focuses on the size of breasts which insinuates that women with smaller breasts aren’t as loved which can lead to self-esteem issues and body shaming.
Men are also objectified in advertising however all of these ads are sexually suggestive portraying women as sexualized objects. Men are also objectified in ads but not to the extent and nature of women.
Blog 5
https://www.celebexperts.com/celebrity-chef-guy-fieri-and-rolaids/
This advertisement is considered a credible source because Guy Fieri is a well-known chef, with extensive knowledge and experience in cooking and with food. Heartburn is a common ailment anyone can experience following a meal. Considering Guy is an experienced chef, he has significant credibility for persuading an audience to purchase Rolaids. The ad does not convey any self-interest or benefit the therefore it doesn’t appear to have an ulterior motive other than suggesting a product to combat the discomforts and agitation caused my heartburn and acid indigestion.
http://imageblognews.blogspot.com/2010/08/50-weird-vintage-ads.html
An example of a non-credible ad is this one where the purpose is to convince you that doctors smoke a particular brand of cigarettes. The company’s attempt to persuade the viewer that their particular brand is accepted by the one profession that urges against the very behavior they are supporting. Medicine has proven the potential negative effects of smoking therefore this ad causes the viewer to engage in systematic processing because it goes against what they know to be true thus causing a reduction in credibility for the advertiser.
https://www.popsugar.com.au/tag/Calvin-Klein-Advertisements
The last, maybe one of the most effective examples of advertising persuasion is when a company utilizes the attractiveness of the communicators or actors to promote or encourage their message/product. In this ad Calvin Klein used attractive models, Katie Moss and Mark Walhberg, to model a pair of jeans and boxers. The physical attractiveness of models draws the viewer’s attention to their product making it appealing to both men and women. This evokes a feeling for the viewer that they too will be more attractive in these clothes regardless of their own personal physic.
Blog 4
After reviewing my test results, particularly the questions I answered incorrect I went back through my notes and the textbook to find the correct answers and where I erred. By doing this process I figured out that I mixed up a few of the social cognition concepts as well as the section on self-image. Preparing for this exam I reviewed my notes, notes I made in the text, key points and summary pages as well as the jeopardy reviews for each chapter. I also used the study guide as I was reviewing during the week and the questions I couldn’t answer I focused on reviewing those entire sections again. In effort to better my study habits, going forward I am going to try adding flashcards for terminology to help reiterate the information in a different way.
Blog 3
http://www.reflectinglife.org/blog/music/1264-be-musical
I chose this image because it shows how important music is to life, the beat of our own hearts is the rhythm, our life the lyrics.
Music often speaks when words can’t be found. I think that music is an unspoken glue that attracts and bonds romantic partners, friends, strangers and the like together. Music provides an appreciation, common ground and foundation for building and cultivating relationships. No matter a situation or how I am feeling music always meets me where I am giving me a sense of comfort and peace when nothing else seems to suffice. I have never really had a musical preference per se but looking back over my life there are periods of time where certain genres were definitely more prevalent than others.
When it comes to songs that are indicative to or remind me of certain people in my life, I struggle to find just one. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd reminds me of motherhood and my hopes and dreams for my children. To always be simple and true to who they are, to follow their heart and not live too fast.
My fiancé and I both grew up with fathers that played guitar and we learned at a young age to appreciate music. Several of our best friends are musicians affording us the opportunity to still be involved on a very personal level. Music was and still is the commonality for us to share and express our emotions and reminisce about past experiences and special times in our lives. To me music is a vital part of any relationship, it fosters creativity and affection, gives peace for the soul and an emotional outlet on so many levels.
Blog 2
I chose this image as representation of how I rate myself with problem solving, resourcefulness and overcoming challenges of the unexpected.
Organization, time management and thinking outside of the box have always come easy to me and are subconscious characteristics that play out in my day to day life. Academically I have learned that this is a driving force behind staying on top of my studies as well as my assignments. Weekly time blocking for each class, especially as an online student, allows me ability to devote my undivided attention to that specific subject without thinking what I may be behind on or lacking in another. Allocating ample time for each class gives me time to reflect and apply what I am learning thus giving me an added layer of feeling confident in my studies. While these are good habits/traits to have I oftentimes find myself overthinking and second guessing my understanding and execution of certain tasks doubting that the product is truly my best effort.
While completing the General Self-Efficacy Scale assignment I found myself torn between the best self rating of moderately or hardly true. Several questions brought numerous scenarios to mind some of which would accurately depict moderately true while others were hardly true given the same question but different situation. This is best described as the context and comparison dimension because both situations were correct representations of myself however the variance was the given situation or circumstance that first came to mind. My score was a 33, slightly above the given average. I tend to get more creative and think more abstractly when faced with finding a solution to a difficult problem, even if it means seeking input or help from outside sources. As I get older I rely more on the wisdom I have gained from past experiences to aid in my ability to cope and maneuver through difficult or unexpected situations.
Blog 1
After reading the course objectives I feel as though they will all be helpful to my future in some form or capacity however, there are two that areas that I am particularly looking forward to. The first is understanding the process of perception and understanding others. I have a passion for prison reform, rehabilitation and re-entry. By better understanding human perceptions and the ‘why’ behind their thinking develops a natural, more optimistic even empathetic appreciation for and interest in why someone’s past may have impacted or influenced some of their decisions and behavior.
I think that this class will be enlightening and bring new insight to individual behaviors, attitudes and relationships and how they contribute to or take away from various social problems.
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