Blog 10

So my expectations, as stated in blog 1, were “For everything to not be complex in this class, but rather simple. It already seems like a lot of reading, so I need to learn how to really take notes that get as much information in few words as possible. I want to just know, absorb, and remember what is important or what I will be tested on. It honestly is a lot of information and from the looks of it, it’s a little overwhelming.” I experienced the complete opposite, if anything, I have been doing well in this class and have learned so much. Everything I have learned can be, and often applies to me. At first, my worry was the class would be difficult leading me to feel discouraged. I have been able to really “approach work as if you are showcasing it” and really be expressive and creative in how I do so. When I do my assignments I do them and turn them in early ahead of the due date and contact Misty (she’s so nice) if anything. I have really enhanced my focus this semester which has really helped me put my best foot forward. I’ve learned about different types of love and interactions as well as how I view certain things. I feel that the focus that I have, right now is what I need to utilize in my life. Things get rough and really tough but I feel if I stay focused it can help me jump right back on track.

I chose this image because, I have felt really good about this class and followed the instructions, it has really been helpful. Coming into this class I fretted a little because I have never made an ePortfolio. So a lot of times I felt I would be doing it wrong or it would be complicated. Or the whole time, I would be the one overcomplicating it. Yet, I have a great grade in the class, I do pretty well on exams so, so far my expectations were better than I expected.

Blog 9

If there is anything that seems to make up my ePortfolio and its entirety it is how much I have learned about myself. So for the ePortfolio is about things that I have learned, yes, but I also have had to apply it to myself. The top three things I have learned so far include heuristics (activity), love styles (activity), and attraction (artifact). Everything that I do and feel a lot of times has to be in tune with me as a person. Based off of how I make certain choices, for example I associate with both availability and representative heuristic. Often times, before making a decision, I hesitate and can be indecisive. This is because I am weighing options or am fixated on an issue that may not be an issue at all. So, in most cases, I have to have made a decision previously, that may relate the predicament I am currently in and then hope my pre-decision does not fail me. Same thing with the availability heuristic I go based off of what I think I feel is right, after I have thought about it. I do not do anything if I am unsure and do not have a feeling that I know. It is all really about a sense of knowing and feeling. These concepts kind of merge and dictate, maybe, my style of love in the sense that there is a lot of comfortability and non openness to what may be new or different. I scored high for pragma, and I believe that has to do with “planned love.” I would never plan love but I am a person who does plan a lot so things are orderly, to prevent and avoid disappointments if possible. The love styles that I resonate with most and scored the highest on had to a lot with being emotional and sensitive. I am, I admit it, and I know and have known that. The more emotionally understanding a guy is, the more attracted I am to him. It is a plus if he does have other things that compliment him and his character, but sensitivity is a big thing for me.

Last semester, I took a course called Adolescent Psychology. A lot of times whenever I write in my ePortfolio about love, feelings, and attraction I think about the teenage brain. I learned in that class that love to a teenager activates the dopamine region of the brain. The dopamine region is where the feelings of joy and pleasure lie. But basically as teenagers date, “they have the potential for psychological growth as they learn about themselves and other people, gain experience in how to manage these feelings and develop the skills of intimacy.”

All about ME

I chose this image because, it is indeed true that through this ePortfolio, there certain things I haven’t gone deep into, but I have learned more about myself. Some topics are hard to discuss for the sake of feelings that come up and memories as well. Yet in all, everything that I have learned has had me included a piece of myself in it. I have learned new things, shared experiences on some things I already knew and moreover expressed myself. Not once have I written something on or in my ePortfolio that did not involve me talking about myself to an extent.

Blog 8

The topic of sexual conflict is a really interesting and good topic to discuss. It’s often seen in movies, and of course transpires in reality due to human nature. I agree with the three mating stages of manipulation, infidelity, and then break up. The main way a man upsets a woman is through infidelity/cheating. Although dating is not a marriage, it is still a commitment amongst individuals. Men cheat in a relationship, making the woman feel degraded, used, and undervalued. On the topic of cheating, what may have lead to it most women will say is the man is “too friendly.” To a woman, her man is hers alone and is to not even bat an eye to other women who look his way. This is a form of manipulating and isolating the man due to underlying jealousy and maybe even anger (he may have cheated once so she’s keeping an eye out). I have seen a woman get upset over a man talking about her to other people, or putting their relationship out there in a negative light because he won’t, can’t, or does not know how to address her. A lot of times women are dramatic and something not meant to be argued over, can be made into one (stubborn and hardheaded). Honestly, the main thing that women hate is being looked at as an object for just sex and reproduction. When trapped emotionally, they then often become single and unmarried mother’s. Men have sex with a women and sometimes leave, this is upsetting. Men, or even males in evolution look at quantity rather than quality. There are so much more but, this is just to name a few

Things that I have seen women do to make a man mad is to pretty much do the same thing that the men do to make women mad, except in a petty manner. Women most often target a man’s possessions and valuables. Scratch up their car, slash tires, trash and/or destroy their gaming system. Women also can gossip, or when men do not listen she asks for advice from friends of hers or even the man’s friends. Either way the man perceives this to be gossiping, and it upsets him. Women and men lie all alike but women may lie more and shift blame. Men do not like to be held accountable, this too will upset him.

Clash between quantity and quality

I chose this image because it was from a video about sexual conflict in species. The video mentioned a lot of ways in which males and females express this type of conflict. Often times the male is worried about reproduction and having more offspring so that they too can mated or be mated with. Meanwhile, the female worries about a quality male parent, but she is also the primary caretaker of the offspring. Some males then resort to forcing the female to mate with them. Apes are obsessive and follow the female around shooing away potential prospects. It just makes everything so one sided and on the female.

Blog 7

Emotional intelligence is being able to use, understand, and manage one’s emotions positively. Inducing stress relief, effective communication, empathy, can defuse conflict as well as overcome challenges.

As mentioned in the video, “I think therefore I am, and I feel therefore I am,” is kind of what emotional intelligence is to me. This isn’t to say “correlation is equal to causation” but the correlation aspect is very necessary when it comes to self-regulation and emotional intelligence. How we feel does affect how we think and vice-versa. Emotional intelligence and self-regulation have to do with control. Self-control. Knowing your triggers, ways to go about them, and how to move forward. A big one that really depends on self-control and regulation is the “fight or flight” response.

Ways that I use/show EQ is first when an issue first starts I try not to yell or get overwhelmed. I most often sit in silence (which is not good because the issue starts to boil over) but I do this to contemplate and decide what is the right or wrong thing to do. Breathing and getting some fresh air calms me down, as well as talking to a third party in the midst of anger or any negative emotion. At times I listen to music and try to think about what is bothering me and it eventually works or I get preoccupied.

A lot of times, as mentioned, anger spews from prejudgment and finger-pointing. We are human and at times we can be unintentionally and intentionally rude, mean, bitter. As much as we convince ourselves that we are not that way it can sometimes overwhelm us and catch us off-guard. We have to overcome them by putting those negative thoughts and emotions in categories (true or false).

One with the MIND and SOUL

I selected this image because self-regulation and emotional intelligence have to do with two things and that is the mind and the heart. There is always the notion that one makes rash choices with their heart and sensible ones with their mind but really these two things are co-dependent.

The heart and mind must be in alliance with one another in order to make a decision that is beneficial. In order for a current to travel and light a bulb, charge a phone, there must be a connection. The same goes for the mind and the heart, knowing if something is good or bad, right or wrong, helpful and unhelpful.

Blog 6

I love this TedTalk, just because I feel that there is not enough attention or light shown on how women are often portrayed. A lot of ads have women, stereotypically, in the kitchen. Ads that advertise cleaning products as gifts to be given to a woman for Mother’s Day. As if a woman can not be anything other than a maid, housewife, or cook. In terms of body and looks, we are expected to look younger when we are older and even now look older when we are younger. Beauty products implement photoshopping and skin-lightening products to advertise to the public. In two of the ads, I selected both Julia Roberts and Madonna are made out to look like humans without flaws or blemishes. They look lighter and younger. This video even showed a side-by-side view of how men are portrayed compared to women and I rarely ever thought about it until today. Men look, if anything, bigger but still like their normal selves.

The most important thing about these advertisements is their negative effects on young women. I have struggled and still do struggle with this to this day. In the African community, women of lighter skin have always been praised and privileged more than those that were of a darker complexion. I love this TedTalk, just because I feel that there is not enough attention or light shown on how women are often portrayed. A lot of ads have women, stereotypically, in the kitchen. Ads that advertise cleaning products as gifts to be given to a woman for Mother’s Day. As if a woman can not be anything other than a maid, housewife, or cook. In terms of body and looks, we are expected to look younger when we are older and even now look older when we are younger. Beauty products implement photoshopping and skin-lightening products to advertise to the public. In two of the ads, I selected both Julia Roberts and Madonna are made out to look like humans without flaws or blemishes. They look lighter and younger. This video even showed a side-by-side view of how men are portrayed compared to women and I rarely ever thought about it until today. Men look, if anything, bigger but still like their normal selves. Women are also expected (in the past especially) to be skinnier. Anyone who fell in the plus-sized range was and is body shamed. It does not stop there, because there is skinny-shaming as well. I have struggled with body positivity even though to others my body and skin to others are super pretty. I never really felt like my body was in correlation with how society viewed my body. Sexualized, told I am too skinny even though I wasn’t, I am a normal size. Men of society want a woman with a figure-eight body and big rear and front. Ads see this issue in society and make it worse by either making a model’s body disproportionate, attention is drawn to her bum or breasts. In the TedTalk she says, “they learn to sexualize themselves to see themselves as objects” and I honestly couldn’t have said it any better. Women then degrade, depreciated, and devalue themselves and I know this because I have been there. It is mentally and emotionally trapping because you then start to feel you are the issue and at fault, you then believe these lies. Limiting photoshop, surgical procedures (BBL), body shaming, and encouraging more self-love could really go a long way.

Stop Stereotyping and Degrading Women

Blog 5

Picture A: For my first credible source I picked an advertisement featuring a former smoker. Everyone has seen advertisements that use actors to tell others the effects of smoking and not to do it. But it is more credible, it seems when that advice is not just portrayed by someone but is/was the life of a former smoker. Picture A showers Terrie, a woman who had started smoking in high school, and over time its effects took not only a toll on her lungs but her entire body. Smoking has changed her look completely, looking at old pictures you would never believe they’re of her. A credible source uses people who “seem to know what they are talking about or are experts with respect to a certain topic or issue being presented.” Terrie had been smoking all of her life and it took her down a path she would not want for anyone, and this is a personal experience. If anything, I feel what makes it credible is that the person telling teens, adults, people, to stop smoking was one herself. Smoking was once her self-interest and what she liked to do, and now she argues against it. Her story, along with others, is also featured on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website under the title “Tips From Former Smokers.” The ad may seem “fear-inducing” but rather it is an ad that I feel those who do smoke can resonate through emotion and information. The ad, instead, tries to encourage rather than force/threaten many smokers to quit. –> Pathos

Picture B: My next source is a non-credible, displaying an advertisement from the ’60s promoting cigarette use. I believe this source to be non-credible because of what message is given and how it is given. In the advertisement, it shows a dentist “recommending” the brand viceroy’s for a smoker. Yet, a dentist knows that smoking is bad for one’s teeth and breath. This ad is very misinforming and misleading, and it is not personal or emotional. It is like saying “because the dentist said so, they know what they’re talking about, so you should give it a try.” What makes this credible…or “persuasive?” Maybe back then, but not now, considering in the 60s “cigarettes were marketed as a remedy for a number of ailments, like sore throats and asthma.” The portrayal of untrue and inaccurate information makes this even more non-credible.

Picture C: The final picture is an attractive source. It is known that “communicators who are physically attractive are more persuasive than those who aren’t.” The example I used has LeBron James drinking a Sprite and at the time seems there was a raffle going on. Stating, that if you entered you could possibly meet him, get a poster signed by him, or get a Sprite headband. He is also an inspirational and likable person so with him drinking Sprite would make others want to do the same. Reminds me of when ginger sprite came out around the holidays and they did a clay-animated ad of him. I wanted to try out the drink the next day (mainly and personally because I like Sprite not entirely because it is LeBron James). Yet, through the use of attractive or well-known people sales in products go up and reach several people on different platforms.

Credible, Non-Credible, Attractive Advertisements

Blog 4

I actually did pretty well on this first exam. I got a 96 out of 100 ( I missed two questions). The first question I missed was number 7, asking that “a researcher thinks that a person’s mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be…the hypothesis is?” The answer I selected had to do with praise improving the mood of research subjects. Yet, the correct answer was a “person’s mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be.” I think this is one of those questions where I must not have been paying attention, reason being the answer is in the question being asked. The answer I picked seems to kind of be like an independent variable or what is being done to the sample. This was a common question or a simple question.

The second question I got wrong was question number 49. The question asks “which student would suffer the most from the overconfidence barrier.” The definition of the overconfidence barrier is “too much confidence in the accuracy of our own judgments.” The correct answer is, “This is Ronald’s first political science course and first semester of college.” I had selected Linda is a straight A student, who is in her 7th year of college.” This is another question that seems simple too and the answer was kind of in front of me. It would make sense that Ronald would suffer from the overconfidence barrier given he is a freshman and I’m sure confident in his abilities to do well. Linda on the other had I figured would suffer from the barrier because she has straight A’s but this is her 7th year of college! That is a lot!

I learned, kind of what I already know and it is that I miss a lot of questions that when I look back I should have gotten them right because the answer is right there. I read through my notes, mainly, and tried to remind myself of the key terms. I reviewed about 5 days prior to the test and a little bit the day before. I feel that I cram too much information in. If anything giving myself a week to study may be good and I should just study for 30 minutes at a time.

Studying too fast just to forget the bare minimum

I selected this photo because as mentioned before, I cram a lot of things in. A lot of times I overdo it, just to forget it the day of the test. I am not saying I cram everything the day before a test, I study for about 3 hours or sometimes more than that everyday prior to the test. My study habits aren’t the best and sometimes I just wish I could remember every piece of information, especially the minor things. Learning, studying, both of these at times can be overwhelming even when they shouldn’t and aren’t meant to be.

Blog 3

I take the types of music I listen to very seriously 🙂 A lot of times when I look back on the music I used to listen to and the music I listen to now I see how much my taste has changed and gotten accustomed to my age. Since elementary school, I have listened to old school Ghanaian music or highlife. Highlife is “a type of West African popular music and dance that originated in Ghana in the late 19th century, later spread to western Nigeria” and basically is a unique “synthesis of African, African American, and European musical aesthetics.” I definitely agree that music correlates and has a connection that impacts how we judge and view others. I could assume that someone that likes to have spikey hair, black clothing, black eye-liner and high-top boots, most likely likes gothic or hard/core and soft rock music. This isn’t always the case but we tend to associate those characteristics with that type of music genre. But as stated in the article, I always feel that the value of the music is what is important. Music and those with the craft to make it, should be respected just as much as a person’s preference. I do not listen to songs that do not have any meaning or do not make me want to jubilate or kickback and just vibe. My bestfriend Rachel and I have the same preferences when it comes to Afrobeat. Afrobeat, which is a clearly defined genre, is more of an overarching term for contemporary West African pop music. I do not listen to R&B or rap music like I did in the past, just Afrobeat. A lot of Afrobeat songs that are uppity are associated with my favorite dancers in Ghana in an academy called Dance with a Purpose (DWP). From time to time I listen to jazz, reggae, and Ghana highlife. I associate those genre’s with my dad because they remind me of him. I listen to Ghanaian gospel because it reminds me of my mom. Those are the significant values behind why I listen to the music I do and they remind me of life, people, and love sometimes even heartbreak.

The 6 songs I picked are Lucky Dube (Remember Me), Daddy Lumba (Ebi Se 3y3 Aduro), Twitch (Give Up), Obaapa Christy (Hyebre Sesafo), Borborbor and Adowa music. The Lucky Dube and Daddy Lumba song are the songs I associate with my dad, and it brings tears to my spirit. I remember my dad listening to “Remember Me” by Lucky Dube and crying because it reminded him of my mom when she passed. The same can be said about the Daddy Lumba song titled “Ebi Se 3y3 Aduro” in our native Ghanaian language Twi, it translates to “some people say it is a drug.” The it he is referring to is love and genuinity. It hurts when you wish those around you just knew how much you love them but they can’t see it because they do not know what love is or they never experienced it. I feel that is what made my dad emotional about those songs, not only because they are heartfelt but they resonate with him personally and his love for both his mother and his wife, especially. He would just sing it and wave his hand in the air just singing and talking aloud to my mom or to anyone above listening. Be it his parents, his wife, or those he loved. My favorite Ghanaian musician at the moment, out of the many, goes by the stage name twitch I was his top 0.005% of listeners in 2020 and love his EP and songs. There is a particular song called, “Give Up” and it talks about rising up and pushing forward and not giving up. This resonates with me personally because I have wanted to give up many times but am commended for being stronger than my challenges. Hyebre Sesafo (translates to “Destiny Changer”) by Obaapa Christy, my favorite Ghanaian gospel singer ever, reminds me of myself, my father and mother. Our destinies, our lives, have been unfortunate but we find the little things that are okay in it to be fortunate. God is able to change and do all things no matter how unfortunate things may look or seem is what the song encourages. So many things or people in the world try to work against your betterment but if God is the one guiding your life and in control they’re powerless. The last two genres are tribal, (Borborbor is Ewe which is my mom’s tribe) an (Adowa is Ashanti/Asante which is my dad’s tribe) and they come with their own dances and instrumentals/songs.

Afrobeat, AfroDance, Highlife, Music.. It is my life.

Blog 2

What kind of student am I or do I believe myself to be? I’m very hardworking and self-critical. If anyone can bounce back from what felt like a major set back and make it on the Dean’s List, then I feel I am pretty confident and determined. I, personally, do not really like to use the term confident, because in all honesty, my confidence in myself overall is lacking to an extent. But as a student, I’d like to say I am pretty confident when it comes to my work ethic (getting work done ahead of time and making sure to do my best). Normally when I do well completing an assignment or test that I did not feel confident about, it does help increase my confidence in myself. I am a student that has made mistakes, sat in the feelings of my failures, but also nurtured and comforted myself out of them considering it is a part of life. At the end of the day, it all really comes down to believing in myself and what I can further accomplish.

My self-efficacy result total is 29 or 2.9. As I was reading one or two of the statements I was either conflicted or contemplating giving myself a lower grade. I also looked at everything from a mental aspect, I do not know if it is valid but it seems necessary. For instance I gave myself a 2 for “if I am in trouble, I can usually think of a solution.” Do not get me wrong, I may think of a solution that I feel is best, implement it, and it will backfire. A lot of times my solution in the situation is to just step back, step up, or be indirect and either way I end up looking bad and being at fault. I also do not like finding or getting myself into trouble so I even try to avoid trouble altogether. In the statements referring to remaining calm or managing problems I gave myself a 3 because I can handle many things, just depends on what it is. What stops me from giving myself a four is my hesitation or the anxiety that comes before making a decision. I gave myself four’s for statements that mentioned putting in effort or sticking to something. When I work hard, I reap the benefits of my labor and when I put my mind to something I do not change it.

Focus on You and Your Goals

Blog 1

I feel that the main things that are stated in the course objective will help me to distinctively know what separates social psychology from the other types of psychology. For example, it would help me learn what ways social psychologists use descriptive, correlation, and experimental research. Taking this course I would learn the answer to questions like, “what do social psychologists do to study other things about society?” I would learn to understand why cultures and emotions are important and what leads us to like and dislike a certain person or population. My expectation is for everything to not be complex in this class, but rather simple. It already seems like a lot of reading, so I need to learn how to really take notes that get as much information in few words as possible. I want to just know, absorb, and remember what is important or what I will be tested on. It honestly is a lot of information and from the looks of it, it’s a little overwhelming.

Title: Is Social Psychology going to be Hard?

I chose this image because I do not know what to expect and question at times how much effort I should put into a class. I say this because I can get discouraged at times when the going gets tough and I feel helpless. I just do not want to second guess taking this class, or any answer on a test. I want to know what I am doing. I also chose this picture because whilst reading and looking at the notes for chapter one it was a lot information all at once with cognition, neuroscience, emotions, etc. A lot of times I would just have thought those were apart of general psychology. However, it is all apart and makes up social psychology.

•