Weekly Blog

Blog 10

During this semester, I was able to gain knowledge that I can apply to my current job position. I did a lot of note taking so I can hopefully apply my knowledge from this course to my future courses at Old Dominion University. I believe that I have done well in this course and I was able to gain a better understanding of schemas and the Kelley’s theory, self-regulation, and so much more. There were topics that I was struggling on, but I comprehended them better during this course. This course was not like what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I learned many mechanisms and tricks for social psychology that I can apply as a mental health associate. This is the one course that I did exceedingly well in, and I did not have any issues with any assignments or quizzes. I really enjoyed the emotional intelligence test because it made me recognize that I can recognize how a person is feeling by looking at them the majority of the time. The picture that I selected is regarding emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence was a very intriguing topic for me and doing the quiz to see how I scored was interesting for me. Emotional intelligence is important so one can control their own emotions, but also have an understanding of others emotions.

Blog 9

I’ve learned so much in this particular course. I have picked 1 item from my weekly blog, 1 item from my top artifact, and 1 item from my assignment takeaway to discuss in this current blog.

The blog that impacted me the most was blog 3. This blog made me think about the people who meant the most to me and made me think about songs that reminded me of them. I took my time on this blog and I created a good selection for the people that I selected.

The top artifact that I selected was module 14, which is dealing with adversity and achieving a happy life. I was able to define happiness in my own words and answer questions to achieve a score on the happiness scale. After, I analyzed why I received that score.

The assignment takeaway that benefited me the most was assignment takeaway 4. This assignment allowed me to recognize all of the positives in my current relationship.

This course related to concepts in my positive psychology course. In my positive psychology course, I’m continuously looking at items that bring happiness to my life. These three assignments made me recognize the positive people in my life and what brings me happiness.

Blog 8

I agree with the Sexual Conflict article for a variety of reasons. Women and men do tend to have different sexual interests. Furthermore, we do tend to fib to get what we want. Typically, men fib to try to have sex and women fib to try to receive nonsexual favors. Moreover, we tend to get jealous when a sexual connection forms and if a break up we’re to occur, stalking may transpire because  one of the parties is unable to accept the breakup.

Women and men tend to get angry with each other for different reasons. For example, men get angry with women when they bottle up their emotions or get jealous over little things. Additionally, women usually get angry with men for not cleaning up after themselves or spending too much time playing games.

Blog 7

Self regulation is when one can respond appropriately to a variety of situations and demands. Moreover, emotional intelligence is when one acknowledges their own emotions and they are capable of controlling their emotions. According to the video, being aware of your emotions is the first step to emotional intelligence. I have learned to control my emotions every day because I work in a behavioral health unit. The unit is demanding and you must stay calm and collective while working there. I can improve my emotional intelligence by doing slow breaths during the high levels of stress and meditating in the evening to calm my nerves at night.

Blog 6

Before watching this Ted Talk with Jean Kilbourne, I did notice that ads tend to distort and dehumanize women so people will buy their products. The first advertisement I selected was for a protein shake and it says “shake well” and shows a woman’s butt. This advertisement is sexualizing women and hinting to shake that general area on the woman well. The next image is a Burger King advertisement where they are introducing a new sandwich, which they call the “super seven incher” and it has a woman with her mouth wide open for the “seven incher.” Again, this is a humiliation to women and sexualizing us. The third photo is an advertisement for feminine deodorant that says, “feminine odor is everyone’s problem.” Most women become self-conscious about their scent when they are on their menstrual period and stating that it is a problem is humiliating. The next photo is sexualizing a child. A child is posing in a padded bra and a thong. No child should ever be put in that situation. Overall, it is absolutely disgusting. Lastly, is a Chanel advertisement with Brad Pitt and Linda Evangelista. No changes were made to Brad Pitt, but Linda Evangelista looks like a plastic doll. In conclusion, women are overly sexualized and held to an expectation that is impossible to achieve.

Blog 5

The top photo is a blog advertisement done by a person name Amy. It is considered a non credible source because there is no proof that it is true. There is no dates, no names, and possibly errors in this blog.

The bottom left photo is a picture of a personal trainer. This is considered a credible source because he is a professional and has peer reviewed sources in his advertisement. Moreover, it contains no errors. The man pictured in the photos wanted to understand how hard it was to lose weight, so he gained 70 pounds and worked to lose it. It took him a total of six months to lose the weight that he had gained.

The advertisement on the right is considered an attractive source. The reason why this one is attractive is because it is unique, it uses a celebrity to advertise, and it convinces the audience that the product works. Moreover, it is a memorable advertisement.

Blog 4

On the exam, I answered three questions incorrectly. The first question that I got incorrect was, “According to Kelley’s theory, behaviors that arise because of an individual’s traits, motives, or intentions are _________ caused, while those behaviors that arise because of some aspect of the social or physical environment are ___________ caused.” I answered consensually and externally because I didn’t analyze the problem well enough. When I saw consensually, I immediately thought about reflexes and actions. I knew the second answer was externally, so I should have known better that it was an internal/external answer. The second problem that I answered incorrectly was the downside of schemas. I answered that the cause of social information to be disorganized in our brain. I do not remember the list of answers, however, I do know that schemas are problematic when they cause self-fulfilling prophecies.  Furthermore, schemas influence how we act toward a person. The last problem that I got wrong was, “Which of the following is a safeguard that most social psychologists agree must be in place in order to use temporary deception?” I selected briefing, but the correct answer is debriefing. My answer was a careless mistake. Briefing is when you give information to someone and debriefing is when we question or give information to someone. To prepare for this exam, I took a lot of notes, read through all of the chapters again to ensure that I would pass. I am going to continue to do that strategy because I received a 94% on my exam. The answers that I got wrong during the exam were careless mistakes.

Blog 3

From the article Soul Meets Body, it mentions that we are attached to people who have similar music taste. This assumption formed another assumption that we have similar values to the people we are attached to, whether they are a relative, friend, or significant other. I agree that there has been a similarity between myself and people who mean a lot to me due to our music preference.

Lorna: Mama’s Song
Artist: Carrie Underwood
This particular song reminds me of my mom because she has been my rock. My mother taught me what I know today and even though I have grown up and have my own family, I am still her little girl.

Stephen: Rockstar
Artist: Nickelback
This song reminds me of my brother because he has always been such a dreamer. This song has a list of large dreams and it fits my brother perfectly. 

Brett: Battle Born
Artist: Five Finger Death Punch
This man is my best friend. I met him at work and we have a very similar outlook on life. He was a marine and has an unbelievable past. I have so much trust in him because I know he will show no judgment. This song reminds me of him because he has so much strength and has fought so many demons.

Terri: Lola Montez
Artist: Volbeat
I met this girl at work two years ago and her feisty personality attracted me to her. She has such a unique personality and her beautiful soul attracts so many people.

Ashley: Count on Me
Artist: Bruno Mars
This is my friend from high school. We speak every single day and she is one the most dependable friends I have. I can always count on her and vice versa.

Ramona: Uptown Funk –
Artist: Mark Ronson
Featured Artist: Bruno Mars
This is my dear friend that I met at work. I call her my “work mom.” She is obsessed over Bruno Mars and this particular song gets played at least once a week from her while we’re working. I call it her theme song.

Blog 2

I believe that I am hard working and a confident student. For the past three semesters, I have taken fifteen credit hours during the semester and I have received honors each semester. The main strategy that I have is to complete all of my homework assignments to get ahead, and then focus on doing quizzes and tests. Getting ahead with assignments leaves plenty of time to study. I believe if I stop comparing my grades to other students, it will boost my confidence more. I tend to acknowledge how many people receive a higher grade than me and it can be discouraging. Furthermore, I believe that I should form realistic expectations. I have been taking five classes each semester for 1.5 years and it is overwhelming when you are a full time employee, a mother, and a full time student. I received a 3.4 on my self-efficacy results and I believe these results are accurate for me. I am great with time management, I do what I need to do to accomplish my goals, I am confident, and I am resourceful.

Blog 1

By taking this social psychology course, I hope to gain knowledge that will benefit me in my current career. I want to understand the process that I can use to understand the behaviors of individuals and be able to apply it to my job as a mental health associate. Moreover, I want to comprehend how one forms a connection with someone. Overall, I want to gain as much knowledge that I can from this course and apply it to the outside world. When it comes down to being successful in this course, I will be taking a lot of notes for each chapter and analyzing each chapter to ensure that I have an understanding on the material. The visual is my notes from chapter 2.