Blog 10: Reflection
Looking through my work for the course, I feel that my expectations met the actual outcomes. Over the last few months, I have found myself more interested in what I was learning. I was never really into reading textbooks, but with the combination of the assignements I found myself eager to look into the chapters. Personally, I feel I have acheived the course objectives fairly well because I am able to apply them to the real world; I have a clear understanding of them. If I took this class again, I would allow myself more time to study before exams so that I do not feel as pressured. One new skill that I have gained from this course would be human interaction, the understanding of how people see people. In the world of psychology, it is important to understand how people function individually and in groups. This course certainly achieved that.
Blog 9: Coming Together
It is hard to believe that there are only a couple of weeks left in this course. It was hard to wrap my head around my top three things that I have learned so far because we have learned a lot. After much debating, I decided that my top three things would have to be learning about love, prosocial behavior, and hueristics. Each topic contributed to me learning more about myself and I could apply them to my every day life. Blog 5 and asignement one kind of bounced off of one another because we use heuristics to make decisions. This class has taugh me about how empathy on multiple levels; how it can be selfishess and unselfish. In my Human Services class, we look at empathy as being a force that guides the human service professional. Having empathy is a necessity for the field.
Blog 8: Mating
To start, men and women are like oranges and apples. We are biologically made differently. The different genes within us basically construct a recipe for future conflict. Men upset women by being decietful. Women can upset men by also being deceitful with the goal of obtaining desired resources. We can upset one another by not knowing what movie we want to watch or by even having a hard time deciding where to have dinner. Men and women often want different things when it comes to some areas, which is natural. Working together to build accomodations is what keeps the train on its tracks. 
Blog 7: S-R & EQ
Self regulation and emotional intelligence are like two peas in a pod; they go hand in hand. Both are concerned with the recognition and management of our emotions. In my opinion, emotional intelligence means being in control of my own thoughts, emotions, and reactions. I believe having a good EQ is important for personal and professional life. Working in retail, self regulation and emotional intelligence are essential. One day I was dealing with a rude customer over the phone and instead of getting worked up, I remained calmed during the entire situation. I think I could improve my EQ in my personal life with different breathing techniques.
Blog 6: The Truth In Ads
I agreed with a lot of things that were mentioned in the video. I was not surprised because most of the things are true, but most people are oblivious to the facts. However, I was shocked to learn that we spend so much time watching commercials alone. Most commercials we see today feature young, “beautiful”, women that are often over sexualized and just plain dehumanized. Although they aim to be more diverse today, women often still appear undressed and only trying to sell a product. When we see an attractive female advertising a product, we are more tempted to buy the product with the belief that it will make us look like them. To be deemed attractive, women have to transform themselves and this includes buying the right products to make it possible. These disappointing aspects are still very noticeable today, but there really is not much done about it. 
Blog 5: Communicator Credibility
Sometimes commercials, advertisements, or billboards can be very persuasive. They can lead you to believe that you need whatever they are pitching, even if you don’t. I often fall victim to this ordeal. In the three advertisements that I chose, trustworthiness and expertise influenced my percieved credibility. For the Aveeno ad, it states that it is recommended and I happen to love Jennifer Aniston because of the show Friends. I picked the source, supported by the New York Times because I believe that they are one trustworthy news source. The last advertisement required me to argue against my own self-interest. I do not find ads promoted by celebrities to be credible at all, regardless of how convincing their post may sound. 
Blog 4: Test taking strategies
I learned a couple of things from the reviewing process. Most importantly, I learned that I should not take a test when I’m tired. It resulted in careless mistakes. To improve for the next exam, I realized that I should take more detailed notes and do more in depth reading to ensure that I have grasped the concepts. Looking at the test with fresh eyes really put me on the right track for the remaining exams. This feedback has pushed me to spend more time with the material and to make sure I take the exams at a decent time.
Blog 3: Music and relationships
I believe that there is a strong connection between music and relationships. It seems as if there is a song for every relationship, mood, or situation you could think of. Sometimes I hear a song and the lyrics fit whatever situation it may be perfectly. My romantic other and I do share a vast similarity in music preferences, it is what started a great conversation. We do have common values and ideals, which is probably why we can tolerate eachother. I think that music can put what feels like indescribable feelings into the perfect words. You know it is the right song when every lyric seems like it is speaking directly to you. It is a great feeling.
My Soundtrack
Life- Intro (Logic)
My Parents- Remember the time (Michael Jackson)
My love of skating- Let the music play (Shannon)
Me- American Teen (Khalid)
Romantic other- I don’t want to miss a thing (Aerosmith)
My love for dancing- By design (Kid Cudi)
Blog 2: What kind of student am I?
I believe that I am your normal college student. I submit all my assignments on time, sometimes last minute, but I always strive to do my best. I think that overall, I am fairly determined. If I want good grades, I do what it takes to achieve them. If there was a confidence scale, from 1-10, I would rate myself as an 8.5 because I am more of an introvert. Simple factors such as my social groups and my own mindset could possibly increase my confidence levels. I could have friends who have similar goals as myself and I could push myself to do things that I wouldn’t n
Blog 1: Looking at the Big Picture
While reading the course obejectives I realized that they could benefit me in various ways in the future. Since I plan to become a psychiatrist, understanding and applying theses objectives will assit me in to understanding people on a social level. Looking at the course overall, I expect that it will provide me with information that I can use in the real world. While taking this course, I am hoping to gain a better comprehension of people and how they interact with others. I believe that this course will answer the question of why people do what they do in certain circumstances. In order to be successful in this class I intend to set specific days aside for completing assignments and studying. I will also make use of my Happy Planner and cellphone to set reminders for upcoming due dates. To ensure success, my mantra is that you have to pla
n in order to succeed. Organization is key!