Item to Archive 5: (Module 14: Dealing with Adversity & Achieving a Happy Life)

After completing the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) I found my score to be a 3. This was lower than the average score (4.5-5.5). I’m sure my score will be higher after completing my educational and career goals. I feel like what makes one person happy may not make another person happy. Due to this, I find it hard to believe short questionnaires can reveal the answers to happiness. However, I know that to me, happiness involves being around my friends and family. Culture has a large impact on how some people define happiness. One culture may put an emphasis on being rich, while another may put an emphasis on being wise. I have always believed that an individual should pursue whatever goal makes them happy.

Item to Archive 4: (Module 12: Agression)

After reviewing the list of scenarios, I noticed a pattern in what I found to be aggressive. I circled all of the instances where someone purposely harmed another person or thing. I think that a person can be aggressive toward nonliving things, however this can be therapeutic. For example, someone with a stressful job may come home and exercise with punching bag instead of going postal on his coworkers. I don’t think a scenario can be considered aggressive if the individual doesn’t intend to hurt anyone or anything. However, I do think a person can be aggressive without causing physical damage. You could aggressively yell at someone. I also think some jobs can be aggressive. A police officer would have a more aggressive job than an accountant. However, I don’t believe the officer should be punished for aggression if that is what the situation requires and if they are functioning within their scope of practice. I also don’t consider hunting to be aggressive if that individual uses the recourses after the kill.

Item to Archive 3: (Module 4: Social Cognition)

I believe the media plays an important role in the development of our heuristics. This is due to the fact that many media outlets are funded by particular political parties and their messages aren’t as objective as they used to be. Instead of giving the public facts, they make every issue sound apocalyptic in an attempt to create a “us vs. them” mentality. This could be seen in the years after 9/11 when the media portrayed all muslims as terrorist in an effort to get Americans on-board with going to war with Iraq. Examples like these can be seen from all sides of the political spectrum and from all media outlets. Feelings have started to become more important than facts. The image below reflects my opinion in regards to this topic.

Item to Archive 2: (Module 9: Liking, Love, & Other Close Relationships)

Although Craigslist took down their “personal ads” section for legal reasons, I was still able to find some funny (and disturbing) ads from google images. I found that most of the men were looking for younger and attractive women. They often requested specific weight and height ranges. Women, on the other hand, were often looking for financially stable men that would support them and their children. Some of the women also requested certain ranges regarding anatomical specifications for their men as well….

Item to Archive 1: (Module 8: Stereotyping, Prejudice, & Discrimination)

I believe that stereotypes have changed over time. I think the current generation is taught to be more accepting than previous generations. However, many stereotypes are based upon a particular racial group’s culture. Culture is not something that changes over-night. Therefore, stereotyping will not be something that changes quickly either.