poem 1

Come to me in my dreams, and thenBy day I shall be well again.For then the night will more than payThe hopeless longing of the day.Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times,A messenger from radiant climes,And smile on thy new world, and beAs kind to others as to me.Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth,Come now, and let me dream it truth.And part my hair, and kiss my brow,And say My love! why sufferest thou?Come to me in my dreams, and thenBy day I shall be well again.For then the night will more than payThe hopeless longing of the day.

poem 2

If questioning would make us wiseNo eyes would ever gaze in eyes;If all our tale were told in speechNo mouths would wander each to each.Were spirits free from mortal meshAnd love not bound in hearts of fleshNo aching breasts would yearn to meetAnd find their ecstasy complete.For who is there that lives and knowsThe secret powers by which he grows?Were knowledge all, what were our needTo thrill and faint and sweetly bleed?Then seek not, sweet, the "If" and "Why"I love you now until I die.For I must love because I liveAnd life in me is what you give.


dont you just love how expresive poems can be? sometimes i need to escape my own mind and just drift away off inot lala land. read these and see what they can do for you too! i wanted to show all of you how stress relieving they can realy be....

moving....

wow, ok so my first year as a college student has come to an end!!! i knew going off to college i would have to meet new people and have new friend and do new things but i have to say i never expected something quite like this. i have met the best friends anyone coul evere ask for...we are all so different yet the same in some odd way. we eem to work like a family and i wouldn't have it any other way!!! i have so mnay memories from this year that were literally the times of my life. some say high school is the best time of your life, they were ohh so wrong college is way way better!!! i have so mnay memories from running through the fountain on campus at two in the morning to going to my first college tailgate to going to the frat houses to staying up for days studying for finals just to repeat the cycle all over again. my friends and i went to panama city for spring break and it was so much fun!!! it was our first treip somewhere for an entire week without any parents or any kind of rules...it got crazy sometimes but it was so much fun! i really wish there was a spy cam on me that trip just so we coud watch how retarted we looked! we wore our bathing suits the entire freaking time! we got ready t gout like twice and never actually made it to the club!!! my friend hannah fell and seperated her collar bone and got a huge fat lip! it was the funniest thing ever. i am so glad i came here. me and two of my best friends got a house close to campus and will be moving thursday! i can not wait we are actually growing up, we just went off to college alone and now we are going to live in house alone. thank go for friends like mine without them i really dont know what i would do with myself!!!

love?

My feelings right now:
Love, such a mysterious word. It has been tangled around so much that I think some have forgotten its true meaning. Some have even forgotten how to love, and that is just plain sad. Although there are those that have tried to love and have been rejected. Those that can not help but feel that certain feeling where you know you would do anything in the world for them, and sadly knowing that you are nothing more to them than another person to spend time with and have fun playing around. To that person you are nothing more than a page in the book, where as to you this is the whole book. Why is it that one must be hurt so many times and yet still not truly know what it feels like to share a bond so pure, so true that noting could come between them. Not even distance or the wind, nothing.
i wrote this in a time of confusion in my life. i was hurt by many past relationships and wondering where my future would end up. i can only hope that the one i love can return the favor to me someday. i want to be te princess in the fairy tales that has prince charming come sweep me off my feet. i know that is a little far fetched but it would be nice if love was that easy. it seems like sometimes love is not enough, there has to be something more. you can love someone with all your heart and they can feel the same towards you, but somethimes its just not ment to be, and that is what hurts so bad.

just thinking....

Just Thinking

Do you ever wonder why you fall in love with someone? Or what it is all about? I mean there has to be more to it than fall, get hurt, fall get hurt fall….you see what I am saying? When do we fall, fall and fall? Sooner or later it seems that everyone hits rock bottom. Some just block out all feelings and soon they change into someone completely different than who you initially fell in love with. Why do we all do that? Because we are all changing and all of us have had some kind of traumatic effect to mold us into the individuals we are today and five years from now we will be different from now because something will happen to us to change our perspective on life. We will not be so oblivious to the world around us, and that can rob you of your childhood innocence. Why should we have to conform to do what others say works? Yeah there are a lot of very successful business men and women in our world today, but how often do you hear of someone finding their true love? Will it last? Will it fail? Will it change over time? Of course it will change and grow, but will it change for the better or will it become stagnant? If there is one thing I have always wanted in life it was to become a very wealthy, successful, independent woman, but now my outlooks have changed. Now all I want is a happy family that only seems to get better everyday…

12 page paper...

I never thought that I would actually have so much to say about my topic of health care crisis in america. i guess after researching it for so long that i have developed a strong attitude toward the subject. this could be the one thing i am passionate enough about to go vote this upcoming election. i really do want to follow it and keep up with the bills passed on this issue. i am interested to see if the people in capital hill see this issue the way i am or if they are complete idiots. i have never actually gotton into a paper as much as i have this one. my boyfriend and i actually had a thirty minute conversation on how it could work, what would fail and he got me really heated up when he didnt agree with the way i saw my plans. it is kind of out of character for me to get so hot over someone not agreeing with me, normally i would just shrug it off, but now this is a topic i feel so strongly about that i can not just let people think sonething when i have done the research to prove them wrong, and show them how horrible the system really is today. i hope that everyone in our class has learned about thier topic as much as i have. i also hope that they have become a more rounded person, because i realy think this essay has helped me in so many ways that i had never seen before. starting out i was really dreading this class but now looking back on it i am glad i did this topic for my paper, and i really did enjoy this class.

dreams

do you ever wonder where your dreams come from, and what they actually mean? last night is when my boyfriend and i talked and decided tat he is going to dallas and when he does thats it for us ofr now anyways. and after our conversation i couldnt help but think about how upset it makes me to picture him with someone else. then i started imagining it and thats when i fell asleep. i had this dream that me and him and a bunc of people were hanging out and he was all cuddled up with another girl right in front of me and i litterally got sick to my stomach, in my dream i ran out of the room threw up and walked back into the room and acted like nothing had happened. i then demanded the vodka and chugged it...all of it! and went on with the rest of the night. this disturbbed me when i woke up because a) i pictured him with someone else b) i became a bulimic c) i also became an alcoholic and d) i woke up feeling like this could actually happen in the future. i honestly dont think this is an normal dream for someone to have the night she finds out her bf for 2 yrs is moving, is it? so i tried to find in online at dream moods.com and there is all kinds of stuff on therer but nothing about my dream. so this got me thinking, is this how i see myself handling the problem? this was far from a good solution! i am ruely upset right now about how my subconscious is dealing with the pain, and pressure right now. this can not be healthy.

finals blow!

so life always has to take a nasty turn right before finals...i don't understand it at all. it is like God is saying i know your really busy and you need a clear head to think and focus on finals but i am going to throw this at you along with everything else going on. so what i am talking about is my relationship. my boyfriend and i have been together for almost two years now, two freaking years is a long ass time. we are perfect, actually i think i love him more now than ever before. or maybe i am just realizing it. well he got a business opportunity offered to him, which is great and all but it is in DALLAS!!! freaking 7 hrs away from here! and i love it here, i am not about to go follow his ass. but at the same time i did the whole long distance thing and lets just say its not for me. it really wears on ur relationship after time and that is the lat thing i want to do is have my bf for 2 yrs suddenly become nothing more than a phone call to say goodnight. ohh yeah and did i mention that we were best friends before so it just makes things that much harder? yeah, my best friend for about 7 yrs and boyfriend for 2 is moving away during FINALS!!! ughh...i am so upset i dont even know what to do with myself. part of me wants to strangle him for gong, but another part is ahppy for him, and all at the same time im hurt so badly. i want to think that this is for the better and that everything will work out for the best, and who knows we might end up back together again, or maybe he will go and realize that he cant stand it there. thats actually what im kinda going for. but i can not sit around and wait on his ass to come back, so i must move on with my life. it just sucks because i love him and he loves me and we both know that but now isnt our time....it just isn't ment to work right now.

part 3 of concert review....

seemed to love this woman. Whereas in the third movement he seemed to take this movement and woman a lot lighter, maybe he didn’t have a deep connection with this woman as in the first movement. This was truly amazing to be able to understand the composer’s feelings without any words, just instruments telling his story. After the last piece in the program there was still the song section of the wine, women, and song concert. The men in the quintet began playing a song which they did not give the name of although it sounded familiar I do not know which song it could be. I wish I could figure it out, the way they were playing made it seem so upbeat and catchy; it really was a beautiful instrumental.
The concert overall was a great new experience for me. I don’t know if I would have truly been able to appreciate the hard work put into it if I could not tell the complexity of the music. This music seemed at times very complex and sometimes often hard to follow. It could just be my lack of knowledge for music, I am not very musically inclined, but the complexity of it to me makes the musicians seem that much more talented. The musicians seemed to enjoy performing, and even more so they really seemed to enjoy the pieces that were played tonight.

part tw of concert review

involved their bodies as well, which I really liked. She seemed to have a very contemporary approach to her music. As the title was raise the roof, you could actually hear what she meant for you to which were people gathering to “raise the roof” and it was quite interesting how music can literally draw a picture for you of what the artist “sees”. It may be that I am a strong feminist, but this was my favorite piece and I think it is not only because she is a woman, but also because it is out of the ordinary. It wasn’t just the brass instruments anymore; it actually involved all aspects of the musician in order to create this piece. After the woman section of the concert here was intermission, and after the intermission there was a part the men in the quintet called the beer portion, because Eric Ewazen was said to be drinking a lot of beer when he composed this piece, naming each movement after a new pub he visited.
Titled the Colchester Fantasy, each of his four movements were named after a pub in which he visited, and you can actually hear how differently he felt in each new surrounding. Some of the movements were joyous and others soft and smooth. Depending upon how he felt in the environment altered the music in which he composed. For instance one piece seemed extremely upbeat and happy, while another seemed to be more relaxed. His pieces all seemed to be so unique, yet they all had the same underlying tones which makes his music even more enjoyable. The last piece titled “Suite Recife” by Jose Ursino da Silva, also known as “Duda”, has five movements each titled with a woman’s name. Duda seemed to be a lover to most of these women and through his music you could actually tell who he was more intimate with as well as those who he seemed not to be in love with. For instance the first movement seemed so loving almost like he was longing for her and he really seemed to love this woman. Whereas in the third movement he seemed

part one of concert review

Stephanie Otte
Concert review #1
Memphis brass quintet
832 words

Wine, Women, and Song
The Memphis brass quintet presented wine, women, and song on Monday night. This was my first brass concert I have attended, and I truly did enjoy it. The brass quintet included trumpets, a horn, tuba, trombone, and some percussion. Although I was a little late and I missed the first piece titled dance. The rest of the concert was amazing.
The second piece was “Frostfire” and contained three movements by Eric Ewazen. This was considered to be their wine portion of the concert and the movements were extremely long. The first movement titled bright and fast was just that, and seemed to change rapidly and was very cheerful. Gentle and mysterious, which was the second movement seemed extremely peaceful and really calmed my nerves down. The third movement titled tense and dramatic seemed to remind me of background music to a horror film or any situation in order to build suspense. It was extremely choppy and very low tones for the ultra dramatic effect. The woman section of the concert began in the third piece and was actually composed by a woman Gwyneth Walker, titled raise the roof. This piece especially caught my eye because the musicians not only used the brass instruments to create the music but also their hands and feet to create the background rhythm along with their instruments. Using their hands and feet it created a new kind of musical experience that

part 4

music that makes it beneficial is order. The order of the music from the baroque and classical periods causes the brain to respond in magnificent ways. This order is much known to include repetition and changes, certain patterns of rhythm, and pitch and mood contrasts. “One key ingredient to the order of music from the baroque and classical periods is math. This is realized by the body and the human mind performs better when listening to this ordered music,” (2).

















Works Cited
http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/building_babys_brain.htm
http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html

part two of music essay...really though read it

young ages more pathways are created thus leaving permanent new thinking patterns for the individual. These new thinking patterns are especially helpful in mathematics, science and composing music.
As we get older classical music can still have positive effects on our reasoning skills. “Listening to classical music can improve our spatial reasoning, at least for a short time. And learning to play an instrument may have an even longer effect on certain thinking skills” (Diane Bales, PhD). So not only is it good for your baby to hear the classical music but it stimulates your mind as well. Our spatial reasoning skills help us with being able to visualize three dimensions and manipulate objects to solve problems. This ability is important for generating and conceptualizing solutions to multi-step problems that arise in areas such as architecture, engineering, science, mathematics, art, games, and everyday life. Although, our improved spatial skills fade about an hour after we stop listening to the music. When, learning to play an instrument can have longer-lasting effects on spatial reasoning. “In several studies, children who took piano lessons for six months improved their ability to work puzzles and solve other spatial tasks by as much as 30 percent,” (Diane Bales, PhD). Although there has been tons of research on the extent of the powe music has on the body many revealing scientific experiments, studies, and research projects have been performed. Up until 1970, most of the research done on music had to do with studying the effects of the beat of the music. “It was found that slow music could slow the heartbeat and the breathing rate as well as bring down blood pressure. Faster music was found to speed up these same body measurements,” (2). This is just one way in which music can have such powerful effects over our bodies. The important component of

part one of music paper its interesting read it!!!!

Stephanie Otte
Music Appreciation
L Brezna
April 17, 2008

The Effects of Music on Our Brains

We have all been there, around a bunch of women talking about when they are due and how old their children are getting along with how bright they are when the conversation always seems to turn to classical music having positive effects on their brain development. Well, is this just nursery room chatter? Or does music in early life actually have positive effects on the child’s learning abilities? This is commonly known as the Mozart effect, and yes music early on does help brain development. When babies are born they have billions of brain cells and in order to make use of these cells pathways are created. The more pathways the more creative thinking patterns individuals have. Although classical music at older ages can also have a similar effect, only when the brain is developing do these new pathways remain permanent. “The music most people call "classical"--works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart--is different from music such as rock and country,” (Diane Bales, PhD). It is important for the music to be complex in order to achieve the full effect of the spatial reasoning skills it opens. “Classical music has a more complex musical structure. Babies as young as 3 months can pick out that structure and even recognize classical music selections they have heard before,” (Diane Bales, PhD). So when a child is exposed to music at very

racism and sexism

My hostile sexism score was a 2.18 and my benevolent sexism score is a 2.00 (1). My scores for the hidden racism suggested a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American (2). I do not believe that I have biases towards either sex. I seem to think fairly in the world, I honestly believe that men and women are equal and should be treated as such. I do not like it when people try to belittle women or when women try to do the same to men. Either way it is not right and that is truly what I believe. I also do not think that I am prejudice towards race; I might have a slight preference towards whites but that goes back to the old saying birds of a feather flock together. I have some black friends as well it just happens that I have more in common with more white people. That does not mean I am raciest. I honestly do think that the color on your skin should not affect you and your surroundings. I think that if a white person and a black person are both going after the same job that the one with most experience or education should get the job and that race should never be the issue. I honestly do not agree with the sexist and racist speeches and other things but I also believe in freedom of speech and that even though they sound ignorant, however has something to say should be allowed to say it. You do not have to listen to the speeches or read the literature in which you do not agree to. That goes along with pornography; you do not have to go out and watch it or go to an adult store where it is easily accessible. It goes along with freedoms of Americans. If you were to outlaw pornography people would just find illegal ways to go around the laws. I do not necessarily agree with porn and I think it can be quite demeaning to both men and women but I still think it is others rights to be able to view what they choose. The difficult problem that comes with what should be outlawed is you want to do what is in the best interest for others in the country, but not everyone knows what is best for everyone. What is best for you may not be what are best for me. (3)I personally can not think of an instance where I was biased or prejudice. I am not saying that I am perfect, but I am saying that I generally do not act in such ways. Although people generally would react in a negative manner if you are acting irrationally. The most difficult aspect of being a minority group member is not always having people around that have the same views as you, and you can be found constantly defending yourself. Although the negative aspects of being the majority are far less strenuous, they include falling into a stereotype and not having a good sense of who you are anymore because you have been wrapped up in your majority group for so long. Works cited:1) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/index.php?section=asi&action=takeSurvey 2) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/racframe.htm 3) Textbook

hmmmm...did u know?

Did you know that recent research shows evidence that stresses the affect that the brain can actually hurt the body at the cellular and molecular level and even diminish a person's health and overall quality of life? But, the research also shows that maintaining a positive state of mind can help a person overcome some of these stress effects, even fight disease better and ultimately delay death. This gives a whole new meaning to mind over matter. A balance between the individual's coping skills and his/ her stress level can also be the extra little push of whether they are more susceptible to an illness or not. There is also evidence that an individual's beliefs can influence the course of a major illness, such as cancer. I read online that "according to a study of women with breast cancer who had mastectomies, it was their state of mind ("I am going to beat this") that kept them alive not the severity of their illness." (1) At the five-, ten- and 15-year follow-ups, the best predictor of death or recurrence of cancer was the psychological response that each woman had around three months after the first surgery. This positive mental attitude after the surgery better predicted the likelihood of dying or having a recurrence than did the size of the tumor, the tumor's histological grade or patient's age (Greer, 1991). (1). Research has also shown that people who have stronger ties to family, friends, church and community are more likely to ward off the common cold and might even recover from stronger illnesses quicker. Health professionals have largely ignored how the quality of those relationships influences a person's sickness or health. Studies show that people with only one to about three active family/ friend connections were four times more likely to get sick, when exposed to an experimentally administered cold virus than people who had six or more active social roles in their life. In one study by Cohen, he "looked at how people's levels of chronic social conflict or having a stress-invoking, demanding relationship with a spouse, friend or family member affected their susceptibility to the cold virus." (2) He found that people who had experienced around month or more of conflict were two and a half times more likely to get sick when exposed to the cold virus than those who hadn't had recent conflicts. (2)So by now your probably wondering how all this is working? I mean you can think positive and double your chances of surviving cancer. Well it all comes down to your immune system, which is often broken down by stress. Well, the longer the stress, the more the immune system is shifted from the adaptive changes seen in the "fight or flight" response to more negative changes. At first the cellular level and later in broader immune function. The most chronic stressors seem to be stress that is generally beyond a person's control or seems endless. The immune systems of the elderly or those already sick are more susceptible to any stress related changes. (3)This research was all on a new field of study called psychoneuroimmunology, which is exploring the connections between your outlook on a situation and the effects it has on your body's immunity and even nervous system. (4)Works cited:1) http://www.apa.org/releases/mind.html2) http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct04/goodhealth.html3) http://mentalhealth.about.com/od/stress/a/stressimmune604.htm

MDD

The typical symptoms of major depressive disorder are depressed mood most of the day, reduced interest or pleasure in all or most activities, significant weight loss or gain or significant decrease/ increase in appetite, trouble sleeping or sleeping to much, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or loss of energy, feeling worthless or guilty in an excessive or inappropriate manner, problems in thinking, concentrating, or making decisions, and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. These are the nine symptoms in which define a depressive episode; of these at least five must occur during a two week period. (1)There have been studies to show that depressive disorders do run in families although other disorders are more likely, it is more so likely that you can develop a depressive disorder if your biological parent also suffers from a depressive disorder. (1)The most consistent of neurobiological abnormalities in people with depression disorders is altered brain-wave activity while sleeping. Depressed individuals often have less slow wave sleep and go into rapid eye movement earlier into the night than non-depressed individuals. This is the reason while most depressed people often can not get a good night sleep. In major depressive disorder neuroimaging has shown that people with MDD often show a decrease in the metabolic activity in the cerebral cortex. The amygdale is also overactive during depression this is one explanation for the symptoms of depression because this is responsible to help store and recall emotional memories. Another disability that occurs is death or lack of neuron ability, mostly in the prefrontal cortex which also controls the amygdale. (1)People with a low socioeconomic status, especially for those that live in poverty are more likely than those higher up in the economic level to develop depression. Also one thing that may predispose your likelihood of having depression is that in America Latinos are much more likely than whites to develop depression. This may be in concurrance with the higher levels of poverty among this race but it is still significantly higher. The depression rate is also twice as high for females as males, this may be due to rapid changes in hormones but no one truly knows. (1)If I knew one of my friends was experiencing the symptoms I listed above I would let her know of the resources available here on campus. We can come here to the psychology department and talk to someone and get her help. Some common treatments include first-line treatment for most people with depression today consist of antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, or the combination. In situations where these options are not effective or too slow for such as in a person with delusional depression and intense, unremitting suicidal thoughts, electroconvulsive therapy may be considered. ECT is also sometimes referred to as electroshock or shock treatment (3). Treatment for depression is varying successful and there are many treatment options available for depressed individuals (3). For about two-thirds of those individuals who have a major depressive episode they will recover completely. The other one-third may recover only partially or not at all. People who do not recover completely may have a higher chance of experiencing one or more additional episodes (2).Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.allaboutdepression.com/dia_03.html3) http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter4/sec3_1.html

jung type personality testing....

In my personality test, it said that I was very extroverted, moderately intuitive, moderately feeling, and slightly perceiving (1,2). I feel that these results were correct according to my personality. I do have a very extroverted personality; I often am the loud one in the group and talk a lot, especially if something is bothering me. I also am driven by my feeling many times and often act on impulses. People can often tell what my feelings are because they influence my decisions many of the times. I also am very intuitive; if I feel that something is up, I will usually go investigate it to find out just what it is exactly. Although these things are all, correct about me, the fact of feelings being rated that high makes me wonder because I have a hard time expressing my feelings especially if it is something that has really upset me. The whole thing of me only being slightly perceiving makes me wonder the accuracy as well because I feel that I am very perceiving. I try to take things in that are around me rather than jump right into something. In addition, I think it would depend on my mood on how extroverted I can be, because in the classroom I tend to stay in my comfort zone and be quiet. Although at a party or around my friends I am the center of attention, and that is exactly how I like it. I think this test is fun, but I do not think it is very useful. You are asked questions about yourself so you are going to answer them how you feel you are, while many others may perceive you completely differently. (1,2)Almost none of the careers listed for my personality type are appealing to me. Although the most unappealing to me would be a reporter (3). I was on the newspaper staff in high school, we were constantly getting the story and writing, and I hate writing about things I do not care about. most of the times your stories as a reporter doesn't interest you but you still have to make it interesting to the readers. I also feel that as a reporter people think lowlier of you, because you are always looking for a story so people do not trust you as much. One criticism of a self-report test is social desirability (1,2). Your going to answer the questions how you would want others to perceive you and thus altering the outcomes of the test. Another criticism is that these tests do not get to the underlying core of the person (1). They seem to be somewhat blurry instead of specific. I think that these are both very important factors and they are both equally valid arguments. I think that both my boyfriend and my close friends would score completely opposite of me. Everyone that I tend to be close with is very quiet and not exactly feeling driven which is completely different that how I am. This tells me that opposites really do attract. I think that you need to find someone that is completely different from yourself in order to keep the relationship new and exciting. (4) Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes3.asp3) http://www.humanmetrics.com/vocation/JCI.asp?EI=89&SN=-38&TF=-25&JP=-114) http://keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=3&c=champion**

motivation

My top reasons for going to college, although sound quite low and very extrinsic, they have remained my motivation for years. I decided to go to college in order to make something of myself (3). I don't want to look back on my life and wonder what I could have done. I also knew that if I wanted to live a comfortable life for myself I needed a good education. Along with all of that I knew if I didn't go to college that my parents would kill me. To them college is not a choice, it is what you do after high school and I couldn't stand that disappointment. (1) In ten to fifteen years from now I will be done with all of my education and I fully intend to be a graduate of medical school with a specialty in children's cardiology. I will be a doctor working either in a hospital or in my own office, making a six digit salary. All of this will come to me for my hard work of long hours studying and going to school for such a long time. I might be married, maybe have a kid, or one on the way but all of that will defiantly come after my career. If I did decide not to go to college, and didn't graduate, then in ten to fifteen years I would probably be working some dead end job, like waiting tables, pregnant, and married to someone with a horrible job. To me that's what I think of as a life of an uneducated person. Now I know that seems to be a bit stereotypical, but I can't help how I feel. I am extremely motivated to succeed in college, although this semester has been one crazy roller coaster, and I haven ever been this slacking in my life, I have still managed to keep most of my grades up. I am so motivated to go to medical school that anything that comes in my way as a distraction will no longer be in my life. As long as my grades are good and my MCAT scores are great I know I can achieve my goals in life. I have my parents to thank form y motivation. I couldn't stand the thought of failing a class or failing them. They have done everything for me and my education and getting a good career is a way of thanking them for all that they have done for me. I am extremely extrinsically motivated and would do anything to make the grade, and make my parents proud. Although I do tend to have some intrinsic motivation, I am curious of the human body, and the way it functions all together really excites me (2). Another thing is I can not turn down a challenge and to me that's all college is one big challenge after the next. Each test, each class, everything is a challenge. One thing I did do that was completely one hundred percent intrinsic motivation was dance. I use to dance in studios, on the school dance team, competitions, everywhere you name it I did it when it came to dance. It was never something I could do easily, and to me that challenge got me stirred up, along with the fact that there was always a new skill you could learn it excited me. (1)I know my culture had a lot to do with my motivation for college, and for life. My parents were a large part of my motivation, which are also part of my culture. Along with them, our society today in America has bestowed to every student that without a college degree they can do nothing notable with their lives. To me I want to put my footprint in people's lives and make a difference and in our society today you can not do that without a college degree. (3) Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.nwrel.org/request/oct00/motivate.html3) http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/Student_Motivatation.html

creativity

Creativity can be described in many ways but I would have to say that to me creativity is the way a person views an object in a different way than most. Creative people tend to see something ordinary, much more than that, and can easily elaborate on what is already there. Some seem to think that intelligence and creativity go hand in hand, but this is not necessarily true. Creative people tend to be divergent thinkers, which may produce many answers to the same question (1). Where as intelligence tests are often based upon convergent thinking, which means the individual generally produces only one correct answer (1). Just because you can get a million answers to the same math equation doesn't make you a genius, although it does make you a creative thinker. The creative process has been broken down into five non sequential parts. The parts of the creative process are labeled in numerical order although many times do not occur in any specific order or for any specific time. The first of these steps is preparation. In this step you become engaged in a problem that interests you and that raises your creativity. The next step, is incubation, this is when you constantly think about the issue and normally make unusual connections in your head. Third is insight, at this stage you have the light bulb moment and all the pieces seem to fit just right. The fourth step is evaluation, in this step you determine whether or not the light bulb idea was worth putting into action or if it was to far fetched. The last of the steps in creativity is called elaboration and this is when you pit the plan into action. This is generally the longest part of the creative process, taking some even years to accomplish. (1)An example of creative thinking could be a fashion designer. They all have to constantly come up with new ideas for clothing items for every season. If I were to be designing clothes I would have to think about what season I would be designing for, what colors and patters I would like to use, and then go for the individual items to design. I would think about using items to create many different outfits and looks using as few items as possible. Then when the idea would come to me I would have that light bulb moment, at this point I would decide if the idea is worth creating or not, and if people would like to wear it. There are steps people can take in order to increase their creativity, three of which include listening to Bach, classical music can really stir up the creativity in you mind (2). Also I would try brainstorming, this can really open your mind up to new ideas, thus making you more creative (3). Third I would go somewhere I have never been to before and try to expand my knowledge of the world around me, by doing so I would be surprising others around me (1). Works Cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.jpb.com/creative/creative.php3) http://www.increasebrainpower.com/definitioncreativity.html

multiple intelligences...

In Gardner's eight theories' of intelligences I looked over them and instantly thought I knew that most of them applied to me, although after taking the test online I quickly saw just how true this was. My two highest scores were actually a tie and they happened to be spatial and intrapersonal. In the text and online spatial is described as being able to see things three dimensionally in your mind easily. Along with this ability come, many occupations I had considered before such as architect and photographer. Although I believe, my other top score of intrapersonal more accurately describes me. It is defined as the ability to understand and effectively interact with others (1). These types of people often use empathy to help others and to solve problems (2). As well as to discriminate and interpret among different kinds of interpersonal clues, and to influence and inspire others to work toward a common goal (2). This is quite interesting to me because it states that these type of people are often nurses and doctors, which my major right now is biology/ pre-med. I realized not long ago how much this is true about me and how much I enjoy helping others (3). My two lowest scores would be musical and intrapersonal. Although I am quite good at helping others, I am not so good at knowing myself. I have never really understood how I think of function, and on an emotional level, it is quite often neglected. As far as music goes, I enjoy listening to it and can tell you the words of a song quickly, but the rhythm, tone or melody I could not even begin to tell you when it is correct or off tune. According to the test, an occupation that is well suited for me would be a doctor or a nurse. I almost laughed when I read on about it because I have been often thinking if I wanted to stay a biology/ pre-med major or switch to nursing. I know most people think well just go all the way and be a doctor, but it is much more than that (3). I have seen how the nurses get more personal with the individual patients more so than the doctors and I would enjoy a more one on one relationship with my patients. I guess that in my mind I would like to be the next Patch Adams and be able to know, and interact with all of patients. This would v fit my strengths and weaknesses of my multiple personality traits because I also scored fairly well in the area of body-kinetics and mathematical-science skills (2). I would be helping the body and manipulating it to gain better health, while using science to carry out the precision and science of medicine. I am sure by now that you can probably tell where I stand on Gardner's theory of eight intelligences. His theory seemed to be so exact for me and what I want to do with my life. I can honestly say that before taking the test I was a bit iffy if his theory could actually work, but now seeing where I lye on the charts I am convinced that his theory is correct. Works Cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.mitest.com/omultint.htm3) http://online.onetcenter.org/find/

recovered mempries? can they occur

Many people seem to have recovered memories on a day to day basis, although research has shown that not all of our recovered memories are accurate. An autobiographical memory is a form of episodic memory in a person's recollections of experiences in their life. There are three levels to this type of memory going from life time periods, to general events, to event specific knowledge. Even in the event specific stage most memories are some facts along with myths (1). Loftus did a lot of research as a psychologist; she deeply investigated the eyewitness testimony memory. She wondered why or how people stored memory from a specific event, even more so she wondered how the memory worked in this event along with its accuracy (2). Loftus was also convinced that false memories could become created by others, especially through hypnosis (1). Recovered memory therapy, many psychologists have used hypnosis in order to recover memories although Loftus' research proved that in many cases even the slight inclination of the event happening can make the individual really think that the event occurred(1). Through their acts of trying to help people recover memories of their past many have created this false memory syndrome, in which people truly believe something happened that indeed did not. Along the issue of a recovered memory versus a pseudo memory, the final answer is still unknown, along with many other issues (3). But most researchers in the field of recovered memory therapy agree that although it is a rare occurrence, a memory of early childhood abuse that has been forgotten can be remembered later. However, these leaders also agree that it is possible to construct convincing pseudo memories for events that never occurred, thus creating false memory syndrome (3).I have personally experience the false memory syndrome, I seem to have dreams that I really think are real sometimes because I always swear that my boyfriend and I have been somewhere that we have not. I thought we had been to this particular restaurant at least three or four times but for some reason a few of them were a little more cloudy and it is those times that we actually didn't go. It was really funny at first because I would argue that we had just been there, when in all actuality I would later remember that we hadn't been there but only once or twice. I really enjoyed researching this topic; it helped me figure out why that happens to me all the time. I am going to have to agree with Loftus, I think that a lot of our recovered memories are false ones. I know there is no real way to tell for each individual if their memories are accurate or false, but I believe that they are constructed rather than recovered(2). Works cited:1) Textbook 2) http://faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/ [Elizabeth Loftus' home page.]3). http://www.apa.org/topics/memories.html

superstitions...why we have them.

Superstitions may not only be urban legends passed on from generation to generation, they may also be learned by operant conditioning. In operant conditioning there is a reward for the good and a removal of reward for the bad. In other words the operant conditioning is a way of learning where the consequence of behavior changes the probability of that particular behaviors occurrence (1). Some common examples of superstitions include black cats are bad luck, or breaking a mirror or wearing lucky shirt (2) some even argue that humans are not the only species with superstitions, Skinner states that he believes that pigeons are also superstitious (3). My best friend in high school had lucky panties and she would always wear them for any test or any important day. She once told me that she forgot her lucky panties and left school before her test to go home and get them. This superstition could have been formed by operant conditioning because the positive response is her grades increased when wearing her lucky panties. The negative would be that she would freak out so badly if she did not have her lucky panties on that she would do a lot worse on her tests. This is a mind over matter situation, in which the panties never had the answers to her test in them, but they gave her the belief that she would do well. Although this superstition seems silly to the rest of us, to her this was no laughing matter. She really thought that without her lucky panties that she would fail her tests. Now, this superstition could be reversed with operant conditioning as well. All you would have to do is prove that her panties weren't magical and they didn't help her get an A on her test. So one day she has a pop quiz or a test she forgot about, and once she proves to herself that the power wasn't in her lucky panties but in her mind, then she could overcome this superstition. Works Cited1). Textbook2.) http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/pigeons2.html 3) http://www.nous.org.uk/Vyse.html

phobias

A phobia is defined as an irrational fear; although if you are the one experiencing this fear, it is a very strong and serious issue. Classical conditioning occurs when a person associates a neutral object with something more meaningful. In the text, our example was a baby who got stung by a bee that was near a pink flower, the next time the baby saw a pink flower he began to cry. The flower being a neutral stimulus in the experiment, and for the more meaningful one, the bee sting. Now that the same two objects have the ability to create the same response the classical conditioning is completed (1). Many phobias are caused by classical conditioning. It is easy to see that the baby acquired the fear for pink flowers due to associating it to the bee sting, even though to fear flowers is high irrational(1). Another example would be my phobia, I have a huge phobia and it is silly I know, but I am terrified of fog. You know the mist that hangs just above the road in the mornings. Yeah well, after reading the section about classical conditioning I have understood now why I have learned this fear. When I was younger every time someone I knew died it happened when there was fog, and every time I found out about their death I was around fog. I soon began to associate fog with death. Still to this day, I know this fear is irrational but I still have a hard time driving through fog. In my phobia the likely UCS would be death, and the UCR would be me shaking and freaking out or becoming upset this is an unlearned response. The CS would be the fog; it was previously neutral and now is associated with the fear of death the UCS. The CR is again me not being able to drive though fog, and freaking out when around it (1). I believe that the most effective way to treat my phobia would be systematic desensitization. This method that has been proven many times to be effective in the treatment of phobias. In this procedure, events which cause anxiety or phobias are restated in imagination, and then a relaxation technique is used to dissipate the fears. With enough repetition through this practice, the imagined event loses its phobia-provoking power. After the training, when you actually face the real event, you will find that it too, just like the imagined event, has lost its power to make you scared (2). One way I know I could not handle would be flooding; it would probably cause me to have a panic attack. In this procedure the patient would be exposed to the phobic stimulus as part of the therapeutic process, in my case fog. The more simple form of exposure treatment is flooding, where the person is immersed in the fear reflex until the fear itself fades away. Although some phobic reactions are so strong, such as mine, that flooding must be done through the patient's imagination of the phobic stimulus, rather than being submerged in the phobic stimulus itself (3).Works Cited:1). Textbook2). http://www.guidetopsychology.com/sysden.htm3). http://www.phobialist.com/treat.html

kolburg psyc again...

Kohlberg has described three levels of moral development; preconventional, conventional, and post conventional. In the first stage, preconventional, a child, an adolescent, or an adult would be asked a simple question for instance about stealing and respond with an answer that parents or elders drill into their minds, such as its bad or wrong. Than later you might get a response stating the consequence of the reaction. For instance the child might say you shouldn't steal because you will get in trouble (2). These are steps one and two which take place during Kohlberg's first stage the preconventional level. The next level would be conventional and this level includes Mutual interpersonal exceptions, relationships, and interpersonal conformity (1). This would include the individuals' values on trust, their caring, and loyalty to others as a basis for their moral judgments. At stage three they would say things such as stealing would be ok if it helped someone. Then in stage four their response would be that stealing is wrong no matter who you're helping, and it is against the law no matter what. Then the last level would be the postconventional level. This includes the last two stages. In stage five you would see social contract or utility and individual rights. The individual might reason with the pre set values and laws, saying that in certain circumstances it could be ok to break the law (2). In stage six, which most adults never reach is a universal understanding of ethical principles. This individual would have developed moral judgments based on human rights. When faced with a dilemma between law and conscience, a personal conscience that he/ she have individualized would be followed (1).The variety of decisions in which Mrs. Jones would have to make about Mr. Thompson would follow Kohlberg's levels in the fact that she would think about the law and how no matter what he still broke the law. Then she would think about how he is as a person, and how he has made a name for himself. Which would be in stage three and then the law would come into her thinking as a means of stage four, and eventually her thinking would lead her to stage five where she would make a decision to either to turn him in to the law or not (1). I believe that the most important thing to consider in whether or not to send Mr. Thompson back to jail would be his morals and values now. I would consider what crime he committed and does he understand that what he did was wrong, and also does he now have the correct morals in order to not commit crimes again. These are the things I would consider. He seems to have turned his life around for the better, so honestly now I don not see a reason why she should turn him in other than, her feeling obligated to be a rightful citizen, but honestly he is not doing any harm. He has a business and a home its not like he is robbing people or living on the streets. I do not think I would call and turn him in because he seemed to of learned his lesson and keeps out of trouble now, and everyone deserves a second chance. My level of thinking would be in stage five where I would have individual reasons that apply to this situation that might not necessarily apply to another situation. I believe that this would be an accurate way of thinking, since every situation is different. Although in college most students have to obtain a higher level of thinking, not all college students obtain the same level of thinking. Some experts say that parents contribute in a vary small way to how a child thinks due to the parent-child relationships are often too power oriented (1). Others argue that peers have a great amount of influence on how a person's response could vary (3). I personally have encountered one instance where I had to choose to turn in someone for stealing or not, and although this wasn't for an ethical issue the person I caught stealing was in desperate need of the item, and I went up to this person, whom I had never met before and offered to pay of the item if they would not steal anymore. I know that they, might steal in the future but at least while I was around they didn't have to steal. I feel that this situation shows my thinking in step five where I understand the situation and am working to improve it. Work cited:1. Textbook2. http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm3. http://www.vtaide.com/blessing/Kohlberg.htm

male and female brains essay for psyc

Although we already know that men and women think quite differently, we still do not fully know why. This is why I choose to write on the differences in male and female brain differences. Although every brain is essentially alike there are some structural differences that tend to vary between male and female brains. Although the male and female brains differ it does not mean that one sex is necessarily better than the other, they seem to be different but equal (1). It has been found that the hypothalamus is quite larger in men than in woman. This structure is the part of the brain responsible for regulating our eating, drinking, and sexual functions. This is why men tend to eat more than women, drink more and generally have a higher sex drive than women. In the female brain the corpus callosum is much larger than in the male brain. The corpus callosum is a band of tissue that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. This tissue also is where epileptic seizure occurs; it happens through an uncontrollable electric current that flashes across this band of tissue. This is why women tend to be more prone than men to epilepsy. Women are also more likely to use both hemispheres of the brain to process information than men. Men are known to use the left hemisphere dominantly, which is known as the logical side. The right side of the brain however is the creative side which women use both the left and right, making women more creative at making things with their hands(1). Also, studies have shown that men loose brain tissue earlier than women and overall they tend to loose more of it than women. Overall men are more likely to loose tissue in the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls thinking and reasoning, and the temporal lobe, which controls hearing. Women are more likely to loose brain tissue in the parietal lobe, responsible for spatial location, and the hippocampus lobe, for memory (1). A possible cause of these structural differences could be that over time women and men have had a certain social status; where men were the logical ones who went to work, and women were the creative housewife (1). Women have always been the ones to make clothes and cook, making their brains use both hemispheres more so than men. Men also had to learn to read maps and know around where they were in order to lead their family. It is a fact that male and female brains have their differences and maybe that is why men and women fit so well in relationships in order to balance out each others flaws and have different ways of thinking. Work cited: 1. Textbook

week 4 part 5

In n out and Del taco…I was born and raised in California where they have the best fast food places in the world. There is this hamburger place that has been around since the fifties and it is still the best hamburgers in the world. All the movie stars in Las Angeles go to eat there, and it is called In n Out. They make their hamburgers fresh and never add fat to increase flavor only natural ingredients. It is the bomb when it comes to hamburgers. Well the reason I am writing about them is because there is also one in Las Vegas, and since I am here I want to take full advantage of it. I can not wait, we are going to have lunch there today and it will be amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Another great west coast place to eat is Del Taco and it is amazing. They have both hamburgers and Mexican food all in one. It is kind of like mixing Mc Donald’s and Taco Bell all at once. If you order a numbered meal you will get for instance a burrito fries and a drink. It may sound odd to you but I grew up with this. It is the best. They also have killer shakes that make you want to become a milkoholic. We haven’t had time to go eat there yet, but trus me before we leave we will be making a stop there as well. I know I sound like a complete fat ass right now going on about fast food, but you never realize how much you miss something until its gone. When I moved away to texas and now to Memphis there is nothing that compares to these two places to eat. It is like they put crack in the food or something to make you addicted.Words: 310

week 4 part 4

Spring break will be amazing…Ok so I am so excited about spring break!!! My friends and I are going to Panama City, and I know that it is so cliché but being from California I have never been east of Memphis. You can name any state to the west and I have been there, but for some reason my family never felt the urge to go to the eastern side of the country. This is kind of sad because I have always wanted to go to New York and the entire East Coast. Well, anyways spring break is March first, for those of you who didn't know that. I can not wait planning an entire week without parents makes me feel so grown up, and my friends and I all love to have a good time. You know if I am there it will be fun, no mater what. I have wanted a job, but now that I am seeing people not get to go on a spring break trip I am not to sure if I really want one now. I could really use the extra cash and it would help my parents out a little bit, because I know I spend way more than what I should. I just can't help it, it’s in my nature...I love to shop!!!Words 217

week 4 part 3

February…My boyfriend and I have been dating for a while now and he knows that when a special occasion comes up he needs to get me something good, because I always give him extravagant gifts. Well, I kind of feel bad for him this month. He has always had to worry about the holidays, but now he has Valentines Day, my birthday and our eighteen month anniversary all within a week of each other. The poor boy better pull some major strings and or just get one really good gift. I know I sound kind of rude, but I think I deserve it, after all I did get a really crappy Christmas gift from him. It’s a long story, and we were having problems but still I am still hurt by it, even though I won’t say anything to him I am pissed. Os now he has got to make it up to me. I told him I what I wanted, I want this ring and it’s so cute. It has diamonds on the sides and in the middle wrapped around it it says love and the metal is frosted looking. It is so cute, and I don’t want it to be like a promise ring or an engagement or anything like that. I honestly just want it plain and simple, but I don’t think he understood what I meant. He took it as I want a commitment from you and I want it now, but honestly I just want it because I am a girl and I love jewelry.Words: 260

week 4 part two

i posted all 5 blogs in one so i am breaking them up so i can get all my points i need


My mini vacation…My little vacation right in the middle of school has been amazing to just get away from my life for a little bit but now that I have been here I am beginning to wonder if this is really a vacation or just a detour? My life has been pretty hectic the last few weeks and I came on this vacation to get away from all of that, but all I have been doing is going non stop. I feel like I just need to step away from everything and just breathe. I know that sounds kind of weird but its true. The more I try to escape the responsibilities of my life the more I seem to have. I love being a college student, but sometimes I miss being taken care of and not having to worry about getting my school work done and making sure everything is taken care of before I can truly relax. Now that I am away from Memphis, I really miss it although I just moved there in August, to me it is home. I don’t know why but my group of friend’s there feels more like family than anything else in my life. I honestly do not know how I survived eighteen years of my life without them. They are my rock, and without my girls I would just die.Words: 227

5

My hostile sexism score was a 2.18 and my benevolent sexism score is a 2.00 (1). My scores for the hidden racism suggested a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American (2). I do not believe that I have biases towards either sex. I seem to think fairly in the world, I honestly believe that men and women are equal and should be treated as such. I do not like it when people try to belittle women or when women try to do the same to men. Either way it is not right and that is truly what I believe. I also do not think that I am prejudice towards race; I might have a slight preference towards whites but that goes back to the old saying birds of a feather flock together. I have some black friends as well it just happens that I have more in common with more white people. That does not mean I am raciest. I honestly do think that the color on your skin should not affect you and your surroundings. I think that if a white person and a black person are both going after the same job that the one with most experience or education should get the job and that race should never be the issue. I honestly do not agree with the sexist and racist speeches and other things but I also believe in freedom of speech and that even though they sound ignorant, however has something to say should be allowed to say it. You do not have to listen to the speeches or read the literature in which you do not agree to. That goes along with pornography; you do not have to go out and watch it or go to an adult store where it is easily accessible. It goes along with freedoms of Americans. If you were to outlaw pornography people would just find illegal ways to go around the laws. I do not necessarily agree with porn and I think it can be quite demeaning to both men and women but I still think it is others rights to be able to view what they choose. The difficult problem that comes with what should be outlawed is you want to do what is in the best interest for others in the country, but not everyone knows what is best for everyone. What is best for you may not be what are best for me. (3)I personally can not think of an instance where I was biased or prejudice. I am not saying that I am perfect, but I am saying that I generally do not act in such ways. Although people generally would react in a negative manner if you are acting irrationally. The most difficult aspect of being a minority group member is not always having people around that have the same views as you, and you can be found constantly defending yourself. Although the negative aspects of being the majority are far less strenuous, they include falling into a stereotype and not having a good sense of who you are anymore because you have been wrapped up in your majority group for so long. Works cited:1) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/index.php?section=asi&action=takeSurvey 2) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/racframe.htm 3) TextbookWords: 543

4

The three dimensions of casualties are Internal/ external, stable/ unstable, and controllable/ uncontrollable. The first dimension, internal/ external causes includes all causes internal to that person such as beliefs and personality traits. Where as external causes include things such as social pressure and other aspects of the social situations. The next dimension is the stable/ unstable cause and is both internal and external. They are more so about how you perceive a person actions if it is constantly recurring then it is a stable cause. Although if it seems to alter somewhat it is unstable. The last dimension of casualties is the controllable/ uncontrollable cause in which a person is perceived as one or the other. This can co-exist with any combination of the other dimensions. (1)The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for observers to overestimate the importance of traits and underestimate the importance of situations where they seek explanations of someone's behavior (1). The fundamental attribution error is simply saying that people tend to explain peoples reactions to their personalities rather than according to the situation. This has happened to me before, I was in a tough situation with my boyfriend recently and my friend thought that it was just my personality and really it was all about the situation. In fact I hardly doubt that in a normal circumstance that I would have acted the way I did. Although she still believes that my problems with my boyfriend and I were because of my personality, not the current situation. She even went as far as trying to get me to break up with him. I was appalled because this was none of her business in the first place and she was making a huge fundamental attribution error. This in turn affected my attitude towards her until she realized how wrong she truly was. We were both bitter at each other for awhile, but she realized she was underestimating the whole situation. Cognition, for the purpose of cognitive dissonance, may be thought of as a piece of knowledge. The knowledge may be about an attitude, an emotion, a behavior, or a value (2). A person who has dissonant cognitions is said to be in a state of psychological dissonance, which is known as unpleasant psychological tension (2). This state of tension internal drive like properties that are much like that of hunger and thirst (2). When a person has been deprived of food, they experiences unpleasant tension and is driven to reduce the unpleasant tension that results (2). Although reducing the psychological sate of dissonance is not as simple as eating or drinking (2). Another theory is self perception this theory is about the behaviors between individuals that stresses their references about their attitudes into perceiving their behavior (3). I have experiences cognitive dissonance in my life, all it seems to be is discomfort in your mind. Not like a headache but more so like an unpleasant situation that you can not get out of your head and everyone has experienced this before. I am currently experiencing this with my parents. We just do not agree on my new living arrangements, here. They were honestly hoping that I would hate it here and want to go home, but the truth is I couldn't be happier than I am here. I could use this new information in the situation with my parents by explaining to them how people's attitudes change, and this could also be very helpful in the workplace by understanding that the grumpy old man that comes into your store everyday may just be grumpy because of outside situations. Who knows he could be sweet guy, I need to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes. Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/stephens/cdback.html3) http://www.sexualityandu.ca/professionals/older-women-8.aspxWords: 629

3

Ok so it’s Wednesday and I just got home to a great big happy family, not. Ok so I had to come home because my sister had a mental breakdown. Her husband, Steve is in Iraq again and every time she turns on the news she can’t help but worry herself sick. Well, it is so odd how children can say the littlest thing and hurt an adult so badly. My sister has two kid’s Felicity who is six and Clayton who is two. Well my sister went to pick them up from school and day care when this little boy walks up to my sister and says “you’re the mommy whose husband is shooting the bad guys right?” and my sister responded yes, that’s me and the little boy said to her “well you better hope the bad guys don’t shoot back.” To me I thought it was kind of clever of the little boy and somewhat funny but to my sister it was a nightmare. This was the last little push to make her break and she did. So I left early the next morning to help her. Normally my parents would be just a few minutes away but they just left about a week ago to go back to California because it was my bothers daughter Kiely, first birthday. So I went out there to take the kids to school and to cheer class and to playschool. While my sister stayed in bed all day and cried. I can’t even imagine what she is going through all I can do is be there as much as possible for her.Words: 272

part 2

Ok so now I have even a bigger problem!!! I went home this week and took my computer thinking I could do my homework when I got there and no worries right. Wrong! When I got home my screen went out, it was completely white and not a single computer store could fix it so it is a good thing I bought the warranty on my computer. The bad thing I am stuck in Texas, with zero access to a computer. I called everyone I knew and not a single person came home this week. Lucky me, no computer= no internet. And no internet= another week of no blogs. So I decided I was going to hand write my blogs and just turn them in on Tuesday. Well, I got everything done I needed to at home and decided to come back today. So now I am typing up all of my blogs that I hand wrote. I know that they are supposed to be up by Friday night, but I am hoping you will make an exception and accept my late blog posts. I know I could have done them sooner, but I did leave on Wednesday morning so I thought I had plenty of time. It’s just that I promised myself that I would do these things this time and then my computer screen goes out. I guess I just really am bad at this whole thing. You know what’s even worse? My computer will be back in 4-6 weeks and finals are next week and our big paper is also due next week so all of my research and writing has to be done in the computer lab. Luckily I saved my research on a thumb drive the other day; I guess God was looking out for me there.Words: 302

Ok so this blog is about me not remembering about my blogs the last month! Ughhh…idk why it is so hard for me to remember to post these things. I have been really horrible this semester at writing. It is just that I have papers after papers and the; last thing I want to do every day is write…again. I am not over exaggerating when I say that I had four papers to write last week. Four that is one a day. Then on top of those four papers, my psychology class is nothing but writing. We go in for an hour every class period and write on an assigned topic. I have written more this semester than I have my whole life. I am not trying to say that these aren’t important or useful because they are, it’s just I guess I am stuck in my old habits and can’t seem to start new ones. I have really enjoyed this course; the only thing I regret is not doing these blogs. I know how beneficial they could have been in my research. I loved learning about my topic, and it has inspired me to care about something and know that I can do something about it. I think I will actually vote in this upcoming election, something I thought I would never do. I don’t like to hear all these negative things about all the candidates, so the way I saw it why vote for the lesser of two evils? Now I can see why, because this issue really matters to me now.
Words: 264
Ok so now I have even a bigger problem!!! I went home this week and took my computer thinking I could do my homework when I got there and no worries right. Wrong! When I got home my screen went out, it was completely white and not a single computer store could fix it so it is a good thing I bought the warranty on my computer. The bad thing I am stuck in Texas, with zero access to a computer. I called everyone I knew and not a single person came home this week. Lucky me, no computer= no internet. And no internet= another week of no blogs. So I decided I was going to hand write my blogs and just turn them in on Tuesday. Well, I got everything done I needed to at home and decided to come back today. So now I am typing up all of my blogs that I hand wrote. I know that they are supposed to be up by Friday night, but I am hoping you will make an exception and accept my late blog posts. I know I could have done them sooner, but I did leave on Wednesday morning so I thought I had plenty of time. It’s just that I promised myself that I would do these things this time and then my computer screen goes out. I guess I just really am bad at this whole thing. You know what’s even worse? My computer will be back in 4-6 weeks and finals are next week and our big paper is also due next week so all of my research and writing has to be done in the computer lab. Luckily I saved my research on a thumb drive the other day; I guess God was looking out for me there.
Words: 302
Ok so it’s Wednesday and I just got home to a great big happy family, not. Ok so I had to come home because my sister had a mental breakdown. Her husband, Steve is in Iraq again and every time she turns on the news she can’t help but worry herself sick. Well, it is so odd how children can say the littlest thing and hurt an adult so badly. My sister has two kid’s Felicity who is six and Clayton who is two. Well my sister went to pick them up from school and day care when this little boy walks up to my sister and says “you’re the mommy whose husband is shooting the bad guys right?” and my sister responded yes, that’s me and the little boy said to her “well you better hope the bad guys don’t shoot back.” To me I thought it was kind of clever of the little boy and somewhat funny but to my sister it was a nightmare. This was the last little push to make her break and she did. So I left early the next morning to help her. Normally my parents would be just a few minutes away but they just left about a week ago to go back to California because it was my bothers daughter Kiely, first birthday. So I went out there to take the kids to school and to cheer class and to playschool. While my sister stayed in bed all day and cried. I can’t even imagine what she is going through all I can do is be there as much as possible for her.
Words: 272

The three dimensions of casualties are Internal/ external, stable/ unstable, and controllable/ uncontrollable. The first dimension, internal/ external causes includes all causes internal to that person such as beliefs and personality traits. Where as external causes include things such as social pressure and other aspects of the social situations. The next dimension is the stable/ unstable cause and is both internal and external. They are more so about how you perceive a person actions if it is constantly recurring then it is a stable cause. Although if it seems to alter somewhat it is unstable. The last dimension of casualties is the controllable/ uncontrollable cause in which a person is perceived as one or the other. This can co-exist with any combination of the other dimensions. (1)The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for observers to overestimate the importance of traits and underestimate the importance of situations where they seek explanations of someone's behavior (1). The fundamental attribution error is simply saying that people tend to explain peoples reactions to their personalities rather than according to the situation. This has happened to me before, I was in a tough situation with my boyfriend recently and my friend thought that it was just my personality and really it was all about the situation. In fact I hardly doubt that in a normal circumstance that I would have acted the way I did. Although she still believes that my problems with my boyfriend and I were because of my personality, not the current situation. She even went as far as trying to get me to break up with him. I was appalled because this was none of her business in the first place and she was making a huge fundamental attribution error. This in turn affected my attitude towards her until she realized how wrong she truly was. We were both bitter at each other for awhile, but she realized she was underestimating the whole situation. Cognition, for the purpose of cognitive dissonance, may be thought of as a piece of knowledge. The knowledge may be about an attitude, an emotion, a behavior, or a value (2). A person who has dissonant cognitions is said to be in a state of psychological dissonance, which is known as unpleasant psychological tension (2). This state of tension internal drive like properties that are much like that of hunger and thirst (2). When a person has been deprived of food, they experiences unpleasant tension and is driven to reduce the unpleasant tension that results (2). Although reducing the psychological sate of dissonance is not as simple as eating or drinking (2). Another theory is self perception this theory is about the behaviors between individuals that stresses their references about their attitudes into perceiving their behavior (3). I have experiences cognitive dissonance in my life, all it seems to be is discomfort in your mind. Not like a headache but more so like an unpleasant situation that you can not get out of your head and everyone has experienced this before. I am currently experiencing this with my parents. We just do not agree on my new living arrangements, here. They were honestly hoping that I would hate it here and want to go home, but the truth is I couldn't be happier than I am here. I could use this new information in the situation with my parents by explaining to them how people's attitudes change, and this could also be very helpful in the workplace by understanding that the grumpy old man that comes into your store everyday may just be grumpy because of outside situations. Who knows he could be sweet guy, I need to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes. Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/stephens/cdback.html3) http://www.sexualityandu.ca/professionals/older-women-8.aspx

Words: 629

My hostile sexism score was a 2.18 and my benevolent sexism score is a 2.00 (1). My scores for the hidden racism suggested a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American (2). I do not believe that I have biases towards either sex. I seem to think fairly in the world, I honestly believe that men and women are equal and should be treated as such. I do not like it when people try to belittle women or when women try to do the same to men. Either way it is not right and that is truly what I believe. I also do not think that I am prejudice towards race; I might have a slight preference towards whites but that goes back to the old saying birds of a feather flock together. I have some black friends as well it just happens that I have more in common with more white people. That does not mean I am raciest. I honestly do think that the color on your skin should not affect you and your surroundings. I think that if a white person and a black person are both going after the same job that the one with most experience or education should get the job and that race should never be the issue. I honestly do not agree with the sexist and racist speeches and other things but I also believe in freedom of speech and that even though they sound ignorant, however has something to say should be allowed to say it. You do not have to listen to the speeches or read the literature in which you do not agree to. That goes along with pornography; you do not have to go out and watch it or go to an adult store where it is easily accessible. It goes along with freedoms of Americans. If you were to outlaw pornography people would just find illegal ways to go around the laws. I do not necessarily agree with porn and I think it can be quite demeaning to both men and women but I still think it is others rights to be able to view what they choose. The difficult problem that comes with what should be outlawed is you want to do what is in the best interest for others in the country, but not everyone knows what is best for everyone. What is best for you may not be what are best for me. (3)I personally can not think of an instance where I was biased or prejudice. I am not saying that I am perfect, but I am saying that I generally do not act in such ways. Although people generally would react in a negative manner if you are acting irrationally. The most difficult aspect of being a minority group member is not always having people around that have the same views as you, and you can be found constantly defending yourself. Although the negative aspects of being the majority are far less strenuous, they include falling into a stereotype and not having a good sense of who you are anymore because you have been wrapped up in your majority group for so long. Works cited:1) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/index.php?section=asi&action=takeSurvey 2) http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/racframe.htm 3) Textbook

Words: 543

another psyc

In my personality test, it said that I was very extroverted, moderately intuitive, moderately feeling, and slightly perceiving (1,2). I feel that these results were correct according to my personality. I do have a very extroverted personality; I often am the loud one in the group and talk a lot, especially if something is bothering me. I also am driven by my feeling many times and often act on impulses. People can often tell what my feelings are because they influence my decisions many of the times. I also am very intuitive; if I feel that something is up, I will usually go investigate it to find out just what it is exactly. Although these things are all, correct about me, the fact of feelings being rated that high makes me wonder because I have a hard time expressing my feelings especially if it is something that has really upset me. The whole thing of me only being slightly perceiving makes me wonder the accuracy as well because I feel that I am very perceiving. I try to take things in that are around me rather than jump right into something. In addition, I think it would depend on my mood on how extroverted I can be, because in the classroom I tend to stay in my comfort zone and be quiet. Although at a party or around my friends I am the center of attention, and that is exactly how I like it. I think this test is fun, but I do not think it is very useful. You are asked questions about yourself so you are going to answer them how you feel you are, while many others may perceive you completely differently. (1,2)Almost none of the careers listed for my personality type are appealing to me. Although the most unappealing to me would be a reporter (3). I was on the newspaper staff in high school, we were constantly getting the story and writing, and I hate writing about things I do not care about. most of the times your stories as a reporter doesn't interest you but you still have to make it interesting to the readers. I also feel that as a reporter people think lowlier of you, because you are always looking for a story so people do not trust you as much. One criticism of a self-report test is social desirability (1,2). Your going to answer the questions how you would want others to perceive you and thus altering the outcomes of the test. Another criticism is that these tests do not get to the underlying core of the person (1). They seem to be somewhat blurry instead of specific. I think that these are both very important factors and they are both equally valid arguments. I think that both my boyfriend and my close friends would score completely opposite of me. Everyone that I tend to be close with is very quiet and not exactly feeling driven which is completely different that how I am. This tells me that opposites really do attract. I think that you need to find someone that is completely different from yourself in order to keep the relationship new and exciting. (4) Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes3.asp3) http://www.humanmetrics.com/vocation/JCI.asp?EI=89&SN=-38&TF=-25&JP=-114) http://keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=3&c=champion**

part 2

People with a low socioeconomic status, especially for those that live in poverty are more likely than those higher up in the economic level to develop depression. Also one thing that may predispose your likelihood of having depression is that in America Latinos are much more likely than whites to develop depression. This may be in concurrance with the higher levels of poverty among this race but it is still significantly higher. The depression rate is also twice as high for females as males, this may be due to rapid changes in hormones but no one truly knows. (1)If I knew one of my friends was experiencing the symptoms I listed above I would let her know of the resources available here on campus. We can come here to the psychology department and talk to someone and get her help. Some common treatments include first-line treatment for most people with depression today consist of antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, or the combination. In situations where these options are not effective or too slow for such as in a person with delusional depression and intense, unremitting suicidal thoughts, electroconvulsive therapy may be considered. ECT is also sometimes referred to as electroshock or shock treatment (3). Treatment for depression is varying successful and there are many treatment options available for depressed individuals (3). For about two-thirds of those individuals who have a major depressive episode they will recover completely. The other one-third may recover only partially or not at all. People who do not recover completely may have a higher chance of experiencing one or more additional episodes (2).Works cited:1) Textbook2) http://www.allaboutdepression.com/dia_03.html3) http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter4/sec3_1.html

psych part 1

The typical symptoms of major depressive disorder are depressed mood most of the day, reduced interest or pleasure in all or most activities, significant weight loss or gain or significant decrease/ increase in appetite, trouble sleeping or sleeping to much, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or loss of energy, feeling worthless or guilty in an excessive or inappropriate manner, problems in thinking, concentrating, or making decisions, and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. These are the nine symptoms in which define a depressive episode; of these at least five must occur during a two week period. (1)There have been studies to show that depressive disorders do run in families although other disorders are more likely, it is more so likely that you can develop a depressive disorder if your biological parent also suffers from a depressive disorder. (1)The most consistent of neurobiological abnormalities in people with depression disorders is altered brain-wave activity while sleeping. Depressed individuals often have less slow wave sleep and go into rapid eye movement earlier into the night than non-depressed individuals. This is the reason while most depressed people often can not get a good night sleep. In major depressive disorder neuroimaging has shown that people with MDD often show a decrease in the metabolic activity in the cerebral cortex. The amygdale is also overactive during depression this is one explanation for the symptoms of depression because this is responsible to help store and recall emotional memories. Another disability that occurs is death or lack of neuron ability, mostly in the prefrontal cortex which also controls the amygdale. (1)People with a low socioeconomic status, especially for those that live in poverty are more likely than those higher up in the economic level to develop depression. Also one thing that may predispose your likelihood of having depression is that in America Latinos are much more likely than whites to develop depression. This may be in concurrance with the higher levels of poverty among this race but it is still significantly higher. The depression rate is also twice as high for females as males, this may be due to rapid changes in hormones but no one truly knows. (1)