Reflection On General Psychology

I have always been interested in the way people act and what affects their behaviour in social situations. From studying psychology at A-level this passion and fascination has grown so much so that I now want to complete a degree in psychology to further my knowledge into human behaviour and what motivates a person to show this behaviour. From studying Piliavin during my A-level course I learnt about the ‘diffusion of responsibility’ which helped me understand why people are lacking in motivation to help a person in need, this theory became particularly interesting to me when a customer at work who had special needs broke down crying because she had lost a key to her house, other customers in the shop fled and refused to help her if I had not learnt about Piliavin this behaviour would have shocked and confused me but I now understand why a person feels this behaviour is necessary and their only option. Therefore I think that psychology is vital in society and everyday life as human behaviour is always being analysed by others and so psychology is fundamental to be able to understand the human mind in a variety of situations and to fully understand why people think and act the way they do.

I survey the body language, facial expressions and the possible words or phrases that can be interpreted more than one way. Because of this course I am more tolerant to people who are prejudiced. The most personally influential chapter to me was chapter two in the assigned textbook. The chapter introduced me to how stereotypes are formed and the consequences of categorizing people. Studies show that in order to simplify the workload of the brain, we place people into social categories based on previous experience and peer learning. “Social categorization involves thinking about people primarily as members of social groups rather than as individuals” (Blaine, 22).I found that I engage in this practice, but the automatic groups do not usually have negative stereotypes attached; When I meet a negative exception, they are then sorted into a subgroup.The second most influential chapter …..Chapter four of the textbook details the components of prejudices. the stereotypes and instances of prejudice enabled me

Explanations of narcolepsy are in majority biological. Scientists have discovered that narcoleptics often are lacking in hypocretin which is a chemical in the brain that control sleep and wakefulness. A lack of this chemical may explain the sudden attacks of sleep.

As I was reading through our course textbook, “Psychology: An Exploration,” by Saundra K. Ciccarelli and J. Noland White and listening through class lectures over the course of the semester, I found the topic on parenting styles in chapter 8 to be very interesting. I found it to be interesting because I can think on many life situations as a child that applies to this concept very easily, which I never realized before. There are three different types of parenting styles. The first style is called authoritarian parenting. Authoritarian parenting is a style when the parent constantly demands rules on their children and nothing other than rules. In our textbook it is stated that, “this type of parent is stern, rigid, demanding perfection, controlling, uncompromising” (Ciccarelli, White, 2013). An authoritarian parent is one that expects their child to obey their rules or else they would get punished; as I would say this style of parenting is when the parent believes, “is either their way or the highway.” The second style of parenting is called permissive parenting. Permissive parenting is the complete opposite style of authoritarian parenting. They are parents that have absolutely no rules in their household. Permissive parents are normally portrayed as parents that could careless about the concept of parenting. Permissive parents believe that without given rules and demands to their children, their children will be the happiest. This style can also, indicate neglectfulness

Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter & Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectives that are used to study people’s behavior, and mental processes. These perspectives are the biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and the sociocultural perspective.

Chapter one of Experience Psychology has shown me theoretical and historical perspectives of psychology and has given me basic knowledge of research methods. In learning this I have come to notice these elements of psychology in the Netflix original show Bates Motel.

* Predict: Offering predictions (or hypotheses) about how a given condition or set of conditions will affect

The study of human psychology comprises many elements to best understand human behaviour, through theoretical perspectives on aspects including behavioural, cognitive and personality psychology (Caponecchia, 2012). In the modern era, psychology has been recognised as one of the foundations during learning, with individuals having different abilities and learning rates, it is essential that tutors teach considering the individual differences students possess (Nezhad and Vahedi, 2011). Instructors have been shown to teach in their own preferred learning method, which may not necessarily be the most appropriate style for the students. This creates loss of motivation in the students and lower learning rates (Gailbraith and Saunders, 1987). Potentially, this is due to learners preferring to learn within their comfort zone whilst utilizing their dominant learning style (Partridge, 1983). Teachers need to be aware of the different teaching methods out there and have an understanding of them for ongoing refinement and success (Vaughn and Baker, 2001). There is also an importance in recognising individuals not just for their abilities but also for their personalities and motivation (Entwistle, 2013). Similarly, whilst undertaking any sort of leadership role, it is just as important to be self-aware of your own traits including emotions, goals and identity, in order to create positive relationships and maintain sustainable performance (Avolio and Gardner, 2005).

General Psychology applies to so many individual areas of everyday life; from family relationships to english papers, a basic understanding of how humans think and interact is vital. I volunteer at a retirement home and dementia facility twice a week for ten hours. Beginning in August, I viewed the job as a sort of check on my list of high school requirements; however, it provided me with a unique and invaluable opportunity. This semester, I simultaneously learned about neurocognitive based psychiatrists Emil Kraeplien and Dr Alois Alzheimer and their achievements in the field of dementia, while interacting with people experiencing the phenomenons they diagnosed. At the facility, the first four floors are filled with retired seniors who need assistance preforming everyday tasks or have memory issues.

Stereotyping is a process that every person will experience in their lives. It is part of being of a group to be associated with others of the same group. Stereotyping can come in many forms either by judging the whole group by the action of a few, or by judging a single individual by the action of someone else in the same group.”Stereotyping means classifying a person as part of a group, making a generalization to that person”(Floyd, 2012, p. 116). Stereotyping is disliked by so many people because they do not wish to be judged by the actions of others. When you meet new people you often want to make a good impression and show

Rebekah is a freshman at Houston Baptist University. This semester, she took a General Psychology class, she has determined that General Psychology will help her greatly in nursing school and in her career as a nurse.

This chapter covers the many questions we may have about psychology. It starts with the history and how it has changed throughout the years. It covers some of the many subfields and jobs you can have as a psychologist. It also covers the four big ideas that are associated with psychology. There are many more topics and sub-topics that will be covered within this paper on chapter 1.

In the field of psychology there are several sub categories that tie into psychology. These sub categories may include but are not limited to psychiatry, counseling, biopsychology etc. Now, when a client decides to come into a counseling session, the effectiveness of the counselor depends on the psychotherapy method used. Psychotherapy is, according to apa.org, “is the informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal stances derived from established psychological principles for the purpose of assisting people to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in directions that the participants deem desirable". A psychotherapy is needed in order for the counselor to be effective in understand how to help the client out of the situation/problem he or she is in. Now there are many different types of psychotherapies. These different type of psychotherapies differ in many different ways, but it is also up to the counselor and how he or she chooses to use such a method to help the client our of their problem. Psychotherapy in particular is Cognitive Behavioral therapy, also known as CBT. This method is used today, and has had a huge impact in the field of counseling.

In this second unit of Psychology, it was fascinating to focus in on how we as humans learn behaviors, and what can cause us to each function differently in similar situations. Many scientists from the early 20th century have contributed to what we know today about the brain and how it responds to sensations, perceptions, hearing, and conditioning. Some concepts that were most applicable to my everyday life and that I enjoyed learning about were the sensory systems, associated learning, and what Pavlov did for the field of Psychology.

Is how aggressive an individual is determined only by his or her genes? Whether psychological and behavioral traits are purely determined by genetics, solely influenced by socialization, or a combination of both has been a highly debated topic within the field of psychology known as the “nature-nurture issue.” Today, although still disputed, a good number of psychologists and other scientists concur that genetics and the environment mutually influence and intermingle with one another (Myers, 2015). We can partially credit this fizzling-out of the nature-nurture debate to the discoveries made in twin studies. Twin studies are used to help delineate the genetic components of behavior and the socially and culturally influenced components (Myers, 2015). This type of study enables researchers to examine the extent to which genetics and environment have an effect on the development of traits and behavior. For example, in lecture, we learned that a common and natural experiment used in twin studies is to examine a set of twins who grew up in the same household and a set twins who grew up in separate households (K.W. Brown, personal communication, August 29, 2017).