Your personality has a lot to do with what types of stimuli in the world you seek out and avoid.

Take this brief quiz http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

and then after you hit score it, click on the first link available (type description by Keirsey) and read the description.

How accurate do you think this assessment is?

Notice how the quiz itself is focused on various behaviors. What factors contribute to your motivation to approach/avoid these various situations?

This is an incredible article about anorexia. One of the best I've read to really get a sense of the struggle and motivation behind extremely controlled eating.

http://ehgazette.blogs.brynmawr.edu/2010/01/15/learning-to-live-with-anorexia/

Main Article:  

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Depression/feel-eat/story?id=4387456

 

          One reason I found this article very interesting is because I believe that each of us, including myself, do not often think about the effect that our diet has on our emotions and mood. The researchers in this study came to the conclusion that "Food really does have a lot of power." By properly maintaining a well-balanced diet we can significantly improve our mood. This article analyzes several different foods and provides the possible effects each one can have on a person's health.

 

     An important point here is that mood can affect your eating choices, and what you have eaten can subsequently affect your mood. In some ways, this can be a cyclical process. People who eat harmful foods may sometimes feel bad as a result of their nutritional effects and continue consuming the harmful food to (temporarily) get rid of the negative feelings. In psychological terms, there is negative reinforcement.

 

    This is a very important topic today, and I think each of us should take time to consider this study. As these researchers report, " the average consumer isn't eating a healthy enough diet, let alone a diet that will put them in a good mood." As of today, over a third of adults are obese - not just overweight, but obese. As they say in the article, "Though no studies show that mood disorders and increased obesity are directly related, many agree that there is some correlation."

      As I mentioned in my last article, the prevalence of fast food should be of great concern to us, and I say this for a few reasons. Fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds, often use addictive ingredients within their products that may taste very good and increase short-term feelings of happiness, but these artificial chemicals increase the motivation to eat more through grossly unnatural means. When I suggest that we may need to have higher standards on our food (fast food, grocery store products, etc.), I realize some of the criticisms that may arise. Some people would say that consumers could just make these foods in their own home, or people would just find ways around the standards. There are many European restaurants, however, that do have higher standards on fast food than we do. The food may not taste as good in the moment it is consumed, but it is much healthier for one's physical and mental health over the long term.

      There are a few psychological concepts at play here. To avoid the tastier, yet unhealthier foods a person must possess effective gratification delay strategies. Another important point here is that many people are not at a "natural" homeostasis level as determined by their DNA and genetic predisposition. I believe the problem here is largely cultural. Also, this is not just an obesity problem or mood problem - there are many factors at work here, and it may take a bit of critical thinking to get a grasp on what is actually going on. As these researchers reported, "(The) rising rates of depression and other mood disorders (parallel) the rise of obesity in the U.S... It is hard to establish cause and effect, but it's not by chance that stress has been going up and depression has been going up and obesity is going up." There is a very big difference between psychological disorders that require medication and mild mood impairments, but the effects of dietary behavior are a critical part of the equation. Some individuals with anxiety problems have shown significant improvement by simply eating a healthier diet. The effects of this problem are very widespread, long lasting, and have proven devastating to the lives of many people.  

      I would also like to focus on a few of the findings of this study as they relate to happiness in terms of neurotransmitters and overall mood. It mentions all of these foods in depth on the website, but I will try to summarize their information here. 

   Fast Food is known to be a "mood downer." These are the main points about them the article mentions...

 

- Unequivocally, fast foods are mood downers. While it may be cheap, fast, or just easy to reach for a donut, a bag of chips, or a hamburger, eventually, your mood will pay the price.

 

- The immediate effects of a high-fat or sugary snack can be misleading. Often, they give a quick burst of energy and may reduce tension. But these effects run in reverse rapidly. They shift to increase tension and reduce energy.

 

- Fast food and junk food are usually the most processed foods, where the nutrients are refined to the point where they are absorbed immediately or not at all, leaving no long-term sustenance for the body to feed off of. It is addictive to eat that sort of lipid-laden diet.

 

- Besides the poor nutrient content, fast food often contains many additives and preservatives that can affect mood negatively. Food colorings and preservatives, like benzoate, and added flavorings like monosodium glutamate (MSG), can cause anxiety, according to Scott.

 

-  Studies have shown that the omega-6 fatty acids often found in these foods, can compete with omega-3 fatty acids and an imbalance between the two can lead to obesity and depression. Since Americans often don't get enough omega-3s in their diets, consuming too many fast food items puts them at risk for mood problems.

 

   Luckily, we have a great variety of other choices, which include...

 

Salmon -  Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to improve one's mood, one's heart, and possibly even one's mind. Omega-3 fatty acids are used for building neurotransmitters like serotonin in the brain, and some studies have shown that eating plenty of these fats has depression-preventing qualities. Other foods with these acids include flaxseeds and walnuts.

In fact, countries where oily fish are a part of the diet, such as Japan, have lower rates of depression than other countries. These countries often have a healthier diet and lifestyle overall, but their omega-3 intake is higher as well.

 

Milk

- rich in calcium and the amino acid tryptophan

- bone-building properties

- calcium is known to calm nerves when feeling stressed or anxious

-  tryptophan is important for producing serotonin, which elevates mood.

 

Chocolate

- rich in a variety of mood-lifting ingredients (most concentrated in dark chocolate)

- dark chocolate is high in polyphenols, which are shown to improve cognitive function

- chocolate also contains phenylethylamines, a neurotransmitter that, in low levels, is associated with depression and in high levels can be associated with schizophrenia

- phenylethylamines work by releasing endorphins in the brain and promote feelings of attraction and giddiness.

- "Both sex and dark chocolate activate the same parts of the brain"

 

(additional foods are analyzed in the main article)

So, first off - let me tell you - I don't go Googling things about semen.  Lol.  I actually Googled "crying," and this article came up.

Since we have been talking still about neurotransmitters that affect our bodies and emotions, I thought I would find an article that talked about outside influences that can cause depression.  Listed below are 9 events or characteristics -

• Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
• Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
• Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression.
• Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.

Chemically, people with depression often times have a smaller hippocampus, which is in charge of storage of memories, but unfortunately if it's smaller, it can have fewer seratonin receptors.  Seratonin is a chemical that is a calming brain chemical, and usually those with depression have lowere levels of seratonin and higher levels of cortisol, which is the chemical in charge of stress.  Lastly, depression has many different aspects of the disorder, but can be temporary and there are many types of ways to treat it, you just have to find the right one with the combination of medication, counseling, and life-style modification.  It is said that depression in passing down through family members.  15% of men have depression and 30% of women suffer from depression, although most everyone in their life will experience some form of depression, and approximately 18.8 million U.S. adults suffer from depressive disorders.  Life isn't getting an easier, but that is why we humans live together...to make life go on.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression

Chapter 6 talks about relatedness and how relationships that are caring, accepting, and valuing satisfy the need for relatedness. Loneliness is used as an example of a characteristic of someone who has not fulfilled the need of relatedness. Having close, personal, and intimate relationships will help satisfy this need. Any social bond such as a sibling, spouse, or friend has the potential of being an intimate relationship. But even people who have siblings, spouses, and friends are not gaurunteed to have their need for relatedness satisfied. There are many marriages, as the text suggests, that may not satisfy one or both of the partners emotionally. The texts stresses the importance of fulfilling the need of relatedness because it has been shown that neglecting such needs can lead to loneliness and depression. Here is a website that explains how to start the process of trying to beat depression related to loneliness. It focuses on the importance of getting out of isolation and meeting new people. This should be done in hopes of finding someone that you could eventually develop a social bond, and thus, fulfilling the need of relatedness. I think this site has a good message behind it, but makes it sound a little easier than it probably is for depressed people. The textbook supports the need for meeting new people as a way of lessening depression and loneliness though.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5517599_beat-depression-related-loneliness.html

      In a study done on stress in the workplace and how it affect our productivity the outcomes was interesting. It seems to be that merely having the ability to control the source of ones stress is beneficial in coping with the situation. A study broke people up into two groups. Both groups had to write/journal about anything the desired. In the middle of the writing there would be a big annoying sound that started to interrupt their thought. One group was told that if the large noise came they could not make it stop. The other group was told that when the large noise happens they had a choice to stop the distraction. Interestingly enough, those individuals who were not able to control the situation showed a lack of emotion in their writing. They had not excitability, creativity or motive to write at all. Whereas the group which could stop the disruptive sound had an increased amount of emotion, creativity, and motive in their writing AND not one of the people in that group asked someone to stop the disruptive noise (Even though they had the CONTROL to do so). Therefore, it appears that its not the disruptive aspects of our lives that are stressing us out, it's the uncontrollable disruptive aspects of our life that produce the most stress to individuals.

 

http://www.humannatureatwork.com/Workplace-Stress-2.htm

I found this article in Cosmo magazine and it caught my attention. I found it funny how they have a whole article on "How to be a good girlfriend" because I don't think you can become a good girlfriend simply by reading articles. I think it takes experience and trial and errors. Not all men are alike so something that may seem like a good girlfriend to some men may not make a good girlfriend in other men's eyes. I say this because I have been with my boyfriend for almost 7 years and there are some things in this article they say good girlfriends "shouldn't and won't do" but they are things that make my boyfriend view me as a good girlfriend and things in this article they say a good girlfriend shoulda always do that would absolutely drive my boyfriend and make him mad. So I think it's funny how some women live by articles such as this and really take them seriously, like if they follow these "rules" they will automatically be great girlfriends and their boyfriends will automatically always be happy. I don't think it works that easy LOL

I've always been interested in sports, but particularly athletes and what drives them to become athletes in the first place and then stay interested in sport thoughout their lives. I once read a quote that someone had written that I think is true for a lot of competitive athletes :"People don't play sports because it's fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn't imagine their life without it. It's part of them, the hate/love relationship. It's what they live for, the competition, friends, memories, pain. It's who WE are." I know this quote relates to a lot of athletes and alsothe psychological needs that are different between athletes and non-athletes. The article that I found that discusses some of the motivational differences between your average athlete and olympic/pro athletes.

The article, provided by Montana State University-Bozeman, discussed these differences. Most athletes participate in sport for an array of reasons:

Improving skills

Having fun Being with friend

Experiencing thrill and excitement

Achieving success

Developing fitness

 

These are personal factors that most athletes share.  The difference is the value of social affiliation and having fun vs. achievement and success. A lot of olympic/pro athletes tend to value things such as personal achievement, winning, and competition more than others who aren't necessarily at their level.  Other athletes tend to value the social affiliation that they achieve with sport and just the enjoyment they feel when they are involved with sport. This isn't saying that those who are not pro athletes do not love the competition or strive to be the best that they can be, but the amounts that they feel this are different.

Things such as the feeling after completing a competition or game,feeling good about one's self, being fit, personal identity, social affiliation, and body/self image are all values that a lot of athletes possess that lead them to become athletes in the first place, which most likely is different from what those who chose not to be athletes value.  Also, it was found that for male runners, they tended to value competition and fitness more than female runners, and women tended to value weight control and the elevated mood after the run more than men.  Both sexes valued the challenge one faces to be important, though.

Overall, i think that different social and psychological needs play a huge role in who decides to become an athlete and who doesn't and also who takes it to the extreme and makes it their life, like pro and olympic athletes.

http://btc.montana.edu/olympics/physiology/pp02.html

Anyone have any opinions on the difference between different athletes or between athletes and non athletes?

One more TED video.
http://www.ted.com/talks/oliver_sacks_what_hallucination_reveals_about_our_minds.html
Oliver Sacks has dealt with many visual and auditory hallucinations, most due to hearing or vision loss. This video speaks primariliy of visual but imagine for a moment your brain having an internal I-Pod, access to all kinds of music at a moments notice with no disturbance to anyone around you. A plethora of songs in your head sounds like it would be a great thing, until you take away all of the controls. Random bits and pieces of songs, at loud volume levels in your head all day every day! This is the world of someone who sufferers from auditory hallucinations (sometimes called musical ear syndrome).  It is very normal to have a song stuck in your head for a brief period, but the brain is bombarded by all kinds of stimuli and often the song is soon forgotten. This is not the case with musical hallucinations. Music hallucinations occur when a set of neurons in the brain begin to misfire and those who suffer from them feel like they are always hearing music, even though there is actually nothing playing. There is no other symptom of music hallucination and studies have shown that music hallucination tends to be the only psychosis present in patients.

Dr. Sacks spends most of the time in this video describing a 90 year old patient of his in the video and painting the picture of what it is like to have visual hallucinations accompanied by no auditory ones. Bringing up many interesting points about parts of the brain involved, and the relation of these hallucinations to our past memories and emotions. He also points out the fact that many people who experience these problems don't come forward. Why is there no motivation to let primary caregivers know about these conditions? He also differentiates between Charles Bonnet syndrome and these hallucinations. There are many interesting aspects of sensory deprecation, these hallucinations can have considerable impact on some people's emotional state. He also brings up at the end geometrical hallucinations, and the parts of the brain all of these interact with. I would definitely like to know more.

I have always wondered why people lie, and today I had someone Facebook message me with a lie/rumor about someone I know. I know research says that everyone lies, even white lies count! And It is also stated that we learn to lie from a young age, yet when does this become a problem?

In this article Why Do People Lie? it mentions why people lie, what they lie about, and how to tell if someone is lying. It also talks about how it is easier to lie to a loved one, then someone they are just an acquaintance with. Now this didn't fit my situation, so I kept reading, and found this article Reasons People Lie had several reasons as to why people lie. One reason is to spare humiliation of ourselves or someone else. They used the example of telling someone that they did look good in a dress, when really they did not. Another reason is to be in good standing with friends or even to gain control. There is always the reason for a person to lie in order to avoid punishment, anger or fear, and some even lie to achieve recognition. Now I don't know if any of these reasons technically fit my situation, however they are quite interesting. I know that I have given some white lies in order to avoid hurting someone, however I do believe that the truth is better than any lie, but like it says above, everyone lies.

As I was thinking more about my situation, I feel like this person who lied is lacking in some social needs. According to our textbook it states that social needs arise and activate emotional and behavioral potential when need-satisfying incentives appear. Maybe its possible that in this particular social situation, their anger gave them incentive to behave by spreading lies, in hopes to change their current social situation, and thus to satisfy their social needs. In this case their social needs may include having power over the situation, or achievement. I feel like achievement would be a social need, because they are trying to achieve a certain role in their social atmosphere.

What are other reasons that people would lie? What are reasons that you have lied for in the past?

http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to-boost-creativity.htm

 

This article talks about 20 ways to boost your creativity. Some of the tips are helpful while others just seem silly. There are two particular tips that stand out for me, numbers 3 and 4. Tip 3 tells you to reward yourself for your curiosity while tip 4 tells you to just enjoy being creative. For some reason, to me, these seem almost contradictory.

 

Tip 4 also discusses that intrinsic motivation is important when developing creativity. The textbook discusses that creativity is enhanced by intrinsic motivation and creativity decreases when people are rewarded. So, if you are feeling creative just have fun and enjoy the process of creating something new rather than focuses on the end result.

http://newsroom.ucr.edu/news_item.html?action=page&id=1958

In my Healthy Psych class I am currently taking, we read an article on conscientiousness increasing longevity in elderly people.  I thought it was interesting and decided to find another article supporting the one I read in class. 

The article I found was called "Conscientious People Live Longer" done by Howard S. Friedman, professor of psychology, and Margaret L. Kern, a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside.  In the article, Friedman states, "...conscientious individuals have better health habits and less risk-taking, but they also travel life pathways toward healthier psychosocial environments..."  Friedman and Kern found three specific facets of conscientiousness: responsibility/self-control (responsible, not implusive); order (organized, disciplined); and achievement (achievement-oriented, persistent).  From their meta-analysis they also found achievement and order were the strongest components for linking conscientiousness and longevity.

This article intrigued me because I am interested in learning how conscientiousness, achievement, and order help increase the longevity of peoples' lives.  I feel like conscientious people are more intrinsically motivated to live healthier lives and focus on making healthy, not reckless, decisions.  After reading about Atkinson's model on achievement goals in the book, I think conscientious people are motivated by mastering their goals.  They will continually work to improve themselves and overcome challenges in order to make progess in their lives to reach their "standard of excellence" (Reeve, pg. 183, 2009).  Friedman and Kern also found that highly conscientious people, on the average, live two to four years longer than low conscientious people.  Highly conscientious people also seem to live more stable lives and less stressful lives.

http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/sussman.htm 

This article is taken out of an online textbook and concerns culture and psychological implications of living, working, or studying in another culture.  The article goes through the steps of the "sojourner cycle" that goes from first immersion into another culture through returning home to the native culture.  It was a really fascinating read, and brought up a lot of thought-provoking ideas.

The article raises the important issue of how people are deeply rooted in culture without even being aware of it.  This process is called "enculturation" and is the formation of our thoughst and behavior to be similar to those in our culture.  The article explained how many people don't realize the extent of their enculturation until they experience being in a different culture.  When in another culture, one can examine his or her own thoughts and behaviors based on differences or similarities that arise from experiencing the non-native culture.  I found this point particularly interesting because so many people never get or take the opportunity to experience anything different than the culture they were raised in. 

There are so many benefits to being able to more objectively see how your culture has affected who you are.  Enculturation has a natural way of making people believe that their way of thinking or behaving is "right" because that is what they have always known.  Experiencing something different is definitely strange and may feel "wrong" but I think having one's eyes opened to alternative ways of living is important.

Although there are many benefits to experiencing another culture, some of the potential problems are worth noting.  When someone goes to another culture, their sense of identity must be redefined and will probably change at least a little.  This is important to recognize especially when the traveler returns to his or her home culture, as he or she may have trouble re-adjusting to native culture.  Traveling to a different culture can also be a negative experience if the culture is very different from the native culture.  If the native culture has strict ways of doing things or strict beliefs, seeing another culture live in a way that is contradictory to that can be uncomfortable and ego-shattering.  The article goes into more detail on this...you should read it.

This article brought up several motivation questions in my mind:

What motivates some people to constantly seek out new experiences and new cultures, while others are highly motivated to remain in a "bubble" of like-mindedness and similar behavior?

I think thrill-seeking/adventure-seeking is a particular motivation that would cause some people to seek out new cultural experiences.  Motivators for willing choosing to avoid new cultural experiences could be preservation of the ego/self identity, or simply the potential discomfort and fear that could come along with experiencing a new culture.

 

In this youtube clip, President Obama (the then Senator), addresses some restrictive policies that underlie the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, enacted by former President Bush. Prior to his presidency, Obama proposes some structural modifications to the Act. First, he asserts how the assessment plans for NCLB are inadequate and lack the teacher input. Consequently, the teachers themselves are unaware of the specific conditions and terms that underpin this policy. Then, he questions the true standardized requirements for varying schools across the states, and how there is bound to be (and already is) a divide among states for test results. Such high measures are established a priori, but so many schools are provided with insufficient resources to produce higher results, based upon the standards already in place. Thus, instead of formatting schools so that they meet a comprehensive score, each school should be monitored throughout the year in different intervals, meeting more minimal and realistic goals. Obama argues that we should recognize the differences in cognitive abilities across the states, and not set up these schools with such a policy that will doom them to failure, or so that they need to dumb down their standards just to meet a goal, however reaching that goal might be.

As a result of implementing more standardized test measures by which these schools must abide, other resources, such as the arts and music, are slowing disintegrating from within. The textbook defines autonomy as "the psychological need to experience self-direction and personal endorsement in the initiation and regulation of one's behaviors." Schools should be a place in which students learn to foster their creativity and autonomy in certain aspects of their lives. If we are establishing policies that force students to take rigorous exams and cut out music and the arts, then where does that leave the students? It inevitably leads to to follow those strict rules, and inhibits their potential for pursuing domains that could allow them to flourish. We are by no means given decision-making flexibility in that systematic orientation of building a well-rounded self, as the school systems should be doing.

The main issue is that it is so difficult to administer other forms of intelligence tests that are not quantitative, objective, or standardized. Individuals might picture his or her as a disproportionate hierarchical system, with absolutely no flexibility to decide his or her educational path. As Obama mentioned in the clip, teachers had no input in this policy, so their autonomous qualities as teachers were compromised and disregarded. Although the educational system must adhere to some basic level of routine and structure, it all boils down to providing students with a genuine choice, and encouraging everybody's state of autonomy and intellectual freedom.

In what ways do you think schools could promote autonomy? Do you think the educational system could somehow effectively tap into intelligence without the use standardized testing?

In one of my classes we were discussing the impacts of subliminal messaging and the brain.  I thought it was pretty interesting how advertisers will put subliminal messages into their ad and hope that unconsiously the viewer will do as the message says.  In some instances it has worked, but in others it has not come close.  According to an article subliminal messages to in fact reach the brain if there the brain is not too busy doing something else.  It says that what we pay attention to and what we are aware of is one of the same, because that is what conventional psychology says it is, but in fact it is not, according to the Independent in the UK.  It shows that within our brain the primary visual cortex is responding to the subliminal messages even if we are aware of it.

So did the ad in 2000 that George Bush aired that had the word "bureaucrats" flash "rats" when it talked about Al Gore, really work in his favor for the campaign?  There were no penalities towards Bush, because the advertisers said it was a mistake and didn't even realize it was there.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NPKxhfFQMs (youtube video of campaign ad) 

If a President can put subliminal messaging within his campagin ad, who else can put subliminal messages in their stuff and have it work.  Does it really motivate us to buy a certain product?  I believe that the advertisers hope that the unconsious mind will in fact make us aware of what the message is saying and motivate us to buy something, but all in all I don't believe it works. 

While doing my daily internet searching, I came across this article explaining the motivation behind assisting others with suicide.  This article doesn't say there is an open doorway now for assisted suicides, but it does say there may be a new framework as to how lawyers will choose who should be prosecuted and who shouldn't. 

"It made clear that someone acting out of compassion, to help a terminally ill patient with a "clear, settled and informed wish to die" is unlikely to face the courts. "

"But persuading or pressuring the victim to kill themselves, or benefiting from their death, would encourage prosecution. "

I found this extremely interesting, because as a student in this motivation class, I couldn't help but think what if there wasn't an extrinsic motivation, but an intrinsic one?  If someone helps another committ suicide and is not receiving any money from their will etc they may not be prosecuted, but what if someone just wishes for them to die because of dislike or revenge?  You know that, NOT in most cases, there is the potential for this type of situation to come along. 

Also, by allowing the person more choices, does that persuade them in a different direction than what they were originally thinking?  When giving someone autonomy, they can second guess initial decisions-- An example-- Person A was diagnosed with cancer and was given X amount of time to live.  Person A was motivated to stay alive as long as possible to try and beat the odds.  Person A was then given to option to be given a drug that woud ultimately kill them within an hour.  By giving someone the option alone is a form of persuasion .  INow there is a decision to be made, and dont you think the drug option would be in the back of their heads on a 'bad' day? 

I also understand the other side of this extremely controversal topic-- if someone is an immense amount of pain/on their death bed and the family no longer wants to have them suffering so they collaborately (with the patient if applicable) decide what would be best. 

I think deciding of whether or not to prosecute someone is a very complicated issues-- I believe there are more factors involved than just whether or not the person assisting is receiving some kind of benefits from the death. 

I hope no one takes offense to this article, I just thought it was extremely interesting-- both sides shown here.  I hope you guys thought it was as interesting as I did--

Autonomy is an essential psychological need, and the three parts of autonomy described in the book are perceived locus of control, volition, and perceived choice. I was doing some random YouTube browsing as most of us do, and I ran upon this video clip of George Carlin (Yes, he is a comedian so keep that in mind) commenting on the choices we have in our society:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt49DsfKDMc

The text discusses how under the "Conundrum of Choice" section regarding autonomy that certain choices may not actually satisfy our need for autonomy. It is usually choices that are "either-or" choices (essentially forcing one) coming from an external source that fail to meet our need for autonomy rather than choices about our actions that are self-generated (unforced) and meet the criteria of what is important (values,goals,interests) to us.
Do choices we make every day, or even larger choices provide us with opportunities to meet our autonomous needs, are they meaningless, or do they meet our needs even though they are meaningless?
I think the most glaring example of an 'either-or' choice that fails to satisfy the need for autonomy mentioned in the video (I took the easy way out) is with our political system. In most elections the options are 'Republican' or Democrat'', each of which carry their own set stances on certain issues, some of which you may agree with and some you may not. Voting for a candidate from a "Third Party" (reminds me of race identifications of White, Black, and Other) is a good way to throw your vote away. This seems to be a reason why a lot of people (young people in particular) fail to engage in our political system seeing it as pretty much pointless.
I can think of other examples, but I'll toss it to you guys...Anyone have an example of some 'either-or' (or either-or-or-or-etc, but are all qualitatively similar) or 'meaningless' choices we have that actually have important consequences?

Recently I discovered a website that posts videos from "Ignite" events.  In these events speakers are given 20 slides and 5 minutes to make their point.  Their slogan is "Enlighten us, but make it quick."  There is a video posted the is titled "The Psychology of Incompetence"."  You can watch the video at:  http://igniteshow.com/videos/psychology-incompetence.  

I'm in my 6th year of coaching fastpitch softball in the Cedar Valley area. I coached 4 years at the junior varsity level for East Waterloo High School, and approaching my 2nd year at Dike-New Hartford Middle School. Inevitably, I have had good times and bad in every season. I've made so many mistakes, some big, some small but I have learned from every single one. Some of the most difficult times in my 6 seasons of coaching were when I couldn't seem to get through to an individual player, a class of players or the team as a whole. In my years as a player, I was highly intrinsically motivated. My coaches didn't have to work hard to convince me to try hard. I had a very difficult time realizing that is not how every athlete is in my first few years of coaching. I took this class with the specific intention of using the knowledge learned and directly enforcing it in my coaching philosophy and experience.
We had our first pre-season meeting Tuesday evening. It was nice to see almost every 7th grader from last season returning to play again this year, I told many of them that they are expected to be leaders now and that one goal of mine is to have even more fun than we had last summer. I also got to meet the new players, I was able to introduce myself and tell them what to expect from our program.
I've done this routine six times now and for the most part, it hasn't changed  much over the years, except for one very specific activity. For the first time in my still very young coaching career, I handed each of them a half sheet of paper with many common reasons they have decided to play softball this year. The reasons included, I like the game of softball, I enjoy competing with kids my age, I love the way it feels to win, Many of my friends also play, It's fun to learn new skills, My parents encourage me to try the sport of softball, and other reasons as well as a few blank lines for them to fill in themselves. They were not required to write their names on the paper, but could if they choose to do so.
I feel that this change in my pre-season routine could potentially help me understand the most effective way to teach them the sport, encourage them to try harder and motivate them to become a successful team unit. I am beyond excited for the season to begin and I hope to become a better coach with the knowledge that I take away from this class.

NBA superstar and Dallas Maverick's player Caron Butler has an addiction. Actually he has two of them.  For his most recent addiction, the NBA has now gone on to ban this behavior during games due to safety concerns.  What is it you ask?  Has to be something performance enhancing or drug related right? Actually, the NBA has banned Butler for chewing straws during the game, of which he goes through at least 12 a game--60 per day!  Talk about quite an oral fixation.  This got me thinking, why does he do this?  There's obviously a reason for this behavior.  Well Butler stated in his blog that this habit calmed him down, especially helpful during NBA games I imagine.  His motivation for this behavior was to satisfy his physiological response of stress and anxiousness.  Arguably, this was a performance enhancer of sorts for him.  It'll be interesting to see how much the extinction of this behavior will affect him.  Looking back, this behavior could possibly be correlated/as a consequence of his first habit:

In summer 2009, Butler blogged on NBA.com that he had lost 11 pounds just by giving up his daily "addiction" of drinking at least six 12-ounce bottles of Mountain Dew.

"I was going through withdrawals," Butler said on NBA.com. "... Honestly, those first two weeks without The Dew [were] the roughest two weeks of my life. I'm talking headaches, sweats and everything."

Like the straws became a psychological need and fixation, Butler had conditioned his body to the physiological extremes with his habitual caffeine intake.  It had really become an addiction. 

It will be interesting to see how Butler's behavior will be affected by the NBA's banning of chewing straws during games.  Will he take up another habit to help calm him down?  We'll see.  Here's a link to a video clip and article discussing the situation.  It's funny to watch the video and see all the fans and radio broadcasters who came to the game chewing straws in support of Butler's behavior.  It's also interesting to note in the sportsnation poll that 54% of people in America enjoyed chewing on straws...:

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=4945104

I found an article that discusses how many universities have taken up new policies with regard to informing parents about their children's underage drinking.  They stated that most colleges will alert parents for major problems, such as being hospitalized or taken to the police station, however they do not involve parents for minor transgressions such as being caught with alcohol in their dorm.  Some schools have decided to inform parents of every alcohol or drug related issue that involves underage students.  Their reasoning behind this is that alcohol abuse on campuses has become a major issue and they feel that parental intervention could be one way to prevent it.  Many students simply do not agree with this policy.  

I found an article that interested me on teacher evaluations. At the school mentioned in the article they are done differently than at UNI. Mid semester the teacher can choose to have the "Focus Feedback" done. About halfway through a normal class, the professor leaves and another person then leads a discussion about the class. Students are asked to critique the professors teaching style, both what the like and do not like. The information is then given to the professor, so if they choose to they can change the class for the rest of the semester.I feel like this would be really helpful, for both student and professor. If students can give input to a professor on something that could help them, competence levels would go up and so would most likely enjoyment for the class. Everyone wants to be competent in the activities we engage in, and this could only help. I know i have had classes in which i would have loved to be able to tell the professor things to change mid semester and have them actually taken into account.

 Often a professor does not know if they are getting the information across to the students, so I think this type of feedback would be useful. Feedback can be a very helpful source, in making changes for the better. Student evaluation is a good way for professors to get feedback on how well their teaching styles is appealing to and helping students learn. Performance feedback can also give the professors a sense of a job well done, if the feedback is positive, and give them something to change or think about if they are getting mostly negative feedback from students.  

            At this University only 20 professors took part in the Focus Feedback, why do you think that is?

            Why do you think so few professors at UNI do student evaluations at the end of the semester?

 

http://media.www.umdstatesman.com/media/storage/paper1351/news/2010/02/24/News/Optional.Teacher.Evaluations.Used.By.Few.Professors-3878429.shtml

 

 

http://pages.prodigy.net/unohu/endorphins.htm

I found this site that talks about all the ways in which we can release endorphines. Endorphins are released by overexposure to light, among other things such as having a sugar rush. Did you know that chocolate sweetended by aspartame may produce more endorphins than chocolate sweetened with sugar. Endorphins are released by stress, laughter, sexual activity, exercise, even pain from spicy foods.

The article also talks about ways to massage parts of the body to stimulate nerve endings, the effects of endorphins, how Autistic individuals have problems with reaching the same feeling from endorphins like we do because of a blockage. Also, it talks about the levels of endorphins, how it increases dopamine levels and decreases serotonin levels.

Check out this page and see if you can think of any other ways to make a person high on life off endorphines? and what you thought about it.

A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to intern in Denver, Colorado at an organization called TASC.  TASC is a diversionary program for juvenile delinquents.  Here, I came into contact with numerous individuals - the majority of whom were involved in gangs.  This is also when I became more interested in gang involvement, especially among adolescents.

I chose this article because it explains the physiology behind one of my favorite past times: kissing / making out.  I was goofing around on the web the other day and through digg.com (great website - go to it!) I found the website below.  It's an article called "Why We Kiss: the Science of Sex." It's fascinating, so I wanted to share this article with you.

 

The article explains that although the use of pheromones to create attraction is thought to not work for humans, chemicals are still used in communication.  The article outlines how women are more attracted to the scent of a man who can help them to produce healthier children.  It also explains that twice as many adults turn their head to the right than the left while kissing.  (You're all thinking about which side you prefer, aren't you?)

 

Another cool topic covered by the site is that men and women see kissing differently.  Most women would never have sex with someone without kissing them first but most men would.  And men are more likely to initiate French kissing because saliva contains testosterone, and testosterone can increase arousal.  Indications show that men can also gauge the amount of estrogen a woman has (indicator of fertility) via this method.

 

However, the most fascinating part of the article (for me) was kissing's effects upon hormone levels.  In general, kissing releases a ton of hormones that make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but the site focuses on the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and oxytocin (the bonding hormone).  In long-term relationships, cortisol levels dropped after kissing. And oxytocin levels increased ONLY in the males.  My girlfriend wasn't too happy to hear this, but I now understand partly why I enjoy kissing so much.

 

During a quick search for more information, I found the other link.  At howstuffworks.com, they have a lot of information about how kissing works, its history, effects, and the anatomy of a kiss. It also includes more information on kissing's effects upon dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline, too.

 

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22081/76045-kiss--science-sex

 

http://people.howstuffworks.com/kissing.htm

http://www.ted.com/talks/kiran_bir_sethi_teaches_kids_to_take_charge.html

http://www.insideprison.com/prison-rape.asp

Reeve states jail is a punisher because "its capacity to decrease the probability that the behaviors will recur in the future.   That is, the person who receives the punisher is less likely to repeat the behavior than is the person who received no such aversive consequence for doing the same thing." 

My friends and I were joking around about the movie Shawshank Redemption not too long ago and it made me think that the punishment of a jail term comes in two forms.  First is the long sentence, like the Andy character in the film got, and second is the punishment that happens inside the prison walls, also what Andy got.  

This article throws out some interesting facts and figures about 'recreational' activities that happen in prison.  It aslo talks about the targets of, and the aggressors of this activity.  I was amazed at some of the numbers the article talks about:

"Besides its traumatizing effects, and lasting physical and emotional damage, prison prostitution, many times coerced, infects approximately 500 to 5,000 of customers in US prisons annually, in addition to the approximately 250 to 2,500 of prostitutes themselves (Kleiman, Mockler 1987)."

Wow, possilby 5,000 people getting more F'd up in the head after going to prison because of abuse?  Reeve states "a punisher is any environmental stimulus that, when presented, decreases the future probability of the undesired behavior."  Makes you wonder if showing minors how brutal prison can be would curb some of their violent behavior.

What's your take on this prison love and affection article?

After watching The Hours, and learning about autonomy and how everyone needs to have that kind of support in their lives, people have the need to be in control of their lives.  Where in the movie, all the women thought that suicide was the one thing that they could control in their lives, that was the thing that their husbands and responsibilities couldn't control.  When learning about this extreme sense to gain control, I thought of girls and boys who have eating disorders.  Where psychologically, they can feel so out of control with their lives, that they try and control what they put, or don't put, into their bodies.  Although, there are other ideas that go into Eating Disorders, I thought that autonomy was greatly related. 

I found an article that hypothesized that disturbances in the development of autonomy are a central psychological feature in anorexia nervosa. Specifically, that both restrictive and bulimic anorexics would evidence greater problems with autonomy than would controls and, further, that the three groups would show differential patterns of response on these measures.  The study proved to show that this was a true hypothesis.  The study states that autonomy isn't the single factor for certain eating disorders, but can be useful in the treatment of some eating disorders. 

http://psycnet.apa.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/journals/abn/96/3/254.pdf

I believe that having control over one's own life is a huge motivating factor for how we choose to live our lives, and we want to be able to control certain things.  For eating disorders, their reinforce is the way that they feel about themselves when they lose the weight, but the idea that they will never be their 'perfect' size shows that persistence and need to be what their idea of perfect is.

I found this quiz online called Destiny vs. Internal Locus of control.  After I had taken the quiz my results were as follows:

I was recently reading an article abaout an olympian ice skater that still performed her routine after losing her mother to a heart attack only a few days prior. The mother had died of an unexpected heart attack two days before her daughter was scheduled to perform her much practiced short performance routine in front of 14, 000 people. The skater went on and preformed very well, getting the highest score of the short performances. Even though she was visablly upset, as anyone would be, she still decided that it was for the best to continue with her skating. I wondered if sometimes, a person's motivation can outweigh their emotions. I've tried to think of times when something terrible has happened to me and how I reacted. Usually I drop everything and focus all my energy and emotions on the bad event. I couldn't image doing something like ice skating when my mom had just passed away. But I think it was the fact that this girl had trained so hard for so long all for this day, that she didn't want it all to be for nothing. I think she thought her mother would have felt the same way. So I was wondering if her drive for achivement and recognition for her hard work and persistence at skating could help her overcome her sad emotions enough for her to go out there and skate. This is not to say that she wanted to compete more than she was sad for her mother's death, but just to ask the question, If you are highly motivated to do soemthing, can it temporarly overcome your emotions, enough to get the job done? Other situations could be that you really want to go out with your friends on a Thursday night, but you have a big test the next day you have to do well on so you skip the fun and study instead. It's not exactly the same, but you are still choosing your motivation over your emotions.

What do you guys think? Can you think of any circumstances that you have really wanted something even though your emotions were saying something different? If one is stronger, what usually makes you do something, your motivation or your emotions?

Here is the link...http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/24/olympics.rochette/index.html?hpt=C1

Yesterday I was at Subcity and I overheard two employees (man and women) discussing why women were more emotional than men.  They both seemed to agree that women did show more emotions than men, but they had different view points.  The male thought it was due to biological differences in that men and women had different hormones which caused different levels of emotions.  The women employee felt it was more environmental as she said "women are more emotional because they can be," most likely implying that society accepts emotional behaviors in women more than in men.  I feel that both biology and the environment both contribute to the differences in emotions. 

http://people.howstuffworks.com/women1.htm

I found a website that talks about why women are more emotional, and it appears that both the environment and hormones can both be held responsible.  The article says that women become more emotional starting in puberty when their body begins to produce high levels of prolactin, a hormone present in tears and blood.  It also mentions that men and women's tear ducts are shaped differently, which could be either the cause of the effect of more crying. 

http://people.howstuffworks.com/women2.htm

This artcile dicusses how women are more physiologically prone to stress.  The evidence for this is that in males the amygdala communicates with organs that process visual stimulus while women's amygdala communicates more with hormones and digestion.  Also women's bodies produce more stress hormones than do men's, explaining why women are exposed to stressful events they tend to stay more worked up about the event for a longer time than do men. 

I always thought that women were more emotional, but I never knew why.  I thought the stuff about women having different shaped tear ducts and having a somewhat different function for the amygdala were pretty interesting.  Did any of this surprise you?  Do you think these differences alone cause differences in emotions?  What about the environment; did the environment cause these changes over time, or did the changes come first, and society adapted to the differences? 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100222/sc_livescience/5thingsthatwillmakeyouhappier

 

 

I'm not sure if anyone else has seen this article, but it is about 5 things that will supposedly make a person happier. In short, they are...

 

1. Be grateful

2. Be optimistic

3. Count your blessings  

4. Use your strengths  

5. Commit acts of kindness

 

     Although this first one is rather obvious, there is some merit to mentioning it. I believe that trying to get into the habit of putting a positive spin can make life more enjoyable, but as we have read, each person has homeostasis level that will be resistant to change. (The researcher here seem to admit that people generally have certain dispositions and stable personalities throughout their life, but they argue that a significant amount of happiness can also be attributed to pro-active approaches to increasing one's happiness.) In any case, I suppose making an active effort to appreciate what you have may cause at least a minor increase in feelings of happiness.

 

Being Grateful  - One rather interesting note is that this finding of the study is largely based on an activity where people wrote letters expressing gratitude. In case you are thinking there might be a confound, such as relatedness or affiliation playing a role, I thought of that as well, but it was found that there was an increase in happiness even if people did not actually send the letters out.

 

Be optimistic - In the study, researchers actually had participants visualize "an ideal future" which included imagining having a loving, supportive partner and a great job. I am not sure if this strategy would necessarily lead to long term happiness though - the researchers did not mention whether or not this was exclusively short term happiness in their summarized report. The reason I say this is because I think over time significant cognitive dissonance would arise (people could become delusional) if there is a strong focus on a "perfect" life. If interpreted this way, this finding would actually seem to be in contrast to the first. If you are being appreciative of what you have, you will not be constantly focusing on the perfect, ideal life. I have heard that some studies have found striving for excellence can be much better than striving for perfection. I know the "being optimistic" strategy could probably be taken on a more moderate and healthy level, but I think the activity the researchers used does not necessarily seem healthy over the long term.

 

Count your blessings - I do not believe this one merits any further discussion because this "additional" finding seems to be very similar to "being grateful." In fact, there is no separate research mentioned for this in the article.

Use your strengths - The participants in the study (that contributed to this finding) focused on strengths such as using humor to increase others' happiness. I think this is perhaps related to competence, achievement, and relatedness - all concepts that we have recently mentioned in class. Being able to successfully use's one's abilities to accomplish a goal would lead to feelings of competence and achievement. Having someone identify with your achievement (in this case humor)

Commit acts of kindness - although we have not yet talked about pro-social very much in this class, this finding makes sense, and I think it also has something to do with relatedness.

"Flow" is an experiential condition that is characterized by a state of intense and focused concentration on what an individual is doing. Actions and awareness merge together as the individual experiences a loss of self-consciousness while maintaining a deep sense of control. Time seems to slow down and ruminative thoughts and worries evaporate. The individual is so completely absorbed in the task they are performing that a state of autotelic motivation occurs in which they find the activity in and of itself rewarding.

This article by Bryan Loy describes how a state of flow is achieved by runners in particular. It is discussed that this state is achieved when there is a balance of skill and demand--the opportunities for challenge meet the personal skills and competencies of the individual. A Flow State Scale (FSS) has been created by Jackson and Marsh (1996) that assesses those conditions that highly contribute to the achievement of flow. The sub-scales are provided as follows:

-          Action-Awareness Merging: involvement in the task is so deep that the action is automatic

-          Clear Goals: knowing what you want from the activity before taking part in it

-          Unambiguous Feedback: clear and immediate feedback is given

-          Concentration on the Task at Hand: complete focus on the task

-          Sense of Control: the individual possesses control but doesn't have to work to maintain it

-          Loss of Self-Consciousness: no other thoughts are occurring--just focused on the task at hand

-          Transformation of Time: feeling that time is slowing down or speeding up

-          Autotelic Experience: the task is intrinsically motivating and is done for its own sake

-          Challenge-Skill Balance: equality between situational demands and personal skills--the activity is stimulating and challenging enough to allow the full use of individual skills

In any physical activity, it is suggested that the mindset going in should be to feel good and hit each workout with relative ease whether it is the most challenging you have experienced or not. While this is easier said than done, it would be a method of matching personal skills and demands. Before each workout, let go of any expectations of a top performance. By letting go of these expectations, you can enjoy the activity for its own sake and increase the likelihood of experiencing an autotelic state. During the workout be sure to associate with the overall experience.  Action-awareness merging, concentration on the task at hand and a loss of self-consciousness are likely to occur. Transformation of time is perhaps the most challenging to manipulate, but by concentrating on the other sub-scales transformation of time will just happen.

What activities have caused you to experience a state of flow? According to the FSS sub-scales, is there anything you can do to increase the likelihood of reoccurring flow experiences in multiple areas of your life? How would making these changes improve your performance and boost your confidence?

 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/relationship-advice/secrets-women-keep-0308?click=pp

This article was about what girls should keep from their significant others.  I thought it was interesting because I work in a shoe department and a lot of women always tell me they are going to be in trouble when they get home.  Some will even tell me to throw away the boxes because it will make it easier to sneak in the new shoes.  I know that men get uptight about it but I don't quite understand it, especially if you aren't married and sharing an income.  Why do you care what shoes or things I buy?  Do you think about the future and that we will waste money on "unnecessary things" in your mind?  Although a lot of us women don't think a 60 inch TV is necessary.  Another question I have is, if you want us to like your gift, why must you get something we didn't ask for?  We don't always want jewelry!   
The top five things to keep from your sweetie were:
1. Past Hookups
2. How you spend your money
3. The way you feel about his family
4. Innocent Flirtations
5. What you really think of his gift

This author proposes different types and elements of love based on different theories from past psychologists.  It talks about how there are two different kinds of love, compassionate love and passionate love.  Most people ideally should find a balance between the two, although it is rare. 

Another theory talked about styles of loving as listed below -
Three primary styles:  1. Eros - Loving an ideal person, 2. Ludos - Love as a game, 3. Storge - Love as friendship
Three secondary styles:  1. Mania (Eros + Ludos) - Obsessive love, 2. Pragma (Ludos + Storge) - Realistic and practical love, 3. Agape (Eros + Storge) - Selfless love.

All of the theories talks about different levels of love and how people cling to each other based on these aspects.  Love and intimacy are a part of the social needs of a person.  Attached in the article is a questionnaire to assess attitudes about others and found that these scales of liking and loving provided support for conception of love. 

http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/theoriesoflove.htm

I was intrigued by meganr's recent posting regarding health, heart problems, and stress.

Why is money so important?

That was my reoccurring question while watching this last movie, Wall Street .  It has also crossed my mind many times.

 

One unfortunately obvious reason is to live in this world.

I just personally do not like money.  I think it can control a person.  It breeds inequality and I wish instead of trading money for our goods and services instead we gave something in return.  Like trading a perfectly good milking cow for magic beans.   What about the good ol' days?   

 

Sometimes I just wonder what this world would be like if ALL money was erased.  Used instead to wrap packages.  Or have it cleaned and recycled to make clothes or accessories, or bags, or something that people need.  I guess I should be careful how I use that word, need, since we have been talking so much about our needs as people in class.  Maybe we shall say something that is important to people.

 

Is money a part of our needs? We have to say yes, because in this day and age we have to earn money to go to the store to purchase the food that is going to feed us when we're hungry.  We have to pay the utility bill in order to turn on the faucet and get delicious cold water, whenever we want it (rather than whenever we need it). 

 

Equality: so we are all created equal right?  Is this really true if you are born into a filthy rich family or if you are born in some alley and you're living on the streets with your mom?  How is that equal?  Just think if every single person in the whole world had the same about of money?  Just think if every job paid the same salary.  What if everyone was really equal in that way?  Could that improve our way of life?  Would there be less greed for money and more greed for love? 

 

I think then people would actually enjoy going to their job. There was an experiment that tested self-perception of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  This article is attached below.  There was a group of college men part of an experiment that were coming in to put together a puzzle.  The independent variables were either a blank or a picture puzzle and getting paid or no payment.  The results showed that the picture puzzle completed without getting paid was the most enjoyable.  So what is happening to us then when we add in that extrinsic variable, money?

 

 

 http://psycnet.apa.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=1975-31777-001

(then just click on the "pdf" option)

 

 

So in my B-Mod class, there has been some blogging about superstitions.  It's a pretty sweet topic I think, especially concerning why we are motivated to have these irrational beliefs  even though today, even in the age of reason, we "know" they are pointless.  Personally, I am very superstitious.  I wear a rubber band around my left wrist for good luck, have lucky numbers (surprisingly I'm intrigued by the #13), and in football, I always wore the same shirt under my jersey.  In the video below,

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/deadliest-catch-sig-on-superstitions.html

Capt. Sig Hansen from Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," discusses the superstitions of fisherman at sea. It's pretty incredible how superstitious they really are. He talks about all kinds of weird things he has become accustomed to that have come a part of his life. He realizes that these are just associations that elicit a rewarding feeling of safety and probably bring him no real good fortune (even though there are some that say you create your own luck), but as he states in the video, he will even go as far as turning the boat around to satisfy this target behavior of his. These superstitous items allow Sig to emit behaviors such as comfort and joy as bad luck or misfortune while fishing at sea would prove aversive to him and his crew. As he states, they have been raised or conditioned to behave this way--whether it's not allowing bananas or horseshoes on the boat or stepping onto a boat with the correct foot. At some point during their adventures or experiences, Sig must have been positively reinforced (perhaps by catching more fish)and associated this behavior with some material object (like his erasors, post-its, or a fishing lure necklace). As he states, they have been conditioned as time passes to check for these superstitions and if everything is not in place,  psychological hell breaks loose on the boat. Here is a good example from the clip to explain why the shipmen were motivated to continuously behave the superstitious way they do:

The antecedent would be the previously demonstrated superstitious behavior of fishing at sea without allowing any suitcases on board

Thus, their behavior-->which was to force the Discovery Channel crew to unpack their cameras and leave their suitcases on land

As a consequence of their positive experience at sea (no misfortune) Capt. Sig and crew are reinforced for their superstitious behaviors of not allowing suitcases aboard. Thus superstition remains unbroken, actually reinforced, and conditions same behavior to be repeated.

In a sense, these superstitious behaviors give them a sense of control over their otherwise uncontrollable environment.  Mentally, Capt. Sig and crew need these objects to satisfy their emotional needs as well as physiological needs (such as cortisol/stress), as the superstitions/charms act as a coping mechanism/calming effect. 

The article below is an interesting article which argues that superstitions might actually have a natural evolutionary bias towards superstitions which help our survival:

"Hood claimed that superstition is a product of evolution, having evolved as a way of generating theories about the way things work when they cannot easily be seen or proved. It helps us adapt and stay safe, as well as providing a welcome sense of control. In the modern era, we know that some beliefs are really just nonsense, but the foundations of science itself were built on mankind's ability to reason intuitively."

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2008/do-we-have-a-natural-bias-toward-superstitions/


What do you guys think of superstitions? What are some that you have?

Here is an article from the Associated Press about a journal article to be published this April. The subject is how boredom affects our health. Researchers have found that people are more likely to participate in unhealthy behaviors when bored, especially if the boredom is chronic. These behaviors will then lead to other health complications and an earlier death. So, basically it's alright to be bored occasionally but if it's all the time...Get out of the funk and find something that engages your brain.

February 10, 2010 (LONDON) -- Can you really be bored to death?

In a commentary to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in April, experts say there's a possibility that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early.

Annie Britton and Martin Shipley of University College London caution that boredom alone isn't likely to kill you -- but it could be a symptom of other risky behavior like drinking, smoking, taking drugs or having a psychological problem.

The researchers analyzed questionnaires completed between 1985 and 1988 by more than 7,500 London civil servants ages 35 to 55. The civil servants were asked if they had felt bored at work during the previous month.

Britton and Shipley then tracked down how many of the participants had died by April 2009. Those who reported they had been very bored were two and a half times more likely to die of a heart problem than those who hadn't reported being bored.

But when the authors made a statistical adjustment for other potential risk factors, like physical activity levels and employment grade, the effect was reduced.

Other experts said while the research was preliminary, the link between boredom and increased heart problems was possible -- if not direct.

"Someone who is bored may not be motivated to eat well, exercise, and have a heart-healthy lifestyle. That may make them more likely to have a cardiovascular event," said Dr. Christopher Cannon, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and spokesman for the American College of Cardiology.

He also said if people's boredom was ultimately linked to depression, it wouldn't be surprising if they were more susceptible to heart attacks; depression has long been recognized as a risk factor for heart disease. Cannon also said it was possible that when people are bored, dangerous hormones are released in the body that stress the heart.

Britton and Shipley said boredom was probably not in itself that deadly. "The state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors," they wrote. "It is likely that those who were bored were also in poor health."

Others said boredom was potentially as dangerous as stress.

"Boredom is not innocuous," said Sandi Mann, a senior lecturer in occupational psychology at the University of Central Lancashire who studies boredom.

She said boredom is linked to anger suppression, which can raise blood pressure and suppress the body's natural immunity. "People who are bored also tend to eat and drink more, and they're probably not eating carrots and celery sticks," she said.

Still, Mann said it was only people who were chronically bored who should be worried.

"Everybody is bored from time to time," she said.

http://ehstoday.com/news/ehs_imp_34809/

I am going to graduate this upcoming Spring, and I was considering my future work plans. Nothing too specific, but I was just wondering if employee incentives actually work. According to one of the grandest incentive program studies out there, incentives do have a positive effect on employees. After all, work is one of the biggest things that define an individual's life, however fortunate or unfortunate that fact might be. With that in mind it is important to look into incentive programs or discuss them with future employers if the company you work for does not participate in such programs.
Although the study took place back in 2001, it is apparently one of the most comprehensive studies out there investigating incentives at work. Some key findings from the study include:

• Incentive programs aimed at individual workers increase performance 27 percent.
• Programs aimed at teams increase performance 45 percent.
• Incentive programs have an equal, positive impact on both quality and quantity goals.
• Incentive programs structured with employee input work best; however only 23 percent of incentive systems were selected with employee input.
• Long-term incentives are more powerful than short term (44 percent gain vs. 20 percent gain).
  

The fourth bullet point is very interesting, especially how only 23% of incentive systems include employee input. This just goes to show the dominating structure of the upper echelon of workers, unwilling to sacrifice some autonomy for the sake of the employees. Because ultimately, job satisfaction influences life satisfaction, and both of those combined result in a great boost in job performance.

I work at the ROD library as a student assistant in the reference area. I don't expect many incentive opportunities for the lower level student employees, but if I were given the chance to increase the autonomy of my job, I would consider that an incentive. Examples might include having some legitimate input on some of the structural qualities of work, or something to that effect. This then would instill in me a deeper sense of intrinsic motivation, because right now I'm working the job mostly for the paycheck every other week. There are, however, some rewarding moments of helping patrons...

I was at www.askmen.com and saw this title for an article, so I couldn't resist.

As it's part of askmen.com, the article is geared towards providing advice for men - in this instance, particularly straight men.  The article is examining the traits of gay men and why straight women love the gays so much for them.  They talk about clothing style, physical fitness, sensitivity, faithfulness, and fun.

Most heterosexual men's fashion is based on three things: sneakers, wrangler jeans, and a t-shirt.  And while this is fine for us men, women are typically more sophisticated.  They want to be able to talk about their outfits, hair, skin care, etc.  Who is going to provide more to a conversation on hair, a straight guy who puts on a hat until it lies flat, or a gay guy who can compare and contrasts features of different products?

It's harder for women to maintain a set weight for various reasons - partly because their bodies are continuously preparing itself to hold a child each month.  As the article says, " [in] many instances, gay men simply take better care of themselves than we do . . ."  Their gay best friend is, however, someone who will tell them the new ways to lose weight or who will go to the gym with them.

 

The website tells how an article by the National Academy of Sciences in 2008 describes how heterosexual women's brains and homosexual men's brains are similar - making it more likely that their brains function the same way.  This would explain one reason why gay men tend to be more willing to talk about their emotions than we, heterosexual men, are.

 

Faithfulness is yet another quality that women love in their gay men.  They don't have to worry about the man leaving them for another woman.  It removes a deep-seated insecurity.

 

And lastly, gay men are just more fun.  They can comparatively talk about sex with women and give them tips from a guy's perspective on what feels good without being embarrassed.

 

This can all be explained with a simple answer: the psychological need for relatedness.  Gay men can just relate to straight women on levels that straight men cannot.  However, this is NOT an excuse to not try.

 

As my mom always says, "try walking in the other person's shoes for a while."  If we straight men try this, I'm sure we can all relate to females much better and avoid unnecessary arguments - because sleeping on the couch sucks!

 

http://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_300/332b_why-women-love-gay-men.html

When I started to think about what I wanted to blog about today, I first thought of what motivated people to do things, anything, which eventually lead me to wonder what motivational principles underlie peoples need to attend college. 

Do you get mad when your internet goes down or is slow and all you want is to check Facebook? Are you compelled to check/respond to text messages or e-mails even when you have more important things to do? In fact, my internet cut out on me while typing this post and I got a little angry myself. But is there such a thing as internet withdrawal as a result of internet addiction?
I ran upon this interesting article:
Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction

This is an editorial from the journal Psychiatry that discussed internet addiction and whether it should be recognized as a common disorder. This disorder includes three different categories of  internet use: Gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messages. These all include 4 components:
"1) excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives, 2) withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension, and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible, 3) tolerance, including the need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use, and 4) negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue"

Other countries like South Korea believe internet addiction is a serious public health problem, but in America the problem is more private. It could also be considered an economic problem due to decreased productivity.
With such reliance on the internet these days, the lines could be blurry as to what constitutes addiction and restricts functioning versus what is actually required to function.

Many people think of extreme sports as base jumping, mountain climbing, BMX racing, skydiving, etc.  What many people don't realize is that extreme sports include just about anything that can push you to the limits.  May people to not think of marathoners and ironman competitors as extreme athletes, but they too should be included.  

I have recently been observing a class at Taft Alternative, which is a section of Taft Middle School in Cedar Rapids. The children who are part of Taft Alternative all have behavioral problems, are disruptive in class, and most have been diagnosed with some form of ADHD. The main focus of the teachers in this section is to help the students better control their behavior. This being said, half of the students grades are based upon their behavior throughout the day. Each student has a points sheet that ranges from 0 to 50 (50 being the best behavior and 0 the worst). Throughout the day the teachers give students points based on their behavior in the class. Points may be deducted because of inattention, disruption, yelling, swearing, etc. Points may also be given if the student volunteers in the various programs at Taft. If a student gains enough points, they will then receive 'money' to spend in the school store on different objects like pens, erasers, and so on.

 

Chapter 5 of the textbook discusses extrinsic rewards. The author mentions that in school-based studies rewards distract students' attention towards the reward rather than the material being learned. Also, when the rewards stop a person has trouble regulating that behavior. With this information, does offering rewards in Taft Alternative make sense? From what I have observed, I do not think that the rewards are very effective. Students are not troubled by a low points sheet and do not really seem to work towards getting points.

 

What are some ways the teachers may be able to motivate the students to have better behavior? Should Taft Alternative completely remove the points system, revise it, or keep it the way it is?

 

Cultural Influences on Preschoolers:

I found this really interesting article on how the culture of children and their parents affects the abilities of children to adapt and learn in a new environment.  There were a lot of really cool things discussed in the article, such as how sometimes the enculturation (resisting adaptation to new cultures) may serve as a protective factor for children.  As you can assume, this is a very controversial statement.  I suppose in some cultures if their beliefs are strong it could cause the children to grow to be strong, independent people.  At the same time, It's hard to see how an encultured family could thrive in a different culture (this study was done in NYC).  If someone really cares about their children, wouldn't you want do to everything in your power (even if that means adapting and implementing acculturation, which is adapting culture into your children's lives) to improve their chances of success in learning?  The study actually found that the type of people who were likely to sign up for the study would be disproportionally accultured, considering they had to speak English, send their children to English speaking schools, and volunteer for a study run by an American Institution.  It would be interesting to see the real effects on these factors using participants who are more encultured, although I feel it would be nearly impossible to reach people who are highly encultured.  At the same time (this may sound mean) if someone is so resistant to change in culture, why would you move to America in the first place? I realize that sometimes people don't have a choice, but I feel that NYC, of all places, is probably the biggest melting pot in the world.  You would think that people who reside there understand that NYC is a good place to experience new cultures, as well as implementing your own culture to new people.

I think culture in general is a very hard topic to study, especially with all of the new cultures emerging.  Motivational factors behind some of the rituals and beliefs that cultures have are interesting, yet very challenging, to study.  I think that is why it is so important to look at these differences when we can; without over generalizing all research to a certain race or ethnicity, because many times these lines can be crossed in incorrect ways. 

Here's the link, be sure to click "PDF":

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W52-4VY6FNJ-1&_user=724663&_coverDate=08%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000040479&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=724663&md5=d288b327c501c516a10331dfc6998732

 

 

I found an interesting article on the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier website.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article_2ea45aab-df99-5e02-868e-ea221e16b85c.html

It was an article based off a study published in the European Heart Journal.  The article in the newspaper discussed the main point of the study which was happiness can help your heart and decrease risk for a heart attack.  Even if you aren't a naturally happy person, simply acting happy can help your heart, says Dr. Karina Davidson.  Being stressed damages heart muscles, blood vessels, clogs arteries with plaque. 

I thought this article was interesting because it supports the idea of satisfying psychological needs.  Being happy and positive increases our positive well-being.  An individual's understanding of his or her motivation or perceived locus of causality is important to note. 
A person's internal locus of causality reflects the individuals understanding of his or her behavior.  Being happy or even acting happy can provide positive health benefits and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

So I was thinking that lately I have been feeling a little frustrated, and getting angry at people that probably don't deserve it. Our textbook tells us that anger is an emotion that many people experience, and arises from restraint, betrayal of trust, being rebuffed, lack of consideration, etc. Anger is also a very passionate emotion, which is why it can come out in some dangerous and uncontrolled ways. So I decided to look up some ways that I could express my anger in a healthier way and share it with all of you. I found an article which provides some good tips which is called Healthy Ways to Deal with Anger and there was some pretty good tips, some I have known about and some that are new to me.

The first tip was to count to ten, and then act. I have been told this tip for as long as I can remember. I just remember being on the playground in elementary school, and seeing kids being pulled aside and being told to count to ten.

The next tips include:
2. Drop your shoulders and take a few breaths.
3. Pummel a pillow or have a scream in your room.
4. Channel your energy into exercise.
5. Distract yourself
6. Get creative (they mentioned writing out your feelings, or some other creative method to release your anger)

All of these tips were for short term anger, however they provided some tips for long term in the article as well.

1. Practice relaxation techniques, like yoga or pilates.
2. Keep talking, Keep listening. Confiding in friends is a really great tool in getting our your anger.
3. Learn how to be assertive, not aggressive.
4. Know yourself. It's important to know what will set you off, and what will cool you down.

I know that some of these tips will help me trigger my anger in a healthier direction, I hope that they will help you as well.

Is there any other techniques that you use to get out your anger? If so, how effective do you think they are?

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/20/haiti.earthquake.survivors/index.html

    After our last class and our discussion on survivors and Cast Away, I started to become more interested in the topic.  I started to read articles on the Earthquake that occurred in Haiti and how many thousands of people were killed because of it.  More interesting to me, though, were the stories on people who didn't die, and many of them who were trapped for days and survived on little or nothing to help them through the passing days.

    One story I found particularly interesting was the story of Monley, a five year old boy that survived after being trapped for about eight days. One of the main reasons that they thought that the boy survived for so long was because of his youg, fairly helathy body.  I can't imagine being five years old trapped without anyone or anything to help you out.  He had enough motivation to keep himself fighting to stay alive for over a week.  When your body is put in that kind of situation, it's amazing what it can do. His body obviously chose fight over flight. 

    Talking about Physiological needs, the body needs food and water, none of which the boy had for the duration that he was trapped.  Water was so important to the boy that when he was rescued, all he kept saying was "I"m thirsty, I'm thirsty." This was according to a video that was attached to the article.  Everyone  wanted to give him food and water right away but couldn't because the body would not have been able to handle it.  They had to slowly give him fluids to help his body start to recover first. 

     I also wondered if the type of psychological needs one has determines how likely you are to survive a tragedity like that one. Does one who strives for challenges, power, or control over things survive longer because they want to succeed and not fail? or does one who is intrisically motivated survive over one who's not, because they want to achieve something for themself and that's really important to them.  It makes you wonder..

    Also, the video did not really talk about it, but it mentioned briefly the help that Haiti's been receiving from international organizations and volunteers. To be a worker like that you definately have to be driven to do that kind of work.  Seeing that kind of devastation day after day, people dying in front of you, and witnessing other people's living conditions would be difficult and even depressing, not to mention the other emotions they must be experiencing.  I'm assuming that a lot of these workers are people that have certain psychological needs that are reasons why they do what they do.  They may have the need to help others and achieve at making lives better if possible, or maybe they are driven to get the reward of knowing what they did for someone or are acknowledgement for their deeds.  Either way, I think that people's needs determine why people do outstanding things such as volunteering or working on a rescue team.

    Overall, the article was interesting and talked about other rescues, not only of Haiti but also other devastations.  It's interesting and amazing what people will do to survive.

Does anyone know of any other amazing survival stories or have an opinion on the topic??

 

http://www.mtv.com/videos/16-and-pregnant-season-2-ep-1-jenelle/1631955/playlist.jhtml

I'm not much of a TV person, but when I find a show I like, I try to follow it.  One in particular has been 16 & Pregnant.  I find some of the stories compelling and extremely interesting to watch.  But why?  I have no desire to be pregnant any time soon nor do I like watching people suffer through hard decisions and break ups.  But I found myself recently being angry that I missed the premiere last night of the second season.  So I decided to watch it online.  Not only did this first episode make me feel embarrassed, but I couldnt help but wonder why these people put themselves out there to be seen by the whole world in these stressful situations.  There may be people out there who have a situational interest; maybe themselves or a close friend got pregnant at a young age, or even just pregnant in general.  For me, I had an individual interest to watch the second season because the first season had everything-- crazy moms, cute babies, boyfriend mishaps and love.  I had seen all of these things and expected something great. 

Her mothers actions made me uncomfortable just as I sat and watched by myself.  I wanted to yell at both her mother and her for how they were handling this situation.  I dont believe I would want my life videotaped through such a dramatic experience- I can only imagine how embarrassed I would be if it actually WERE me. 

Janelle and her mother both had the same goals in mind throughout her pregnancy; they wanted the best for her baby... at least I think that's what they both were.  Janelle's mother made it clear that the baby was most important, while Janelle made it clear she would not give up her social life.  Janelle's mother even suggested if she couldn't take care of the baby maybe she should give the child up for adoption.  Of course Janelle found this crazy and kept reassuring her mother that she could do it.  There are many hidden costs to having this little boy (the reward) that Janelle hasn't come to see yet.  Janelle is stuck in the world of a 16 year old, when in reality she has a child and needs to take on the role of a mother.  Janelle's mother, on the other hand, babysat the child as Janelle went out. 

IJanelle needs to realize what her life is now and see that she needs to take on these 'hidden costs' for having this child.  While still in school (which is great), she continuallly went out on the evenings leaving her mother to care for her baby.  Something needs to change in this mother-daughter relationship before "Grandma" becomes more of a mom than 'Mom' does. 

 

IMAGINE: You are at Hy-Vee. You just got done working an all day shift at your job and it is 9:00 on a Friday night. When you got off work you had five missed calls from your friends and with each voicemail they left you can tell they were more drunk than the previous voicemail.  You stopped at Hy-Vee to pick up some beer (or your beverage of choice) and want to get to your friends house right away so you can join in the fun.  Instead of this being a quick trip in you are stuck behind a person who has what seems to be a million and one items. We have all been in this situation before. With no other lanes open and the self check out being closed what do you do? Do you roll your eyes in frustration and be aggravated that this person is taking forever? Or do you patiently wait thinking that if it was you with a million and one items you would want the person behind you to be nice and understand.

 

The difference between these two responses is the difference between type A and type B personality. Type B personality is the most common type. This is someone who appears to be calm and collected under stressful situations. When you think of this person you rarely associate them with yelling or outrageous behavior. Type A personality is someone who is exactly the opposite. That is the person that you don't want to be dealing with if you were in a car accident or waiting in line at Hy-Vee with a million items.

 

Below there is a link to a personality test that is designed for college students. If you have time I would try and predict which type of personality you are. On a scale from 35-380 pick a number that you feel would represent your personality type. Lower being more type B and higher being more Type A. (this is the scale range used in the questionnaire.) Then follow the link, take the questionnaire and see if you were right! Or you can just take the questionnaire! (Personally I like to guess and see how close I am...probably part of my personality!)

 

 

The following link is to a test which determines whether you are type A or type B

http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeA-B-intro.html

 

The following link is to the definition of type A and type B Personality:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/49520/the_type_a_personality_vs_the_type.html?cat=5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk

This video is from a television show and it shows positive reinforcement.  Whenever the girl would do something that one of the guys thought of as "good behavior" he would reward her with chocolate (incentive).  He would do this without telling her that it was something good; just reinforce the behavior with a reward. 

In the book, in chapter 5, the author discusses extrinsic motivation which comes from environmental incentives and consequences.  In this case, the extrinsic motivator would be chocolate, the reward recieved for the behavior.  Extrinsic motivation is related to positive reinforcement because of the "do this and you will get that" behavior that people are trying to change or adjust.  The motivation was to get the chocolate as a reward for doing what people consider to be a good action or behavior. 

These types of teaching happens a lot with child rearing and teaching kids what kinds of behaviors are appropriate and which aren't.  Intrinsic motivation happens in these situations because people are recieving positive feedback for their behaviors.  So that is a natural motivation for people to do a behavior, when they are rewarded. 

Upon my decision to become a psychology major, I found that I was constantly being told that I was "analyzing" people. Sound familiar to anyone else? Whether I was actually scrutinizing others or not I'm not sure, but I do recognize in myself a need to further evaluate my emotions and any problems that I may be experiencing. Could this behavior be causing me more harm than good?

This article originates from the blog Wired for Success by Ray B. Williams who has founded and co-founded organizations devoted to leadership, development, personal growth and executive coaching. Williams suggests that when we analyze our feelings in a third person perspective to prevent reliving the experience over and over again. We feel the need to process our emotions in order to cope with and understand their meanings before we are able to move forward. The best way to do this, however, is from a detached perspective that allows you to see the entire picture with no attachment to the situation.

This could be seen as a "no-brainer" concept to many who repeatedly find themselves drifting back to their old ways despite efforts to make a positive change in their lives. They may have made the decision to revert to a more lucrative approach that involves severance between their thoughts and their emotions.  On the other hand, the task may not be as easy for some to manage.

A study performed at the University of California put the concept to the test with 141 randomly assigned participants to two groups. In the "immersed-analysis" condition, participants were told to go back to the time and place of the experience and relive it as if it were happening again while trying to understand the feelings they were having at the time and what may have caused them. In the "detached-analysis" condition, participants were also told to go back to the time and place of the experience but to take a step back and move away from the immediate experience to watch it unfold as a bystander and try to learn the lessons of the behaviors they witnessed. Just after the study was performed, the detached-analysis group experienced lower levels of anxiety, depression and sadness than the other group. They felt the same when questioned one week later. This self-distancing perspective can have multiple health benefits as well including reductions in blood pressure. 

            This research supports the work of Dr. Steven Hayes who has written the book Getting Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life. As a "Third Wave Psychologist," Hayes has been doing what he can to change the focus of psychotherapy from manipulating thoughts to changing the context in which we have them.  Find out more about this topic by reading the article above or reading more about Dr. Steven Hayes in The Third Wave of Therapy presented in TIME magazine in 2006. Perhaps you will become more skeptical of the way we think about psychology after reading Hayes' account.

I found this great article by Kathleen McKinney called "Encouraging Students' Intrinsic Motivation."  In this article the author gives nine different strategies that a teacher can use when trying to help motivate students.  The first is to know where the students are.  It is important to know the background about each of the students, so when making a lesson you know the appropriate level to start at.  Second, confront the monster.  This means talking to the students about motivation and the importance of learning. Third, fate does not rule.  Encourage the students so that they can have high self efficacy, try to help set the students up for success.  Fourth, gladly teach and learn.  Offer the students to give feedback about the course, so you can see how they learn most effectively. Fifth, all for one and one for all.  Make a learning community for the students; by having them work in small groups, but also have them do work individually.  Sixth, variety is the spice of life.  There can be a lot of diversity in a class room, so you need to make all things in the classroom diverse as well. Seventh, I did it my way. Give the students some control in the class, for example let them choose between assignments and pick which ones they would rather do. Eight, how many points to get an 'A'.  Some times it not always best to use a traditional grade system, encourage the students to learn and study for something other than grades.  Finally, practice what you preach.  Be a role model for the students, and have everything that is done in the classroom promote learning.

You can view this article at: http://www.cat.ilstu.edu/additional/tips/intMotiv.php .  It goes into detail more on each of the nine strategies.  I think that all nine would be great strategies that a teacher could use in their classroom. So what do you think are these nine strategies good to use in the classroom to promote intrinsic motivation?  Are there any other strategies that you can think of that could be incorporated into the classroom to help with student motivation?

http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/108846/the-555000-student-loan-burden?mod=edu-continuing_education

This article's focus is on a lady who went through med school and had a debt of around 250k by the time she finished.  Unfortunately for her all the deferring she had to do in order to complete her schooling/residency caused her school loan debt to hit an amazing 550k.  That's over half a million dollars to those of you keeping score at home.  I'm only a fraction of what she is in debt and I'm sweatin' on how I'm going to pay back that loans I have. 

I couldn't find the "sweatin' bullets" section in the Reeve book but he does talk about stress.  Between getting caught up on the espn and tmz pages I found an article online (http://www.medicinenet.com/stress/article.htm) that talks more in detail about stress and defines it as "simply a fact of nature - forces from the outside world affecting the individual.  In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get."

How many of you have read the fine print of your student loans?  Are you going to be faced with enough debt that you'll look forward to being in your 70's like the doctor in this article by the time you pay them off?  Are you starting to stress?

In my intro to psych class I remember my professor made us hold a pencil between our upper lip and nose for one minute. Then we had to hold a pencil between our lower lip and chin for one minute. We were then asked how we felt after doing both these exercises. The point my professor was trying to make was not to make the class look like idiots, but to explain the importance of smiling. More importantly, she was trying to get us to understand the facial feedback hypothesis. Chapter 12 of our textbook explains this hypothesis by saying that we don't' smiling because we are happy, we are happy because we smile. While this might not seem right to some people, I found a pretty hilarious video of a girl whose situation might have been improved if she had tried smiling. This clip is of a band member of Boise State who may be stuck on a less than desirable instrument, but her lack of emotion and motivation is clearly displayed on her face. The facial feedback hypothesis would say that if she smiled and displayed some positive emotion on her face, it might trigger further cognitive and bodily participation to prolong the perceived emotion of happiness.

I started to think about think hypothesis and if I think it really works, and I for one do think smiling helps. I wouldn't go as far as to say that smiling helps in all situations, but at least smiling gives you the appearance of being happy. If I smile it not only makes me feel better, but I think other people around you feel more at ease also. Are there any situations where smiling even though you were in a bad mood has helped you? Does smiling motivate us to be in a better mood?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-r02-oZAW4&feature=player_embedded

As many of you know, the winter Olympics began last Friday.  I LOVE the olympics and seem to have it on at all times.  Last night (February 17, 2010) was the halfpipe competition.  During the competition Shawn White did a trick that had never been done before.  That trick, the Double McTwist 1260, was not done to win the competition - because his previous run had locked the gold metal - it was done during what was a victory lap.  The Double McTwist 1260 is when a rider competes 3 1/2 turns while also flipping head-over-heals two times.  His victory run was said to have been "epic."

In chapter 5 we have been talking about intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. This article shows the importance of these in the workplace. The article mentions that having employees who are intrinsically motivated will be better for the company in the long run because they will be more apt to work and find more joy in their work. This article does a good job of explaining what motivation is and why it is important to have in the workplace.

The article mentions three main ways to extrinsically motivate employees. The first way is with a promise of some sort of reward. I think this is definitely a motivation. In a past job I had, we were promised a "bonus" if we got so many products out by the end of the day and it motivated the team to work harder. The second way mentioned was by offering the opportunity for growth. For someone who is very ambitious and wants to move up in the company this is a great motivator. The third way that they mentioned was giving the employee recognition. I have always been motivated when given recognition for good work that I have done.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-extrinsic-motivation-at-the-work-place.html

Have you ever found it interesting when in school, that if you were given a chance to help out (when in elementary) and leave the class (in middle to high school and now college) that you were more motivated to complete or finish that paper or learn a task.  

When I was in 5^th grade, every other Friday we would have an afternoon where we could hang out, outside of the class room. Yet, in order to get that chance we had to have completed our homework and turned it in daily, been on good behavior and been to school every day. I found it really interesting when I look back on it now, but the teachers where trying to motivate us to do better and or at least the minimum in order to be able to go somewhere else in the school, or in my case the library. That is where the girls hanged out to talk and slack off; in reality we were supposed to be putting up books for the librarian.  It was an Incentive or reward, which motivated a certain behavior. I guess you can call it extrinsic motivation because we as children worked towards these goals in order to slack off later. Plus it did place some type of situational interest within us, which our textbook talks about as being a type of interest which is short term and can be seen as the shiny object that draws you in and creates a certain type of motivation or gain in knowledge. Even though situational interest is great, a teacher tries to create a more logical expectation of personal interest in a student, which is a long term interest and the student does these activates on their own accord.  Now, I was a student who did well regardless because I personally found that I wanted to achieve more than was expected for me, as well show my parents that I was a good student. I didn't receive an allowance and I didn't get a pass on my chores, but I knew in the long run that I would benefit someday from my motivation to learn. But for other students these incentives were what drove them to at least meet these requirements.

So I searched for ways to motivate students, now I understand that this list is aimed at a younger crowd, but can you imagine if these still worked for us today?

http://specialed.about.com/cs/behaviordisorders/a/rewards.htm

The list is funny to look back on, but I remember some of these working, here are a few of my favorite.

·         Take a bubble blower out at recess.

·         Free homework passes.

·         Leader for a day.

·         Earn points for class Video.

When you were a child in elementary what motivated you? What motivates you now? Were and are there rewards involved? Like an allowance or a pass of doing chores? Do you think that this reward system has or could have backfired potentially? Also, in thinking about this, our class has some fun activities and incentives as well and do you think that will affect your motivation in learning the material?

Have you ever found it interesting when in school, that if you were given a chance to help out (when in elementary) and leave the class (in middle to high school and now college) that you were more motivated to complete or finish that paper or learn a task.  

When I was in 5^th grade, every other Friday we would have an afternoon where we could hang out, outside of the class room. Yet, in order to get that chance we had to have completed our homework and turned it in daily, been on good behavior and been to school every day. I found it really interesting when I look back on it now, but the teachers where trying to motivate us to do better and or at least the minimum in order to be able to go somewhere else in the school, or in my case the library. That is where the girls hanged out to talk and slack off; in reality we were supposed to be putting up books for the librarian.  It was an Incentive or reward, which motivated a certain behavior. I guess you can call it extrinsic motivation because we as children worked towards these goals in order to slack off later. Plus it did place some type of situational interest within us, which our textbook talks about as being a type of interest which is short term and can be seen as the shiny object that draws you in and creates a certain type of motivation or gain in knowledge. Even though situational interest is great, a teacher tries to create a more logical expectation of personal interest in a student, which is a long term interest and the student does these activates on their own accord.  Now, I was a student who did well regardless because I personally found that I wanted to achieve more than was expected for me, as well show my parents that I was a good student. I didn't receive an allowance and I didn't get a pass on my chores, but I knew in the long run that I would benefit someday from my motivation to learn. But for other students these incentives were what drove them to at least meet these requirements.

So I searched for ways to motivate students, now I understand that this list is aimed at a younger crowd, but can you imagine if these still worked for us today?

http://specialed.about.com/cs/behaviordisorders/a/rewards.htm

The list is funny to look back on, but I remember some of these working, here are a few of my favorite.

·         Take a bubble blower out at recess.

·         Free homework passes.

·         Leader for a day.

·         Earn points for class Video.

When you were a child in elementary what motivated you? What motivates you now? Were and are there rewards involved? Like an allowance or a pass of doing chores? Do you think that this reward system has or could have backfired potentially? Also, in thinking about this, our class has some fun activities and incentives as well and do you think that will affect your motivation in learning the material?

The answer to the question of the title, for me, is YES, I am motivated to attend class when their is an attendance policy in place!  When I know a teacher is taking attedance I will not skip class, unless I absolutely have to because of personal reasons such as really sick, doctors appointment, or the weather and can't make it to class. 

In chapter 6 there was a figure that had Intrnsic Motivation and under engagement Class Attendance.  It caught my eye so I wanted to do a little more reasearch to see how other's felt about that.  I found an article that said a major predictor for college success is in fact classroom attendance.  Within this article Mississippi State University reaches out to their students who have skipped class more than two times, to see if they need help with anything and try to undertand why the student is not coming to class.  That could be a good thing for students, they see the professor actually cares about them and their learning, and will motivate the student to come to class.  

It's a feeling of autonomy support from the teacher, and will then have the student be motivated knowing that there is an attedance in affect.  Normally students who attend college don't want to do bad in any of their classes, so knowing that they HAVE to go to class and its not some free ride, will definitely up their GPA and graduate. 

As a student, are you motivated to attend class if there is an attendance policy in place, or do you believe you are not in high school anymore and should be able to come and go as you please and be treated like an adult?

 

The link to the article above is: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0129/p15s01-lehl.html 

After reading and commenting on Kbott's earlier post, I was inspired to look for other thought provoking topic from the TED website. TED is a site full of short lectures and ideas, their slogan is thought provoking ideas. 

Kurt Lewin and a team of researchers came up with the three major leadership styles.   The first style is Authoritarian, which I find is a lot like the parenting style of Authoritarian.  It's often seen as a dictatorship, controlling, and bossy.  As noted in the article researchers found that decisions were less creative under Authoritarian style, which also coincides with the parenting style, they simple say, "because I said so," rather than giving valid reasons for the punishment.  Under this parenting style they are unresponsive to their children much like making decisions by yourself, giving others' opinions no chance under leadership.  Participative or Democratic was the second leadership style, which is basically working together as a team allowing everyone's input.  However, the leader has the last say.  This leadership style is like the Authoritative parenting style, which allows "children to ask questions, be self-regulated as well as cooperative."  Delegative (Laissez-Faire) is the third leadership style, it has little to no guidance to the group, it often leads to a lack of motivation.  This is also much like the Permissive and Uninvolved parenting, there are few demands and little communication.  In extreme cases some parents even reject the needs of their children. 
I compared leadership and parenting because I think being a leader is somewhat like being a parent.  You have to watch over and direct what goes on in an organization.  You need to punish or reward work of employees. 

What do you think is the best leadership style?  Does the situation matter what style you use?  Should leaders focus on group work and involving others in decisions? 

I figured there is no time better than the present to touch of the drive and story of an Olympic athlete. I think we all know by now, being an Olympian takes much more than an occasional practice. Being an Olympian takes commitment, determination, drive, and natural ability. These athletes practice for hours on end. Then, when they are done, they go to sleep and wake up to do it all over again. Training is nothing less that extreme. Anything other than being the best is not acceptable, because no one goes to the Olympic games with out the desire to bring home gold. Every athlete dreams of being an Olympian, and every Olympian dreams of being recognized as the best... to be positively reinforces with a gold circle draped from their neck. 

http://www.uni.edu/safety/

Here is a link that provides information on safety and services offered at UNI and you can also go to the UNI police department site which is below.

http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/pubsaf/police_division/index.shtml

The first link can help with a variety of things from the weather, students safety, alerts on campus and off, health center, H1N1 shots and so forth.

The second link also deals with a variety of things to help students from services, prevention, sexual assualt, drugs and alcohol, and even statistics of crime on campus.

I thought that since this past semester we had hate crimes going on not just on campus but in the Cedar Fall area off of campus that I would share a story I found on hate crimes on college campuses other then our campus.

http://socyberty.com/issues/hate-crime-on-college-campuses/

check it out for yourself. One psychologist found that offenders attack people because of their antisocial behavior and their hate against those who might be better than them.

Because college campuses account for 13% of hate crimes, colleges have had to increase their security.

 

Reeve talks about emotions in the textbook, and depending on what a person has experienced, going through or even a friend going through something traumatic can involve many students facing fear and anger. Everyone experiences things differently. Some may fear others, be angry towards others for what they did (e.g. sexual assualt, hate crimes etc.) and others might show no emotion what so ever. The UNI sexual assualt department had a lady talk to my violence in intimate relationships class on how they see people show emotions such as: fear, anger, laughing, crying, no emotion because no one experiences the same things the same way. Hope you enjoy this information and it helps someone.

http://www.wisegeek.com/can-drinking-too-much-water-be-unhealthy-or-even-dangerous.htm

 

        In the Understanding Motivation and Emotion textbook, on page 86 there is a discussion about the dangers of drinking flavored water and how drinking too much water can be downright dangerous. Specifically, the book says, "When factors such as a sweet taste offer a high incentive value for drinking, human beings drink excessively and sometimes consume dangerously high amounts ... Both alcohol and caffeine (introduce biological processes) that motivate people to drink in excess."

 

I have to admit, I was very surprised by this finding. I did not think that mere flavoring in water could cause people to drink dangerous levels of water. The book also mentions that the "Drink 8 glasses of water per day" rule has absolutely no scientific basis. Of course most of us know about the dangers involved with alcohol, and the nutritional deficiencies that can arise from excessive amounts of alcohol, but I think most people are not aware that drinking too much water can kill you. When I was little I actually remember hearing about a girl who drank too much water and died because of it, but my mother assured me that she must have drank an extremely excessive amount for it to be a problem. I do not think the amount need be so excessive to prove fatal.

 

 This article mentioned that the 6-8 glasses of water per day probably does not do any harm because it still falls within the normal range, but it mentions that sometimes dieters and athletes try to get an "extra edge" by drinking more. One of the major problems is that "too much water can quickly deplete electrolytes like sodium compounds" and "(This sodium depletion) can rupture cells" either from the inside or outside of the cells. The symptoms arise quickly.

 

In hindsight, perhaps I should not be too surprised that I did not know this information. I have not yet taken Personal Wellness or been active in any sports programs. This may be common knowledge among certain groups, but I for one did not know any of this. I had assumed that the thirst satiety response cycle would be exactly the same for both flavored and regular water.

 

 Another question arose in my mind as I read about this problem among athletes. If drinking dangerous amounts of water can sometimes give an athlete an edge, it is probable that some people will continue to partake in excessive drinking even after learning about the dangers. In some ways this directly relates to the debate over steroid use. What motivates athletes to use steroids when some of the side effects can be very serious?

 

 I think it is important to note that we must never allow ourselves to become too comfortable with anything that could be dangerous. There is probably not a day in our lives when we have gone without water. We often think of it as completely harmless, but in reality in sufficient quantities there are a great many things that can kill a person. I think there is also a desensitization problem with dangerous machinery. I used to do occasionally work on projects in woodworking and had a couple close calls, which I think I can attribute to my lack of attention because after so many uneventful encounters with the dangerous machinery my fear response seemed to decline substantially.  

 

While the problem of drinking too much water is by no means an epidemic, I think it is a potential problem we need to be aware of, especially as energy drinks and flavored water drinks are becoming more common. There are serious dangers to even moderate amounts of certain energy drinks.

 

Another related topic I wanted to briefly bring up here is the food sold in fast food restaurants, the cigarettes sold in stores, and the drugs (such as caffeine) put in energy drinks. I am curious as to what others think regarding possible regulation for fast food restaurants, cigarette companies, and energy drink companies. If some of their products are found to be extremely harmful and found to contain addictive ingredients that encourage addiction and excess, should the public be simply warned through information campaigns or should the government set regulations that prevent certain unsafe products from being sold? One might argue that a black market of sorts would arise and people would just have to find ways around the regulations, but do we have a moral obligation to take greater action against these problems? There is a great deal more about the fast food restaurants and smoking companies using that could be said in this discussion, but I suppose that would be best left for another time.

 

The main reason why I believe this discussion is relevant and applicable to our class is because these chemicals and ingredients in these products directly influence the behavior of consumers and sometimes motivate them to do things against their best interests. I believe people are generally smart enough to make decisions on their own and excessive regulations can become ridiculous, but it is my opinion that a few extra standards may need to be implemented regarding these products.   

 

This is just a small excerpt from the main article I hyperlinked in case anyone would like to read the conclusion of the article without going to the hyperlink...

 

Generally too much water is defined as water consumed above what the kidneys can process in an hour. Extremely healthy kidneys would be able to process about 30 ounces of water in an hour. A person with kidney problems or with only one kidney should drink much less, as per doctor's instructions.

 

The person with healthy kidneys could develop water intoxication by drinking about 2 to 3 times what the kidneys can process. For a person with kidney problems or with one kidney, too much water might be defined as just an ounce or two over the recommended amounts.

 

For people with healthy kidneys it should be perfectly safe to drink two cups of water an hour, and for the dieter, even one cup an hour will fulfill requirements for getting plenty of water. However, drinking too much water in rapid succession can prove fatal and should definitely be avoided.

This article talks about how the "ability to influence the physical world merely by thought has been a dream of mankind for many years. Now researchers are making real progress in letting people control a PC simply by thinking, and the first crop of consumer Brain Control Interface (BCI) headsets has arrived. Right now these are being used only for simple games and applications to support the technology are scarce."  It includes an interview by the person leading the research for it.

I was a little shocked when I read this article mostly because I feel our world is so technologically advanced, but it's tweaking our activity levels, our society, especially the younger generation is lazy.  There are definite advantages, especially for people who are disabled, either from the beginning of their lives or from an accident.  Some can be so disabled and hurt that they can't even use sound software to communicate.

My question is how is this going to change society and how we use our brain to communicate?

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2359071,00.asp

For this post I wanted to find a really neat video to share. But instead I found a few and decided instead of sharing a video I wanted to share this whole site.  Maybe more people than I'm aware of know about TED but I just think it is a neat site to go to and learn and hear other opinions on various topics. So I want to encourage you all to go to this site and check out the different themes of videos and find one that is for YOU!

TED has the catch phrase "Ideas worth spreading".  They hold a few conferences each year where speakers will come and spread their idea.  They have some interesting topics that anyone could enjoy.  You should check it out!

I got carried away watching a few videos and decided to post one up anyway.  Do you remember the golden rule from when you were a kid?  "Treat others the way you want to be treated".  This stopped me in my tracks and made me really rethink how I was going about life now.  What would happen in this world if everyone started to live by that golden rule?  We should be sensitive to other's emotions by thinking of our own emotions.  I heard this analogy from someone else so I can't take all of the credit, (but just think about it).  Say you're driving and you realize you need to be over a lane, like NOW.  So you pull in front of someone and cut them off.  The way you react is most likely like, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" and you just feel bad and apologetic.  But then on the other side of that coin, when someone pulls in front of you or cuts you off you might blow up, curse at them, call them names...make assumptions.  We should just be empathetic of others (just think what the world would be like if we did.)
   
http://www.ted.com/talks/karen_armstrong_let_s_revive_the_golden_rule.html

Here is the link to the website:
www.ted.com
From there you can explore, and please, post a comment with a video you watched or liked.

Since my December 18th knee surgery, I have been on numerous pain killers to manage the pain and discomfort while recovering. Many of them making me nauseous to the point of vomiting or extremely lethargic. I have switched prescriptions several time.
About two weeks ago, I slipped on the ice here on the UNI campus and went from being weeks ahead of my physical therapy schedule with little to no pain, to a swollen, painful, non-weight bearing knee joint with very little ROM (range of motion). I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon right away and he took an X-ray and an MRI. The MRI came back normal but the X-ray showed that a small bone fragment that had been inside the knee joint all along had been forced out laterally (to the outside of the knee joint) by the pressure of the fall. The pain was constant and severe even with the influence of the current narcotics I was taking, so I was prescribed a pain killer patch that would distribute a regulated amount of pain medicine for 3 days at a time, and then a new patch is applied.
This pain patch is typically prescribed to cancer patients and is highly addictive after lengthy periods of use. Because of my common reaction of getting sick off the pain pills, I started taking an anti-nausea pill again, which is on a 6 hour regiment. I was also recommended to take 800 mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours to reduce swelling, and of course, I went back to my original 3 day a week schedule of physical therapy after being reduced to 2 days a week for good progress.
So far, this blog is sounding more like a sob story on my part so I'll get to the point. On Tuesday of this week, when it was time to switch patches, I did not apply a new one to see if the pain is now tolerable without the relief of pain killers. I was also beginning to notice a change in my breathing patterns after a new patch had been on for the first 3 to 6 hours. Since the patch was regulating the medicine into my body in portions throughout the 72 hours, the medicine remained in my system even after the patch was removed. I began feeling abnormally tired beginning Wednesday morning and although I was still taking the anti-nausea pill every 6 hours, I had no appetite and was beginning to feel sick to my stomach by Wednesday afternoon. My knee pain is noticeable but relatively tolerable. But today, Thursday, I feel 10 times worse than the previous days. I feel like I've been hit by a truck, chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers and water have been the ONLY items on the menu for me & I'm beyond tired of them, it's the only thing my stomach can tolerate. Not to mention, my knee is killing me.
It's possible that during the time that I relied on that patch to take physiological care of my knee pain, I developed a dependence and my brain became content letting the medication do its job. Now that the medication patch is no longer administering the medication, my body is struggling to find a resolution to the withdrawal of the pain meds, and I am paying the price.
We talked about this briefly in class, in regards to many psychological medications to treat depression and other conditions. As if the last 2 months haven't been bad enough, this experience may be worse than the initial post-op recovery.  

The last class that we had we discussed needs and the different types of needs that humans have to have to survive.  One type of need is physiological.  Needs that fit under this category would be things such as food, water, safety, and shelter.  Food, for example, is a need that everyone has and we need in order to have energy and to live.  Without food we woul die after a few weeks.  Although food is a need, it is also used as comfort, a way to escape boredom, a counselor for our emotions, and a way to socialize.  This for some can lead to problems, including obesity.  So how do we really know if we are hungry?

The website that I found gives tips on how to know when you're really hungry or just wanting to eat because of other reasons.  The website suggests that you allow yourself to actually feel what hunger feels like.  Try not eating until you actually feel the hunger pains in your stomach, or the dizziness that comes from lack of food.  This way you will actually know when your body needs food and when you're eating just to eat.  So many people eat for reason other that hunger.  With that comes extra body weight which releases hormones such as leptin, which actually makes you think that you're more hungry. Food can create a vicious cycle of wanting to eat and things such as causing health problems.

For more tips such as what to do if you're an emotional eater, or if you eat too much junk food, check out the website!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4878605_youre-really-hungry.html

I found this interesting article about how religion can play a key role in your emotions. It sites where others have given religious approaches to emotion regulation such as envy, anger, pride and other potentially destructive emotions. It also explains that religion can also help with dealing with guilt and depression. I know that for some this can be a difficult topic to talk about, but I feel that religion can play a key role in your emotional well being. I have seen this first hand through several of my close friends. I have seen people go through some very difficult situations and they themselves can say that they would not have made it through if they didn't believe in something greater than themselves. And I am sure that many of you can attest to knowing someone in the same situation or you may have felt to same way at some point in your life.

The link is of a very long article but you can choose to go to the section on religion and emotion by clicking on a drop down menu
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145024?amp;searchHistoryKey=%24{searchHistoryKey}&cookieSet=1#h7

As an introvert (I once scored 95 on an introvert scale) I am usually one to watch others. I have been noticing more and more that my extroverted friends are more likely to go out on weekends and usually make conversations easier and with more people. I have always wondered about the difference between my friends and myself, why do we each act the way we do? In the article "Extrovert V. Introvert: Personalities Hardwired by Neurotransmitters in the Brain" it states that extroverts are motivated by dopamine. Extroverts have a higher tolerance to dopamine; therefore they need to engage in more outgoing activities to have stable levels of dopamine. Introverts on the other hand have a lower tolerance to dopamine, not needing as much stimulation as extroverts to have the same amount of the neurotransmitter. For introverts the parties that extroverts seem to love instead create stress. I have definitely noticed that, for me, parties are not much fun. After only about an hour or two I am begging my extroverted friends to leave. They, of course, do not understand my discomfort and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they can't seem to get enough of going out.  

So, what about you? Are you more of an extrovert or introvert? Do you enjoy parties or hate them? And do you think the differences in personalities are based on neurotransmitters, or is something else?

http://neurologicalillness.suite101.com/article.cfm/extroversion_v_introversion

We talked about testosterone in class and how it affects sexual behavior, aggression, etc. In this article it discusses the benefits and risks of testosterone therapy and the question of whether or not it can make men feel like they did in their youth. Testosterone does a lot for men: helps maintain bone density, muscle mass, sex drive, sperm production, etc. But around the age of 40, men start producing less and less testosterone and therefore, may feel like something is changing in their bodies. Although it's unclear whether naturally declining testosterone produces symptoms for men, it has been seen that men with diseases that lower their testosterone have seen such symptoms as decreased sexual function, increase in fat mass, memory loss, mood changes, depression, etc. I have read some text refer to the decrease in testosterone as a man's menopause. The article recapped that studies have found that testosterone therapy is able to restore testosterone amounts to that of a youthful man, but it is unclear whether or not it there is any benefit of doing so. While there are benefits to testosterone therapy there are also risks: increased balding, acne, enlarged breasts, fluid retention, etc.

Here is the link to the two page article:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/testosterone-therapy/MC00030

When I was trying to come up with a topic for my blog entry this week I googled search for Oxytocin and google automatically added autism after oxytocin.  I thought that this was interesting and decided to continue to search for articles about this association.  In a journal article by Modahl et al. (1998) a connection was found between the presence of autism and  levels of oxytocin.  This article can be found at:  http://lynnwaterhouse.intrasun.tcnj.edu/Plasma%20oxytocin%20levels%20in%20autistic%20children.pdf

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1010030

This articles describes a millionaire that gave all of his money away. All of it. He was raised in a poor family and he was taught to work hard to earn what he wanted in life. He worked hard his whole life, thinking that a little more money and material possessions would finally make him happy, only to realize that it didn't. So, he gave it all away.

His story interests me for several reasons. His display of charitable behavior is one that many people applaud and see as highly altruistic. It's true that his action was extremely generous and will help many orphans gain a quality of life that they couldn't have without his help, but his actions are not altogether altruistic. The reason he gives his money away is because he is still seeking happiness. He first thought that making money and having stuff would make him happy, now he thinks that giving all of his money to people that need it more than him and living a very simple life will make him happy. While his latest search for happiness is definitely beneficial to many people, was his giving out of altruism and generosity alone, or was it motivated by seeking his own happiness?

I would argue that his generosity is still motivated by selfishness, making his giving not entirely altruistic. By no means am I saying that he shouldn't have done it, because I think it's wonderful that so many people in need will benefit from his action, but I think the most basic driving motivator in this case was still seeking his own satisfaction or happiness.

Do you think this decision will result in lasting happiness? Or will it, like the pursuit of money and material possessions, only last in the shorter-term scheme of a lifetime?

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100210/full/news.2010.66.html

I found this very interesting interview/transcript from Dr. Drew, who most of us are familiar with. In the transcript, people ask Dr. Drew various questions about all kinds of addictions. Dr. Drew makes a very clear statement about addictions in the beginning stating that the term "addiction" is used very inaccurately. Dr. Drew defines an addiction as "a specific biological disorder of the reward systems of the brain that permanently alters the survival system and thus the motivational priorities." Basically, addictions are based predisposed by our genes. If someone does not have a certain "addiction gene" they cannot possess an addiction. He mentions that people are often seen as having an addiction, when they simply have bad habits, or a dependency. I previously saw "addictions" as something that one partakes in regularly. We obviously overuse the word "addiction" in everyday language which leads to misconceptions. The article is sort of long, but it covers all addictions from online gambling, sex addictions, and of course drugs and alcohol. Does this article change your view towards addiction? Or was your perception of addiction similar to this? What did you find interesting in the interview?
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=54633

Some people in the world around me have had friends of friends, or just friends experience some sort of dating violence recently. For me this is a really touchy subject and something that I care deeply about, and am still trying to learn more about as well. I am Vice-President of the student organization here at UNI called Students Against A Violent Environment (S.A.V.E.) and we strive to educate others on violence, including dating violence. Now, of course when these situations occur I know all the "right" things to say like "You should not stay in this relationship" "You need to leave the home/apartment" "Here are the hotlines you can call for help" "It will happen again" and the list seems to get longer. However, these phrases all seem so empty, since I don't fully understand reasons as to WHY a person would want to stay in an abusive relationship. So, I decided to look this up. I was looking for more research-based evidence, however, every article I wished to look at, the Rod Library did not have access to, and so I became frustrated. So, I went a different route and looked at advocacy websites, and others.  The one website I found to be the most clear is Advocacy Center: Domestic and Dating Violence.

This website not only reassured me that it was alright that I did not understand why a victim stays in an abusive relationship, it also went on to explain some reasons as to why victims stay. Fear is a motivator to stay because victims are so often threatened that they are scared to see what will happen when they do leave. This could not only be fear for themselves, but for others they care about such as children, family, pets, or friends. Victims could have low self-esteem due to various mind games and "put downs" for lack of a better term that would make the victims feel as though the abuse was actually their fault. Financial issues always arise, and the victims may depend on the abuser for income, and if the victim decide to leave, then the victim will fear they will not be able to support themselves. This fear of not being able to leave because of financial reasons escalates when there are children involved. The website makes a point to state that when chidlren are involved in the situation is different from an abusive environment without children.
The website continues to state that victims may believe that if they do what the abuser wants then they will be able to control the situation, or victims even hope the abuser will change themselves. It is also hard when victims do not have the support they need from friends or families, and don't know that help is available.
This website helped me to understand a little more about WHY a person would stay in an abusive relationship. However I would be interested in finding out more scientific based research. For instance, is there biological factor that plays a role, or is it purely psychological? Also, from an advocate standpoint, is their enough news, or advertisement on these issues?


So, being the advocate myself, I will add some links that are available here in our community for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship, or for those of you who may know someone who is and are wanting to help them get some assistance.

Seeds of Hope Iowa
http://www.seedsofhopeiowa.com/

UNI's Violence and Intervention Services
http://www.uni.edu/wellrec/wellness/sexualabuse/

The common stereotype of fraternities and sororities is that they are organizations based purely one common goal, drinking as much as you can. Over years and years of this stereotype being glorified by movies like "Legally Blonde" it has become harder and harder to squash this image. A link on the Greek Life homepage of the Ohio Northern University website has finally started clearing the air and labeling the benefits of Greek life. 

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/hallucinations/

Do you find yourself continually consumed by the daily pressures and constant distractions? Do you just want to get away from it all and see where your mind takes you? To fully be able to confine yourself to just your thoughts, and have no other external stimuli infiltrating your mind is basically impossible. However, there are ways to circumvent that impossibility. Psychologist Oliver Mason, from University College London, accepts such a challenge by devising a study to deprive a sample of participants all their external stimuli. Based on preliminary mental health screenings, Mason gathered 19 individuals and placed them in a sensory-deprivation room for a 15-minute period. All outside light and sound was completely terminated while in the room. The main findings reported from the study include the deep psychological thread associated with the powerful functions of the brain and how those functions can often lead to some degree of psychosis. Researchers suggest because when our sensory input is totally deprived from us, "we have a natural tendency to superimpose our own thoughts." These thoughts, especially in a dark, soundproof room, often become negative by nature, as reported by some of the participants in the study. Many participants experienced visual hallucinations, depressed moods, and even paranoia. Among the hallucinations some of the participants reported visualizing, five claimed to see faces, and six reported seeing objects in the room that were clearly were non-existent. This area in psychology is definitely understudied, but the ultimate goal of this study will help enable further investigation about the effects of sensory deprivation among clinically diagnosed individuals with schizophrenia and recreational substance users.

            In chapter four of the textbook the author addresses the fundamental properties of psychological and physiological regulation. The above study indirectly relates to the motivational drive theory. Drive theory is the process of the body responding to physiological deprivations and deficits. Maybe in some utopian bubble this sensory deprivation study is somehow indicative of animals' (including humans, or course) need to mentally visualize the world, even if all sensory inputs are removed. It is interesting to note that most of the participants in the experienced some form of dark, or lurking presence; everything was related to a negative sensation while in the room. This could be evolutionarily reliable, because when one thinks about all the negative outcomes of a situation or event, he or she is priming his/her outcome possibilities in hopes of avoiding each outcome. As the book describes drive theory more related to behavioral components, this mental aspect of drive should not be underestimated.

As a college student sleep is at a premium. I am often up very late studying for a test, writing a paper or doing some last minute homework. But usually when I lay down to fall asleep everything that I need to get done that week is racing through my mind. So when I saw this article, I was intrigued, because I thought that other people could also use some tips on getting better and more sleep.

1.      Set a specific bedtime

2.      Get ready for bed well before your bedtime.

3.      Make your room very dark.

4.      Stretch

5.      Keep your bedroom a little chilly

6.      If your mind is racing with worry, make a list of everything you need to do the next day.

7.      Tidy up your bedroom

8.      Exercise.

9.      An hour before bedtime, avoid work that requires alert thinking

10.  Slather myself with body lotion.

11.  Put on socks if my feet are cold.

12.  Yawn.

13.  Tell yourself, "I have to get up now."

14.  Give up, and re-frame your sleeplessness

I found some of these tips helpful, and others are not realistic for a college student. Number 9 would never work for me because I am pretty much studying or doing homework until I go to sleep. Number 6 is a very good idea that I may try though.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201001/fourteen-tips-getting-more-sleep-and-why-it-matters

 

For my Intro to Women's and Gender class one of the books we read was Women: Images and Realities by Amy Kesselman, Lily McNair, and Nancy Schniedewind.  This book was comprised of essays about experiences in women and mens' lives.  I enjoyed this book because it made me aware of many life experiences and how differently each person handles these experiences. 

One of my favorite essays was called, "Klaus Barbie, and Other Dolls I'd Like to See" by Susan Jane Gilman.  Gilman talks about Barbie dolls versus Dawn dolls.  She hates Barbie dolls with a passion and named them "Klaus Barbie dolls", after the Gestapo commander.  She feels Barbies are a pop artifact promoting Aryanism.  In fact, she compares the blonde-hair, blue-eyed dolls to Hitler's cult.  Although she commends Mattel on making an effort to create a variety of dolls, she feels they basically have the same Aryan features.  Gilman also states, these unique dolls are limited edition Barbies, and not the normal or standard look.

However, Gilman is not anti-doll.  As a child, Gilman and her friends played with Dawn dolls.  Before this reading, I had never heard of these dolls; however, they intrigue me.  Dawn dolls had four dolls in the collection.  Dawn was the blonde doll, Angie had black hair (Italian or Hispanic), Gloria had red hair (Irish or a Russian Jew), and Dale had an afro.  Gilman and her friends were Jewish, Black, Asian, and Latina and felt if you didn't look like Barbie, you didn't fit in. 

Gilman's essay ends with her describing Barbie's she would like to see (my favorite part).  These Barbie's include Dinner Roll Barbie, Birkenstock Barbie, Bisexual Barbie, Butch Barbie, Our Barbies, Ourselves, Harley Barbie, Body Piercings Barbie, Blue Collar Barbie, Rebbe Barbie, B-Girl Barbie, The Barbie Dream Team, and Transgender Barbie.

I found this reading unique and interesting.  Like Gilman, I'm not sure Barbie is to blame for young girls constantly being insecure with their bodies; however, I do think it is a possibility.  Personally, I never played with Barbies much.  I found it more enjoyable to pull their heads off or play outside in the sandbox or swinging. 

Does anyone agree or disagree with the fascinationtion and/or obsession our cultures has with Barbie dolls influencing young girls?

 

I was read this article in the Oprah Magazine by Susan Klebold- the mother of Dylan Klebold who, along side another, killed and injured many people at their high school.  The story itself is extremely interesting-- Susan goes into details about Dylans life before the shooting, starting with being a toddler.  She stated everything seemed to be pretty normal until high school when he started withdrawaling (something a lot of teenagers do).  There home never had any guns and the Susan quotes "In raising Dylan, I taught him how to protect himself from a host of dangers: lightning, snake bites, head injuries, skin cancer, smoking, drinking, sexually transmitted diseases... it never occurred to me that the gravest danger- to him and, as it turned out, to so many others- might come from within".  This article really gave me chills, because although this happened some time ago, its absolutely crazy to think that 2 people could have this much power to do something so horrible.  Susan also goes into the hurt of how the media mainly blamed Dylans family for raising him the wrong way.  This really quite frankly pissed me off.  I do believe nurture has an effect on people, but this was a normal family that the media started ripping apart.  Susan goes on to say even "Our elected officials stated publically that bad parenting was the cause of the massacre".  That may have been what people thought and they have the right to voice their own opinions, but they need to know background information before making a claim like that.  I really appreciate the article, becasue Susan covers many different things involving their family, their story during and after this tragedy, but also goes into how suicidal thoughts can affect a person and how she supports suicidal research and encouraging responsible prevention and awareness practices as well as support for survivors. 

The article states there are roughly 33,000 suicides in the US every year.  It's estimated 1-2% of those suicides involve the killing of an additional person/people. 

In chapter 15 of the text, it is mentioned that there are two kinds of definition one can have regarding themself.  Self-Definition and Social Definition.  Self Definition is as explained as someone who resists any external definitions of themselves and rely mainly on themselves.  Social Definition is defined as someone who accepts external definitions of themselves.  This can be connected with Dylan in many ways.  Susan explains what police found when they searched the house-- many pages of journals claiming how alienated he felt and out of place he was.  I think its VERY common among adolescents to socially define themselves, because that's what they know at that point.  Also in this chapter they discuss finding value systems, that if parents do not provide a child with this, they will find it elsewhere.  Dylans partner in crime, Eric, was said to have a bad influence on Dylan from the day they had met.  I dont believe it was the parents' fault, but I think this was a result from Dylan pushing away form his parents like normal teenagers do.  So he confided in Eric and came up with this plan of murder and suicide. 

The article was extremely interesting, some parts were sad but I believe the end of the article brought everything into perspective.  It's a really great article (although a little long) but it was still worth it.  Check it out!

http://www.oprah.com/world/Susan-Klebolds-O-Magazine-Essay-I-Will-Never-Know-Why

 

In my introduction to psychology class my professor asked if we would be more mad if our boyfriend/girlfriend had a sexual infidelity or an emotional infidelity. By a show of has we were able to see that more men would be upset by a sexual infidelity and more women would be more hurt by an emotional infidelity. Why is this the case? To understand mate selection will provide the answer to this. In the link below I found information regarding the answer to my questions and information about the physical appearance that impact mate selection based on evolutionary psychology ideas.

First-in the physical appearance of mates men tend to prefer younger women because they tend to be more fertile. Men like full lips, breast, and hip and a slim waist because this is the features that represent a woman who has a lot of estrogen in turn making her a good candidate for reproduction. Women are often attracted to men who have a more masculine build; broad shoulders, slim hips, a strong jaw line, clear face, and facial hair. This type of physic represents a man with a lot of testosterone therefore reinforcing that this man will be able to fulfill and provide for the family. The idea of infidelity as mention earlier is based on passing on ones genes. If a women has a sexual infidelity then the many is not 100 percent sure that the child they have together would be genetically his. Where the women in 100 percent sure the child she bears is of her genetics. A woman needs a man who is going to be there emotionally and provide support, energy, resources, and protection for her family. Therefore, a woman is going to be more concerned with an emotional infidelity than a sexual one. The first time I read his is was somewhat surprising to me however, after looking at it from an evolutionary perspective it is easy to see why this is the case.

 

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/denisiuk.html

Alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems.  Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times and an impaired memory.  Sounds like an awesome weekend, but some people (like doctors) call these "damaging effects on the brain."  Fun haters.  This article talks about the effects that alcohol has on the brain.  For some, like binge drinking college students, alcohol can cause addiction.  But I'm guessing no one in our class has a drinking problem.  We drink, we get drunk, not a problem.  Anyway the article not only talks about effects on the brain it also talks about....oh yeah, blackouts.  I forgot what I was gonna write right there.  It throws out some comparisons between the effects that alcohol has on men vs. women.  Overall, not a bad read.

 

The question is how many of you think about the effects of alcohol on your brain when you're in the championship game of a beer pong tournament?  I'm guessing not too many.  But, how many of you think about the effects of alcohol on your brain when you wake up in your closet naked? 

 

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD72GzaxxuI
This is a short speech about the values of an organization and individuals.  The structure of a business and openness of it will attract individuals better qualified for the positions open.  This also allows individuals to get involved with the business, decreases turnover and sickness, and the more likely you are to connect and talk highly of the company.  When you are a good company that promotes individuality and diversity, others opinions, and take into account even your lowest worker people are more likely to be willing to work hard for you. 
What do you feel makes a business good?
If you work, do you feel that your opinion matters?

I am taking a class this semester that deals a lot with relationships and how men and women communicate. We recently started talking about the famous "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" ideas. This term was coined by author John Gray and Mr. Gray has made a killing through his book and seminars that tell his listeners why their relationship may not be working. I was unfamiliar with the content of these books and was slightly horrified when I learned what they are teaching. Gray outlines ways in which to communicate with a man:
Only speak for two minutes
Speak only about one topic at a time
Provide few, if any, details
Be aware that revealing emotions may cause him to pull away
Appreciate him for listening
No eye contact
Expect interruptions
I was appalled by the way Gray says women should talk to men. It seems that Gray thinks that in order to communicate with a man you should treat him like a five year old. I was very confused by "Be aware of revealing emotions". How are we supposed to get close to anyone without revealing our emotions and thoughts? Another that bothered me was that women are supposed to reward men for listening. Should we reward him with sex just because he listened for two minutes? What kind of message is that sending to men? Do what I want and I'll put out? While sex is a huge motivational tool I do not think it should be used just to get your partner to listen to you. I know a lot of people follow John Gray and really connect with what he is preaching, but I think it is completely bogus.
What do you guys think? Should we use sex in relationships to get what we want? Is sharing emotions bad for your relationship? If a man is aloof and uncommunicative what would be the motivation for fixing a relationship if women just accept that "that's how men are"?

I found this great blog about the chameleon effect.  It is about how mimicking what another person does will make them like you more.  The blog talked about an experiment that was done by Chartrand and Bargh (1999).  In it the researchers wanted three questions answered about the chameleon effect.

First: Do people automatically mimic others, even strangers?

                It was found that yes people do automatically mimic others, even strangers.  It was found that the participants in the present of a confederate did mimic their actions, face touching went up by 20%, and foot movement went up by 50%.

Second: Does mimicry increase liking?

                It was found that you do like someone else more if they are mimicking your behavior.  Participants were asked to rate how much they liked the confederate, when the confederate was mimicking the participant, the participants liking of the confederate went up.  However the liking did not go up by much.  On average the rating went from 5.91 to 6.62.

Third: Do high-perspective-takers exhibit the chameleon effect more?

                When they were talking about perspective takers they are referring to the degree to which people naturally take others' perspectives.  They found that people who were perspective takers did in fact mimic more than others.

Here is the blog website http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/11/the-chameleon-effect.php.  On the website they also go into detail as to how they performed the experiments and what the results showed in more detail.  I found this article to be highly interesting because I had always heard that if you were more like someone that you liked each other better.  This experiment helped to prove that, but if you mimic someone their liking of you only goes up by a little bit.

If you want to read the actual article about the experiment it can be found at http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/76/6/893.pdf.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115811.htm

 

 

According to this website, women judge men's faces for attractiveness on two parts: sexually and non-sexually.  

 

The first part determines if you have the characteristics of being a good mate.  They're looking for qualities that will help them determine if you have high levels of androgen (testosterone).  According to evolutionary psychology, this is a highly desirable trait to look for in a partner since testosterone is linked to aggression, which will lead to better protection and more food.  These traits will include strong cheekbones, a square jaw, full lips, and over all proportions of the overall face.

 

The second part is overall attractiveness of the face.  If these proportions of the face are symmetrical or not is one key point in determining the attractiveness.   

 

More on this topic can be seen during a short video on the next link.

 

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/science-of-sex-appeal-attractive-facial-features.html

 

First of all, I love the discovery channel.

 

The video quickly explains that although as children, we all have very similar faces.  However, because of puberty, our faces will change and become more prominent for the men and finer for the women (generally).  According to the video, a strong does of these hormones will indicate good health and fertility.  Also, by saying that someone is attractive, you're saying that they have good genes and would make a good partner for reproduction.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/MDMA/default.html

This is a great resource to find information about many drugs from effects on the brain to addiction treatment.

For those of you that don't know MDMA, ecstasy or 3,4-Methylendioxymethamphetamine is a DEA schedule 1 substance.  Schedule 1 means drugs under this category have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. It is classified as a psychoactive amphetamine, meaning it has both psychedelic and stimulant like effects. Known for its relationship with Intimacy, it also diminishes feelings of anxiety, fear, depression and emotions run wild. The positive effects include mental stimulation, emotional warmth, empathy towards others, and a general sense of wellbeing.

 Before being made a schedule 1 controlled substance, ecstasy was actually used in psychotherapy, couples therapy and to treat anxiety disorders as well as clinical depression. Though there were no formal, documented clinical trials or FDA approval.  Therapists called it "penicillin for the soul" saying it allowed the user to communicate insight about their problems.  Though DEA still deemed it schedule 1 eventually, in late 2000 FDA actually approved MDMA for 2 sessions of psychotherapy for those experiencing PTSD.  Ecstasy was actually criminalized in all members of the United Nations in a UN agreement; this is for manufacture, sale or production of the drug. There are limited exceptions for scientific/medical research.

MDMA first broke out in the club scene, mostly at long extended dance parties called raves. It was mostly used by adolescents and young adults, but this typical profile has been changing. There is now widespread use outside of the club scene. Recent research has also shown the drug is moving from predominately white users to minority users. It also appears to be a rising trend in the "urban gay male" scene. This is a rising concern because of the existing high level of sexual activity in gay males; it causes an increase in high risk behavior that may lead to many sexually transmitted diseases. The first question is why? Perhaps they seem to frequent urban dance clubs in higher numbers. Also, why the movement away from white adolescents and young adults?

Ecstasy has incredible effects on the brain with just one or two tablets. Though its mechanism of activity is not fully understood in its simplest sense it alters the activity of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine by increasing their production. Though the process involving serotonin is more complicated due to the fact that it is not only a combination serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but also a serotonin-releasing agent, in addition to the other two transmitters it makes MDMA a neorepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor and a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent. Confused yet?  

More specifically the effects of the drug cause all the previously mentioned positive effects of the drug. The excess release of the serotonin causes the brain to become depleted of this key transmitter. This is the largest contributor to the "hangover" effects that users can experience for several days after taking the drug. More research is needed, but it appears that this serotonin damage in humans can cause  long term effects such as confusion, depression, and significantly impact the memory and attention process.

So even with more research needed, the fact people still choose to do these drugs is very interesting to me. Some are ignorant, but others completely willing to take the risk despite their knowledge of the effects. The drug also can be addictive, the body can develop tolerance, and the brain changes to compensate for the difference in chemical production. Are people attracted to the emotional state they reach after doing the drug, or is it simply a chemical dependency?

The last time I wrote a post, I did the BMI requirement for graduation, and not to my surprise I got some commentary. None the less everyone has an opinion about weight and how being "overweight" is a disease and in our country a huge "NO NO!" Not saying that is what people commented about, but how just in general people view this BMI requirement.  Somehow this is the new standard of feeling fit and being healthy. But what are the requirements of being healthy? Is it fitting into this BMI calculation? Or eating healthy with moderate exercise? How about those who are not in this range, who eat the rights foods and exercise daily, but are over the normal height/weight configuration, do they count as being unhealthy?

You see we slap the wrist of those who do not fit into this whole category that everyone thinks is healthy.  Even those who fit into this category, slap the wrist of those that they feel are unhealthier than they are.  Society has placed a great deal of pressure to "fit in" and be a part of this majority. Because those who are in the majority have the power. This power can affect our social needs, which we will talk about in chapter 7, and this in turns affects our motivation in how we live our lives. You see, they control everything from who is unhealthy, to who is socially accepted, what we wear, what size we wear, what we should look like, and in this case how the BMI is calculated. If you look at the weight from recent years to now you will understand that the weight keeps decreasing.

There is an epidemic that is arising with America's weight obsession with and their BMI. This obsession is something to worry about, because it places the emphases on weight, diet and societal expectations, which leads the idealization of what is considered perfect. This has shown up in recent studies that there are a few trends. These trends show a decrease in the normal weight, clothing size and increase the number of dieting programs.

  I did some research because for one even at my smallest weight and size which was 140lbs and a 5, I was still considered overweight, by the calculations of the BMI ( I was a 31), and now that I am no longer a 5, I am morbidly obese. I also, have some friends who have looked at their BMI and realized that they do not fit into this normal range that this calculator has for them. For some, this motivated them and they were like "oh my, it's time to return to the Gym". This friend is 5'4, 145lbs and wears a size 6. In looking at her you wouldn't guess at all that she is not in the normal range. Potentially a problem, maybe, maybe not.

Here are some websites that I found that have talked about the BMI and how it is outright wrong and the feministe has a picture gallery, which is interesting in itself, because you can see in pictures who is not normal, and who is considered overweight.  Some of them are athletics, who would have thought that they are overweight?

http://jezebel.com/306096/somethings-wrong-with-the-body-mass-index

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2007/10/01/the-obesity-epidemic-in-pictures/

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/-   The BMI calculator

So my questions to you are. Do you fit in this normal range? If you don't are you okay with your current weight and size? And if you do, the same question, are you okay with your weight and size? My last question is would you let this calculation define you? In answering this last question myself, I must say I do not, because I am much happier now and do healthier activities now that I not a size 5.

I have talked to my younger cousin about off the wall text messaging that younger teens are spreading through text messages within her school.  She says everyone knows who you have a crush on, or if you are mad at a friend, and with everyone knowing those kind of things; uncalled words are being said and the texting is getting out of hand.  I read one of her text messages that someone said to her and it said "____ said that you are too skinny and you should eat lol"  Now for a young girl in middle school that could harm her self-esteem and feel as thought no one likes her, and the way she is isn't good enough, even though she is a beautiful petite young girl who is only in 7th garde. 

When watching T.V. the commercial of teens getting abused by other teens via text messaging comes up a lot, especially on MTV. When is it becoming too of athinline for young teens with their text messaging?  The website (athinline.org) helps teens cope with abused text messaging, such as sexting, constant messaging, spying, digital disprespect, and cruelty.  This website definitely is taking a step to help out teens who feel as though they can't say anything to anyone, because if they do they will be called a nark or taddle tail.

It's very alarming how many teens are getting abused or are doing the abuse over text messaging.  When I was in middle school I was'nt allowed a cell phone, unless I went to a movie and needed to call for my parents to pick me up.  Now a days all I see is young kids with cell phones in their hands walking in the mall or down the street.  It's no wonder why the text messaging abuse is becoming so popular. 

Athinline.org is definitely a big step for helping teens with this abusive problem via text messaging.  Pass it along to friends and family who you know that have been abused or are the abuser. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

I found this youtub ckip about movtivators in business.  It discusses Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Motivators, and which one was best.  It also discusses a reward/punishment thoughts we have when working and if you reward people for their work, that they will work faster and better, when this isn't actually the truth.  It goes on discussing how only in situations does this work.

Book Report

You are required to write a book report for this course. The book report is worth 100 points.  The report should be 2000 words long, typed, and in APA style (1 inch margins, double spaced, citations where appropriate, cover page, reference page).  You will be submitting your book report to www.turnitin.com where I will verify that your work has not been plagiarized. You will also turn in an identical hard copy to me on the day that it is due.

Here are some guidelines for your book report.

Buy your book early. Don't wait to find out that it will take 10 days to get to you through the mail.

Read your book.

Your next step will be to organize what you are going to say about it in your report. Writing the basic elements down in an outline format can help you to organize your thoughts. Your report should focus on the psychological factors related to motivation and emotion that are evident in your book. Don't just try to write this off the top of your head, but rather, from your focused effort in applying the principles in your textbook to the book you read. You should only very briefly summarize your book (e.g., less than one page). The remainder of your paper should be focused on the relevant psychological factors inherent in the story or content of your chosen book. Questions? See me.

The Final Paper

1. Spell check your paper.

2. Have a friend read and review your paper.

3. Read your paper out loud.

4. Make any changes that your friend and you have pointed out.

5. Spell check again.

Grading:

10pts for APA style cover page

10pts for APA style reference page

10pts for APA style throughout the paper

10pts for appropriate length of paper

25pts for accurate and effective presentation of psychological principles/concepts

25pts for writing style

10pts for spelling/grammar

 

Depressed? Jolt Your Brain

After you have watched a movie, you should blog your general impressions of the movie (by 5pm on thursdays) and provide 1 example from the movie (scene, character, etc) and how it relates specifically to a theory or construct in Motivation and Emotion.

Your full analyses are due the following Tuesday turned in via eLearning (aka WebCT).

After you have watched a movie, you should blog your general impressions of the movie (by 5pm on thursdays) and provide 1 example from the movie (scene, character, etc) and how it relates specifically to a theory or construct in Motivation and Emotion.

Your full analyses are due the following Tuesday turned in via eLearning (aka WebCT).

Have a question about the class? About the technology? About an article, concept, theory, or methodology? Post it here and your fellow students (and I) will monitor this and answer questions.

Inspired by LindsayR's post about personality types, and intrigued to delve deeper into finding out more about extroverts and introverts, I took a look in our textbook to see what Reeve has to say about the two main personality types.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/science/09tier.html?bl

    

    This article talks about sociologists who set out to determine which types of gossip travels the fastest (whether people prefer good news, bad news, etc). The researchers studied a list of the New York Times' most emailed articles "checking it every 15 minutes for more than 6 moths... and controlling for factors like placement in the paper or on the Web Home page."

 

        The main researcher seemed to hypothesize that stories about sex and politics would be among the highest ranked. To his surprise, the stories that were most emailed actually tended to be those emotional in nature, with positive (those that "inspired awe") faring better than those that were negative. Those that are intellectually challenging and lengthy are also more often emailed. There were also a surprisingly high number of scientific articles that made the most emailed list.

 

       I was rather surprised by some of these results at first, but after thinking about the potential reasons behind the results I believe I understand this data better. Or, perhaps I am suffering from hindsight bias. In any case, I think it does make sense that people would want to send positive, awe-inspiring articles to their friends and loved ones because we very much want to increase others' feelings of happiness. Emotion is at the very core of our being. There is such an abundance of negative news presented on television, perhaps emailing positive articles is a way to help offset cable news' generally negative tone.

 

       The researchers made a quick observation about how one might have expected articles consisting of financial advice to be more popular. Their thinking was that if Person A gave person B great advice, then person B would return the favor at a later point in time. Another possible motivation they theorized was that some people might just send articles to "show off" and let others know that they stay well-informed.  

 

      I also found it a little surprising that articles a bit longer in length and "intellectually challenging" would be among the most popular. I have always been rather hesitant to send lengthy articles to friends because I worry that saturating them in an abundance of information that they might not even find remotely interesting could just make them mad. It does make sense though, that longer articles would be more likely to contain some type of interesting information in them than short articles. I wonder if social networking sites present a confound problem that creates a bias in favor of long articles - for example, if I read a short, interesting story and want to summarize what it said for my friends, I will often just post it on my facebook status.  

 

        The popularity of science articles was a bit baffling at first, but I think it does seem to make sense to me now. I believe people enjoy reading interesting science articles because they help us think in a new and different way. Scientific discoveries help us gain insight and perspective about the true physical and emotional nature of ourselves and our surrounding environment. I think reading about science can evoke feelings of transcendence - there is much we do not know and there is much we will never know, but with each additional step we take in studying the world, we come that much closer to solving the problems we face and that much more connected with the world around us.   

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx3YWRpYW5wc3ljaHxneDoyN2QyZjE5N2Q0MmIzYmFi

 

The Pygmalion Effect is a type of self-fulfilling prophecy that is usually studied in work settings.  It's a pretty interesting theory, and a great theory for motivation.  The basics of the theory is that if you are expected to achieve a certain goal or perform to a certain standard, it is more likely that you will succeed than if there are no or low expectations given of you. Basically it's the self-fulfilling prophecy applied to those who manage you or have a strong influence on your life. 

The text discusses intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.  I think the Pygmalion effect is a great example of both.  Obviously, extrinsic motivations (Reeve, 113) play a big part here because there is likely praise and rewards from the environment when the expectations are met.  But at the same time it takes intrinsic motivation (Reeve, 111) in order for you to want to achieve those goals and make that person (may it be a teacher, boss, leader, coach) proud of you or happy.  If there is no intrinsic motivation, it is likely that failure will occur.  In a job setting, intrinsic motivation is crucial because you may not always get that reward or praise just because you are doing your job, even if there are high demands.  It takes a lot of intrinsic motivation to continue to achieve high expectations that are demanded of you when there is no direct reward or praise (other than a pay check at the end of the month...).  Even a pay check may not be enough, however.  When people demand more of you and you receive nothing different in return, there must be intrinsic motivation present to keep you motivated. 

This theory can also be related to the goal-setting theories discussed in Chapter 8 (Reeve, 205).  One area that is easy to pick out of these theories is Goal-Performance Discrepancy (Reeve, 212).  Things such as goal difficulty and goal specificity have a large impact on the capabilities and achievement of those involved in the goal.  The Pygmalion effect uses these aspects as well, noting the importance of setting appropriate goals for subordinates or students.  Knowing how goal setting can affect people is a crucial element in both teaching and maintaining high performance; and with this information psychologists can implement these ideas into the classroom or work setting.

We briefly discussed this in my Applied Psychology class, and we found that this is generally studied in military settings (most likely because it is easy to get results from the military).  We discussed how this probably skewed the results because the types of people who join the military are different than the general population or different from the type of people who are CEOs of large companies, etc.  The military is also a very demanding and life changing experience, which also may have had an effect on responses. There are many other things that may have skewed the results of this study, such as the jobs they chose to study, but it is still interesting nonetheless.

Here is another, possibly better study that the other half of our class read (but I have not):            

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx3YWRpYW5wc3ljaHxneDozZWVlMjIyMzYzNGQ1MDRi

 

I came across this life stress test when trying to look up a synonym for life events off of dictionary.com

I found this test interesting, it gives you a list to choose from that have happened in your life in the past twelve months and it generates your level of stress and gives you feed back and what to do.

I scored a 195 which stated that:

"According to the Holmes & Rahe* statistical prediction model your score means a moderate amount of life changes and a moderate susceptability (about 50% probability) to stress-related illness. However please keep in mind that there are many variables that interact on health including positive factors such as support from family, friends or work associates. If you are concerned about your stress levels then you should seek the assistance of a qualified counsellor or health practitioner."

To me, I think my life is a little more stressful, but the questions asked generate more for people who have had a family, been married and so forth. I'm sure there are other tests just like this one, but I'm sure once I get married and have a family and retake this test, my score would probably be more accurate.

It is widely known that chronic and acute stress have an impact on our immune system. Short periods of stress may actually provoke the immune system, setting off internal alarms for action. With long-term chronic stress can have a negative impact on the immune system. If one has a positive self-image, an optimistic outlook on life and good coping skills then the there might be slightly less impact of stress on one's immune system.

Check it our for yourself.

http://www.stresstips.com/lifeevents.htm

In the article Addiction: Pay Attention, the author, Kathleen McGowan, introduces us to Nora Volkow. Volkow is currently one of the country's most well-known drug addiction researchers and discusses how and why she became interested in this area of research and where it has led her.

According to Volkow, her neurobiology is such that she has a natural protection against drugs. When she tried a cigarette for the first time to be glamorous, she felt rebelled to hate it. Even though she loves coffee, the effects on her body are too much for her. She is very lucky as not all individuals possess this trait. She holds many addiction theories, but most interestingly, her idea that addiction may be a malfunction of the normal human craving for stimulation seems to fit with the topic of discussion in Chapter 3.  She believes that drugs and other addictive behaviors tap into a deep place within us -"our lust for newness, our yearning for vitality, and the deep-thrill of being alive." We all want these things, and once we have had a taste of it, we want more. There is something very powerful about it.

Dopamine is being viewed differently in this part of the science world as what we believe to be the "pleasure switch" to the brain does not align well with addictions to drugs like cocaine and nicotine. Very few addicts will say that they want to be addicted, and Volkow was dissatisfied with the contradiction. Researchers are looking further into what dopamine actually does--it makes us feel good but it also tells us what is salient. We need these moments to pick up additional cues or alerts that will continue our survival. The example given within the article is "if you are hungry and you get a whiff of a bacon cheeseburger your dopamine skyrockets. But the chemical will also surge if a lion leaps into your cubicle. Dopamine's role is to shout: "Hey! Pay attention to this!""

Perhaps addicts are not simply seeking a good time but have mistakenly learned that the most important thing to be aware of is drugs--just as important to their survival as food or sex.  If Volkow and her researchers are correct, the role of dopamine may be to unite us with the world and provide the will to remain alive. In an addict's brain, what is salient is the drug and nothing competes with that. The brain adapts to the flood of dopamine as time passes by dampening the system--in other words, what would highly stimulate us may not do much or anything at all for the addict.

The article also discusses obesity and how it malfunctions the dopamine system. The heaviest people in the study performed had fewer dopamine receptors than the lightest. "Like addicts, overeaters may be compensating for a sluggish dopamine system by turning to the one thing that gets their neurons pumping."

I would encourage you to read the article summarized above. The information is quite interesting and directly relates to our discussions related to dopamine and addictions in class.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200411/addiction-pay-attention

I just received the new edition of Cosmo.  After a few years of arguing with my mom about subscribing to the popular magazine, her comments about how "risque" and "sexual" the magazine's content is have settled down to a tolerable level.

Since I dated my self in class Tuesday by assuming my classmates had all seen (or at least heard of the movie Ghostbusters 2), I'll just quickly explain the title of this weeks blog to address any wonder of it's relevance to the story. Jam Master Jay was the DJ for the legendary rap duo Run DMC, they are to thank for the first rock/rap collaboration with their rendition of Aerosmith's Walk this Way, also the song they are most famous for. Anyway, the revised title above will make more sense at the end of this blog. But there is your rap music history lesson for the day.

The middle boy, age 9, is best known around the house for his LOVE for football and HATRED of house cleaning. Anytime you ask him to help with a chore or even pick up his own mess, he will do anything to avoid complying.
Over Christmas Break, I was recovering from knee surgery and the kids we're going crazy with boredom. Their mother limited their video game usage to 1 hour a day which to them is like asking a fish to spend 23 hours a day outside of their tank. We played every board game in the house twice before the first week was past, the kids actually did a considerable amount of reading and drawing on sketch pads that they got from Santa this year, and we watched what felt like 1,000 movies. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Chronicles of Narnia 1 & 2, etc.
Our daily routine was to live like animals until 4:30 pm, when all of a sudden we transformed back into humans and raced to pick up the house before their mother got home from work shortly after 5. I found that we consistently ALMOST had the house back to normal when she walked in the door and looked curiously at us, wondering why 3 out of 4 of us were sweating and out of breath. The youngest and only girl, will help without even being asked, the oldest boy (who's still attempting to get that driver's permit) needs a little more convincing but will quickly decide it's not worth losing his cell phone, zune or video game privileges over. The middle boy on the other hand, has neither a phone nor an mp3 player and he's decent at video games, but not nearly as addicted as his older brother.
I needed his help if we were ever going to get this house completely cleaned up by the time their mom gets home. I'm still astonished how I convinced him to participate in his least favorite activity in the free world, but I'll explain it to you as best I can and then I'll cross my fingers and hope that by writing this I haven't jinxed my progress.
The more we watched these movies based on army teams, mid-evil warriors, young magicians and alien robots in the form of Chevy Camaros & semis, I noticed how excited he got over their missions and journeys and battles. I never thought it would work in a millions years, but one day as the two kids and I raced around trying to clean. I stopped and yelled "Agent Isaiah!", he sprung up from the couch, "I have an important mission for you!". He sprinted to the kitchen where I was standing and stopped at attention near me by the sink. "I am trusting only you to deliver these empty cans to the recycling bin outside! Are you ready to accept this challenge?!" His eyes were as wide as watermelons and without hesitation he scooped up the empty cans and defensively made his way toward the side door (as if there was Charlie everywhere and he ought not make any sudden movements or loud noises to give away his location). I swear to you, this is a true story and to this day, the kid who could magically regulate his digestive system to coincidentally kick in whenever he was asked to do anything resembling cleaning, was now proud to be called Can Master Zai, the title we gave him after a full month of safely transporting soda cans to the bin at the side of the house. 

I found an interesting article that looked at a study conducted that stated that people who used Facebook tended to be happier, however they missed one important variable with their participants, they were mostly all extroverts.  This article addresses the fact that most people who are more extroverted tend to use Facebook more and tend to be happier in general, not because of Facebook.  

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1008/565794_video.html?ref=newsstory 

This video illustrates how addiction to caffeine is a rising trend in today's culture. For a behavior modification class, I had to use this video and propose an intervention/behavior modification to combat a dysfunctional behavior. This topic has intrigued me outside of the class, so I continue to read articles about it on occasion.

Caffeine is a drug that can be found everywhere. It's not regulated and the government doesn't require the caffeine content to be listed in the ingredients, except with soda and energy drinks, but that was only a recent law. Caffeine is found in many different foods, as it's a cheap ingredient to add that foodmakers hope will add appeal and desire for the product from consumers. Even decaf coffee has caffeine in it! Not nearly as much as a regular coffee, but the belief that it doesn't have any isn't true!

I think caffeine is a reinforced substance because it causes generally pleasant sensations from the "caffeine high" as well as increased alertness. The alertness is especially reinforcing for college students staying up late to study or finish a paper!

What's your average daily caffeine intake? Do you have a coffee each morning or an afternoon energy drink often?

After class on Tuesday, I wanted to find out more information on oxytocin and what exactly its affects are.  I found this article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015110059.htm that focused on oxytocin and how it can be a predictor of what kind of a bond that a mother and her child will have.

As defined by http://www.hon.ch/Dossier/MotherChild/preg_changes/hormones.html "Oxytocin seems to be involved in reproductive behaviour in both men and women, and apparently triggers "caring" behaviour. It is also the hormone which allows contractions of the womb during pregnancy and labour . Contractions felt during breast feeding are also due to oxytocin. Also used to induce labour . "

The article discussed how oxytocin plays a huge role in the bonds that mothers have with their offspring.  Animals that have lower levels of this hormone are actually more distant with their offspring and do not lick or self-groom themselves as much as others.

A few psychologists decided to study humans and the affects of oxytocin on their behaviors.  Mothers showed a greater bond with their child if they had hgher levels of oxytocin during their first trimester of pregnancy. Also, what I found most interesting was that the mothers who had high levels throughout the pregnancy and the month after the birth, showed more caring tendencies to the child than others.  They thought about the child more, checked on them more, and sang to them and bathed them in a more nurturing way.  Overall, they cared more for the child's safety and well-being.

I thought that the article was interesting because it fascinates me that the amount of a hormone in your body can determine how much you will bond with your child.  Also, it got me thinking about how there are so many mothers out there that are not close with their newborn, whether it's because of an unwanted pregnancy or other issues. Is it possible to give these mothers high doses of oxytocin during their first trimester in order to create a stonger bond with the child in the end?- Just a thought

Overall, I found it interesting how hormones affect or behaviors in so many different ways.

I found this article interesting because it discusses the problems with being able to motivate students in today's classrooms. It talks about how it is problem because students are unattentive and constantly disracted and bored in class and that it is very important for teachers in classrooms to find a way to engage the students in learning and find activities to get them involved in to help keep their attention and help them learn and remember the information. This will interest the students and prevent them from feeling as bored and disracted and help them learn the information in a better manner and motivate them as well. I agree with the article that it is extremely important for teachers to understand how to motivate their students and keep their attention in the classroom and to know what sorts of activities are effective and what sort of teaching skills are effective and not effective in teaching the students new information. I think that if more teachers take this into consideration and take more initiative to engage their classes in activities rather than always just lecturing them thent the students in the class will keep their attention better and end up learning more and retaining more of that information.

Music and the brain

I encourage you to read the entire article because some of the examples and explanations they gave were so amazing and powerful that a summary of it would not do it justice. 

The next time you are going over your notes, or studying for that test put on some baroque style music because it will activate both sides of your brain to maximize your learning!  But the key to the song selection is that it much be at or around 60 beats per minute.  The little article seems to have a sort of disclaimer in saying that just because you listen to music while you are studying does guarantee that you will remember it better, it simply stimulates the other side of your brain so that your attention and retention is better and more active. 

The article also states that baroque and classical era music is best to listen to because their beats and rhythm is based on math; it is ordered.  So if you are looking for some "classical" background music, check out those time periods. 

Fun fact for rock lovers. In the 70's teenagers would bring raw eggs to concerts and by the end of the show they would have been turned to hard boiled eggs.  Researchers say this is due to the high, shrill frequencies and kind of "mix things up". 

First, read this article:

http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/art1965.html

I ran upon this article while looking at a link from Dr. Walsh's Drugs & Individual Behavior class, and I thought it would fit with some of the material we are currently covering. The article basically details how our bodies react to stress via natural physiological processes. These responses are why we feel physical symptoms to a perceived stressor. The stressor itself may not be anything that is physically challenging or even mentally challenging, but our perception of it can be manifested in both of these ways.  On Tuesday we mentioned cortisol as being a stress hormone that can have negative physical consequences, but it actually does more than that. It helps our bodies deal with the other physiological processes that respond to stress through allostasis, or the process of maintaining homeostasis. If cortisol levels do not respond properly to an acute stressor and are too low, other bodily processes can "run out of control" and cause physical damage (e.g. an autoimmune condition). Conversely, if cortisol levels are higher than they should be in response to stress, this can lead to decreased functioning of other bodily processes (hyperglycemia eventually leading to type 2 diabetes).  The article also describes how our own behaviors can affect how our body handles stress. I thought this article would be something that everyone might like to know in terms of staying healthy and a little of the physiology behind dealing with stress.  Next time you are feeling stressed out you can just say "man, I have a huge allostatic load that's bothering me right now" and see how people respond.    

In a book I'm reading entitled Stoking the Creative Fires by author Phil Cousineau, I am becoming more inspired by his words than ever before. I have only read a couple chapters of it, so I know there is more greatness to come. I am going to reference a couple quotes from what I have read in hopes of surfacing some insight in whoever reads this. In the introduction, Cousineau posits, "creativity isn't a luxury, but a necessity - a means of survival..." He later questions the reader about how important creativity, and the ability to express oneself is, in life. The important thing to note is that he has established creativity as a concept with many definitions, reaching across the wide spectrum of adaptability, managing a busy schedule, or also creating a masterpiece of some sort. I believe that creativity is a necessity, and that creative drive or motivation that is in all of us should somehow be exploited. If the world strips you of all your material possessions, what then are you left with? Your imaginative creativity, that's what. It is highly important for all of us, as humans, to maximize our creative potential and open our minds up to the possibility of lowering our creative standards for a brief moment so then later down the road we can be satisfied with whatever else we deem creative.

My second point comes from his quote, which reads, "inspiration is a gift from the back of beyond - a revelation of what separates us from all other species." As Americans,  we generally live an easy life compared to those suffering in developing nations, continually starving and fighting off incurable diseases. But no matter our living conditions, we must ascertain our creative function, and motivate ourselves to tap into those senses so we don't lose sight of what distinguishes our species from all other living creatures. Personally, I don't want to get caught up in daily, mundane activities for the rest of my life. If there is any outlet from which I can draw inspiration, I will make a careful effort to pursue those resources and motivate myself to create something out of them.

Food for thought:
1. In what areas of your life do you cultivate the most creative inspiration?
2. Do you find yourself living a linear life that needs some form of spontaneity?

It's what everyone is talking about at our age.  Do I have enough money to do this?  Specifically, COLLEGE.  As well are all aware, college is expensive.  I hear young parents talk of 'putting this money in little johnny's college funds account'.  But is that the best financial option at this point?  I found an article that gives reasons and benefits from NOT saving money for your children's tuition costs. 

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/SavingForCollege/6ReasonsNotToSaveForKids.aspx?gt1=33006

This article doesn't diss on helping your children through college, but it implies that over time, things may change and that money may be put to better use toward something else.  The article mentions 'there isn't a loan for retirement'.  -- which is true.  Their are unexpected expenses throughout ones life that that money may need to help with.  I think saving some money can be done, but if a family is suffering financially (especially with the economy in the situation it is) is it worth putting the money in the bank?  Also, what about retirement? That is money you will be living off of when you've decided to take the plung into retirement.   When you think about the big picture, it seems putting these important dollars in the bank to stay for 18 years seems kind of silly.  

It also makes a valid point-- how much appreciation will be shown once someone goes to college-- their parents paying for their tuition VS. the student paying.  Does it seem as if a student making their own way through college would take it more seriously than those who do not? 

From Chapter 5 in the textbook, the authors describe intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.  Intrinsic refers to engaging in one's interests and to one's capacities -- to seek out and master their own personal challenges. Extrinsic motivation comes from environmental incentives-- such as money, awards, etc. In this situation, parents are using extrinsic motivation early in life where it may not be necessary.  They want the best education for their children, ultimately wanting a diploma, aka a better than average job for them.  These extrinsic goals may need to be put aside, even if they are in their child's best interest.   If the person going to college has the desire to fulfill their intrinsic motivation by completing their desired level of education, dont you think they'd find a way to complete school regardless? 

I thought this article was interesting, because I believe their is a lot of stress put on parents of children who want to continue their education in a college or unversity.  I'm not siding with either, because when parents help with tuition it takes a lot of stress off the student.  But should the parents put their own financial situation in jeopardy to do so?

 

It's what everyone is talking about at our age.  Do I have enough money to do this?  Specifically, COLLEGE.  As well are all aware, college is expensive.  I hear young parents talk of 'putting this money in little johnny's college funds account'.  But is that the best financial option at this point?  I found an article that gives reasons and benefits from NOT saving money for your children's tuition costs. 

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/SavingForCollege/6ReasonsNotToSaveForKids.aspx?gt1=33006

This article doesn't diss on helping your children through college, but it implies that over time, things may change and that money may be put to better use toward something else.  The article mentions 'there isn't a loan for retirement'.  -- which is true.  Their are unexpected expenses throughout ones life that that money may need to help with.  I think saving some money can be done, but if a family is suffering financially (especially with the economy in the situation it is) is it worth putting the money in the bank?  Also, what about retirement? That is money you will be living off of when you've decided to take the plung into retirement.   When you think about the big picture, it seems putting these important dollars in the bank to stay for 18 years seems kind of silly.  

It also makes a valid point-- how much appreciation will be shown once someone goes to college-- their parents paying for their tuition VS. the student paying.  Does it seem as if a student making their own way through college would take it more seriously than those who do not? 

From Chapter 5 in the textbook, the authors describe intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.  Intrinsic refers to engaging in one's interests and to one's capacities -- to seek out and master their own personal challenges. Extrinsic motivation comes from environmental incentives-- such as money, awards, etc. In this situation, parents are using extrinsic motivation early in life where it may not be necessary.  They want the best education for their children, ultimately wanting a diploma, aka a better than average job for them.  These extrinsic goals may need to be put aside, even if they are in their child's best interest.   If the person going to college has the desire to fulfill their intrinsic motivation by completing their desired level of education, dont you think they'd find a way to complete school regardless? 

I thought this article was interesting, because I believe their is a lot of stress put on parents of children who want to continue their education in a college or unversity.  I'm not siding with either, because when parents help with tuition it takes a lot of stress off the student.  But should the parents put their own financial situation in jeopardy to do so?

 

My friend has been in a pretty turbulent relationship for the past year.  For the most part, I'm the "go-to" person when any of my friends have "life crises" - not because I'm perfect or have no problems, but because I'm someone who always answers, will put everything down to listen, and gives un-sugar-coated advice.  Recently, after a series of late-night phone calls and hysterical crying sessions, they have decided to break up.

For my article analysis earlier this week I found an article that tested testosterone (T) levels in college undergrad. The researchers found that men in relationships had significantly less testosterone in the afternoon than did men who were not in committed relationships.  While reading out textbook I saw that "high levels of testosterone are associated with having affairs, while low levels are associated with better parenting."  (67) Finally, during Tuesday's class someone asked whether or not Tiger Woods had high levels of T.  All of these events made me more interested in the role testosterone plays in motivating peoples everyday lives.

The article I found is called "Tiger and Testosterone: Why T guys are Bad," and in it is discusses how high and low levels of T are associated with how men act.  As discussed in the book and in class, T underlies the mating effort, so from an evolutionary perspective, T is a good thing.  Moreover, it's quite obvious that men can reproduce more offspring, into a later stage in life, and that is why we have higher levels of T.  Many men value heightened levels of T and some desire more; after all, bigger is better.   On the other hand, lets be honest, high levels of T motivates many men to make decisions that they end up regretting the next morning.  For this reason, many men once they reach an older age are relieved they are no longer motivated by T because they can focus on other things.

The article finishes by discussing Tiger Woods and if he is assumed to have high levels of T.  The Dr. interviewed in the article believes that Tiger may have high levels because all of his life he has exerted attributes consistent with that of men who have increased levels of T.   

I found all of this quite interesting because it's really hard to tell whether it's best to have high or low levels of T.  Most men believe it's best to have more to increase competitiveness in many areas.  On the other hand, there are so many negative attributes that appear to go along with high levels of T that there is a strong  stereotype against it.  After hearing all of this it's pretty obvious that a happy medium would be most beneficial, but it's not like we get to choose what were born with.  
I'm really interested to hear what other people think of testosterone.  Would you have certain views and opinions about people if you knew they had high or low levels of T?  Women, would high or low levels influence your dating habits in any particular direction?   

http://www.sciencentral.com/video/2009/03/05/cuddle-hormone/

 

I found the above article while researching the hormone oxytocin after learning about it in class. A new study shows that participants who inhaled oxytocin were better able to remember faces a day later than participants who inhaled a placebo. However, those who received oxytocin were no better at remembering inanimate objects, like a house. By being able to better understand the effects of oxytocin on a basic level, it may help to understand more complex situations.

 

The article also mentions that oxytocin levels vary among people, which may be the reason some people are better able to recognize faces. Personally, I am not wonderful at remembering faces. It usually takes me a few times meeting a person before I am able to recognize them outside of that situation. Sadly, it took almost an entire semester for me to realize I had a classmate in two separate classes, a MWF class and a T/TH class, meaning I saw them everyday. There may be many reasons why I did not recognize that person, one being that in the classes the other person sat behind me so I did not see them throughout the class. But another reason may be that I might have lower oxytocin levels. How are you with remembering/ recognizing faces?

http://www.livescience.com/culture/090306-music-emotion.html

The hormone Dopamine is known for generating good feelings, and lets face it, who doesn't want to feel good? Dopamine is also known to activate voluntary goal-directed approach responses, like staying motivated to get through the spring semester. With all this in mind, I have come across an article which gives tips on how to naturally increase dopamine levels in the body. This article also states that dopamine enhances decision-making abilities, control cravings, and higher levels of dopamine could help develop social skills. So, if you can never make a decision, are always 'craving' (aka wanting) food, or feel that you lack in your social skills area, maybe you might want to try these natural ways to increase your dopamine levels in your body. 

1. Eat Ripe Bananas
2. Eat foods rich in antioxidants (Like pomegranates)
3. Eat less sugary and saturated foods. (No more cookies, or whole bag of chips for your midnight cravings)
4. Drink Decaf Coffee, and Drink less alcoholic beverages on a daily basis. (This includes on the weekends as well. Maybe its time to learn to love being the DD.)
5. Instead of candy eat almonds or sunflower seeds as a snack.(There are flavored sunflower seeds if you don't like the plain ones.)
6. Get a natural amino acid supplement.(Don't forget your vitamins as well!)

I'm not sure if this will be a quick fix, or even it if works, however it goes along the line with living a healthier life, so maybe it would be for the best. Does anyone think that this would actually work? Do you think that dopamine actually helps in decision-making, controlling cravings, and improving social skills?

For the article go to: How to Naturally Increase Dopamine Levels

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-402594?hpt=Sbin

 

New York City has been known for its bad attitude and generally unfriendly population. One man (a comedian named Mark Malkoff) decided he would put this stereotype to the test.  He had people carry him through the city on the coldest day of the year.  He ended up convincing155 people to carry him through the city, a total of almost nine and a half miles.  Obviously, the main point of this whole situation is to get a laugh or see how far he can take this idea.  It is pretty amazing that he convinced so many people, but would the same amount of people have responded under different circumstances? If it was a homeless man (as someone commented under the original blog) would the same number of people be willing to help? I doubt it.  The reason these people were motivated to carry this man through the city was because so many other people were doing it (social affiliation), there was a camera, and there were people around watching and laughing at the particular situation. 

The aspect of social affiliation plays a part in this situation.  Reeve discusses how social affiliation comes from fear of rejection, and the need to feel like part of a group (Reeve, 192).  This is exemplified in this experiment because people are less likely to reject to carrying the man if everyone else has been carrying him.  In addition, because the man was a some-what popular comic, people were also less likely to reject him because he was accepted by the general public.  By carrying him, they are avoiding rejection from the rest of the crowd, the camera, and the city of New York.

Why can't we take this meaningless collectivism and incorporate it towards something more positive?  If this single man can influence 155 people to carry him though a city on the coldest day of the year (for no apparent reason other than a laugh) then why can't we influence more people to help the homeless? Why is it likely that these same 155 people probably walk past a number of homeless people (on the coldest day of the year...) without a second thought of helping them out?  What about the Kitty Genevive case-a woman who was brutally raped and murdered in front of a number of witnesses, none of which called the police, called for help, or tried to help the innocent girl. So does this little "experiment" disprove the NYC stereotype? I don't think so.  It would have been much more interesting to see if these same results would happen if someone who really needed help was put in the situation that Malkoff played. It would also be interesting to see this "experiment" in a city that is not known for negative attitudes, or even done in a small town.   

 

 http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20337744,00.html

In one of my classes we were discussing the movie Avatar and someone had said that there is actually a website for people who have seen the movie and can blog about how they wish to be in that world, or are depressed now from seeing the movie.  I didn't believe it so I had to check it out myself.  The website is www.avatar-forum.com with the topic thread of "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible"

Now to me this sounds a little ridiculous so I did some more research and found an article that was done by CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html

In this article it does refer to the avatar-forum, and gives examples of what people have blogged or commented on it regarding their feelings.  The people talk about how they were emotionally drawn into this life by the Navi and want to live on Pandora.  People have contemplated on suicide or gone into lucid dreaming to escape to the Pandora land. People posting on the avatar-forum are not only expressing their view and mental illnesses now due to Avatar but are also helping others cope with such a feeling. 

I understand where some of these people are coming from, having seen the movie, yes it is a beautiful place to want to live...but suicide, and depression?  I'm not sure why someone would let themselves get to that point all because of a movie.  It is fantasy, not reality, nor will it be reality in the world we are living in now.  It is beautiful, peaceful, and kind of shows how our world is as of now, and some don't want this world we live in anymore.  It just amazes me how one movie can turn into a reason for suicide, depression, and among other things. 

If you have seen the movie, what is your take on the 'Avatar' Blues, if you havent seen the movie, I do recommend seeing it in 3D and see for yourself if it is a movie to have depression or suicide thoughts over, or a movie for simply entertainment.  I'm going with entertainment.

 

Say what you want, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity once I saw the title of this article on askmen.com.  (That's a great website for general information about almost any topic relating to real life - versus which celebrity is pregnant with Z's baby!)

 

The link is below.  The article is entitled, "Be More Like Edward."

 

If you've been living under a rock, then you obviously have not heard of the Twilight series and have no idea who Edward is.  The series is a collection of four books about how a human girl and a vampire boy fall in love.  It is extremely popular with girls (mostly) around the age of fourteen to their early twenties.  Personally, I hated the ending to the series and Bella's (the human girl) inability to make up her mind on which boy she wanted (Edward or Jake).  But that's just me.

 

Now, let's get back to the article.  The whole premise of this article is that girls around the world are now holding out for boys that are more like Edward.  I found the below quote at fmylife.com:

 

"Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her "Edward". I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy her "Twilight" book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML"

 

Again, let's get back to the point of the article.  It lists these four reasons for why Edward is so attractive to women (and ways to one up him).

 

1) Edward chooses Bella

2) Edward sacrifices his own comfort to be with Bella

3) Edward has impeccable manners

4) Edward is a total contradiction

 

I know a lot of girls who have read these books and having read them myself, I can testify that they're fairly romantic.  There's a lot of chivalry and quaint events that I think the girls are responding to and yearning for in their relationships.  This is just a personal hypothesis, but I wouldn't be surprised if the romance they experience from books releases some dopamine and Oxytocin in their brains, and that's the cause of all this fuss.

 

Either way, the site gives some good tips on how to one up that jerk, and it could possibly respark your relationship or help you find one.

 

 

 

http://www.askmen.com/dating/heidi_300/368_be-more-like-edward.html

I am addicted. No doubt in my mind. From early childhood, I have grown up around sports.  My fathers has been a high school football coach for as long as I can remember and the love of sports has definitely passed into my blood.  Sports for me are a drug--I love the adrenaline during competition and the great emotions which coincide with passion and success (dopamine).  While I don't play sports in college, I follow college and professional sports everyday of my life.  ESPN.com is my home page on my laptop.  Not world news, not my email.  I have even joined in on the booming business of fantasy sports, where you draft your own "dream team" to compete against other indivual's teams.  You can play for free or you can play for money--as many across America do.  However, there are many people, especially foriegners, who don't understand America's obsession with sports.  While there are many countries across the globe with a love for the game of soccer, the United States by far has the greatest passion for sport.  Where does this love of the game come from? What motivates Americans to spend so much money to watch a football game or baseball game?  Is it something biologically?  Is it engrained within our DNA as a country full of immigrants who were once underdogs?  During college basketball's season of March Madness, there is no bigger story than who will be upset in the first and second rounds and who will be the Cinderella of the bracket and crash the big dance.  American's love a cinderella story and George Mason's run to final four a few years ago has become a defining moment in the history of college basketball. Below is a website which has a link and description of a book which speaks of this "All-American Tradition."

http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/696

Becoming a teacher is a direct result from my passion to be a coach in high school.  What do you think the role of sports play in a high school?  Down south, such as in Texas, it is a religion?  Is that a good thing?  For me playing football was an educational experience I will never forget as it helped me grow physically and mentally as an individual.  Still, though, where does this addiction to sports come from in America?  Perhaps it's our motivational drive to succeed, to have achievement and affiliation.  Let me know what you guys think...

Here is a blog already created by a foriegn guy commenting on America's addiction to sport...many replied with all different sorts of reactions: 

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/non_aviation/read.main/1754975/

 

  

Reeve (2009) repeatedly talks about happiness.  Two such places were in chapter 3 and chapter 13.  Chapter 3 discussed that when a pleasant event is unexpected the brain releases more dopamine and we feel happier than if the event was expected.  Chapter 13 discussed the relationship between extraversion and happiness.   A presentation that I recently watched brougt up another aspect of happiness that I did not run into in Reeve (2009).  The video stated that there is also an element of making ourselves happy that plays a role in our emotions.   

In 2004 Dan Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist, gave a presentation entitled "Why are we happy?"  His main topic in the lecture was what he referred  to as "synthetic happiness.

I was recently watching CNN and there was a news piece that involved three people dying after being in a sweat lodge alongside the self-help guru James Ray. The story explained that Ray was a multi-millionaire who built his fortune giving self-help seminars and speeches and had many loyal followers. The sweat lodge was supposed to be a part of his "spiritual warriors" program in which his followers were to sit in a dome-like structure for several hours in a steam room type of atmosphere. The news show explained that witnesses inside the room said that people were going delirious from the heat and getting sick all over the place. While the show made it seem like Ray was inside the sweat lodge with his followers, he did not seem to care about the terror going on around him. For that, he is being charged with manslaughter for the death of three people who ended up dying in the sweat lodge or soon after. This whole news piece struck me as crazy. First of all because these people were brainwashed into thinking this guy knew what he was doing and second because Ray saw what was going on and did nothing to stop it. I can't imagine what emotions were going on inside Ray as he watched people going crazy and dying right before his eyes, or why he didn't think to let these people out. Seeing as how the sweat lodge is supposed to be a spiritual experience, maybe he didn't want to mess with the emotional connections he thought people were experiencing? Maybe he himself was going delirious and thought they were actually being cleansed by the spirits? Could it have been that Ray had such power over these people they trusted him and his eccentric methods? After all, the people that took place in the sweat lodge looked to Ray for motivation and enlightenment in all aspects of their lives, why wouldn't they trust him?
 
I found an article that basically talks about everything the news show did and it can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/04/arizona.sweat.lodge/index.html?hpt=T2  

I found this website:  Plugin ID; in the blogs I came across one titled "8 things to stop doing right now".  Of course this title really drew me in.  The author is very persistent in that you need to stop doing these things, not you should try to, but that you need to stop.

en    1. Doubting yourself -

A person needs to believe in themselves.

 

        2.Looking for answers -

 Some questions we should not be asking, or even wasting our time on.  The author gives the example of "Why do some people have all the luck?"

 

        3.Procrastinating -

Does procrastination really do anyone any good?  The author says that when doing a task and you start to procrastinate you need to ask yourself "Do I really want this?"

 

        4. Blaming someone else -

A person needs to take full responsibility for their acts.  You are in control of your life, you are the one in the driver seat, and you are the person who is responsible for the outcome you receive.

 

        5. Judging others -

When you a judge a person is there anything that you can gain? 

 

        6. Waiting to live -

A person should not wait for life to happen to them.  Life is occurring right now around us, and this is the only one we get, so we should enjoy what is going on in our lives now.

 

        7. Needing reasons to be happy -

No needs any particular reason to be happy.  You are in control over your emotions so what is to stop you from being happy for no good reason?

 

        8. Caring what people think

The author believes that if you stop doing those 8 things your happiness and self awareness would go up.  Also a person would be able to focus better on their goals.  What do you think?  Are there any other things that if we stopped doing them, that would overall benefit ourselves?  I think the author has hit the main ones and I believe that if a person was actually able to stop doing all of these things they would be much happier.  But with most of the items listed it is really hard not to do those things sometimes.

You can see the full article at: http://www.pluginid.com/stop-doing/

I found an interesting article about whether or not a person should go onto graduate school after college. I know almost all of us in this class are juniors and seniors, and we are trying to decide if grad school is what we want to do after college. I am currently in this boat myself. I am looking at a couple of schools and the process seems daunting.  More than anything this article just made me sure of the fact that I do want to go to grad school. It had some helpful information and underneath the article has links to some other articles that looked like they could be interesting.

The article has five main points and I think they are very good ones. The first point is to make sure you are going to grad school for the right reasons, not just because you are not ready to get a job or because you do not know what to do. The second point talks about knowing what career goals you have in mind and deciding whether or not graduate school will help you in achieving these goals. The next point is deciding on a specialty, because unlike undergraduate work, grad school is focused mainly on one area of study.  The fourth point, is do you have the drive to get through another 2 or even more years of school? Grad school is an overwhelming experience. I have a friend who is in her first year as a grad student at UNI and she never seems to have any free time for anything.  The last point the article made was about grades and personal qualities. But I think if you have gotten through school and been accepted to grad school you know how to get good grades, have good study habits and know your personal pros and cons.

http://gradschool.about.com/cs/shouldyougo/a/should.htm

With every new year comes a wave of resolutions to lose weight, and with spring break right around the corner there is little time to waste! I recently watched a segment on the Today Show in which Al Roker interviewed nutritionist Joy Bauer on the dangers of being "skinny fat." Normal weight obesity, or skinny fat, is a condition in which an individual looks slim and trim on the outside with a normal BMI and body weight, but at the same time has a worrisome level of body fat. This increases the chances of having obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The study conducted by Bauer revealed that 30 million Americans fall into the category of "skinny fat." 

We have discussed what motivates us to exercise in class, and for some of us it is to look and feel better about ourselves. When our behavior is aimed toward achieving a particular purpose or goal like this, it contributes direction. Imagine yourself as one of those people who is naturally skinny no matter how much they eat or exercise--those of us who have to work hard often get irritated by them, but what is the direction of their behavior? What energy drives their behavior if they already have a nice looking body? Well, this study unveils what their direction should be. Even those people who look great on the outside may not look so great on the inside. No one gets a free pass--we all must take care of our bodies by eating right and exercising regularly no matter what we have been blessed with genetically.

Check out the clip to this segment below for more information including a comparison between a naturally trim person and another who diets and exercises regularly. Can you tell the difference between the two?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35181451#35181451

 

I came across this article a couple of days ago and haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  The article provides information about receiving stress relief from laughter.  I found it interesting because of the commonly used phrase, "laughter is the best medicine".  This article provides information about the short-term and long-term benefits from laughing and even offers multiple ways to gain a sense of humor. 

 A good laugh supplies some short-term benefits because laughing induces physicial changes to your body.  Some physical changes laughter provides includes stimulating organs, relieving stress, and soothing tension.  Being positive and finding humor in a variety of situations also offers long-term effects such as improving your immune system, relieving pain, and increasing personal satisfaction.  I found it interesting the article provided helpful hints on delevoping your own sense of humor in order to relieve stress.

I enjoyed reading this article.  It was interesting to learn some actual health benefits of laughter and having an overall positive view on your life.  I tend to be a positive person and enjoy laughing and having a good time any chance I can.  This article made me realize I am not completely crazy for laughing a majority of the time.  I am just staying healthy :)

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/anxiety/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100141551

Who has ever tried to lose weight but lacked the motivation to actual do it? Or tried to reach that BMI index that is healthy for their height and weight? Many people have started a diet and exercise program and either succeeded at this program or failed. What could be some possibilities that would get people to stick to their weight lose goals or reach that healthy BMI index? Could you say that it is health wise important, or you will have more energy if you do? How about if it were made a requirement for graduation? At Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, they are making it a requirement to have a BMI index of 30, which is higher than the actual BMI average of 22.

Here is the link to the NPR article http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/11/pennsylvania_college_makes_bmi.html

 

How they do this is have the incoming freshmen get their BMI measured and if it comes back higher than 30 they are required to take the "HPR 103 Fitness Walking/Conditioning" class, or they can't graduate.  The other students who took the BMI measurement and passed are not required to take any additional physical tests or classes while attending.

The logic behind this according to DeBoy a chair of the department of health, phys ed and recreation there at Lincoln said, "As health educators we're concerned with the whole student, not just the academic part, but all the components that make up health and wellness."

So as a student whose BMI is way over 30 and is as of my last check up in perfect health, besides some breathing problems that I have had way before I was considered unhealthy, find that this can create a problem. I would just not attend this college if I knew that I would not be able to reach this goal. I also would have a problem with the fact that this can cause some mental health problems for many students who find themselves perfect at their current weight.  It initially states that you may be healthy, but you are at risk and to save you, I think you should lose some weight.

What is your thought on this and is it a good start to achieving a healthier America? And foremost would this motivate you if our university made it a requirement for graduation?

I'm curious who has heard of these Pro Anorexia (Pro Ana) communities for anorexic and bulimics. In the past, I had heard of these types of communities and even viewed one of the Pro Ana sites. I had forgotten about such sites until looking for an article to blog about this week. I was trying to find more information on motivation in relation to anorexia and ignoring the physiological need for food as discussed in, I believe, chapter 1 or 2 of the textbook, and I came across this article. It is a run down of what a Pro Ana community is and it's purpose. They are controversial sites that actually exist to motivate people to NOT eat and "stay in control." It is bizarre and tragic to me that there are sites that directly promote and encourage eating disorders. While I was reading the article I thought about how "motivation" is a word that usually has a positive connotation (e.g. motivated to work out, succeed in school, be successful in the workplace, etc.) but in this case, people are being motivated to do something very detrimental to their health and bodies.

The wording in this article was disturbing to me. An example would be people who "strive to develop an eating disorder." It also goes on to explain that skinny anorexics have the "upper-hand" in the community because bulimics or those still "striving" to develop anorexia do not exude the same willpower to resist food and "idolize" the anorexics.

One of the most troubling things about this article is the pledge from a community, Thinnest of Them All, which I have pasted below.

"I believe in Control, the only force mighty enough to bring order to the chaos that is my world.
I believe that I am the most vile, worthless and useless person ever to have existed on this planet, and that I am totally unworthy of anyone's time and attention.
I believe that other people who tell me differently must be idiots. If they could see how I really am, then they would hate me almost as much as I do.
I believe in oughts, musts and shoulds as unbreakable laws to determine my daily behavior.
I believe in perfection and strive to attain it.
I believe in salvation through trying just a bit harder than I did yesterday.
I believe in calorie counters as the inspired word of god, and memorize them accordingly.
I believe in bathroom scales as an indicator of my daily successes and failures
I believe in hell, because I sometimes think that I'm living in it.
I believe in a wholly black and white world, the losing of weight, recrimination for sins, the abnegation of the body and a life ever fasting."

Your thoughts on this behavior or these communities? I couldn't find the Thinnest of Them All community, but feel free to share any Pro Ana communities you know of or come across.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1257083/pro_ana_community_underground_community.html?cat=5

*This blog is not in support of these communities or eating disorders. If you or a loved one has an eating disorder please seek help.

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.asp

 

This is a list of all 16 personality types according to the Meyers-Briggs Test.  There are four different categories when determining your personality profile. 

 

Introversion or Extraversion

Extraversion (E)
I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. I'm excited when I'm around people and I like to energize other people. I like moving into action and making things happen. I generally feel at home in the world. I often understand a problem better when I can talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.

Introversion (I)
I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I'll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.

Sensing or Intuition

Sensing (S)
Paying attention to physical reality, what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I'm concerned with what is actual, present, current, and real. I notice facts and I remember details that are important to me. I like to see the practical use of things and learn best when I see how to use what I'm learning. Experience speaks to me louder than words.

Intuition (N)
Paying the most attention to impressions or the meaning and patterns of the information I get. I would rather learn by thinking a problem through than by hands-on experience. I'm interested in new things and what might be possible, so that I think more about the future than the past. I like to work with symbols or abstract theories, even if I don't know how I will use them. I remember events more as an impression of what it was like than as actual facts or details of what happened.

Thinking or Feeling

Thinking (T)
When I make a decision, I like to find the basic truth or principle to be applied, regardless of the specific situation involved. I like to analyze pros and cons, and then be consistent and logical in deciding. I try to be impersonal, so I won't let my personal wishes--or other people's wishes--influence me.

Feeling (F)
I believe I can make the best decisions by weighing what people care about and the points-of-view of persons involved in a situation. I am concerned with values and what is the best for the people involved. I like to do whatever will establish or maintain harmony. In my relationships, I appear caring, warm, and tactful.

Judging or Perceiving

Judging (J)
I use my decision-making (Judging) preference (whether it is Thinking or Feeling) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a planned or orderly way of life, like to have things settled and organized, feel more comfortable when decisions are made, and like to bring life under control as much as possible.

Perceiving (P)
I use my perceiving function (whether it is Sensing or Intuition) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a flexible and spontaneous way of life, and I like to understand and adapt to the world rather than organize it. Others see me staying open to new experiences and information.

I looked at my personality type and this is what mine was:

ESFP
Outgoing, friendly, and accepting. Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. Enjoy working with others to make things happen. Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. Flexible and spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.

 

I would have to agree with what the meyers-briggs test's description was and thats usually how I behave and my overall personality.

Which is your personality profile?  Do you agree with the overall look at combining all separate personlity profiles?

Browse your notes and the chapters themselves for chapters 3 and 4. Choose a topic that is in one of the chapters. Now, go to www.youtube.com and find a video clip that relates to that topic,

In your comment, discuss the topic (as it is presented in the textbook), describe the video clip, provide the link, and then describe how the video clip is representing the topic.

      For a long time now we have seen the warnings from doctors about tanning beds. The statistics do not lie. In an article I read on FoxNews.com targets the recent skin cancer increase among teenagers and how they are linking skin cancer to tanning beds. One reference the article makes is to a Britain study where the leading cause of skin cancer death is among teenager. Interestingly enough prior to our societies obsession with tanning beds people over the age of 75 were more likely to be diagnosed with Skin Cancer than teenagers and people in their 20s.

With all of this information about skin cancer why would anyone choose to continue to tan on a regular basis? What are peoples motives? Is there a reinforcement that people are recieving from the tanning bed? Personally I feel it is because out society puts such an emphasis on appearances. We see models in magazines and actors/actresses with golden brown skin and it has become an obsession to teenager and people in their 20s to mirror the look.

I have in front of me right now a Glamour Magazine with a cover story titled "SCARY! The Beauty Habit That Can Give You Cancer". ( I tried to find the article online but had no luck)  In reading this article the reporter states that although with the recent study linking tanning to cancer and how it is more dangerous than we ever thought people are still making their regular trips to the tanning bed and do not plan on stopping any time soon.  Tasy-a business woman from New Jersey, stated that "The health warnings don't scare me. I do not overdo it. For me, it's just like going to the gym, using makeup or buying a new outfit-it makes me feel and look good."  According to the magazine 77% of their readers share the same view.

Why do you think females (and I'm sure some males) share this view. What is so intriguing about tanning that people will put aside the fact and continue to tan? Are there any tanners our there? Is so...please feel free to comment on the motive behind your tanning? 

Fox News Article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,535220,00.html

http://humanresources.about.com/od/whenemploymentends/a/quit_job.htm

I'm interested in HR management so I found this article knowledgeable.  I thought about how I can avoid these things when I become a manager and how to handle the situation if they do in fact occur. 
1.Your company is on a downward spiral
2. Your relationship with your manager is damaged beyond repair.
3. Your life situation has changed.
4. Your values are different from your company.
5. You don't enjoy your job.
6. Your company is ethically challenged.
7. You have behaved wrongfully at work.
8. You have burned too many bridges.
9. Your stress levels from work are affecting you physically and emotionally.
10. You don't feel challenged.
Is there another reason you could think of that would create turnover?  Which of these reasons would make you want to quit instantly?  How many people do you think are actually unhappy with their job but just stick with it for income?
These are some questions that I think about often.  I know in the past I haven't gotten along with co-workers and I never wanted to be at that job, no matter if I needed money or not.  I think number nine is a big one, I know while in school I have felt very stressed and work just added to my stress and made me want to quit. 

I read in the paper this past weekend that Iowa is going to start selling mega millions lotto tickets along with continuing to sell powerball tickets.  I think everyone dreams of winning the lottery and what they would do with the money...new house, fancy car, designer clothes, liposuction (hey, why work out when you can afford to watch the fat disappear and not miss a single episode of American Idol).  I would love to win the lottery and see how many friends and relatives I really have because think I'd see people I haven't talked to in a long time.  In this article I find it interesting the things that happened to the people who won the lotto.  Their behaviors, along with the behaviors of those around them, were of greed and jealousy and changed with how one guy put it "the powerball curse."  One man had a contract on his head in a murder for hire plot, and another man was murdered by a relative, and in both cases it was in the hopes of inheriting the lotto money.  

So, my question is what would the game plan be for you if you won the lotto?  I mean besides giving me some of your winnings...what?  what do you mean you don't know me...we had M&E together...remember?

http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/top-10-lottery-horror-stories.htm

I don't know about the rest of you, but every Spring semester, I get a minor case of senioritis.  I'm not sure if it's the idea that summer break is so close, or if it's the nicer weather, but it becomes increasingly difficult to concentrate or stay motivated to attend class and do the work.

We were talking about situations last week in class, and I think the idea of a first date was tossed around.  It's ironic because I just went on a first date this weekend actually, so I thought it would be an appropriate thing to post about.

http://www.mensfitness.com/advice/dating_tips/284

The article is fun though because it's from Men's Fitness magazine, but it's her side of the story, what her top 10 date fears are.  Usually growing up, I flipped through Seventeen or other magazines like that reading about the men side.  The guy I went on a date with is read the article tonight actually and asked me if I thought any of it was accurate....so ladies feel free to browse it yourself. 
1. Is this a date?
2. Does he like what he sees?
3. Why won't he look me in the eyes?
4. Why did he pick this place?
5. How does he go about ordering dinner?
6. Is that a major wardrobe malfunction or a fashion statement?
7. Is he for real?
8. Should we do the check dance now?
9. So is the date over?
10. Does he want to see me again?

I will say that from my date the other night I was wondering about #'s 2, 8, & 10.  Oh the dance of dating...I'm trying to remember my emotions that came up that night.  I remember feeling excitement, curiousity, humor, etc. so in other words it was a good date.

What happens during a bad date?  I don't really date a lot...so I haven't per say had a bad date.  But I'm sure things like feeling annoyed, boring, anxiety, curiousity, disguist could be felt, and I'm so sorry for those of us who have been on a bad date, God bless you for surviving the night.  Do bad dates make us less or more motivated to keep dating other people, stop dating, etc?  What characteristics of a first date keep us on our toes and wanting another date soon after?  It does depend on the person and situation, but that is the positive and negative aspect of dating.  Oh to be young... 

http://www.breastfriends.com/

Above is the original website of breast friends, which helps many women deal with emotional pain. It also helps motivate women with cancer to fight. It starts with "First I Cry" which is a message welcoming them to sisterhood. "Inside is a silk screened handkerchief with the Breast Friends logo, along with a list of contacts for area support groups and a feedback card." They are told to pass it on to a loved one, whether that being a family member or friend. Secondly there is a match program which pairs women up with others to help cope with cancer...it is a great support group for someone who does not have a support system. Thirdly, they give out hats for women who are having problems with losing their hair. H.A.T.S stands for Healthy Attitude to Survive. Furthermore, they go to a inmate facility to talk to inmates which is a great opportunity for the innmates to open up about their feelings, fears and concerns around cancer. Lastly, breast friends does a workshop: "Thriving Beyond Cancer" which is a four week workshop after the patient has finished treatment.

To read more about breastfriends and how one can help click the link above.