This is your first Topical Blog. Topical blogs will allow you to learn and write about topics that interest you, be project oriented (something to do and report on), or focus on particular topic in motivation and emotion.
For your first one, I'd like you to browse the blog contents of our Motivation website. You can navigate by clicking on topics that interest you in the right hand column under 'categories.' This isn't about jumping to one topic and writing about it. Most of this assignment is about spending some time reading blog content (say at least 30 minutes).
Then, as a comment to this post, tell us about 3 or so topics you found interesting, and then report in detail about one particular post that you read.
Have fun!
I found the blogs in the procrastination topic very interesting. Up until this school year, I was a huge procrastinator. I’ve had 10 page papers to write and wouldn’t start them until the day before it’s due, maybe two days if I’m feeling productive. I’ve never really thought about the underlying reasons why I might procrastinate. The blogs discuss articles that give several reasons such as being a perfectionist, disorganize, overwhelmed, or simply finding the assignment boring. I think the main reason why I procrastinated is because even though I start and finished the assignment the night before it’s due, I always got a good grade on it. I figured there’s no point in starting it earlier if I’d get a good grade either way. I’m still trying to figure out what clicked in me this year to start my assignments earlier, but I think some of it simply has to do with maturing. I’ve learned that getting an assignment done days before it’s due is much less stressful and then I have more time to do things I want to do. I’ve also realized that studying the day before a test is not enough time to learn all the information that could be on the test and giving myself more time to study increases the likelihood that I’ll get a better grade. Getting good grades is an intrinsic motivation for me and once I realized that hard work equals better grades, that motivation increased.
Some other topics I found interesting are “Kissing = FUN” under sex, and “11 Items that Kill Intimacy” under relationships.
I looked at 3 different topics under the category of ‘Eating’. The first topic I looked at was Obesity, and for that topic I read a post titled “Depression in Adolescent Girls”. The second topic I looked at was ‘Eating disorders’, and for that topic I read a post titled “Pro Ana Community: Underground Community that supports Anorexia”. The third topic I looked at was ‘Dieting’, and for that topic I read a post titled “Perfect Way to Lose Weight”.
The third post I read was the one that interested me the most. I realize that this time of the year is perhaps the time of the year when people are the most interested in losing weight. This could be because many people packed on some lbs during the holiday season, because of ‘New Year Resolutions’, because of Spring Break trip coming up, and for many others. For me personally I am not looking to lose any weight, but I do work out regularly, and I enjoy doing so. With so many people having the interest to lose weight right now, it means they are dieting, working out, both of those, or are seeking other ways to accomplish their weight loss goals. The people doing this does affect me and all the other ‘workout regulars’ in that it has made getting access to machines in workout facilities much more difficult. So with all that said, that is why I was very interested in the post “Perfect Way to Lose Weight”.
The article describes a product called “Sensa”, and how it was discovered. The product was somewhat accidentally discovered by a researcher, Dr. Alan Hirsch. Dr. Hirsch has researched for 20 years to understand how our senses, especially taste and smell, affect the way our brains function. After years of studying compounds, Dr. Hirsch developed a set of tasteless and odorless food sprinkles called “tastants”. These tastants have been found to have a very profound impact on the body’s appetite control center. In one study 1,436 participants over a 6 month span lost an average of 30.5 lbs. And they did so without having to follow any special exercise regiment, or diet. One positive to the product is that it does not contain any stimulants or fat-blockers, meaning that it does not contribute any unpleasant side effects.
My opinion of the product is that it does seem to help with weight loss, but I definitely believe it needs to be studied more. I also believe that it seems to be another short-term solution, or that it seems to be another ‘fad diet’ product. I believe this because I do not think people can go through an extended period of time with tasteless and odorless food, and be happy. I believe people should be motivated enough to eat healthy and to exercise regularly. And I believe that they should make this a part of their everyday lives, or make it habit, rather than just to the extreme during certain times of the year.
The three topics that I found interesting that I looked over were work, punishment, and mate selection. The one I have chose to report on is punishment. This had subgroups of both positive and negative punishments. Under one of these was a short blog and video that discusses punishment/incentive in the workplace. According to research, organizations buy into the concept that rewards are more effective in motivating employees than punishments. This video clip of a speaker is very interesting because it demonstrates that which type of consequence used should depend on the task being done. According to this clip, the group being offered an incentive for behavior perform worse than the group being told what an average time is when the behavior involves creativity. Research shows that in a task that involves even a small amount of cognitive skill, the group that has an incentive for performance actually show worse performance than the no incentive group. This is completely contrary to the practices of many organizations that use pay for performance, commisions, bonuses, etc. The research even shows that as the reward goes up the performance decreases.
The main implication of this clip is that organizations need to start focusing on intrinsic motivation as a means to achieving better performance. According to this (and many other research studies)in order having meaningful, challening, and autonomous work is extremely motivational for employees. In order to get engaged employees, organizations need to get away from carrot/stick idea and get the issue of money off the table. If we pay employees well and give them these concepts of autonomy, mastery, purpose performance will increase and so will employee engagement. Now all we need to do is get organizational practice in line with research!
Many of these subjects seem to be rather intriguing. Among them though my top three would have to be: dating behaviors, religion, and prosocial behavior.
In the dating behaviors section it spoke of the changes in dating caused by the explosion of social networking via internet. There are both pro's and con's to the ease of social networking. Though it ay not be the same as our grandparents, our worlds are now much bigger and we need to adapt. Whether you want to find your mate on the internet or not, you can choose either path.
While in high school I took a Psychology of Religion class. I went to Catholic school my whole life, so the lessons got more intense once I reached my jr and sr year. The religion section is rather interesting to me. Though I do not like all the controversy surrounding religion, I strongly believe people need some sense of any spirituality. In that class I read of a study where nuns and monks were hooked up to fMRI's and EEG's and during meditation they reached an extreme state of utopia. So topics and findings like these can be rather fascinating.
My boyfriend is always joking about me being Ms. Social and always having to "get to know the neighbors". Perhaps it is because I come from a big city or have a large family, but I really like to become engaged in people's lives. There was an article in the prosocial behavior section that talked about how having deep conversation and avoid small talk can actually make you happier. This is how I feel, so I like that there is some proof to this. I want to know more about what causes people to be more social than others.
After reading through a number of interesting blog entries, there were a few in particular that stood out to me. The first one that caught my eye was titled, “Kissing = FUN!!!”. I was kind of expecting it to be a frivolous article from “Seventeen” magazine, however I came across some surprising, scientifically-based facts. I learned research has shown that men are more likely to initiate French kissing because it is a way of transferring testosterone to their partner through their saliva, which can increase arousal. Another benefit of French kissing for men is that they can gauge the amount of estrogen a woman has at that point, which is an indicator of fertility.
Another blog entry I found entertaining was titled, “Facebook Users Do Worse on Exams”. I liked this article because one of my roommates deleted her Facebook last year, and many people are surprised that she has lasted so long without it. Facebook seems to have become one of the basic needs of survival for college students, but this article review proves that there are notable reasons to go without. The main argument that supports refraining from joining the popular social networking site is that students who actively use their Facebook accounts have significantly lower GPAs than non-users.
My favorite blog entry was “Putting the standard Greek stereotype to rest”. There are so many benefits of being involved in a Greek system that I believe have been overshadowed by misrepresentations of Greek life in the media. I was impressed to see that other universities are promoting the many advantages being in a sorority or fraternity on their website. As a member of a university Greek community myself, I can absolutely say that the seven advantages listed in the blog are accurate. Being in a sorority definitely helped make my transition into college a positive one and has certainly been a source of motivation for keeping up with my studies. Before coming to college, I had not made an effort to take a leadership position, but since joining my sorority I have been encouraged to take advantage of many leadership opportunities. Doing so has helped me to strengthen many useful skills including speaking in front of a group, responsibility, time management, running effective meetings, motivating others, and managing a budget, as well as giving back to the community. Overall, I was pleased to see that the Greek system is being recognized for the many positive aspects it brings to universities and enriching the college experience of its students.
I chose to browse through the blogs that covered topics relating to Evolution. Psychology and Anthropology are two of my main interests, in particular Evolutionary Psychology. Though these articles aren't related to one another directly, they all provided me with an interesting read.
The first article was actually a summary of another article. It dealt with racial prejudices, how they form and are maintained throughout our lives. The author's main focus was on social identity theory, more specifically the in-group/out-group bias. This refers to the phenomenon that occurs in which people associate themselves with a particular group (or their in-group), and view their group as more superior to other out-groups. This holds true with cliques in high school and even entire races across a globe. I don't believe that racism is an innate entity, but rather simple classical conditioning. Throughout our lives, we are exposed to media that portrays people of a particular race in a certain light(we'll use African Americans as an example). Unconditioned aversive stimuli like violence, low academic achievement and inequality are constantly paired with African Americans. This makes race a conditioned stimulus as these negative stereotypes are paired with it.
The other two articles dealt with attraction in regards to evolution and psychology. Men tend to prefer a woman that has youthful features such as high cheekbones, a small nose and full lips. These attributes promote fertility, another unconscious asset that men desire. Women prefer a man with broad shoulders, facial hair and a strong jaw line. These features symbolize high levels of testosterone. Testosterone is positively correlated with aggression, which would mean more protection from that male. Women unconsciously desire a man that will emotionally and physically provide for their family, which would lead them to choose a man with such features.
All of the preceding were quite interesting to read, and I believe there is research across all fields of psychology that could benefit from knowledge of evolutionary psychology.
The three topics I decided to review for my blog are drive, flow, and sports. Under the topic of drive the blog posting “How to be persistent in reaching your goals…” It is a short post that had good information about the topic that speaks out to people attempting to reach their goals. The next post that caught my attention is under the topic flow, “Flow in Physical Activity.” The post discusses the condition of flow and what causes it to occur. The last post that I looked at is under the sports topic.
In the post “Personal Goal Setting” the main thing that stands out to me is the emphasis on how goal setting is used by professional athletes and other successful people. I use goal setting on a regular basis to attempt to keep myself focused on the future. Goal setting is a great tool for people who feel like they aren’t making any progress and need more direction. It is a great tool that can be used by everyone to help reach their short and long term goals. The post relates to this by stating “You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind.” Another statement in the post says, “By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.” I can attest for this statement because I’ve been in a place where I felt as if I am just treading water. This is the around the time when I started setting short and long term goals and my confidence level increased substantially. I highly recommend goal setting to everyone because of the effect it has had on my productivity and confidence that I can achieve things that I didn’t know were possible before. Also, it feels pretty good when you get to scratch off the last goal that you have been working towards for the last few months.
I enjoyed reading all of the posts that I mentioned above and have raised my interest in the subject of motivation even more.
The topic that initially caught my eye while browsing through the different categories was sex and mating behaviors. Within this topic there are three sub-topics that narrow down its focus and those include: dating behavior, mate selection and sexuality. The reason this topic caught my eye was that sex and relationships are a part of everyone’s daily life whether we like it or not. Some people are having sex and some people are not, some people are in relationships; whereas others are not. But no matter one’s situation, these two ideas are constantly running through our minds and have an impact on our daily interactions with one another..
One article that stood out to me that I will be discussing comes from Psychology Today and is titled “Crying Over Spilled Semen.” I have to admit that when I read the title of the article and the title of the post I was shocked and confused, but it obviously demanded attention. The article itself talks about a study that was done with college women and it found that women who did not use condoms were less likely to feel depressed and were less likely to attempt suicide than women who regularly used condoms while having sex, or women who were not sexually active. The reason for this the researcher concluded was that semen contains hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and prostaglandin’s. And when some of these hormones are absorbed within the body during sexual intercourse, it has been known to elevate moods. But although semen seemingly increases one’s mood after sex, the researcher mentions that those same women feel depressed more rapidly in between sexual experiences. In my opinion this seems as though semen has a similar effect as drugs in the way it can cause a degree of addiction or dependency.
Like the student that originally posted this article mentioned, I do not support unprotected for those not ready to have a child; but according to this study there are benefits to having sex without condoms and I believe these findings will help foster new studies about the physical and psychological effects of sex in the near future.
The topic that initially caught my eye while browsing through the different categories was sex and mating behaviors. Within this topic there are three sub-topics that narrow down its focus and those include: dating behavior, mate selection and sexuality. The reason this topic caught my eye was that sex and relationships are a part of everyone’s daily life whether we like it or not. Some people are having sex and some people are not, some people are in relationships; whereas others are not. But no matter one’s situation, these two ideas are constantly running through our minds and have an impact on our daily interactions with one another..
One article that stood out to me that I will be discussing comes from Psychology Today and is titled “Crying Over Spilled Semen.” I have to admit that when I read the title of the article and the title of the post I was shocked and confused, but it obviously demanded attention. The article itself talks about a study that was done with college women and it found that women who did not use condoms were less likely to feel depressed and were less likely to attempt suicide than women who regularly used condoms while having sex, or women who were not sexually active. The reason for this the researcher concluded was that semen contains hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and prostaglandin’s. And when some of these hormones are absorbed within the body during sexual intercourse, it has been known to elevate moods. But although semen seemingly increases one’s mood after sex, the researcher mentions that those same women feel depressed more rapidly in between sexual experiences. In my opinion this seems as though semen has a similar effect as drugs in the way it can cause a degree of addiction or dependency.
Like the student that originally posted this article mentioned, I do not support unprotected for those not ready to have a child; but according to this study there are benefits to having sex without condoms and I believe these findings will help foster new studies about the physical and psychological effects of sex in the near future.
3 Articles that interest me
I have found three articles that I have found very interesting after searching the website. The articles are Why We Fear the Unknown, Seeking Emotional Clues without Facial Cues, and Why We Kiss: The science of Sex. I found the one about kissing the more interesting than the other two.
I liked why we fear the unknown (evolution section) because it discussed the IAT test in detail. I have done one of these tests before. It was about weapons and race. I would see either a white/black person or an object/weapon. I would have to quickly pair which would most likely go with which. Personally I think the test is dumb, but it does have a lot of research to back it up. Seeking Emotional Cues (facial cues section) was fascinating in some aspects as well. It discusses how important facial expressions are in our daily lives. It also shared a case study about a woman with facial paralysis. The case study also helps scientists understand exactly how we recognize facial expressions
Out of the three articles, I liked the one about kissing (Sexuality section) the most. I never give it any thought when I kiss my girlfriend. It begs to question why are we doing something that seems to serve no practical purpose and is a great way to spread germs? Well, this article helped explain the mystery behind this everyday phenomenon. Overall, this article provides an evolutionary and biological perspective to why we kiss. The article delves into the evolutionary perspective by explaining our cavemen days of chewing food and then “kissing” babies so that they can be easily fed. Biologically, it explains the importance of the sudden creation of hormones that occur when we kiss. I suppose I found this article the most interesting because it thoroughly explains the biological intricacies that take place when we perform this romantic action.
I was really interested in the blog and article about Driving Under the Influence of Caffeine because I have always been interested in caffeine as a drug ever since I took a psychopharmacology class as an undergraduate. Besides caffeine’s actual properties that make it a drug I have always been fascinated by peoples overall perceptions of what is or is not a drug. Technically speaking anything that we put into our bodies that alters our mind and how our body functions is a drug, which caffeine easily falls into. Scientists often compare the properties and affects caffeine to other drugs such as alcohol, nicotine and marijuana. Most people assume that of the three drugs just listed that marijuana is the worst drug you can take simply because it is illegal. Some researchers believe that the addictiveness and withdrawal symptoms of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are far worse than that of marijuana. Most people have a tolerance to caffeine because it is consumed so often. I was actually surprised when I felt the stimulating effects of caffeine while studying one night last year. I do not consume very much caffeine and I decided to drink an energy drink to keep me awake. I was extremely hyper and talkative and quite giddy for some time after consuming the drink, which my partner thought was hilarious. Due to most peoples tolerance of caffeine the claims in this article were quite surprising and even unbelievable. In the article a man hit two pedestrians, one in a cross walk and another on the sidewalk, causing broken legs in each and then got out of his car and started to walk away before the cops had to use a Taser to arrest him. The defense attorney for the man plead that he was not guilty due to caffeine intoxication. I understand that caffeine is a drug and that it can be taken in excess to a point where it severely alters your motor skills and maybe even your thought process. One of the big problems that I had with believing he had caffeine intoxication is that he got his ‘usual’ order at Starbucks that morning and that he was known to drink a lot of caffeine in general. This lead me to believe that he probably has a very high tolerance for caffeine and he weighs 300 pounds so it would take a lot more caffeine to affect him as much. I got really interested in the story and found another article that reported that the man ended up not being charged for any of the crimes because of temporary insanity due to caffeine intoxication. I was very perplexed by the findings of this judge to say the least. Even if he was intoxicated on caffeine how does that make him impervious to the law after hitting two people and breaking their legs? If he was intoxicated on any other drug (i.e. alcohol, cocaine, opium, etc.) he would surely be going to jail or at least paying for medical expenses. He willingly consumed caffeine and should be responsible for all of his actions that followed. I think that this is a very interesting case to think about on many different levels. I thought the Mass Media topics were really interesting, like the Batman Unmasked, and some of the Sport topics, Put Down That Flavored Water Bottle.
The three topics I chose were unrelated: Barbie Dolls, Controlling Emotional Outbursts, and Why do you watch reality TV. Each were fun to read, however only one had any real compelling and substantial information; Controlling Emotional Outbursts.
The post contained information about the brains structure and how a certain part of the brain, the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), can determine negative mood and behavior in association with relationships. Largely because it contains scientific information, this post appeared important to me. Overall, knowing that the LPFC can determine mood and behavior can help people target their LPFC (by doing relaxing behaviors such as counting to 10 before saying something mean) so they do not have strong negative emotional outbursts or engage in negative behaviors. In this case, the LPFC is a part of our brain that can counteract negative responses to people in our lives, especially including our partners.
The three topics that I read are “Music is medicine, music is sanity” under Creativity /music, “Columbine: Why did the killers do it?” under Dysfunctional/Maladaptive Behavior, and “Does Facebook make you happier?” under Mass Media/Social Networking.
The one I found most interesting is the Dysfunctional/Maladaptive Behavior. I picked this topic because I am Criminology major and one of the thing I really would like to do with it is try and figure out why certain people like Harris and Klebold, especially Harris, A.) can take the life of another, and B.) not have empathy for what he did. Why is it that a person can have these horrible thoughts and go through with taking a life with no care in the world? I want to know what triggers a person do these acts of such violence.
In the article, a group of psychologists and psychiatrists diagnose Harris as a psychopath. The definition of a
Psychopath is: a personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with abnormally immoral conduct despite an ability to appear normal. This is also the definition that serial killers are given. The question that I someday hope to answer is what creates a psychopath and how can it be prevented.
Moving on to a happier topic, I also liked “Music is medicine, music is sanity”. I do believe that music is medicine and without music I think I would go insane. I love listing to music and sometimes it’s what drives me do what I do and it also helps me get through hard times. Along with this article is a clip of a man named Robert Gupta, and he tells the story of Nathaniel Ayers. Ayers is a schizophrenia, and by the power of music he became sane. He became a talent musician as he once was, and went on to live out a normal life. In the clip it explains why this is. Ayers was able to take his thoughts and combine that with his creative side and turn that to reality leaving his delusions behind.
I’ve also heard a different story a couple years ago. I believe it was a study that invalids a cancer patient going through with chemotherapy. At the start of the treatment a song would play, and each time the patient would come back they would play the same song. Over time the chemotherapy would get shorter and shorter and the music would take over. Instead of going to the treatments, just play the song and the brain/body would start to do the treatment on its own. That’s the power of music. I do believe in this, I think that music has its own way of treating things. That’s way I decided to read this article and write a blog about it.
I read articles from three separate topic headings: Study habits, Sex, and Behavior. I read Importance of Extrinsic Motivation, Facebook Fans Do Worse in Exams, and Crying Over Spilled Semen. Of these three, the one about semen was obviously the most interesting to read.
As a Great American Condom Campaign Safesite Representative (Try saying that fast. It's difficult.), I never condone unprotected sex, especially among sexually active people in our age group. There is far too much a risk of disease and pregnancy. However, I have known some with a longterm sexual partner who rely solely on ~The Pill~ to prevent birth, and... so far it has worked for them. It adds stress on me, because, as their friend, I'm crossing my fingers for them constantly, but it IS their own decision, after all.
However, this article brings up valid points that I fully understand. The added hormones gained by a male partner ejaculating into a female partner decrease depression. So, women with sperm in their vaginal canal are happy people. However, when the semen is gone, depression sets in, creating an addictive state and driving the women to search for more sexual partners in order to keep up the hormone high they gain from the semen.
While I don't condone unprotected sex because of the obvious risks involved, it seems as though this is one of the most compelling reasons to try it out. This is dangerous for those who are looking for a good reason to ditch the condoms, but it could be good for those who suffer from depression.
I decided to search through a few categories and found 3 that caught my eye: Is He The One? 10 Signs To Tell If He Is Mr. Right in the Love heading, Facebook Users Do Worse On Exams in the Procrastination heading, and The Power of Music in the Music heading.
The one that I found really caught my attention was the one about Facebook. I myself spent way too much time on Facebook as it is. Even when I have a really long to-do list sitting next to my laptop, I choose to spend time on Facebook first then I run out of time to do what's important and get stressed. This article gave me some insight about statistics and what they mean. I will admit that I am one of the statistics that checks their email then gets straight onto Facebook. This article discussed that students that have a Facebook account do worse on exams and ultimately get worse grades. I can see where they would get this information; however, I would have to agree with the person who wrote the blog and say that that statistic does not really apply to me. Yes, it may take me a little longer to get an assignment done because I am distracted, but it does get done. I also agree with the blogger that deactivating your account is a bit extreme especially since professors and university clubs are using it as a way of communication with the students on campus. This is especially important for students who do not check their emails regularly. Finally, I also agree with the blogger when she referred to the textbook for "relatedness." Facebook may not be very personal; however, it does keep you in the loop with other people around you.
The first article that I read was about eating disorders. It was pointing out this idea of women seeing other women who are overweight and that serving as a constant reminder to stay thin. I can agree with this personally. We seem to be brought up in a society where appearance is everything and we must constantly strive to achieve best. And an easy reminder is to view the one's who have failed. The second article I chose was about exercising. This to me is important because it is physically and emotionally beneficial. But to wonder what gives the urge to some and not others is appealing to me. I like the ideas it has given especially working out with a friend! Finally I chose relationships: mate selection. This title made me laugh but it is important. I think the advice of first date conversation topics is common sense but obviously others missed the memo. My favorite advice was no talking about exes or money and just stop and listen!!
The first blog I came across is 5things that will improve happiness. The article talked about being greatful being optomistic, counting blessings, using your strengths, commiting acts of kindness. The blogger sumarized the article fairly well and had good insight on how it did or didnot correspond to motivational consepts.
The second blog I read out of pure curiousity if the Chameleon effect when I read over it It got me even more interested. I find kinestehetics really intreguing so it was neat how this article explained that people tend to mimic others in noticable way and it doesnt necessarily lead them to like you though.
The third blog I read out of relativity to me because I am a major procrastinator, it was titled why do we procratinate. The article was way too long more than 10 pages and the blog was a little too generic but some of the info. was interesting like how procrastinators and perfectionists vary.
The articles I read about where the following:
“Gabling” under the Addiction category
“Teens and Digital Disrespect” under the Sadness category
“Why People Go to College” under the Drive category
The post that really got me thinking was “Gambing”. I girl that posted about this had gone gambling for the very first time and had thought a lot about how people can so easily become addicting to gambling. One of the reasons people continue to gamble is because their behavior is always reinforced. Positive reinforcement occurs all the time if you’re sitting in the casino winning tons of money (or even just a little bit). Another way to increase the behavior is the idea that wining a few seconds after hitting the button on the machine, people are suddenly reinforced to keep doing it regardless of whether they won or not. Knowing that you’ll find out if you won or not within a few seconds can be a very powerful thing! Addiction sets in when the thought of losing money becomes less important or strong compared to the idea of winning money--this is the basis of a high sensation seeker gambling.
I recently went gambling for the very first time. I went in with about $75 thinking I would be okay if I ended up losing it all because I was going to get paid soon thereafter. I only played the slot machines because I thought I’d look like an idiot trying to play other games. Pushing that button got me so excited I could barely stay in my seat because I wanted to win lots of money! After this experience I can definitely agree with this post in that gambling can definitely become an issue way fast for a lot of people. I know of specific people who avoid gambling because they fear they’ll get addicted and won’t be able to stop going.
The articles I read about where the following:
“Gabling” under the Addiction category
“Teens and Digital Disrespect” under the Sadness category
“Why People Go to College” under the Drive category
The post that really got me thinking was “Gambing”. I girl that posted about this had gone gambling for the very first time and had thought a lot about how people can so easily become addicting to gambling. One of the reasons people continue to gamble is because their behavior is always reinforced. Positive reinforcement occurs all the time if you’re sitting in the casino winning tons of money (or even just a little bit). Another way to increase the behavior is the idea that wining a few seconds after hitting the button on the machine, people are suddenly reinforced to keep doing it regardless of whether they won or not. Knowing that you’ll find out if you won or not within a few seconds can be a very powerful thing! Addiction sets in when the thought of losing money becomes less important or strong compared to the idea of winning money--this is the basis of a high sensation seeker gambling.
I recently went gambling for the very first time. I went in with about $75 thinking I would be okay if I ended up losing it all because I was going to get paid soon thereafter. I only played the slot machines because I thought I’d look like an idiot trying to play other games. Pushing that button got me so excited I could barely stay in my seat because I wanted to win lots of money! After this experience I can definitely agree with this post in that gambling can definitely become an issue way fast for a lot of people. I know of specific people who avoid gambling because they fear they’ll get addicted and won’t be able to stop going.
The three blogs that were most interesting to me were: Dating Methods, Relationships, and Religion. I thought that the “dating methods” was particularly interesting. I had never really thought, in depth, about all the different ways there are to meet people now. There are very few people who go out and meet people in person; they generally meet online first and talk for awhile via the internet. It’s sometimes hard to think about our parents and grandparents actually going out and finding people there were interested in, and getting to know them in person. Face-to-Face. The article posted was a really good one, and I thought the people who all commented on it brought up a lot of good points. Are we losing that “connection” with someone when we first meet them because we aren’t talking in person? Do people just hop online and talk with someone because it’s more convenient than actually going out? What happened to all the old-fashioned stuff?
This article really got me thinking about the whole process of dating and meeting people. I’ve known people who have met online and some who have met in person. I can’t say one way is better than the other, but it is sort of sad that we are starting to check peoples “profile” before we get to really know them. It may be convenient (and maybe less scary) to start talking with someone online first, but I think it sort of takes the excitement out of it. Someone who commented on the blog about “dating methods” mentioned how it might be harder to meet people in person once you are an adult and have a full-time job and all that stuff. I can definitely understand that. It seems weird to me now, because I am still in college and meet new people every day. Once you do get more into adulthood, I imagine that it does get harder and harder to meet people; I would probably resort to online methods too. It does allow for a wider range of people to get to know and is definitely more convenient. I still think it’s sweeter to meet people in person first, and just talk with them that way; you get a better understanding of who they are.
There were alot of interesting topics. I read a few under the sex and mating behaviors. I wrote a research paper once about the different dating styles. Its extremely interesting to consider the rest of the world and their dating habits. Another category I looked at was the drug and alcohol use. I just read the caffeine article.. I suppose people really forget that its still a drug. I cannot believe that the individual in the article hit two people and to say due to a psychological disorder from caffeine. I was interested to see just how much 2g of caffeine is becuase I come from highly caffeinted family group. An article I found said around 77 milligrams in a shot espresso. And there are 1000 milligrams in 1 gram. So... that is absolutely crazy. I also read the bored to death blog. Wow I feel like I'm learning so much. A third category I looked at was procrasination. I read the first blog about facebook and lower grades. I think it makes complete since that people who get on fb more might procrasinate more and do bad in classes. But they compared to it to people who had no fb at all. Well that kind of makes me want to question, who the heck doesn't have a fb? Maybe I am incorrect in thinking this but doesnt everyone have one? I feel like a college student who does not have a fb is in a completely different subset and category.
The three areas where I spent the majority of my time browsing were under the categories of Emotion, Sex and Mating Behaviors and Motivation. In the Emotion category I read most of the articles under the subtopic of Fear. Fear can cause intense emotional and physiological responses in individuals and thus is a huge motivator. An interesting article under this subtopic was about how some people actually enjoy being afraid, perhaps because of the physiological and chemical responses that occur within their bodies when they are experiencing it. In the Motivation category I read a lot of articles under cognitive motivation. I think cognitive motivation is very interesting and often times is more driving to some individuals than physiological motivation or other types of motivation. For example, one of the articles discussed the main motivation to run a marathon. Those individuals who were running for the sheer enjoyment of running (intrinsic motivation) tended to finish the marathon in its entirety versus the individuals who were running to get fit or lose weight. In the Sex and Mating Behaviors topic area I read several articles varying from topics of intimacy killers to why semen is good for you. I really enjoyed this topic area because human sexuality and relationships are my main area of interest in my educational future and career.
The topic I chose to discuss in detail was under the subtopic of Fear in the Emotion topic category. There was a post entitled “Why People Stay in Abusive Relationships.” It largely discussed fear as the motivating factor of why people stay in abusive relationships. It also pointed out though a very important element that I think many people do not understand when trying to help someone who is in an abusive relationship and that is that the victim may not be the most influenced by fear of being physically hurt by the abuse but rather the driving force that terrifies them the most is the fear of the abuser hurting someone they love or being able to survive once they have escaped the abuser. I would love to study this topic further and really dig into all the different reasons that individuals are motivated to escape and the reasons they are motivated to stay. The author of this post also hints at possible biological factors playing a cause as well as psychological causes which I also found interesting.
The three topics that I found interesting were, creativity- 'What Color Motivates You', inspiration- 'Inspiring Children to do Good', and stress- 'After a Fight with a Partner, Brain Activity Predicts Emotional Resiliency'. The one particular post that I was most interested in was the topic, inspiration.
In this topic video, a teacher from Riverside school in India, named Kiran Bir Sethis, gives an extremely motivationally inspiring speech on infecting the 'I can' in children. She does this in just eight minutes. She proves that introducing the negative events happening in real life, in school, will greatly affect the children outside of school. For example, for eight hours, the children did tedious work, the objective was to teach the kids how "back breaking" child labor is for children.
Sethis goes on to show how infecting the 'I can' in children leads to aware, where they can see the change. Enable, to be able to change. Lastly, empower, to lead the change.
She sent the children out onto the streets of India to make a change. The children went from, "the teacher told me, to, I am doing it".
As for the impact of the 'I can' on these children's grades, statistics proved that these children were doing very well in math, science, and english compared with over 2,000 schools in India. This made them one of the top ten performing schools in India.
On August 15th, 2007, Independence Day, the children of Riverside school went to infect Ahmedabad. They went to the police stations, the press, business, etc. and told everyone to wake up and realize that we all need to pay attention to the potential that children have by including them in the city. The city responded by closing down some of the busiest streets in India every other month so that children could play. They did street paintings, plays, magic shows, all kinds of fun inspirational things. It was a way for the city to tell the children that 'they can', the city then became 'infected' by children. It was the first city to give the worlds first child-friendly zebra crossing.
A quote that gave me goosebumps, "When a city gives to the children, in the future, the children give back to the city." Greet Sethi, world champion.
Sethis and the children now of Riverside and Ahmedabad then went onto infect all of India on August 15th, 2009. She converted a simple tool kit into 8 different languages and sent it to 32,000 schools. It was a simple challenge that said to take "one idea, choose one week, and Change one billion lives", Sethis said.
In other words, Sethis is adamant on the words, "contagious, infection, and we can".
Overall, this video was amazing. I am a strong believer on the fact that children are our future.
The topic by deec182 (3/24/10) regarding Facebook use and the effect on grades was somewhat expected, yet something to consider if in school. It makes sense that if students spend a lot of time on Facebook, they spend less time studying and therefore get lower scores on tests, which leads to lower overall grades and GPA. Another article that caught my eye was by Jaclyn (2/11/10) and was about an interview with Susan Klebold, who is the mother of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold. The writer discusses how the media really made it a point to talk about how it was the parent’s fault (or nurture) for this tragedy. However, Jaclyn brings up the importance of “self-definition and social definition” as other potential motivations for the teenager’s unfortunate decision to carry out the attack. Another interesting article I found was also by deec182 (3/3/10) and was about controlling emotional outbursts. It talks about the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, emotions, and arousal, and how that arousal motivates behavior.
The topic I found most interesting was titled “The Buried Life, Not Just an MTV Show” by AmandaChi (4/8/10). It is about a group of four guys who make decisions in their life by asking themselves what they want to do before they die. After they started their journey, they realized they could help others cross things off their list as well. It started with goals for themselves and changed into more. AmandaChi discusses the “six dimensions of psychological well-being” and how each applies to this topic and the men’s decisions. Also mentioned was autonomy and personal growth. I really want to learn more about their incredible journey by watching the TV show based on their lives.
One of the first topics I was interested in reading was about music. I read about the variety of ways in which music affect our likes/dislikes and behavior. I learned that as humans we are attracted to the sound of ocean waves that are 12 cycles per minute because that is the average frequency in which we breath as we sleep. I found it interesting that we find it difficult to take in more than one auditory stimulus at a time; so I tried it as there was a lot going on in my house at the time and it surprised me that I found it difficult to simultaneously picture all the noises going on at once.
The second blog I read was, “Is he the one? Ten signs to tell if he’s Mr. Right”. After reading the blog I agreed with a majority of the points; however, in the end I think only you can decide if Mr. Right is in fact Mr. Right.
The third topical blog I read about was about the benefits of a puppy. I read this because I live alone with my puppy (She is a 4 pound, 10 month old, Chiweenie named Penny) and I adore her. I read how having a dog improves people’s physical health by lowering their cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps people’s emotional states by giving them a sense of feeling needed and like someone is happy to see them every day; this is exactly what Penny does for me and I enjoyed the blog.
Finally, I particularly enjoyed the, “Bored to Death?” blog. I read this because I live alone and often answer a “what are you up to?” text ironically by saying “home, bored to death”. Don’t get me wrong, to me, the benefits far outweigh the setbacks of living alone—but that’s not the point. Some researchers claim that boredom is as dangerous for our heart health as stress. It releases hormones just as stress does that are not good for us. If someone is bored, they are more likely to engage in more unhealthy behaviors than just sitting around such as eating unhealthy, drinking, and smoking. Of course there are other extraneous variables such as the individual’s motivation to do things such as exercising or getting involved in school or the community but that is sometimes not the case with people who are chronically bored. Thankfully I do not believe I have reached that level of boredom.
The first article I found was under the title Body Modification and was an article about the current obsession with plastic surgery. The article was about Heidi Montag who is famous for having ten plastic surgeries in one day. Though she stood by her choices for a while afterwards, she now says she regrets having them. This shows the extreme measures people are willing to go to in order to be perfect. To me, this is a scary reality. It also reminded me of a new show on television called Bridalplasty. The contestants are all engaged and wanting to undergo plastic surgery. Each week, the winner of the challenge gets to have a plastic surgery of her choice, and the winner of the competition gets to have as many surgeries as she wants. This seems crazy to me that people are willing to risk their lives and undergo major surgeries for cosmetic reasons.
The second blog I read was under procrastination, and it was about Facebook. The article said that people who have Facebook consistently receive one letter grade lower than they would without a social networking site. It also said that 79% of users didn’t realize that it had that much of an impact on their grades. I do have Facebook, and I know I spend more time on there than I should. However, I also think that Facebook or another social networking site can provide a nice break when studying, as long as it is monitored. After studying for an hour, I think it is ok to get on Facebook for five minutes to allow for a short break. The problem is that keeping it to five minutes is difficult. My biggest tip here is just to set time limits and force yourself to adhere to them.
The third article I found interesting was under the title dating behaviors and was discussing what not to say during a first date. It said that a lot of people get nervous on first dates, and it leads to a lot of awkward conversations. Some things it mentioned were talking about exes, finances, and excessive flirting, which were all noted as bad things. It also said that you should leave them wanting more, so that way they will want to come back to talk more. It also said to make sure that you are listening to what is being said and not thinking ahead to what you want to say or spacing off. The article was aimed at men, and it tends to be problems we associate with men. However, I think it is true for both sexes. I thought these were good tips, but I would also add an obvious one of be yourself. I think that too many people try to show off or be a different person on their first date. The problem with this is that it may get you a second date. You cannot keep up an act forever, and it leads to you just spinning more lies into a new relationship.
One topic I looked through was body modification. These blogs were very interesting. There was one that talked about a possible inborn quality of females that motivates fear gaining weight, maintaining thinness and to attributing others’ body types to themselves. I found this very interesting because I am an extreme believer in women’s weight issues being socialized to them. As a matter of fact, I could make a good argument against this idea of a female genetic disposition to be overly body conscious.
Another topic I looked at was mass media. This topic is at the heart of my interests. I am very interested in the enormous impact mass media has on society. I personally believe media is very influential and motivating. It affects all of our behavior (at least in American society) whether we realize it or not. It was interesting to see what others had to say about it.
Lastly, I looked at the topic of religion. The specific article I looked at was “Brain surgery boosts spirituality?” It was found that there are two specific areas of the brain that are linked to spirituality suggesting the idea that surgery could change one’s spirituality or beliefs. I am religious myself but I also believe in science so I can see how spirituality comes from the brain. This is so interesting because I have never looked at spirituality as coming from the brain but I understand it. Just like different brain chemistry can make one’s set mood overall more positive or more negative, it can also affect personal links to spirituality. I do not believe that brain functions are the only factor in spirituality because, as I have already said, I believe environment and how you were raised is a great motivator of how spiritual you are or will be.
The most interesting blog that I found was under the procrastination topic. I always procrastinate and end up asking myself why I wait till the last minute to finish assignments. Facebook is one of the reasons why I do procrastinate. The blog is called Facebook Users do Worse on Exams. The blog talks about a study that was done on people that use and don’t use the social networking site, facebook. It was found that people who use facebook get lower grades and have a lower grade point average than people who don’t use facebook. This is really interesting to me because I am a facebook addict. I probably get on facebook about 5 or 6 times a day. Is this the reason why I don’t get A’s? Facebook is definitely distracting if you check it a lot. For me, facebook is an excuse to procrastinate a little bit longer on homework. I can see how facebook distracts people from schoolwork, but I don't believe that it is solely facebook alone that influences how well people do in school.
I found the blog, Kissing=Fun under the love category to be interesting. I also found the blog called You Feel What You Eat- Certain Foods May Have Direct Impact on Emotional State under eating and hunger was really interesting.
The most interesting blog that I found was under the procrastination topic. I always procrastinate and end up asking myself why I wait till the last minute to finish assignments. Facebook is one of the reasons why I do procrastinate. The blog is called Facebook Users do Worse on Exams. The blog talks about a study that was done on people that use and don’t use the social networking site, facebook. It was found that people who use facebook get lower grades and have a lower grade point average than people who don’t use facebook. This is really interesting to me because I am a facebook addict. I probably get on facebook about 5 or 6 times a day. Is this the reason why I don’t get A’s? Facebook is definitely distracting if you check it a lot. For me, facebook is an excuse to procrastinate a little bit longer on homework. I can see how facebook distracts people from schoolwork, but I don't believe that it is solely facebook alone that influences how well people do in school.
I found the blog, Kissing=Fun under the love category to be interesting. I also found the blog called You Feel What You Eat- Certain Foods May Have Direct Impact on Emotional State under eating and hunger was really interesting.
The Three topics I read on were Love, Fitness, and money.
In the fitness topic it gave five ways to stick to a workout program which were, imagine your goal, come up with a routine, think of your past failures, prepare yourself to feel like you are going no where, and change it up.
While reading about money I read about learned helplessness and how to get out of that feeling. They also had steps, the first being embracing change, followed by get perspective, set goals, achieve success and get a different viewpoint.
The article I read about love was most interesting to me. I read an article titled "Why Dogs Make Us Happy." I found it to be very interesting and have a lot of truth to it. One of the reason a dog makes us fell so happy is because it gives us a sense of achievement. Every time you train your dog a new trick you feel that you accomplish something. The thing that cough my attention the most in the article was when it said a dog can increase your motivation in things. It can motivate you to do things like exercise and help you better train by setting goals. All in all there are a lot of psychological benefits to owning a dog and it may even help you live longer.
The three topics that I found most interesting were addiction, pro-social behavior, and procrastination. I read the article by Steel, “The Nature of Procrasination.” I am a procrastinator to the core. It also seems to run in one side of my family. We often joke about our Markeyisms (Markey is the family last name). I found it interesting that perfectionism was not linked to procrastination. Common things to hear on this side of the family, “try harder, concentrate, do things the right way, etc.” I would think of many of them as perfectionists. It may take them twice as long to do a task, but the outcome is usually pretty good. The article says that perfectionism has nothing to do with procrastination; however the Markey family does have a lot of traits that the article listed as correlates such as low self-esteem, lack of organization, high anxiety, etc. I agree with the article that I often procrastinate on tasks because they are aversive or stressful. I want to do a good job on a task, but it may take a lot of time or energy to do it well. So, instead I wait until the last minute and it forces me to do the task quickly. I know that it is not logical, but it is a hard habit to change. A couple traits that the article listed that I don’t see in myself or my family are low conscientiousness and impulsiveness. I guess that’s the power of individual differences!
-The first article that interested me was “Why We Kiss: The Science of Sex.” This article is my favorite one since I have always wondered why we (humans) began kissing. In my genetics class we discussed the study where the women sniffed T-shirts and found that they were more attracted to the smells that were genetically compatible. The article explains that scientists do not fully understand why humans began kissing but it does offer scientifically based explanations as to the benefits of kissing. For both females and males, kissing lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone). I found it particularly interesting that females put more of an importance on kissing even though oxytocin levels (chemical involved in bonding and attachment), only increased in males during a kiss. It’s amazing to think that just by kissing you are actually attempting to determine whether that individual is genetically compatible.
-The second article I found interesting described how we form prejudices. Humans tend to put others into two groups, the in-group and the out-group. We want to affiliate with others and we usually affiliate with the in-group that we have created. This usually leaves the out-group to be discriminated against. The article discussed that once people learn of their natural biases they are more likely to feel guilty and break that stereotypical division they have created.
-The third article that caught my attention was “crying Over Spilled Semen,” mostly because I thought that this study was ridiculous. This article discusses that women who do not use condoms are less likely to be depressed. It also states that these women are usually more likely to initiate sex and quicker to replace a partner. It explains that the reasoning for these women initiating sex and eager to find a new partner is because they have become chemically dependent. Semen contains a variety of hormones which may elevate her mood. I do acknowledge they article for pointing out that the women who choose to not wear condoms often participate in more risky behaviors which would include having unprotected sex with many individuals. I have read in other articles that these individuals who participate in risky behaviors do so because of the chemical reaction that takes place. However this article did say that there is no correlation between these high- risk sexual behavior and lower rates of depression. I would be interested to see what further research will tell us.
The first article that interested me was “Why We Kiss: The Science of Sex.” This article is my favorite one since I have always wondered why we (humans) began kissing. In my genetics class we discussed the study where the women sniffed T-shirts and found that they were more attracted to the smells that were genetically compatible. The article explains that scientists do not fully understand why humans began kissing but it does offer scientifically based explanations as to the benefits of kissing. For both females and males, kissing lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone). I found it particularly interesting that females put more of an importance on kissing even though oxytocin levels (chemical involved in bonding and attachment), only increased in males during a kiss. It’s amazing to think that just by kissing you are actually attempting to determine whether that individual is genetically compatible.
The second article I found interesting described how we form prejudices. Humans tend to put others into two groups, the in-group and the out-group. We want to affiliate with others and we usually affiliate with the in-group that we have created. This usually leaves the out-group to be discriminated against. The article discussed that once people learn of their natural biases they are more likely to feel guilty and break that stereotypical division they have created.
The third article that caught my attention was “crying Over Spilled Semen,” mostly because I thought that this study was ridiculous. This article discusses that women who do not use condoms are less likely to be depressed. It also states that these women are usually more likely to initiate sex and quicker to replace a partner. It explains that the reasoning for these women initiating sex and eager to find a new partner is because they have become chemically dependent. Semen contains a variety of hormones which may elevate her mood. I do acknowledge they article for pointing out that the women who choose to not wear condoms often participate in more risky behaviors which would include having unprotected sex with many individuals. I have read in other articles that these individuals who participate in risky behaviors do so because of the chemical reaction that takes place. However this article did say that there is no correlation between these high- risk sexual behavior and lower rates of depression. I would be interested to see what further research will tell us.
The three articles I found to be the most interesting were Expressing emotion without facial expressions, You feel what you eat, and True love: How to find it. The one that I found most interesting of the three was the Expressing emotion without facial expressions. Moebious Syndrome is characterized by a neurological disorder that affects the brain and basically causes paralysis of the face. People with this disorder are unable to make any facial expressions, smile, frown, or even blink. There eyes can basically only move laterally. To communicate effectively their motions they use other nonverbal gestures, similar to someone who is blind. This is a social downfall because human interactions are based on emotion and how people react to different situations as well as other people. I’ve never heard of any disorder like this so it was interesting to read up on.
To me is particularly attractive the issue of the procrastinacion.I'm Spanish, I come to the kingdom of procastinatiors.Im my country, get something as simple as fixing a small breakdown of your computer can take the technician up to two weeks, while your questions every day and get the same answer,you can return tomorrow.The most interesting in relation to the study of motivation I think is in the relationship between procrastination and postponement of gratification, that is, if we have to a job for next week is much easier to keep watching Greek to turn off the television and get to do a job that sooner or later we have to made.So, and if we consider that is considered that more mature people have a increased more strongly to delay gratification that the most immature, what happens to us when we think I'll do tomorrow, not that we are lazy, is that we are immature, almost like children who can not wait for recess to eat the sandwich.
I found the topic negative reinforcement interesting. It discussed notifying parents when underage college students are caught with alcohol. I feel like this is a bad idea. Part of going to college is learning to grow up and be independent. This is one of the reasons why people are encouraged to get out on their own and meet new people instead of hanging out with your friends from high school. I understand that parents still like to be in control and know what is going on, but it is also a learning experience for them as well. They have watched over you for your entire life, but now it is time for you to be on your own.
Everyone needs to learn life’s lessons sometime and wouldn’t it rather be in a controlled college environment and alcohol than something more serious (drugs, jail time, etc). I feel like the universities do a good job policing underage drinking. Anything extremely serious gets taken care of and appropriate measures are being taken. Having to notify the parents just creates more paperwork and phone calls that may not be necessary. This just costs the college more money. As a deterrent, this is counterproductive. The whole point of being on your own is to not have someone there that you fear. Would you rather learn your lesson’s in college about being responsible or would you rather get fired from your first job because you were out to late drinking the day before?
I also found the finance articles interesting. The first discussed an analogy about marriage and running a business. I feel like it is a good analogy because running a business is like marriage in almost all respects. It requires commitment, dedication, planning, and passion for it to be successful and you to be happy. Several people run businesses that they get no joy from, just like several people are in marriages that they do not want to be in. Businesses fail, as well as marriages.
The second article was speaking about college funding and rising tuition costs. I think that one of the largest problems colleges have is with efficiencies. Several things stand out at me and all involve embracing change, not resisting it. Technology is a great thing, but if we do not use it, than we might as well not have it in the first place. With tools like face time, the cloud storage and computing, webinars, and other electronic communications, classrooms and the university in general could be run more efficiently. Many people are stuck in old thought patterns. With classes structured the way they are, there are countless empty rooms in any given building. One way some corporate world companies have cut down on costs is move to a 4 day workweek. What if we had classes MW and TTH from 7 in the morning to 9 or 10 p.m. This would save money on all of the support jobs that would normally be on Friday. The hours could be extended slightly on the other days, but net-net, I feel that it would be a profitable move. Also, several schools and businesses have moved to paperless environments. Is there a reason we are still printing off so many documents. I think if given a hard look from a new viewpoint, a lot of expenses could be reduced.
Topical blog #1 (1/20)
Of particular interest to me while reading articles within the motivation and emotion web page is one that talks about flow and intrinsic motivation called When are you in the flow of things?. I have days that I seem to lack motivational drive to complete tasks within my mental “to-do” list but, I have worked with individuals who seem to have a real lack of motivation. This could be due to depression or their situational circumstances but some struggle for years and I would like to find techniques or self help motivational options to encourage those who at least seem to want to change their lives.
A second topic of interest is in total contrast of the first because the article is about guys who found each other after years and found that they all had high levels of the need for achievement. What was interesting to me is that by making a list of things they wanted to do before they died they found that the six dimensions of psychological well-being that Reeve (2009) talks about actually define your-self concept. This may be what the women I talked about in the first article may be reflecting because they seem to have no motivation but I can really relate to these guys and they are fortunate that they obviously have the time and money to live this way and seem to love helping and encouraging others.
The last article I chose to read was because of a “disability because of disease” and these people need to be better understood in every aspect within society. The article is about a gal Kathleen who has Moebious syndrome which neurologically inhibits the face from expressing emotion. Now that would be a challenge and I love a challenge and I tried to think of as many ways as possible of how I could communicate without letting my face show it and it’s amazingly hard. This allowed me to see how confusing this would be for her to communicate a serious or compassionate face without facial expression.
Topical blog #1 (1/20)
Of particular interest to me while reading articles within the motivation and emotion web page is one that talks about flow and intrinsic motivation called When are you in the flow of things?. I have days that I seem to lack motivational drive to complete tasks within my mental “to-do” list but, I have worked with individuals who seem to have a real lack of motivation. This could be due to depression or their situational circumstances but some struggle for years and I would like to find techniques or self help motivational options to encourage those who at least seem to want to change their lives.
A second topic of interest is in total contrast of the first because the article is about guys who found each other after years and found that they all had high levels of the need for achievement. What was interesting to me is that by making a list of things they wanted to do before they died they found that the six dimensions of psychological well-being that Reeve (2009) talks about actually define your-self concept. This may be what the women I talked about in the first article may be reflecting because they seem to have no motivation but I can really relate to these guys and they are fortunate that they obviously have the time and money to live this way and seem to love helping and encouraging others.
The last article I chose to read was because of a “disability because of disease” and these people need to be better understood in every aspect within society. The article is about a gal Kathleen who has Moebious syndrome which neurologically inhibits the face from expressing emotion. Now that would be a challenge and I love a challenge and I tried to think of as many ways as possible of how I could communicate without letting my face show it and it’s amazingly hard. This allowed me to see how confusing this would be for her to communicate a serious or compassionate face without facial expression.