Passion

Fears Episode 3: Chaetophobia

“When I was 8 years old I went on a trip with my family to Washington, D.C. One day on the bus, I was observing an older woman’s hair. It was long and black, and hung below her waist. As I looked closer, I noticed what I realized were actual chunks of skin – that is how much dandruff she had. Now almost any other hair I see reminds me of that image and it is so gross that I start to feel like there is hair in my mouth and I just want to vomit everywhere.”

Chaetophobia is the defined term for the fear of hair. It is deemed an irrational fear. This a much more rare phobia, believed to affect less than 1% of the population. But as we discussed in the last episode and will keep discussing, it is hard to gauge commonality accurately. Those claiming to suffer from Chaetophobia have constituted at times almost 6% of the population. Sufferers’ fear may be associated with human hair and/or animal hair. People affected may even fear people/animals with an excess amount of hair. They may also fear the hair on their own bodies because they think it is dirty or unattractive. Some only fear detached or loose hair and do not mind attached hair. They may fear things such as dandruff or head lice. This phobia is thought to be closely associated, or even branched off of, Germophobia, the fear of germs. In some extreme cases, Chaetophobes become obsessed with removing every hair on their body. Chaetophobia is often hygiene-related and sufferers feel uncomfortable in environments such as salons where hair is detached and on the ground. Some fear loose hair in their food or on furniture even if it is their own. Possible symptoms may include a feeling of panic, feeling of terror, feeling of dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, anxiety, sweating, nausea, dry mouth, inability to articulate words or sentences, and/or taking extreme avoidance measures. There is not much known history or evolutionary basis of Chaetophobia. As with most phobias, this fear could be the result of a negative experience with hair and/or or a hairy person. The anxiety begins when the Chaetophobe remembers an experience whenever they are near a person with an excess amount of hair. Hair loss may also be a trigger to this phobia, such as men going bald. The reason for such a variation when attempting to estimate the number of people suffering from Chaetophobia is the same as it is for almost all phobias. With such a rare phobia, it is especially difficult. The severity of the fear is too relative. These sources of fear – such as hair – are found repelling my many anyways who are not actually Chaetophobic. This may cause confusion as to who believes they are and thus self-proclaims this condition. Some possible treatments may include intensive therapy and/or medication for anxiety, support groups as with most phobias, self-relaxation techniques, behavioral therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),  and exposure therapy.

Fun Fact:  Khaitē, the root of the word, is Greek for “loose, flowing hair”.

 

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RCL Blogs

Project 1: Our Speeches

One of the most successful elements of our speeches was our attention-grabbers/hooks. I noticed that almost every single person had some form of one. These were successful particularly because a boring statement such as “My Civic Artifact was…” on its own would quickly lose the audience. Personally, I asked the audience as soon as I got to the front of the room if they had participated in or at least heard of Fresh START, my civic artifact and the topic of my speech. This garnered attention right away as people either raised or didn’t raise their hands to answer me.

The delivery style that worked the best had an attention-grabber/hook, at least one visual aid, and some sort of organization. It was always somewhat powerful in wording and emotion.

The visual aids were especially important. Not only did they obviously aid in helping the audience visualize the subject of the speech, but they also served as many people’s attention-grabbers/hooks. They served as the perfect way to engage the audience and make them a part of the speech, such as by letting them visually analyze them on their own while the presenter was speaking. This was very similar to other students and I’s asking of a question in order to solicit as response from the audience. I remember one visual aid in particular, a clip of a video montage tributing PSU Football was the most successful to me. The video engaged our pathos, so that we became emotionally invested in the topic the speaker was discussing. By appealing to our PSU pride, the video was an especially smart tool with its relation to the first-year Penn State student audience.

I can’t think of common pitfalls that a lot of people made; however, a few select ones do stand out. I believe one student interrupted himself to apologize for a mistake, which we discussed  as one of the erroneous speech-making practices. I also noticed that another student spoke very fast, whether she realized it or not. This could have been due to nerves, having too much to say, or not practicing enough beforehand.

 

 

RCL Blogs

American College

Ifemelu mostly seems to get the impression that the American College Classroom is more superficial than any other that she may have experienced back home in Nigeria. Students here would rather saying something meaningless just for the impression that they are saying something and contributing. This is why the language that irritates her so much –  such as “There is three things” – is a perfect example. They would rather hold up the visage of being educated rather than be educated.

I agree with her. Although not 100% the case all the time, I definitely do feel that this is the case for most of the time. Over the years, I have noticed this especially in my English, Social Science, etc. classes. When we have an “intellectual” discussion of some sort, my classmates have always felt the need to sound intelligent rather than actually say something intelligent. I, too, have been a guilty culprit of this. For example, if one day in English class we are discussing the reading from the night before and a classmate has not done the reading, in order to receive participation points, seem like he or she read, and feel like an intellectually contributing member, the classmate may use flowy verbage and fancy rhetoric in order to attempt to make such an impression. Similarly, instead of focusing on the actual content and purpose of an essay, students often use the “synonym” feature – and overuse – to sound “smarter”. Later, however, when these students take to social media or communicating outside of the classroom, their language often decreases by a few standard deviations in terms of its quality and correctness.

I haven’t been at PSU long enough to really fairly say how I believe she would reflect on sitting in a classroom here. My closest class to the types I have discussed would be English 137H. So far, we haven’t discussed much, but I don’t think that any of us are very superficial, and as most of us are scholars, take our work seriously and believe in its quality. I think she would be rather impressed with our Rhetoric & Civic Life class, actually.

 

Passion

Fears Episode 2: Arachnophobia

“I had this recurring nightmare as a child. I was locked in a room and couldn’t get out and there was a spider that kept growing bigger and bigger until it took up almost the entire room and I couldn’t escape. If you see a small spider, I don’t really see a spider. I see something much larger, and what comes over me is so hard to explain it is almost illogical. If I even touch a photo of a spider, I need to wash my hands.  Even talking about it right now I feel like there’s something crawling on my back.”

Arachnophobia is defined as the specific fear of spiders, and other arachnids such as scorpions. It is a phobia, so it is classified as an irrational fear. This is one of the most commons fears. However, determining the number of people suffering from a fear is where it gets tricky. While approximately 5% of the U.S. is diagnosed with Arachnophobia, approximately 30.5% of people claim to have it. Some numbers have been reported as high as 55%. This varies so greatly due to discrepancies in not only the severities of fear one may feel, but how they choose to label their level. Possible signs and symptoms include feeling uneasy in any area where spiders are believed to be or seen, even a spotting of associated objects such as webs can have the same effect. Most undergo some form of a panic attack, which may keep them from moving any further into the area. Some may scream, cry, have trouble breathing, have excessive sweating, or even experience heart trouble when they come in contact with such an area. In some extreme cases, even a picture or realistic drawing of a spider can also trigger fear and associated reactions. An evolutionary reasoning behind Arachnophobia is largely still undiscovered. One possibility is that the existence of venomous spiders led to the evolution of a fear of spiders or made susceptibility to such a fear especially easy. Generally, the more intense the fear, the more it is classified as phobic. Although in early human evolution Arachnophobes may have had an advantage over non-Arachnophobes in terms of survival, studies show that many other threatening creatures existed during the same time, raising the question of why spiders were so special. Studies have even shown that a fear of spiders can develop before birth. It may simply be an exaggerated instinctive response. This leads into another possibility, that the dangers humans have associated with spiders are “overrated” and couldn’t have resulted evolutionarily. This suggests the intriguing idea that Arachnophobia may be actually be a cultural phenomenon, rather than a genetic one. Some suggested treatments include systematic desensitization/exposure therapy, beta blockers, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and sedatives. There is even an iOS app using games and augmented reality to treat Arachnophobia.

Fun Fact: Celebrities Justin Timberlake, Emma Stone, and author J.K. Rowling all claim to have Arachnophobia.

 

Arachnophobia

 

Passion

Fears Episode 1: What is a Fear?

What is a fear? A fear is defined as an emotion induced by a perceived threat, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior. But what does that mean? We hear about fears on a daily basis covering almost an unlimited multitude of things. Some are defined as “rational” fears, or appropriate – more aligned with a response that serves survival by generating appropriate behavioral responses, as thought to be connected with evolution. Others are designated “irrational”, or inappropriate – specifically termed “phobias”. Psychologists have also tried to make separate from fears the emotion anxieties, which occur as the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.

In this blog, we will explore a sample of various different fears people claim to have. This may include the history of it, possible symptoms, commonality, etc. Each will start with a quote of a friend, family member, or random person claiming to suffer from it, describing and sharing their point of view. Although we will discuss the facts: whether it is a phobia, scientifically denounced, or “rational”, we will be looking at each one equally. We will then discuss what other possibilities are associated with it, including the causes, and general topics such as perception specific to that fear. Every once in a while, there may be even be a few “fun facts” tied in with the fear. Tune in next post for our first featured fear!

 

Fun Fact: Each post will be an “episode”, as if one were to be having “an episode of fear”.

RCL Blogs

Until You Become It

Everyone has heard at some point or another of TED Talks. I have not seen many, but every once in a while a friend sends one to me or we watch them in class. Early in my Senior year of high school, before we gave our Commencement Project presentations, my English teacher played for us “Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are”. In it is a 21 minute speech wherein social psychologist Amy Cuddy discusses the importance of body language not just impacting others’ perception of us, but also impacting our perception of ourselves. She discusses various concepts such as “Power Posing” and how we can physically alter our hormones, which affect our confidence, which in turn affects our chances for success. The part of this speech that is especially important to me and that has stuck with me is from about 16 minutes in to about 19.5 minutes in. During these few minutes, she tells a personal narrative that directly relates to her talk. It is powerful because it allows us to relate to her, rather than the monotonous presentation slides behind her. She uses various logos, pathos, and ethos, including narrating her episode of a car accident and its impact on her physically, mentally, and emotionally. She is very passionate and emotional when speaking, which engages us in feeling what she is feeling. I noticed especially that although the talk was generally formal, this part of the speech was a bit more informal, speaking to us as if she were really sitting down with us having a conversation or telling us this story one-on-one. The story specifically made her vulnerable at her first, and then showed how she used it to make her stronger. A narrative of struggling with identity and trying to find belonging, it especially resonated with me as I was preparing to apply to college, as it must have done with so many in their own various life situations. Thus, having hooked us, it served as a perfect transition into her concluding statement, that one must not simply “fake it ’till you make it”, but rather “fake it ’till you become it”.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

 

Passion

Passion Blog Brainstorm

Idea 1: “The Observatory”. I’m not exactly sure what the logistics would exactly be, but I want to have a blog where I go to a different place each post and observe my surroundings. I could people-watch and/or overhear what they’re saying. Then I would analyze it. How I would analyze it is what I still need to figure out. But some possible ideas are sitting in the same place and measuring how my surrroundings/mood/people change throughout seasons, the days of the week, or the times of day. Or I could just stick to the original idea of changing to a different place each time, but still measuring those things. Any way, I would relate it back to me or my life and focus it on how we are all similar in our differences.

Idea 2: Neuroengineering. I would focus on topics in my major, Biomedical Engineering. Specifically, those related to Neuroengineering, which especially interest me. I would discuss mostly recent advances in the field. However, I may also talk about previous research or background. I would also share my ideas and thoughts and feelings and reactions to those current events. This is more serious than Idea #1, which is a good thing because it is more focused and supported, but also a bad thing because it can be boring and is less fun.

 

 

Other miscellaneous ideas:

– Netflix: Recent releases, various genres, reviews, its prominence in society, etc.

– Along the lines of Netflix, other social media: Facebook, Snapchat, certain apps, yahoo, google, etc.

– Fears: Each post will focus on a different one: the history of it, possible symptoms, commonality, and maybe interview of someone who claims to have it.

– A specific TV Show from start to end; each post covering 1 – 2 episodes, spanning maybe a season’s worth.

– Things I have retained or lost/miss from being a kid.

– Something food-related: the various dining commons/food around campus, downtown restaurants, snacks/convenience store selections, etc.

 

 

RCL Blogs

The Hair Salon as a Civic Space

Civic spaces are areas or institutions where people interact, and that foster and connect community. In “Americanah”, the largest and most obvious civic space featured and utilized is the hair salon Adiche goes to in the beginning of the novel and narrates most of her story from. Hair salons are universally known to be rich with chatter and gossip, and therefore great places to watch multiple life stories intertwine and unfold. One possible effect of this mixing of various persons is their clashing and its consequences. Just upon entering the hair salon in Chapter 1, we observe how Adiche takes in her surroundings and how the other ladies take in her. This supports the important idea that a civic space also serves as a microcosm of a community within other communities. Here, the African-American population in the local area. People interact here – not just in the salon, but also in the state of New Jersey in the United States – who would probably never have in Africa, coming from such diverse origins and backgrounds. The salon also serves as the perfect canvas to put Adiche directly in this context. We see how she judges her companions, such as Aisha discussing Igbo suitors in Chapter 3. But more importantly, we see how they judge her, especially exemplified in the most trivial details. For example, her thinking of a granola bar as food, seemingly justified by her being in America for “fifteen years”. This furthers a major recurring theme so far in the novel – Adiche constantly feeling as an outsider. Most prominently, she is living in America as an uprooted African, and her feelings of discomfort are displayed in her blogs and observations, especially of the “white people”. However, we have also learned that she felt as an outsider back home with Obinze: it “was like being content in a house but always sitting by the window and looking out”. This is vital to remember as the story goes on, as it bring to light that she has never really felt as if she belonged anywhere. And here, in the salon, where she may have had a chance to, she may even stick out more. Race as a concept is made even broader, as we examine the differences within being African. And hair is not only a new way of thinking racially (as a topic that emerges repeatedly throughout the novel), but it is what brings Adiche to this salon where we get to see the civic space and its inhabitants come to life.

RCL Blogs

Not Very Rhetorical

A few weeks ago, right before I left for college, I went to a local playground with a group of friends. Needless to say, we were one of the oldest ones there. While swinging alone off to the side, I looked around and observed the rest of the park and its inhabitants. Most of the kids were running around and playing. However, one group of children was sitting on the ground having what seemed to be a very engaged conversation. I began to listen closer, and realized that they were arguing over a TV show on Disney Channel, “Liv and Maddie”. The show features two identical twins: Liv, who is a famous singer returning to live at home, and Maddie, who has remained at home living a “normal” life. The children were arguing over who of the two of them was the better character. One girl very passionately shouted, “Liv is cooler than Maddie, it is so obvious!”, which in turn angered her friend, who loudly retorted with, “Nuh uh, everyone knows Maddie is cooler!”. Observing these kids, I realized that children of this age “arguing” is more along the lines of bickering rather than debating. Especially in cases such as this, there is almost no intellectual substance or techniques of persuasion. As demonstrated among this group, kids are more likely to shout statements at each other rather than listen to one another. When they do include some sort of reasoning, it goes something like this (as spoken by a young boy in the group): “Maddie plays basketball like a boy, she’s more fun”. Instead of using language and modes of persuasion that adults may use – such as appealing to another’s ethos, logos, or pathos – children focus more on what appeals to them, and why they feel how they do. If and when they do try to “recruit” others to join in their thinking, we see body language such as snapping their fingers emphatically and moving their heads to further highlight what they are sharing. By using words such as “everyone”, we see that kids – although barely rhetorical – may subconsciously be using a sort of bandwagon approach to get their companions to “hop on board”. And when these other kids display their approval and agreement, we take note that it is less their own opinion that empowers them, and it is more the support they garner behind them.