26
Apr 15

Job Satisfaction: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Blog 7-4I sat at the large conference table, carefully listening to each and every update provided by all of my male counterparts, I was the only female at the table. The senior member asked if anyone had any additional news or updates to add, I felt a kick under the table. My colleague and friend, KNEW I had big news to share, but KNEW I was terrified to make my announcement. I had only been with the firm a few short months, I was lead on a huge project and did not want anyone to think my pregnancy would impact our contract. I quickly returned the kick and gave him “the look” to which he put me on the spot by announcing I had some big news to share.  Like something out of a movie scene all eyes turned on me. So I quickly and carefully recited my 4-second spiel that I had rehearsed a thousand times in my head. As a cancer survivor, I was told more times than I could count that my dreams of becoming a mother were unlikely, but after a visit to the doctor for what I was certain was food poisoning from a recent work trip to Korea, turned out to be a very different prognosis – pregnancy, I was in the midst of a conundrum emotionally. I felt on top of the world with this little miracle inside of me, but in a work environment that was male dominated, highly competitive and demanding I was sure there would be challenges when news got out.  I waited, for what felt like a lifetime, and then my senior leadership pointed at everyone individually at the table – except me and said the following….”You all have wives and children, you all know her (pointing at me) personality and work ethic, if she even looks tired she goes home, you all step up and support her on this effort and her pregnancy, nothing is more important than her health and that baby.” He than, looked at my shocked face, and re-emphasized, “there will be more contracts, and the client will understand, your number one priority is your health and that baby, we are all here for you and are so happy for you.” I was gobsmacked! Needless to say, since that time, I have become my firm’s greatest fan and advocate. Their demonstration of valuing their people and encouraging the work life balance, continues to be unsurpassed.

Blog 7-1 Job satisfaction, the attitude we have toward our job and the various aspects of our job, determines how we respond, whether that is favorably or unfavorably, to our work environment. (Schneider, 2012) There are two widely used, yet different approaches in measuring how satisfied we are with our jobs, global and facet approaches. When we examine job satisfaction from a global approach, we consider how an individual would consider their overall job satisfaction, asking questions and basing them on a 5 point Likert scale. The facet approach, on the other hand, is a little more in depth. We examine how job satisfaction correlates with one’s feelings and attitudes based on a variety of different aspects or “facets” of the job. These various aspects are rated based on a standardized scale and collectively added to determine and overall “score”. (Schneider, 2012)

Why does any of this matter? Disengaged employees equates to loss of revenue for companies, dissatisfied employees, the physical and emotional toll of being unhappy, the feeling of fulfillment, lack of passion, and the impact these factors have on both individuals and their employers are profound. Should I stay or should I go? In relation to your employment, have you ever asked yourself that question?     Blog 7-2According to an article in the American Psychology Association Journal, these feelings are not only the norm, but also the way the majority of employees feel in the workplace here in America. “According to State of the American Workplace, a new report by Gallup Inc., only 30 percent of the U.S. workforce is engaged in their work — in other words, they’re passionate about their work and feel strongly committed to their companies. The remaining 70 percent of American workers are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in their work.” (Weir, 2013)

Understanding the critical role social behavior plays within organizations is relevant to employers and employees alike. The way in which we evaluate ourselves, and our careers, whether or not we are satisfied, has direct correlations and implications with how we preform our jobs and how we live our lives.

Blog 7-3

Take a minute to examine your career, is it your passion? Is your work meaningful? Do you value your employer? Does your employer value you? How does your job satisfaction, or lack of impact you and your life?

 

Works Cited:

Schneider, F. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to Organizations: Focus on Optimism. In Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed., pp. 217-244). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Weir, K. (2013, December 1). More than job satisfaction. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/12/job-satisfaction.aspx


25
Apr 15

A Positive Attitude: With or Without It

Have you ever pondered how attitude plays a role in your life? How do we define happiness in our lives? Social psychology is the science that delves into the ways in which negativity and positivity impact human nature. Research has demonstrated that those of us who are optimists, have positive outcome expectancies that influence our lives, our way of thinking and how we approach the world around us. (Schneider, 2012)

Blog 4_2

Seemingly, optimists have greater tenacity, or so research based evidence leads us to believe, and are less likely to let challenges or failures deter them from reaching their goals. Contrary to optimists we have those that hold onto negative expectancies, pessimists. Pessimists have negative expectancies, having the opposite impact on their lives. You know the type, they are filled with doubt and negativity, excuses and unmotivated or try to unmotivated others. Do you know someone who is a pessimist? How do they interact with others? Face challenges? How does their attitude impact their life?

Blog 4_4

With or without a positive attitude, does it really matter? Positive social psychologists argue that whether or not you do or don’t have an optimistic outlook can directly impact your quality of life. (Schneider, 2012) Individuals who hold greater optimistic expectancies, “enjoy better emotional well-being, better medical health, and better academic performance.” (Schneider, 2012) More importantly, research evidence suggests that “optimists outperform and even out-earn pessimists in work-related achievement domains.” (Schneider, 2012)

 

Countless studies have been conducted to demonstrate the profound impact optimism can have on our lives, in a way this psychological phenomenon has captured the attention of multiple concepts, from attribution to cognitive bias – the concept of optimism and how it relates to our mental well-being, physical health, coping mechanisms, lifestyle, health, quality of life and perception of risks is an area that continues to gain interest and that social psychologists continue to explore. (Conversano, et al., 2010)

Blog 4In a Psychology Today article on optimism, the author states, “ Some optimists consistently ascribe benevolent motives to others and interpret situations in the best possible light; others simply disassociate their internal mood from external circumstances, no matter how sticky. Adding in a bit of complexity, the latest research shows that tempering a sunny disposition with a small dose of realism or even pessimism might be the best way to build resilience and achieve one’s goals.” (Psychology Today, 2015)

Blog 4_3

If you were to take a moment to self reflect and self assess where would your attitude towards life fall? Is your glass half empty or half full? Are you eating lemons or making lemonade?

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Schneider, F. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to Positive Well-Being: Focus on Optimism. In Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed., pp. 379-393). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Conversano, C., Rotondo, A., Lensi, E., Vista, O., Arpone, F., & Reda, M. (2010, May 14). Optimism and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Well-Being. Retrieved April 22, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2894461/

Psychology Today. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/optimism


25
Apr 15

Standing Up Instead of Standing By

Bystander Effect Pic 1

So why do we just “stand by” when we should be “standing up”? A phenomenon that has been one of the most researched, documented, and discussed in the social sciences is the bystander effect. It is also, seemingly, one of the most unfortunate of our human traits. The tragedy of Kitty Genovese, the woman who was stabbed in Queens, New York in 1964 while witnesses looked on, is probably one of the most famous incidents in social science and public media. (Schneider, 2012) Why do we have a sense of diffused responsibility? How and when do we become subject to this phenomenon?

Ironically, up until a few weeks ago, I had a tough time conceptualizing how and why this could happen, especially in an emergency. Could people really just stand by and watch someone who was hurt or needed help and do nothing? As I actively engaged in a business phone con during CPAC, where thousands of high profile individuals were gathered, a man ran up to me and said, “we need you, there is a medical emergency”.  Admittedly, I was little perplexed because I am not in the medical profession – by any stretch of the imagination, however I quickly got off the call and ran into a nearby restaurant after the man. I quickly assessed the situation and took in the circle of onlookers staring at a woman lying on the ground, convulsing. Security officers were instructing people to “back up” and “not go near her” – I was in utter disbelief. Despite being in high heels and a dress I flew, very ungracefully, to the ground and started administering first aid and barking instructions to a near by friend. I worked on the lady for nearly 15 minutes and had her stabilized before EMTs even arrived. Thanks to those who were able to assist, she was evaluated and ended up being okay. In that moment it was hard not to make the connection to this course and I was fascinated that the terms that jump out at us in bold face in Schneider’s Chaper 11 text, entitled, “Applying Social Psychology to the Criminal Justice System,” seemingly came to life in that moment. When I pressed the security officers as to the reasoning behind their seemingly horrific response, they stated that they were not trained in any level of first response, and they had been trained to do nothing and call 911.  Baffled, I understood why they demonstrated such a diffusion of responsibility and directed others to do the same, directing them not to even intervene. The crowd that had significant interest in what was going on, but did nothing were comprised of some of our Nations’ most educated, well-known leaders and prominent business men/women – they all had an interest and want to know what was going on, I would even argue that most probably wanted to help, but did nothing (with the exception for the man who through overhearing a conversation knew I was a Marine and was told by someone who knew me to run and get me).  It is compelling to witness such a phenomena first hand.  Obviously this was not a criminal example, but equally compelling. I walked away in utter disbelief.

Bystander Effect Pic 3

More disturbing is the frequency such real-world examples occur, but in criminally-related instances – where someone is being brutally beaten, hurt, abused, killed. Why do people choose to act out against others and why do others choose not to intervene or help? The Social Learning Theory strives to help us understand. Bandura’s theory delves into the reasoning explaining that behind acts of criminal activity are behaviors, which represent what an individual has learned and how they develop throughout interactions and experiences during life in social environments. (Schneider, 2012) But when and why do we, in the face of humanity, not intervene?

Jesse Singal recently published an article, “Researchers Found the ‘Bystander Effect’ in 5-Year-Olds” which clearly describes to us “WHY” the bystander effect occurs. The diffusion of responsibility, as previously mentioned, is “the lack of a sense that it is any one person’s job to step in, since there are others around who might do so: social referencing, which is the natural human tendency to look around to see how others are acting and shape one’s own actions accordingly; and simply shyness at standing out form a passive crowd.” (Singal, 2015) The crux of the article was focused on the bystander effect and children, when or what drives the bystander effect within us? It is interesting to contemplate this phenomenon, how we as humans become susceptible to such an unfortunate tendency and how we should design and/or develop interventions, which promote helpfulness in such situations during early stages of development. (Singal, 2015)

Bystander Effect Pic 2

How would you respond? Would you join the bystanders and stand by or would you stand up if you were witness in a situation where someone needed help?

Works Cited:

Singal, J. (2015, April 13). Researchers Found the ‘Bystander Effect’ in 5-Year-Olds. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/04/bystander-effect-in-5-year-olds.html

Schneider, F. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to the Criminal Justice System. In Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed., pp. 245-272). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.


20
Apr 15

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

social

Social isolation is a reality in America. It is estimated that the amount of socially isolated Americans has risen over the decades nearly 25% of the population (Harvard Kennedy School). People are not as involved with others and their community anymore. One way to address this, is to increase your social capital. Social capital gives value to all of our support systems and networks in which we are a part of. Social capital can provide information flows, norms reciprocity, collective action, and a change in mentality. (Harvard Kennedy School) Increasing our social capital strengthens our networks, and can lead to increased support. People may gain assistance in a crisis, learn of new job or educational opportunities, or even help drive forward a large movement. These relationships can be of mutual benefit.

Social capital is really our support networks at works. Increased social capital is really an increase in the social support available. Social support refers to the support we get from the other people in our lives (Schneider 2012). Our natural support systems help us deal with stress and cope with life events, even in the day to day. Simply knowing a lot of people and having a lot of contacts does not mean that there is a strong social network in our lives.

The Harvard Kennedy School offers a list of over 100 starter suggestions on how to increase one’s social capital. It ranges from volunteering, to holding a neighborhood barbeque, to offering to serve on a town committee. Increasing social capital can be beneficial for everyone. Being socially connected with each other has benefits. Being alone and isolated can be stressors themselves, so those who are socially integrated may suffer less stressors in the first place. Also, those who have social support may cope better with stressful situations. (Schneider 2012) It may be worth it for all of us to take some time, and consider really connecting with others around us, as we may all benefit.

 

 

Harvard Kennedy School. Social Capital. Retrieved from http://www.hks.harvard.edu/programs/saguaro/about-social-capital/what-you-can-do

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


20
Apr 15

I’m Wearing You Down!…The Proximity and Familiarity Effects

Did you ever see the 90’s show Family Matters? It was a “Long-running ‘Perfect Strangers’ spin-off series centering on the Winslow family and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel” (IMDb). Oh, Steve Urkel, what a character he was! The poor kid was madly in love with Laura Winslow, who rejected him repeatedly, show after show. However, he was persistent and consistent and well aware of the proximity and familiarity effects, often telling Laura, “I’m wearing you down baby!”

According to the proximity effect, interpersonal liking is increased between people who live within the same vicinity and who have the most contact with one another (Weber, 2012). Therefore, you are more likely to become friends with a neighbor that you don’t have much in common with but you are in contact with regularly, than a person with which you have much in common but you rarely see. Weber (2012) explains it is the proximity that creates the opportunity for regular contact, which can then lead to a relationship. For the character Steve Urkel, although he was annoying and had little in common with the members of the Winslow family, they could not help but become friends with him because he was a nice enough neighbor and he was always around.

The familiarity effect often goes hand in hand with the proximity effect, as regular contact with another person increases familiarity which has been shown to make one feel more positive and comfortable (Weber, 2012). However, Weber (2012) warns that as familiarity increases the likability of a pleasant person, it can also continue to decrease the likeability of an unpleasant person. This negative outcome of familiarity is called environmental spoiling, and I can attest to its effects.

Before I moved to the location I live in now, my family and I rented the front house of a property containing two more houses behind it. During the last three years we lived there, the neighbor who lived directly behind us was extremely difficult to like. She would peak in our windows as she walked by, was rude to the gardeners, grilled our friends with inappropriate and personal questions whenever they visited and constantly complained about everything. Although I loved the house we lived in, I would find myself desperately hoping not to run into her every day I returned home from work. Her presence really did spoil our home environment, so much so that my family and I still occasionally bring up how happy we are to live where we are now without her as our neighbor.

Fortunately, for Steve Urkel, his genuine care for Laura shined through his quirkiness, allowing the proximity and familiarity effects to work in his favor. By the end of the series, he finally did wear Laura down and she returned his love by agreeing to marry him. For a sample of these effects and a moment of nostalgia, I leave you with this short video with clips from the show Family Matters.

References

IMDb (n.d.) Family matters. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096579/

Weber (2012). Applying social psychology to personal relationships. In F. W. Schneider, J. A. Gruman, & L. M. Coutts (Authors), Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (Second ed., pp. 351 – 364). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications


20
Apr 15

Sobering Statistics for Social Change

Unfortunately, we too often hear reports of sexual abuse at our colleges. So much so that recently, California enacted a somewhat controversial law known as the “yes means yes law”. This may be a good start as far as sending a stronger message to colleges that sexual assault or abuse will not be dismissed as easily and that their handling of such cases may come under greater scrutiny.

Brian Turner (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

However, we should be realistic of what limitations a law like this has. As with any legislation, just because a law is written, it does not necessarily mean that it will be complied with. We already have laws that make drug use and underage drinking illegal but they still continue. Another argument is that it has the capability to trade off one group of victims for another. Some insist that it will give the accusers too much power over the accused and that some of the innocent may pay the price along with the guilty. This may be true to a certain extent however this is not much different than what is already in place. The law mainly attempts to clarify if consent was given.
It may be questionable if fraternities will be encouraged to start video recording their sexual exploits so they will have proof if a member is taken into court. While this action would most likely violate California law, there are about 38 other states that at least an audio recording would be allowed (AAPS, 2015). This may cause additional problems if this law were to be enacted in those states.
Overall, it would appear that the effectiveness of this law will be questionable at best. It would seem much more effective to address drinking and drug use in order to curb sexual assaults on campuses. In the 18-24 age group, it is estimated that there are over 97,000 students each year that fall victim to alcohol related sexual assault. Additionally, there are approximately 100,000 students that report that they have been too intoxicated to know if they actually consented to sex (NIAAA, 2013). It is here that the new law may fail to have any greater impact than what is already in place. Discouraging or reducing alcohol overconsumption and drug use should reduce the number of sexual assaults and also serve to help prevent alcohol related deaths from drinking which totals approximately 1825 college students each year.
This issue may be best served by using participatory action research with its ability to delve deeper into the culture and subcultures that can exist in colleges (Rescuescg, 2015). By using input from the participants it seeks to better target the intended audience and could guide the selection of more relevant techniques to reach that audience. It may also help identify the best approach to educate new students about these issues. It may also aid in determining whether wearable tech devices are a practical option. Currently, there are some proposed devices to identify if a date rape drug is present in a drink and there is a challenge by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to create a wearable device that will measure blood alcohol in real time (NIAAA, 2015).
Most would agree that the “yes means yes law” is not meant to stand alone in the battle of sexual abuse in our colleges and it will require additional support if our goal is to reduce or eliminate this behavior in our colleges.

References

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. (2015). Summary of Consent Requirements for Taping Telephone Conversations. Retrieved from ww.aapsonline.org/judicial/telephone.htm

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2013). College Drinking. Retrieved from http://niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/college-drinking

Rescuescg. (2010). Functional Analysis for Cultural Interventions. Retrieved from http://rescuescg.com/files/pdf/FACI.pdf


20
Apr 15

Positively Optimistic!

Most likely you have a negative Nancy or a Debbie downer in your life. I know I have a couple. But did you know that having a pessimistic personality can actually mean you have poorer health?

It’s TRUE!

Studies have shown that people with a positive outlook on life have better overall health. In fact, ‘optimism increases longevity; increases your spiritual development; promotes positive relationships; and even decreases anxiety’ (McCarthy, 2013).

According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012), ‘optimists believe that good things are very likely to happen. [T]hese people have positive outcome expectancies that significantly influence both their thinking and their approach to the world. The belief that a desirable goal in life is attainable has incentive value for the individual; that is, it stimulates or energizes both one’s goal-directed thinking and one’s goal-directed action. Positive expectancies also cause people to be more persistent when pursuing their goals.’

So, basically, the more optimistic you are, the more likely you are to get the things you want out of life. This can help people experience happiness in romantic endeavors, personal relationships, friendships, and even their careers. Optimism ‘allows you to approach a crisis with strength and resolve’ and ‘sets a positive tone for your day’ (McCarthy, 2013).

With all the benefits of being positive, it seems down right negative to be pessimistic!

And just in case you were wondering what kind of person you are … take this quiz to find out if you are an optimist or not!

http://www.seemypersonality.com/personality.asp?p=Optimism-Test

 

 

References

Are You Optimistic or Pessimistic? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.seemypersonality.com/personality.asp?p=Optimism-Test

McCarthy, J. (2013). Optimism and Happiness. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved from http://splash.suntimes.com/2013/07/11/optimism-and-happiness

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


19
Apr 15

Precipitating and Perpetuating Factors In Opioid Use

Narcan   A growing problem in my community, and the nation, right now is heroin use. We are in the midst of a heroin epidemic, and last month my home county released to the public their preliminary report from the task force. I have seen a lot of opinions on social media critiquing their proposed interventions, specifically the use of Naloxone, or NarCan, by some police departments. (Montgomery County Overdose Task Force). NarCan is a drug which can be used to stop an opioid over-dose. (Harm Reduction Coalition 2015) Community members have latched on to this aspect of the task-forces report, and some believe it may increase the epidemic because heroin users may feel safer knowing there is a drug available to them to prevent an overdose.

After reading through the preliminary report, I think it is more apparent that other factors in this epidemic are being addressed. In the introduction, the task force identifies a precipitating factor for the rise in heroin overdoses as being abuse of legally prescribed medications. The task force states that “In many cases the patient becomes addicted to these legally prescribed narcotics. Unable to obtain more of the prescribed medicine, they then turn to illicit opioids, namely Heroin, which is cheaper, easier to obtain, and far more likely to cause overdose and death.” (Montgomery County Overdose Task Force 2015). A precipitating factor is one that triggers a problem, as opposed to a perpetuating factor, which is one that sustains it (Schneider, Gruman, Coutts 2012).  The task force clearly addresses these precipitating factors. They are implementing an awareness campaign to educate the public of the fact that abuse of prescription pain killers may lead to heroin use. The task-force also suggests implementing a drug take-back program. This program provides residents a secure way to dispose of left over pain killers which have the potential for abuse. The goal here is to again address the precipitating factor of the availability of prescription drugs for abuse to lead to heroin usage.

The task force also addresses a perpetuating factor in overdoses. Specifically, the task force wants to publicize new laws which are aimed at increasing the reports of drug overdoses and decreasing response time (Montgomery County Overdose Task Force 2015). The new Pennsylvania law, according to the task force, gives amnesty to other drug users who attempt to get help for someone who is overdosing.

So while some people may be caught up on the idea that NarCan may increase usage of the drug, I think it is a good support to the program, and this has by no means been a complete list of the report, but rather a discussion of several factors. The county is not merely putting a bandage on the problem, it addressing real factors which have an impact on drug problem in our community with a thorough intervention plan, which include evaluation to address the need to be flexible and for unintended consequences.

 

 

 

Montgomery County Overdose Task Force. Preliminary Report. 2015. Retrieved from

http://www.montcopa.org/overdosereport.

Harm Reduction Coalition. Understanding Naloxone. 2015. Retrieved from

http://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose

basics/understanding-naloxone/

Schneider, Gruman and Coutts. 2012. Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and

Addressing Social and Practical Problems. 2nd Edition.


19
Apr 15

Issues Within Inter-Class Marriages

Recently I read an article in The Washington Post regarding a decline in inter-class marriages in the U.S. resulting from the rise in economic segregation. The article focused primarily on the marital struggles between couples within inter-class marriages. Reoccurring themes within these arguments reflected differences in upbringing, centering around spending habits and opposing emotional styles when dealing with conflict. The couples interviewed for the article all seemed to follow a similar trend, which was that the spouse who came from a more affluent background handled both money and household chores differently than their spouse, who was raised in either a poor or working-class environment. One couple even strongly disagreed on how their children should be allowed to spend their leisure time, e.g. one parent believed in structured free time while the other pushed for unstructured free time.

Another issue highlighted in the article was how different social class upbringings can affect how a person expresses their emotions to their partner. In one example given, the husband from a blue-collar working class background was taught that keeping one’s emotions to oneself was “dishonest” and would express himself loudly, much to the displeasure of his wife, who came from a more affluent background where she was taught that emotional reactions should be free from emotional tones and more “intellectualized”. These differences in communication caused problems in the marriage but ultimately each spouse learned how to communicate in the style that was more familiar to other, e.g. the husband would wait a bit before expressing an emotion while his wife became more willing to both feel and express her emotions.

Overall when asked whether they believed that class difference was an important factor in their marriages, most of the people being interviewed remarked that they had skirted the issue in order to avoid feeling superior or snobby. While many of the couples didn’t want to admit that class difference had significant influence over their marriages, it was clear that it indeed did. That being said, the influence of class difference needn’t be a negative one, causing fruitless conflict. As illustrated previously, couples can also learn things about themselves by having to find compromise in order to relate better to a partner who isn’t exactly like themselves. The fact that these types of marriages are steadily on the decline owing to economic segregation is rather disheartening. Jessi Streib, in her book The Power of the Past : Understanding Cross-Class Marriages, observes the literary tradition of finding romance in crossing class boundaries for love, and notes that inter-class relationships provide opportunities to have experiences that one’s own class never provided them.

References


19
Apr 15

Recreating cool – Stop Bullying Now

by Cynthia Roebuckcool to be kind

Bullying happens everywhere in classrooms and playgrounds in our youth’s lives, but also it is happening on our college campuses and even workplaces and our personal adult lives. Bullying has gained lots of recognition in the media with schools implementing anti-bulling programs. But most of these programs seem to attack the already developed behavior whereas addressing why the behavior was allowed to develop into a problem for society has less attention. In letters shared between Einstein and Freud, Freud argued that aggression was natural (Einstein & Freud, 1932), but behavior can be modified through social learning principles. Bandura posits that situational, cognitive, and reinforcement controls should be targeted instead of focusing on traits or historical reasons and brings to the topic Ackerman’s beliefs that the child acts out not because they are not loved, but because they cannot trust (Bandura, 1973, p. 245).

This points to the importance of the moral climate in a classroom, because this is where youth develop an understanding of what the social norms are for aggression, and it is an area in much need of research when considering the commonality across the world of school violence occurring (Alexitch, 2012, p.210).  Because most emerging adults socialize primarily in an electronic environment via text, chat, social media, and video games, they are faced with forms of indirect aggression in the form of social bullying called cyberbullying. This form of bullying involves directly telling a person they are not wanted, excluding them from group activities, ignoring, spreading rumors, keeping other friends away, and creating situations where the person will be embarrassed. This is understood to be a form of psychological violence carried out to inflict psychological harm onto another (StuartCassel, Terzain, and Bradshaw, 2013; Taki, Slee, Hymel, Pepler, Sim & Swearer, 2008).

Taki et al. did a longitudinal comparative study to determine the long-term effects of indirect aggression in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, and the United States (2008).  They found there to be long lasting psychological harm caused from indirect aggression, but because the scars were not visible proper attention to the seriousness of this behavior are not considered thoroughly enough ( p. 4).  They identify three forms — “membership, power of exchangeable status, and frequency of victimization” (p. 6), and it occurs in several scenarios — taking something away, teasing, ignoring, and exclusion (p. 7).  Interestingly enough, collectivist societies have given this type of bullying its own name — Japan: ijime and Korea: wang-ta.  Is cyberbullying a version of this in America?

Interventions to prevent bullying behavior from developing should be set in place at grade schools to encourage a collaboration amongst students in order to break down the social barriers by modifying aggressive behaviors in individuals through showing alternative ways to work together. This is why the jigsaw classrooms have been invited into places like Columbine in Colorado to try to counteract the negative effects of cliques (Gilbert, 2001).  Aronson was invited to Columbine to advise on a collaborative learning environment called the jigsaw classroom that restructures the classroom environment into smaller groups with students engaging with each other to collectively accomplish the requirements of the lesson instead of competing to be better than one another (McNulty, 2004).  The jigsaw classrooms have shown to change the attitudes of students and lead to behavioral change as stereotypes are discarded as classmates begin to see more than the one dimensional stereotype through interaction with one another (APA, 2015).  This approach to learning has also been found to be successful in undergraduate studies (Lom, 2012).

Together we can better identify and make known what bullying is, so we can remove any ambiguity surrounding recognizing direct and indirect aggressive bullying behavior.  If we do, then, the bystander effect where someone may not help will be reduced, because recognizing that a person is being bullied will easily be seen for what it is.  In the meantime, take a moment each day to do one random act of kindness through engaging with your environment.  Set an example that it is okay to care, and speak up…

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References

Alexitch, L.R. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to Education in Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.) F.W. Schnedier, J.A. Gruman, & L.M. Coutts (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1412976381.

APA. (2015). How to Build a Better Educational System: Jigsaw Classrooms. American Psychological Association. Retrieved 30 January 2015 from http://www.apa.org/research/action/jigsaw.aspx.

Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression. Prentice-Hall. ISBN: 0-13-020743-8.

Einstein, A & Freud, S (1932). Why war? Einstein’s letter to Freud and Freud’s Response. Sequoia Free Press reprint 2010. ASIN: B003NZ932K.

Gilbert, S. (2001). A CONVERSATION WITH/Elliot Aronson; No One Left to Hate: Averting Columbines. New York Times.  Retrieved 23 March 2015 from http://www.njbullying.org/Aronsoninterview.txt.

Lom, B. (2012). Classroom Activities: Simple Strategies to Incorporate Student-Centered Activities within Undergraduate Science Lectures. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 11(1), A64–A71.

Maryland GovPics. (2014). It’s Cool to be Nice. First Lady Katie O’Malley Attends a National Anti Bullying Event at Mother Seton Academy. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdgovpics/15356566737/in/photolist-pFd5sr-pDmkbA-oJAgRh-oJAghw-pp1qh2-oJAfcq-poZH4S-pFd1t4-pp1odT-pp3ixj-pFw1ML-pp3hv9-pp3gTY-pFrGfX-q7s3Rr-duXQEq-oJDgN4-a3wTiC-dpdReD-dpe1kJ-dpdQRp-dpdZPd-dpdQmr-dpdZus-dpdQ1B-dpdPPP-dpdZ1S-dpdPwi-dpdPo6-dpdPbT-dpdNXZ-dpdNNM-dpdNDv-dpdXQA-dpdXDw-dpdXrC-dpdMT4-dpdMJV-dpdWTJ-dpdMkp-dpdMan-dpdWhW-dpdW4W-dpdVV9-dpdLfk-dpdKW8-dpdV51-dpdUVE-dpdUL7-dpdUsW.

McNulty, J. (2004). Preventing Columbine: Psychologist Elliot Aronson delivers Faculty Emeritus Lecture February 11. UC Santa Cruz Currents Online. Retrieved from http://currents.ucsc.edu/03-04/02-02/aronson.html.

Stuart-Cassel, V, Terzain, M, & Bradshaw, C. (2013). SOCIAL BULLYING: Correlates, Consequences, and Prevention. Safe Supportive Learning.  Retrieved 18 Feb 2015 from http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/1315%20NCSSLE%20Social%20Bullying%20d7_lvr_0.pdf.

Taki, M., Slee, P., Hymel, S., Sim, H-O, & Swearer, S. (2008). A New Definition and Scales for Indirect Aggression in Schools. International Journal of Violence and School. Retrieved 2 Feb 2015 from http://www.ijvs.org/files/Revue-07/01.-Taki-Ijvs-7.pdf.

Working Word. (2009). Anti-bullying Respect Tour 2009. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/workingword/4663156174/in/photolist-874TSo-5ZZxpm-hSsF8H-hSsE4m-bzbf5r-4ZXvxq-bmgnJW-bmgn1C-bmgiys-bmgV25-bzbMdz-bmgUDA-bmgUpd-bzbLwp-bmgTYj-bzbL7c-bzbKVc-bzbKJ6-bmgT1C-bzbK7X-bzbfR4-bzbfEB-bmgnzU-bzbePH-bzbeoK-bmgmxL-bmgmmy-bzbdBp-bzbdqV-bzbdag-bmgkm5-bmgkbj-bmgjWE-bzbcoH-bmgjBj-bzbbWT-bzbbJt-bmgiXU-bzbbm6-bmgijY-bmgi77-bmghSC-bzbabx-bzb9M4-bmggXj-bmggN5-bmggA3-bmggqW-bzb8KV-bzbKyi.

by Cynthia Roebuck
April 19, 2015


19
Apr 15

Sexism in Nursing

boys-area-no-girls-allowedSex discrimination is a known problem for women in the scientific and medical communities (Ceci & Williams, 2011; MacWilliams, et al., 2013).  In my first life as a biologist I saw a field dominated by men where women were clawing their ways through the maze of publications and funding; they tried desperately to gain legitimacy as scientists.  In 2004 I decided to become a nurse and the situation in nursing is the complete opposite.  It is a profession dominated by women and not just at the bedside but at scientific conferences and in the achievement of funding, advanced training, tenure-track academic positions and nursing management positions (MacWilliams, et al., 2013).  The predominance of women in nursing makes the profession ripe for a reversal of the sex discrimination with which we are most accustomed, called sexism. Sexism as defined by Kwantes, Bergeron and Kaushal (2012) refers to “…differential and often detrimental treatment of a person based on that person’s sex” (p. 331).  According to Glick and Fiske (1996), sexism is multi-dimensional and is comprised of two subtypes: hostile and benevolent which combine to become ambivalent sexism.  Glick and Fiske focused solely on the impact of sex discrimination on women and disregarded men completely.  Yet, I believe these three types of sexism exist in nursing toward men. The purpose of this post will be to examine the types of sexism in the context of nursing.

Hostile sexism refers to the type of sexism with which most are likely familiar.  Hostile sexism includes blatant negative attitudes and behaviors toward an individual based on gender (Kwantes, et al).  In the nursing profession, men can sometimes be subjected to negative attitudes and anti-male comments by their female counterparts including female nurse educators (MacWilliams, et al., 2013).  In fact, male nursing students report more exposure to sexism than males in other educational programs (Kermode, 2006).

Benevolent sexism may seem to be the most benign form yet it can have consequences for men in the nursing workplace. Benevolent sexism focuses on the manifestations of traditional gender stereotypes (Glick & Fiske, 1996).  An example of benevolent sexism in nursing is the “feminine imagery” of nursing as reported by MacWilliams and colleagues (2013, p.40).  In this context, the image of nursing favors a feminine model whereby nurses are caring, soothing and compassionate, qualities that are stereotypically assigned to females (MacWilliams, et al).  This feminine ideal is reported as a barrier to men entering the field in particular (MacWilliams, et al).

The final type of sexism defined by Glick and Fiske (1996) is ambivalent sexism.  Ambivalent sexism refers to the simultaneous expression of hostile and benevolent sexism.  I believe an example of this in nursing is the simultaneously held beliefs that men are incapable of being tender and compassionate in the care of others while also believing men could not adequately function in a nursing role due to limited ability to multi-task (MacWilliams, et al., 2013).

male nurse

Although the number of men in nursing continues to rise, there are still far fewer men in the profession and in the process of obtaining credentials to enter the profession (MacWilliams, et al, 2013).  The goals defined by the Institute of Medicine include making the nursing workforce as diverse as the population it serves (MacWilliams, et al.). As the nursing shortage continues to grow, it is imperative that nursing take a good look at how it can solve the ongoing issues of sexism in the profession to make nursing a more attractive option to all regardless of sex.  To do this, intervention development should focus on tailored approaches to address hostile, benevolent and ambivalent sexism.


19
Apr 15

As a manager…selective perception…

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I find myself attempting to relate all of the information that we have learned within this course to be a learning experience.  Looking for the information to change how I am doing things in my life to better my experiences outside of the “classroom” so to speak.  One topic that really caught my attention in the lesson on applying social psychology to organization is the concept of selective perception.

Selective perception is noted by Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) as rewarding or reprimanding one person’s behavior while not noticing when others do the same behavior.  This type of perception can sometime sneak up on someone as a manager and it is a very easy thing to fall into.  Being aware of such flaws in perception, a person can make constant efforts to avoid this error and be more fair to his or her employees.

I have thought about many times when this has happened and in supervising many employees it can become a bit commonplace.  Sometimes behaviors of one person will stick out to you, whereas others may not be noticed.  They fly under the radar, so to speak.  As a manager, understanding this and making yourself aware of this is the best way to curb this altogether and learning about this topic has changed the way in which I manage.  I have spent a good deal of time in the last few months evaluating the ways in which I am fair and I am working to reduce my selective perception in daily situations at work.  Because of this awareness, I have been much more cognizant about the actions of my employees and the consistency in dealing with different situations which have arisen.

Development of manager trainings in selective perception would be beneficial for many different agencies.  This type of perception can become problematic, especially when it regards disciplinary action or performance of an employee.  Through my experience, I noticed that I was much more aware of my perceptions during day to day experiences that I felt as though I was handling  situations more fairly, and I am sure that other managers could have the same experience.  By learning about this perception flaw, people who are in leadership positions could develop their own styles to avoid falling into this flaw.  Ongoing evaluation of the consistency and fairness of a manager is important to ensuring success and employee satisfaction, so any program which encourages such could benefit the organization as a whole.

Although my experience could be unique to me, I tend to believe that this experience and understanding of this concept would be beneficial to others in leadership positions.  I learned about my own perceptions and moved towards a more consistent leadership style.  This seems as though it would be an easy trap to fall back into so ongoing evaluation of my own personal skills is important, and would be important to anyone looking to grow as a leader and avoid selective perceptions when dealing with their employees.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J. & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.


19
Apr 15

Social support from a cancer survivor…

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One concept which I found to be interesting in the lesson on applying social psychology to health was the concept of social support.  I found this probably one of the most interesting when reading as just under three years ago I found myself in a situation where I needed a significant amount of support and I found my experience resonating through my head as I was reading the information in the text.

On October 12, 2012, at the age of 30 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer.  I found the next several months to be filled with arrays of tests and treatment, loss of my hair and other side effects due to chemotherapy, and surgeries to treat this ugly disease.  Another thing I found myself to be surrounded with was an array of support and networks which to find information about how to deal with the situation at hand.  I found myself learning more about how to deal with the situation and finding new ways to use this support to my advantage.  To use the different groups in order to get through each day and conquer my unfortunate circumstances.  It truly was because of this support that I was able to get through this time and do so with minimal effects on my life.

As I was reading the text, I related much of the supports listed surrounded me each and everyday.  According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) social support is defined as the “resources we get from other people” and my experience was nothing short of a system which helped me get through this situation.  First, I had emotional support from my close friends and family.  They provided me with love, empathy and security which is what emotional support provides (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  Secondly, I got esteem support from several different people, but I found this the most through my friend Jamie.  She saw me at my worst, and saw through me each choice that I made regarding my treatment, whether it was the right one or not.  There were times which I may have made decisions which were not in the best interest of my health, but regardless of my faults, she accepted me, and my choices.

My esteem support...

My esteem support…

Instrumental (or tangible) support is defined as practical help (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) and this was the case with many people through this time.  Whether it was coming to treatment to sit with me for hours, or helping me to decorate my house for Christmas, others were there.  They helped to get things done that were a normal part of my life and kept me inspired to keep moving forward.  Informational support was provided to me through the place I was getting treatment and my social worker was the point person when it came to this.  Informational support includes getting information about a situation and is really useful when the circumstances are new to us (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) and in this case, this was an important aspect to my battle.

One aspect that was of the utmost important types of support which I got through this was my network support.  Network support is a sense of membership to others who share our experiences (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  A few months after I started treatment, I had stopped at a gas station with my fiancé and the woman behind the counter recognized my port (where I get chemotherapy treatments) and began telling me her story.  She and I conversed for a while and bid our goodbyes.  My fiancé made an interesting statement which I will never forget.  He said, “whether you wanted to or not, you are in a very important and special club, that nobody will completely understand until they are in it, and everyone of you have an experience that you share which is like no other”.  This was the absolute truth and it is the best way to describe the network support which I found in this club.  We all have an experience and an understanding of each other, and this provides so much support for dealing with our situation.

I thought of ways in which people, as a whole, going though this experience do or don’t have support.  Having this support is key, and having all of those different types of support as identified by Schneider, Gruman & Coutts (2012)  is of the utmost importance.  Looking at social programs and developments when it comes to support, those working with groups of people who are ill, must ensure that these supports are in place.  They must ensure that support is coming from all different directions and using these definitions to create supports are a good way to ensure this.  Development of programs which address these areas is important for those working with people’s of this special “club” as providing support is the best way to ensure people are able to get through this awful circumstance handed to them.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J. & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.


19
Apr 15

The Joy of Reading and the Overjustification Effect

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Source: Parents-Choice.org

When my daughter was in second grade and all through the summer, I could not get her to put her books down. Now that she is in third grade, giving her a book to read is like a form of punishment. Somewhere, at sometime, my daughter’s enjoyment of reading turned into the dreadful “chore” of reading, a change most likely contributed to the overjustification effect.

Alexitch (2012) defines the overjustification effect as “the loss of motivation and interest as a result of receiving an excessive external reward” (p.198). In other words, my daughter may have initially been intrinsically motivated to read, purely because it was enjoyable for her. However, when she began to receive an external reward for reading, such as a weekly prize from the 3rd grade treasure box, the motivation to read suddenly became about the prize rather than the initial enjoyment of reading. Now, one would think that the incentive to receive a prize would motivate a child who already enjoys reading to read more, rather than reduce her motivation to read at all, but research has proven otherwise.

Lepper, Greene and Nisbett (1973) observed three groups of preschoolers to see the effects of external awards on intrinsic motivation to play with a set of magic markers. First, all of the preschoolers were given the option to play with the magic markers, among several other activities, over a three day period. The children observed playing with the markers on their own were then randomly divided into three groups two weeks later. All three groups were told that a visitor was coming to see the kind of pictures they would draw with the magic markers. Then, two of the groups were asked if they would like to draw a picture for the visitor, while the third group was told they would be given an award if they drew a picture for the visitor. All of the children enthusiastically agreed and drew pictures for the visitor with the magic markers. After the children finished their drawings, the first group was returned to their classroom. Members of the second group were unexpectedly given a “Good Player Award” certificate and members of the third group were given the “Good Player Award” certificates as they expected. Finally, the children’s time playing with the magic markers on their own was observed again a week to two weeks later and compared with the time they spent playing with them before the “visitor” came. The results revealed that the children in the third group, who were told they would receive a reward, spent a significantly less amount of time playing with the magic markers and, when they did, the quality of their pictures decreased as well. Meanwhile, the quality of work and time spent using the magic markers remained the same for the other two groups. Lepper, Greene and Nisbett (1973) concluded that anticipated external rewards for engagement in an activity does negatively decrease the “pleasures and satisfaction of [the activity] in its own right” (p. 135), particularly when the activity’s intrinsic value was initially high.

Now I know why my attempts to reward my daughter with ice cream and play dates when she has completed a week’s worth of reading homework has been unsuccessful! Without knowing it, my efforts have added to the effect rather than reversing it. So then, what is a mother to do when her daughter’s motivation to read has been decreased, due to the overjustification effect? Further research has revealed that the overjustification effect “may be minimized or even reversed” (p. 201) by focusing on the personal enjoyment and satisfaction one feels while engaging in the activity rather than any external rewards received after the activity is completed (Alexitch, 2012). I guess my daughter and I will be spending some time talking about the joys of reading tonight.

References

Alexitch (2012). Applying social psychology to education. In F. W. Schneider, J. A. Gruman, & L. M. Coutts (Authors), Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (Second ed., pp. 191-215). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications

Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: A test of the “overjustification” hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1), 129-137. doi:10.1037/h0035519


18
Apr 15

telecommuting feel-goodness

Last time out, I talked about how we’re all slaves to an oligarchical system that, let’s face it, we’ve put in place. And we talked, in a very meandering fashion because I end up writing these in the wee hours of the morning when I’m half delirious, about one way to change it: by altering the system through (GASP) doing our own research, learning the candidates, and voting your conscience rather than your paycheck.

See, traditionally the Right says they want less taxes (or more uniform-percentage taxes) which mean they get to keep more money – which remember we equated to time. And conversely the Left says they want to get more benefits for the lower-SES folks (and that money’s got to come from somewhere. Hint: it won’t be out of the government’s cut). The difficulty comes hence: what happens when someone is suited to cross-purposes, such as an out-of-work person who is devoutly Catholic and thus presumably against abortion and same-sex marriage? I have no idea; I couldn’t find any peer-reviewed research on it. Going purely off gut instinct here and personal experience, I’m going to go ahead and guess that filling the fridge (and making that month’s rent and cell phone payments) are going to be slightly more important in the short-term than moral accountability in the afterlife. I personally know a few extremely financially well-off people with alternative lifestyles, and though there is a strong detriment to survivorship and marriage, they consistently vote conservative because that side favors lower taxes and fiscal responsibility – despite the fact that neither side has actually lowered taxes or appreciably reduced the debt in a very, very, very long time.

But I digress.

I have another thought for getting out of the funk on a personal level and limiting at least our sense of enslavement: telecommuting. What if we weren’t tethered to our office, and bound by common decency to wear pants to work? Arguably, there are some jobs you just can’t do from home: emergency services, fast food, elementary school teacher, or street-corner drug dealer (DO NOT take that last one seriously. It’s illegal. You’ll end up in jail or dead or both). But law (apart from court, obviously)? Accounting? The bulk of the financial sector? Medicolegal death investigators? That last one is just wishful thinking because I don’t have a take-home vehicle… and that’s what I do for a living – and in fact where I am right now as I type this. In my office, standing by for…

…umm, tasking.

Speaking of task: how many of us spend time doing the rush-hour grind to and from The Grind? Redmond & Mokhtarain (2001) found a 1995 FHWA survey which revealed that 17.7% of the trips taken and 22.5% of the miles driven in the US are commutes to and from work, and that 52% of us think we commute too far. For me, I drive a truck. And it’s a big’un: four wheel drive, dual rear wheel, back seat big enough for a Single mattress (literally), weighs almost as much as three Toyotas, diesel engine, gets all of about 17 miles to the gallon on the highway, and could pull my house off the foundation if I hook it up right. And with a 17-mile commute to work through mixed city and rural state highway driving, I burn about three gallons round trip every day going to work. Thankfully, I work fewer days than normal jobs because I’m not on a nine-to-five shift. The average person commutes roughly 10.25 miles one-way to work (Moritz, 1997), and in traffic you’re looking at a LOT of time in traffic annually. With my 17-mile commute, I spend about 35 minutes one-way in Il Mostro (Italian for “the monster”, which is what I call my truck) – 364 times a year, which is 182 work days. Yes, I know most people work 260 days a year (5 days x 52 weeks, if they don’t take a vacation), but remember I work 12-hour shifts, so I work seven shifts in a pay period as opposed to the normal ten. At my rate, I spend 8.85 DAYS in my truck every year, just driving to work. Giuliano & Small (1993) found the average commute time hovering right around 22.5 minutes one-way (8.125 days per working year), so I’m just slightly above average…

Hey mom! Look! I’m ABOVE average! Oh, wait…

As opposed to stuffing ourselves into our little crushwagon econoboxes and slogging down the byways at half the speed of smell for 45 minutes a day, we could be telecommuting. Think about it: what if your commute to work involved nothing more than a trip to that spare bedroom your significant other uses to store excess junk? Maybe a stop in the kitchen for a quick mug of joe and a toaster pastry on the way, instead of grinding through the local fast food joint to snag some baco-eggo-muffin-esque half a million calorie thing and a pre-leaking foam cup of Caution: Hot Beverage that looks, smells, and tastes more like used Pennzoil than coffee. Fire up the computer, kick the phone ringer on, and you’re at work. No more hour-long routine to get yourself and your children (two-legged or four) ready and in their cage (or off to school). We could be using that extra time in permissible industries to increase productivity, as Fast Company suggests here:

http://www.fastcompany.com/3035605/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-exact-amount-of-time-you-should-work-every-day

Telecommuting shouldn’t necessarily add working hours to the day, although “four tens” has been shown to actually increase productivity. Kellogg famously said that shifting to the shorter week yielded increased profits and decreased overhead sufficient that, in the 1930s (the Great Depression), the company could “afford to pay as much for six hours as we formerly paid for eight”. Ashley Ellis has a great highlight of the four tens scheme here:

http://www.ashleyellis.com/2012/03/are-four-tens-for-your-business/

But as with all coins, there’s a flip side. Dembe, Erickson, Delbos, & Banks (2005) reveal that between 1987 and 2000, extra hours in the work day can account for as high as a 61% increased likelihood of workplace-related injury or sickness. Given that you’d be working at home, overtime technically isn’t “overtime” since you’d be blowing that time on your commute and getting ready – but the risk could still stand because you’re physically working the hours. And for those of us who’ve experienced true mental fatigue (as in “I feel like I haven’t slept in a week”), trust me: it sure feels like an injury, and takes almost as long to recover from.

Oddly enough, telecommuting was up 61% from 2005 to 2009, with over 4.9 million workers projected to be telecommuting by 2016 (Thompson, 2012). As she points out, that’s a drop in the bucket of the over 140 million-strong workforce, but 85% of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For on the Over-1000 Employees list have telecommuting listed as a benefit. Mix in a decent salary, not having to spend the money on fuel, accruing less wear and tear on your personal vehicle, and the associated potential lower auto insurance rate (less driving means less risk exposure for your carrier), and it’s not hard to see why telecommuting is a desired perk. Oh, and we can throw in that setting up your home office is tax-deductible – with a savvy accountant, one could find deductions for a lot of stuff associated with a home office if your company isn’t paying for it (internet, a portion of your utilities commensurate with the square footage of your home office, cable if you have it at the office, etc.). Obviously, there’s a complication, because there are always complications. If you’re on a VA, FHA, or HUD mortgage, you may have stipulations in your mortgage which state plainly and clearly that you cannot use more than 10% of your habitable square footage as income-producing property (EG a home office or home-based small business) so if you’re going to do it, pick a small room. Pick the smallest room. And if you’re on a lease, it’s probably a good idea to check with your landlord to make sure there won’t be conflicts on that end, because nothing will gangland assassinate a telecommuting deal like missing a deadline because your building’s internet provider shut down for maintenance at 2 pm on a Friday afternoon (or you forgot to pay the bill).

So if you can manage to convince the boss to let you telecommute, you can take pride in the fact that you’re reducing your carbon footprint by not driving (http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/american-carbon-footprint), helping to ease pollution by staying out the traffic jams (Pant & Harrison, 2013), and saving your company space (and thus money, which they’ll like). Plus it gets you unleashed from the ball and chain, if not released from your shackles. Because, after all, the bills are still locks and our corporate masters still jiggle the keys in our faces.

 

REFERENCES:

Redmond LS & Mokhtarain PL (2001). The positive utility of the commute: modeling ideal commute time and relative desired commute amount. Transportation 28:2 (pp. 179-205). Springer.

Moritz WE (1997). Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results. Transportation Research Record 1578 (pp. 91-101). DOI: 10.3141/1578-12

Guiliano G & Small KA (1993). Is the journey to work explained by urban structure? Urban Studies 30:9 (pp. 1485-1500). Sage. DOI: 10.1080/00420989320081461

Dembe AE, Erickson JB, Delbos RG, & Banks SM (2005). The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: New evidence from the United States. Occupational & Environmental Medicine 62:9 (pp. 588-597). BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/oem.2004.016667

Thompson K (2012). Working through telecommuting. Phi Kappa Phi Forum 92:2 (p. 23). Online. Retrieved 4/18/15 from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1020414835/fulltext/96E6F7748C9A4827PQ/1?accountid=13158

Pant P & Harrison RM (2013). Estimation of the contribution of road traffic emissions to particulate matter concentrations from field measurements: A review. Atmospheric Environment 77 (pp. 78-97). Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.04.028

 


18
Apr 15

the system’s slaves

I have a confession: I’m a slave. I wear a badge and a firearm for work, but of my own fate I am neither master nor commander.

I also have some breaking news, which may be a bit shocking: if you have a job, so are you.

Think about it: if you have a job, the location of that job dictates where you can live, due to chronological commuting constraints – because you have to get to that job. The amount of liquid capital (as in, salary) you’re paid in exchange for your time dictates where within that distance you can afford to live. Based on the amount of your salary, which was earned with your time and thus can be said to equate to the amount of your time, you fork over for rent or mortgage, the leftover quantity dictates the quality and quantity of necessities and luxuries you can afford – if any. The schedule at your place of employment dictates things we consider basic human rights such as when you can sleep, when you can eat (based on break times), when you can see your family, and what kinds of things you can do for luxury (because some luxury activities may require more time than you have available).

The amount of salary you earn can even dictate who you love. Sure, we don’t have social classes here in Western society, but when was the last time you heard of a Hollywood actor falling in love with a drive-through fry cook? Lawyer and janitor? A politician and an “occupy” activist? We can go ahead and ignore the 84 Lumber founder here as an anomaly – he’s been married to several of his female secretaries. It happens that the top SES folks sometimes get involved with the lower rungs, but not enough that I could even find statistics on it. Unless these folks knew each other before making their money, or one of them is more highly preferable for partnership (Sprecher & Regan, 2002), there’s not much likelihood the prince(ess) would give a second look to the poor farmer’s kid.

Who, then, you might ask, in our capitalist Western society isn’t a slave? Well, outside of the oligarchy which owns our industries (often corporate entities, not even identifiable people) and subsidizes our education system in order to indoctrinate their own preferred ideologies (Bourguignon & Verdier, 2000), essentially no one. The closest we have in the US are the “out-of-work” class, those with neither legitimate gainful employment nor intent to seek such but whom nonetheless draw a consistent and livable salary from the government in the form of welfare (excluding those who’ve paid into the Social Security pension system and now live on the meager fruits of their lifelong labor). But are they really free either? Political parties swap back and forth every few generations it seems as to who are “conservative” and who are “liberal” – but they’re both in charge if not necessarily in control. They dole out resources by vote and veto, thus maintaining the tethers on the out-of-work class who can’t afford to not “vote” their paychecks, and the working class who can’t afford to vote for whichever side promises to tax them less.

The ruling class, our political oligarchy, are relentlessly beholden to the powers that made them: money, and from whence it came. Fail to toe the line, and financial support will wane or be wholly extricated. Ergo, we are both our own masters and our own slaves. We buttress the industries which finance the politicos’ campaigns, whom are then beholden to and regulate industry, and decide how much of the fruits of our labor we get to keep and how much will be seized for redistribution as they see fit (to themselves, infrastructure, and to the out-of-work class).

Right about now, the thought we share is “hang on a minute, bubba. This is an applied social psychology blog. Where in tarnation are you going with this?”

Here’s the intervention: in order to stop the madness, WE have to stop the madness. Just as our forefathers waged a revolution sparked by the principle of taxation without representation, we have to eschew our own interests and realize we are being taxed but not represented now by our own domestic government. We have to stop “voting our paychecks” and start actually becoming involved. By spending some of our (very) finite leisure time on finding out about candidates and incumbents directly – rather than what media hyperbole would have us believe – and using our own power of public veto to emplace representatives who are truly that, we can affect change. In 1900, our government’s spending was at 6.9% of GDP and currently hovers around 40%. Check it out:

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/include/usgs_chart2p21.png

Where is it going? Does it matter? The 12th US Census in 1900 concluded there were about 76.2 million citizens, compared to 309.3 million today (census.gov). In 1900, governance at all levels employed “somewhat more than one million persons” (Fabricant, 1949, p.3) – about 1.5% of the population. Today it sits at about 21.9 million – just under 7.1% of the population. As government gets bigger, it needs more servants to keep its mouth fed. Just like a bigger farm needs either improved technology or more hands to work it, our government (an entity, not a person) needs more to keep itself alive.

By looking to the candidates themselves – their attendance records, their stances on key issues which matter to us, their administrations’ spending habits – we can directly affect change in our system and sow seeds which will later hopefully bear fruit. But if we continue down the road we’re on where the only information we get is from media sources which are not only biased but also parts of the conglomerations to and for which we are slave and servant, we’re going to keep getting more of the same. Go ahead, get hung up on one issue. Toss a candidate out of contention based on spin (yes, I’m referring directly to Romney here, who brought back the failing Bain which later failed again and had taken no salary during his time as a governor previously, and Obama, targeted by “birthers” and his lack of non-government employment) or follow one for the same reason (George HW Bush’s “read my lips” and Clinton’s “definition of the word is” comments come to mind).

I think if we cut the news media – who are essentially all just spin doctors for one side or the other – out of campaigning, and curtail smear tactics beyond reporting verifiable metrics of opposing campaigns and opponents, we’ll actually have an opportunity to get to know candidates: who they are, what they stand for based on what they’ve done in the past (like how many votes they’re present for, actual work experience where they pay taxes, etc.), and whatnot, it would help. But the key variable here is voting. We, indirectly, make policy because we vote the policymakers into place. Granted, they get there with money paid by organizations for which we work who donate profits gleaned from the fruits of our labor, which buys ad time to get their name slathered into our short-term consciousness. Hey, any press is good press (McKinnon & Kaid, 2009) and the more a candidate’s name gets out there, the more likely voters are to remember it when the time comes to push the button (Balmas & Sheafer, 2010).

But if we change our mindset to be aware of things for ourselves, to think for ourselves, and to make up our own minds based on what we think is best rather than who we think had the best narrative, we might find we’re more kindred to the other side of the aisle than we think and less likely to just go with the lesser of two (or three) evils.

Then again, are we? I don’t have time to go into it; I have to get back to work.

 

REFERENCES:

Sprecher S & Regan PC (2002). Liking some things (in some people) more than other: Partner preferences in romantic relationships and friendships. Social and Personal Relationships 19:4 (pp. 463-481). DOI: 10.1177/0265407502019004048

Bourguignon F & Verdier T (2000). Oligarchy, democracy, inequality and growth. Development Economics 62:2 (pp. 285-313). DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3878(00)00086-9

Fabricant S (1949). The rising trend of government employment. New York, NY: National Bureau of Economic Research. ISBN: 0-87014-344-1

McKinnon LM & Kaid LL (2009). Exposing negative campaigning or enhancing advertising effects: An experimental study of adwatch effects on voters’ evaluations of candidates and their ads. Applied Communication Research 27:3 (pp. 217-236). DOI: 10.1080/009098899093655337

Balmas M & Sheafer T (2010). Candidate image in election campaigns: Attribute agenda setting, affective priming, and voting intentions. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 22:2 (pp. 204-229). DOI: 10.1093/ijpor/edq009


17
Apr 15

Similar-To-Me Effect in the Workplace

Humans cannot analyze information in an unbiased way like computers can. According to Greenberg, people “are far from perfect when it comes to gathering information about others and then making judgments about them” (Greenberg, 2010). As a matter of fact, it is more probable “to be the rule than the exception” that people’s judgments of others will be flawed (Greenberg, 2010). When all is said and done, people are not precisely unbiased in the judgments they make. As a result, this can lead to significant issues for people and the organizations where they work.

There are numerous systematic biases that get in the way of making entirely unbiased judgments of others. “These reflect systematic biases in the ways [people] think about others in general” (Greenberg, 2010). These biases together are known as perceptual biases. Perceptual biases are defined as “predispositions that people have to misperceive other sin various ways” (Greenberg, 2010). Types of perceptual biases include the fundamental attribution error, the halo effect, the first-impression error, selective perceptions, and the similar-to-me-effect. The similar-to-me affect “states that individuals get along with people who tend to look and think like we do” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2015). It is a fact that “people with similar personalities tend to get along because they think, feel and act very similarly” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2015).

The similar-to-me effect represents a possible cause of bias when it comes to judging other people. “In fact, research has shown that when superiors rate their subordinates, the more similar the parties are, the higher rating the superior tends to give” (Greenberg, 2010). “This tendency applies with respect to several different dimensions of similarity, such as similarity of values and habits, similarity of beliefs about the way things should be at work, and similarity with respect to demographic variables (such as age, race, gender, and work experience)” (Greenberg, 2010). The similar-to-me effect seems to be partially the outcome of the tendency for “people to be able to emphasize and relate better to similar others and to be more lenient toward them” (Greenberg, 2010). Yet, “it also appears that subordinates tend to be more trusting and confident in supervisors when they perceive as similar to themselves than those perceived as dissimilar” (Greenberg, 2010). Subsequently, they may have more of a “positive relationship with such individuals and this may lead superiors to judge similar subordinates more favorably” (Greenberg, 2010).

Untitled

Interviews are a type of employment tool used by employers to gain an understanding of a candidates experience, personality, etc. for selection for various positions. They are an essential part of the employment process because they are a chance for the employer to learn about the candidate and see if they are a fit for the position. One of the drawbacks to interviews is the similar-to-me effect however. According to Sears and Rowe, “higher interview ratings are given towards interviewees who possess similar attitudes and demographics as the interviewer” (Sears & Rowe, 2003). One justification for this effect is through pure similarity. “If both the interviewer and interviewee are similar, whether in demographics or even education level, they will develop more accurate perceptions of the other’s self-concepts, as the two self-concepts will be similar” (Sears & Rowe, 2003).

Biases make sense from an evolutionary perspective because “biases arise because of [people’s] use of heuristics, or rules of thumb, to govern much of [their] daily decision-making” (Fiske, 1999). However, heuristics can lead to biased decision making such as in the workplace, particularly in a job interview. Job interviews are a “highly subjective process” and “interviewers often have a range of biases that dramatically affect their perspectives of individual job candidates” such as the similar-to-me-effect (Fiske, 1999). Although this particular biases can be difficult to overcome, Fiske advises people to be themselves but to look for any areas of potential overlap between them and their interviewers” (Fiske, 1999).

References

Fiske, P. (1999, October 22). Bias: Identifying, Understanding and Mitigating Negative Biases in your Job Search. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/1999_10_22/nodoi.8930516359644216613

Greenberg, J. (2010). Perception and Learning: Understanding and Adapting to the Work Environment. In Behavior in organizations: Student value edition. Place of publication not identified: Prentice Hall.

Sears, G. J., & Rowe, P. M. (2003). A personality-based similar-to-me effect in the employment interview: Conscientiousness, affect-versus competence-mediated interpretations, and the role of job relevance. Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 35(1), 13-24. doi:10.1037/h0087182

The Pennsylvania State University (2015). PSYCH 424: Applied Social Psychology. Lesson 12: Relationships/Everyday Life.


17
Apr 15

Hollywood: The Non-community

hwb

Riots, gang violence, break-ins, shoot-outs, undercover police sting, car theft, you name it, we experienced it in what we now affectionately call that time of our lives- Hollywood-hell. This was back in the 80’s before Hollywood was “Disneyfied”. My husband worked at Paramount Pictures blocks from where we lived and I was a cartoon ink and paint artist in the Valley. So, we decided to live in Hollywood instead of commuting, as shuttling to Hollywood from the greater Los Angeles area could take up most of your life. We thought we were being efficient. Unfortunately, we just didn’t know any better.

wofIn Hollywood the crime was terrifying, the homeless, runaway and prostitute situation depressing, and these social problems were exacerbated by the lack of community cohesiveness. For the individual, the community is integral to sustain an enhanced quality of life. It is where we come together as individuals, as diverse as we are, with shared values and goals. I grew up in a large city with an enormous heart and a strong sense of belonging, harmony and fellowship. I never realized how important community was until I left and was without a support system. There were benefits of living in Hollywood such as our careers and experiencing the diverse cultures were an invaluable the growing experience we savored. So why were we feeling so disconnected? In community psychology, there is a recognition that the difficulties that arise from where one lives need to be addressed at the community level. This is where positive change can be effected (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

There are particular values and approaches defined by community psychologists that address the central points of community living. The first approach state there needs to be a sense of community, referring to fostering a feeling of belonging (Schneider et al., 2012). Rarely did I witness community interdependence as in order to survive people had to be independent. The competition for jobs and a place to live turned Hollywood into a competitive, ruthless and cutthroat community. It reminded me of playing that early computer game Oregon Trail where the object of the game is to not die of starvation, cold or disease. There was definitely a pioneer feeling in Hollywood, as to survive and thrive was the goal but most failed and ended up going back where they came from.ot

Another recognized value a community needs to nurture is the ecological perspective (Schneider et al., 2012). Ecological refers to the societal configurations people belong to such as families, work or politics. Of all the structures in Hollywood, the family suffers the greatest. Most people I met were from somewhere else, leaving loved ones behind in pursuit of their dreams. This left them afloat in a world that did not care for them as individuals and evoked an enormous sense of isolation. My best friend was from Poland and I often saw tears in her eyes as she spoke of her grandmother knowing she would never see her again. Los Angeles is cruel to immigrants, my friend was a concert violinist who played concert halls all across Europe but in Los Angeles she worked a minimum wage job. Her husband was a famous director of photography in Poland but now worked the night shift as a janitor. They were isolated with no support; no family to help or rely on and this exacted an enormous toll on their lives. Worse was they had come from a place where the sense of community was warm and protective, but the economic situation was dire so they gave up one for the other but in the end failed at both.

LAAnother community value is wellness and prevention which refers to physical, as well as mental health (Schneider et al., 2012). Lack of mental health care in Hollywood was ubiquitous and would take a book to write about not a blog. The homeless condition is one of the saddest situations I have ever encountered in my life. The lack of care for the mentally ill and young runaways was never more apparent than in Hollywood. Every time I needed money out of my neighborhood ATM there was a man standing by the machine one foot from me screaming obscenities. The whole time. Every time. While he shouted, I wondered what could have happened in this man’s life so he ended up near the corner of Hollywood and Vine yelling at people, day in, day out, year after year. The wretchedness of the situation sometimes is so pervasive it threatens to swallow you whole leaving nothing behind.

ctThe need to respect diversity is another value or approach that psychologist have addressed as important in fostering community (Schneider et al., 2012). I absolutely loved this aspect of living in Los Angeles because I could shift between cultures and learn about them all. Being an American, I felt this was easier for me than the immigrants because I grew up with diverse cultures and ethnicities. Though, in Los Angeles all the various ethnic or sexual orientation groups stayed separate and isolated. There was no unity and the different groups had trouble mixing because they did not understand each other.

Social justice was probably the hardest of all to deal with as the division of the wealthy and the poor was stark. How do you foster a sense of community that is so economically diverse? On one street, sit million dollar homes and the next street over there are 100’s of homeless gathered desperately trying to stay warm on the cold California nights. This was another factor in living there in which I never found peace (Schneider et al., 2012).belair

Community psychologists rely on input from the community leaders on planning programs and interventions (Schneider et al., 2012). Where I live now, it is very apparent who the community leaders are from our mayor to our local food bank coordinator. When I lived in Hollywood, I was never aware of any leader of any sort; I am sure they existed but were outside the peripheral of most people’s awareness.

Citizen participation and empowerment were values that were invisible in Hollywood (Schneider et al., 2012). The only type of citizen empowerment I was aware of were unions that the people in the motion picture industry joined. Though, these unions served the industry favorably but the people poorly.

The last two values of social action/activism and empirical grounding are two areas that a community psychologist uses as tools to evaluate, guide and change social circumstances. Their activities are informed by the research which in turns informs policy (Schneider et al., 2012). Hollywood was a microcosm of the world and I do not blame the leaders in the community for its lack of cohesiveness. The people needed to find a unifying factor to bring them together. It is in need of a specialized intervention on such a complex scale that to me is unfathomable.

imgresIn my Hollywood, there were no happy endings. Though, I remember one event that brought us together as a community. Early one morning we were awakened by the deafening roar of a freight train rumbling through our bedroom. We were thrown out of bed not awake enough to understand what was happening. We tried to maintain our balance running down the stairs which were undulating up and down like a fun park ride as we heard windows shattering, the building groaning and people screaming. We made it outside just as our massive concrete porch split and separated from the building it had been attached to for over a century. It was hard to know where to go for safety. We had heard door posts were safe but ours was collapsing around us while out in the street was sheer panic, car alarms, the trees bouncing, the ground swelling and dipping and babies crying. Then as quickly as it started it all stopped. The deafening roar that had awakened us was now silenced and people began to look around noticing everyone’s various state of undress. Those of us that had an extra shirt or piece of clothing were handing them out to those that had nothing on. Then it began all over again with the Earth rumbling and groaning and the deafening roar. Throughout the next few weeks, the earthquakes, now mere aftershocks and tremors would start and stop as the Earth eased back into a comfortable position. This was the only time I ever witnessed Hollywood coming together as a community. Food and clothing donation tents popped up out of nowhere. As ridiculous and out of touch as only Hollywood can be I saw one homeless guy wearing a mink. People became a bit friendlier, talking instead of ignoring each other as we came together for a short time and behaved like a real community. Though as most things in Hollywood it was simply an illusion and disappeared. It did show me that there could be change, the people simply needed a reason to unite and to feel they are a part of something larger than themselves. This is what a community is an extension of your family that you can turn to any time not just in a crisis.

Resources:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.

 


17
Apr 15

Similar-To-Me Effect in Employment

  Similar-to-me effect is known as one of the main reasons of attraction. According to the commentary, similar-to-me effect is defined as “individuals get along with people who tend to look and think like they do” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2015). This phenomenon is common in our life. People tend to like others who have the same interests, attitudes and thoughts with them. Similar people are easier to make friends with each other. However, in employment the similar-to-me effect could damage businesses.

Retrieved from http://www.webuildyourblog.com/internet-business-offer/

Retrieved from http://www.webuildyourblog.com/internet-business-offer/

  According to Dr. Jill Flint-Taylor, a business psychologist, similar-to-me effect makes sense because people tend to like others who share the interests and background (Manchester, 2013). This happens in interviews as well. When an interviewer finds an interviewee who has similar interests and background with her/him, s/he could hire the interviewee finally. This possibility was shown in Sears and Greg’s study. Their study tested whether a similar-to-me effect would affect interviews and 40 male undergraduates joined as a sample. The result showed that the similar-to-me effect did affect the interviewer in the consideration of conscientiousness. Interviewers who experienced similar-to-me effect would consider the interviewee as more suitable to the job and likely to hire this interviewee (Sears, Greg, Rowe, and Patricia, 2003).

Retrieved from https://www.score.org/business-tech-training

Retrieved from https://www.score.org/business-tech-training

  What would happen if similar-to-me effect influences the result of interviews? According to Dr. Flint-Taylor, too many similar individuals in a management team would be problematic. In this case everyone has similar skills, attitudes and thoughts (Manchester, 2013) The similar-to-me effect in employment makes a team lack of creativity and energy.   Next time when you apply for a job, let the interviewer know you have similarity with him. Maybe it helps you get the position. However, if you are an interviewer, try not being influenced by similar-to-me effect. This could lead you to build a team lack of creativity.

References
The Pennsylvania State University. (2015). Attraction_Lesson 12: Relationships/Everyday Life. PSYCH424: Applied Social Psychology. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/psych424/001/content/13_lesson/02_page.html

Sears, Greg J, Rowe, and Patricia M. (2003). A personality-based similar-to-me effect in the employment interview: Conscientiousness, affect-versus competence-mediated interpretations, and the role of job relevance. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Vol 35(1), Jan 2003, 13-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0087182

Manchester. (2013). ‘Similar-to-Me’ Effect Damaging Many Businesses, New Find the Edge Article Says. PRWeb. Retrieved from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/4/prweb10618993.htm

The images were retrieved from http://www.webuildyourblog.com/internet-business-offer/ and https://www.score.org/business-tech-training


16
Apr 15

When Children Act Up…Love Them!

When children misbehave, the parent’s disciplinary actions are often seen as a form of child abuse by others. There are different ways to discipline a child that is not considered child abuse like time-outs, restriction, or taking a favorite toy. Most parents want their child to grow up happy, healthy, and have self-confidence. Parents often think that disciplining their child will cause them to restrict these feelings but this is not true. Children learn from day one from what they see and hear. They mimic a word, gesture, or a respectful comment.

Children need discipline, parent’s that don’t discipline their child, often times the child’s behavior will reflect on the manner of the discipline (e.g. children that misbehave, defiant, and  disrespect others). Unfortunately, some parents tend to base their disciplinary action decisions to their child’s behavior before taking the time to understand the child’s point of view or what the misbehaving is all about. I think that the fine line between abuse and discipline is taking the time to calm down and listen.

Children also need to understand the form of discipline and why the parent is using it, let the child know that you are not just disciplining them to be mean. Explain to the child on their level of understanding why their behavior was wrong. Again, behaving is a learned behavior that stems rom cognitive dissonance. They are taught the difference between right and wrong so when they are actively misbehaving, although they know they shouldn’t, they do it anyway. When being disciplined for it, dissonance takes over.

Children that are deliberately defiant on a regular basis know they can get away with it simply because most parents are too quick to giving in when it come to following through with disciplining their child. Some occasions the parent will follow through with the not so harsh punishments, then other occasions they will give in on harsher ones because they may start to feel that the punishment was too much on their child. Children are smart and intuitive. They learn from trial and error. If they misbehave and they are disciplined for it, they remember how they were disciplined and depending on the harshness of the punishment, they will do it again.

According to Flaskerud, 2011, there is a comprehensive approach that can be taken that includes consideration of the parent-child relationship, reinforcement of desired behaviors, and consequences for negative behavior. There are three elements to focus on for effective discipline; 1) a positive, supporting, loving relationship between the parent(s) and the child, when a parent disciplines their child, tell them that what they did was wrong, but let the child know that even though they have to be disciplined, they are still loved and care for by the parent; 2) the use of positive reinforcement strategies to increase desired behaviors, Parents should reward their child when they behave appropriately; 3) removing reinforcement or applying punishment to reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors in children, when a child misbehaves, take one of their privileges away and explain to them that when they behave the way they are supposed to, they will get that privilege back (Flaskerud, 2011).

Some parents believe in spanking as a form of discipline, because their parents used it as a form of discipline with them as they grew up. Some of the disciplinary methods that our parents and grandparents used are now considered to be child abuse by today’s standards. Parents are often cautious with the form of discipline that they use in public, spanking their child in public for instance because many parents have been turned in for spanking their children for misbehaving in public. The people that have turned them in are often people that are against spanking, simply because they believe it to be a form of child abuse. It is unfortunate that the child is aware of the punishment that can be bestowed upon the parent because of the disciplinary actions that they took. Again, they learn from it and in time will use it against the parents when it comes time for discipline.

Our neighbor across the street had this very incident happen to them. They had a daughter that was very hard to handle, she was always getting into trouble. Then one day, she wasn’t living there any more. Her brother told us that she was removed from the home because of abuse. We grew up with this family on the same street for all of our childhood and early adulthood. Her parents would come over often to talk to my parents to ask for advice. They had quite a bit of experience because I have 6 additional brothers and sisters and my parents loved, nurturing, and used discipline with us (my brothers mostly), because they love us. So yes, children learn how to work the system too. The grass might not always be greener but it is a lesson all the same.

I believe in discipline as a learning tool to teach the child right from wrong, how to act in public, and how to be respectful. Discipline doesn’t need to leave a mark, nor should it ever, only a mark of love.

 

References:

Flaskerud, J.H. (2011). Discipline and Effective Parenting. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 32 (1), 82-84. doi:10.3109/01612840.2010.498078

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.


16
Apr 15

What Does Discipline and Child Physical Abuse Mean To You

I’m going to talk about a touchy subject; discipline. I do not believe in spanking a child, ever, for any reason, either in the name of discipline, or in punishment. To many people discipline means to punish, when in actuality it means to teach. The word discipline comes from the same Latin as does the word disciple, the former meaning to teach, and the latter meaning pupil (Collins Dictionary). Also, in Spanish la disciplina means to teach, however punish is el castigo, two different words with two different meanings just as it should be in English or in any language, the words are not interchangeable. There are also many misunderstandings surrounding some quotes from the Bible, specifically, ‘spare the rod, spoil the child” quoted from Proverbs 13:24. However, this particular quote is from a poem called Hudibras, written by Samuel Butler (Religious Tolerance), the poem makes a naughty reference to the mistress “disciplining” her lover (This Day in Quotes).

Hudibras frontispiece - William Hogarth[32]

So as you can see the idea of discipline and what it means remains a mystery, a conundrum, if you will, to many. A question came up very recently between myself and another person about another project I am working on in regards to spanking and child abuse. He asked, “but isn’t spanking child abuse?”, in response to something I had written in the paper and I agreed that it’s abuse, but explained that many people believe spanking to be an effective from of discipline, to which he expressed shock. Pennsylvania, which is where I live, defines child abuse as the following;

(A)   Any recent act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious physical injury to a child.

(B)   An act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious mental injury to or sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.

(C)   A recent act, failure to act or series of the acts or failures to act by a perpetrator which creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to or sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.

(D)   Serious physical neglect by a perpetrator constituting prolonged or repeated lack of supervision or the failure to provide the essentials of life, including adequate medical care, which endangers a child’s life or development or impairs the child’s functioning (PA Code).

The laws are better than they were due to the Sandusky trial, however they are still broad and subjective. How does one decide an injury is serious, or caused serious pain. Also, how do you decide if there was imminent risk to a child due to lack of supervision, how do you definitively decide that? Let us now look at the definition of abuse.

: to treat (a person or animal) in a harsh or harmful way

: to use or treat (something) in a way that causes damage

: to use (something) wrongly (Merriam-Webster)

A little less subjective, a little less broad, but still well open to personal interpretation.

question mark

Misunderstanding the meaning of the word discipline and then applying this misunderstanding to our children is a problem and social change needs to happen in order to clear up the misunderstanding. Social change theory includes research such as advocate research or participatory research. I believe the research method that will be most useful here will be advocate research. We need to intervene and advocate for cultural and social change; rework the mind set that discipline and punishment are not interchangeable words and have two different meanings and at the same time aim for a goal of banning corporal punishment and reducing child physical abuse. Programs aimed at disseminating information can be offered in social service agencies, churches, prisons, and daycare centers. Success of these programs can be statistically evaluated as rates of child abuse decrease, and misunderstanding and misuse of the word discipline decreases as well.

clarity

References

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/discipline

http://www.religioustolerance.org/spankin8.htm

http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/11/spare-rod-and-spoil-child-is-not-in.html

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/055/chapter3490/s3490.4.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abuse


16
Apr 15

Social Dating is not what it used to be

 

53cb1458513b2.image

As time progresses, it is natural for technological advances to also progress. In my lifetime alone I have seen the invention of the cell phone and the amazing year to year advances they design to improve it’s functioning. With this technological change, brought upon society a new way to date, such as online dating. In today’s world our smart phones are used more than our computers. This is because we can email, call, text and surf the web on our phones. Not to mention we can download applications that will “advance” our social lives. What I mean by this is that we can download dating applications, in order to find a new date on the go, or to stay in contact with a newfound companion anywhere we take our phones. This differs dramatically from how dates where set up in the past, because 15 years ago, these technologies did not exist, and thusly individuals would have to meet future dates in person, or by recommendation of a friend.

dating-app-usage

This picture illustrates perfectly the amount of individuals who date online verses their smart phone. You can see that the amount of users dating on their smartphone increases each year, to the point where in 2011 it beat online dating. This was the most current graph applied to this social problem, but I can only imagine its numbers now.

This change can be applied to social change research because the general idea is that the researcher(s) are actively changing something in a social situation that they are a part of (PSU 2015). It would be rather interesting to see the amount of social interactions, if researchers went to a bar and told patrons that they could not use their cell phones the entire time they were there. Would this decrease or increase the amount of socialization in that bar, because in today’s world we use our cell phones as a buffer. Constantly checking it, texting, playing games while talking, is a lack of attention focusing.

o-DATING-SMARTPHONE-facebook

This would be an interesting social experiment, because the current generation is not used to meeting companions through face to face interaction, but rather phone to phone interaction. In today’s America the total number of single people are around 54,250,000. With that being said, the total number of those individuals who use dating sites on their phones are roughly 41,250,000. (Statistic Brain 2014). This is a staggering number as it shows that only 13 thousand individuals do not use their smart phones to find dates. Perhaps online dating on your phone is the new “craze”, but the misconception is that you do not need to join one of these websites in order to find love. We as humans have been finding mates since time has begun, and I think we have done pretty good before we could show our emotions with smiley faces and heart eyes.

 

Online Dating Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.statisticbrain.com/online-dating-statistics/

 

The Pennsylvania State University. (2015). Lesson 13: Social Change/Participatory Research. Retrieved April 2015, from Psych424: Applied Social Psychology: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/psych424/001/content/14_lesson/03_page.html


16
Apr 15

Social Change for Sexual Assault

Over recent years, there has been a push to address sexual assault, and similar crime, occurring on college campuses. Currently, 1 in 5 women, or 18.3%, will report being raped within their lifetime. In comparison, 1 in 71 men, or 1.4%, will report being raped at one point in their lives (CDC, 2012). Of the 18.3% of women who report the crimes against them, 19% admit that their rape occurred since entering college, and 37.4% of these women confirmed it occurred between the ages of 18 and 24 (CDC, 2012).

In September of 2014, California adopted a law that will forever change their college campuses. This law is commonly referred to as the “Yes Means Yes” law (Welch, 2014). This law drastically changes the “hook up” culture and atmosphere, commonly found on college campuses. In light of the growing “hook up” culture, which gives individuals the freedom to have various relations with someone without a commitment, it makes it difficult and dangerous to protect oneself from unwanted contact and abuse. This law outlines and redefines the new terms of what consent is. Namely, when the other party says, “yes,” to whatever activity will be acted out, it gives an affirmative answer, so you do not have to guess what exactly they are willing to do.elle-sexual-assault-college-h-lgn

(via University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2014).

Social change refers to the significant change in social behavior and patterns, as well as cultural values and norms (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). Consent, by saying ‘yes,’ changes the different aspects within a social structure. For example, it is commonly thought that provocative clothing was an “advertisement for sex,” or that when a woman says “no,” they mean “yes,” they just do not want to come off as “easy,” (Rhode, 2007). “Yes” is a stronger affirmation than “no,” simply because it is engaging the individual to actively think about what they want. The law states, “Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent. Affirmative consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked at any time,” (California State Senate, 2014). This also has a part in restructuring the way that others interpret aforementioned stereotypes.campus_yesmeansyes

With growing concern about sexual safety on college campuses, “Yes Means Yes,” is a great law for other states and colleges to adopt. With new law, and changing stereotyped thoughts, college campuses will be safer and healthier for everyone. Social change is never easy: it actively shifts attitudes and beliefs to address social issues in positive ways (Palumbo, 2014). But understanding the power behind saying “yes” rather than “no,” will change views on consent and today’s “hook up” culture.

-Orlena Riner

References:

California State Senate. (2014, Sept 28). SB-967 Student Safety: Sexual Assault- Chapter748. Retrieved April 2015, from California Legislative Information: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB967

CDC. (2012). Sexual Violence- Facts at a Glance. Retrieved April 2015, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/SV-DataSheet-a.pdf

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (2014). Social Change Defined. Retrieved April 2015, from Cliffs Notes: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/sciences/sociology/social-change-and-movements/social-change-defined

Palumbo, L. (2014). Becoming an Agent of Social Change: A Guide for Youth Activists. Retrieved April 2015, from National Sexual Violence Resource Center: http://nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/saam_2014_becoming-an-agent-of-social-change_0.pdf

Rhode, D. L. (2007). Social Research and Social Change: Meeting the Challenge of Gender Inequality and Sexual Abuse. Harvard Journal of Law & Gender , 30, 11-24.

The Pennsylvania State University. (2015). Lesson 13: Social Change/Participatory Research. Retrieved April 2015, from Psych424: Applied Social Psychology: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/psych424/001/content/14_lesson/03_page.html

Welch, W. M. (2014, Sept 29). California Adopts “Yes Means Yes” Law. Retrieved April 2015, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2014/08/28/california-bill-yes-means-yes-sex-assault/14765665/


15
Apr 15

Using technology to fight cyber bullying

It would appear that advances in technology are being made on a daily basis, as such, it is becoming easier and easier to ‘hide’ behind a computer and say whatever one wishes without many restrictions. Internet accessibility is being incorporated into almost everything being produced nowadays. Therefore, just about anyone has the ability to hop online, and create an anonymous account. This allows people to take part in cyber bullying which is becoming a serious concern in today’s society. With more and more people joining social media each day, it is inevitable that we will all one day join the millions already using these sites. Numerous celebrities, companies and the like are all encouraging us to “Follow” or “Like” them on social media.

With the ever growing populations of social media, the question then becomes whether or not cyber bullying is becoming a thing of the norm. Statistics from Time Magazine would indicate that “[r]ates of online bullying among youth showed an encouraging drop this year. . . [a]bout 49 percent of people. . . said they’ve experienced at least once some kind of electronic harassment, down from 56 percent in 2011” (Rayman, 2013). The sheer volume of people using social media would lead one to believe that the percentage of cyber bullying would be much higher or on the incline.

cyberbullies

(CyberBullying)

So, what exactly is causing this decline in cyber bullying cases? According to Rayman, this may be attributed to “. . . greater awareness of the potential harm caused by cyberbullying” (Rayman, 2013). With this in mind, technology can be used to both inform, and deter people from taking part in cyber bullying. As previously mentioned, because so many of us are already “Following” and “Liking” celebrities, this can be used as an advantage. The social learning theory postulates that “. . . we learn new behaviors by observing and imitating others (e.g., role models) as well as by observing consequences of behaviors” (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, p. 76). If more and more celebrities and pop icons make posts about potential cyber bullying consequences this may help contribute to the decline in cases.

The last portion of the social learning theory points to another area of technology that can be used to deter cyber bullying: that of television. If news companies continuously report on stories of the effects of cyber bullying, it will eventually lead people to become more aware of the topic. This, in turn, may be enough to inform and change the opinions of anyone who may be considering doing such heinous acts. “The idea that the media can shape what issues we think about or what issues we think are important is referred to as agenda setting” (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 157).

Works Cited

CyberBullying. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hhpd.com/main/cyberbullying/

Rayman, N. (2013, October 24). Poll: cyberbullying less common, victims asking parents for help. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://nation.time.com/2013/10/24/poll-cyberbullying-less-common-victims-asking-parents-for-help/

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.


15
Apr 15

A Current Intervention for Workplace Safety

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When employees get injured on the job, it not only affects productivity, but also can be costly to the employer in forms of Worker’s Compensation claims. To combat this, my workplace has formed an agency-wide safety workgroup. The workgroup is an intervention used to help change employee behavior and attitudes.

Monthly, injuries and claims are reviewed by representatives from all areas of the agency. The group is attempting to solve the problem of work place injuries by using interventions. Reviewing the claims could be considered a type of needs assessment. We identify which injuries are occurring, where they are occurring, and perhaps why it is happening. For instance, our most common injury is strains and sprains due to lifting consumers in an out of wheelchairs. Since the agency was able to target that problem, we were able to intervene and have a Physical Therapist come in and do specialized trainings for the at-risk staff in specific programs. Getting staff this training, as well as refresher courses, gives them the knowledge and practice on how to safely perform their job responsibilities.

Social Psychology tells us that we need to include goals to design out intervention. (PSU 2015). The goals for this intervention would be to ultimately reduce employee injury. Objectives, however, are more short-term than goals, and will help us create our intervention (Schneider 2012). For example, objectives to reduce employee injury in my company would be to create an agency wide workgroup to monitor situations, and offer relevant trainings to employees. The formation of the group itself is an objective, as well as the relevant trainings to give employees the appropriate knowledge.

A very important part of the intervention process is actually evaluation. This is where I think a lot of our time is spent in the group. We review the claims by month, program area, job title, etc. and compare them with previous years and months. We are able to identify what was working in the agency, and was just was not helping. It enables us to allocate resources appropriately, and focus on any emerging problems. Through the evaluation process, we were able to show that creating a new vehicle policy and use of speed monitoring GSP reduced accidents in agency vehicles significantly. We are also able to see through this process, things that were not working so well. One of our worksites had a lot of slips, trips, and fall injuries reported over the winter time. The company had come to find out that the property management company was not clearing the parking lots well enough, and employees were falling on ice and snow. Since we were evaluating this data, we were able to see that yes, we were addressing the slip hazards of ice and snow, however our current solution was not helping keep our employees safe.

 

References

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed., p. 71). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.

The Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015) Applied Social Psychology. Intervention and Evaluation. Retried from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/psych424/001/content/04_lesson/01_page.html

 

 

 

 

 

 


14
Apr 15

Increasing HOPE

optimism

Used from http://micheleborba.com/blog/solutions-to-help-pint-size-pessimists-become-more-optimistic/

 

We’ve all met someone that is optimistic, cheerful about the future, and down right motivated to succeed—and they often do. Why? How does such a world-view produce the intrinsic motivation and drive required to continually succeed?

 


 

Optimism does, in fact, translate into better student performance (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001).

As such, optimism provides the mind-set, the idea, and the traction to progress through life’s challenges. In that, optimism can be described as a, “dispositional tendency to hold generalized positive expectancies” about the future (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001, p. 56). It is a look forward with positive thoughts that invigorate such ideals towards positive expectancies and optimistic viewpoints that fosters success. Collectively, optimism can be seen as a producer of positive judgments, psychological well being, and a source of driving persistence towards goal accomplishment (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001; Chemers, Watson, & May, 2000; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 2000).

People’s level of motivation, affective states, and actions are base more on what they believe than what is objectively the case. – Albert Bandura

Where optimism is viewed as a behavior or dispositional tendency, academic self-efficacy is explained as the “…belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to produce given attainments” (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). This construct looks directly at how one perceives their ability as it relates to a particular goal. In that, one’s self-efficacy enables direction, resilience, and the ability to cope with difficulties along the way (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001). Additionally, self-efficacy is related to one’s path through education by its influence upon the increased use of positive beliefs of one’s ability (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001). Self-efficacy in academic settings has also been shown to help define higher achievement goals and provide clear comparative views between their performance and those of others (avoiding self-serving bias) (Cervone & Peake, 1986). Ultimately, the ability to improve or bolster one’s optimism and self-efficacy can stand to improve academic performance.

Collectively, these two notions define a cognitive set of expectancy beliefs (among others not listed) that pursue goal attainment and provide positive footing through the navigation of life. Optimism is a disposition towards positive results that are manifested in beliefs of positive expectancies and success, whereas self-efficacy is deeply rooted through the specificity of the subject and environmental factors (Bandura, 1986; Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001). In other words, self-efficacy is different for each subject while optimism is generally viewed as a global view of positive future event expectancies.

It is well established that both being optimistic and having a positive view upon one’s own self-efficacy can translate into better academic performance (Molton, Brown, & Lent, 1991; Schunk, 1981; Wood, Bandura, & Bailey, 1990; Zimmerman, 1989), however, how do we improve those instances? How do we project students to gain optimism and improve their view of their own abilities in relation to particular academic performances and goals?

One method is through the interventional use of hope. Snyder’s (2000) hope theory essentially brings together optimism, self-efficacy, and goals into one positive theory. In that, Snyder, Irving and Anderson (1991) explained hope as, “a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful (a) agency (goal-directed energy) and (b) pathways (planning to meet goals).”

  • Goals, as described by Snyder (1994), are in a sense ‘valuable’ yet unrefined—by which they provide substantial starting and end points for hopeful progress.
  • Pathways are defined as steps created, though not solidified, to achieve the desired goals (Snyder, 2000). In that, such pathways are flexible, re-routable, and dynamic in the sense that they can change as the environment changes. Additionally, pathways are far reaching visions of positive eventualities that are predicated by understand the relationship between the past, present, and ability for the future to replicate or prosper reciprocally (Snyder, 2002).
  • Agency thoughts allude to the motivation that instigates movement along the path and towards the goal.

Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 11.32.46 AM

(Snyder, 2002, p. 254).

In this sense, goal attainment can be seen as the collective effort of both optimism (pathways) and self-efficacy (agency).

A simple intervention can be employed to improve pathway identification, agency, and ultimately the attainment of academic goals in a positive light.

Identify the Problem: No organized plan that collectively approaches the progress, path, and matriculation of secondary students in a positive strength focused way.

Identify a Solution: Utilizing facets of Snyder’s (2000) Hope Theory, three areas will be focused upon to improve student outcome and attainment of goals. Provide one-on-one counseling to establish: 1. Goals inline with student strengths. 2. Explain and improve their view and use of agency. 3. Develop three pathways to attain their goals that instill confidence in the future and its direction. As such, the increase, awareness, education, and positive outlook of these three areas will improve student academic performance and goal attainment.

Set Goals and Design an Intervention: Goals: Improve academic performance by improving the alignment of goals with student aspirations, interests, and strengths while cultivating their acknowledgement of individual agency to migrate through the pathways towards goal attainment. Intervention: First year (only 9th graders) high school students will undergo first week counseling to establish the aforementioned areas of focus. Weekly meetings will progress throughout the school year and subsequent years to help align their goals with changing interests and strengths, clarify changes in agency, and identify new pathways that may better facilitate goal attainment.

Implement the Intervention: This will occur through the use of school counselors and the administration to ensure each student is counseled and continues to be counseled with the aforementioned areas of focus. This will require a collective assault of the entire staff to best fit the three areas of focus with each student.

Evaluation: The evaluation of student improvement will be evaluated as comparative to previous class grades, progress, and test scores. Also, years later, college admittance or job attainment can be compared between previous graduating years and the target class. This will be used to evaluate the efficacy of the theory; it’s use, function, and attainment of aforementioned goals. Additionally, the use of the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) and the Children’s Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1997) can be used at the beginning and end of each year to statistically determine and validate interventional efficacy.

In sum, the presence and explanation of optimism and self-efficacy as they relate to academics has been discussed to demonstrate correlations and similarities with hope theory. The interventional value of hope theory within academics can provide a collaborative environment to foster positive views that produce better learning environment and hopefully positive academic performance.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.

Cervone, D., & Peake, P. K. (1986). Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 492-501.

Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B. F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first-year college student performance and adjustment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 55-64. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.55

Chemers, M. M., Watson, C. B., & May, S. T. (2000). Dispositional affect and leadership effectiveness: A comparison of self-esteem, optimism, and efficacy. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(3), 267-277. doi:10.1177/0146167200265001

Multon, K. D., Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 30-38.

Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (2000). Optimism, pessimism, and psychological well-being. In E. C. Chang (Ed.), Optimism and pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp. 189-216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Schunk, D. H. (1981). Modeling and attributional effects on children’s achievement: A self-efficacy analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 93-105.

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249-275.

Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., Yoshinobu, L. Gibb, J. Langelle, C, & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570-585. doi:10.1037/00223514.60.4.570

Snyder, C., Hoza, B., Pelham, W., Rapoff, M., Ware, L., Danovsky, M., Highberger, L., Rubinstein, H. & Stahl, K. (1997). The development and validation of the children’s hope scale. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22(3), 399-421. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/22.3.399

Snyder, C.R. (1994). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. New York: Free press. Cited in Snyder, C.R. (2000). Hypothesis: There is Hope. In C.R. Snyder (Eds.), Handbook of Hope Theory, Measures and Applications (pp.3-21). San Diego: Academic Press.

Snyder, C.R. (2000). Hypothesis: There is Hope. In C.R. Snyder (Eds.), Handbook of Hope Theory, Measures and Applications (pp.3-21). San Diego: Academic Press.

Snyder, C.R., Irving, L., & Anderson, J.R. (1991). Hope and Health: Measuring the will and the ways. In C.R. Snyder & D.R. Forsyth (Eds.) Handbook of social and clinical psychology: The health perspective (pp.285-305). Elmsford, New York: Pergamon Press. Cited in Snyder, C.R. (2000). Hypothesis: There is Hope. In C.R. Snyder (Eds.), Handbook of Hope Theory, Measures and Applications (pp.3-21). San Diego: Academic Press.

Wood, R. E., & Bandura, A. (1989). Impacts of conceptions of ability on self regulatory mechanisms and complex decision making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 407-415.

Zimmerman, B. J. (1989). A social-cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 329-339.


10
Apr 15

The Selection Process and Building Personal Relationships

In addition to physical attractiveness, research has identified several factors in people’s desire to approach others to establish a personal relationship including similar values, interests, and characteristics (Weber, 2012). People are often attracted to another person because of any number of these factors. The attempt to establish a personal relationship after is what people are often challenged by. To establish a real closeness or relationship can be restricted by barriers such as the disapproval of others. Another barrier in a person’s attempt to interact with a person they are attracted to is the hesitation that further personality traits, similar values, and characteristics are unknown. The process of meeting, interacting, and assessing the desire to become closer risks rejection or loss of desire to interact further (Weber, 2012).

images2

Before the days of the Internet and speed dating, Alan Gross (1983) and colleague India McHale (Weber, 2012) created a study of the initial meeting of potential dates combining parties and personal ads. Participants of 200 single straight women and men college students provided information about their interests, personality traits, and major that would later be displayed on a t-shirt that they would wear to a mixer. This acted as a personal ad to allow participants to break down barriers such as not having similar values, interests, or personality traits. Each participant was to speak with as many people of the opposite sex as possible to indicate potential dates. They then rated each other and exchanged contact information if they desired (Weber, 2012).

Gross (1983) discovered that once the participants interacted with each other, physical attractiveness had actually decreased in selection power (Weber, 2012). Since the participants had broken down initial barriers of establishing closeness from the beginning, they no longer needed to rely purely on physical attractiveness since they already had the information they needed to initiate interaction to further determine the potential for a date. A person’s looks are usually the first piece of information another person receives about him or her which acts as a filter for forming first impressions and further attempting any interaction. In this study though, those initial attractions are altered and the barriers of approaching closeness with another person are broken down (Weber, 2012).

This study has led to the ideas of online dating websites where many people can view each other’s profile that states their interests, characteristics, occupation, and so on, along with their picture. The online approach is usually less risky for many people to attempt a relationship beyond physical attractiveness in the same way that these barriers were broken down in the previously mentioned study. Establishing any type of personal connection first requires action on either person’s part. Many people do not take the step further in making a connection with one another whether they have not spoken to another person at all, or have already made an initial greeting. Often fear of rejection overcomes desire. The longer it takes for a person to express interest, which occurs often, the less likely anything will happen between the two people (Weber, 2012). This reduces many of our abilities to create relationships with people on a romantic, friendship, professional, or any other type of connection level and can lead many of us to miss out on not only people to appreciate and spend time with, but opportunities and experiences as well.

References:

Weber, A., (2012). Applying Social Psychology to Personal Relationships. In F. Schneider, J. Gruman, & L. Coutts (Eds.), Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.


10
Apr 15

Love at First Blind Sight

In today’s society, many are turning to blind dates and online dating sites as a way to meet new people. The reason for this is that one may not have enough time to go out to bars or party’s to meet someone special, or perhaps they have had bad luck doing so. Another reason for blind dates is that people may enjoy the sense of excitement, meeting someone who they have never seen or spoke to before. Just going off of recommendations from friends or families, blind dates are usually set up in a casual setting, and believed that the two individuals share enough common characteristics match. BlindDate There is a term to portray this trait in two individuals, which is called “birds of feather flock together”(PSU 2015).What this saying means is that individuals, who share common traits’, tend to hit it off more successfully in longitudinal relationships, rather than opposite individuals. This is in part that opposites do attract (PSU 2015), but the flame shortly dies out when the relationship gets more serious, and the couple starts to disagree on more and more facets of life.

birds

 

In today’s society a blind date could be a man and woman, a man and a man, or a woman and a women, leaving the social norm at the door. Blind dates in all of these scenarios are predicated on two things, attraction and similarity. Within the first 5 seconds of meeting someone for the first time, you already know if you are sexually attracted to that person, perhaps opening or closing the door for future dates. Not only is attraction important, but also similarity. The similar to me effect states that individuals get along with other who tend to look and think as they do (PSU 2015). This is a very important facet of blind dating, because if sexual desire is not initially there, it could be sparked by the overwhelming similar traits that two people share, creating a fantasy where they believe they could end up happily together. Social psychology plays a major role in blind dating because it states how attraction and companionship is developed and the cognitive processes, prior, during and post date. Hopefully blind dates and online dating remains safe and effective, so that individuals with hopes of finding that special person are not afraid to venture into different aspects of finding a mate.

 

 

 

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSU WC). (2015). PSYCH 424: Applied Social Psychology. Lesson 12: Relationships/ Everyday Life.


09
Apr 15

Online Dating

I like many other I know have finally succumbed to online dating. In a world where I am surrounded by computes (and apparently less by men) the push to join a site has grown over time. What I found when I joined a simple free site was an extensive questionnaire that asked very detailed questions about myself.

Do you smoke?

Do you drink?

Do you want kids?

Do you have a car?

How much money do you make?

What is your education?

And the list goes on and on. Now many may wonder, what is the purpose to this? Well… when I began to view others pages to see if I was interested or not, I found myself being drawn to men who had things in common with me (most notably, if they had a picture of a dog in their photo, I will always be a sucker for dogs). Now is this a coincidence or science? Psychologist would say this is a science. Sites such as eHarmony say they use a scientific approach to matching couples based on compatibility. eHarmony has had success enough to account for 5% of US marriages (Are Match-Based, 2015). A reason that their “science” may prove to be legitimate may be based upon the similar-to-me effect. This means that people are more likely to get along with others who look and think the same as themselves (PSU WC, 2015). Thus ditch that old saying “opposites attract”, and adopt a new one “birds of a feather flock together”, and hopefully the endless search for a companion may find an end (and a happy one at that).

References

Are Match-Based Online Dating Sites Bullshit? (2015). Retrieved from http://christiehartman.com/are-match-based-online-dating-sites-bullshit/

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSU WC). (2015). PSYCH 424: Applied Social Psychology. Lesson 12: Relationships/ Everyday Life. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/psych424/001/content/13_lesson/02_page.html


08
Apr 15

Silent Screams

It is a given fact…at least once, everyone has been picked on or felt bad about their self based on actions of others. This could be seen as unintentional, or as a harmless prank. But the truth is, when young people experience these behaviors from peers they cannot escape, it sets their lives up for years of physical and mental issues that may never be resolved. From an early age, we seem to be praised for our uniqueness, and we’re told to be ourselves. So why is it that everyday, thousands upon thousands of individuals are ridiculed and tormented because they are not like people who deem themselves as “cool?”

Bullying is one of the many social interactions that have a great risk of negative outcomes. These range from physical injury, to mild self-esteem issues, to major depression and suicide. Over recent years, more awareness of bullying has come to light. Children feel that they are not safe or wanted at school. Parents are frustrated from lack of school intervention and protection for their kids. Schools have the continuing, “kids will be kids” mantra. State laws also force parents to send their kids to school despite concerns of harm coming to their kids. If schools do not change their policies and attitudes, more kids will be subjected to this type of behavior, which subsequently leads to more harm and potential suicides.

The movie Bully goes inside the walls of schools, and sheds light on this growing epidemic. The messages that lie within these stories are heart wrenching. Sometimes it takes suicide to grasp the attention of people who are supposed to help you. No child or individual in general, should ever feel like that is the answer. Change is needed. Simply put, if people had the compassion to accept others who are different than them, millions of people would not have to face the epidemic of bullying.

According to the American Psychological Association, bullies tend to be stronger, power seeking, and are often defiant. Meanwhile, individuals being bullied are often shy, cautious, anxious, and lack strong support systems among peers (they will often befriend adults instead of other children). Those being bullied may also experience different forms of mental illness or distress, which may or may not be directly influenced by being bullied. Bullying may occur in the same fashion as the Cycle of Violence, in which the abuser reins over the victim, and the victim has nowhere and/or nobody to turn to who will help them. The pattern of violence is often geared toward the same children or victims, and continues without appropriate intervention.

If everyone would take the time to be compassionate, and stand up for others who experience bullying, more children would not be faced with this issue. The movie Bully is a great place to start learning about different scenarios of bullying, and learning simple steps to help combat this growing social epidemic plaguing the country today.

Additional information can be found at:

>>http://www.thebullyproject.com/

>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVX0tWiG2E

>>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682181/

–Orlena Riner

References

APA. (2004, Oct 29). School Bullying is Nothing New, But Psychologists Identify New Ways to Prevent It. Retrieved April 2015, from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/research/action/bullying.aspx

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA, USA: Sage.


08
Apr 15

Activism for Social Change

There are many processes in the way that we do things that have changed over time. Technology has advanced, companies are always improving their strategy and efficiency, the government is always looking for new ways to fix an issue that they are having, and so on. One thing that has not changed much in the way that citizens make their voices heard for positive social change within their community and society at large are the six proposed strategies by Checkoway (1995):

1. Mass mobilization which involves large numbers of people assembling to bring attention to an important social issue.

2. Social action to create powerful organizations to demonstrate and improve conditions within their community. This is also referred to as activism.

3. Citizen participation to get the citizens of the community involved to change a policy on a political level.

4. Public advocacy involves pressuring public officials to change social policies.

5. Popular education by educating community members about a social issue to change their attitudes or behaviors.

6. Local services development involves people providing services to their local community where services are greatly needed in order to positively change a social issue or need.

(Lafreniere, Page, & Senn 2012).

Probably the most popular strategy that many of us have seen or heard about are demonstrations of social action through protests and organized activism. “The idea behind social activism is that by organizing you can simulate collective action in the community that generates power to create change” (Lafreniere, Page, & Senn 2012). Many activists have organized within their communities for centuries, from employees wanting better work conditions, to the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963.

On a smaller yet important scale, one example of social action for improving employee working conditions is Saul Alinsky and fellow protesters protesting unfair employment practices due to race where Black employees at a local department store were only hired to do the most menial jobs. The plan was for Black shoppers to occupy and browse through the department store for a whole day. This tactic would keep the White shoppers away for the day. When the store owners heard of this plan, they quickly took action to arrange a meeting with the protesters and Blacks were given better job opportunities (Lafreniere, Page, & Senn 2012).

On a grander scale, the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963 was an extremely influential event in United States history. Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters were not sure how many people would show up to participate in the march in Washington D.C. Some people who traveled from the South were threatened and harassed. But on that day, about a quarter of a million people (including about 25% of them being white) came to participate in the march from Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial as a peaceful protest for equality for all black people and everyone in general. The march was heavily covered by the media including international television coverage (Ross).

images

These types of social actions have shown to be very effective in history and today when striving for social change, whether it be within the workplace, the community, the country, or the world. Some may achieve social change for the specified situation, and others may lead to something greater such as the Civil Rights March.

References:
Checkoway, B. (1995). Six strategies of community change. Community Development Journal, 30(1), 2-20.

Lafreniere, K., Page, S., & Senn, C. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to the Community. In F. Schneider, J. Gruman, & L. Coutts (Eds.), Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Ross, S. Civil Rights March on Washington. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/marchonwashington.html


08
Apr 15

The Relationship Between Caregivers Should be the Focus Point of Family

In everyday life, boy meets girl, or in today’s world, boy meets boy, or girl meets girl. Regardless of the circumstance people meet everyday and decide to make a go at a relationship and eventually a family. Family is important in the United States, although I maintain we don’t do family friendly very well as I mentioned in a previous post, but still family is important and many parents will make the children the center of the family, when in reality it should be the relationship itself that is the center of the family. This may seem to fly in the face of all reason and what we know traditionally, but the reality is children require that structure and the modeling of a healthy relationship by appropriate and positive role models in order to be successful later in their own relationships.

family

It is important to model the behavior you want your children to learn because they are watching you all the time and they look up to you more than anyone else in their little world. Hence, if we want our children to have successful relationships, then we need to model that.  Even if the relationship ends, as far too many do, children are looking to us to see how we manage the break up. Imagine the effect a chaotic environment has on a child’s developing brain and emotions. Parents are yelling and screaming and even physically abusive with one another. We know from Albert Bandura’s Bo-Bo doll experiment (Macleod, 20011) that when children witness violent behavior, they will imitate it. One and one make two, so the people I love the most in the world are hitting each other, so that must be the way things are done.

arguing

Going back to Albert Bandura and his social learning theory, it states that we learn from observing one another in different social settings. A child observes, or pays attention to affection and thoughtful gestures between the parents and caregivers and they make note of the behavior, they retain it somewhere in their memory until such a time as it may become useful to them. The child then does something thoughtful for the parents and is in turn rewarded with warmth and affection which motivates the child to continue being thoughtful and affectionate.

afection

Parenting education, early intervention, and good prevention programs are needed to address any problems with understanding the best dynamic approach for your family in regards to focusing on the relationship between caregivers. Look in your community to see if there are any good parenting classes available, many of them are free or low cost. Also, check with your child’s school to see if they will be offering any parenting programs. Ideally, you want to look for a program that allows interaction between the parent(s) and children, the goal being to improve understanding how important it is to model a healthy relationship with your children and to increase outcomes for children. Once you find a program that suits your need, actually commit to or carry through with attending the class. You will be able to evaluate the success of your commitment by noting your improved relationship and your happy, well adjusted children.

hugfamily

References

McLeod, S. A. (2011). Bobo Doll Experiment. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html

 


07
Apr 15

What about Chivalry?

Men who open doors for women are as guilty of sexism as those who are rude to them. It seems that holding a door open for a woman is not so good anymore, according to some people.

The show Mad Men is a TV show full of benevolence. That Don Draper, is what is considered as, a benevolent sexist egomaniac.

MadMen

Benevolent sexism is characterized by or given to doing well and it is suggestive of doing good and or agreeable: something that is organized or done with the intention of being good or kind; any gesture that suggests or hints of goodwill (Yahoo, 2015).

Benevolent sexism is a chivalrous attitude toward women that feels favorable but is actually sexist because it casts women as weak creatures in need of men’s protection, a friendly or chivalrous attitude can mask chauvinistic and patronizing views because the men see females as weak creatures in need of their help. If a man offers to help a female coworker set up an office computer, and she accepts, she is perceived as warm, but lacking a level of competence. If she politely refuses, however, she is often viewed as a “bitch.” While many people are sensitive to sexist verbal offences, they may not readily associate sexism with warmth and friendliness. According to Jin Goh, a psychologist from Northeastern University, Boston, in the U.S., “sexism is understood as having both hostile and benevolent properties, the insidious nature of benevolent sexism will continue to be one of the driving forces behind gender inequality” (Becker & Swim, 2011).

Men who accept help are also seen as vulnerable, but they don’t suffer the same repercussions for trying to do things on their own. This kind of sexism is ambiguous, and people don’t really know if they’re kidding, so they are discounted, one after another.

Benevolent sexism may seem harmless, noble, or even “romantic,” but its effects can be devastating. Benevolent sexism, like hostile sexism, is an ideology that supports gender inequality, and in some ways benevolent sexism can be even more insidious (Becker & Swim, 2011).

In turn, those who displayed a benevolent sexism were considered more approachable, warmer, friendlier and more likely to smile. They also used more positive emotional words and were overall more patient while waiting for a woman to answer trivia questions. The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, says the way a man smiles and chats to women will reveal his true attitude. Prof Judith Hall, a co-author, said: “Benevolent sexism is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing that perpetuates support for gender inequality among women at an interpersonal level. These supposed gestures of good faith might entice women to accept the status quo in society because sexism literally looks welcoming, appealing, and harmless” (Becker & Swim, 2011).

According to Swim, men did not consider statements including “a good woman should be put on a pedestal” or “in a disaster, women should be saved before men” to be sexist. When it came to instances of benevolent sexism, though, men’s attitudes did not change.

Of course there are men who can be total pigs, and who’ll ogle inappropriately and without any regard for the boundaries that an individual woman might set, But I really believe that if women get as bent out of shape about pure acts of kindness, affection and helpfulness — such as a husband helping his wife carry groceries — as they do about, say, an unwelcome pinch on the backside, then frankly, they’ve got issues (Becker & Swim, 2011).

Not all women think that it’s bad either, so it becomes about creating a cultural awareness of what happens when women maintain dependency and men do those things that are not necessarily obviously sexist (Becker & Swim, 2011).

Often chivalrous behavior is appropriate. It is just important to know when you are crossing the line, like Don Draper.

 

References:

Becker, ,. C., & Swim, J. A. (2011). Seeing the Unseen Attention to Daily Encounters With Sexism as Way to Reduce Sexist Beliefs. Psychology of Women Quarterly , 35 (2), 227-242.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.

Yahoo. (2015). Yahoo Dictionary. Retrieved 4 6, 2015, from Yahoo: https://dictionary.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrTcdVtPCRV5EcAHCQnnIlQ?p=benevolent&.sep=

Picture Credit:

Weiner, M. (Producer). (2015). Mad Men. Hollywood, CA: AMC Network Entertainment.

 


07
Apr 15

I want my compassion without a side of judgment, please.

Bad things happen in our world.  Some people get a terrible disease.  Have you ever noticed how we tend to place value judgments around illness and injury and how the first question asked is usually “how did you get that?”  If I get a cold I usually think first about whether or not one of the children in my life could have “brought something home” from school.  If I get diabetes or cancer someday, I will have plenty to read about how I should have eaten better and exercised more to prevent those things.  What would happen if I got an HIV infection?  Likely the first thought in many people’s mind would be wondering how I got it and about my sex and drug habits.  And some people might think I “brought it on” myself and don’t deserve help or compassion.

I am thankful that if that horrible disease befalls me, I live in a community that has The HIV Alliance (the Alliance), whose guiding principle is a “Philosophy of Harm Reduction”.  I recently attended a gala event in support of this organization. (Pictured with my son below.  He is the bald one in the picture, in case you weren’t sure.)(HIV Alliance, 2015)

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This philosophy of social action, originally designed for drug users, seeks to meet a person “where they are” and provide non-judgmental support to that person to reduce the harm caused by a particular behavior.  In this case the Alliance supports those with or at-risk for HIV infection.  The philosophy recognizes that behavior change is difficult, but that the community can help reduce some of the barriers to change by offering compassionate assistance that is not contingent on the recipient changing. (Harm Reduction International, n.d.)

Critics of the philosophy fear that non-judgement equates to approval of a behavior, but it seems that this fear is unfounded.  Research seems to indicate that harm reduction principles can lead to improvements for individuals without increasing community practices of the harmful behavior. (MacCoun, 1998)

When bad things happen to the people in our communities, let us be the ones offering  help without judgment, to effect improvement in all of our lives.

References

Harm Reduction International (n.d.)  Harm Reduction Journal.  Retrieved 4/2/2015 from:             http://www.ihra.net/harm-reduction-journal

HIV Alliance (2015) Website. Harm Reduction. Retrieved 4/2/2015 from: http://hivalliance.org/category/ed/ed-harmred/

MacCoun, R. J. (1998). Toward a psychology of harm reduction. American Psychologist, 53(11), 199-1208. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.53.11.1199

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012) Applied Social Psychology Understanding and     Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage             Publications.


07
Apr 15

Too Much Stuff

We always forget to put out the trash. We also always forget to put out the recycling. The trash is usually no big deal because we don’t even generate enough trash every week to justify bothering the trash truck. But recycling only comes every other week, so it can get a little messy outside our house if we forget. I recently found this video entitled “The Story of Solutions,” (http://storyofstuff.org/) and I got to thinking about my family’s trash (yes, I think about trash). The video addresses the issue of the amount of waste generated by Americans and other consumer-oriented cultures.

The story goes kind of like this: our society is centered on the consumption of goods, and mass marketing encourages (in fact, ritualizes) the buying and use of these goods. We are bombarded with advertisements for the newest and greatest thing to make our lives so much easier because we work so much. It’s cheap, so when we’re done with it we get rid of it and we buy a newer, better one (DeClercq, 2013). But even this doesn’t generate a quick enough turn around. From the production aspect, many goods are actually manufactured to last a limited amount of time. As an example, my oldest daughter likes to listen to music while she does her schoolwork. A social creature, the headphones help her to block out the noise around her and allows her to focus on what she is doing. So I bought her an mp3 player. I didn’t splurge on quality because I assumed that before too long it would join the ranks of broken mp3 players and electronic gagets in my junk drawer—none of which function properly. Two weeks later, her brother tried to turn it on and the power switch popped off and couldn’t be repaired. After I quieted the screaming and accusing, we decided just to take the thing (and all of its kind) to electronics recycling and buy another one that might not break so easily.

The thing is, this is what many such mass-produced items are designed to do: break after a few uses, but not so quickly that we become suspicious. The costs of these products have been externalized, meaning that the cost isn’t reflected in the actual price of the product. There are so many different sources for all of the component parts that we rarely see the real costs reflected in the price. It is the natural resources of our planet that are paying the price, not to mention the quality of life of those working in sweat shops overseas. In the past thirty years, we have used up one-third of our natural resources. In the United States alone, we make up 5% of the world’s population, but account for 30% of the world’s consumption of goods (DeClercq, 2013). Where will this media-generated mindset lead us in the next thirty years?

“The Story of Solutions” hits on some political issues like the relationship between corporations and our government, but political issues aside, it makes me wonder how long it will take before we realize the importance of minimalizing our consumption. I tend to consider myself a to have a pretty frugal (dare I say non-materialistic?) family. Join me in my effort to reduce my consumption and my impact on the natural world. Start small—implement just one minor adjustment at a time so that it will last and become part of who you are.

Reference:

DeClercq, S. (2013). The Story of Solutions. Retrieved 3 29, 2015, from The Story of Stuff Project: http://storyofstuff.org/

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.


06
Apr 15

I’ll Take Those Glass Slippers, Please

 

What girl wouldn’t want her Prince Charming to come in and sweep her off of her feet and make all of her problems disappear? ‘Officer and a Gentleman’ anyone? Oops, wrong movie but the same basic idea, right? Any little girl would because he is handsome and rich and life is nothing more than beautiful dresses and fun dress up parties. It is here that cultivation theory comes to mind. Young girls watch movies and think that is reality. They get caught up in the magnificent world of fantasy.

CinderellaCalling out the sexism and abuse depicted in the animated movie, Cinderella cautions parents about the impact it’ll have on kids where girls are taught to be pushovers, do all the housework and that their problems will disappear if they’re hot enough to land a rich husband. But everything will change when Cinderella meets her Fairy Godmother, a guardian angel who has waited years to improve Cinderella’s life in any way, instead of helping her out when her parents died, or when her stepfamily forced her into slavery. Thanks for the dress lady, but it would have been more helpful if you had bibbidi-bobbidi called child protective services like, eight years ago. (O’Neill, 2015)

“Depicting a female who appears utterly helpless until a male swoops in and rescues her from all of her troubles sends a troubling message,” according to psychotherapist Amy Morin. “Girls may learn, ‘I can’t solve my problems, but a boy could.’ It’s much healthier for girls to recognize their own problem-solving skills, rather than look to boys as the solution.”

And it’s a message that she, for one, believes young people readily absorb. “Kids learn about themselves, other people, and the world in general by what they see and hear,” mentions Amy Morin. “Movies that depict certain stereotypes can cause children to see the world in a certain way. Even subtle messages in the media can alter the way kids think and behave.”

If you’re concerned, talk with your kids about it, advises child and teen development specialist Dr. Robyn Silverman. “Ask children what they believe the story is trying to tell them,” she tells Yahoo Parenting. “’What would you do if you were in the same situation: held captive and offered one night to escape?’ ‘Where would you go?’ ‘Who would you enlist to help?’ Silverman’s favorite conversation starter with young ones is, ‘what advice would you give the protagonist in the story?’” In the end, she says, “We want our children to recognize true love when they see it but also discover that when they are in a negative situation, their smarts, wit, courage and character can change it. And no, a prince should not be top of mind.”

However, keep in mind that children’s perception of fairy tales will change as they mature. “It’s a misguided notion that these stories are going to have lasting significance to a child,” David Elkind, a professor and department chairman of the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Cinderella doesn’t do any harm. It’s just a charming story. Kids enjoy fairy tales and these stories fulfill fantasies.” The primary proposition of cultivation theory states that the more time people spend ‘living’ in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television.

And as children age, they realize that such tales aren’t true. Eventually they realize that the world doesn’t work that way and it is more of   self-fulfilling to be independent and take care of themselves. That’s how I raised my daughter (and son). Understanding what is fantasy and give it up is a healthy sign of growing up.

 

Charland, L. C. (2007). Benevolent theory: Moral treatment at the york retreat. History of Psychiatry, 18(1), 61-80. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957154X07070320

O’Neill, J. (2015, March 17). Yahoo Parenting. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/cinderella-sparks-backlash-after-returning-to-113883671942.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.

 


06
Apr 15

Diffusion of Responsibility: the Perspective for Bystander Effect from the Chinese Story of Three Monks

Bystander effect is one of the common issues nowadays and it led to tragedies with no one helped in emergencies. According to Darley and Latane (1970), the partial reason of bystander effect is diffusion of responsibility (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012, p.280). Diffusion of responsibility happens when people do not help because they assume others would help. Why would people think this way? In other words, why people think others would or should stand out to do things firstly instead of themselves? A Chinese story of three Buddhism monks may explain these questions.

Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/wp-content/uploads/sites/8070/2014/04/bystandereffect.jpg

Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/wp-content/uploads/sites/8070/2014/04/bystandereffect.jpg

One day a short monk found a small temple on the peak of a mountain. He lived there and went downhill to get water every day happily. After a period of time another tall monk found this temple as well. He drank some water and lived in the temple. Then a problem appeared: who would take the responsibility to go downhill to get water? Both the short monk and the tall monk thought it would be unfair to get only one person to get water. Therefore they went to get water together. However, because they used a shoulder pole to take barrels, the efficiency of two people was not good. When one monk used the pole to get water, he could take two barrels a time, while when there were two monks they had to each take a side of the pole hence could only take one barrel. Later, when a third monk found the temple, he found there was no water and he had to take it by himself. After the third monk took water back he drank the water all. Then the three monks did not go take water anymore because they all assumed it was others’ responsibility.

According to this story it could be seen that diffusion of responsibility is rooted from people’s own benefit. No one wants to lose, so people wait for the reaction of others. However, when everyone thinks this way there would be no one to take an action just like the situation of the three monks. Since all of the monks waited for others to take water, there was no water at all in the temple. Nevertheless, are there any solutions people could get over diffusion of responsibility, or is there any way bystanders could help in emergencies without waiting for others? The rest of the story could offer a hint.

the image is retrieved from http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/Arts---Culture/Film/Classic-Film/Classic-Cartoon-Film/200811/12-1333.html

the image is retrieved from http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/Arts—Culture/Film/Classic-Film/Classic-Cartoon-Film/200811/12-1333.html

After several days without water, the temple suddenly was on fire. The three monks were anxious. They worked together and cooperated to put out the fire. After this, they finally cooperated with each other and got more water over time. Based on their experience, diffusion of responsibility could be ignored when people recognize the seriousness of emergency and they all felt responsible for dealing with the problem. For real events, if bystanders were educated about the knowledge of bystander effect and the possible tragedy result of emergencies with no one helps, they may not experience diffusion of responsibility. The other solution, based on the three monks story, could be letting the bystanders know the emergency is very serious and acute that if they do not act immediately something bad would happen really soon. Of course, calling for one specific bystander such as ‘the man in blue jacket’ could help as well since it increases the bystander’s personal responsibility rather than diffusion of responsibility.

Here is a video from Youtube of the story of three monks if you are interest (‘Three Monks’, 2012):

References

Schneider, F.W., Gruman J.A.., & Coutts L.M.. (2012). Applied Social Psychology (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publication. p.280

ObscureAnimation’s Channel. (2012, January 21). Three Monks (Chinese Animated short). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rolBiHfWokY

The images are retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/wp-content/uploads/sites/8070/2014/04/bystandereffect.jpg and http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/Arts—Culture/Film/Classic-Film/Classic-Cartoon-Film/200811/12-1333.html


06
Apr 15

The Truman Show

When we think of community, we think of a collaborative effort brought togetherbdebf4c5ff27d9fb8685df15f7a4034c-orig by a group of people with a common goal. For most, community is a key aspect of life. Many people are involved in community and public events in order to socialize and provide what is needed among their neighbors.

Many different kinds of communities exist in our culture today. We have church communities, school communities, neighborhood communities, and even simply communities of common interest. These groups get together often and can help influence each other of completing common goals, share information, and even collaborate on new ideas.

Most of the things communities do are harmless and really only serve a purpose to better the lives of the individuals living inside them. But at the same time, these communities are pushing for conformity.Conformity is defined as “changing one’s behavior to act in a way that is consistent with the behavior or expectation of others” (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

Basically, no one likes the noisy neighbor that throws a party on a Tuesday night that until dawn. And no one enjoys listening to the buzzkill talk about work at the company Christmas party. When people stick out like a sore thumb, it upsets the community, so people tend to wonder toward communities that are more to their liking. Catholics hang out with other Catholics, Liberals hang out with other Liberals, and kids tend to trick-or-treat on their own street.

04There’s more to this, though; a bigger picture.

While there are a plethora of small groups a person can choose to part of, community exists on a much larger scale. It goes above and beyond your church group, your political affiliation, or even what neighborhood you grew up in. At the end of the day we live under communities that have a much stronger influence. Conformity starts at a higher level. We 009-the-truman-show-theredlisthave the government, consumerism, media mayhem, and even capitalism all breathing conformity down our necks, and most of the time, we don’t even recognize it.

The world may not quite be as extreme as the movie The Truman Show, but it certainly helps personify how our culture works.

“The movie has been universally interpreted as an allegory of the sinister influence of the media upon our lives … It is a story that reveals an essential truth about what is happening to society in the 20th century, . . . [i.e.] how the media and corporations have begun to surround us with a universe of illusions” (Goldman, 2005).

At the end of the day, we are living in a small portion of the world around us. We go to our potluck dinners, our neighborhood block parties, and are bat-mitzvahs, but the entire timeJim Carrey we are being subjected to the powers of coercion and manipulation. To contribute to a larger community. A community where we, the individual, are not in charge.

 

 

“We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it’s as simple as that.” – The Truman Show

“If his was more than just a vague ambition, if he was absolutely determined to discover the truth, there’s no way we could prevent him.” – The Truman Show

References

Feldman, E.S., Rudin, S., Niccol, A., Schroeder, A. (Producers), & Weir, P. (Director). (1998). The Truman Show [Motion picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures.

Goldman, P. (2005). Consumer Society and its Discontents: The Truman Show and The Day of the Locust. Westminster College. Retrieved from http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/ap1002/truman.htm

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


06
Apr 15

Attempting to Overcome the Bystander Effect in CPR training

Crowd

The bystander effect occurs when during emergency situations, then increased number of bystanders around actually decreased the likelihood of there being any bystander who attempt to assist. During my time at work, I have witnessed material in trainings which specifically targets the attempts to overcome this effect and get help when it is needed.

In the agency I work for, we support individuals with developmental disabilities. Since we are charged with the care of others, all staff are expected to keep current with CPR and First Aid certifications. During these lessons, staff are actually taught on how to get help in an emergency situation. It has been found that the presence of others leads to a diffusion of responsibility among bystanders. That is, that the sense of personal responsibility in the situation is lessened due to others being present. It has also been found that individuals are less likely to assist in these situations when the victim is perceived as dissimilar from them (Schneider 2012).

In CPR training, the trainers emphasized the importance of how to ask for help to get the best results. Staff members were taught to indicate they were having an emergency, ask for help from specific individuals, and give them specific duties. By using these strategies, it was more likely we would get help if needed.

For instance, if my client were to have a seizure while out at the grocery store, the best way to ask for help would be to do the following:

First, I would indicate that it is an actual emergency. “She’s having a seizure” or “I’m having an emergency” are statements which help clear up any ambiguity on the part of the bystander, making it a clearer situation. This would be more effective than just yelling “Help!” in a crowded room.

Second, I would target a specific person: “Hey you, in the red shirt!” would be a way to get another person around you to feel personal responsibility in the situation even if they are a stranger. This would be a better alternative to yelling “Someone help me!” Since that phrase does not had a specific target in mind.

Finally, I would give them a specific job. “Call 9-1-1!” would be enough to get the bystander to understand their specific task they would need to perform. I believe that this final step helps overcome two different causes of the bystander effect. First, it clarifies an ambiguous situation. Second, it attempts to overcome the fact that user may not feel competent, or know how to help. The simple, short command would be much better than shouting “Do Something!”

The section of this training was clearly transferable to daily life, both at the workplace and not. However, I do believe it was particularly necessary to learn when helping those with special needs. First and foremost, I was a caregiver and was required to do whatever necessary to keep these people alive. The second reason is because of one of the possible reasons bystanders do not intervene –dissimilarity. It is a great possibility that the general public would not view one of my clients as someone similar to themselves. This fact alone, sadly, could put them at an even greater disadvantage for receiving voluntary outside assistance.

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.


05
Apr 15

Online Medical Advice: A World for Hypochondriacs?

It’s 9 am and you wake up feeling out of sorts. Your head hurts, you have pains in your stomach. What could be wrong? So you make your way over to your computer and quickly Google your symptoms.. What do you find?.. Lists of diseases and disorders that all share the same symptoms that you have. So now you spend the rest of the day thinking you are chronically ill wilt something and going to die. Okay maybe this is an exaggeration, but to many who self diagnose themselves online, this is some of the anxiety they may feel. I, like many have done this before. Whenever something goes wrong, my computer is the first one to hear about it. The internet and websites such as WebMD have become a form of online community that gives medical advise to millions who do not wish to go to the doctor. There are even such sites for your pet. Many sites are also now creating ways to virtually talk to a doctor so you never have to leave your own home. What are the implications of this? The internet has become a form of psychological retreat. According to Milgram’s six ways that retreat takes place, this meets the third, that we set up structures to replace the personal element of transactions (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). No one wants to bother with going to a doctor and having to answer numerous questions and get poked and prodded, just to be told to take some over the counter medicine. But is self diagnoses the right answer? With unskilled citizens making the decisions about their health based solely upon what they are reading, they may either over diagnose, or under diagnose. Both of these options could be detrimental for someones health, so it may just be better to go to the doctor in the first place. Maybe next time you wake up feeling ill, you will double think about looking up your symptoms and instead go straight to the phone and call your doctor.

Below is a clip from the Ellen show, she does a great way of depicting the comic in the thought of misdiagnosis based upon online medical sites.

Reference

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.


05
Apr 15

Urban Overload, starring the bystanders . . .

by Cynthia Roebuck

Rushing to our next destination we give very little thought to the obstacle we jump or the homeless person we avoid eye contact with because all we had in our pocket was a card.  It was just a blur.  The ear buds keep the hellos from reaching our ears, and we use these psychological tricks to compartmentalize and filter sidewalk and commuting moments so we can accomplish all we need to do in our time budgeted sensitive lives. These are the six identifiable signs of stimulus overload Milgram (1977) identified. Some times we can find ourselves so caught up in our lives that we can miss a tree of money that Amy Krause Rosenthal and friends demonstrate in this video.

Courtesy Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s “The Money Tree” (copyright reserved)

In this light hearted video of kind minded folks, the possible stimulus overload showing some self-absorbed people is humorous.  But, when an ambiguous emergency situation is happening, people may retreat into themselves and look to others in the area for social cues on what to do.  When no one else is reacting, personal responsibility becomes diffused into the group lessening the dissonance one may feel for a need to react.  Unfortunately, if all people in the immediate environment of an ambiguous emergency situation fall victim to the bystander effect no help at all may be rendered (Lafreniere, Page, & Senn, 2012, p. 313).

Aronson, Wilson, & Akert (2012) in their fantastic introductory textbook to social psychology discuss a significant piece of research showing how to take the power away from this effect.  It’s very simple.  Make people aware of it.  Beman, Barnes, Klentz, & McQuirk’s (1978) randomly assigned students to two groups where one listened to a Latane and Darley (1970) lecture on the bystander effect and the other listened to a random lecture (as cited in Aronson et al., 2012). Then, two weeks went by and the participants were called in for an unrelated sociology lecture by Beaman et al. who invented this lecture as an excuse to get the students on a path were a confederate was laying on the floor in an ambiguous enough manner that it could not be immediately understood if the confederate was hurt or sleeping (as cited in Aronson, et al., 2012, pp. 344). Students who had listened to the bystander effect two weeks prior even when accompanied by a confederate who acted unconcerned took responsibility of engaging in the situation to ascertain if something was in fact wrong 43% of the time; whereas participants who were not aware of the bystander effect engaged with the confederate laying on the floor only 25% of the time (Aronson et al., 2012, p. 345). This is good evidence to warrant community workshops that make residents aware of this effect so as to prevent it from happening.

This research along with my classmates saying again and again in their personal responses to a question posed in our class about how much of an affect knowing about this effect had on their lives that I felt it warranted time in one of my blog posts.  An introduction to this phenomena should be given by police when doing community projects on crime prevention.  It should be introduced to young people as a way of discouraging bullying, because if they see something, they should say something.  If we are made aware of why and how apathy forms, then maybe we can change it into empathy and work towards engaging with our environments more.

So as I balance through my day, I keep my eyes open because I know so many will not, but now after reading this I hope you too will keep your eyes open and begin again to engage with your community.  Enjoy life, start seeing your environment & make it better.

editted urban overload

References

Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., & Akert, R.M. (2010). Social Psychology. Seventh Edition. Prentice Hall. ISBN 10:0-13-814478-8.

Lafreniere, KD, Page, S. & Senn, CY. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to the Community. (2nd ed.) F.W. Schnedier, J.A. Gruman, & L.M. Coutts (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978- 1412976381.

Milgram, S. (1977). The individual in a social world: essays and experiments. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.

Roebuck, CM. (2014). Urban Overload. Markers and Paper.

Rosenthal, AK. (2010). The Money Tree. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsN8FUV9nS4.

 

 

 

 

 


05
Apr 15

Improving Student Writing Self-Regulation through the use of Social Psychology

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Writing serves as the solidification of thought by the extension of spoken language to tactile form. It can be a representation, a jubilant array of art, a story, data, news, or love. Writing is dynamic, important, and can stand to make or break the academic progress and success of many students.

One avenue to improve writing is through the concept of self-regulation. Self-regulation can be described as the process for which the writer regulates their own structure, organization, standard, voice, thoughts, and presentations (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). As such, writing is often referred to as a linear process of simply organizing thoughts, writing, and editing (Rohman, 1965). However, an intrinsic look reveals that the process of writing is dynamic—as mentioned earlier—it spans no set means of logical formation and does, in fact, vary dramatically from a linear progression of pre-writing, writing, and editing (Bereiter & Scardamalie, 1987). As Zimmerman (2002) explains, writers who self-regulate display use of a wide array of tools such as time management, self-evaluation, self- attributions, and their own beliefs upon self-efficacy and task interest. As such, though these are particular skills, Zimmerman also explains that it is not exactly the harnessing of such skills that defines self-regulation in relation to writing, it is the method of utilizing them as a self-generated internal process (of thoughts, feelings, or behavior) to formulate writing, or learning, that is directed towards academic goals (Zimmerman, 2000, 2002).

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Phases and Subprocesses of Self-Regulation. From B. J. Zimmerman and M. Campillo, “Motivating Self-Regulated Problem Solvers.” In B.J. Zimmerman, Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview.

If writing is not an organized function like we’ve all been told in school: brainstorming/organizing, writing, and editing, than what is it?

Writing is much more than just a three-step process—as most people would agree. Writing, as Flower and Hayes (1980) explain, is environmental input, long term memory—how knowledge is applied to a topic, and the writing process—as a three step process. Though this is but one perspective of model of writing, the process typically resembles something similar and follows the same pathway for how writing occurs. Where they differ is typically associated with the cognitive analysis of the process between knowledge, thought, and the production of sentences (three step process) (Bereiter & Scardamaila (1987).

The model of self-regulation within the writing process takes a macroscopic view through input from social, motivational, and behavioral processes—where by the collective is thought to structure the efficacy of self-regulation (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). In that, writing is intimately involved with the entire picture of how both cognitive processes occur, how the environment affects them, and the process of writing itself—through formation, editing, and re-editing.

My experience with writing is one part of my academic history that I have thought a lot about. In high school my writing was thought to be required, arduous, not worth my time, and not a clear extension of where I believed my efforts should be spent. However, it was one situation that changed everything for me. I was in Iraq somewhere between 2002 and 2004 when I was taking an introductory Sociology class. I thought my writing was strong, solid, and mistake proof—I was dead wrong. I asked a coworker to read one of my first papers during that semester and it came back more red than white or black from the ink and paper. The guy I asked to revise my paper had been an editor for the Princeton University Press and could edit with the best of them. For whatever reason, I took that as a challenge to reduce how much red went on my papers thereafter and from such I have learned a better way to write (however, finding the time to write correctly still evades me).

So, without such a flashbulb intervention, how can academic writing be markedly improved for students? One simple intervention can help.

Identify the Problem: Young writers often lack or have difficulties with many areas of writing that can stand to be improved: ineffective methods, revising, unrealistic self-efficacy, and a lack of knowledge (Santangelo, Harris, & Graham, 2007). The target audience is younger writers of all grade levels and would probably best benefit secondary students.

Identify a Solution: Through the use of modeling and emulation, writers will improve their writing skills through the improvement of both self-efficacy and self-regulatory processes. The theoretical background for this intervention is marked by Bandura’s (1986) idea of modeling through observation and the research completed by Zimmerman and Kitsantas’ (2002)

Set Goals and Design an Intervention: The goals would be centered around the improvement of self-regulatory and self-efficacy which would then further the refinement and improvement of writing skills. As such, the intervention would simply be conducted through the process of having one class of writing students (presumably within an English class) observe a successful writing process that resulted in a positive outcome whereby learning occurred, corrections were made, and an improvement was demonstrated. Additionally, and as a constant, a similar video would be shown that only showed writing, a three step process, or a negative occurrence of writing ability—this could also be accomplished by allowing students to not watch a video at all. This would be conducted in a set time frame whereby the students would take a survey or an analysis of their self-regulatory and efficacy ratings and a writing sample and then watch the video, refine their skills, and then take the analysis over and provide another writing sample. This could be done through a month long period.

Implement the Intervention: Implementation would involve testing, watching the video, and then eventually retesting. It would be conducted in two different class rooms over the period of one month.

Evaluate: As mentioned earlier, retesting would be conducted to see changes in writing ability and self-regulatory and efficacy effects. As such, if increases in notable areas of writing and regulatory and efficacy scores demonstrate advancement, then the intervention is a success and optimization can occur. Otherwise, the intervention should be changed to hopefully provide positive results.

In conclusion, the intrinsic picture of how writing occurs is deeply seated in cognitive, environmental, and social structures. In that, self-regulating skills have been proven to dynamically support academic achievement through improvements in writing (Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, & Wilkinson, 2004). As such, writing is dynamic and has the propensity to improve, through social psychological means, to better academic performance in writing and ultimately throughout life.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology52(1), 1-26.

Bangert-Drowns, R. L., Hurley, M. M., & Wilkinson, B. (2004). The effects of school-based writing-to-learn interventions on academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 29-58.

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalie, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1980). The dynamics of composing: Making plans and juggling constraints. In L. Gregg and E. Steinberg (Eds.), Cognitive processes in writing (pp. 31–50).

Rohman, D. G. (1965). Pre-writing the stage of discovery in the writing process. College Composition and Communication, 16(2), 106-112.

Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attainment of self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P.R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13-39). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64-70. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2

Zimmerman, B. J., & Kitsantas, A. (2002). Acquiring writing revision and self-regulatory skill through observation and emulation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 660-668. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.94.4.66

Zimmerman, B. J., & Risemberg, R. (1997). Becoming a self-regulated writer: A social cognitive perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 22(1), 73-101. doi:10.1006/ceps.1997.0919

 

Written by Morgan L. DeBusk-Lane


05
Apr 15

Prejudice and Discrimination is Learned

Albert Bandura’s social learning theory “states that behavior is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning” (Bandura, 1977). It is Bandura’s belief that “humans are active information processors and think about the relationship between their behavior and its consequences” (Bandura, 1977). Furthermore, unless cognitive processes are at work, observational learning cannot occur (Bandura, 1977). Therefore, the same way a child can learn aggression from observation, they can also learn prejudice and in a nation that is becoming increasingly diverse, it’s essential that the appropriate actions, such as parental influence, are taken to reduce this prejudice as much as possible.

The famous Bobo doll experiment conducted by Bandura demonstrated the way “children observe the people behaving around them in various ways” (Bandura, 1961). The children observe individuals who were referred to as models. According to McLeod, “children are surrounded by many influential models, such as parents within the family, characters on children’s TV, friends within their peer group and teachers at school” (McLeod, 2011). Mcleod further states that the children observe the models and “encode their behavior” (McLeod, 2011). Later on, children may copy the behavior that was previously observed. Children “may do this regardless of whether the behavior is ‘gender appropriate’ or not but there are a number of processes that make it more likely that a child will reproduce the behavior that its society deems appropriate for its sex” (McLeod, 2011).

Children learn prejudice and practice discrimination “through living in and observing a society where prejudice exists” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). For example, children may learn it from watching television, or reading books or magazines. Prejudice is defined as “attitudes or opinions about a person or group simply because the person belongs to a specific religion, race, nationality, or other group” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). Discrimination on the other hand is “when people act on the basis of their prejudices or stereotypes, they are discriminating” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). Children’s thoughts and feelings are significantly influenced by the people around them. Therefore, they may observe that “some people won’t associate with members of certain groups or that members of some groups rarely, if ever, occupy influential positions in the school or community” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.).

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Sadly, “if no one addresses these instances of exclusion, a child may grow up thinking that this is the way it is supposed to be, and that people who have been discriminated against deserve this treatment because they are inferior in some way” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). Therefore, it is crucial for the issues of prejudice and discrimination to be addressed when and where they happen to express injustices “and to let children know such ideas and actions are unacceptable in a democratic society” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). Some ways parents can help their children with regards to prejudice include: “help[ing] [there] children become sensitive to other people’s feelings, make sure [there] children understand that prejudice and discrimination are unfair, [or to] teach [there] children respect and appreciation for differences by providing opportunities for interaction with people of diverse groups” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.).

The social learning theory involves adopting someone else’s behavior. So this can mean that a child can adopt good behavior from a model such as holding the door open for someone or bad behavior, such as prejudice and discrimination. With the United States becoming so diverse, it’s even more important for children to “get along with people from varied backgrounds and abilities” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.). In order for this to occur, children must be prepared “to live and work harmoniously and productively alongside others who represent various and many racial cultural groups, backgrounds and abilities in our society” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination, n.d.).

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bandura, A., Ross, D. & Ross, S.A. (1961).Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive modelsJournal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-82.

McLeod, S. (2011, January 1). Bobo Doll Experiment | Simply Psychology. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html

What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination: Printable Version. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://archive.adl.org/what_to_tell/print.html


05
Apr 15

A school violence program: a peer approach…

A new approach to curbing violence in schools (Ellis, 2013)

School violence is something which is in our news quite frequently.  We often hear about the violence which has occurred and the problems are reported only after they have occurred and violence has taken place.  This video is a report about a different approach a school has taken to curb the violence they have been impacted by.

The school discussed in the video has a high history of violence and lower academic achievement.  Since the implementation of the program, they have increased their graduation rates by 8% and lowered their disruptive citations by 80% (Ellis, 2013).  The school has taken an approach which we learned about in our readings and developed a peer approach to the violence.

In this approach to curb violence, students work in groups to learn how to resolve conflicts and issues between them.  Should there  be issues and they do get into trouble, a peer jury is part of the disciplinary action rather than suspension or punishment.  Learning how to deal with conflicts through peer assisted learning is teaching them to resolve conflicts.

Although many times, peer assisted learning can be used in an educational approach, using it as a method to curb violence could be beneficial, as is displayed through this program.  Schnieder, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) notes that peer assisted learning happens within a classroom setting and involves both one-on-one learning or group learning.  Working with peers to learn how to prevent and approach conflict, is the primary mode of education here.  The students are learning by interacting and socializing with their peers.

This type of model could be used throughout many school districts in our country, and could be a global way to learn how to resolve conflict and prevent violence.  This program is a proactive approach that not only can be used in high violence schools, but could be adapted to most schools as it teaches to resolve conflict, a skill which could be useful for the student later in life.  This program has been shown to be effective within the school district and shows that this is just another area which peer assisted learning is beneficial.

Ellis, R. (2013). A new approach to curbing violence in schools.  Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52077384

Schneider, F.,Gruman, J. & Coutts, L. (2012).  Applied social psychology : understanding and addressing social and practical problems.  Los Angeles: Sage.

 


05
Apr 15

It Takes A Village

It’s a cliché, I know, but cliché’s are cliché’s for a reason, because there is truth behind them. Society today has moved so far from a village mind-set, we all walk around in a bubble of isolation. As a parent, the fact that it’s not a village anymore makes finding good childcare very challenging, and the fact is, this country is not family friendly, despite what politicians say. The challenges of juggling work, school, illnesses, and any other myriad of emergencies that come up in families are not looked on with much sympathy from employers. There is nothing more heartbreaking than trying to decide if your child is well enough to send to school, or risk displeasing your employer by missing work. Finding childcare for summer break is also challenging and a financial hardship for some, as well as maternity/paternity leave is an absolute joke. The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that does not mandate paid maternity/paternity leave (Pew Research).

mombaby

In this day and age of stimulus overload and filtering out distractions, and living in isolated bubbles, it is more important than ever to get back to villages and that sense of community, especially when it comes to caring for our children. We need to build a sense of community and come together as a village, while at the same time protect our individual rights. Individualism/collectivism theory is the theory that an individual has the right to control his own life, while collectivism states that we have no individual rights and that everything belongs to society as a whole. While certainly no one wants a collectivist society, not in the U.S where we protect our individual rights quite ferociously, but a tiny bit of collectivism might not be so bad.

community

The problem is lack of access to good, affordable childcare. Also, how to foster a family friendly environment in the work place, as well as create a sense of community, while retaining our individualism. I envision neighborhood co-ops where children can be dropped off close to home with other children they know in their neighborhood. I also see employers providing daycare in the place of employment, or allowing parents to bring children to work where appropriate. Other options or solutions would be to work from the home if possible or to allow employees to work flexible hours to accommodate for school and childcare needs. The goal is to provide better access to good, affordable childcare in a village or community type atmosphere, not necessarily in the physical sense, but in the ambient sense. We can encourage employers to consider on site childcare by discussing how the cost would be offset by employees having fewer sick days, and increased productivity.

happy workers

Program implementation would include hiring qualified childcare providers, and constructing or designating a place for the daycare center in the workplace. I believe in evaluating the success of this program, we will see better access to childcare, fewer sick days for employee’s, and better moral in the workplace with a corresponding rise in productivity, a stronger sense of community, as well as intact individuality. I know for me personally, the peace of mind I have when I know my child is being well taken care of is priceless.

 

 

 

 

 

References

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/12/among-38-nations-u-s-is-the-holdout-when-it-comes-to-offering-paid-parental-leave/

 


02
Apr 15

Prison: Truly “aging in place”

According to statistics published in 2012 by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the number of prisoners in the U.S. grew by 43% between 1995 and 2010 with the number of older inmates (over age 55) increasing by a whopping 282%.  Many of these older inmates are serving life sentences or sentences that length will prohibit them from ever walking out of prison (Loeb, et al., 2013). Therefore, most of them will die in prison which necessitates the formulation of plans for end-of-life care for these inmates.  However, gaining support for an extremely isolated, presumably deviant population could be considerably difficult without having the buy-in of stakeholders within the prison system.  Enter community-based participatory action research.  The following blog post will discuss participatory research and how it is being utilized by nurse researchers in the Penn State College of Nursing to enhance the care of the aging and dying inmate population.aging-inmates-chart

Participatory research engages those in the community of interest during the research process through “mutual collaboration” (Lafrieniere, Page & Senn, 2012, p. 291).  Dr. Susan Loeb of the College of Nursing and colleagues identified end-of-life care in prison as a problem that needed to be addressed.  However, in order to conduct research on the best way to address the problem and provide end-of-life care to dying inmates Loeb and colleagues would need to apply the activities suggested by Maguire as reported by Lafrieniere, Page and Senn: investigation, education and action.  Investigation is a social phenomenon whereby participants and researchers begin to pose and solve a problem (Lafrieniere, Page & Senn).  This is followed by collective education that enables the participants and researchers to consider possible causes for the issues and come to a mutual understanding of underlying conditions associated with the issue at hand (Lafrieniere, Page & Senn).  Lastly, action involves coming to a consensus with an approach to move forward with solving the problem (Lafrieniere, Page & Senn).old man handcuffs

Loeb and colleagues began with investigation whereby they approached correctional facility employees that they referred to as “front-line staff” to offer insights into end-of-life in the prison setting (Loeb, et al., 2013).  The research team presented their ideas on end-of-life care and their observations on what they, as outsiders, perceived the main issues to be (Loeb, et al.).  At this point in the process the “front-line staff” began to be educated on outsider perceptions and also educated the research team by pointing out the ambiguity in perceptions of inmate perspectives on dying in prison (Loeb, et al).  This education led to the expansion of the participatory research group to also include inmates who had already been assigned to care for an aging or dying peer (Loeb, et al). Loeb and colleagues have not yet reported on the action plan that was developed as this project is ongoing.  Had Dr. Loeb and her team not chosen to utilize participatory research they may have missed the opportunity to engage key stakeholders, the inmates, in the research process.  Prison is just one context where participatory research is highly beneficial.

The isolated and prohibitory context of prison make it an ideal place to investigate phenomena of interest using participatory methods.  Participating in end-of-life care was meaningful for healthy inmates and decreased the burden of employing additional staff to serve the end-of-life needs of elderly inmates.  Yet in an environment of exclusivity employing standards for best practice would be impossible without the input and buy-in of all key stakeholders.  Participatory research is essential to ensuring adequate evaluation of end-of-life services and assessing the impact of additional interventions in providing high quality, cost effective end-of-life care.  Regardless of where on the continuum opinions range for how to deal with the ever-expanding aging prison population, most can agree that end-of-life care is a basic human right that should be afforded to all irrespective of previous criminal activity (HRW, 2012). 1409163337005-082614---Greenville---AgingPrisonPopulation

-Windy Alonso

 

References:

Human Rights Watch. (2012). Old behind bars: The aging prison population in the United States.  Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/ usprisons0112webwcover_0.pdf

Lafrieniere, K., Page, S., & Senn, C. (2012). Applying social psychology principles to the community, in Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.) Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Loeb, S., Hollenbeak, C., Penrod, J., Smith, C., Kitt-Lewis, E. & Crouse, S. (2013). Care and companionship in an isolating environment: Inmates attending to dying peers. Journal of Forensic Nursing. 9(1): 1-15.


02
Apr 15

School of Hard Knocks

chinese_symbols_for_school_6857_2_71

I am having one of those surreal moments wondering how exactly I got here. It’s late Sunday afternoon and I am sitting in a classroom that is not air- conditioned, full of 2nd graders on a sweltering, Texas autumn afternoon. The kids are yelling and jumping from desktop to desktop while their parents are sitting at the back of the class reading their newspaper or gossiping, desperately trying to ignore their children. I notice one exception, my child, the only one sitting up straight, striking her best -I am in school and I need to take this seriously pose. Her brow furrows in absorption and her dimples that usually dominate her face have now disappeared into a cloud of concentration. As I watch her, I realize she is paying attention. Her little hands are furiously scribbling her lesson notes because she wants to be here, the other children are here because they have been forced by their parents.

About six months earlier my eight years old came to me and asked if she could learn Mandarin Chinese. Since we live in South Texas, I figured this was a long-shot but to my astonishment found a school nearby. The parents, who started the school, emigrated from Taiwan where they write using the intricate traditional script that Mao in mainland China simplified to facilitate literacy.

taiwanSo, a few months later, here we are in Chinese school learning to write the incredibly complex Mandarin traditional script and speak the four-toned language. I notice every once in a while a parent will unfold themselves from a cramped miniature desk, come over and knock an errant child on their head with a rolled-up newspaper. All the while, admonishing them for being such wicked offspring who will never get anywhere in life nor amount to anything. Ah, the joys of culture shock.

The children’s performance was echoed in their parent’s words. They were poor students never turning in homework, rarely paying attention. They spoke the language and saw no benefit in learning how to craft complex characters. The parents finally gave up any illusion of control retreating to the cafeteria to drink tea, visit and read their newspapers in peace. Now, classroom behavior went from bad to worse, I saw pencils launched as arrows, bloody gashes, punches, fights, shenanigans and general mayhem. Not exactly a conducive learning environment. In the cafeteria, during our short class break, teachers admonished students in front of their parents, under the watchful eye and tsking of other parents, surreptitiously grateful this time it was not their progeny in trouble. All this thumping with rolled newspapers reminded me of training a new puppy and I secretly cheered for the parents.

Back in class, after the break, the children had tasted a bit of freedom and whined piteously to go home. They complained the work was too difficult and their parent’s low expectations reinforced their poor self-concept. The children self-handicapped their scholastic performance by always coming up with excuses as to why they couldn’t participate or why they didn’t have their homework completed. Initially, I had no sympathy for them, as my child went to a private school where she worked on homework every night, weekends and even in the summer. Her only free time to complete her Chinese was in the car on the way to and from school. Then I recalled she wanted to be here, the others did not. Instead, I attributed her attitude to her belief that if she worked hard enough she could learn the language. There was no tangible reward for her to be in class she was there merely for the intrinsic factor of loving what she was learning. The other children were there for the extrinsic factor of candy, as during break time I witnessed parents doling out sweet tidbits as a reward to get the kids to go to back to class.

daoWhile learning about the theory of planned behavior, which is the concept that links belief with action, my mind immediately reeled back to that first year of Chinese school. The theory of planned behavior is when people have time to think about how they are going to behave and examine their intention (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Their intent is determined by three factors: their attitudes, subjective norms and their perception of how much control over the situation they have. My daughter’s attitude toward learning was informed by her love of language which directly influenced her academic performance. She was also strongly influenced by subjective norms, which is her belief about what the people she cares for will think about what she is doing. She knew school is serious in our family culture and she discerned we would be pleased she was reaching out to learn an unusual language. She also comes from a creative and slightly unconventional home, so she recognized learning Mandarin, while everyone else is learning French and Spanish, would elicit approval from her family and friends. She also believed she could learn Chinese effortlessly so she perceived she had some control over the situation. Okay, it didn’t always turn out to be so easy, but she thought it would be initially. Her belief in perceived control stemmed from the fact that she had experienced academic success at school and was confident in her abilities (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013).

Over the subsequent ten years, I learned the children in Chinese school were not “bad kids” at all. They were just culturally in a very different place. When they were 2nd graders, their academic standing was not yet significant as their parents considered them not “cooked” yet as real people. These sage parents understood that making young children sit in a class for hours is not natural. The Eastern-style is more holistic in understanding of a young child’s capabilities, where the Western- style is centered on individualistic self-discipline. The Asian culture has the intuitiveness to know what young children are and are not capable of achieving. These children changed as they approached adolescence while concurrently there was a shift in the parental attitudes. Now that they were older and could sit easily for hours to learn, they were told how essential scholastic achievement was and why it was imperative to succeed. Their outlooks improved and they became model children and exemplary students. During adolescence, they exhibited behavioral control, as they felt they would be able to achieve success in the class. I attributed this shift in performance to their maturity and a modification of the subjective norms of their parent’s expectations.

formosaMy child went to Chinese school every Sunday for the next ten years, and the crazy, wild children she began school with flourished into impressive young adults fully prepared for college. It was fascinating to observe a microcosm of a collectivist culture in the midst of one that is individualistic. Both have their good and not so good moments, but in the end everyone was pleased with the journey.

Resources:

Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2013). Social psychology (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.:


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