I am a huge fan of Tuckman’s stages of group development, as they were the foundation of how programs were designed when I worked for Outward Bound Intercept in Florida. “Intercept courses are structured wilderness expeditions that help address behaviors such as unhealthy risk-taking, low self-image and motivation, defiance, poor decision-making and school performance” (Outwardbound.org). These programs consisted of taking a group of 10 students on 30-day canoeing expeditions with two facilitators who guide the group in addressing particular behavioral or emotional issues, with an emphasis on group performance. The goal was to alleviate the focus on “self” through group roles and the establishment of group norms, as this was found to address many of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – food, shelter, safety, respect, self-actualization, love, and belonging.

Using Tuckman’s stages of development, we overlaid 3 phases called training, main, and final. We thoroughly discussed Tuckman’s stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing, and informed the group that they would be in the training phase while forming and storming, which required constant supervision and instruction before moving to the main phase. In the main phase, the group knew and understood their roles and expectations, and supervision and instruction were limited, however, if the group went back to the storming stage, they would also return to the training phase (which was very uncomfortable after having the freedoms of the main phase). Once the group went into the performing stage, they achieved the final phase, which meant complete freedom and no instruction, then allowing them to choose their own schedules, play games, etc., as long as they remained in the performing stage. Each group member was assigned a daily role: leader, navigator, cook, hygiene, water patrol, etc. and each received group feedback on their roles at the end of the day.

We established group norms by creating a group name, a chant/song, and a list of group expectations (no swearing, 3 positives for every 1 negative statement, no slacking, etc.) and then they would sign a group contract. One of the things I really liked about this type of program is that everything was frontloaded, so the group knew that there would be a period of storming, which allowed us to discuss it in a group as soon as it started to manifest. Another thing I really enjoyed was that the consequences were immediate, e.g., if the cook didn’t cook, then no one could eat. Likewise, the rewards were equally immediate, e.g., if the group reached the final stage, then they earned lots of free time. This helped the students to know and understand how and why their behavior matters and provided a safe environment for them to really explore what they value in themselves and others.

Upon arriving home, we would establish a similar structure with their parents and school teachers, so they could continue to grow and develop. While I would like to believe that they were all success stories, I fear that due to particular environments, e.g., gangs, drugs, violence, etc., they didn’t all stay on a positive track. However, I fully believe that they learned a lot about how groups work and function together, along with healthy ways to cope with stress. I wish all students could experience programs like this as “tweens”, as I believe it would help that specific age group in a multitude of ways in their transition into adulthood. The four values of Outward Bound are compassion, integrity, excellence, and inclusion / diversity, which provide a firm and healthy foundation for all young people.

References

Mcleod, S. (2018, May 21). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Outward Bound. (2020). Intercept Florida Canoeing. Retrieved from https://www.outwardbound.org/course/intercept-florida-canoeing/385/

Group Effort

Each of us has most likely had experience in being part of a group, whether it be a sports team, an organization, club, group project, etc. Within these groups/teams, everyone has their own role. The textbook defines a role as “a set of behaviors expected of a person in a particular social position or setting” (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). For example, if it’s an organization, there might be positions like the president, vice president, secretary, auditor, etc. Work teams may include positions such as manager, assistant manager, supervisor, employee, etc. The individual who is chosen for each position has criteria and requirements that they are asked to follow in order to perform efficiently within their role for the team. Through this, there is role clarity in which the chosen individual has been given a clear definition of exactly what their role on the team is and what they’ll be required and expected to do (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Following that stage is role acceptance in which the individual who is chosen for the position is aware of what they’re required to do and is in agreement to their tasks (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Then comes role performance in which the chosen person takes on the tasks of the position clearly and efficiently (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016).

Within my own life, I’ve been a part of several groups, like a sports team and a dance team. I’ve taken part in clubs as well as group projects. In regards to organizations, at my workplace I take on the role of “employee” and I work under people who are considered my supervisors, bosses, and other administration. Those titles are the roles of those individuals who took on the tasks of those positions in order to create an efficient job environment that runs smoothly. When it comes to the football team I was on, I took on the role of “wide receiver” for some time. At that time, I was just starting to play and this position seemed to be what I was good at, so therefore, that was my role. I was required to run far out on the field and catch the ball when passed to me by the quarterback. However, I realized that running quickly that far wasn’t the best of my skillful abilities. To do so and then catch the ball wasn’t bad but it also didn’t seem to work for me to perform efficiently. There was another individual on the team who was playing the quarterback and they were having a similar situation. They had the ability to run well so our coach tested it out and had us switch roles. This happens during stage four of Tuckman’s notion of development stages (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). We found that I had more skill in throwing the football, especially when it came to throwing far. My other teammate was able to run a lot better than I could, so therefore, revisions were made to the roster so that we could both play in positions that fit us better than the ones we already had.

We all worked as a team to be able to perform efficiently and win games. If we didn’t win (actually even if we did win), we came together, communicated with each other, and figured out how to be better when the next game would come around. The textbook talks about team confidence and how it’s so important for team members, especially in sports to have confidence in each other (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Every player has to believe in themselves and believe in each other. One person can’t do it all on their own. One person alone can’t “carry” the team. Every person plays a key factor in the game, in the role they’ve been placed in. An article by Journal of Sports Sciences indicates that even though a player’s performance is based a lot off of the player’s skills physically as well as the player’s traits/characteristics, sport confidence “is viewed as critical to human functioning and sport performance” (Hays, Thomas, Maynard, Bawden, 2009).

In the case of one of the dance teams I was a part of, we all had our own roles on that team as well. There was a person who was more like the leader of the group and we referred to them as the president, with another person as the vice president alongside them. There was a treasurer to handle all of the funds we obtained to be able to participate in competitions/shows as well as funds to There was a person who held the role of being responsible for creating the choreography, with the help of another individual. There was someone who was responsible for creating the tracks and music instrumental combinations for us all to dance to. With everyone placing importance on their responsibilities within the group, we were able to be in sync and successful in the dance world. Every single role in any group is very important to the entirety of the team/group. Even though one position might be considered “higher” to the outward eye, that doesn’t make any role less vital to the efficiency of the team’s survival and function as a whole. Everyone must work together, take on their own responsibilities and do their own part, as well as communicate, for things to go smoothly and be successful and done well.

Works Cited:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Hays, K. (n.d.). The role of confidence in world-class sport performance. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640410903089798

Just hearing the word “group” is enough to make me cringe a bit. I think it is safe to say that we have all been involved in some sort of a group before. Fairly often we find ourselves in group situations, think about your job or a friends group. Be sure to think about those school projects where you were divided up into groups and were assigned a task. Sure, some of them worked out well and you were able to collaborate to accomplish the task. However, I would think that we all have some memories of group projects that were a disaster, nothing was sweeter than finally being done with that group. But, why is this sometimes the case? How can they be so toxic and draining?

There are many things that could lead to a bad experience when in group settings. Role conflict can play a part, where not everyone is on the same page with regard to the task at hand and the roles that each member play. Sometimes there are personality conflicts. But, the one that stands out for me the most, is the bad leader… I think that it is fair to assume that most people have dealt with a leader that was a jerk; they are bullies, they are selfish, they know everything, and they undermine the group members and their ideas. Bottom line, they are the worst and they need to be stopped.

First, let us look into the formation of groups, as I believe there are ways to prevent these personality types from being put into leadership positions. Bruce Tuckman proposed that there are four stages to group development: forming, storming, norming, and performing (Tuckman, 1965). Let’s look more into the first two as they are where I believe the leader will emerge. Forming is the first stage and it is basically what it sounds like, this is the stage in which the group structure will be tested and the dependence on the group will be assessed (Tuckman, 1965). I believe this to be the most critical when it comes to the adoption of roles. In the earliest of stages in group formation it is critical that all within the group are on the same page and everyone’s ideas and thoughts are being discussed. This stage should not be disregarded as it is where the group members will begin to get a feel for who the other members are, it is here that the toxic members will begin to emerge and show themselves. Something that we have all more than likely noticed is that these toxic/bully types are pushy and will try to put themselves into a role, probably the leader role. The earliest stage is your first glimpse at what the members will be like throughout the course of the group, so pay close attention. Storming, this is the stage where roles will be determined and there will most likely be some intragroup conflict (Tuckman, 1965). Take what was learned from forming, communicate between group members. This is the stage where your toxic member will become the leader if everyone does not express concerns and talk about member’s strengths. Again, there might be some conflict, but better now than in the middle of the task when no one has a say in the direction the team takes because you allowed the toxic member to be the leader. By the end of this stage all of the roles should be assigned, hopefully in ways that work for everyone. But that does not always happen… So, now we look at Tuckman’s third stage. Norming is where new standards will evolve, and new roles are adopted (Tuckman, 1965). Think of this stage as post-beta, the idea has been out there, and it is time to assess and make changes before the performing stage. If the leader role isn’t working out, this is the time to speak up and try to make a change. In all, there are many opportunities to weed out the bullies, but it takes a lot of communication in the early stages of group development.

All of that sounds fine and dandy, but there are instances where the bully will emerge as the leader or they may be assigned as the leader by a higher up and it is important to have policies in place that try to eliminate or minimize the way that these bullies treat others. Management scientist, Robert Sutton has spent some time looking into these toxic, bully leaders and he suggests a zero-tolerance policy for destructive aggression and selfishness (Sutton, 2007). The adoption of a zero-tolerance policy would certainly help deal with terrible leaders and would also send a strong message about how certain attitudes and actions will be dealt with.

Overall, groups are an important part of not only businesses, but schools, friends, families, and many others. They can allow us to accomplish amazing feats and challenges with incredible efficiency, but they can also be very toxic. Bruce Tuckman showed us the stages of group formation, it is our job to make the most of those stages to help prevent roles being improperly assigned. Also, if you are constantly having to deal with horrible leaders, speak to a higher up, express your concerns, and maybe suggest Sutton’s approach to dealing with jerks.

References:

Sutton, R. (2007). The No Jerk Rule. Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders, Season 2, Episode 22. Retrieved from: https://ecorner.stanford.edu/podcasts/the-no-jerk-rule

Tuckman, B. W. (1965). American Psychological Association. Psychological Bulletin, Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 384-99

Ethnic Harmony

We live in a society that consists of diverse people that come from different areas and backgrounds of life and are different shapes and sizes. The textbook talks about “diversity” in relation to physical abilities, religion, gender, social class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and nationality (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Within that, culture and cultural diversity (ethnicity and race) are seen as what creates influence over the lives of people who come from different backgrounds. It brings a sense of uniqueness to different groups of people who have their own sets of rules, beliefs, behaviors, and values that they follow and teach throughout the generations.

As someone who grew up in the Indian community, culture is seen as important. There are traditions/values/behaviors/etc. that have been passed down for generations. I was born in America, my family is more modernized so the traditions, behaviors, etc. differ a bit from what is taught in India. However, in present day, India has come a long way in changing certain things to keep up with the times as opposed to how it used to be back in the day. For example, let’s talk about the clothing. Indian people are known for their beautiful traditional and intricate clothing and the fancy jewelry that compliments it as well. There is traditional clothing that is a little simpler in detail and a majority of the residents there wear it every day. In the past when I would visit, I’d never seen anyone in anything except the traditional clothing but times have changed and nowadays individuals also wear jeans, t-shirts, and clothing that’s modest yet not the typical traditional outfit. Here in the U.S., a majority of the Indians I know wear your typical clothing, like t-shirts, jeans, etc. for their casual wear for a regular day like everyone does. It’s not like India, where it’s normal to wear the traditional clothing every day. Personally, I only wear my traditional clothing if I attend my parents church, at certain Indian weddings, or for special events within the community.

The textbook talks about how the norm behavior for when people greet each other in India is to nod (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). I do catch myself nodding at other Indian people but I’ve also seen it used as a joke by other people who witness it because they think it’s funny the way that Indian people “bob their heads all the time”. It’s unfortunately not understood by many that it’s just a form of greeting each other. Another thing that people associate with Indians is arranged marriages. For a long time, it was tradition for marriages to be arranged for an individual by their parents. As the textbook states, in places like India and Japan the purpose of marriage wasn’t viewed “as providing happiness to the two individuals involved; rather, it is viewed as developing alliances between families” (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). In current day, this tradition is still practiced in different parts of India but things have expanded and there’s a bit more freedom. My parents don’t believe in arranged marriage, and in being more modernized, that tradition isn’t passed on to me. Being from Indian background though, there are people who assume that that is how my life is going to go, which is just an assumption created based off my culture.

Furthering into assumptions that are created, there’s the unfortunate response of racism and discrimination that tends to occur. It’s a sensitive topic that people don’t like to talk about, but it does still exist to this day. Racism is defined as “bias against an individual or a group of individuals based on the individual’s or group members’ race/ethnicity” (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). There are a lot of people that don’t want to talk about this topic because it’s just easier to push it under the rug and act like it’s not a real thing that exists. I sadly have been discriminated due to my ethnicity. I’ve had people tell me (for no reason) to go back to the country I was born in, but then would be silent when they realized that I wasn’t born in India. It’s not fun to be bullied in general and it’s hurtful when it’s based off of who you are, where you and your family come from, and what makes you different from other people.

If you’ve seen The Office, there’s an episode called “Diversity Day” in which different cultures are acknowledged and the characters are seen using stereotypes of the cultures, in a comedic way. This doesn’t remove the fact that some of what they showed in the episode tends to happen in real life. In the episode, they’re all role-playing as different cultures and saying stereotypical things to each other in a game to figure out who each person is representing and one woman isn’t in the room at the time and so she doesn’t know that this game is being played. When she returns, a character says a stereotype about the woman’s actual cultural background, as a part of the game, but the woman didn’t know that and thought the character was being serious and got offended, thus opening the eyes of the character who said it to her. The concept of Diversity Day exists in real life as well, except it’s nowhere near like how it is in that show. An article connected to the United Nations talks about how bringing together cultures is good for development, peace, and stability (United Nations, 2020). On the 21^st of May, it’s known as World Day for Cultural Diversity in which cultures are embraced and values and traditions are understood with knowledge of it being broadened (United Nations, 2020). My workplace has a Diversity Day where everyone comes together, brings food from their cultural background, and people get to interact with each other and learn more about each other and where they come from.

I hope that one day it’ll get to a place where people aren’t judged for where they come from and people will be kind to all the individuals that they encounter without creating assumptions or discrimination. People from all cultures should be able to come together in unity from a place of love and try to understand each other more. We should all love each other and create that harmony and peace within us as a society. No matter where a person comes from, everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way and should be accepted as such.

Works Cited:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

cultural, diversity, dialogue, development, Alliance of Civilizations, tolerance, inclusion. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/events/culturaldiversityday/

I officiate lots of basketball games these days, all around Eastern Switzerland. Switzerland is a beautiful country, famous for its nature, chocolate, and neutrality. It possesses top notch public transportation, healthcare, and educational systems. It’s a country with highest or second-highest, depending on the year the data is collected, GDP per capita in the world. That still doesn’t make it immune to discrimination, something that this country still has long way to go to overcome. While officiating a basketball game in a high-school gym in a town called Frauenfeld, looking for officials’ locker room, one writing on the bathroom door that I ran into caught my eye.

If German language is not your strong suit, what it says on the photo is “restroom for the retarded.”
Although it really caught me off guard, when I thought about it, I realized that it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Not for this country. After getting married and moving to Switzerland, I was repeatedly denied job opportunities on the grounds of being a foreigner, though I possessed valid employment permit. Foreigners in Switzerland are known, deservingly so or not, to be not as hard-working as Swiss people, and of course for their less than perfect German proficiency. Sometimes I wouldn’t even make it through the door of temporärbüro (governmental agencies set up to help people find temp jobs) before I was told that I should turn around, as they don’t have jobs for non-German-speaking ausländer (foreigner). My German level at the time was basic. When I complained about it saying that it was blatant discrimination, the response I got was that I am more than welcome to go back where I came from if I didn’t like the way I was being treated. In addition to this, my two daughters, even though born in Switzerland and German is their native language, cannot legally obtain Swiss citizenship. The reason- their father is not a Swiss citizen. They will have to live in Switzerland for certain amount of time (this amount is different in every kanton), until they can apply for citizenship on their own. Until then, they are guests in the country they were born, and spent almost every day of their life in.
Being discriminated against is never fun. However, some of it may be in human nature. Our perceptual system is designed to use partial information to arrive at the best guess solution to a problem which is correct most of the time. The few errors we may experience are more than compensated for by a feature of our perceptual system that is essential for our survival- its great speed even when faced with incomplete information (Goldstein, 2011). This not only suggests that stereotyping and discrimination are mental shortcuts created to make our lives easier, and therefore significant contributors to our everyday psychological and social lives, but the argument can be made that these behaviors were valuable survival tools throughout human evolution; tools that lead humans past natural selection and helped us evolve into the species we are today. Hence, they must be inscribed deep in our genetic code, along with other instincts successfully used by our ancestors in order to survive (and to do so long enough to reproduce). In hunter-gatherer society ability to discriminate between different groups of people, even if it meant using stereotyping as a tool to get us to quick enough and accurate enough decision on whether or not someone from a particular group presents potential danger to our group, sometimes meant a difference between life and death.
What has helped us in the past is making things much worse in the present though. Some cultures are much more aware of existence of stereotyping and discrimination than others. Although people in America are far from satisfied with their current situation regarding this issue, they are obviously light years ahead of most others, including Switzerland. It is still very much ok and legal to discriminate here; when in fact it’s wrong, ignorant, and disrespectful, and it has negative effects on psyche of people affected by it.
Even though it looks like we are far removed from period when stereotyping and discrimination were useful to us, years that we spent living in civilized society are insignificant when it comes to evolution, whose significance factor is measured by thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years. This is approximately how long it would take for those traits, that were clearly enforced by natural selection, to be altered or completely erased. Until that happens (if ever), the least we can do is treat each other with respect. Whatever our skin color, gender, or intelligence level. How about just all being humans? That’s certainly how I’m raising my children to be.

References:

Goldstein, B.E. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience. (3rd Edition). Wadsworth, Inc.

Did you ever ask yourself how genocides could happen? How can a normal human being, that grew up in the same society you did, suddenly come after you to kill you? It sounds so unlikely, but still it happened, and not just once but over and over again.

My mother keeps telling me the story about the city she was born in, Jedwabne in Poland. It is the unbelievable story where neighbors summoned all the Jews into a barn and burned them alive. Neighbors that were not affiliated with the Nazis, who were not forced to do so. They did it out of their own will (Mikics, 2015). My mother survived because she was deported to Siberia a couple of days before this happened.

How can a neighbor, you lived side by side for many years suddenly turn on you? One explanation could be the social identity theory (SIT). This theory assumes, that people want to feel good about themselves, good about who they are and good about the group they belong to (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, 2012, p. 341). To summarize it, people want to achieve a positive social identity. You could think there is nothing negative about feeling good about oneself or at least to try to achieve that. We humans constantly want to look good in front of others, may it be with our physical appearance or our intellect.

The danger lies in the motivation a group has to feel good about oneself. If the motivation is high to achieve this, the motivation is also high to evaluate the members of the other group negatively. We compare our group constantly with other groups and if we perceive the differences and statuses as very different from our own, we set the stage for a ‘us’ versus ‘them’ situation (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, 2012, p. 341) and everybody can guess, where this leads to.

To prevent genocides in the future, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan outlined in 2004 a five-point action plan:

1. Prevent armed conflict, which usually provides the context for genocide;
2. Protect civilians in armed conflict, including through UN peacekeepers;
3. End impunity through judicial action in national and international courts;
4. Gather information and set up an early-warning system; and
5. Take swift and decisive action, including military action (Un.org, 2012).

This action plan looks great from far, but by inspecting it closer, I come up with some doubts.

1. At this very moment we have armed conflicts all over the world and as one example, the Syrian war goes on already for years. Preventing an armed conflict is easier said than done. I don’t see any end in the near future in the Syrian conflict.
2. People of the Central African Republic and South Sudan are butchered because of their ethnicity. UN peacekeepers are present but still cannot protect all the men, women and children, that are killed by mobs with machetes.
3. During all genocides other nations turned a blind eye on those in need. Just after a horrendous amount of damage was done already, did they start to get involved.
4. With the help of new technologies like the internet, information about minorities that are threatened is more than ever available. Warning signs are present, like the repeated killings of Muslims in India, but what is done to prevent it?
5. If action would have been taken ‘swift’ and ‘decisive’, so many killings could have been prevented. We get the feeling, that military action is just used when the country providing it has some sort of advantage, like getting resources from the country they ‘rescue’.

There are many suggestions and guidelines out there to tell us how we can prevent another genocide from happening. The past and the present showed us though, that this is not easy. I hope that applied social psychologists can give us an answer soon, before it will be too late for another minority group.

Department of Public Information. (2012). Preventing Genocide. Outreach Programme on the Rwanda Genocide and the United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/pdf/bgpreventgenocide.pdf

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

Mikics, D. (2015). The Day We Burned Our Neighbors Alive. Polish journalist Anna Bikont faces history in Jedwabne in her masterful new ‘The Crime and the Silence’. Tablet Magazine. https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/194312/anna-bikont-jedwabne

Personally I can relate to diversity in two different areas of my life. One is in my personal life. I grew up having a best friend who was Spanish. We were best friends since we were in 5th grade. I spent a lot of my childhood at her house and things were very different from what I was used to and I noticed this very early on in our friendship. The food was very different, the language, the way they dressed was different, how they celebrated holidays and special events was even very different. I thought at first it was odd but the more time I spent with her I grew to love the food. Even to this day I think Spanish food is amazing! I also grew to feel like these new ways of life were a part of my life now because I was so close with her. Upon our friendship growing apart due to her transferring to another school in high school and us just making new friends I met my now fiance and he too is Spanish. So I never really stepped away from the Spanish culture.

My fiance’s family is from Puerto Rico. Their first language is Spanish including his. He speaks English well as he was put in classes to learn English when he was in elementary school. However I still have a hard time understanding his mom sometimes. Her English is still very broken and hard to understand. My fiance’s dad speaks no English at all so we don’t communicate much unfortunately. I still love all the Spanish traditional meals and in June of 2021 we are getting married and we plan to have a complete Spanish spread for the meal. I really hope that one day I am to pick up on more Spanish language than I am able to now but right now I just don’t have the free time to try and learn a whole new language. Sometimes my fiance will talk to me in Spanish (trying to be funny) and I will guess 2-3 times what he is trying to say before I am like “okay just tell me already”. But from him doing that I have learned a lot more than I knew 3-4 years ago.

From having a good friend who was Spanish almost my entire childhood to now having a fiance who is Spanish I have learned the culture and the way of life very well. The diversity that I see among couples is something that I love but I know that everyone doesn’t like to see it. I have never had anyone say anything directly to me but I have had people make faces or stare at me and my fiance and unless I had food all over my face I would assume it was because it was clear to see we were a couple. I personally feel that the younger generation is open to it for the most part but it is the older generation I feel that lacks that understanding. I don’t mean those who are 30-40 years old but those who are 70,80,90 years old and they grew up with very different beliefs and in a very different time and era.

In the article I referenced called “The Challenges of Relationship Diversity” there is reference to the idea that we as humans have to understand things about each other all the time and when we bring the diversity of different races and cultures together it is something that needs a good bit of attention from the Psychology prospective. This is something that I agree with. Two people have to learn how to come together for their family, children, relationship, job etc. and when you are bringing these different diverse people together it can make things even  more challenging because beliefs could be so different. Hopefully as we progress with level of understanding of Psychology we continue to grow in focus on this area. I am sure we are much farther ahead today than we were 10 years ago and I am sure 10 years from now we will be even farther ahead.

Reference:

MAPS, G. K. A. (n.d.). Dr Gery Karantzas Assoc MAPS, Secretary and Dr RossWilkinson MAPS, Convenor. Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://www.psychology.org.au/publications/inpsych/2011/feb/karantzas

     Many college campus administrators have been struggling to “navigate issues of inclusion and free speech,” which has “students of color [having] been left to find their own way.  (American Public Media, 2020)

Free Speech for all

In the APMReports (American Public Media) article, “How colleges are mishandling racial tensions on campus,” by John Hernandez (Sept. 12, 2019), reports that “colleges across the country [are] seeing similar controversies.”  More colleges campuses are having more “incidents of racial bias, racism, and hate crimes, [which are all on the rise].”  (American Public Media, 2020)

Politics can affect how smoothly things go on campus.  “In March 2019, the Trump administration responded to the rise in what it called “hard left” student protests with an executive order attempting to hold colleges financially accountable if they don’t protect free speech.” (American Public Media, 2020)

Bigots normalizing hate creating racial tensions

So, how can colleges protect free speech, and not mishandle it, or incite further racial tensions? What interventions can be used?  As students of color such as “Syedah” from the article and others, often feel that “administrators too often don’t address or respond to student concerns about the racial climate on campus until a controversial incident happens.”  (American Public Media, 2020)

Strategies must be developed and implemented by college administrators, that include assessments by the entire student body to address the issues.  Initiatives should be created that focus on inclusion and improving campus climates, such as the Initiatives that Syracuse University is taking.  (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2020)

Syracuse University Taking Further Efforts to Improve Campus Climate for Black Students

Students from different races, and ethnic backgrounds viewpoints on how they perceive things are very different, which creates a barrier and leads to tensions.  “Another study from the University of Pennsylvania reinforced that white students and students of color experience the campus differently. It found students of color and white students to be frustrated with the gap between “espoused and enacted institutional values concerning diversity” at their schools.”  (American Public Media, 2020)

Is there free speech?

My community college, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), I attended prior to going to Penn State tries to stay on top of things regarding inclusion of all students and diversity. They have constantly made changes.  I personally have witnessed the disparities in perception among students of different races and cultures over the years I was there, as well as differences such as persons with disabilities.  My husband currently attends now, and many changes have been made as interventions to the ongoing issue that many campuses have regarding racial tensions, free speech and inclusion.

Bridging the gap with diversity by inclusion

HACC has completely remodeled its campus to be more welcoming to students of all races, backgrounds and cultures.  They have changed policies and are active on strategies and initiatives that include all of the student body.  They constantly welcome ideas for change from the students.  They have a zero tolerance policy on their clubs and programs from discriminating against students.  This has improved their campus climate, and allows free speech where it is inclusive, and respectful of diversity in all students.

This issue needs to be ongoing far as assessing and possibly trying new ideas in order to not only prevent mishandling of free speech, and to prevent racial tensions, hate crimes, discrimination, etc.  I believe applying social psychological interventions do work for these issues, but have to be a constant process and willingness by all.

Respecting differences and embracing diversity and being inclusive

References:

Hernandez, John.  2/12/19.  “How colleges are mishandling racial tensions on campuses.”  American Public Media.  Accessed 2/20/20.  2020.

Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.  Campus Racial Incidents.  2020.

Tatone, Alicia.  (image- Liberty.)  The Atlantic.  Accessed 2/20/20.  2020.

Lam, Stephen, Reuters. (bigot free speech image).  “Who’s Afraid of Free Speech?”  The Atlantic.  Accessed 2/20/20.  2020.

Growing up middle class in the Midwest, I was raised to believe in the “American dream” and bought into the “hard work pays off” ethic. While I do think that hard work increases one’s chances of success, I now consider other contributing factors such as race, class, and gender. Honestly, I thought that since discrimination was illegal, and with diversity and equality being a frequent topic in the news, everyone was on a level playing field. It wasn’t until a class I took here at Penn State World Campus that my eyes were opened and I understood the history, repercussions, and consequences of discrimination and prejudice within a culture. Since that class, I have been able to see the way in which minorities are (and have been) perpetually been kept down due to various institutionalized circumstances no matter the country or culture.

Studies have shown that your name can determine your hiring success, regardless of your experience (Adensina, Marocico, 2017). I experienced this “in reverse” when I moved to Asia and applied to be a personal trainer (PT). I had only recently received my PT certification and was starting to feel discouraged when I wasn’t getting any call-backs until I finally landed an interview at a high end country club. I thought the interview had gone well, but I was later surprised to be offered a management role that placed me in charge of the whole department. While I personally questioned my lack of experience, I let my ego take over and assumed that I had talents that others “saw in me”. I later realized that I was hired because of my ethnicity and background, which brought favorable connotations to my place of employment. Although I did eventually leave this job, I truly wished I had left over the moral and ethical aspect of the situation, rather than for other opportunities.

My spouse, being an American-born person of Asian ethnicity, has long tried to explain to me the differences in how we are treated in various situations. As mentioned, I had previously been oblivious to discrimination, but after learning about and being aware of these things, I began to see them. For example, when we would go out to dinner, I was always handed the check and signature paper (even if I was not the one to give my credit card). Aside from that, when workers come to the house they directed all conversation to me, even though my name is not on the lease. Even at international networking events, I can now see how much harder she needs to work than I do to get noticed, based solely on our skin color. This type of discrimination has deep roots in colonization, especially in Asia.

Now I cannot “un-see” the inequalities. No matter the country, no matter the race or religion, there always seems to be one group that discriminates and dominates against another. I don’t think there is any easy solution to ending prejudice and racism, but I do think that education and exposure can be incredibly helpful. Like my eyes were opened, I think that we can educate each other and help to open the eyes of many disparate groups across our society.

References

Adesina, Z., & Marocico, O. (2017, February 6). Is it easier to get a job if you’re Adam or Mohamed? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-38751307

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 424 Lesson 6: Intergroup Relations/Diversity. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2040175/modules/items/28379758

When discussing the issue of increasing diversity in the workplace, many of the benefits that diversity can bring to a workplace are not always so well understood. An important point of consideration is marketing these concepts to businesses and other entities that employ workers. Marketing diversity successfully results in greater employment for minority groups as well as businesses learning the benefits of employing members from these populations for their workforce. Some businesses may be wary of hiring diverse members based upon prejudiced notions, however greater awareness of these benefits may help to negate some of those attitudes. The benefits associated with a diverse workforce include helping the company to perform better, increase creativity, and secure foreign markets.

The bottom line for many places of employment is finances and returns. Companies typically need to have a certain level of certainty that their workers can be productive. This makes selling diversity as a potential increase to productivity such a good argumentative tool, and it has the data to back it. Support has been shown by researchers that increased diversity within the workplace is correlated with both greater increased productivity and happiness (Reynolds, 2019). One possible factor for this greater productivity is decreased stereotype threat among group members, as a less judgmental environment would aid them in not being flustered or distracted by stereotype expectations. With greater happiness typically leading to greater job satisfaction, employers not only gain a potential increase in productivity through hiring minorities, but additional job satisfaction from their employees as well.

Sourced from https://www.benefitfocus.com/blogs/benefitfocus/benefits-diverse-workforce-part-one

A diverse workforce brings many perspectives to each situation that they interact with, resulting in a beneficial process called functional diversity. Functional diversity is the accumulation of diverse opinions in a work environment that lead to increased productivity and creativity. This diversity of opinions that can come along with diverse identities allows for novel thoughts and solutions to be formed, increasing problem-solving skills among workers. Support was shown for increased diversity enhancing creativity in the workplace, creating environments where ideas are heard and appreciated. The development of these environments through diverse employment can benefit less diverse workers as well, allowing their ideas more space to be heard as well due to changes in the social environment (Western Governors University, 2019). With individuals often being equally paired across diverse backgrounds to achieve shared goals, greater employment would likely also decrease overall employee conflict according to realistic group conflict theory (Gruman, 2017). Overall, the importance of the increase in creativity and problem solving shown with increased diversity is difficult to overstate.

More diverse workforce members bring more than original ideas to discussions, they also bring original markets. Markets from other countries can sometimes be difficult to fully analyze, with various custom and legal differences. Having diverse members that understand these locations or cultures more intricately allows them to conduct business with other diverse clients more easily and could be considered another case of functional diversity. Connections such as these have been correlated with increases in financial returns for companies (Reynolds, 2019). These untapped markets do not necessarily have to come from other countries even, local cultures and other client bases previously unexplored can now be tackled with more informed viewpoints.

The benefits of diverse workers can be easy to look over by companies who have not considered their possible benefits. The increased awareness to these benefits are likely to impact both businesses and diverse members of society, as mutually beneficial relationships can begin to be formed around this data. With increased performance, creativity, and populations to sell to, the results of research surrounding the benefits of diversity makes a compelling argument in my opinion.

Resources

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-6973-0

Reynolds, Katie. 2019. 13 Benefits and Challenges of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. Hult International Business School. https://www.hult.edu/blog/benefits-challenges-cultural-diversity-workplace/

Western Governors University. 2019. Barriers and Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace. WGU Business. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/barriers-benefits-diversity-workplace1906.html

In the image above you can see many differences between these two people. Just by looking at the picture, it does not seem that they have anything in common. Do you see any way these two people can relate to each other? What if I told you the one thing they have in common is that they work together. Many companies have a wide range of people ages 16-65+ working together. Having two very different generations working together might create some tension. They would most likely have different ideas and opinions. This is a generation gap.

Many workplaces have a generation gap, which can lead to issues. Some problems that may arise are different communication styles, different characteristics or work ethics, different feedback expectations, different work/ life balance understandings, and different ways to resolve conflicts (Whitman, 2018). There are differences in every generation, but I want to focus on the two generations that seem to clash the most. Certain generations prefer different ways to communicate. Baby boomers prefer face to face communication, where as millennials grew up with technology and prefer mobile communication (Whitman, 2018). Baby boomers prefer to work in groups and put work above everything else, where as millennials like fast paced lives and like to learn on their own (Whitman, 2018). Another way these two differ in the work place is feedback expectations. Baby boomers seem to want more feedback in the form of money and promotions, while millennials want to be kept in the loop and want to be respected (Whitman, 2018). Millennials are quick to jump on other job opportunities and normally do not vision themselves at a company for longer than 2 years, but baby boomers are in it for the long haul and prioritize their work lives (Whitman, 2018). These generations also have different ways of resolving conflicts. Baby boomers want a group consensus and millennials tend to need help resolving conflict because they do not handle it well (Whitman, 2018).

These generations seem to have quite a few differences in the workplace.Working together might be tough, but there are ways that companies can help reduce these issues. Employers should have open communication and make everyone feel as though they have a part to play in the workplace (Whitman, 2018). Another way to help bridge this gap is to mentoring. Having generations mentor each other is a good way for the generations to see each other’s perspectives on an idea and learn from them (Whitman, 2018). There are many other ways employers can help generations work better together, but I think that everyone should try to bridge this gap. If we try to understand someone’s perspectives they might try to understand ours. It would promote a better work environment.

References

Whitman, M. (2018, August 6). How to Bridge the Generation Gap in the Workplace: Deputy®. Retrieved from https://www.deputy.com/us/blog/the-generation-gap-how-to-bridge-the-gap-in-the-workplace

Motherhood should be the most rewarding event in a woman’s life. The media is full of examples of babies gurgling happily and mothers and fathers holding their child with an angelic smile on their faces.I knew, something was wrong with me. After the birth of my first child, I missed this feeling of endless love. This little bundle of joy that entered my body just a couple of days ago, would not let me sleep, and hurt me when it was drinking. My whole body was sore, the thought of my baby wanting to nurse every hour made me cry out of desperation. This state did not go away, not in the first week and not in the second week. I couldn’t get out of bed, had extreme difficulties sleeping at night and was so exhausted and tired, I felt like a zombie.

When I got out of the house, it was just to see the pediatrician for scheduled health checkups to make sure my baby is on par with growth and weight guidelines. I took all my courage and told the pediatrician about my exhaustion and insomnia. “That is just the baby blues, don’t worry it will pass soon”. After another week of barely sleeping and breastfeeding pains, I confessed to my mother in law. All she said is “you are a mother now, and this is part of being one, this is the baby blues and most mothers go through it”. After six weeks I went to my doctor and you can guess, what he said. “It’s just the baby blues”

Today I know I had a full-blown postpartum depression. I exhibited all the symptoms, like feeling sad and hopeless, crying more than usual, unable to sleep, doubting my ability to be a good mother and care for my baby and extreme fatigue (National Institute of Mental Health).

In our applied social psychology class, we learned about incorrect diagnostic decision making and their outcomes. False-negative judgement, is exactly what happened to me. My doctor did not recognize, that I had a post-partum depression and I wasn’t treated for it (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, 2012, p. 103).

If postpartum depression is not recognized and treated, it can have severe consequences for the mother and her infant. Beside neglect and a lack of bonding between mother and child (National Institute of Mental Health), it can have even devastating ramifications. Some of you might remember the case of Lisette Bamenga. She was a school teacher who poisoned and drowned her two children for no obvious reasons. The public could not understand how a mother could ever do something like this. Bamenga was diagnosed with postpartum depression (Kochman, 2016).

False negative judgments should not be taken lightly. Without the proper treatment, the condition of the disorder will not improve and it might even become much worse, as the example of Lisette Bamenga showed. Professionals that work with new mothers should be educated to use guidelines to distinguish postpartum depression from the baby blues. Besides birth classes, where women learn how to breathe during delivery, we should also have classes teaching mothers how the baby blues distinguishes itself from a postpartum depression. If false negative judgements cannot be prevented, then we have to educate the patient to make the health professional aware of their mistakes.

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications

Kochman, B. (2016, May 17). Ex-teacher who poisoned, drowned her two kids gets 8 years in prison by judge who couldn’t ignore ‘role of post-partum depression’. New York Daily News. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/ex-teacher-drowned-kids-8-years-prison-article-1.2640369

The National Institute of Mental Health Information Resource Center. (n.d.). Postpartum Depression Facts. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/postpartum-depression-facts/index.shtml

Last year several teens in our local community got in serious trouble for sexting. These were high school age kids. Is sexting a common problem among teens? and how do you prevent it? Current studies show 20 percent of teens have sent nude or partially nude photos of themselves. That is an alarmingly high number of kids putting images out there they will likely regret in a few years. And studies also show that teens that receive these texts often share with one or two other people.

Psychosocial studies show that teens that sext also have higher impulse control issues, drink more, and battle depression. Studies that checked for ethnicity, age, gender, and parental education all concluded that sexting is strongly correlated with impulsiveness and substance abuse. “It is possible that the relationship between teen sexting and substance use is spurious, possibly due to a shared underlying variable such as poor parental monitoring or associating with delinquent peers.” (Temple, Ling 2013) With such a strong correlation what can be done to prevent young impulsive teens from making this mistake?

School counselors and parents who notice students that are struggling with impulsive behaviors can be proactive in talking to teens about the importance of guarding their social footprint, and building self esteem exercises. Better parental monitoring and encouraging good associations by getting involved in more after school sports or clubs that promote self confidence and remove the bored state where teens often get into more trouble.

References

1-https://www.guardchild.com/teenage-sexting-statistics/

2-Temple Jeff R., Temple Brian W., Ling Yan, Paul Jonathan A., Brief report: Teen sexting and psychosocial health. Journal of Adolescence, November 2013

Can you recall a time in your life when you felt upset and reached out to a friend or family member? Usually a good conversation can help us feel better, regarding a difficult time. Social support is an important and critical aspects to our lives. Having support from a friend, family member or loved one helps us to feel valued and provides us with a feeling of belonging. In addition, social support reduces stress, provides us with coping strategies, increase the likelihood of adopting healthier behaviors and/or stopping an unhealthy behavior due to the affects a behavior (such as smoking) can have on others (Gruman,281). There are different kinds of support such as emotional, esteem, instrumental, informational, and network support. Each type of support is beneficial in its own unique way. Maybe you hit a financial struggle and need practical help such as a small loan to get you by. Support in the form of money, a ride to work, or help with a job is known as instrumental support. Emotional and esteem support builds on the notion of feeling loved, valued and acceptance. This type of support can reduce the severity of stress and it’s an aspect of the transactional model of stress and coping. The basic concept of this model is support, in knowing you are not alone. Situations become less stressful when you know you have someone to help.
Informational support provided insight from others referring to a situation where you might need advice, feedback to help point you in the right direction. Lastly, network support provides a sense of togetherness through social companionship by connecting on common or shared interests (Gruman, 282). Social media gets its fair share of criticism. I personally limited my interaction and time from social networking. Social media in the right light can provide positive feedback. A “liked” comment or picture on social media can provide simple gratification. However, providing yourself with a real conversation weather it is over the phone or face-to-face, present a longer lasting and more personal gratification of support.
Did you know social support can actually extend the life of an individual? This topic was first introduced to me in a previous psychology course. When this topic was represented during our lesson coverage, I immediately took advantage on reconstructing past knowledge with new discovered knowledge. I enjoyed reading how effective support can reduce the likelihood that an individual will perceive an effect as stressful (Gruman,283). This coping strategy is powerful. If an individual can help manage a difficult event from elevating into a stressful event, then the sympathetic nervous system will not get over activated. Our sympathetic nervous system is what become active when our body reacts to stress. Examples of our body reacting toward stress includes, heart racing, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, secretion of adrenaline (Spaolsky,21). When the sympathetic nervous system is regularly overloaded the risk for serious health conditions becomes more prevalent. Individual with social insecurities have overactive sympathetic nervous systems (Sapolsky,251). This is due to lack of social support and its benefits when managing stress.
I can relate to the sense of security associated with effective support in knowing I have a few good friends and family I can turn to in the case of a difficult situation. A strong social support is essential in coping with stress and with overall well-being. Friends and family provide that extra strength we sometimes feel we lack. Remembering that strength can help make future situations a little easier to manage. It is important to remember all the different types of social support and how knowledge on the subject can help others when it comes to stress and difficult situations. In closing, we are all social beings. The social interactions we want to sometimes avoid in reality are the interactions we most benefit from when we reach out for help.

Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, edited by Jamie A. Gruman, et al., SAGE Publications, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=5945490.
Sapolsky, Robert. Why Zebras Don’t get Ulcers. Saint Martin s Press Inc. Third Edition. New York, New York. 2004

I recently took a class called “The Biological Effects of Aging” and discovered much more than the fact that humans get old. I was most surprised with regard to the statistics surrounding potentially terminal disorders such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer – 70% of these diseases are preventable through lifestyle and environmental changes (Digiovanna, 2000). While as a society, we are encouraged to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, the methods of delivery for this message are not in line with social psychological research, e.g., informational appeal and fear appeal (PSWC, 2020). Looking over the history of nutrition in the United States, food pyramids have significantly changed every 10 to 15 years beginning in 1916, having gone from 7 food groups down to 4. Education, accessibility, and economics have been major contributors to these changes, however, as our knowledge has increased, our dissemination of this information has not changed.

Health and nutrition have been presented as “recommendations”, suggesting 30 minutes of exercise a day and a “balanced diet”. Meanwhile, substances such as drugs, alcohol, and smoking have seen campaigns touting the dangers and life-threating consequences. Back in the 1970s, movies and television often displayed smoking as cool and befitting a particular image, though that was before we understood the connections between smoking and lung cancer. Now, we hardly see smoking in movies aside from “shady” or “undesirable” characters, which are subtly used to emphasize the negativity of smoking. We know that sugar is dangerous, as it not only leads to tooth decay, but also diabetes and auto-immune disorders. Yet, we don’t see the dangers of sugar being taught in schools or displayed in movies or television in the same fashion. Likewise, current studies have stated that a lack of exercise is worse for the body than smoking and is, in fact, one of the major killers in the modern era (Booth, Robert, Laye, 2012).

While diet fads, gyms, and personal trainers are taking advantage of the public’s lack of knowledge surrounding these issues, social psychologists should be collaborating to find ways to inform the public in a sensible and cohesive manner. Similar to the way genetic scientists worked together for the Human Genome Project, biopsychosocial experts should be collaborating on campaigns aimed at educating the public on ways to prevent disease through health and nutritional measures. These measures could involve programs targeted towards eating for disease prevention, e.g., cruciferous vegetables support liver function, berries produce antioxidants, whole grains support digestive health, etc.

If health and fitness became a cultural norm, rather than a cultural ideal, we could all encourage each other to become healthier. In order for this to happen, we need to educate the public on the real-life implications that our choices and behaviors have on our health. If we are to implement such changes, we need to do so in a fundamental way by informing the wider population that certain food and lifestyle choices are seriously detrimental to our health, as opposed to the current way in which we categorize “unhealthy” foods or behaviors. Compliance remains the biggest issue surrounding health and fitness, but until we can be honest in our assessment and use factual, transparent information in our education, we will continue to believe it is something beyond our control.

References

A Brief History of USDA Food Guides. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/brief-history-usda-food-guides

Booth, F. W., Roberts, C. K., & Laye, M. J. (2012, April 1). Lack of Exercise Is a Major Cause of Chronic Diseases. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cphy.c110025

DiGiovanna, A. G. (2000). Human aging: biological perspectives. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 424 Lesson 5: Health and Clinical / Counseling. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2040175/modules/items/28379748

The Human Genome Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project

I’ve started playing basketball from very young age; I got my first basketball when I was 3, started shooting hoops when I was 6, and playing organized basketball at the age of 8. I’ve continued to play it through elementary/ junior high, high school, and college. I was always tall, skinny, and bouncy kid who, to optimize his basketball performance, needed to gain some weight. Coming out of high school, I was 6’7’’/205lbs, and through college, I maintained my weight at about 225- 230lbs, which was my ideal playing weight (I was able to preserve my speed and bounce without anyone pushing me around).
Ever since I’ve stopped playing basketball at collegiate level though, I’ve started to gain weight; my activity level has dropped significantly, and my eating habits have remained unchanged. Within a year my weight increased from 230 to 260 lbs. This is when I realized that if everything stayed the same, I’d end up having multiple health problems (such as joint problems caused by abnormal weight, multiple heart conditions, or even cancer); in other words, it was time for me to show that I value my health by taking full control of it.
To try and prevent aforementioned risks and get my health back on the right track, I first joined a local basketball team in Kreuzlingen (beautiful town on Lake Bodensee in Eastern Switzerland). Even though basketball exercise has been associated with numerous health benefits, such as weight loss, decreased blood pressure and body fat percentage, increased bone- mineral density, and reduced symptoms of schizophrenia, among others (Laszlo, Betlehem, Calleja- Gonzales & Ostojic, 2019), I realized that if my effort is going to be successful, I’ll have to follow that up by changing my diet. And that I did. I started avoiding unhealthy foods (such as pizza, fried food, and sugar-containing foods and soft drinks), and eating smaller portions more times per day. I replaced soft drinks with water (like lots of water), sweets with fruits, and lowered my meat consumption (I consumed half of the amount I was consuming before, with nuts replacing the other half). Despite doubts that I had in terms of sustainability of the new behavior I had adopted, the first effects were noticeable after only few months. After a full year I was back at my ideal weight; I weighed 225lbs again.
This was about 3 years ago, and I knew that getting to my desired weight was the easiest part of the journey. The most difficult part was yet to come, and that was maintaining that weight. We have all heard stories about people losing a lot of weight just to gain it back again after little while, and I decided that wasn’t going to be me. I was too proud of my achievement, plus I knew how hard I had to work towards it, that letting myself gain that weight back was just not an option. And if it meant that sometimes I had to look straight at that cheesecake for 30 minutes and resist temptation to try it, then so be it (cheesecake is, by the way, my all-time favorite food). Additionally, fear of disproportionate body shape/ weight playing a role in basketball-related injury is what kept me focused in times of crisis (I generally fear many things, but getting injured on the basketball court is at the very top of the list). I knew what my goal was, and nothing was going to mess it up.
I’m still playing basketball, as in addition to already mentioned health benefits, I deeply believe it to be the greatest sport in the world. My behavior in terms of my eating habits has gradually changed though, and I’m not as restrictive towards food as I once was; I sometimes go to a fast food restaurant, or drink a soda. I eat a piece of cheesecake instead of just staring at it, trying to convince myself that it’s a poison. Most importantly though, I’m proud to say that I have maintained my weight at 225lbs ever since reaching it few years back. And that I consider success.

References:
Laszlo, R., Betlehem, J., Calleja-Gonzales, J., & Ostojic, S.M. (2019). Basketball for Health. Should We Hop and Shoot for a Remedy? Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 94 (2).

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) you ask?  According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, GAD is “characterized by persistent and excessive worry,” that typical includes a variety of things and issues all at the same time.  “GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population, in any given year.”

As a woman who has been diagnosed and suffered with GAD for many years, looking to address it in the best possible way is the outcome desired.  When I first was diagnosed nearly two decades ago, I was experiencing the “Biomedical Model Approach” as our textbook states.  (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2017), breaks down the biological processes which create the imbalance in the brain, looks into the genetic factors of where GAD might come from and have passed this down, and how things function.  Having GAD under this model is like an impairment, and not seen as “well” or healthy.  This type of approach medication is usually a go to solution that may or may not fix or really “band-aid” the situation.  I don’t believe it fully addresses the underlying issues one experiences with GAD.

I believe addressing GAD using the Biopsychosocial Model Approach helps an individual take more control, and understand what caused the contributing factors that lead to the diagnosis, as one may inherit this genetically, but typically their are other social and environmental factors that affect persons with GAD and make their lives more difficult if it is not dealt with.

In our textbook, Biopsychosocial Model Approach looks at many other contributing factors that can be the cause or reason behind the disorder.  The biological (genetic make-up), psychosocial, which are persons, things, and environments and other social factors that can explain having this disorder, per our textbook.  (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2017)

For a person that has tried and utilized the Biomedical Model Approach, which also had me feel I was not my best, not in control, more ashamed, etc., I feel that approach did not properly address the issues, which created or explained the disorder. I felt I didn’t have control and handled things in such a stressful manner, often feeling very frustrated and stressed out on certain matters that attributed, and this affected my functioning level, which absolutely was not my best, even on medication.  Medication assisted to a point, but the underlying issues were still NOT addressed.

By years later, especially in past few years, that I switched to trying the Biopsychosocial Modeal Approach, I feel I have regained my life!  The genetic factors of course contributed from my mother, but the psychosocial and environmental factors played a heavy part in how difficult things could become for me dealing with GAD.

Using the new approach, I have learned by speaking with a life coach, who is a nurse with many specialties, and also experienced in a holistic approach, and a breakdown of contributing factors helped me see areas of needed focus and learning to understand the why behind it through my own awareness and taking my own responsibility and applying my own action-steps to make the necessary changes to really self-govern. This has enabled me to be removed from anxiety medication completely, and be happier and really regain my life by feeling not only have I taken control, but I have the power within and I have learned techniques to see and understand triggers, and tools, tips and resources to prevent, prepare, and change the narrative for myself.

As I conclude that addressing GAD through the Biopyschosocial Model Approach is more complete, one of the great resources I have gained through this approach was Posturing Up, meaning choosing in the direction of my best self; daily!  I get on the Posture Up call daily at 9am as my reminder to myself, which sets the tone for my day at any given time I can change it and I am the creator.  I have deprogrammed old thinking, which gave me my control back.  I am grateful!

Resource for any, not just myself, but ANY area of life for any individual wanting to live their best life is The Posture UP call, which is for men and women, and is daily at 9am (brief intro), and start 9:03a EST daily Monday through Sunday.  The number to call-in is 605-468-8000, access code 600526# (press mute once connected).  This is a great tool to use for any area as it has been highly beneficial to me in many areas.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2018, Accessed February 13, 2020.  https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/exploring-anxiety/content-section-1.1.3

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Shift the pattern of how you think, which begins to shift it all

Your mindset has everything to do with how your day goes.

It is unusual to think that someone would actually not care about their overall health and engage in behaviors that could potentially put them at risk. However, the sad reality is that there are many individuals that do not think about the consequences of their behaviors. The health belief model was originally formulated to try to predict people’s health behaviors in regards to how they view their susceptibility to illness, their perceived severity of illness, their general understanding of health, expectation of treatment success, self-efficacy, their perceived barriers, and cues to action (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017). It has been around since the 1950s and was later reestablished in the 1980s (Boskey, 2019). The question remains though on if this model really does work in helping people to modify their health behaviors in a positive way.

To understand this further on the core parts of the health belief model, it is important to look into the key points of this model. The first portion is the general health values. The health belief model would predict that people do have some interest and concern in their health and maintaining good health. The second is how they perceive their susceptibility to not being healthy. This is determined on how likely they believe that they will get a specific disease or disorder. The next is whether they perceive an illness to be severe. This helps them to truly understand whether or not they think an illness is severe enough where they should do something about it. Moving on to treatment success, if a person believes they can change a behavior then will it reduce the likelihood of them getting a certain disease or illness. Self-Efficacy is whether or not a person believes they can actually go through with changing their health habits and perceived barriers, which is weighing out the cost and benefits of changing health behaviors. Lastly, the cue to action is when people become aware or hear about something happening that triggers them to start engaging in healthier habits (Gruman et al, 2017). All of these are the prime points of the health belief model that can lead a person to start creating a healthier lifestyle.

Now that the health belief model has been established in full, it is important to understand if people can actually go through with all of these steps, without backing out. If people believe they are not likely to get a disease or an illness and believe they are the one individual who won’t get it, chances are they do not have an open mind. An example was given in an article stating that people who do not think that they are at risk for acquiring HIV from unprotected sex are less likely to use a condom (Boskey, 2019). There are so many individuals in this world that believe that are invincible, but the reality is they aren’t and precautions still should be taken. If this thought was engraved in people’s heads that unprotected sex could lead to an STD as severe as HIV, then absolutely the thought of susceptibility would cross their minds. As far as perceived severity, that is another issue that people do not think about. An example of people not wanting to stop kissing if their lover has a cold, but would probably feel differently if they had the chance of catching Ebola (Boskey, 2019). This example is an interesting one because again nobody considers any possible negative outcomes of something so harmless; however, if we all took a minute to stand back and look what is in front of us, it is possible that something as little as kissing could affect a person’s health. As previously discussed, nobody thinks anything will happen to them, but once again, they could be wrong and who wants to actually take that chance. Perceiving benefits is definitely a huge problem with the health belief model. Everyone wants positive benefits when they make changes in their life. It is difficult for some people to want to make a change when they do not believe it will benefit them in any way. People are not going to want to change the behavior if there is not something in it for them (Boskey, 2019). She also explains that a person isn’t going to want to quit smoking If it doesn’t improve their life in any way (Boskey, 2019). If I didn’t think exercising would give me more energy, I probably wouldn’t do it either, but I have witnessed it first-hand that it does.

Nobody likes change. That is another difficult part of the health belief model besides the fact that there are so many factors to abiding by this model. People do not like to change their health behaviors if they believe or perceive it to be difficult to do (Boskey, 2019). I can relate to this one because I was on a very strict diet at one point as a challenge for my kickboxing class. It was probably one of the hardest diets I have ever been on in my life, and after only four days and feeling as if I had the flu, I had to modify the diet to feel better. However, some people like a challenge, so it is possible that even though something is hard, they may be more motivated to do it. Self-efficacy is probably the most beneficial part of the health belief model. It involves a person’s belief in themselves to make a health change (Boskey, 2019). People who are confident and who are open-minded are the ones who are more than likely going to succeed in making valuable changes to their health. It is so important to believe in yourself and know that if you want to make a change in your life that you can.

The health belief model is something that can be extremely useful in helping a person change their life for the better. All a person has to do is be open to change and understanding that it will not always be easy to try to alter health behaviors that you are used to, but it can happen with time. It is easy for me to say that as I am not a scientist, but I believe that if you 100% have the willpower to change you can. Although, according to our textbooks, even though this health belief model has been supported by research, it still has studies that have not found supportive results and has limitations (Gruman et al, 2017). As with all research, this health belief model will continue to have supported and refuted studies that will hopefully lead to a better understanding of how people can make positive changes in their lives.

REFERENCES

Boskey, E. (2019, January 14). Linking condoms use and perceived risk using the health belief model. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/health-belief-model-3132721

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

For a long time, autism was a developmental disorder that boys were primarily diagnosed with. On rare occasions, girls were diagnosed but it didn’t happen very often. Professionals just thought that it was something that boys usually had. For a girl to be considered autistic, she had to not talk at all and have severe symptoms. On the other hand, boys with milder symptoms were still diagnosed pretty easily. But, the truth is, girls have autism too! In the past, it was thought that the prevalence rate was 4.5:1, but recent studies have found it’s closer to 2.5:1 (Meng-Chuan, L. Lombardo, M., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. 2015). Even this figure may not be fully accurate, because autism research has always been primarily done with male participants. 

Recently, more studies have been done investigating the male bias in autism diagnosis. One big finding is regarding the behavioral implications of an autism diagnosis. The diagnostic criteria has specific behavioural requirements that one must have to be diagnosed. It has been found that girls have different behaviours than boys do when exhibiting autism (sourceMeng-Chuan, L. Lombardo, M., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. 2015). Another thing to note is girls are regularly diagnosed later than boys for autism (Meng-Chuan, L. Lombardo, M., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. 2015). This is likely due to the restrictive criteria that doesn’t describe a lot of young girls. 

After investigating multiple studies, it has been found that girls and boys exhibit autism in a lot of different ways; behavioural, cognitive, etc (Meng-Chuan, L. Lombardo, M., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. 2015). These studies have shown us that the diagnostic criteria needs to be changed to have gender identity differences. By not having those differences noted, we are doing a huge disservice to young girls with autism. It is likely that professionals would be biased in their diagnosing, because of what the research shows about autism right now. In order for girls to be better diagnosed, this needs to be changed. 

Girls have autism, just like boys do. Some are higher functioning, some are not. But, these girls deserve support and they can’t get it if they are not diagnosed. Research shows us that girls are severely underdiagnosed and we need to change these statistics. We need to re evaluate our diagnostic criteria and make it more accessible to girls.

Reference:

Meng-Chuan, L., Lombardo, M., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2015). Sex/Gender Differences and Autism: Setting the Scene for Future Research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(1), 11–24. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2014.10.003

Avoided Encounters 

     Have you ever had to speak in front of people or been at gatherings (unfamiliar ones and sometimes not) and felt nervous, with your palms sweating, like there was a giant weight on your chest or like there was a giant rock in your stomach? Social anxiety is also referred to as “social phobia” and it’s described as a type of distress that involves actions like having a fear of talking to other people (like strangers), getting tense and are afraid of embarrassing one’s self in front of friends/strangers, blushing, avoidant of things that involve being social, feeling uncomfortable when meeting someone new, etc. (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). A lot of individuals tend to get into mindsets sometimes where they wonder what the people around them think of them, if they’re saying or doing something embarrassing, feel some kind of social pressure, etc. Then there are individuals who struggle with those feelings in a far more intense way to the point that it messes with them in different aspects of themselves like mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Individuals with social anxiety become bothered and uncomfortable in social settings. This can cause individuals to become awkward or feel out of place. The anxiety could be so bad that the individual might decide to just avoid going to social events or steer away from putting themselves in positions that would make them feel that social anxiety. They wouldn’t want to draw attention to themselves or do/say something that would risk the people around them thinking of them differently or in a negative manner. It might seem like it’s not a big deal to maybe someone who is outgoing but in reality, there are people who struggle with just simple interactions with other people. According to the Social Anxiety Association, “Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia) is the third largest mental health care problem in the world today” (Richards, 2020). It’s interesting because an individual with social anxiety has the desire to be a part of interactions that are social and create friendships with other people but that fear and anxiety holds them back from being able to do so (Richards, 2020).

I struggle with social anxiety and sometimes it’s difficult to do even the simplest of things without the anxiety getting in the way of living. There are instances where I’ve panicked over calling a pizza place to order pizza. I’d have to write it down and repeat it to myself over and over until I felt like I could do it. Sometimes I couldn’t even go as far as making the call. It sounds stupid to fear speaking to someone that I don’t know, on the phone just to give them my food order and hang up. It makes me feel embarrassed when I think about it because it’s a basic task that anyone should be able to do. Public speaking in general scares the living daylights out of me. I’ve had public speaking classes where I’ve had to walk out and take a breather even though nothing was going on, because just being in that environment is an intense experience. Class project presentations have always been tough for me to do because I worry so much. Once I get to know someone/people and I feel comfortable with them, I’m outgoing and I have no problem with being weird or talking. This falls into the part stated above of having the desire to be socially interactive, but being prevented because of the anxiety. People have said to me, “What’s the big deal? It’s just talking. You do it every day.” but for me, there’s so much more to it that just can’t be explained into words.

Talking to authority figures creates high distress. Just talking to a regular person can cause a lot of social anxiety for me and I can get so nervous that I feel like I’m going to throw up, with my heart racing so fast. There are sleepless nights over social events that I’m supposed to attend but it hasn’t even happened yet. If I have to call someone, I get anxious because I feel like I’m being a bother to them, even though that’s not the case. I’ve had situations where I haven’t voiced my opinion or have just avoided situations because I’m afraid of being judged or doing something embarrassing that’ll cause criticism or bullying (which I had already had to deal with during a majority of grade school from some peers). There are times where I’ve been asked a question and I’ve blanked out in my head completely and suddenly can’t seem to remember anything at all.

I’ve been teased for being anxious by people I know because I’ve been a singer since I was a very small child and have been singing on stages since then, so people don’t understand why I can get up in front of people and sing but I struggle so hard with speaking in front of people. I question it sometimes myself as well, especially when I get the anxiety because it’s frustrating being unable to just talk to people. People don’t understand though that I do get stage fright and feel like I’m going to have an anxiety attack just the same when I go on stage. For some reason though, once the music plays, I start singing, and I get into the zone, it’s as if that anxiety wasn’t ever there. In doing what I love and living out my passion in life, that fear becomes minimal for even just that short period of time. Unfortunately this isn’t the case all the time though because there are times where the anxiety is so bad that I find my voice shaking badly and me analyzing every little thing I’m doing to focus on making sure that I don’t do anything to embarrass myself like forget the words or trip and fall in which everyone will laugh or think of me differently.

All people deal with social anxiety differently and so treatments may vary. There are anxiety medications that can be taken but studies have shown that therapy is also important to help with benefitting the individual long-term because it can help with modifying neural pathways of the brain in a more sufficient way (Richards, 2020). There are people who take the medications and then there are others that avoid the medications and invest in behavioral and cognitive therapy. Taking medication alone without the therapy as well doesn’t show signs of benefits because medicines are just a temporary solution to the issue while therapy looks for more permanent solutions (Richards, 2020). Social anxiety is considered to be toward the top of the list of disorders in the DSM-5 and it’s important that more awareness be brought to it (Richards, 2020).

Works Cited:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

What is Social Anxiety Disorder? Symptoms, Treatment, Prevalence, Medications, Insight, Prognosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://socialphobia.org/social-anxiety-disorder-definition-symptoms-treatment-therapy-medications-insight-prognosis

Social Traps

     The textbook refers to Social traps as a form of social dilemma that “involve short-term pleasure or gain that over time leads to pain or loss (Platt, 1973)” (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Within this dilemma, people decide if they want to please themselves immediately and reward themselves with the awareness that the long-term outcome would be on the negative side of the repercussions of the reward they choose. Or they can decide if they want to hold off on the reward short-term and be able to have a long-term outcome that is positive.

For example, overeating or binge eating would be considered a social trap. I have personally been guilty of overeating or binge eating plenty of times in my life. If I’m studying or watching a movie or something, I sometimes snack on a whole bunch of foods and don’t even realize it at the time. I know a lot of college students who talk about “The Freshman 15” in reference to how common it is for freshmen to gain at least 15 pounds during freshman year from stress and snacking. Whether it’s true or not, I did end up gaining weight during my freshman year. There have been family parties where I’d binge eat, even if I felt full, I would just eat for the sake of consuming the good food laid out in front of me or to not let anything go to waste. Late night binge eating is a struggle too. I know that it’s not a good idea to do, but sometimes that initial enjoyment seems to be all that matters until the action is done and then there might be regret.

In this case, the immediate reward of overeating/binge eating is the pleasure of eating that extra food. If I’m upset or bored, I might binge eat. In my mind, initially this would be a form of comfort for me. I would find comfort in the food to make me feel better and give me the happiness that I’m trying to seek out. I have a friend who can be so insanely full, but doesn’t feel fully satisfied without some kind of sweets to eat after the meal. It’s great to feel comforted in that sense but only initially because as mentioned before, it could lead to long-term outcomes that are negative. Long-term outcomes could be obesity, eating disorders, and other health issues. So, the question that the individual would have to ask themselves is whether that immediate pleasure would be worth the possibility of the negative long-term outcomes. Or the overeater can choose a different route and deny that extra plate of food or say no to eating late at night which the textbook refers to as “short-term deprivation” (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2016). Doing this would allow for more results of a healthier life, healthier body, less weight gain, etc.

With social traps like this, there are two issues that can be the cause. The results and outcomes that are considered long-term comes with uncertainty of those outcomes. Every single person that binge eats may not become obese and there are people who don’t binge eat or overeat who do struggle with obesity unrelated to food or have some weight to them but are still healthy overall. This is where rationalization occurs and since that possible long-term results like obesity seem to be far off into the future, an individual might just brush it off because the immediate reward is current and in the “here and now”. Another issue is that people might have the mindset that what they’re currently doing isn’t a big deal and just happening for the time being. I’ve found myself eating past 11pm at night, convincing myself that it’s okay because it’s just for one night and it’s not like I do it everyday and that one night isn’t going to affect me in the long run. That eventually becomes an often-done action without me realizing it and with me justifying it and therefore not being beneficial toward me or contributing to my life in a positive way.

An article by Very Well Mind discusses this social trap of overeating going in the direction of becoming an addiction if done often. It talks about how our bodies release something called dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in our bodies and is involved with reward and pleasure feelings that individuals have and it could try to convince them to consume more, even though the person shouldn’t (Hartney, 2020). So, the decision is upon the individual to decide if the immediate reward is worth it in the long run. Thinking about the long run while in the present can be a big struggle but with more awareness and determination to do better for ones self, it is a good idea to do so.

Works Cited:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Hartney, E. (2020, January 14). How Overeating Can Become Problematic. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/ten-types-of-overeating-22170

Reading about depression and anxiety this week is something that I think a lot of people deal and don’t address. I know personally I am one of those people. I have extremely bad anxiety. I worry so much about everything. I worry about my job and withholding the expectations there, I worry about getting my school work done and getting a good grade, I worry about how my day is going to go as I roll out of bed in the morning, when I know that a family member or friend is traveling I worry about their safety, I mean I really could go on and on and the list would probably never end. I think the worst thing that I do is I worry about things that haven’t even happened yet or aren’t even guaranteed that they are going to happen. I will think of the worst possible case scenario and just keep dwelling on it to the point I have myself so worried that I am unfocused and feeling almost sick. 

I hate that I am like this and I hate that I have never really done anything about it. I have my good days and my bad days but I am just the type of person that always tends to see the negative side of things instead of the positive side of things. Growing up I never really noticed it. I knew I was a worrier from a young age but I never noticed how bad it was or I guess what was going on. But as I got older and started to have interest in boys and have drama with friends and have attitude issues and fights with my siblings and parents then I started to realize how bad sometimes I think about things and drag myself into a negative hole. 

Since getting together with my fiance a little over six years ago I feel like things have started to get a little better. He is the complete opposite of me and so he levels me out a little bit and is the bright positive thing I need in my life. He sees the good in everything and everyone and always looks at things from the most positive prospective. About two years ago we decided to go to couples counseling to try and work on communication issues and to work out some personal things that I think stemmed from his traumatizing childhood. Upon going to counseling at first we both were not excited but thought we could give it a shot. After a few sessions we really started to notice a difference. 

One of the first things that our counselor mentioned was exactly what I had thought all along which was that a lot of our miscommunications came from not understanding one another. I mentioned he went through a lot of trauma in his childhood due to boot-camp, foster care, no male father figure at all in his life etc. And I grew up with what he called a “perfect life”. I would not say that at all but when comparing my life to his I could see how he would think that. Upon talking about some of our concerns I could see that she was starting to turn her focus to me and we ended up having a few sessions alone and she told me she was certain that I had generalized anxiety disorder. She said that she couldn’t diagnosis me officially or prescribe me medication, but she strongly thought that I should talk to someone who could and she told me she worked closely with a doctor that I could go see. 

I quickly shut that down and was not interested what so ever in her offer. I have no negative opinion towards those who choose to medicate. I will be the first to admit that I have seen the wonders that medication can do for a person however I just didn’t think it was for me. And to this day I still have not taken medication. I have talked open and honestly with all the important and close people in my life about my anxiety and they all basically tell me they knew for a long time. Some of my co-workers I have even talked to about it and they complement me on how well I handle myself at work because they can barely tell. I take pride in knowing that I have it under control or so it seems and that I do not have to medicate. The fall of this past year I started going to the gym and I really noticed a difference between the days I would go and the days I wouldn’t (Gulf Bend MHMR Center). I feel like it really just helped me clear my mind. Mentioned in the Gulf Bend MHMR Center article there is a discussion of progressive muscle relaxation this isn’t exactly what I do at the gym but it is something that I would say can be related to my gym activities and how it makes me feel. With this process the idea is to relax the muscles and be able to focus on major muscle groups (Gulf Bend MHMR Center). When comparing this back to my gym workouts, I most certainly am not relaxing my muscles I am working them actually but I am working different muscle groups each time I go and I feel a sense of relaxation at the gym. I usually power away on the treadmill or the elliptical and by the end of it I feel very accomplished and good about my workout. Sadly within the last few weeks I haven’t been going as much as I wish but with life sometimes it is just hard to get done everything you want to get done in a day. 

Now that I have shared basically what feels like my whole life story I have to say that I think this goes back to the biomedical and biopsychosocial models. I personally have not taken the steps towards the biomedical model but I know that it is an option and it is ones that professionals have discussed with me as a choice. As for the biopsychosocial model I have to say that I have plenty of experience with this model and I am one that can say it has helped and counseling is something I strongly suggest to anyone dealing with a disorder such as anxiety  or depression. 

Gulf Bend MHMR Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=38506&cn=1

You are sitting watching the news.  Another natural disaster strikes and terrorizes a city leaving hundreds of people without food, water, and shelter.  This seems to be the norm now with an overabundance of natural disasters.  Is this something that is truly “natural” in nature, or is climate change an underlying cause for these extreme catastrophic events?  It is obvious that weather is something that is constantly talked about considering people’s thoughts on global warming and the outrageous climate changes that have been occurring all around the globe.  Yes, climate change is a nuisance to individuals, animals, etc., having to adapt to the constant ups and downs of temperatures.  However, the fluctuating temperatures are not the only problem though when it comes to the climate.  Climate change could be or will be problematic and a huge contributing factor to natural disasters all around the world.

According to NASA Earth Observatory, the changes in climate will not only affect the temperatures, but will have a huge effect on increasing the likelilhood of natural disasters (NASA, 2005).  Climate change is causing so many issues already such as 67 degree days in January, snow in April, and hot weather up until November.  Who is to say that it will not continue to increasingly get worse as the years go on?  With temperatures constantly rising and cold weather not being as prominent, hot weather will be more common in areas causing global warming, which will in turn affect storm formation (NASA, 2005).  On the other hand, even with storm formation being likely, because of the difference of temperature between the equator and the poles, their may be a decrease in storms overall, but the storms that still occur could be more severe and intense (NASA, 2005).  However, its hard to say what is more important to people, having more storms that are less intense, or less storms that are more severe and could cause more damage?  It seems to me that neither option is decent option.

Lets backtrack a little bit to determine the issues behind climate change to get a better understanding.  So what causes this climate change issue in the world and global warming?  Most of it is due to an increase of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that causes temperatures to rise (NASA, 2005).  Talk about a real resource dilemma in the public’s eye.  A resource dilemma where an individual finds themselves in a situation whether to choose between their self-interest or the interest of the community (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017).  People are causing these extreme conditions to occur.  According to 2017 research, 28.9% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, 27.5% come from electricity production, 22.2% come from industry, 11.6% come from commercial and resident, 9% comes from agriculture, and another 11.1% comes from land use and forestry (EPA, 2017).  Amazingly, this research was from 3 years ago, which means that the percentages probably have increased significantly.  Since 1990, greenhouse emissions have increased 1.3% (EPA, 2017).  This did not come as a surprise to me considering the amount of driving people do, or the electricity one uses.  Clearly, there are many contributing factors to the severity of climate change and despite the amount of interventions that exist, it still doesn’t compare to the amount of resources people continue to use.  For instance, majority of greenhouse emissions come from transportation, but nowadays, it is really difficult to not use transportation.  People have jobs, kids, lives that require them to be mobile.  It is easy to say “Lets buy a fuel efficient car,” but with the amount of variety out there, people choose what they like, not what is efficient.  Moving on to electricity, people obtain the type of electricity that they have availble to them or what makes the most sense.  My family and I recently got solar because we wanted to make some kind of contribution to the environment.  When you actually look at it though, we are one family out of billions of families around the world.  This is what the problem is.  “A resource dilemma occurs each time you want to do something that uses a limited resource,” (Gruman et al, 2017).  People want to use transportation all the time, they want the energy they feel is convenient for them, businesses and industries burn fossil fuels, farmers live a sustainable life off of their agriculture, and trees are needed for many buildings.  Steg and Vlek (2009), had developed four steps into helping in the process of behavior change to help the environment (Gruman et al, 2017).  These four steps include picking a behavior to be changed that will help the environment, primary factors underlying the behavior, design and apply an intervention changing the behavior and evaluating the effects o the intervention (Gruman et al, 2017).  This is a great start to people getting out there to help the environment.  With climate change, people can start by not driving when they do not absolutely have to, buying fuel-efficient vehicles, leaving trees up that do not need to come down, planting a tree, finding alternatives to energy that will not hurt the environment, and so on and so forth.  Anyone can apply these four steps, but by each person doing a little to help the environment, climate change will not increase and hopefully one day decrease.  Nobody wants climate change to be on the rise and continue to negatively affect the world, let alone natural disasters.

With natural disasters, it is important to understand for the future what to expect if climate change continues to worsen.  With the increase in global temperatures, this could cause an increase in drought, severity of certain storms that involve tropical cyclones and higher wind speeds (NASA, 2005).  Others include melting glaciers and ice caps from warm temperatures causing sea levels to rise and flooding to occur (NASA, 2005).  Two natural disasters that could possible be affected by climate change are tornadoes and hurricanes.  For hurricanes, as we have seen in the news many times before and possible witnessed first hand, can be incredibly powerful and damagining, possibly life threatening.  When temperatures rise, the water temperatures also increase, which leads to more heat energy that can cause tropical cyclones to occur (Berardelli, 2019).  So far, it does not look as though the intensity of hurricanes has been affected that much from global warming only 4.4 mph per decade, but this could change in time (Berardelli, 2019). The amount of tropical cyclones on a good year would be at the minimum of 65, but has been averaging lately around 80 (Berardelli, 2019).  It only shows and supports more of the idea that hurricanes are increasing because of climate change.  Tornadoes are another natural disaster that are also a byproduct of climate change and global warming.  According to an article on tornadoes and climate change, it states that the US has experienced one of the worst tornado outbreaks in the last decade with more than 500 reported within a 30 day span in some areas, already going over the average by 200 (Hausfather, 2019).  The problem with linking tornadoes to climate change is that research both supports and refutes evidence that the two are related.  Some research suggests that climate change creates a more favorable environment for tornadoes to form, while other research suggests they cannot prove or deny a link between climate change and tornadoes (Hausfather, 2019).

In the years to come,  hopefully there will be more people researching natural disasters and the effects that climate change can and will have on them.  As of right now, it appears as though the evidence is only circumstantial not being able to prove or deny whether or not climate change causes an increase in the amount of natural disasters or an increase in the severity of them.  With all supporting facts, it looks like greenhouse gas emissions do affect climate change significantly, which could cause problems with natural disasters, but further research will and should be completed to continue to watch this problem.  With the world constantly changing and people learning more about what they can do for their environment, hopefully it will educate people enough that one little eco-friendly change can go a long way, even stop a natural disaster from occurring.

When natural resources are held in common- freely available to anyone for the taking- the incentives that normally direct human activity lead people to steadily increase their exploitation of the resources until they are inadequate to meet human needs. The exploiters generally do not intend to cause any harm; they are merely taking care of their own needs, or those of others in want. Nevertheless, the entire system moves inexorably to disaster. Everyone in the world shares in the resulting tragedy of the commons (Elliot & Lamm, 2004). I try to the best of my ability to do just opposite- lead a life having resource management and our planet’s sustainability in mind. I try to be cognizant of the fact that such natural resources as gas and fresh water are finite and act accordingly. I also try to avoid social traps, such as smoking, using drugs and eating unhealthy diet, that can be damaging to my health.
I own a hybrid SUV, Outlander produced by Japanese company Mitsubishi. My work is located about 7 miles away from my home, and my car’s battery allows for 30-40 miles drive (depending on the speed) before it needs to be recharged again. Obviously, the best environmentally friendly choice would be for me to ride a bike to work, however as I can’t imagine the level of exhaustion that I would feel after cycling 14 miles every day, I choose to drive. In fact, I try to do the next best thing, which in my mind is driving without using any gas. I try to keep my car battery charged at all times though, so that I’m not spending gas driving to work, but rather electricity.
Furthermore, I try to limit my showers to 2 minutes at most (my goal being minute and a half), in an effort to waste as little water as possible. I also try to be cognizant of our water resources being finite every time I have to use water for any purpose (washing hands, using washing machine, or dishwasher for instance). This is what I also try to teach my children- that fresh water is a resource that is very limited, and that every time we open a tap, we should be aware of the fact that fresh water that comes out will never be there for us to use again.
I also try to lead very healthy life, avoiding all (or most) health compromising behaviors. And although I’m guilty of occasionally consuming caffeine, and on very rare occasions alcohol produced by fermentation of grapes and barley (in other words wine and beer), I eat healthy, I don’t smoke, or use any other psychoactive substances (other than aforementioned caffeine and alcohol). There are a lot of contemporary research findings that highlight preventive role of moderate caffeine (100-200mg per day) and red wine (1-2 glasses per day) consumption against coronary heart disease though, which contribute to my case of avoiding all health compromising behaviors.
If we want our children to live in a better world than we do (which already may be utopia, but at least world better than is currently mapped out for them), most of us will have to lead responsible lives and have our planet’s sustainability constantly on our minds. We will have to take care of our water consumption, gas consumption (and its consequences such as depletions of natural resources and our ozone layer), and avoid health-compromising behaviors.

References:
Elliot, H. & Lamm, R.D. (2004). The Social Contract: A Moral Code for a Finite World. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 (3), 187-190. Retrieved from: http://www.thesocialcontract.com/pdf/fourteen-three/xiv-3-187.pdf

Whether strolling through a park, wandering the city streets, or taking a lunch break outside your building, we all enjoy places where we can sit and enjoy the environment around us. These brief periods of rest allow us to be present, to people watch, or to meditate through contemplation and nature appreciation. While these areas are intended to help meet the six goals of environmental social design, they often come with unintended consequences, such as criminal behavior. Parks can often be places for predators to identify victims and urban environments can lend themselves to muggings, assault, and petty theft. Defensible space was designed to allow for people to continue enjoying their outdoor and social environment, while reducing the threat of criminal behavior (Gruman, Shneider, Coutts, 2017). However, what started as an innocent measure to enhance security, has quickly turned into the creation of hostile architecture that not only deters criminals, but also deters the very people it was meant to protect through often impractical and uncomfortable designs (Hu, 2019).

I was walking with a friend through my local park a few years ago, and we decided to sit for a minute on a nearby bench. We were forced into segments of the bench due to small railings that divided the bench into three sections, and when my friend asked me why they were there, I told her they were there to deter people from lying down or attempting to sleep there overnight. This thought process heightened my awareness and I started to notice more of these subtly deterrent structures and designs such as, “keep of the grass” signs in parks, “no sitting” signs next to water fountains, and significantly lumpy or slanted benches in malls. I then came across an article that described hostile architecture or hostile design, which “is when public spaces are intentionally designed to exclude humans or hinder human use; this is primarily aimed at loitering teenagers, skateboarders, and the homeless population” (Blackwell, 2018). More commonly occurring in cities and densely populated areas, these spaces are particularly menacing for vulnerable populations. (Hu, 2019).

While studies have shown that defensible spaces have indeed lowered crime rates, they have also crossed a boundary in design, which went from practical to unreasonable. For example, “certain streets in St Louis have defensible space features, including gateway-like entrances, alterations that restrict traffic flow (by narrowing roads or using speed bumps), and signs that discourage traffic” (Newman, 1980). While these are minor and practical design adjustments for St. Louis, ”strips of sharp metal teeth run alongside a low garden wall on East 96th Street” and “metal bars divide a public bench on East 47th Street” in New York (Wu, 2019). Vulnerable populations such as the homeless and the elderly are most affected, as these designs are intended to be uncomfortable enough to prevent loitering. However, what other options are being provided for these people in these areas? Romantic old movies depict elderly couples spending the day on a bench enjoying central park, and homeless people finding refuge on that same bench overnight, which is often portrayed as a part of our culture. So, what is the problem? Understandably, it is important to prevent criminal activity, however, these are not the populations participating in criminal activity. Other measures like surveillance cameras or strategic lighting are just a few potential alternatives to hostile design.

Less invasive measures would still provide security and protection without the targeted discomfort that hostile architecture delivers. Social psychologists have already been developing and researching social designs that focus on the relationship between populations, behaviors, and their environment, so surely they would not be in favor of hostile architecture. As pointed out in our textbook, it is imperative that all stakeholders in a community work together to find a solution that benefits everyone. This would mean that law enforcement, business owners, residents, and even members of vulnerable populations work together and strategize how they can meet their needs without causing each other harm (Gruman, Schneider, Coutts, 2017).

Image Credit: George Etheredge for the New York Times                              

Anti-sleeping bench. Image Credit: Jason Eppink

References

Blackwell, A. (2018, June 6). What is Hostile Architecture? Retrieved from https://www.barbourproductsearch.info/what-is-hostile-architecture-blog000481.html

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Guimapang, K. (19AD, August 19). Has the public become numb to hostile architecture? Retrieved from https://archinect.com/news/article/150152726/has-the-public-become-numb-to-hostile-architecture

Hu, W. (2019, November 8). ‘Hostile Architecture’: How Public Spaces Keep the Public Out. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/nyregion/hostile-architecture-nyc.html

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 424 Lesson 4: The Environment. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2040175/modules/items/28379742

Ever since I was in high school, pieces of information involving the environment gradually became more important with each passing year, particularly when it came to climate change. This topic was then greatly expanded for me when I attended an environmental studies course during my first year of college, where the worst problems and threats were explained in rich detail. The information discussed in this week’s lesson, meanwhile, taught me the potential solutions to environmental problems that I initially thought had no answers. Because of this, I decided to take the time to see if there were any psychological studies that involved climate change to see if there were any more solutions found.

What I found from this search were two articles that seem to pertain to how much people care over climate change. The first article to discuss was written by Dan M. Kahan, Ellen Peters, Maggie Wittlin, Paul Slovic, Lisa Larrimore Ouellette, Donald Braham, and Gregory Mandel in 2012 and involves the belief that a lack of concern over climate change is related how educated the public is on the matter. The abstract in Kahan et al.’s article, however, claims that people of greater education “were the ones among whom cultural polarization was greatest.”, concluding that the former belief is wrong and that the divide in concern was “from a distinctive conflict of interest”. The information provided from this abstract is interesting to me because it can relate to the resource dilemmas we learned from this week’s lesson. Not much more information was present in the abstract, though one can assume that there is probably a correlation between the polarized groups and the amount of resources they use, indicating how big of an effect resource reduction would have on their daily lives.

Another article, by A. Spence, W. Poortinga, C. Butler, and N. F. Pidgeon from 2011, seems to involve how people’s experiences with the consequences of climate change correlates with their concern about the issue, their hypothesis being that those with a personal experience to climate change will express more concern. Their abstract mentions that their evidence is limited, but their findings seem to indicate, according to Spence et al., “those who report experience of flooding express more concern over climate change, see it as less uncertain and feel more confident that their actions will have an effect of climate change.” I believe the conclusion of this article can relate to that of Kahan et al.’s because both seem to show how interest in the matter can relate to concern. Though the “conflict of interest” in the polarized groups in Kahan et al.’s study does not go into further detail besides personal interest against the interest of the whole, one can assume that those with greater personal interests that would be affected by accommodating for climate change could be the ones with least concern about the issue. The people surveyed in Spence et al.’s study, however, experienced flooding and thus had more concern over this issue. I think this could be because the personal interests of these individuals are now threatened by the effects of climate change.

Though the information I could obtain from these articles was brief, I believe they gave me a new perspective to how and why one perceives the scope of climate change in different ways. The article from Kahan et al. put doubt in my original belief that education alone was capable of bringing awareness to climate change and showed me that information on the matter probably doesn’t change the division of people on the subject. Spence et al. then show in their article how experience with climate change’s effects can raise concern in people, which makes me hope that further experience will spread further concern and action. The research that I obtained from this blog, though, indicates that there is still much to do before this issue can reach a solution.

References:

Kahan, D., Peters, E., Wittlin, M. et al. The polarizing impact of science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks. Nature Clim Change 2, 732–735 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1547

Spence, A., Poortinga, W., Butler, C. et al. Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience. Nature Clim Change 1, 46–49 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1059

We have to preserve our environment, because it keeps us alive. A healthy environment guarantees a healthy ecosystem, that keeps our water and air clean, preserves our soil, regulates our climate, and provides us with food (Wilson, Chivian, & Bernstein, 2010). We are not only harming us, humans, but also have a responsibility towards the different animal species, that are cohabitating our planet.

We humans have a serious resource dilemma. What is such a dilemma? It occurs each time we want to make our life easier and more comfortable and use our limited natural resources. Examples are if you want to drive a short distance instead of walking or taking the bike or public transportation. The problem is, that we humans use these resources faster, than they can regenerate (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, 2017, p. 301). With the depletion of our resources, we are digging our own graves.

Prof. Paul Ehrlich from the Stanford University sees the main threat in the overpopulation and overconsumption of humanity (Carrington, 2018). With more people on our world, more fossil fuels are used, more energy is needed, like electricity, coal or nuclear energy, more land is needed to build housing or feed and keep livestock and to grow our agriculture. More products are produced which do not decompose and harm our planet, like plastics. All these consequences of our growth on earth pollute our oceans, air and soil.

I would also like to point out a new threat to our environment, habitat destruction. As I mentioned above, humans destroy a lot of habitats for their own needs, without thinking about the consequences to other species. The rainforest covers about 3% of our earth, with housing more species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem on our earth. Species are being extinct at a much faster rate than all the years before since the beginning of earth. The world so far went through five mass extinctions, the most ‘famous’ is the dying of the dinosaurs, which is theorized to be caused by an asteroid hitting the world (Carrington, 2018). The difference from all extinctions before and the sixth upcoming is that it is caused by humans.The rainforest also helps us fight global warming with its photosynthesis and carbon storage. Beside this, it is essential for our water storage with buffering against flood and drought cycles, and safeguarding water supplies (Butler, 2018). ” By one estimate, published in 2015 in the scientific journal Nature, rainforests could meet half the 2050 target for reducing carbon emissions” (Butler, 2018). Nevertheless, eight million hectares of the rainforest are destroyed every year, that is about five billion trees (Butler, 2018). Preserving the rainforest seems therefore of upmost importance.

The rainforest is the lung of our earth, but it has to work very hard to be able to breath. There are many toxic air pollutants in our air, which people are exposed to. These toxins are produced by different sources: One being the mobile source that includes our transportation devices like planes and cars and so on. The second source is the stationary source, like power plants, industrial facilities, refineries and factories. The third air pollution source is the area source like agricultural fields, cities and wood burning activity. And the last source are natural sources like wild fires, volcanos and dust (nps.gov). Of all these sources, three are man-made and the profound reason for our air pollution. If those toxins emerge in higher concentration, they have serious health effects on humans, like causing cancer, damaging our immune system, as well as neurological, reproductive, developmental and respiratory problems. Beside being harmful to humans, those toxins can also harm plants, animals and can deposit into our soils and waters and end up in our food chain (EPA.gov).

Our time is ticking and we are harming us and other species on this earth with our own actions. With our population growing at a massive speed, we have to think about solutions to produce food and other goods in a more environmentally friendly way, and preserve valuable habitats like the rainforest. The rainforest is essential for us and other species to survive so a sixth mass extinction will not take place. We also have to restrict industries from producing too many toxins in our air to prevent us from serious health problems. Applied social psychology can help us find solutions with designing interventions, that motivate us to change the behaviors of corporations and ourselves. We have a lot to do, let’s get started.

Butler, R. (2018). 10 Rainforest facts for 2018. Mongabay. Retrieved on February 5, 2020 from https://rainforests.mongabay.com/facts/rainforest-facts.html

Carrington, D. (2018). Earth’s sixth mass extinction event under way, scientists warn. The Guardian. Retrieved on February 5, 2020 from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/10/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-event-already-underway-scientists-warn

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

What are Hazardous Air Pollutants? (2017). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on February 5, 2020 from https://www.epa.gov/haps/what-are-hazardous-air-pollutants

Where Does Air Pollution Come From? (2018). National Park Service. Retrieved on February 5 2020 from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/sources.htm

Wilson, E. O., Chivian, E. & Bernstein, A. (2010). How Our Health Depends on Biodiversity. European Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2020 from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/ intro/index_en.htm