Archives

Uncategorized — No Comments
19
Mar 24

Cognitive Costs and Physical Effects of Constant Connectivity

Constant access to information, entertainment, and one another is simplified by our smartphones, which rarely leave our sides. While these devices have the potential to enhance happiness, their constant presence may come with a mental cost. Studies reveal that using cell phones while multitasking, such as driving or walking, can be distracting and impair performance. Recent research in the article “Psychological and physiological effects of applying self-control to the mobile phone” shows that the mere sight of a cell phone, symbolizing social ties and networks, can be equally distracting during social interactions. Two experiments conducted within the article confirm that the mere presence of a cell phone can lead to attention deficits and poor task performance, especially in activities requiring high cognitive processing. The consequences of this could be significant, affecting efficiency in workplaces and especially for university students in schools.

According to the “brain drain” theory, owning a smartphone may compromise cognitive performance by consuming limited cognitive resources. Even situations where students successfully resist checking their phones show that the presence of these devices reduces cognitive capacity. Surprisingly, higher smartphone dependance is linked to more significant cognitive impairments.

In addition to cognitive impacts, high cell phone usage is associated with physical costs such as eye strain, neck pain, and back pain. Spending excessive time looking down at a phone can strain neck muscles, leading to tightness or spasms. Nerve pain may radiate to the back, shoulder, and arm, while vibrations from phones can impact tendons, muscles, bones, joints, and the nervous system.

No matter how we look at it, taking a physical and mental break from our devices, may improve our health in a variety of ways unbenounced to us before.

 

Reference

Markowitz, D. M., Hancock, J. T., Bailenson, J. N., & Reeves, B. (2019). Psychological and physiological effects of applying self-control to the mobile phone. PLOS ONE, 14(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224464

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
03
Mar 24

Is Eyewitness Testimony Trustworthy?

An account provided by individuals of an event they have personally observed, is referred to as eyewitness testimony in legal terminology. They might be asked to explain a robbery trial or a traffic accident that they witnessed, for instance. This covers information on the crime scene, the identity of the offenders, etc. Research on eyewitness testimony is crucial for understanding human memory and cognitive psychology. Eyewitness testimony is typically given careful consideration by juries, who view it as a trustworthy source of information. However, studies in this field have shown that a variety of psychological factors can influence eyewitness testimony, none more so than Reconstructive Memory.

Knowledge of the validity of eyewitness testimony requires a knowledge of, Frederic Bartlett’s theory of reconstructive memory, which claimed that recall is open to individual interpretation based on taught or cultural norms and values, as well as how we view the world.

Individuals organize information according to what makes the most sense to them. We try to fit information into schemas, which are ways of organizing data, to make sense of it. Schemas are conceptual “units” of information that correlate to individuals, things, or circumstances that are encountered often. Prejudice and social values may have an influence on these schemas. Thus, schemas have the power to skew new or unintentionally “unacceptable” information to make it “fit in” with our preexisting knowledge or schemas. Consequently, this may lead to eyewitness testimony that is not trustworthy.

The legal community, law enforcement, and psychologists have collaborated to try and improve the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness memory significantly improved when researchers Geiselman, Fisher, MacKinnon, and Holland used an interviewing technique they called the Cognitive interview (CI). The strategy aims to inform witnesses of all the circumstances surrounding a crime without fabricating information or creating false memories. This method involves the interviewer getting to know the witness before posing any questions. The witness is then given the opportunity to provide an unrestricted account of what happened. The interviewer then probes further to get further details from the witness and reassures them that it’s okay to express uncertainty and move on. This method leads the witness, instead of following a strict expectation that the witness must recall every detail.

Correct implementation of the cognitive interview results in increased efficiency and accuracy of eyewitness testimony without the generation of extra false information.

 

References

Bartlett, F.C. (1932). Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Geiselman, R.; Fisher, Ronald; MacKinnon, David; Holland, Heidi (1986). “Enhancement of eyewitness memory with the cognitive interview”. American Journal of Psychology. 99 (3): 385–401

Ghetti, S.; Goodman, G. S.; Schaaf, J. M.; Qin, J. (2004). “Issues In Eyewitness Testimony”. In O’Donohue, W. T.; Levensky, E. R. (eds.). Handbook of Forensic Psychology. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press. p. 532.

Wells, G. L.; Memon, A.; Penrod, S. D. (2006). “Eyewitness Evidence: Improving Its Probative Value”. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 7 (2): 45–75.

Uncategorized — No Comments
23
Feb 24

Four Distinct Phases of Team Formation

Bruce Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development functions as a blueprint for how teams form and develop. It’s a fascinating way to understand all the highs and lows associated with working together. Here are the four phases that everybody can identify with:

The Forming stage is first. At this point, the group is still getting to know one another. It’s exciting and full of possibilities, much like the start of a new friendship. While attempting to determine who is better at what, they are all polite.

The Storming stage follows. Things can get a little difficult at this point. As people begin to hold conflicting beliefs, problems may arise. This is the point of a group project that students may argue on how to tackle the assignment.

The Norming stage comes next. At this point, the group begins to click. They established some guidelines and learned how to cooperate. Group members get together, respect one another’s opinions, and work more efficiently in the group project setting.

Lastly, is the Performing stage. At this point, the group is operating at its full potential. Group members contribute to an excellent final product for the group project that showcases their effort and teamwork.

The Stages of Group Development by Bruce Tuckman is a guide for learning how groups develop and thrive. Any group can do some amazing things as they work through the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages.

 

Reference

Truman, 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.

Uncategorized — No Comments
08
Feb 23

Comprehending Infidelity

What is it about infidelity that has made it one of the top reasons why relationships and marriages don’t work out in the United States? Do people thrive off the rush of meeting an attractive stranger? Are their partners just not doing it for them anymore? Maybe it’s not even that big of a deal to them, or maybe they can just blame it on the alcohol. A popular saying suggests that “once a cheater always a cheater,” but applied social psychology could possibly help this change this behavior. At the very least, it’ll help those prone to infidelity recognize why this is so.

The theory of planned behavior, i.e., “theory of reason action” informs the reasoning behind the factors that influence people’s intention to engage in certain behaviors. (Gruman et al., 2016, p. 72). These intentions are able to be modified over time by evaluating three aspects that influence people’s behavioral intentions: 1) what is a person’s attitude towards infidelity? 2) How do people’s peers feel about and respond to infidelity? 3) How much self-control does a person feel that they have in high-risk situations (Gruman et al., 2016)? Let’s say that someone has a very lackadaisical attitude towards infidelity. They might not necessarily feel monogamy is important or feel that one person can’t satisfy all their needs. If this same individual has peers who hold the same attitudes towards infidelity, combined with the lack of perceived self-control is someone who is at high risk for engaging in extradyadic affairs without their partner’s knowledge.

Knopp et al., reviewed data that identified risk factors associated with the likelihood that one would engage in extradyadic affairs (2017). These include lack of commitment to the relationship and a decline in sexual satisfaction, having liberal attitudes towards infidelity, being around social norms that agree with the behavior, and certain personality characteristics, are all factors that increase the risk of infidelity (Knopp et al., 2017). This study examining the likelihood of prior infidelity being a factor in future infidelity, also found that not only are people at high risk of engaging in extradyadic relationships who have previously done so, those who had knowledge of a previous partner infidelity or had a suspicions, were also at high risk of having those same experiences (Knopp et al., 2017)!

Obviously, those who happen to engage in serial infidelity can greatly benefit from assessing these three dimensions of behavior intentions: their attitude toward the behavior, social norms about this behavior, and how much self-control one has towards this behavior (Gruman et al., 2016). But those who seem to find themselves on the unfortunate end of dealing with an unfaithful partner could also benefit from using this same framework to evaluate their attitudes and its possible effect on their tolerance for the behavior. If these techniques don’t seem to work, an ethically non-monogamous relationship may be the one for you!

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications.

Infidelity rates by country 2023. (n.d.). 2023 World Population by Country (Live). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/infidelity-rates-by-country

Knopp, K., Scott, S., Ritchie, L., Rhoades, G. K., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. M. (2017). Once a cheater, always a cheater? Serial infidelity across subsequent relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(8), 2301-2311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1018-1

 

Uncategorized — No Comments
27
Oct 21

I Would Have Gotten Away With It Too If It Weren’t For… Me?

Are we sometimes the ones behind our own failures?

How do we deal with an upcoming challenge that presents a real chance of failure? Obviously, we do everything in our power to prepare and make sure we can succeed in that challenge. For example, if there is a tough exam coming up in a course, we spend as much time as we can studying the material so that we are ready to take it… right? Interestingly, we might be setting up obstacles in the way of our own successes. In a phenomenon known as self-handicapping, some people prepare excuses or even take certain actions that almost deliberately make it harder to succeed at a future task. A student might spend multiple nights out with their friends, reducing the time they have to study for an exam and thus increasing their chance of getting low scores. But why would we ever get in our own way and sabotage our own tasks? As it turns out, self-handicapping helps us protect our self-esteem, but often at the cost of future improvement.

On the surface, self-handicapping might seem like a completely bad thing. After all, it directly undermines our performance in tasks and increases our chances of experiencing failure. However, self-handicapping actually has a specific benefit to us: It protects our self-esteem by giving us external excuses for failure. As discussed and demonstrated by McCrea (2008), having something else to blame for a failure aside from our own ability can prevent the failure from harming our self-image. Going with our previous example of a difficult exam, consider how a student might react if they studied incredibly hard and still failed. What does it say about that student if doing everything they could to prepare still couldn’t get them to succeed? They may have to conclude that they just are not capable enough, which would severely hurt their self-image. Contrast this reaction with one from a student who self-handicapped. If they fail the exam, they can blame the nights they spent with their friends and conclude, “I could have succeeded if I studied a little more.” The statement implies that they are still capable individuals, and thus their self-image is protected from the effects of failure. Self-handicapping “works” in the short term because it directs the blame for failure away from us and keeps us from concluding that we are completely incapable of accomplishing a task. However, its long-term effects are a different story.

As tempting as it might be to use self-handicapping to protect one’s self-esteem, repeated use of it can result in several negative long-term consequences. As discussed by Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts (2017), self-handicapping can lead to decreases in academic achievement and make it more difficult to take responsibility for your own actions, including successful ones. Additionally, it can lead to a cycle of poorer adjustment to academic settings and further relying on self-handicapping (pg. 228). The main reason for these consequences is that self-handicapping often leads to the assumption that one is already capable of doing something (even though they failed to do so). In their eyes, there is no need to work on improvement. When self-handicaps become the go-to response for every difficult task and one always blames everything on everyone but themselves, it becomes very difficult for them to recognize in what areas they might actually need to improve. Because they never improve, they might face greater chances of failure in future tasks, to which they might have to respond with self-handicapping in order to protect their self-image. Self-handicapping is a twofold threat, decreasing one’s chances of succeeding in a task in the short term and decreasing their motivation to improve their own capabilities in the long run.

Self-handicapping is the human tendency to sabotage one’s own chances of success in order to protect their self-image. It may help people protect themselves from short-term threats to their self-esteem by blaming failure on external factors, but it greatly reduces the likelihood that they will try to improve in the long term. How can we reduce our tendency to self-handicap? One way, as discussed by Gruman et al. (2017) is to participate in self-affirming tasks before taking on a difficult task, such as a test (pg. 448). When we boost our own self-esteem and focus on what is most important to us, we are less likely to rely on self-handicaps to maintain our self-images. Another possible way is to look at “could have” statements differently. McCrea (2008) mentions that when people think about how they could have performed better if not for some external circumstance, how they interpret their shortcomings matters. For example, if a student believes they could have done better on a test and just didn’t show it, as often happens with self-handicapping, then they are unlikely to try to improve for the next test. But if a student believes they should have done better on the test but were unable to demonstrate their ability for some reason, then they are more likely to look for ways to improve their behaviors and increase self-efficacy (McCrea, 2008). When it comes to failures, it might be better to take a little damage to your self-esteem and accept that your actions may have contributed to it, as you can use that failure to motivate your own improvement and make sure that your next attempt at the challenge is a successful one.

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

McCrea, S. M. (2008). Self-handicapping, excuse making, and counterfactual thinking: Consequences for self-esteem and future motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(2), 274-292. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.2.274

 

create an entry — No Comments
23
Sep 21

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Have you been in a situation where you experienced an unpleasant event that left you traumatized for the rest of your life? Well, that is considered post-traumatic stress disorder in which an unpleasant event or incident happened that might cause life threatening injuries to a person. Although some are not life-long, many might be for a while and cause a person to fear his life. Symptoms, like nightmares, irritation, anxiety, depression and many more, should be shown before giving a person this diagnosis. An example of PTSD is riding a roller coaster in which I give an example explaining it more in depth below. Some treatments that would help with PTSD are cognitive processing theory and medications. PTSD is a psychological disorder that relates to other mental health disorders that we discussed in class like anxiety and depression.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder in which an incident or event happened that caused a person to constantly stay afraid or traumatized afterwards. Some reasons that a person might experience post-traumatic stress disorder is either experiencing an unpleasant event or going through something. For example, if someone has a fear of roller coasters and rides it one time or even sees on the news that a roller coaster stops midair for hours this would cause a person’s anxiety levels to increase causing a person to develop PTSD. It would also cause a person to fear riding a rollercoaster ever again. Not only does it cause a person to stress about it, but it might cause a person to have other symptoms. Other symptoms are like not being able to sleep, causing mental health problems, hyper vigilance, depression, nightmares and many more.

This might even cause a person to stress about it while only thinking and talking about remembering the bad experience. Some might experience it for a long time while others might only experience it for a short period of time. There are treatments that a person can go through which would help them with solving the problem. An example is cognitive processing theory in which the process changes the way that a person might think by changing their attitude resulting in a change in their feelings. Another treatment is medications in which stress relievers are given to a person to help calm down their nerves. As well as exposure therapy is a beneficial treatment because it helps with “Repeated confrontation of traumatic memories, often through detailed recounting of the traumatic experience” (3 Jonathan). These are only a few treatments for PTSD. Connecting it to the example of a roller coaster, PTSD is considered as a rollercoaster because of the ups and downs that it causes a person to go through. Consider yourself a psychologist or even a student pursuing psychology, how would you approach a person with PTSD? 

Post-traumatic stress disorder connects to the textbook reading in which it connects to different psychological disorders like anxiety and depression. PTSD is a form of anxiety in which as the levels of PTSD increases, more anxiety is caused. PTSD is considered a psychological disorder and to find treatments for these disorders, “social psychologists who work in this area study factors that might bias the process of identifying the nature of a client’s difficulty. They also study the impact on the client’s welfare of giving a diagnostic label to a client” (Gruman 99). Many disorders can be treated after researchers’ work with patients and finding the reason behind the diagnosis. An issue that is present in most physiological disorders is the labeling effect in which a person’s identity might be influenced by words that describe a person. There are other issues in psychological disorders which are present in the textbook like stereotypes, anchoring, and the confirmation bias (Gruman 124). Even though there are issues related to PTSD, it can be treated through different formats. 

Experiencing a traumatic incident or event that might cause a person to injure themselves is considered as post-traumatic stress disorder. There are many symptoms in which a person goes through to consider themselves having PTSD like constant fear, anxiety, lack of sleep, mental health problems, and many more. After diagnosing someone with PTSD, there are some treatments in which a person can go through to help with their mental disorder like cognitive processing, medications, and exposure therapy. Post-traumatic stress disorder connects to other psychological disorders discussed in the textbook like anxiety and depression. Even though there are treatments for PTSD, I think there should be more treatments and solutions to post-traumatic stress disorder. One question to keep you thinking is, how would you approach a person with PTSD?

Here is a link to another example of PTSD if you are interested.

https://youtu.be/YMC2jt_QVEE 

References:

Bisson, J. (2007, April 12). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.bmj.com/content/334/7597/789

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
15
Sep 21

The Value of Social Design

[Photograph of the stramp at Robson Square] (2018)

Take a look at the above photograph taken at Robson Square. While most architects design ramps to go aroundtheir stairs, the ramp here is integrated into the stairs (a combination known as a “stramp”) so that wheelchair users can go the same way as non-wheelchair users. It’s a nice way to reduce barriers and increase accessibility in an aesthetically pleasing way, right? Unfortunately, there are a few issues when considering how people will actuallyuse the stramp, such as how the steepness of the ramp parts and the lack of handrails make it more difficult for wheelchair users to ascend (Steenhout, 2018). These problems were likely the result of a disconnect between the architect’s vision and the reality on the ground. As discussed by Gruman et al. (2017), these disconnects happen because of role specialization, which often narrows people down to a specific part of a project and decreases their communication with those involved with other parts of the project (pg. 372). How can we address these disconnections? Perhaps we can take an approach known as social design to facilitate communication and improve people’s experiences with those buildings.

What is social design? Social design, as defined by Gruman et al. (2017), “is a process by which any building […] may be designed in collaboration with those who will actually use that building.” (pg. 352) When architects design a building on their own, they often focus more on its aesthetics than its everyday functionality. After all, they’re often not the ones who will actually be using the building. Social design essentially gives the people who will be affected by a project a say in its design. For example, in the stramp example above, one could imagine wheelchair users being quick to point out that the ramp is very steep for them and that without handrails to help pull themselves up, it would be exhausting going up. Involving their perspectives could have likely helped make the stramp more accessible to them and better fulfill the purpose of the design. Social design can help prevent practical problems from coming up after building a project. But it is not just limited to preventing problems. Social design can also improve our lives, such as through our sense of personal control.

Photo of a crowded high school by [LuigiSaysKachow], (2019)

It feels nice to feel like you are in control of your current situation, right? Most people do, and social design can help people feel like they are in control. As stated by Gruman et al. (2017), “good social design will provide building occupants with real options to control their proximate environment.” (pg. 374) Consider the above photo of a crowded high school building by Reddit user LuigiSaysKachow (2019), presumably taken between class periods as students are walking to their next class. With so many students walking in so many directions converging in one location, would you feel like you are in control? Probably not, considering there does not seem to be a way to escape the crowd when walking through this building, which can lead to stress. Gruman et al. (2017) state that “noise, unwanted social contact, congestion, and a lack of places of refuge are examples of primary sources of stress,” (pg. 375) all of which seem to be present in this photo. Unfortunately, when there are a lot of students at a given school, going through crowds like these can be inevitable. What can social design do to help a school with a lot of students feel like they are more in control of their environment?

Screenshots from Sensiba (2014)’s video Centennial High School Aerial Video

I would actually like to nominate my high school as a great example of how good social design can increase one’s sense of personal control. I had to deal with similar amounts of crowding as shown in the picture from the Reddit post, but I maintained a strong sense of personal control walking through those crowds. If you watch the video “Centennial High School Aerial Video” by Jennifer Sensiba (2014), a drone video of my high school, you may notice many tables and seats spread across the campus (also shown in the screenshots). Across the school, students could choose to sit down away from crowds to stop and talk with friends or to take a break from the stress. Additionally, with how the school was designed, there were usually multiple paths one could take to get from one class to another. When one path was too crowded, I would take an alternative path with fewer students walking through. Even though I still had to deal with crowding in my high school, it felt very manageable and less stressful thanks to the options I had to avoid the crowds. Clearly, the architects of the school had kept the perspective of the student in mind when designing it, using social design to give students personal control over some of their daily experiences.

In conclusion, social design is important because it improves the experiences of everyday people. Involving the people in the design process of a project that will affect them can help prevent problems that architects alone may not see, such as those involved in the stramp at Robson Square. But social design is more than just preventing problems. It can help improve the lives of people even if it doesn’t fully solve a problem. The tables and chairs spread across my high school did not solve crowding, but they did reduce the impact and stress crowding has on me and likely many other students over the years. Thus, when designing something that will impact other people, such as a new public space, it is good to take the social design approach and get them involved. Using their perspective can help prevent problems before they happen and, in some cases, improve people’s everyday lives for years to come.

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Sensiba, J. (2014, August 27) Centennial High School Aerial Video [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/SgNiDaDUDK4

[LuigiSaysKachow] (2019, August 22). The absolute crap design of my school. This is the place where every hallway intersects [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign/comments/cu8dho/the_absolute_crap_design_of_my_school_this_is_the/

[Photograph of the stairs and ramp at Robson Square]. (2018). Part of a Whole. https://incl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/robson-square.jpg

Steenhout, N. (2018, 11 May). The Problems With Ramps Blended Into Stairs. Part of a Whole. https://incl.ca/the-problems-with-ramps-blended-into-stairs/

 

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
05
Mar 20

BORN OR MADE: THE MAKING OF A MURDERER.

Are criminals born or made? Is this perhaps a matter of nature vs. nurture?

One of the oldest questions in criminology is whether criminals are born or made. Are serial killers a product of nature or nurture? While genetics determine our personality, behavior, and appearance, we are nurtured to behave a certain way, which is determined by how we were raised, our upbringing, environment, and life experiences.

Our behavior reflects a combination of both genetics and environmental conditioning. Although, there is evidence that criminal conduct has deeper roots than social circumstances. The causes of crime lie in a combination of predisposing biological traits that are channeled into criminal behavior by social circumstances. Characteristics alone do not inevitably lead to crime; circumstances do not make everyone a criminal. People are born with predispositions for specific personality traits, though the environment has some effect on bringing out theses inclinations.

Some serial killers had a troubled childhood and upbringing, surrounded by tragedy and darkness. “Many serial killers are survivors of early childhood trauma of some kind – physical or sexual abuse, family dysfunction, emotionally distant, or absent parents. Trauma is the single recurring theme in the biographies of most killers.”(Conroy, 2018) One common explanation is that psychopaths experience some kind of trauma in early childhood.

Many but not all serial killers suffer from psychopathy. Psychopaths have no sense of remorse or empathy, and their decision-making process is faulty. Furthermore, individuals have tendencies for some things and not others. Meanwhile, serial killers choose to act on their compulsions.

While the answer to this question is still unsure, we can all agree that the answer is both.

 

Conroy, J. O. (2018, August 10). What makes a serial killer? Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/what-makes-a-serial-killer
Muller, R. T. (2018, July 6). The Making of a Murderer. Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/talking-about-trauma/201807/the-making-murderer
Uncategorized — 1 Comment
07
Oct 19

Football and Discrimination

I love the New England Patriots, but when I say that, especially after someone has already met and spoken to me, they immediately give me a look. Most of the time their face is filled with disgust. You would think that would bother me. Does it? Absolutely not. I love my team, win or lose.
The New England Patriots is an in-group I belong to. In-group means when someone categorizes themselves as a part of a group they feel committed to. I promise you, I am 100% committed. Now, there are many teams that I don’t like which would be the out-group (any other groups seen as potential rivals). Being the fan of a winning team, clearly, we have some rivals. We won today 33-7 against the Redskins.
What’s interesting is how this could play out in real life relationships. I do know plenty of people who are a part of the out-group regarding football and my in-group. That has not affected my relationship with them in any way. We’ve remained friends that hang out. I mean my best friend is an Eagles fan and I dated a Giants fan at one point in my life. For others that is not the case.
Prejudice is a set of attitudes towards members of a group. There are some that have prejudices against fans of other sports teams. For example, I could say that I do not like Seahawks fans (this is actually not true, but they were the first team to come to mind), but I wouldn’t allow that to stop me from working with one or hiring one when I used to work in HR. I even hired Steelers fans.
Discrimination is an overt negative behavior towards a person based on his or her membership in a group. Discrimination has begun to play a large role in sports teams and relationships. A lady I was acquainted with discussed with me that she refused to date anyone that was a Redskin’s fan (she loved the Cowboys). A coworker of mine gave up her love for the Cowboys to become an Eagles fan to keep the peace in her home with her fiancé. Personally, I could never and secondly, I would never have thought to use that as a determining factor on dating someone.
Stereotypes can also be projected based on your in-group, by out-group members and vice versa. Stereotypes are defined by Gruman as beliefs about the characteristics, attributes, and behaviors of members of certain groups. When I worked in HR, an interviewee saw my Patriots lanyard and tried to make a funny remark about if I like the Patriots, I must be a cheater too. He thought it was funny, I however, did not.
Statements and actions like those create conflict. They go beyond the original reasons why two teams are rivals in the first place. This is how things get personal. While I use football as a way to relax and release stress by yelling at my television as if Coach Belichick and Julian Edelman can hear me calling out plays, others may use a win to feel validation over other people as a part of their emotional significance attached to their membership to that group.
Social identity reflects a sense of identity based on the social groups to which individuals belong or with which they identify according to Gruman. A sports fan’s commitment to their group may include putting down others.
While I do believe that contact hypothesis which is “the assumption was that positive contact with members of an out-group could decrease negative stereotyping of the out-group by the in-group and lead to improved intergroup relations” (Gruman, 2017) could work in other situations. It’s important that both parties feel relatively equal in power and status, but with sports, if a team loses, you can throw that notion out of the window.

Gruman, J. A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781506353968/

Uncategorized — No Comments
30
Sep 19

How Nutrition Impacts our Mental Health and Productivity

Most of us have heard the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but how true does that ring for mental health and not just physical health? It is common knowledge that proper nutrition is a vital aspect of physical health and wellbeing, but there isn’t much public knowledge on how proper nutrition or lack thereof can influence mental health and performance. Since health psychologists focus much of their research on how behavioral changes are affected by psychological factors, we know there is a connection between mental health and behaviors. According to Gruman, Schneider, and Coutts (2017), health psychologists use psychology to promote healthy behaviors and prevent illnesses. We have seen over the years a gradual change towards health promotion and healthy behaviors like minimizing fast food and having a more active lifestyle to achieve optimal physical health. Can the same healthy recommendations affect mental health and performance in the same way? Would it be possible to treat mental illness with healthy behavioral changes like proper nutrition?

Some research suggests that certain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids can have a positive impact on mental disorders like depression. According to one meta-analysis that analyzed the results of 26 studies, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids showed improvement on depressive symptoms, while DHA did not exhibit any change (Liao et al., 2019). By increasing omega-3 fatty acids in one’s diet, it can limit the onset of depressive episode and possibly prevent mental health disorders like postpartum depression. A blog by Harvard Medical School showed that omega-3 fatty acids can be used alone or in conjunction with prescription antidepressants with promising change for improvement for depression and other mood disorders (Mischoulon, 2018). In addition to treatment for mood disorders, nutritional changes can affect disorders like schizophrenia. Although the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, it causes patients to experience disorganized behavior and an altered reality involving hallucinations and delusions. In order to combat this, some research suggests that a diet with a high dose of vitamin B6, B8, and B12 can help schizophrenia symptoms. In one meta-analysis study, researchers found that B vitamins showed a significant reduction in schizophrenic symptoms in patients when administered early on(Science Daily, 2017). If we can see improvement in mental disorders with dietary changes, can people without mental disabilities improve their mental health with the same changes?

Brain food is a common term used to describe foods that can improve brain functioning and mental performance. Can a banana or a stalk of broccoli help you solve crossword puzzles or perform better on tests? If true, this could become a useful tool in various environments like schools and work settings to increase productivity. Eating breakfast regularly has been promoted as an essential part of a diet because of its effects on overall health, but especially for children who attend school. In one study, it was found that 10th grade students who skipped breakfast frequently exhibited poor academic performance, fatigue, and increased distress (Lien, 2007). If more parents and schools encouraged daily breakfast, it could have amazing improvements on academic performance and overall mental wellbeing in children as well as adults. We know that there are types of foods that are known for improving mental performance such as fruits and vegetables, but there are specific foods that can improve certain aspects of brain functioning. For example, dark chocolate and blueberries contain antioxidants and also help improve memory loss. The vitamin K present in broccoli has shown to improve memory, but can also fight brain damage. Eating healthy is not only good for physical health, but also can improve mental functioning and wellbeing.

We have seen over the years the changes made to dietary recommendations to ensure that the public achieves optimal health. Dietary recommendations like the Food Pyramid or the Healthy Eating Plate have given guidelines that sought to educate the public on the types of food groups and servings of each that were to be consumed for a healthy diet. Although a healthy physique is an important aspect of life to fight off issues like obesity and diabetes, we also need to focus our attention on what a healthy diet could do for our mental health and wellbeing. I think more work should be done in the field of health psychology to investigate diets that could help treat or even cure mental disorders that often lead to a lack of nutrients in the body and brain. In order to promote health, we need to expand on ideas that help treat and prevent mental disorders and diseases. We could help children who battle eating disorders in school or veterans who suffer from PTSD just by analyzing and changing their diets to serve their mental needs. I think the problem with recommendations like the Food Pyramid and other food guidelines are that they are too one size fits all because everyone has different needs mentally, physically, and emotionally. Diets need to take on a more biopsychosocial perspective and become individualized for each person. I hope in the future we can move away from less pharmaceutical drugs to treat mental illnesses and focus more on nutritional healing.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Liao, Y., Xie, B., Zhang, H., He, Q., Guo, L., Subramaniapillai, M., … Mclntyer, R. S. (2019). Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis. Translational Psychiatry, 9(1). doi: 10.1038/s41398-019-0515-5

Lien, L. (2007). Is breakfast consumption related to mental distress and academic performance in adolescents? Public Health Nutrition, 10(4), 422–428. doi: 10.1017/s1368980007258550

Mischoulon, D. (2018, August 2). Omega-3 fatty acids for mood disorders. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/omega-3-fatty-acids-for-mood-disorders-2018080314414.

Science Daily. (2017, February 16). B vitamins reduce schizophrenia symptoms, study finds. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216103913.htm.

 

 

 

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
30
Sep 19

You, Me, We, and Stress

Stress always sounds like a frequently used bad word. If you ask a fellow student, a parent, a family member, or a coworker how they feel, “stressed” is usually one of the common words they might use in description along with sleepy, exhausted, and burnt out.

To get technical, stress results from things that happen in our environment, according to the transactional model of stress. Unfortunately, this model implies almost anything can cause stress, “people, events, and situations” (Gruman, 2017). Those categories mentioned are called stressors and there are many things that fall into those three categories.

In these situations, our brains appraise the situation. Appraisals can happen consciously or subconsciously. When this happens think of fight or flight. Either we can think this situation is threatening to us or it’s something we can conquer or get over. We also have secondary appraisals that evaluate and assess our resources to determine how we handle the stressor.

Appraisals can be different for everybody even if it’s the same situation. For example, if I saw a snake (it could be at PetSmart), I would immediately appraise the situation to be threatening. My secondary appraisal would be my resources, my legs to move away from the aisle or my car keys to escape just in case the snake escaped its cage. My husband on the other hand, would appraise the situation as something he could overcome or may not be stressed by the situation at all. If we were looking at the same snake however, his stress maybe because of my reaction to the snake, not the snake itself. What can stress one person out may not phase another.

Appraisals can also change over time. Another personal example, at one point I used to be terrified of dogs. I had been bitten as a child. If I saw a dog, my subconscious appraisal was that the situation was threatening, and I would cry, scream, and beg to leave whatever place the dog(s) were. About 7 years later my cousin, whom I was very close with, got a dog. His gentle nature and my constant appearance in his home changed my appraisal. I no longer saw the situation as threatening. Later on, I grew to be a dog lover with my own two spoiled puppies.

This is an example of coping. Coping is “thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that people engage in when trying to reduce stress” (Gruman, 2017). In essence this means what do you do to reduce the stress that the event, person, or situation caused.

In my last example, I unknowingly was involved in problem-focused coping which is exactly how it sounds. I faced my problem head on to reduce the power it had to stress me out. Did I consciously think “Hey, you really have got to get over your fear of dogs. It’s ridiculous.” No, I did not, I was 10. But I did think, “I want to be around my older cousin more so if that means dealing with her dog then fine.” Pepper was a gentle lovable dog, he made it easy to start to look forward to his cuddles when I saw him. Pepper himself didn’t make my fear of dogs obsolete, but his nature did help me cope. Eventually he was a point of stress relief and now so are my dogs.

There is another type of coping called emotion-focused coping. It deals with how people try to regulate their own emotions in order to reduce the effects of stress. It’s commonly thought of in terms of things we can not change, however, it’s important to note that this does not mean that we avoid the stress. Avoiding stress can lead down a destructive pathway which could possibly bring on more stress.

I experienced emotion-focused coping when I found out that Pepper died. I do not like to be sad, but I let the emotion come forth and I also thought about all the things Pepper opened me up to. Because of Pepper I have two dogs that I love so much. I learned how to take care of an animal because of him. I also learned how to train a dog and instill obedience. My dogs have a better life because of my own interaction with Pepper.

If you notice my end results in both dog examples was that they lead to a healthy outcome. Using the coping methods appropriately lead to a healthy management of stress. Other coping mechanisms for stress management are relaxation training, expressive writing, and using cognitive behavioral therapy to identify stressors, discuss appraisals, and practice coping strategies (Taylor, 2018). Stress may not cause illness; however, it can greatly exacerbate it. Other factors affect stress like socioeconomic status, negative events. Stress can also impact sleep and the time frame to recover from the physiological effects on stress on the body.

To reduce the likelihood of developing chronic stress or incur any of the negative effects of stress it’s important to also have a support system. Social support according to Taylor is information from others that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and part of a network of communication and mutual obligations. This means that people are better able to cope and have healthier outcomes with social support.

There are difference types of support such as tangible assistance, which is like a monetary gift or someone physically helping you move. Informational support is getting advice or information on situations we’ve never faced before such as getting marital advice as a newlywed. Emotional support is what we receive from people that love and care about us and our well being. Though this doesn’t list all types of support, these are just a few things to possibly reduce our haste to stress out.

Stress is something that can’t be avoided. Our bodies were made to respond to it for our survival, but it can be managed so that it won’t take over our lives and our health. Let’s make use of all of those strategies to keep up healthy and thriving.

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

Taylor, S. E. (2018). Health Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill Education.

 

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
22
Sep 18

Sweet, Sweet, Stress

We often use the phrase “chocolate face” around my house to remind ourselves not to get too stressed out due to temporary situations beyond anyone’s control. Sounds strange? Well, maybe there is a little psychology behind this abnormal expression.

What seemed like the start to an average Saturday morning last June, quickly changed when I found my mom dead on the balcony off of her bedroom. In immediately contacting the police, I told the 911 operator that it looked like she had chocolate covering her face. I even searched around her body to see if I could find a random candy wrapper, empty chocolate milk container, or anything that would make the situation more understandable in my moment of shock. Of course, it was actually blood that had escaped from her nose, but the idea of “chocolate face” became a reminder for my family to take a step back and realize that life is too short to let tense moments get the best of us. In discussing different psychological concepts concerning stress and our response to that feeling, my phrase of choice may not just be bizarre, but may actually be part of a pattern experienced by many who find themselves in stressful situations.

Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman hypothesize that stress is effectively an affair between and individual and their environment. During the tenure of this interaction, described as the transactional model of stress, four complimentary parts work together to identify the cause of anxiety, weigh the necessity for a reaction, learn how to respond, and how to evaluate the outcomes (Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, 2012).

Stressors are understood to be the environmental factors involved in inducing stress in an individual. These elements could be specific settings, certain people, or isolated circumstances that cause tension (Schneider et al., 2012). In terms of my mom’s death, she was not the cause of my agony, but the actual event in which I discovered that she was deceased gave me reason to become stressed.

An appraisal is the decision by the individual’s mind to react to the stressor (Schneider et al., 2012). Does this situation call for a fearful response? Are these people worth worrying about? How much strain should I feel because an event has occurred? If the answer is “yes” to the evaluation, then one begins to respond with some level of anxiety. While I seemed relatively calm in initially calling the police and notifying family members of my mother’s death this was likely due to shock, and after that wore off, I was left in a state of affliction with my stressor.

Coping is the next step in the relationship with stress, and it can involve two different behaviors to help reduce the burden. Problem-focused coping involves a forthright approach in which an individual actively works to minimize mental pressures (Schneider et al., 2012). If one was to find themselves in a social event that causes them to feel anxiety, they could cope by physically exiting the situation. If a peer is creating an issue at work, they may approach them directly to find relief. If schoolwork causes tension, then they may evaluate which parts are to blame and address those individually.

The second option for reducing stress is emotion-focused coping.  This method relies less on forceful behavior to solve one’s problems, and instead, targets changing one’s emotional approach to a stressful situation (Schneider et al., 2012). If someone is upset that they have no discretionary income to go on vacation, they may tell themselves to just be thankful for the food and shelter they do have. If their fostered dog gets adopted by another family, instead of sadness, they can be happy that the dog found a new home. If your team loses a close football game, you can decide that you are not sad, but excited for the experience gained in a tough contest.

My decision to manage the stress of my mother’s death by launching the “chocolate face” initiative seems to be a prime example of emotion-focused coping. Because the circumstance was out of my control, and could not be altered with any direct approach, I chose to modify my stressful feelings by searching for a positive outcome (Schneider et al., 2012). She was 54-years old at the time of her passing, so trying to convince myself that she had lived a long, and fruitful life seemed asinine. I was then left to contemplate the fragile nature of one’s time here on Earth and how quickly that can change, leaving me to try and never let stress overtake any situation.

The last phase of the transactional model of stress addresses the impact of anxiety on one’s health. Research has suggested that those who find themselves in increasingly stressful situations, and without the appropriate methods for coping, may experience higher levels of illness (Schneider et al., 2012). Stress can cause a variety of ailments from high blood pressure to autoimmune diseases, which may then lead to other stressors based on a decline in one’s well-being(Schneider et al., 2012). After my mom died, I did experience various moments of depression and headaches, but have worked through the process by trying to stay emotionally balanced.

In studying the factors of stress and coping, it seems that individuals follow a similar design in their behavioral choices, regardless of how unique these decisions may be. Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model deconstructs each phase of the stress process including identifying the stressors, appraising reactions, finding coping mechanisms, and discussing future health outcomes. When I became stressed in response to my mother’s death last year, I made the decision to use emotion-focused coping to reduce my anxiety. The phrase “chocolate face” became a mantra to translate the feelings from my mother’s sudden departure, to an outlook based on overcoming life’s obstacles. Though I have not experienced any serious health ailments caused from this stressful situation, I still must remain diligent in not allowing this traumatic event to dictate my well-being. This would be the “sweetest” gift I could receive.

References:

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

 

Uncategorized — No Comments
03
Mar 17

Personality Disorders at the Interface of Psychiatry and the Law

The relationship between mental illness and causation of crime has been a popular topic among forensic psychiatrists and the justice system.  Pin pointing a direct cause for problematic behavior is mostly caused by a varying degree of personality disorders within legal contexts.  Personality disorders are defined as, “a type of mental disorder in which you have a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning, and behaving (Mayo Clinic, 2016).” Furthermore, the Criminology Resource Center explains criminal behavior in relation to four criteria: “First, the act is prohibited by law and punished by the state.  Next, it is considered to violate a moral or religious code and is considered punishable by a supreme spiritual being.  Third, the act violates norms of society or tradition and it punishable by a community.  Finally, it causes serious psychological stress of mental damage to the victim (Regis, 2017).” The context within this blog entry will address how personality disorders are implicated in forensic cases, as well as analyze how such disorders are viewed in different legal contexts (Johnson & Elbogen, 2013).

 

The evaluation process of different mental disorders is not viewed equally through forensic law.  At which point should flawed personality traits be considered an illness by a certified psychiatric diagnosis?  When is a personality disorder considered to cross the line into becoming an abnormal or severe condition?  Relatively, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is used to systematically organize diagnostic categories of certain mental disorders.    Individuals must meet established criterion in order to be legally classified with that particular ailment.  The DSM6’s definition of personality traits as, “ensuring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and one’s self that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts (Johnson & Elbogen, 2013).”  Relatively, personality traits are considered to be mental disorders (clinically and by the law) IF they show a precedence of impairments to overall functioning, resemble faulty adaptive constituents, and present distress on a continuum.  In many cases, mental illnesses can revise the definition of the law relevant to particular criminal and civil aspects.  Clinical Neuroscience report declares that, “classification and specific definitions of personality disorders can have a major impact on how and when they serve as modifiers [for the law] (Johnson & Elbogen, 2013).”  Conclusively, the legal system’s perception of understanding the relationship between mental health and law is determined by considering the different mechanisms of functional impairment relative to a specific person.

 

Personality disorders play a significant role in legal assessments of criminal behavior.  Clinical conceptions of personality disorders attempt to explain the criminal justice system.  Additionally, the role of mental health in varying testimonies is determined by the severity of functional impairment as a causative agent of criminal behavior and other social controversies.  Mental illness has been considered the key to understanding and potentially eradicating crime.  What is the current state of acceptance for assessing personality disorders within a forensic context?  Essentially, the law develops a basis for which personality disorders hold practical significance for litigations within the court of justice.  Clinical Neuroscience justifies the code of law as, “a system that must be applicable across diverse situations and populations (Johnson & Elbogen).”  Additionally, the law addresses the impact that these disorders may have on individual’s behavioral constituents, as well as implicating that people are responsible for their own actions.  Where does the jury draw the line on what is tolerated or accepted behavior, or what crosses into a realm of symptoms from psychological distress?  Psychiatric components and the law describe behavior as either “within or outside the norm, and define behavior as acceptable or not.”

 

Personality disorders are affected by various social pressures and societal means.  Additionally, mental illness is a huge topic of interest in the study of criminal forensics because it reflects various causation principles for problematic behaviors.  It is crucial that the criminal justice system assesses the importance and reality of impaired mental health and its impact on behavior.  Although, the law must be consistent with their definition of mental illness as some criminals may claim to be mentally unstable as an excuse for their wrongdoings.  Contrarily, areas with increased crime rates typically have a high prevalence of personality dysfunction (Johnson & Elbogen, 2013).  In conclusion, mental health explains various concepts which underlie acts of criminal offense.  Forensic psychopathology is influenced by various neurological systems that coincide with discrepancies for the human mind, which results in the prevalence of certain behavioral traits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

APA CITATIONS

Johnson, S. C., Elbogen, E. B. (2013, June). Personality Disorders at the Interface of Psychiatry and the Law: Legal Use and Clinical Classification. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811091/

Regis. (2017, January 6). What is the definition of criminal behavior? Retrieved March 3, 2017, from http://criminology.regis.edu/criminology-programs/resources/crim-articles/definition-criminal-behavior

Clinic, M. (2016). Mayoclinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/personality-disorders/home/ovc-20247654

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
27
Feb 17

Homogeneity Breeds Prejudice

Growing up, I was constantly being introduced to different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds. I remember being fascinated at the vast amount of cultural traditions and nuances, and I craved to meet new people, people with different stories. In Damascus, Syria, attending an International High School quenched my thirst for meeting different people, as the student making up the school were mostly children of diplomats who were stationed in Damascus. I had friends from all four corners of the world – from Buenos Aires, to Ghana, to Amsterdam. For me it felt natural being in a diverse environment, and I wouldn’t know any other way of interacting.

That was until I move to Yerevan, Armenia around four years ago. During the first few months, it was both comforting yet strange to be in a country where everyone is of the same ethnicity, of the same nationality, and of the same religion – everyone is Armenian, following the Apostolic church. It first felt comforting because I felt like I was ‘home’, being in my own country with ‘my’ people. But it was also strange at the same time because I was not used to the homogeneity. It was when I enrolled at the American University of Armenia that I began to notice the prejudice that existed here.

There was only one international student in the freshman class, and he was from India. I will not disclose any names for the protection of this individual’s privacy. I first was oblivious to it, since I had never witnessed first hand people exhibited prejudice towards another person. Slowly but surely, I noticed the whispers when this student walked into a class; I noticed how everyone else created a bubble around if as if he were contagious. This student was picked on, laughed at, and publicly humiliated on many occasions. I was ashamed and appalled at my peers’ behavior, and the first thing I did was blame it on their characters – believing that they were a bunch of disrespectful bullies, who are also immature for exhibiting this type of behavior – ultimately falling prey to the fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error underlies that we find it easier to explain other people’s behavior in terms of personal dispositions, rather than thinking about situational factors that could have played in a role in their actions (Schneider et al., 2012). The more people I saw exhibiting prejudiced behavior towards another, the more people I ended up attributing being disrespectful and horrible to.

It was not until much later that year on a day that I was reminiscing my high school days when I had an epiphany. I was introduced to diverse environment growing, but Armenians who were born and raised in Armenia here never had. There is little to no diversity in Armenia, so how could these people ever be accustomed to a diverse environment when they have never been in one? Their entire lives has been underlined by the similar-to-me effect – since everyone around them is similar to them, they have been accustomed to perceiving others who are like themselves more favorably than others (Schneider et al., 2012).

This is fortunately taking a turn for the better in Armenia. Tourism has seen a boost in recent years, which means locals are being introduced more and more to individuals of different ethnicities and backgrounds. A lot of citizens of neighboring countries have also come to Armenia to start business, and there has been a huge influx of Syrian Armenians (due to the civil unrest in Syria). I am noticing how the dynamic has changed between local Armenians and an individual who is not from here – and it is definitely a great aspect to witness. Gordon Allport introduced the contact hypothesis, which “assumes that positive contact with members of an out-group could decrease negative stereotyping of the out-group by the in-group and lead to improved intergroup relations” (pg. 343, Schneider et al., 2012. I definitely see a link between this hypothesis and what I have experienced throughout my four years here by observing in-groups (Armenians) contact with out-groups. The more that Armenians had contact with anybody who is different than they are, the more they are not only developing acceptance, but also realizing the great outcomes of meeting diverse individuals.

Thank you for reading,

Hilda Yacoubian

 

References

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

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
09
Feb 17

So, What’s Your Opinion?

The chapter started off with giving us a snippet of Deena’s struggle with social anxiety and depression for us to keep in mind while reading the rest of the chapter. I, however, ended up reading the chapter relating the concepts to my own anxiety instead.

One of the main reasons that I changed my major from Journalism to Psychology is because of the fact that I have battled with anxiety and many different phobias for as long as I remember. Majoring in psychology has actually played a pivotal role in my ‘recovery process’, even though many family members and even therapists urged me not to switch majors, thinking that being more submerged in the context of psychology will be detrimental. I proved them all wrong.

A lot of social psychological theories have helped me understand the roots of my anxiety and the mechanism behind the physical symptoms that accompany a panic attack, and it has been life changing. One question that used to keep me up at night was: “Why do I care so much about what other people think about me all of sudden? Why does it matter so much?” Before my anxiety worsened, I didn’t give a s*** about what other people thought of me, and I used to behave exactly the way that I wanted to. But as my anxiety symptoms increased, so did my concern about what other people thought about me. As I talk to more people who also have different types of anxiety, I noticed that they exhibited the same trend– they also started worry compulsively about other people’s impressions. At around this same time this happened, I also noticed my avoidant behavior when it came to social events, especially with a lot of new people, because of my fear that I would completely embarrass myself – either faint, throw up on someone, or run away – and that everybody would remember it until eternity. Of course for those of you who have never experienced anxiety, these circumstances don’t sound horrifying or don’t qualify as ‘worst-case scenarios – but it can be extremely debilitating.

There is an existing theory about what I’m experiencing, and it is illustrated in chapter 5 of our textbook, called self-presentation theory (SPT), developed by Leary and Kowalksi (Schneider et al., 2012). SPT underlies the origins, maintenance, and treatment of social anxiety; and according to SPT, it becomes more probable for people to experience anxiety or a fight-or-flight response in social situations when two conditions are present: high self-presentational motivation and low self-efficacy (Schneider et al., 2012). What self-presentational motivation refers to is how much people worry about what others think about them, and when people have high self-presentational motivation, it means that they are very concerned about their image in the eyes of other (Schneider et al., 2012). As for self-efficacy, it refers to the level of confidence that a person has about exhibiting a particular image of themselves to other people. As you probably guessed, having low self-efficacy means that people don’t feel confident that they are portraying the image that they would like others to have of them, whether that is being interesting, loyal, responsible, or sexy (Schneider et al., 2012). As if feeling these two conditions wasn’t enough, they work together to create a main symptom of social anxiety, which is anticipatory embarrassment. Anticipatory embarrassment is what led me to avoid social situations, because I was convinced that if I did go, I would completely humiliate myself in one way or another, and that it would not only haunt me forever, but would also result in “irrevocable social rejection” (Pg. 91, Schneider et al., 2012).

Now you are probably thinking that my social life looks pretty bleak – but I think you’d be happy to know (or maybe not) that I’m fighting my anxiety head on, and pushing through the debilitating and suffocating burden that is panic attacks. Majoring in psychology has truly been an amazing experience for me, and I cannot wait to be there for other individuals who are fighting the same battle, and extend my hand to pull them out of the rabbit hole.

I would also like to say that if anybody has any questions about anxiety in general, or would like to hear some tips about how to help a loved one or for yourself, I will be more than happy to help in any way that I can, with not only the knowledge that I obtained from my psychology courses, but also from the many personal experiences I’ve had with anxiety.

Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Hilda

References:

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

https://www.google.am/search?q=helping+someone+from+a+hole&rlz=1C5CHFA_en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN-9qhxYPSAhUGXBoKHafjDO0Q_AUICCgB&biw=1168&bih=597#imgrc=Wf58qmGMvUf4nM:

Skip to toolbar