bandura blog

2. In a few sentences, list any and all specific media or cultural items that your parents or grandparents think are bad influences on you, and explain the impact that these items have had on you if any (i.e. specific types of music, video games, TV, movies, celebrities, specific sites on the internet, etc.)

Some of the bad influences includes celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, and television shows such as the Jersey Shore. In addition, violent video games such as Call of Duty are influencing the children of today to be extremely violent from a young age. Also, by using xbox live there is a chance for young children to be exposed to profanity by talking with older people that play the games also.

3. Reflect on the people you have imitated over the course of your life: family members, friends, or people in the media. Who have your “models” been? Identify and describe specific ideas, attitudes, fashions, habits, ways of thinking, behaving, and speaking that you have picked up through observational learning. BE SPECIFIC! Write a paragraph with plenty of examples from your own life.

My family members, most specifically my parents, have been my role models. Both of my parents are hard workers and do their best, which encourages me to be the absolute best that I can be. In addition, they have always told me to follow my heart, and to never give up. Some of the phrases that each of my parents use are similar to my own since I am so used to their humor and phrases. Also, I dress like my mom since we both like the same colors when it comes to clothing, and sometimes will wear the exact same color without even knowing. Also, by mirroring my parents, I have developed their manners through observational learning and try to be a refined citizen that contributes to society just as they do.

born rich reflection

Compare and contrast the forces that motivate you to the motives of the individuals interviewed in the film. Which individuals were similar to you? Which individuals were different? How did being “born rich” affect their motivations? How do you think your motivations be different if you were “born rich” like them?

The individual that was the most similar to myself was definitely Ivanka Trump, since she seemed to be the most down to earth and educated. Yes, she did come across as quite privileged, but was aware of her surroundings and that not everyone was as wealthy as she was. One of the individuals that was very different from myself was Luke Weil. He was extremely pretentious and attended Brown University where he barely studied and graduated due to the fact that they wouldn't ick him out due to the amount of money that he was providing the school with. My motivations would be different if I were "born rich" since I might not be as motivated in school since I would not need a career to provide income for the rest of my life. But, I feel as though money would not change the determination that I have since that truly defines me.

winning the lottery

Imagine that last week you won the Megabucks lottery last week ($319 million). What would you be motivated to do if money was never going to be a concern? What goals would you work toward? What would drive you? How would you live your life differently?

If I won the lottery I would definitely donate money to a charity or towards cancer research. There have been many people in my family as well as friends that have been affected by this terrible disease and I would be motivated to donate as much money as possible to see that there will one day be a cure for it. I would be intrinsically motivated to do this because it is inherent within my soul to want to help to fight this disease. Also, I would be able to reach the self-actualization level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs since I would be able to reach self-fulfillment. By donating this money to help others, I would feel as though I was able to accomplish a great deed while on this earth, and truly make my mark by contributing money towards cancer research.

altered states of consciousness

In what ways (if at all) do altered states of consciousness play a role in your life? After learning about all of the other non-sleep altered states, have you learned anything new that you may now use to improve the quality of your life? What steps do you think you can you take to experience more "flow" experiences?

Altered states of consciousness do not play a big role in my life. I feel as though in order to improve the quality of my life, I may consider meditation in order to help me reduce my anxiety. I think that by meditating for approximately 30 minutes each day, I will be able to clear my head of stress, and think through my decisions more clearly. In addition, I think that it will make my day run more smoothly, and help me to be in control of my life and the situations that I am faced with. I will try to harness my passion for painting in order to help me experience more "flow experiences" as well in order to pursue a successful life.

lost hour

What specific impacts does a lack of sleep have on the teenage mind and body? What surprised and/or shocked you in this chapter? How do you think this overall lack of sleep has impacted you and your peers? Be sure to quote several specific examples from the reading, along with your comments.

Some of the specific impacts that sleep deprivation have on the teenage mind may be confused with what most people classify as hallmark characteristics of being a teenager. Some of the symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation include: moodiness, depression, and even binge eating.
Also, I was surprised at how much sleep matters, demonstrably, not just to academic performance and emotional stability. It was also shocking to me that Dr. Paul Suratt at the University of Virginia discovered that, "sleep disorders can impair children's IQ as much as lead exposure" (NurtureShock 33). Another fact that was impacting was that, "a loss of one hour of sleep is equivalent to [the loss of] two years of cognitive maturation and development" (NurtureShock 32). Overall, the lack of sleep affects my peers and I because it is sometimes difficult to work to the best of our abilities in school since we are lacking the right amount of sleep. In addition, the emotional stability of my peers and I are severely affects causing attitude amongst friends on a daily basis.

psych 2: why people can't get enough sleep

Why do you think that so many people (both teens and adults) have so much trouble getting enough sleep these days? Talk about yourself, your friends and peers, and your family members. Get specific!

Many of my peers, including myself find themselves struggling to get enough sleep each night. Some of this is due to the fact that the students are involved in so many after school activities and jobs and then have to come home and complete homework as well as study for tests. In addition, social networking is a big distraction and causes students to stay up later so that they can chat with their friends via Facebook. Teens begin to lose track of the time and find themselves staying up very late, which becomes a terrible habit that lasts for the entire school year. Adults as have trouble getting sleep because of the late hours that their job might require and the commute between work and home everyday. I personally do not get enough sleep because I like to watch television once I am done with my homework which can get as late as midnight on a school night and even later on the weekends. I procrastinate with doing my homework so much and then find myself finishing late, but still wanting to watch television once I am done. Overall, there are many reasons that people do not get enough sleep, but I think it is so prevalent in teens due to the fact that they have so much going on in their lives academically and socially.

defense mechanisms.

The two defense mechanisms that I find myself using most are repression and denial. Both of these mechanisms somewhat go hand in hand because it causes the refusal of experiencing or forgetting to experience painful memories. Whenever things become to difficult for me to handle, I simply block them completely out of my mind because it is easier for me to not focus my thoughts on what is bothering me. Also, when I encounter an emotional topic that I do not feel like enduring, I also find myself repressing my emotions since I do not want to deal with it. I also deny the emotions I feel for people sometimes since I do not want to be too attached for when I wind up losing them someday.

One of the most reoccurring situations in my life in which I utilize repression is when my parents have brought up college recently. I will not want to entertain the topic simply because it will evoke emotions that I do not want to feel. When I do think about going away to college it does make me sad because I will not be with my family as much and that is exactly why I avoid talking about it. In addition, whenever there are family conflicts I usually do not want to talk about them since it evokes frustration, anger and sadness. The easiest way for me to handle uncomfortable or sad situations is by pushing it into my unconscious mind.

Denial is also very prevalent in my life when it comes to stressful situations or with emotions that I may have for boys. Whenever I find myself liking a boy I always deny how much I like them so that I do not get hurt if he does not feel the same way or if it winds up not working out. Also, whenever I have a lot of homework, I always deny the fact that it is a heavy load since I want to be able to handle it and not stress out about it too much. Overall, denial and repression are the two most prevalent defense mechanisms that make up the person I am today.