General Psychology

Assignment for 2 Student Posts:

Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Expand on your colleague's posting.


My Work:

Student:

"One of my favorite memories is when I went to the beach with my family. I was 13 and it was the first time I can remember going to the beach. I Can remember how the warm sand felt on my feet. I Can still smell the saltwater in the air, and I can feel the warm sun on my face. I can hear the waves crashing on the shore, the birds chirping in the sky, and kids laughing as they play in the sand. I enjoyed ocean so much, I didn't want to leave. Whenever I think about the beach, this memory comes to mind."

Me:

1. I was wondering if you liked the beach or the mountains,
2. I miss the beach greatly since we moved away.
3. Different places have different benefits, like by a Great Lake, in New England, etc.
4. I know that German is the biggest percentage of an ethnicity in the US.  They must have a different experience, maybe visit the beach like you did.  I personally don't know of family by the sea, but otherwise I was born in and mostly grew up in Florida, on the beach.  I have some German, I think.  I really like it and appreciate my heritage in different ways as an adult.  So, I'm not used to the sea by New England but also grew up in New Orleans and so am used the water in hot climates, something fun.  I learned to appreciate the sunshine, too, and feel comfortable about the heat in general, even if it were a dessert.
5. I personally would wear beach shoes at the beach because I don't care to step on whatever I used to step on, plants, etc., and worry about it.  I live in Orlando now and it feels like home to be back in Florida, since 2005/2006 with my parents.


Student:

One of my fondest memories was the night I got off the bus at Great Lakes, Illinois, the location of the Navy recruit training center. It was in April of 2005, a very cold night around seven o’clock. I’m with about forty other people, all bunched up in a little bus. As soon as I get off, the cold air just crushed my face. But I didn’t have long to feel cold, because I had a Navy RDC screaming at me to get in line. It was one of those moments when you think, “what did I get myself into?’. I’m a long way from home and I’m going to have to deal with this for 9 weeks. It was a long night that night, a lot of processing stuff. I got head my shaved, had to take a urinalysis test with a guy staring at me, got a c-bag full of goodies and marched down to the coldest building ever (which happened to be my barracks).

This memory was definitely life changing for me. I was an 18-year-old kid. First time being away from home like that. I got thrown into the fire of becoming a man. I will admit, I was pretty immature before I joined the military. It made me become a respectful man quickly. This memory helped me realize that to become something I want to be, I had to go through a tough time to get there. Things aren’t going to be easy in life. If I didn’t have this memory, I’d forget how far I’ve come since my youth, that that night I crossed over from being a boy to becoming a man.

Me:

1. Do you feel that there are other activities that give a similar experience as the military?
2. It made me think in the end how I changed to a Catholic high school and was in church choir as a child and teenager.  I felt it prepared me to enjoy life, but later I was picked on somehow.
3. I agree it was a good idea, not too late at 18.
4. I was in Army JROTC for a year in high school, and I became popular then, too, a good experience, though I was pursuing the creative and performing arts and could not stay.
5. It seems like people got out a lot when they graduated high school and are proud of it as life goes on for some reason.  Some people try to become models and actresses, and they say high school is a good time for that, too.  For me, I wish I posted online sooner, but I was so busy and did use e-mail, though people didn't like IM-ing me nor wanted to webcam then.  Later, strangers I didn't particularly like wanted my time and to do that.

General Psychology

Visual Power Point Presentations #20-#26
Disagreement of an Extraction of a Our Personally Chosen Concept

Lacking Depth and Significance in a Great Time and Efforts

          I grasped overall that all the material was based on things like learning and specifically on how memory works overall biologically but on lose terms, an overarching series of lessons branching off from such an idea.  I disagree with the nature of this concept being significant to this extent of interest.  It seems as though it is all saying that we learn and how much we have to apply our critical thinking to recall memories.  I will discuss influences from the modules, but my main idea I'm getting at is how I noticed that it should be more about religion in that it means having exchanges that are either good or bad in ways that are significant to life, not a topic of psychology to discuss over all these examples; it isn't a scientific application in the end, and there's no experimental question/topic of something important to solve.  Simply put, it is too fancy but not especially well-organized, making it a challenge for the viewer to keep up more than necessary or seemingly significant, maybe for people who aren't interested in psychology or who don't have to take it as a major.

          It seems like it's a shying away from discussing hypnosis.  They keep talking about how we learn automatically and how things come as second nature, "like breathing out and breathing in."  They even seem scared to discuss it, and it's scattered all throughout the material, all "hokey pokey" but maybe in an interesting magazine sentiment for some.  This is probably a layer above instinct, like animals knowing so well somehow to have sex and then care for the resulting babies, like turtles walking to the water for the first time.  They also emphasize youth.  Don't pretend we all didn't see that, the picture of the little baby from Europe or Russia being surrounded by adults crying.  I noticed they presented this showing that people in Europe are more emotional and that people seek out to be emotional, though the US isn't in Europe.  I saw the picture of the American baby with the 2 ladies, and the boy didn't look as affected and the women looked cold emotionally to the baby.  They also didn't look as healthy, though they were skinnier at that time.  They showed that children just copy adults, to show they are innocent, but they didn't talk about that.  They just reiterated the fact that the children copied the adults, like we are to draw our own conclusions about that in between the lines as we read along.  Most of this session dealt with animals, the next step, from adult to baby to animal.  They did something basic about eating as the way to interact with animals, like food means something "extrinsic."  They controlled the animals by feeding them after they do what they want, sometimes for study and sometimes for work but always fun.  They went further too here with the animals and made it more complicated to get the food.  This goes into another topic of Operant Conditioning.

          Humans must be a patchwork quilt or hulk of Operant Conditioning and less instinct.  One topic that was discussed was discrimination.  People can't seem to focus on that, but it's anti-hypnotic; it seems the material hinted at racism because that word can mean that, typical of Americans to think something like that, some "what if" moment.  A lot of anti-development has been taking place racially with all the insecure white racism of people who couldn't contain themselves about their jealousy of people like who live in Europe and are also racially European.  Sort of the opposite of a success, they seem to just keep going doing educational science experiments with animals like a little magic trick to show preschoolers or small children, like instead of doing different things they keep repeating the same kinds of experiments.  It seems there's not much people want to do with animals other than raise them for a dog show, possibly, which sounds like an incentive to own a dog.

          They speak of "punishment," which can be translated as a way of doing evil conditioning, to animals or people.  They even think jail is a type of conditioning.

          You might want to bring up race when you talk about things like "discrimination" and "punishment" at an advanced level.  Most people are mixed, and most countries seem to be mixed race.  The US seems to be excessively Italian, hence they want to mark if someone is Latino or not, though they may be the same race.

          Intrinsic and Extrinsic Conditioning are an important concept they did not have much to teach about with all they said.  It happens emotionally, socially, and in important social interactions/meetings if you believe that.

          It also talks about intensity, like pain and helping.  This is also something smart to talk about that they might discuss in an honors or Ivy League class.

          How long memories last sounds sentimental, but they didn't state this opinion, makes me wonder what they're doing, maybe too high order thinking to discuss.  That's just some of the nature of my disagreement of these sections.

          A lot could be said of mnemonics, which is like the popularity of emojis and emoticons.  Then, it goes into deep meaning, like "sex" of ideas.  It is the joining of something popular, like emojis, with higher order thinking.

          Explicit and implicit memories were a little confusing, like it meant facts or procedures.  Explicit is simple, and implicit is more cognition.

          Memories can trigger certain feelings.  It gives meaning and helps us and signals more in our brains overall.  Again, the material doesn't say much about it psychologically but expects us to remember the little animal experiments.

          The slides tried to say we remember for school but didn't talk about how to memorize lectures and accomplish hunks of reading in shorter periods of time, in classes outside of our major interest, be it music or something else.

          Things like brain damage are natural excuses that exist in life.  Drinking, lack of sleep, and some injuries.

          "Passwords" is interesting, like a symbol that only you or a few know, too, like a social situation when you and a friend are on a rapport over others, which I've seen happen in a discriminatory way and sneaky and dishonest too, like a lazy trap as the result of an expected continuing friendship, which sets you off wondering how it is possible to get away with that and which leaves you open to get in more trouble somehow.  Who matters, anyway?  This is a basic psychology issue or religious question.  Yet, people are complacent to it and on the evil side.

          "Implanted memories" and "abuse" are similar or different in that it is a sign of some outside factor that you read into.

          So, basically, there's all this social drama and things like animals and how people look and think and race and such.  However, it's mostly finding filler information no one will remember.  Apparently, if it were important and not complacent you would already have this in your mind.

          Well, I took a look at Revelation again.  Chapter 15, verse 1 says, "Then I saw in the sky another mysterious sight, great and amazing.  There were seven angels with seven plagues..."  It seems this book and the slides are complaining like this.  Then it says it was the last, and it makes me wonder if people will ever be able to get anything done in the way they are, like it's the Tower of Babel.

General Psychology

Instructions:

By Thursday, write about a very important memory that you have. Note the details of this memory, which could include sensory information (sight, smell, noises, touch sensations, taste) and also the quality or intensity of this sensory information. Does this memory have significant life meaning to you? Does this contribute to your easy ability to recall it? How might this memory be altered if you had a problem with the areas of your brain responsible for memory?


My Work:

"Sight-Seeing"

My favorite memory in things like being in places like Saint Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuing city in the US, as a kid is probably just walking around outside; I actually lived there age 9, 10, and 11, which is 1995-1998.

The sight was so comforting and felt so real; there were little shops and some of the buildings restaurants, all around.  They were preserved from a long time ago; that's why it felt so real culturally, like being more European.  The smell of nature wasn't much, but you can smell the food cooking outside, at least along Saint George Street downtown.  The noises were not much to remember.  You can hear church chimes in the downtown area, as well.  Touch sensations were not a big part of it, but you can feel the historical significance of the fort made of shells and rocks, with pieces chipped away.  Taste-wise, if you eat there, it can be very savory; I particularly liked chocolate chip cookies, then.

The quality of these senses was very quaint and overly satisfying.  The intensity seemed extremely impressionable.

To note the senses of the experience helps me recall some of the same feelings more, rather than just speculating on my thoughts at the time, as the environment was the trigger factor, if not the ancient human influence.

If I was traumatized possibly and exposed to an alternative out of this around the same time, I might forget it because I found something much better.  Actually, I moved from Florida for the first time form here and did forget a lot of how I used to be, more intuitive and with a bigger imagination, thinking when I lived here.  The lessons I learned along the way were worth it, but I wish some things were different or changed differently.  I was really taken care of in Saint Augustine, with the Spanish influence.  I moved to New Orleans, with French influence.  After meeting more people from the city, I started to like it.  I miss some of the values, security, and physical features I had before leaving Saint Augustine.  I guess it was a learning experience, especially overcoming some social complications.  I mainly felt alone, lost friends and didn't have the artistic and cultural stimuli of where I am from in Florida.  I didn't really adapt to New Orleans like people from there, and I felt subordinate, almost, as a person.  People from New Orleans were more accepted living there in many ways and didn't feel as pressured, nor shy, nor confused.  I guess they were very alive in their way, regardless of things like how they looked, like size, hair color, and type of ways of thinking.

Genreal Psychology

Post by Thursday classical conditioning and operant conditioning, including the difference between the two types of conditioning. What seems like a more influential consequence to you personally... Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, or negative punishment?  Why?  Include a personal experience of your a conditioned response to a particular environmental trigger and tell us how you learned that response.


Conditioning - ^Special^ ^Needs^

Classical & Operant Conditioning

Classical conditioning is when multiple factors trigger a response in a living thing and become associated.

Operant conditioning is when outside factors are figured in the minds of living things in order that they make personal applications with it concerning something that matters in their life.

The Difference
The difference is that classical conditioning is more naturally *hypnotic and operant conditioning is more "handmade."  (*I realize in my 1st module review, I was told that conditioning of some sort, operant or dog salivating, was not hypnotic, but I was wondering again if it could be said it was in a natural way, instead.  I'm not sure if the class knows.)


My Punishment/Reinforcement Preference

To me, positive punishment seems the most appropriate.  You enter a person's life yourself sincerely and judge them honestly as a person, rather than
positive reinforcement messing around giving them distracting presents out of nowhere,
negative reinforcement taking away healthy/necessary challenges to build strength over for later,
or negative punishment taking away something special that they shouldn't have to give up for this.


My Experience

When I moved from the Fort Lauderdale (SE FL) area to Jacksonville (NE FL,) I was 5 years old.  I used to just stand there unable to think or concentrate, when we were given directions to put papers in certain shelves, I remember.  In preschool, I was very much at home and everything made sense.  I realized that each of these cities in East Coast Florida were very different.

General Psychology

Christina Barrett - February 22, 2019
PSY 201 N2 - General Psychology (Online) - Professor Gardner - Module Review #2
Mixed Race

I disagree that the book does not address mixed race and notice they avoid important values and processes that are important to mixed race.  One reason it is important is because the US seems to mostly have mixed race and it's the leading world power or used to be.  Scientists could try to "fix" mixed race babies with their technology from stem cell research.  What if we were all striving to be twins?  Twins strive to be different.  People parent different races differently, even mixed race families.  All humans adapt, and so that is also involved.  Evolution is always a possiblity.  Who knows how long it takes, in different ways, too?  People survive by natural selection, and people find mixed race people to be cleaned out, it sees.  Babies do have something with their mom but warm up to strangers after the newborn/infantile stage.  People like to mate different kinds of people, like if they want someone "tall, dark, and handsome" or "dumb and blonde."  People can't tap into the resources that other cultures possess, and it gets in the way of mixed race people.  For instance, rats can get smarter living in a maze.  We share genes, still, over the fascination with chimps possibly sharing a lot with humans more than prettier animals.  Chimps look like the opposite of the human ideal but still are fascination as gorillas, for example, or like walruses or sea manatees.  Gender differences pervade, but it may somewhat be cultural.  People are better off getting a social workout than being "alone in a crowd."  Sometimes, dark cultures have fair people, too, fairer even than some Northern Europeans.  We take time to mature and therefore need to have a chance to play to our strengths.  We mature in different ways.  Some people are diagnosed with mental disorders, and mixed race was the poster image for this.  Also, learning to feel good before puberty and then the following adolescence might be a way to be okay.  It would be interesting to see what other races feel, like how other animals feel.  We become adults and people start to discriminate unassuming people of mixed race, which could mean even Sourthern Europeans.  We age in different ways, too.  The Bible says, “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material." Leviticus 19:19.  Even the Bible needs more explaining.  Maybe, everything in it isn't true, and it also says, "No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord." Deuteronomy 23:2.  Jesus changed the Old Testament arleady for us.  However, we also know we do not marry into the throne in the US.  We are allowed to marry who we want, but every race seems to have a problem and not match if it isn't white and Caucasian.  A lot of the US is probably becoming more mixed.  Southern Europeans are racist because they are upset they are a second separate race from Northern and Middle Europeans.  They try to exclude other races that are not all white and Caucasian, even if you used to be treated well.  People went ahead in fear and accepted Southern Europeans over Asians.  The Middle East has been labeled Caucasian, too, now.  It might be where all or most cultures come from, other than "black" African cultures.  Even Native American indians who either have European or Asian are accepted, and they are part Australoid I heard.  I also heard Polynesians and other islands probably are Asian and Australoid, and Indonesians are all Asian, Taiwanese.  It is hard to find for sure how old Europe is, other than at Wikipedia, and I've heard more than one thing.  The textbook probably does not see mixed race as an issue.  They act like it is going to come up eventually, but, like I've been explaining here, people usually don't make the best of it.  It's interesting half black half white people have such fair hair sometimes. Half Asians, however, usually possess strong Asian features to different amounts, sometimes look all Asian maybe.  Mixed Asians might be left out socially, in ways full Asians aren't.  People are probably stuck with why they don't accept mixed Asians like other mixed races.  I personally admire people mixed with more than one non-European race.  They often look more white, I think, than other mixes.  Mixed race, therefore, is not a sin.  The book hints at mixed race being important subconsciously.  People often say someting is racist if there are no African Americans in a movie or something, though.  Maybe, they need to talk about it with a psychologist/counselor.  One freedom people do not have is to be free racially somethow, but people can be racist and get away with it and things like threatening their well-being culturally in the US or Middle and Northern Europe.  I've seen dark non-Europeans get upset at whites/Europeans, usually African Americans, not so much bad from Middle Easterners, save for the militial concentration hovering there from the US while I was growing up and knew about as a preteen, onto adulthood.  The Bible also does not find it very important, maybe something exciting to play with.  I know Jewish people are strict on marriage, like from The Fiddler on the Roof.  So, mixed race is an even touchier topic than racism, as no one gives a care what happens to them.  It's always about pure non-white/Caucasian races when racism becomes important, but it becomes important for other people to make fun of mixed race people or bump them off if they are not perfect, like if they are a little sad or a little overweight or something.  It's too bad.  There is a forum called Stormfront that is a good outlet for people who care about how white they are.  Mixed race just never seems to come up.  It's hard on South Asians who look whiter than North Asians but maybe not as old of a culture.  If the textbook knew it was hard on mixed white / South Asians, it might make more sense.  So, who is the racial outcast?  Native American indians and Polynesians or mixed white South Asians?

General Psychology

Assignment

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Expand on your colleague's posting.

Student's Post

The primary task of the adolescent stage is to form an individual's unique identity and figure out with what group they belong. This stage typically begins in the teen years and extends into the 20s. An individual in the adolescent stage may be seen trying out different groups, trying to fit it, but also wanting to stand out and be seen for who they are as a person. 

As an adolescent and throughout all of my school years, I was homeschooled. Because of this, at events with other homeschoolers there were "weird homeschoolers" who behaved in an awkward manner and would probably be bullied in public school and "not-so-weird homeschoolers" who frequently attended social gatherings, were very comfortable socially, and had a good group of solid friends who didn't appear to be the negative stereotype homeschooler, but rather would blend right in at a public or private school setting. I was apart of the "not-so-weird homeschool" friend group, but it wasn't my identity. I already knew who I was in Christ, so I never really struggled with my identity. 

I don't feel like I am exploring my permanent sense of personal identity. 

Some students are still in the process of forming their own unique identity and want to have a solidified plan for the future so they feel pressure to figure out their major freshman year. 

My Response

To Feel Good in a Crowd

Do you feel you have more in common with people in Catholic schools, Baptist or other Protestant schools, public schools, or non-religious private schools?

I felt like you starting at a public high school and having gone to Catholic schools most of my life.  Everyone was just so happy together, maybe not as well-behaved as a lot of people, like school was a party or just a job.  I went to a sports school, and there was an intellectual public school and artistic/cool public school, but my region was the sports school.  It was so cozy.  It was like the work wasn't even important.  Everyone looked so comfortable in their clothes and walking around and talking.  They weren't as uptight as people in Catholic schools.  It was like a real school, where you were free.  My best experience was at Loyola University New Orleans taking piano/organ/singing.  My next best was 3 years at the public high school and when I went to the school of the oldest church parish in the US and in the oldest continuing city in the US, from 1565, an old Spanish town, very European and made me who I am today.  It's like an adventure.

I don't know what it's like to be homeschooled or to be in a sheltered environment as much as long.  I didn't go to daycare.  I went to preschool half  day but wanted to stay longer.  I feel I was sheltered socially and culturally, moreso when I was a toddler, and I didn't enjoy that so much.  I think that public schools are attractive and something to be envious of.  They have a sense of family and complete freedom socially.

I took ballet with some homeschooled younger girls, not considered a good dancer and was uncomfortable.  They were a way that also made me feel "not as good."  You know, this college online is easier than being in a classroom.  So, the girls at ballet, I think most also took piano.  The teacher had a daughter and her sister, who also did ballet, had a daughter there.  Maybe, at least 5 of them were homeschooled.  There were probably only up to 10 people there.  They seemed like they wanted to come out, like "out of their shell," as people say.  They were very disconnected to reality, some of them, it felt and hence why they wanted to "get out" and they did change to go to a Catholic high school their 2nd year, at least the daughter and niece.  They did seem very fresh and young.  They were closed up and barely spoke to me, like I was bad because I looked older and tired from busywork and homework at school.  I usually got the highest grades until I was 16.  Something happened to me.

You should probably get out more, like me.  Where I live, Orlando, has a lot of events that are usually overcrowded with unlikely people.  I also got good at  hobbies in my past and doing things now.  I probably will not step foot in the classroom until graduate school if I do that later, possibly.  I'm 32.  I'm also very mad that it's all over and all the empty years.

General Psychology

Forum Chatting

Post to Me

Brian Michael Pavlus

Christina, 

I like how you discussed Identity Diffusion, I did not in my post. I also like how you discussed why identity is important. I enjoyed learning about you through your post, thanks so very much for sharing. I like how you said, "maybe we weren't really friends then". I also appreciate how you openly admit to still developing at 32. I found myself changing a tremendous amount in my mid-late 30s. Why do you think that you noticed people grow up anticipating love from parental figures? How do you think things would be different now if you did not have the childhood that you did?  

My Reaction

Looking for Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Identity diffusion simply means something crazy...

My friends betrayed me secretly and helped to ruin my life.  I also had some problems, but they had trespassed on and violated me before I had problems...

Yes!  I grew to sometimes 5'4" when I wake up in the morning, and I was like 5'½" before like before 20 maybe.  I think I had to quit dance to do it.

I am doing my Intermediate English Composition paper on why people changed since the sinking of the Titanic in 1997 and mostly about Generation X and Y getting attention from Late Boomers - or not.  It's a question and I don't know if there is a solution or if I will find it in this research paper.

My childhood I prefer to all others I've seen.  I like to be pretty, but I also enjoy thinking about cool things.

I read your post.  I ended up relying on the world and not being as close to my family, much at all sometimes in the end.  I sometimes was at clubs until 6 PM I remember or at least 4 or 5 PM.  My favorite activity was singing in the church choir age 8-11 and 14-18.  They didn't have choir when I was 12 & 13.  That's like you hanging out at sports or daycare.

I found solace by letting my emotions out on a public blog.  I also posted on IMDb, but now there are spinoffs or very good parody boards of it, since it shut down about a year or 2 ago.  I've been posting a lot online for 11-12 years.  I still feel I missed out because I started with MySpace and Facebook in summer 2007 and IMDb 2008.  I found other message boards, too, but I kept being kicked out when I didn't do anything wrong.  They thought I posted too much about myself.  People bullied me all over.  I just got used to it.  I don't fall for it; I just ignore it and stay happy knowing they are just monkeying around or just monkeys themselves.  I was most hurt that I was unaccepted due to that I didn't start posting in public until 2007.  It's like it was all over.  That's not fair.  Look at all the Baby Boomers, on Facebook!  So, I ask you.  Like I ask a lot sometimes?  Why don't you get a blog if you don't already have one?  It saves on e-mail, SnapChat or whatever.  Some people trust school, some people trust on the job, and others trust the internet.  I was popular and in music and didn't need to worry about the internet as far as posting goes.

I do suffer a lot with the world still being crazy and unwinding, stressed about children but not being successful.  I feel I'm not having a place in society, like before.

General Psychology

Assignment

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Expand on your colleague's posting.

Student's Post

Brandon Leigh Allbritton

The Adolescent stage of lifespan development occurs generally begins in the early teen years and extends into early, and in some cases, mid 20's. It is at this stage that an adolescent begins to develop their sense of self identity based upon the social roles apparent to them. This can be a very confusing process of trying to learn who they truly are. Most teens attempt to solve this dilemma by adopting the roles they feel most natural to them based upon the things they associate or observe in those closest to them such as parents or peers. 

In the textbook on pg.203, the author lists 4 distinct peer groups often found in middle age to high school age kids, jocks, preps, geeks, goths. I can't say that I would have necessarily lumped myself into any one of those groups, though I have always found myself to have a pretty adaptive personality, and could relate to or fit in to relatively any group for the most part. However, I grew up in the rural midwest and for my high school years, I often identified most with the more "country" crowd. 

However, as I've since come to know Christ, I have come to realize that our identity shouldn't be found or pursued in social or peer groups, or modeled after parents, but in Christ. We are made in the image of God, and as when we are born again, we are being conformed in to the image of Christ, and thus our identity should be found in Him. I believe that we should help our adolescent children understand this as early as possible. I don't believe that it is a natural and innocent occurrence to seek one's identity in the image of other flawed human beings or in social groups who identify one way or another, but is a result of the fallenness of sinful man. In discipling our children we should make it our aim from as early on in their lives as possible to teach them who they are according to God and His word. 

My Reaction

Toyland, Joyland...

So, you started out like a baby giggling and playing around into adolescence, and then you opened up to more giving ways.  However, Late Boomers never seem to have grown up, for real.  Everyone wants love from Late Boomers, even older people.  It's gotten to the point used as a social tool that it's caused me dysfunctionality.  So, my question is if you were more like a kid before adolescence or 18? and your opening up was a time when you feel you lost or passed youth and enjoyed other things, like focusing on how to get attention?  I know a lot of people call my interests in things "just" "sex" I feel, secretly sending that message to me.  People need to replace that with "love."

I think you seem to be normal, like I a proud to be normal.  You don't have weird problems.  I don't feel I know you that well, though, even in what I'd think by reading your writing.  You seem shy to admit it, like you're still a child.

In my experience, I should have posted this in my post too, I started out just trying to understand things and become who I want, like it seems Audrey Hepburn.  I didn't become who I wanted until later.

You seem very religious and smart.  It seems like your opinion supports popular opinion.  I guess you just want to be a good citizen.  Did you ever believe that people are all deserving and some just have problems you may have later?  I also like a fight in me, I believe that [omitted] who have problems socially around you … that I blame the adults.  I also relate to young people really and have things against them, too.

General Psychology

Assignment

"According to psychological theorist, Erik Erikson, cognitive, social and moral development continues well beyond childhood throughout the entire lifespan.  Adolescence is a particularly crucial stage in the development of a sense of "self" or a personal identity.  Adolescents often struggle with questions like: Who am I? What do I like? What group do I belong with?

In this forum, explain Erikson's adolescent stage of lifespan development (Identity vs Identity diffusion). How would you describe the primary task of this stage?  Adolescent development plays out predominantly during middle and high school years, but can also stretch through the early college years.  Explore your own adolescent development by discussing any cliques or crowds (textbook) that you DID or DID NOT identify with in your middle/high school experience.  Do you consider yourself to still be exploring your permanent sense of personal identity?  How does this stage relate to the pressure some students feel during the freshman year of college to choose a major?" 

My Response

It's never too late to play … the piano.

Identity diffusion is when you have developed without a sense of identity.  This can mean physically, psychologically, psychiatrically, etc.

Identity is important at adolescence because you finalize yourself then.  For example, if you want to be a violinist, you should have started violin before, at least I hear if you want it easier, but it's competitive.

In middle school, we were embarrassed to sum up our friends.  Mine were blonde haired, blue eyed, more from Up North, though not technically all of them.  We were supposed to be friends more than making a scene as a clique or even admitted as friends.  Maybe, we weren't really friends, then.

In high school, I attended 4 different schools but was at a public high school for my first 3 years.  I didn't know where I wanted to go.  I met some people a grade older who seemed more respectful than my generation, class of 2004 born in 1985/1986.  They seemed like intuitive freaks and were casual but kind of artsy even.  They knew the 1st "Harry Potter" movie was all that mattered and we got tickets in advance and they didn't care about the sequels.  It totally changed my life, more than "Pirates of the Caribbean," which I did not know about coming out until I was 21 when I watched it or a little in advance.

At age 32, I am still developing, but I might be insensitive to some things forever.  For example, I found I wanted to mainly do violin, but I don't know if it's because I was a music major or because I like an orchestra from Germany because it has a violinist I like in it.

People must go through a lot chosing to enter the fields of communications and writing, science and engineering, or maybe something like the arts they did growing up.  I think the most pressure is violin.  You have to have started young.  A lot of people resort to guitar, and prestigious schools or conservatories for classical music are adding on contemporary majors.

To add to that, I wanted to say that I noticed people grow up anticipating love from parental figures, which is the stage I'm at and I don't know what comes next because I do a lot of mature things like that already.  I mean, I can focus on my life without worrying about it, but a lot of people bother me about it.

General Psychology

• "Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Expand on your colleague's posting."

Andrew M Lewis

"In have decide to compare the effects parenting styles may have had on two of my nephews that are only six months apart. The two parenting styles I will be comparing are permissive and authoritative. But at the end of my post I will through a wrench in to the mix as how nature may have made the impact.

The first nephew I will refer to as Sam for the extent of this post. Sam’s parents while they would likely disagree with me use a permissive parenting style. Sam frequently acts out when put in unfamiliar environments or unpredictable situations. This is more likely to occur when Sam does not get his way in these situations. To avoid negative behavior his parents, do everything in their power to control both environment and situations. When they are unable to control these two variables they give him or allow him to do what he wants. Example one, Sam was being watched by a relative one afternoon when I stopped by to visit. This relative is older and not as fast as I or Sam. When Sam managed to get a handful of sharp objects I kindly asked him to give them to me. Explaining that they could potentially hurt him. Sam reluctantly handed me the objects, but immediately ran to grab one remaining one to keep it. This time my approach became more demanding as I told him not to grab it. As he began to run I stopped in front of him he looks at me and I explain as before that it could hurt him, so he had to give it to me. But unfortunately for both of us he decided to bite my arm instead. More examples of could be pulled from every time we go out to eat as a family.

Second nephew I will refer to as Matt for this post. Matt’s parents are aware of their parenting style being authoritative and work hard to achieve this. While Matt’s parents often must stop him and take more time to explain the reasons behind what they are telling him it has a much better result. Matt thrives in any environment and enjoys trying new things, meeting people, and learning. One of many awesome milestones I have got to see from Matt happened while we were packing up from camping. Matt wanted to help his dad put the tent away but was not aloud because he had just gotten washed up. Matt then plied that he wanted to be helpful and contribute to cleaning up to do his part. Matt had multiple points to his plea each unfolding that he is now aware of complex thought processes and understanding his feelings while using his understanding to express himself without getting emotional or violent. Matt’s parents still made him wait and not help with the tent he obeyed them despite his disagreement.

While this post so far has been about nurture I will now put a twiy t on it by saying in Sam was adopted from a mother that used a variety of hard drugs during her pregnancy. So the question still remains a mystery to me in nature vs nurture."

My Response

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Do you think both boys had some potential but that it doesn't mean they're boring in an identical way like robots?  Like, if Sam's mom didn't do drugs while she was pregnant with him or maybe other things were different, do you think he would have been different but not exactly like Matt?  Matt seems like a goody-good, but people who are good don't like to be ignored socially.

Some people might not listen, but they still have a personality.  Most good people as older kids or teenagers or young adults might just be luckier or normal.  People who are wayward in behavior as kids are going to have to make a change someday.  Why wait so long?

I think kids being bad is something they just learn to do and need to learn to be aware of things more socially.  They aren't as conscious and as they grow still face more and more difficulties.  They are not totally aware to you like an adult usually is.

When I was little, I didn't stop and think and focus how bad it was I hated on people for treating me how they did.  I didn't know to stop doing some things that were wrong or I did and just did them because they didn't seem that bad.

I think people don't like being talked about like that and that they could always find out or see if you act differently around them.  I think that's a violation of freedom of speech with a domino effect and that it only seems to apply to some people.  I think that some kids have problems if they don't eat enough etc. and get good activity, like exercise, play, and when they listen to good music or do things like art.

General Psychology

• "Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Expand on your colleague's posting."

Other Student's Post

"My brother was adopted from Russia as a toddler. As a toddler, my brother struggled to receive affection because of the lack of affection and attention given to him at the orphanage. He already transitioned to "caring for himself" in the fact that he satisfied the needs a mother would provide such as calming himself when crying. When my mother tried to cradle him, he would grow stiff instead of relaxing into my mothers arms. As time went on, he adjusted to this new environment of being given a deep and motherly affection in a loving and safe environment. Even though he possesses affects of being in an orphanage as a baby (such as figuring things out on his own, a tendency to care for himself, and some learning difficulties, he has changed dramatically. Over time he has reached a milestone of being comfortable with affection and easily shows affection to others (in a manly way of course.) 

This shows that, in the context of the stability and change issue, he has retained some of the effects of growing up in an orphanage (like a more serious personality and and strong tendency to work with his hands and figure things out for himself) while adapting to his environment (easily receiving loving actions such as hugs from my mom.)"

My Response

I'm such a fanatic of Germany that I'm applying to get a BA in German + Chinese/Japanese online at Oregon State University.  I feel that Germans use Russia to lean on, or Russia encourages Germans to lean on them.  Do you feel your little brother is emotionally evolved/developed more than most people?  They sometimes look big and bad but still focused emotionally to others's inklings.  I know Russia is mixed as probably many cultures, maybe primarily Eurasians.  I think Native American indians must often have Russian because I know in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" it's pagan Russian from a long time ago.  It's something I seem to have studied in 3 schools in music in the New Orleans area.  My favorite Asian countries are China because I liked the female snowboarder in the Olympics who looked so overly strong and solid compared to anyone else and 2nd I like Russia because they are so beautiful in a peculiar way pretending they are racially all Asian.

I am glad your little brother made it.  I helped my little brother "make it."  It's so cute he was in a safe environment where he could experience love and feel a sense of superiority.

Well, you seem to have a very good family experience!

You know, it's affected my life that [hidden]

So, great post, very insightful with great points.  Your family sounds good!  I'm glad you rectified a cute little boy's disposition!  :D