MJP - ch. 1

here's a paper I hastily finished for my PSY 2950 class. it was written yesterday, 10/13/10.

_________________________________________________________________

My Journey in Psychology

Logan Brown

Utah State University

To give an answer about one’s self and how one feels should be a simple matter. It is an entirely different matter to be asked the same question two years later. I happen to be in this situation. I took this class with Professor Bates the first year it was introduced in a psychology major’s curriculum. I won’t deny that I did not make much of an effort in the course. I am now required to re-take it in order to gain a better grade, and a better grasp of APA writing. However, I am also in the unique position to evaluate the answers of a younger self, and give my opinions as they have changed.

As a Psychology major, I must be able to give a good answer when asked what the devil Psychology is and what its goals are. “Psychology is the science that sudies behavior, and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and the profession that applied the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.” (Weiten, 2008, p. X) This was and is probably the best definition of Psychology I have heard to-date. According to Kuther, There are 4 primary goals in Psychology. They are to be better able to describe, understand, predict and change behavior and mental processes.

Once upon a time, I said that the two reasons for choosing psychology were my continued interest in behavior and mental processes, and my wish to be a positive influence in others - especially those who have trouble with these processes. This was an answer that was devised more so in order to answer a question than to define why I choose psychology.

To shed some light on my background, I have wanted to learn about Psychology since the 7^th grade. I took a career aptitude test 3 times in a row, trying to answer differently each time in order to get different results. Each attempt brought up a list of different occupations; excepting one – Psychologist. No matter how I tried to manipulate the program in order to gain insight into what I would be best at if I answered differently, I received the answer that I would do well in this field. Later on, in my junior year of High School, I took an Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology course that would count for PSY 1010 at almost any college I attended. I loved the course; I felt like it set me on a path to become what I wanted to be, to become what I am today.

Since writing this paper the first time, I was accepted to try out for an internship in Southern Utah at a wilderness therapy program called Red Cliff Ascent. I was told from the onset that I was younger than they would normally allow. After a week of training and observation, I was told that I was not ready emotionally to be a counselor, but they wanted me to come back in a few years after I had more life experience. This crushed me, and I drove the first hour of the five-hour trip with tears welled up in my eyes. I had the knowledge, intelligence, and skills that they desired, and they told me so. That summer, I decided to change my major to biochemistry, and become a dentist. That turned out to be the worst 2 years of my life; I studied math, biology, and chemistry with fervor. However, that zeal did not translate to good grades. I decided to go back to my initial love, Psychology. Even though I now am on academic probation, I feel like I am where I need to be. I understand the material, and hopefully I will truly appreciate my natural capacity for the field.

Now, more than ever, I believe my reasons for choosing psychology are in agreement with its goals and very definition. I still agree with my answer, that I want to be an influence in people’s lives by understanding, predicting, and then altering their behavior and mental processes for the better. Though at this point, I can say that I have a pure love for the field, its application, history, and improvement.

Of the seven skills Kuther describes, two that I need more personal development in are the time- and self-management skills. Time management is a weakness in that I procrastinate. To be frank, as I write this sentence I have 36 minutes before it is late. In order to be a good psychologist, I have to be able to complete assignments and work preperations in a timely manner. With good Self-management skills I would prove to be more accountable, reliable, and on time. As it is, I must admit that my own brother chastises me for not being reachable via phone. I may not always get back to people in a timely manner, but then again I am constantly trying to prove to myself that I am not a slave to my phone. It may be that I must accept that my phone is not an actor, but rather a tool for me to be better connect and communicate with my surroundings and the people I love, trust, and work with.

In order to become better at time- and self-management, I have started to use the iCal application on my new MacBook and phone. While I am unable to sync them like I would if I had an iphone, I am still becoming better at making, keeping, and planning my life. It’s a high-tech planner. This is a kick in the ego, because my father told me a long time ago that I’d end up having to use one if I were to truly desire to become successful.

I used to think I was a pretty “savvy” psychology student before my emotional breakdown. I have come to realize that I may have been – and still am – but I realistically have a long ways to go with regard to my self-mastery. I know who I want to be, and have gained a better idea of who I am. I am continually learning, and am forced to be true to myself. Literally, forced. I thought once that it was an constant process – an uphill battle – to be true to one’s self, but it is a much harder road to do something that you don’t love. Dentistry may have offered money, and a cozy yet sometimes interesting life, but it doesn’t give me what I truly want out of a profession. I have wanted, more than anything else I can think of in my entire life, to be a Psychologist.

References

Kuther, T. L. (2006). The Psychology Major’s Handbook. Belsworth, CA: Wadsworth.

Weiten, W. (2001). Psychology: Themes and Variations (7^th ed.). Toronto: Wadsworth.

It's Been Bugging Me for a While Now...

Since high school I have been painfully aware of equality issues. I used to compete on the debate team. In my H.S. it was largely a female group. My captains were female, More than half of the policy teams were female, and a good deal of the speech competitors were (you guessed it!) female. This lead to an underlying theme of feminism (they argued it was about equality, which is the dictionary definition... the first one) to be used as an argumentative strategy. I learned about differing variations, such as Ecofeminism. I learned to use these arguments (even with my disadvantage of being a white male) and on some levels I agree with them.

Now that you have an idea of where I am coming from, I want to discuss an issue I have yet to read any literature on. It seems that since the 60's the male has been undergoing a transformation in the media's eyes. men seem to no longer be advertised to. The focus is on women. In multiple commercials the guy is portrayed as stupid, incompetent, or just less knowledgeable. This is not the case. In fact, it's a sexist argument, and it's become the standard in the industry. I feel like men are being undersold and marginalized. I don't care if you disagree, but please don't act like I'm being sexist. Far from it; I want equality. Doesn't that make me a feminist? I believe they're exempt from sexism. It was practically defined by feminists.

I see the same type of dogma being applied to *white* guys. We're stereotyped as being unable to dance, jump, run fast, or keep a beat. Don't believe me? well look up "white people's disease". oh, and did anyone hear about the 2010 Iowa State Fair? The "beat whitey night"? well you should have. here's a video of it, and the same story in print. great; I never thought I would have to say this from the defensive side, but racism sucks. And don't call it "reverse racism," because it's just the same thing - discrimination based on race. I'm tired of it.

So, to sum it up, White Males are now one of the new targets of society, and we can't do s**t about it. Now that you've finished reading my post, you should go have a cookie.

What a Broad First Post.

Every so often, I ask myself what I want to do with my life, so I thought I would put it down for all to see. I want to be somebody. I don't necessarily want to be noteworthy in a historic sense, but I want to be a person who truly enjoys their life. I want to have experiences that, when looked at holistically, I am seen as a well-rounded and enviable individual. I want to be admired and esteemed by those who do happen to meet me. I do not wish to be feared, but I do wish to have others find it extremely distasteful to think about contending with me in any way, shape, or form.

It takes certain experiences to become that person, and certain skills gained from those experiences. so...

I desire to learn languages; spanish, french, german, russian, portuguese, polish, chinese, japanese, korean, arabic, and hebrew are the ones I would most like to add to my list. I currently speak english, and can get by with ASL.

I want to be capable in close- and long-range combat. I don't necessarily desire to hurt people. I do know that I will have to eventually, because there are always people out there who are looking to hurt Americans; with a narrow world view of all americans being a part of the enemy, they see me, my mother, father, siblings, and extended family as equal targets compared to anybody else who is an American Citizen. I will relentlessly protect my country, because if my enemies don't discriminate my family from other Americans, I can't have that luxury. I am preparing to join the military after I finish college, in case any of you are wondering.

I want to learn to create all manner of things. I want to become an artisan, with the ability to create many wonderful objects worthy of consideration of master-craft. I want to be a competent brewer, able to sell my quality product to people should I choose. I want to be a skilled carpenter and welder, capable of building anything from wooden chairs to small boats. I want to learn to make pottery, and blow glass. I want to have these skills.

i want to learn how to move more deftly; i want to learn how to breakdance, free-run, fence, tango, scuba dive, and sail. i want to play tennis, golf, and volleyball. I want to get back into lacrosse.

I want to become more artistic. I want to learn to draw, paint, and sculpt. I want to be good at singing again. I want to learn to play the piano, the guitar, and possibly the trumpet. I want to be trained again in both jazz and classical music. I want to learn to be able to play by ear again on the saxophone.

I want to learn how to be a better gardener. I want to be able to grow both plants that do and do not produce fruit. I want to be considered a capable landscape architect.

I want to be a good public speaker again. I want to be able to make people laugh, cry, and feel emotion because of my words. I want others to listen when I speak in crowds. I also want to be a desired speaker. I want others to come to me for information. I want to have information to be able to impart.

I want to be physically sated, and emotionally connected to someone.

I want to have my own child, who, if they choose, can surpass anything and everything I have, will, or can achieve. I want to be the giant that they stand on the shoulders of in order to reach the stars.

I want to do all of these things, and many more… and then die. I want to die while i am awake, with friends and family near, in a place i love. I want to be celebrated, not mourned. I want to be cremated with my ashes mixed into soil and have a fruit-bearing tree planted in it.

What do you want from life? I'll just throw this out there for all my current and future readers - if you know how to help me achieve these, or would like to have help with your own goals, just let me know. I promise i'll be receptive.