Lynnette Lockwood
Introduction to Sociology
Library Research
Belief in the Existance of the Multiple Personality Disorder
Multiple personality disorder (MPD) has been described as a splitting of a person’s personality to form new people when the stress of the world is too much to handle. Dissociation disorder is when a person experiences changes in their consciousness and identity, but not in their personality. The debate about the extreme level of dissociation advancing into the existence of MPD has been prevalent since the story of Sybil. There have been many studies conducted to determine the existence of dissociation disorder/MPDs, but skepticism continues. In the research article Belief in the Existence of Multiple Personality Disorder among Psychologists and Psychiatrist (Dunn, Gary 1994) a survey was sent to all the 1900 psychiatrists and 1700 psychologists that provided services in the VA medical centers throughout the United States. Some of the questions entailed “Do you believe in the existence of dissociation/MPD? Have you ever treated any patients with dissociation/MPD?” Both males and females were surveyed as well as the number of years they had been employed. General consensus supported that the diagnosis of dissociation disorders existed but requires more specific diagnostic labels. 78.9% of males and 82.8% of females believed in the existence of dissociation/MPD. The survey found that the psychiatrists and psychologists that were younger and with less experience were more likely to believe in the existence of dissociation/MPD. Older psychiatrists and psychologists with more experience were less likely to believe that dissociation/MPD existed. The survey found that the psychiatrists and psychologists that had treated patients diagnosed with dissociation/MPD were more likely to believe in the existence. Major variables that could have skewed the results are that the survey only occurred in VA systems of health professionals working with military veterans and a limited survey return rate.
Dissociation/MPD diagnoses can be approached by applying the structural-functional theory. The structural-functional theory looks at society as a complex framework of parts working towards solidarity and stability. Milder forms of dissociation can be relatively stable within society unless a stressor triggers the dissociation state. However, MPDs are not as stable and do not function well in a social environment. The splitting of one’s personality causes the walking self to blackout, not function properly and experience memory difficulty associated with the experiences of the different personalities. MPDs have extreme difficulty maintaining healthy relationships in work, romance, and families. The debate continues and it is clear that further research is indicated.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Chapter 14 Connection Task Peter the Great
Chapter 14 connection task
1) Peter wrote to his son, Alexis, that he doesn’t want him to engage in war without just cause. However the "art of war" must be understood and learned because it is one of two important ingredients for a successful government. War can bring about order and defense, both which are necessary for government. Peter became known as the great because of his strong abilities to govern. By practicing his art of war he expanded his country’s territory, modernized the military, and bolstered manufacturing. His skill caused the Russian government to flourish and become stronger. He over took underdeveloped countries to gain territory, drastically increased the national economy and gained very important access to the seas.
2) When Peter wrote to his son he had not been speaking with him. He felt that by not speaking to him for some time would correct his son’s undesirable personality. Peter told him that he had a wicked and stubborn disposition that no talking or beating had been able to correct. He told him that he was weak, but not of mind or body as Peter claims. He told him that he doesn’t listen, doesn’t want to do good, and has buried his God given talents. He told Alexis that he was a gangrenous member of his family that could be permanently cut off. Peter told his son that he lacks desire to learn and has no knowledge of military and is unfit to manage state affairs. He asked his son how he could expect to be a good leader if he knows nothing. He doesn’t want his son to take over for him when he dies if he doesn’t mend his ways and not be hypocritical.
3) He singled out the Greeks. He stated that the Greeks were very similar to Russia but they were way too peaceful. They desired not to wage war, but to live peacefully and therefore were constantly serving their tyrants. He was trying to point out that Russia without strong leadership could end up like the Greeks who always gave way to their enemy and eventually perished.
4) Peter the Great began to rule at the age of 10 years with little formal education. He was known as being severely punishing to his opposition. He did major reforms to administration, industry, commerce, technology and culture. He enforced the priests to teach the children to have awe for their tsar. He was known by his military personnel as having large amounts of restlessness, energy, and impulsiveness. He was known for beating his officials with a stick due to his anger. He was also known for his insatiable capacity to work. The letter shows that the Tsar is a strong leader and cares about his son and wants him to be a great leader too but highly doubts that this is possible.
Many times famous rulers have lots in common. It was very interesting to me after reading the letter from Peter the Great, the tsar of Russia, to his son, Alexis. Upon further research I discovered that Peter put lots of pressure on his son Alexis because he was to be the successor to the throne. Alexis was so pressured that he left the country. Peter contacted Alexis and asked him to come back home. In 1718 Peter had a plan and he tried his own son for treason, sentenced him to death and imprisoned him. Alexis actually died before he could be executed from wounds he had received due to being tortured. Peter the Great killed his own son.
Another famous ruler comes to mind that had very similar traits to Peter the Great. Ivan the Terrible was also the tsar of Russia before Peter the Great. Ivan was known to have an uncontrollable anger. He was physically abusive to everyone around him including his own family. In 1581he disliked the way that his son Ivan’s wife was dressed during pregnancy and began to slap her. His son Ivan came to his wife’s rescue and Ivan killed his son in a fit of rage. His son was to be his successor to the throne.
Both men were famous, strong rulers with faulty depositions. Both men had male successors to their throne upon their death, but both killed their own sons. Neither son lived long enough to become tsar themselves.
1) Peter wrote to his son, Alexis, that he doesn’t want him to engage in war without just cause. However the "art of war" must be understood and learned because it is one of two important ingredients for a successful government. War can bring about order and defense, both which are necessary for government. Peter became known as the great because of his strong abilities to govern. By practicing his art of war he expanded his country’s territory, modernized the military, and bolstered manufacturing. His skill caused the Russian government to flourish and become stronger. He over took underdeveloped countries to gain territory, drastically increased the national economy and gained very important access to the seas.
2) When Peter wrote to his son he had not been speaking with him. He felt that by not speaking to him for some time would correct his son’s undesirable personality. Peter told him that he had a wicked and stubborn disposition that no talking or beating had been able to correct. He told him that he was weak, but not of mind or body as Peter claims. He told him that he doesn’t listen, doesn’t want to do good, and has buried his God given talents. He told Alexis that he was a gangrenous member of his family that could be permanently cut off. Peter told his son that he lacks desire to learn and has no knowledge of military and is unfit to manage state affairs. He asked his son how he could expect to be a good leader if he knows nothing. He doesn’t want his son to take over for him when he dies if he doesn’t mend his ways and not be hypocritical.
3) He singled out the Greeks. He stated that the Greeks were very similar to Russia but they were way too peaceful. They desired not to wage war, but to live peacefully and therefore were constantly serving their tyrants. He was trying to point out that Russia without strong leadership could end up like the Greeks who always gave way to their enemy and eventually perished.
4) Peter the Great began to rule at the age of 10 years with little formal education. He was known as being severely punishing to his opposition. He did major reforms to administration, industry, commerce, technology and culture. He enforced the priests to teach the children to have awe for their tsar. He was known by his military personnel as having large amounts of restlessness, energy, and impulsiveness. He was known for beating his officials with a stick due to his anger. He was also known for his insatiable capacity to work. The letter shows that the Tsar is a strong leader and cares about his son and wants him to be a great leader too but highly doubts that this is possible.
Many times famous rulers have lots in common. It was very interesting to me after reading the letter from Peter the Great, the tsar of Russia, to his son, Alexis. Upon further research I discovered that Peter put lots of pressure on his son Alexis because he was to be the successor to the throne. Alexis was so pressured that he left the country. Peter contacted Alexis and asked him to come back home. In 1718 Peter had a plan and he tried his own son for treason, sentenced him to death and imprisoned him. Alexis actually died before he could be executed from wounds he had received due to being tortured. Peter the Great killed his own son.
Another famous ruler comes to mind that had very similar traits to Peter the Great. Ivan the Terrible was also the tsar of Russia before Peter the Great. Ivan was known to have an uncontrollable anger. He was physically abusive to everyone around him including his own family. In 1581he disliked the way that his son Ivan’s wife was dressed during pregnancy and began to slap her. His son Ivan came to his wife’s rescue and Ivan killed his son in a fit of rage. His son was to be his successor to the throne.
Both men were famous, strong rulers with faulty depositions. Both men had male successors to their throne upon their death, but both killed their own sons. Neither son lived long enough to become tsar themselves.
Independent Self
The independent self is defining one’s self in terms of one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions. These are beliefs that we have that define who we are. Westerners use this view of self and favor uniqueness. In the United States people get married to have children, for love and to receive economic security. Some people will even get married to get citizenship into the United States. Mary who is going to get married soon and with the independent view of self she might say I will get married because I love my fiancé, I want to have children, I need someone to provide for me emotional support, and be there when I need someone to go out with socially. The desire to have children and have a family is especially high for Americans but being in a marital situation is not expected. Being independent or raising children in a single parent home is a frequent occurrence. Sometimes people get married because of unplanned pregnancy, but people desire internally love, companionship, and commitment. Even though many Americans chose to marry it is just as fine not to marry. Independence is favored in the American culture. Both men and women in today’s society strive to stay independent even when they enter into a close intimate relationship.
The interdependent self is a relationship between its members that is dependent on each other. Easterners use this type of self and favor feeling connected and interdependent with other people. This concept says that without the other person the relationship can’t survive. They will be emotionally, economically, ecologically, and morally reliant on others. They strive to be part of a social group. In Eastern culture marriage is a must and remaining single isn’t an option. Easterners want to get married to have children as well, but they are allowed to have only two children. They also want to get married because of social status. Mary might say she is getting married because she is loved by her fiancés parents and friends and that she is dependent on him to meet her needs. Being dependent upon each other is a main ingredient in their relationships. Their thoughts, feelings and actions are connected to the relationship they have with others. They are motivated by the concept of family, belonging to a religious group and feeling obligated to others.
The interdependent self is a relationship between its members that is dependent on each other. Easterners use this type of self and favor feeling connected and interdependent with other people. This concept says that without the other person the relationship can’t survive. They will be emotionally, economically, ecologically, and morally reliant on others. They strive to be part of a social group. In Eastern culture marriage is a must and remaining single isn’t an option. Easterners want to get married to have children as well, but they are allowed to have only two children. They also want to get married because of social status. Mary might say she is getting married because she is loved by her fiancés parents and friends and that she is dependent on him to meet her needs. Being dependent upon each other is a main ingredient in their relationships. Their thoughts, feelings and actions are connected to the relationship they have with others. They are motivated by the concept of family, belonging to a religious group and feeling obligated to others.
Arousal
Physiological arousal involves increased heart rate, increase in the focus of attention, sweaty palms, dry mouth, deeper breathing, and wide eyed electricity in your body that a person feels. After a person becomes physiologically aroused they need to interpret what has caused the arousal. Arousal is not limited to sexual pleasure.
The misinterpretation of arousal is the process that people experience when they make a mistake about the cause for their arousal. Misinterpretation of arousal occurs most often in times of heighten stress such as interacting with someone on top of a high building, but misinterpreting the stress as being due to sexual attractiveness towards the other person, not the height.
I could use the misinterpretation of arousal to my advantage if I wanted a male to notice me. When someone experiences fear they could be more likely to be seduced. I could invite a male friend to a rope course for some high wire activities and then flirt and tease with him during the drills. Because of his anxiety or fear due to the high rope activities he may misinterpret his feelings and analyze his feelings as a strong attraction towards me.
The misinterpretation of arousal is the process that people experience when they make a mistake about the cause for their arousal. Misinterpretation of arousal occurs most often in times of heighten stress such as interacting with someone on top of a high building, but misinterpreting the stress as being due to sexual attractiveness towards the other person, not the height.
I could use the misinterpretation of arousal to my advantage if I wanted a male to notice me. When someone experiences fear they could be more likely to be seduced. I could invite a male friend to a rope course for some high wire activities and then flirt and tease with him during the drills. Because of his anxiety or fear due to the high rope activities he may misinterpret his feelings and analyze his feelings as a strong attraction towards me.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Oliver
Oliver Cromwell was a military and political leader of the 1600’s. He was a solider that earned fair greater wages than a great body of people. He put their lives in jeopardy for the liberties of the protestant religion of England. In 1628 he was elected a Member of Parliament. From 1642 to 1646 he was the military commander of the New Model Army. During his time as a military leader he overthrew the English Parliament and changed England from a monarchy to a commonwealth. A commonwealth is a government that protects the welfare of its citizens as a large body instead of a small privileged class. He ruled for nine years. On April 20th 1653 he put an end to Rump Parliament. This was the first step toward his dictatorship. He signed the death warrant of Charles the I to have him beheaded so that it cleared the way for him to take over the power. He created a new parliament with men that had fidelity, honesty and shared his political views. He was later appointed Lord Protector. This gave him king like power and he received royal treatment. Cromwell loathed Irish Catholics. He drove them out of their homes and sold their land to Protestants to repay war debts
According to the Mind of a Dictator in 2011 by James Fallon a dictator has many qualities. They have charm, power hungry, controlling, have no restraint, lack compassion, have high self confidence, very intelligent, sadistic, malignant, masterful liars, and extremely self absorbed. Most dictators are narcissistic, psychopaths, are addicted to torture and killing, megalomaniacal and usually have held a high military office. Dictators rule by autocracies, have totalitarian government, have stratocracies, usually suspend elections and civil liberties, and kill off any opposing power. It appears according to the history books and the actions of Cromwell he possessed all of these characteristics.
A good reason to study history is to learn from past experiences and hopefully learn not to make the same mistakes. When one studies about Cromwell other historical leaders come to mind, but none are as parallel in nature to Cromwell as Adolph Hitler.
Adolph Hitler approached the German people convincing them that they could become the “master race”. He exhibited all the characteristics of a dictator according to Fallon’s definition. He was able to take over the government and become Germany’s leader. He ruled by dictatorship, was ruthless and killed six million Jews in concentration camps during WWII. Cromwell and Hitler were similar in their technique to obtain power, maintain the power and in promoting genocide.
According to the Mind of a Dictator in 2011 by James Fallon a dictator has many qualities. They have charm, power hungry, controlling, have no restraint, lack compassion, have high self confidence, very intelligent, sadistic, malignant, masterful liars, and extremely self absorbed. Most dictators are narcissistic, psychopaths, are addicted to torture and killing, megalomaniacal and usually have held a high military office. Dictators rule by autocracies, have totalitarian government, have stratocracies, usually suspend elections and civil liberties, and kill off any opposing power. It appears according to the history books and the actions of Cromwell he possessed all of these characteristics.
A good reason to study history is to learn from past experiences and hopefully learn not to make the same mistakes. When one studies about Cromwell other historical leaders come to mind, but none are as parallel in nature to Cromwell as Adolph Hitler.
Adolph Hitler approached the German people convincing them that they could become the “master race”. He exhibited all the characteristics of a dictator according to Fallon’s definition. He was able to take over the government and become Germany’s leader. He ruled by dictatorship, was ruthless and killed six million Jews in concentration camps during WWII. Cromwell and Hitler were similar in their technique to obtain power, maintain the power and in promoting genocide.
Self Serving Basis
The self serving basis occurs when people use praise or blame when they have a success or failure. People will contribute their success by their personality but when people fail they are more likely to blame outside sources instead of themselves for the failure. Western and Eastern cultures share different approaches in the use of attributions.
Western cultures look at people as individuals. People are more independent and self- centered. Behavior is looked at through personality traits. Western cultures have an analytical thinking style which involves internal characteristics such as traits, attitudes and aptitudes. They are more conscious and deliberate in their actions. They use controlled reasoning. When the government passes a law the people will meet and debate if it’s a good or bad law. They will consider their individual rights and fight for their rights. The western culture strives to prove the truth and in people’s individual rights. They strive for success and self achievement and believe in the external nature of money, faith and popularity to reach that success. They favor individual leaders that are more outgoing, charismatic and think for themselves. They view their leaders as an outstanding individual that stands out from the rest. Western culture many times view Eastern people as secretive, dishonest and inauthentic.
Eastern cultures examine life as a group and as a social being. They have a holistic way of thinking which involves belief structure, habits and norms. They are more spontaneous and preconscious. They use automatic mental processes. When the government passes a law the people will go along with it and if it interferes with their lifestyle they will find a way within their inner self to adjust to it. They accept the truth as given and seek balance from inner self. They view acceptance and adjustments as a social responsibility. They are follower with groups and they more readily conform. They view their leaders as very powerful and large in nature within their social group. Eastern culture is more conservative in their views; they are loyal, have piety to parents, have a close relationship with their families and are very aware of culture and tradition. Eastern people view western people as rude, loud and too outgoing.
In a failure situation such as the next great baker a group of Eastern decent people could compete against a group of western decent people. When a baking product failed an assessment of the situation would occur to explain what happened that contributed to the failure. The Eastern decent group would state that their group failed as a whole. Each person would do self reflection, self blame and then attempt to seek an inner balance to seek peace within. The Western decent group could state the cause was due to individual failure. They would base this upon having a bad disposition, poor leadership skills, poor decision making, lacking aptitude or having a bad attitude. People of Eastern decent use situational attribution while people of Western decent use dispositional attribution for explanations of situations and behaviors.
Western cultures look at people as individuals. People are more independent and self- centered. Behavior is looked at through personality traits. Western cultures have an analytical thinking style which involves internal characteristics such as traits, attitudes and aptitudes. They are more conscious and deliberate in their actions. They use controlled reasoning. When the government passes a law the people will meet and debate if it’s a good or bad law. They will consider their individual rights and fight for their rights. The western culture strives to prove the truth and in people’s individual rights. They strive for success and self achievement and believe in the external nature of money, faith and popularity to reach that success. They favor individual leaders that are more outgoing, charismatic and think for themselves. They view their leaders as an outstanding individual that stands out from the rest. Western culture many times view Eastern people as secretive, dishonest and inauthentic.
Eastern cultures examine life as a group and as a social being. They have a holistic way of thinking which involves belief structure, habits and norms. They are more spontaneous and preconscious. They use automatic mental processes. When the government passes a law the people will go along with it and if it interferes with their lifestyle they will find a way within their inner self to adjust to it. They accept the truth as given and seek balance from inner self. They view acceptance and adjustments as a social responsibility. They are follower with groups and they more readily conform. They view their leaders as very powerful and large in nature within their social group. Eastern culture is more conservative in their views; they are loyal, have piety to parents, have a close relationship with their families and are very aware of culture and tradition. Eastern people view western people as rude, loud and too outgoing.
In a failure situation such as the next great baker a group of Eastern decent people could compete against a group of western decent people. When a baking product failed an assessment of the situation would occur to explain what happened that contributed to the failure. The Eastern decent group would state that their group failed as a whole. Each person would do self reflection, self blame and then attempt to seek an inner balance to seek peace within. The Western decent group could state the cause was due to individual failure. They would base this upon having a bad disposition, poor leadership skills, poor decision making, lacking aptitude or having a bad attitude. People of Eastern decent use situational attribution while people of Western decent use dispositional attribution for explanations of situations and behaviors.
Attributions
People make attributions about themselves and other people’s behavior all the time. Attributions are inferences people use to explain their own behavior or the behavior of others during an event. The attribution causes people to see the behavior rather than assume that the behavior is random. It allows people a feeling of some control over their own behavior and situations. Attributions are strongly influenced by the way people interact with each other.
Attribution theory was first addressed by Heider in 1958. He stated that what people perceive and believe about what they see dictates how they act; even when beliefs are invalid. The attribution process is a dichotomy that involves determining internal versus external cause for an event or behavior. The internal attribution is dispositional coming from within the person. The external attribution is situational coming from the environment that surrounds the person.
When an event occurs a person observes the behavior. Then they determine if the behavior is deliberate and then attributes the behavior to internal or external causes. An internal attribution is the blaming factor, agent or the force that someone controls for causing an event. Behavior is caused by personal factors such as traits, abilities or feelings. It can be contributed to disposition, a person’s ability or effort put forth. An external attribution is that the behavior is caused by the situation that surrounds the person. .
Attributions are made based on three criteria; consensus, distinctiveness and consistency. Consensus would be if others react to a certain situation the same. Distinctiveness would be does the behavior happen the same each time. Consistency would be does the behavior occur in similar situations. For example if Sarah is getting yelled at by her boss the consensus would be; do other people frequently yell at her too? Distinctiveness information would be does the boss yell at other employees, as well, or just at Sarah? Consistency information would be does the boss yell at Sarah frequently?
Attribution is also considering the situation that surrounds the person. In western culture most people don’t make it to this step. Western culture frequently does the fundamental attribution error which means that people overestimate dispositional and underestimate situational causes for behavior. They feel that behavior is caused by the person, not the situation. This step requires more effort and more conscious attention. It helps people to slow down before making a judgment. They don’t assess the situation that surrounds the person to see if the environment is contributing to the person’s behavior. For example, if Donna is nasty towards her husband most people would just assume that she is grumpy. But some situational factors that may have contributed to Donna’s mood are maybe she didn’t get enough sleep last night or maybe she is just stressed at work.
Attribution theory was first addressed by Heider in 1958. He stated that what people perceive and believe about what they see dictates how they act; even when beliefs are invalid. The attribution process is a dichotomy that involves determining internal versus external cause for an event or behavior. The internal attribution is dispositional coming from within the person. The external attribution is situational coming from the environment that surrounds the person.
When an event occurs a person observes the behavior. Then they determine if the behavior is deliberate and then attributes the behavior to internal or external causes. An internal attribution is the blaming factor, agent or the force that someone controls for causing an event. Behavior is caused by personal factors such as traits, abilities or feelings. It can be contributed to disposition, a person’s ability or effort put forth. An external attribution is that the behavior is caused by the situation that surrounds the person. .
Attributions are made based on three criteria; consensus, distinctiveness and consistency. Consensus would be if others react to a certain situation the same. Distinctiveness would be does the behavior happen the same each time. Consistency would be does the behavior occur in similar situations. For example if Sarah is getting yelled at by her boss the consensus would be; do other people frequently yell at her too? Distinctiveness information would be does the boss yell at other employees, as well, or just at Sarah? Consistency information would be does the boss yell at Sarah frequently?
Attribution is also considering the situation that surrounds the person. In western culture most people don’t make it to this step. Western culture frequently does the fundamental attribution error which means that people overestimate dispositional and underestimate situational causes for behavior. They feel that behavior is caused by the person, not the situation. This step requires more effort and more conscious attention. It helps people to slow down before making a judgment. They don’t assess the situation that surrounds the person to see if the environment is contributing to the person’s behavior. For example, if Donna is nasty towards her husband most people would just assume that she is grumpy. But some situational factors that may have contributed to Donna’s mood are maybe she didn’t get enough sleep last night or maybe she is just stressed at work.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Schemas
Schemas are a form of automatic thinking that people use to help them interpret people, places, objects, and situations based on their prior experiences. A schema consists of mental frameworks that help them organize their social world. It is influenced by the information that people notice, think about or remember. People use schemas everyday to help them quickly interpret a situation, organize the perceptions and help make a choice of how to act efficiently without effort. The accessibility of the schema often influences the social interpretation. The accessibility can be drawn from a chronic, current or recent experience schema.
Heuristics are a type of schema that is commonly used. Heuristics are how people come to make decisions, make judgments and to solve problems. There is judgmental, representative and availability heuristics. If a person has too many schemas already developed that seems to fit a given situation they will use judgmental heuristics. Many times the use of such a shortcut is not accurate.
The representation heuristic is a mental shortcut to clarify something according to how similar it’s to a typical case. The representation heuristic would be used if a person wanted to identify where someone is from. People may interpret a situation differently based on prior experience. For example if you meet a person who loves the cold and likes to ski you might think that they live in a cold state like New York.
The availability heuristic is the frequency of an event based on how easily something comes to mind. For example if the news shows a story about people being raped people are more likely to think about being raped when walking alone at night and will be more cautious. By recently heightening a person’s awareness of such an issue it could be helpful where someone needs to be more careful.
Stereotyping is another shortcut people use when considering ideas about a race or gender. Stereotypes can be good or bad. Many times it can cause people to interpret situations incorrectly. A positive stereotype could be that Asians are good at math or blacks are good dancers and a negative stereotype could be that all Muslims are terrorists. Obviously these stereotypes are not necessarily true or accurate. There are gender stereotypes as well. Men are depicted as being strong and adventurous while women are depicted as being great cooks and like to take care of their appearances. Stereotyping could be helpful in a situation where making snap judgments about someone could help a person make a quick decision but a person needs to keep in mind that margin of error can be high.
Heuristics are a type of schema that is commonly used. Heuristics are how people come to make decisions, make judgments and to solve problems. There is judgmental, representative and availability heuristics. If a person has too many schemas already developed that seems to fit a given situation they will use judgmental heuristics. Many times the use of such a shortcut is not accurate.
The representation heuristic is a mental shortcut to clarify something according to how similar it’s to a typical case. The representation heuristic would be used if a person wanted to identify where someone is from. People may interpret a situation differently based on prior experience. For example if you meet a person who loves the cold and likes to ski you might think that they live in a cold state like New York.
The availability heuristic is the frequency of an event based on how easily something comes to mind. For example if the news shows a story about people being raped people are more likely to think about being raped when walking alone at night and will be more cautious. By recently heightening a person’s awareness of such an issue it could be helpful where someone needs to be more careful.
Stereotyping is another shortcut people use when considering ideas about a race or gender. Stereotypes can be good or bad. Many times it can cause people to interpret situations incorrectly. A positive stereotype could be that Asians are good at math or blacks are good dancers and a negative stereotype could be that all Muslims are terrorists. Obviously these stereotypes are not necessarily true or accurate. There are gender stereotypes as well. Men are depicted as being strong and adventurous while women are depicted as being great cooks and like to take care of their appearances. Stereotyping could be helpful in a situation where making snap judgments about someone could help a person make a quick decision but a person needs to keep in mind that margin of error can be high.
Automatic Thinking
Schemas are preconceived ideas about people, places, objects or situations that quickly organize perceptions to act socially efficient without effort. People use schemas everyday.
Heuristics are a type of schema that is commonly used. Heuristics are how people come to make decisions, make judgments and to solve problems. If there is too much information the person may use judgmental heuristics. The representation heuristic is a mental shortcut to clarify something according of how similar it’s to a typical case. The availability heuristic is the frequency of an event based on how easily something comes to mind.
One advantage of heuristics is problem solving. It helps to simplify a complex problem and reduce the number of possible solutions into a manageable set. An advantage of the availability heuristic is that it helps in memory retrieval.
Stereotyping is another schema that can be used. Stereotyping is holding ideas about a certain group of people. This may cause people to interpret situations incorrectly. Stereotypes can be good or bad. A disadvantage of stereotyping is that they suggest that people are prone to certain behaviors. Social factors have contributed to this phenomenon. Another con to stereotyping is prejudice. This causes people to judge a person before even meeting them. The sayings don’t judge a book by its cover is an example that proves that appearances are not the only way to understand who a person really is. Stereotyping can make people ignore the differences between individuals and think things about people that may not be true. Stereotyping can prevent new friendships from building because of certain preconceived notions about them. Stereotyping can have an impact on the individual’s identity in a certain group. If a child learns that their nationality is labeled as lazy they might start to believe that they are lazy. Stereotyping can cause discrimination. For example a person is charged with a crime based on their gender and the color of their skin. Stereotyping can also cause hate crimes. If people feel negatively and strongly toward a certain group they may be more incline to harm people of that certain group.
An advantage of stereotyping is that it enables people to respond rapidly to situations especially if they have experienced them before. Stereotyping does simplify people’s social world when they meet new people. This helps people to put people into manageable boxes to form expectations about people and make situations more predictable and easier to understand.
Automatic thinking is thoughts that happen automatically in a given situation. It is automatic because people don’t create them and they are based on beliefs people have about themselves and the world that they live in. Automatic thoughts create feelings and behavior. For example when a person pulls out in front of you automatically you think that was rude and dangerous. One disadvantage of automatic thinking is loss in a person’s abilities. For example if Ken always gets bad grades on his math tests he might think that he’s a terrible math student. Then he may not take the necessary steps to correct the situation. Another bad thing about automatic thoughts is assuming that a person has a certain opinion about us. For example if someone corrects our mistake in a conversation we might think they think that we are dumb. But in reality they may not think that at all they maybe are only attempting to express accuracy.
People can be very critical about themselves really more than other people are towards them. Self criticism can be a form of emotional reasoning. For example Ted is going to give a speech to a group of people. When he goes up to the podium he is nervous. He thinks I am not very prepared for this speech even though he has put a lot of time into it.
Shouldering is when someone criticizes themselves by concentrating on things that they should be doing instead of what they actually are doing. For example if they are attempting to take a nap, they can’t take the nap because all they can think about is that they should clean the house or be making lunch. Automatic thinking can cause blaming. If Megan’s boyfriend breaks up with her because he moves away she might think he broke up with her because she is ugly and stupid when it really has nothing to do with that.
One advantage of automatic thoughts would be to access what is going on and to make a snap judgment based on information at hand. This could be used in a situation where the use of automatic thoughts is desired like in crisis situations.
Heuristics are a type of schema that is commonly used. Heuristics are how people come to make decisions, make judgments and to solve problems. If there is too much information the person may use judgmental heuristics. The representation heuristic is a mental shortcut to clarify something according of how similar it’s to a typical case. The availability heuristic is the frequency of an event based on how easily something comes to mind.
One advantage of heuristics is problem solving. It helps to simplify a complex problem and reduce the number of possible solutions into a manageable set. An advantage of the availability heuristic is that it helps in memory retrieval.
Stereotyping is another schema that can be used. Stereotyping is holding ideas about a certain group of people. This may cause people to interpret situations incorrectly. Stereotypes can be good or bad. A disadvantage of stereotyping is that they suggest that people are prone to certain behaviors. Social factors have contributed to this phenomenon. Another con to stereotyping is prejudice. This causes people to judge a person before even meeting them. The sayings don’t judge a book by its cover is an example that proves that appearances are not the only way to understand who a person really is. Stereotyping can make people ignore the differences between individuals and think things about people that may not be true. Stereotyping can prevent new friendships from building because of certain preconceived notions about them. Stereotyping can have an impact on the individual’s identity in a certain group. If a child learns that their nationality is labeled as lazy they might start to believe that they are lazy. Stereotyping can cause discrimination. For example a person is charged with a crime based on their gender and the color of their skin. Stereotyping can also cause hate crimes. If people feel negatively and strongly toward a certain group they may be more incline to harm people of that certain group.
An advantage of stereotyping is that it enables people to respond rapidly to situations especially if they have experienced them before. Stereotyping does simplify people’s social world when they meet new people. This helps people to put people into manageable boxes to form expectations about people and make situations more predictable and easier to understand.
Automatic thinking is thoughts that happen automatically in a given situation. It is automatic because people don’t create them and they are based on beliefs people have about themselves and the world that they live in. Automatic thoughts create feelings and behavior. For example when a person pulls out in front of you automatically you think that was rude and dangerous. One disadvantage of automatic thinking is loss in a person’s abilities. For example if Ken always gets bad grades on his math tests he might think that he’s a terrible math student. Then he may not take the necessary steps to correct the situation. Another bad thing about automatic thoughts is assuming that a person has a certain opinion about us. For example if someone corrects our mistake in a conversation we might think they think that we are dumb. But in reality they may not think that at all they maybe are only attempting to express accuracy.
People can be very critical about themselves really more than other people are towards them. Self criticism can be a form of emotional reasoning. For example Ted is going to give a speech to a group of people. When he goes up to the podium he is nervous. He thinks I am not very prepared for this speech even though he has put a lot of time into it.
Shouldering is when someone criticizes themselves by concentrating on things that they should be doing instead of what they actually are doing. For example if they are attempting to take a nap, they can’t take the nap because all they can think about is that they should clean the house or be making lunch. Automatic thinking can cause blaming. If Megan’s boyfriend breaks up with her because he moves away she might think he broke up with her because she is ugly and stupid when it really has nothing to do with that.
One advantage of automatic thoughts would be to access what is going on and to make a snap judgment based on information at hand. This could be used in a situation where the use of automatic thoughts is desired like in crisis situations.
Chapter 12 Connection Task
Discussion questions
1) The Grand Duchess was the widow of the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke had appointed Galileo to a professorship of mathematics at the University of Paris in 1588. The Duchess had questions about the interpretations of the Bible by the church versus the scientific stance of Galileo. She hosted a dinner where she asked a monk about the church’s interpretation of the theory of geocentrism versus heliocentism. Consequently Galileo wrote a letter in 1615 to the Grand Duchess to support his application of the Copernican theory as not just a math calculating tool, but a physical reality. He wrote the letter to show the relationship between the Bible and the new science. His letter was suppressed by the church and not released until some time later. Galileo was warned by the pope the following year to abandon his ideas and he was eventually taken to trial by the church.
2) Galileo was the first to use the telescope but he didn’t create it. He took the original invention made by Augustine in 1608 from the Netherlands and increased its effectiveness by magnifying its ability. By doing this he was able to see many more parts of the universe. He then proposed the theory of heliocentric which is that the earth and the planets rotate around the sun. The popular theory before his proposal was geocentrism which is where the earth is the center and the sun rotates around it. There was a debate between the Roman Catholic Church and Galileo because the church supported the verses in the Bible about nature and its reference to heavenly bodies. The verses of Psalms 93:1 and 96:10, and 104:5, 1 Chronicles 16:30 and Ecclesiastes 1:5 talks about the motion of celestial bodies and the suspended position of the earth. He was warned to abandon his ideas of the sun being the center of the universe by the pope in 1616. He continued to support his findings and a trial for Galileo was scheduled in 1633 stating that he was on suspicion of heresy. At the trial there were three major findings. Galileo was guilty of heresy, continue imprisonment, and all of his dialogue and writings were banned. He was placed under house arrest from 1634 until his death in 1642. He also wrote a book of poetry and song and this was banned as well. Galileo’s critics were not silenced until 1718 when his writings were then supported and released.
3) Galileo stated in a letter he wrote to the Grand Duchess, “Who, then, would positively declare that this principle should be set aside and the Bible has confined itself rigorously to the bane and restricted sense of its words, when speaking but casually about the earth, of water, of the sun, or of any other creatured thing? Especially in the view of the fact that these things in no way concern the primary purpose of the sacred writings, which is the service of God and the salvation of souls-matters indefinitely beyond the comprehension of the common people” (Lualdi p 33). Galileo agreed that the Bible does mention the sun but the Bible was not intended for how things work but to save souls. He also states “That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes” (Lualdi p 34). Galileo stated that the Bible is not a science book, but a book written by non-scientific men of verses and rhyme meant for guidance of mankind. Therefore his conclusion was that science really has nothing to do with the Bible.
4) The letter that Galileo wrote to the Grand Duchess clearly spells out his scientific theory versus the unfounded theories of the church related to the rotation of the heavenly bodies. Because of this letter original documentation from Galileo’s own hand is recorded in history to give all subsequent scientists that came after him proof of his theory.
I have always admired Galileo because of his discovery of the heliocentric model. Even though Galileo didn’t invent the telescope he did build his own version of the first three lens telescope that was able to look into the sky to see planets, stars and moons. Telescopes were invented in the 1600’s. Comparing our knowledge of today and technology it is so remarkable that Galileo was so smart and talented and inquisitive to calculate, observe and record his findings. I also admire him because he ‘stuck by his gun’ with his proposed theory. He took a lot of heat and flax for his theory. The irony I find in the whole story of Galileo is that HE WAS RIGHT. It goes to show that he was way ahead of his time and should give all of us pause when new discoveries and theories are proposed even today. We need to have open and inquisitive minds for the truth like Galileo, not narrow minded stereotypical viewpoints that close down possibilities. Many new discoveries are occurring everyday in our scientifically based community. I don’t fear the new discoveries, such as cloning, I just fear the way in which man uses his knowledge. This is not any different today as it was from the olden days. If man maintains a moral code with his discoveries than these new discoveries could possibly really benefit mankind. Before Galileo‘s discovery people thought that the Earth was inside a sphere and the stars were holes to let the heavens in. After Galileo’s time scientists started to build bigger and better telescopes. The bigger it is the more universes you can see. Galileo’s use of the telescope is a representation of the principle of growth for mankind being approached in a constructive manner.
1) The Grand Duchess was the widow of the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke had appointed Galileo to a professorship of mathematics at the University of Paris in 1588. The Duchess had questions about the interpretations of the Bible by the church versus the scientific stance of Galileo. She hosted a dinner where she asked a monk about the church’s interpretation of the theory of geocentrism versus heliocentism. Consequently Galileo wrote a letter in 1615 to the Grand Duchess to support his application of the Copernican theory as not just a math calculating tool, but a physical reality. He wrote the letter to show the relationship between the Bible and the new science. His letter was suppressed by the church and not released until some time later. Galileo was warned by the pope the following year to abandon his ideas and he was eventually taken to trial by the church.
2) Galileo was the first to use the telescope but he didn’t create it. He took the original invention made by Augustine in 1608 from the Netherlands and increased its effectiveness by magnifying its ability. By doing this he was able to see many more parts of the universe. He then proposed the theory of heliocentric which is that the earth and the planets rotate around the sun. The popular theory before his proposal was geocentrism which is where the earth is the center and the sun rotates around it. There was a debate between the Roman Catholic Church and Galileo because the church supported the verses in the Bible about nature and its reference to heavenly bodies. The verses of Psalms 93:1 and 96:10, and 104:5, 1 Chronicles 16:30 and Ecclesiastes 1:5 talks about the motion of celestial bodies and the suspended position of the earth. He was warned to abandon his ideas of the sun being the center of the universe by the pope in 1616. He continued to support his findings and a trial for Galileo was scheduled in 1633 stating that he was on suspicion of heresy. At the trial there were three major findings. Galileo was guilty of heresy, continue imprisonment, and all of his dialogue and writings were banned. He was placed under house arrest from 1634 until his death in 1642. He also wrote a book of poetry and song and this was banned as well. Galileo’s critics were not silenced until 1718 when his writings were then supported and released.
3) Galileo stated in a letter he wrote to the Grand Duchess, “Who, then, would positively declare that this principle should be set aside and the Bible has confined itself rigorously to the bane and restricted sense of its words, when speaking but casually about the earth, of water, of the sun, or of any other creatured thing? Especially in the view of the fact that these things in no way concern the primary purpose of the sacred writings, which is the service of God and the salvation of souls-matters indefinitely beyond the comprehension of the common people” (Lualdi p 33). Galileo agreed that the Bible does mention the sun but the Bible was not intended for how things work but to save souls. He also states “That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes” (Lualdi p 34). Galileo stated that the Bible is not a science book, but a book written by non-scientific men of verses and rhyme meant for guidance of mankind. Therefore his conclusion was that science really has nothing to do with the Bible.
4) The letter that Galileo wrote to the Grand Duchess clearly spells out his scientific theory versus the unfounded theories of the church related to the rotation of the heavenly bodies. Because of this letter original documentation from Galileo’s own hand is recorded in history to give all subsequent scientists that came after him proof of his theory.
I have always admired Galileo because of his discovery of the heliocentric model. Even though Galileo didn’t invent the telescope he did build his own version of the first three lens telescope that was able to look into the sky to see planets, stars and moons. Telescopes were invented in the 1600’s. Comparing our knowledge of today and technology it is so remarkable that Galileo was so smart and talented and inquisitive to calculate, observe and record his findings. I also admire him because he ‘stuck by his gun’ with his proposed theory. He took a lot of heat and flax for his theory. The irony I find in the whole story of Galileo is that HE WAS RIGHT. It goes to show that he was way ahead of his time and should give all of us pause when new discoveries and theories are proposed even today. We need to have open and inquisitive minds for the truth like Galileo, not narrow minded stereotypical viewpoints that close down possibilities. Many new discoveries are occurring everyday in our scientifically based community. I don’t fear the new discoveries, such as cloning, I just fear the way in which man uses his knowledge. This is not any different today as it was from the olden days. If man maintains a moral code with his discoveries than these new discoveries could possibly really benefit mankind. Before Galileo‘s discovery people thought that the Earth was inside a sphere and the stars were holes to let the heavens in. After Galileo’s time scientists started to build bigger and better telescopes. The bigger it is the more universes you can see. Galileo’s use of the telescope is a representation of the principle of growth for mankind being approached in a constructive manner.
Capter 11 Connection Task The Medici Family
The Medici family lived in Florence, Italy in the 14 century. They were a wealthy family that gained power through the Medici Bank. They developed the double entry bookkeeping system that kept records that tracked credit and debts. Giovanni Medici was the first to enter the banking system until his death. His son Cosimo took over for him in 1434. The most important accomplishments of this family were through the sponsorship of the arts. The Medici family wanted to finish the dome of the cathedral in Florence to gain more political power. They hired Fillippo Brunelleschi to fulfill this task. This type of architecture had never been attempted before and the people of Florence thought that it would fail. But the dome was finished and the Medici family became to be recognized as the most powerful family in Florence, Italy. The Pantheon, built in ancient Rome, is the largest dome built in the world with non- reinforced concrete. The pantheon served as a model for western architecture. Many buildings were inspired by this design like the US capital in Washington, DC. The original capital building in D.C. was revised to the present day magnificent dome. The capital in Washington, DC became an inspiration for some of the 50 states in America. I have toured the Capital and of course find it very inspiring and it sends a clear message of power and prestige. Obviously other countries view this building as being the center of our government especially considering that it was speculated as a potential target on 9/11. In the summer of 2009 I was a junior in high school and was selected to attend a Girl Scout trip called Pathways to Politics. During the trip we went to Trenton, New Jersey to the capital building which has a beautiful dome. We had a private tour and pretended to be senators in our own senate hearing. During this day I came to the realization that domes are an important symbol of the United State’s government. Upon further research I discovered that 41 out of the 50 states have domes on their capitol buildings. New York State does not have a dome and I find the building’s design as a disappointment. When I travel to Washington for a visit my family goes down route15 through Harrisburg, Pa. This city has a very beautiful capital building sitting along the river’s edge. This city is not only the capital for Pennsylvania but also has a long standing history of being the center of power dating back to William Penn. In my opinion the states that do not have capital buildings with domes seem to send a message of a lack of political power or importance. They appear to be non-inspiring and just plain boring. The state capital buildings that lack the dome would require for someone to tell me which building is their seat of government. Otherwise I would not recognize it as an important government building. So I think that the Medici family’s ideal of how to communicate the whole concept of strength, power and prestige by the use of architecture was right on the mark. This message of power by use of a unique dome has gone down through history as being significant and demands attention long after its creators have been gone for generations.
Social Pych
Social psychology is the study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social psychology is the only method that uses the scientific method. People form hypothesizes and perform experiments to test the hypothesis. They would study how people are influenced by their social environment and they were experimental based. They would focus on the process that makes people susceptible to social influence. Scientists study group behavior, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression and prejudice. It is based on studying situational variables that affect social behavior. Francis Bacon in the early 1600’s was the founder of the empirical method. It did not begin to really develop until around the 1940’s the WWII period. Social psychology relies on anecdotal observations and subjective interpretation, using the scientific method and empirical study of the social phenomena. A famous person who utilized social psychological methods was Aristotle. He was famous for his firm based observations of society. Social perceptions and social interactions is the key to understanding social behavior.
Folk wisdom is a non-scientific observation that is handed down from generation to generation. It is folklore that involves stories, songs, rhymes, riddles, music, dance, oral history and proverbs. Through this informal method of communicating social observations is a way that people can, over the years, express social behavior, outcomes or expectations. An example of such a folk wisdom would be the tortoise and the hare. The outcome of the entertaining story is that haste makes waste and if you just keep plugging along you will win in the end.
Philosophy is the study of fundamentals of reason, existence, values, knowledge, mind and language. Philosophy investigates the nature causes, principles of reality, knowledge, and values using logical reasoning. There are five branches of philosophy. They are metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics and esthetics. Metaphysics is the study of existence. Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy without it the world wouldn’t know the interpretation of the world around us and how to deal with reality. Every action has a cause and an effect. Epistemology is the study of knowledge. This studies how people think. Epistemology helps to determine the truth from false. Ethics is the study of action. It studies right from wrong. It’s the method of how people categorize values and how to pursue them. It helps decide the course of action, work toward goals and lead to success. Politics is the study of force. Politics shows how a society must be set up and how the people must behave within the society. A society can’t survive if it’s ineffective. Esthetics is the study of art. It studies the purpose of art and how it should be evaluated. Philosophy is considered to be an academic principle that is taught at universities, but is not recognized in curriculums of medicine, law or theology. A famous person who was a philosopher was Plato. His observations and quotes describe social behaviors. A view in philosophy is what separates us from animals is due to our intellectual means and moral self-discipline.
Social psychology, folk wisdom and philosophy have many over lapping principles of society and the variables that result in some type of a human response. However, social psychology is the only discipline of the three that applies scientific methods in the assessment of these observations.
Folk wisdom is a non-scientific observation that is handed down from generation to generation. It is folklore that involves stories, songs, rhymes, riddles, music, dance, oral history and proverbs. Through this informal method of communicating social observations is a way that people can, over the years, express social behavior, outcomes or expectations. An example of such a folk wisdom would be the tortoise and the hare. The outcome of the entertaining story is that haste makes waste and if you just keep plugging along you will win in the end.
Philosophy is the study of fundamentals of reason, existence, values, knowledge, mind and language. Philosophy investigates the nature causes, principles of reality, knowledge, and values using logical reasoning. There are five branches of philosophy. They are metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics and esthetics. Metaphysics is the study of existence. Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy without it the world wouldn’t know the interpretation of the world around us and how to deal with reality. Every action has a cause and an effect. Epistemology is the study of knowledge. This studies how people think. Epistemology helps to determine the truth from false. Ethics is the study of action. It studies right from wrong. It’s the method of how people categorize values and how to pursue them. It helps decide the course of action, work toward goals and lead to success. Politics is the study of force. Politics shows how a society must be set up and how the people must behave within the society. A society can’t survive if it’s ineffective. Esthetics is the study of art. It studies the purpose of art and how it should be evaluated. Philosophy is considered to be an academic principle that is taught at universities, but is not recognized in curriculums of medicine, law or theology. A famous person who was a philosopher was Plato. His observations and quotes describe social behaviors. A view in philosophy is what separates us from animals is due to our intellectual means and moral self-discipline.
Social psychology, folk wisdom and philosophy have many over lapping principles of society and the variables that result in some type of a human response. However, social psychology is the only discipline of the three that applies scientific methods in the assessment of these observations.
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