self image

the idea of having a positive self image is two fold. first, you have to identify your real self. then, you have to identify how you actually are. if the two are intertwined, then you have a positive self image. this concept was brought about by Carl Rogers. he derived this from Maslow's self-actualization. there are many different ways to assess yourself, but most of the time you begin by either identifying you traits or analyzing different aspects of your daily life. here is a quick test to see how you view yourself.

http://uniqueness.well.ox.ac.uk/language_set/demonstration/traits/introduction.php

Tests!

there are a couple types of tests that are very common in the world of psychology used in evaluating someone's personality. the first is the Thematic Appercaeption test, also referred to as the TAT. henry murray was the one to come up with this test. it allows people to express their inner feelings by looking at a picture that could have multiple scenarios.
the next one is called the Rorschach Inkblot test. it is the most widely used test and consists of 10 inkblots. it is accredited to Herman Rorschach. this lets people express their own interpretation of the inkblots.

here is an inkblot test to try out:
http://www.theinkblot.com/

this is a little more in depth about the TAT:

hierarchy of needs

so this guy named Abraham Maslow came up with this pyramid of human needs. he called it the hierarchy of needs. after coming out with an initial diagram of how these needs are set up, Maslow also proposed that there was an additional level for certain people (Meyer 2010). it was called self-transcendence, where people strive for meaning, purpose, and communion beyond their own self (Meyer 2010). here is a basic diagram to give you a more visual understanding.

Meyer, D. G. (2010). Introduction to motivation. In D.G. Meyers, Psychology: ninth edition in
     modules (pp. 444-447). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

question...

ive always wondered, have you ever realized that you can be two or three completely different people, depending on who you're around? i wonder if its something you do consciously or uncousciously. do you realize that you're acting different, or does your mind automatically take in the situation and switch your neurotransmitters over to a certain personality? i did some research, and heres the information i found on the subject. it was actually very helpful.

this site just showed me that im not the first person to inquire about this.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110118192954AAK7pCX

most of what i found came from blogs and online forums. here are a couple more to help understand why it is that we do this.
http://www.reapteam.org/is-being-different-around-different-people-a-mask
.
make you vote to see what other visitors have said.
http://www.sodahead.com/living/acting-differently-around-different-people-good-or-bad/question-1697813/

i tried to uncover some defense mechanisms in the movie She's the Man, starring Amanda Bynes. here are some clips that i came up with and the defense mechanism i believe to be present.

this clip shows that Viola's ex boyfriends didnt accept that he once cried during a soccer game and tried to make up an excuse for why he had tears in his eyes. this stage would be rationalization.

this is the movie trailer. it shows how Viola wants to act out against her team being cut by dressing up as her brother and trying out for the boys soccer team to show that she is good enough. this could be considere projection.

i also believe that her aggression for soccer is an example of displacement, because she is using her passion and redirecting her rebellion into a safer outlet.

Hope this helped to clear those up!

defense mechanisms

have you ever heard someone say that someone has put up a front or has a wall built around them? i have, but now i kind of actually understand what it means. there are some common things that people do that show the different kinds of defense mechanisms we put up. there are normally six common ones, but i recently discovered a few more. here is a video of movie clips that give examples of nine different kinds of defense mechanisms.

titanic

I breifly remember someone telling me that our mind, in general pyschology terms, is set up like an iceberg, kinda like the one that the famous ship hit. our iceberg consists of 6 different areas, a few of which overlap. the tip of it is called the EGO-the CEO of our id and superego. it also responds to our experiences. the tip of the iceberg also accommodates for the conscious mind, which ties in to reacting to experiences. the middle of the iceberg accounts for our SUPEREGO-this area gives us our standards, judgements, and future aspirations. the bottom of the iceberg makes up the ID-this is the part of our brain that gives credit to Freud. its goal is to meet our unconscious needs and drives, both sexual and aggressive. this part demands immediate gratification. the middle and bottom part of the iceberg in our minds function at both the preconscious and unconscious levels. we are both aware and unaware at these levels, but nothing is accessible. heres a picture that clears things up:

dreams

interpreting dreams is a widely believed concept. people think that what they dream is a sort of foresight into their future, describing what is about to happen. some question it. others believe in it so strongly that they don't know what to expect if they can't recall or don't have a dream. analyzing dreams is one of the many methods used to analyze the unconscious mind. they interpret both the maifest (what you remember when you first wake up) and the latent (the unconscious part of the dream) content. this website gives a lot of insight into what each part of the dream represents and how these dreams come about.

http://www.insomnium.co.uk/dream-theory/introduction-freud-theory-on-dreams/

IQ

I've never taken a n IQ test, but turns out that's not a bad thing. apparently, they hardly relate to your actual intelligence, so I probably wouldn't feel the need to take one if it can't tell me anyhting about my knowledge of things. however, i recently learned that the way certain IQ tests are scored could tell me a lot more than i originally thought. a certain IQ test, the WAIS, or Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale, actually splits up your results into 4 different subscores after you take the 11 subtests. those subscores include verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memeory, and processing speed. these results could show you how how fast you think relates to how you take tests, how well you can solve puzzles and how that contributes to your practical learning, and also how long you can remember things that are said to you, rather than you reading them. maybe i will take a test to see how smart i am...

follow this link to take some tests of your own.
http://www.practicetests.co.uk/Reasoning3.html

chunking

i never knew that certain things were grouped together in certain numbers, in order for us to be able to remember them. apparently, we remember things better in groups, or chunks, of 7 give or take 2. that would mean phone numbers, organized with seven digits (not including the area code); zip codes, 5 digits; and anything else that groups 5-9 things together is done so in order to obtain a space in our brains. its amazing how many things you realize are chunked in order for you to remember them.

here's an everyday example. may seem a little simple, but it just shows how easy it is to apply the concept of chunking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDbAYMUXpcA

p. sherman, wallaby way, sydney

who has ever watched disney's Finding nemo and not gotten a kick out of one of the main characters, dory? no one that i've ever met. whenever i think of dory, i think p. sherman, wallaby way, sydney, the only phrase that she ever seems to remember. i also think of how loving and sweet and innocent she is. learning about short and long term memory in my psychology class has given me a different persepctive on the lovable blue tang. her inability to remember anything five seconds after it happens is classifies as short term or working memory. however, she turns her way of thinking around when she is given a specific address to remember. that's not the only thing she remembers, though. she also knows what their goal is: to find nemo. before she met the other main character, marlin, dory had never been able to commit anything to long term memory. however, she assigned meaning to the address, and developed a relationship with nemo through marlin, which helped her to commit those things into her subconscious and allowed her to pull them out whenever she was asked. they say that the best way to learn something is to apply it, and dory is 'living' proof of that.

here's a clip of the favorite family feature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3ZxmptZy8

ethics

i'm sure anyone who has ever taken any kind of psych class knows about the little albert case study, done by John Watson. it is one of the most well known studies for behaviorism. many people say that it was a horrible thing to put a child through. the most common term is 'unethical'. how is it that looking back on it today, we can say that it was unethical, but back then they were still allowed to go through with the experiment? what determines something to be unethical? as we all know, case studies and experiments and trial runs are not allowed to be performed if there is any question at all about it being morally wrong. what i want to know is, why wasnt it like that 50 years ago? how did we all of a sudden, know, that certain things were wrong and certain things were right? why wasnt there already a rule in place about putting someone is some type of harmful situation? it almost seems like it wasnt important back then, like a person's well-being wasnt first and formost. we question a lot of things today. why werent we questioning them back then?

watch this to find out more about little albert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FKZAYt77ZM&feature=related

subliminal messaging??

i've heard some of the songs that people play backwards and claim that the artist is singing a totally different song, ususally inappropriate or crude in nature. there are also supposedly subliminal messages in disney channel movies. subliminal messaging is referred to as a non-lasting dectection occuring below your absolute threshold for conscious awareness. if you have to do so much work to find them and point them out, then how are they there in the first place? and how do people know that you're not altering the lyrics or the animation to make it look and sound the way you want it to? my personal belief is that people not only have active imaginations, but too much time on their hands to play into that imagination. i feel that if there were actual messages in things like movies and songs then more than a few people would be able to spot them. also, songs are meant to be listened to forwards, not backwards, so the messages wouldnt even get through in the first place.

check these out to see how you feel about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttkvaJ_GRGk

be my eyes...and my ears.

today in my psychology class, we had to go on a walk around campus with people in our group. the catch? someone had to be deaf, someone had to be blind, and someone else wasnt allowed to touch anything with their hands. there were two of us left to help the rest of our group when they needed it. not only did we observe how difficult it would be to lose one of our senses rather than being born without it, but we also saw how much patience the caregiver has to have. we had to make sure our communication was clear and our directions were simple, so as not to confuse the blind person. the person in our group with the hearing handicap seemed to be in her own little world, and didnt really say anything. afterwards, she said that it was very difficult not to answer to the few things she did hear. i cant imagine not knowing what other people are saying or what is going on. it was very interesting to see the way people with those disabilities would view things like a walk to the local coffee shop. i am very tempted to try it on my own to see if i could handle it!

try these out!

Check out these illusions, see which ones your best at figuring out!


http://www.123opticalillusions.com/

blind in one eye

kind of going back to what i was talking about the other day...if someone is lacking a sense, they view the world differently than we do. literally, in this case. if someone was blind, but only in one eye, then their monocular and binocular cues would be affected. your monocular cues say that each eye recives slightly different images. your binocular cues include the retinal disparity, or the difference in images, which allows your brain to create 3-dimensional images. this is all under the deoth perception aspect of perceptual organization. i wonder then, how a person who is blind in only one eye would interpret an optical illusion. would it seem to be just another drawing or picture? or would they still receive the stimuli from it to know that it was an illusion, but see a completely different illusion than what i see? how would i know that their view wasn't the right view?

living without a sense

i've sometimes wondered what it would be like to be deaf or blind, or maybe even both. i couldnt imagine having to go through life without one of my sense, but people around me are doing it every single day. i learned today that if you are born without or lose one of your senses, the other 4 you have will become very strong, and will take over the place of the one you are missing. if you were deaf, you wouldnt be able to judge peoples moods based on the volume of their voice, but your sight would let you understand and interpret their facial expressions. if you were blind, you would be able to do the opposite. but imagine if you couldnt smell anything, how would you know if something was burning, or what exactly it was that you were eating? or what if your taste buds werent functional, how would you view food and decide what you wanted to eat? or would you have to live by a strict diet? or what if you couldnt even feel things through touch? what if you laid your hand on a hot stove, but you didnt know your skin was being burned? how do they adapt with handicaps like this? are there ways that doctors and families can help, or can come up with some sort of plan for how these individuals could be able to live as independently as possible?

gaining knowldege

have you ever heard of the 'rules for taking tests', like eat a big breakfast, get eight hours of sleep, etc. no where in those rules does it define how you should dtufy, how often, and for what incriments of time. i recently was introuduced to the idea that you if you eat while you study, you should eat while testing. i wonder why this is, and how many other factors could contirbute to your overall test-taking ability? i hope to gain this knowledge through these next few classes, and will definately share it.

follow your gut

we are beginning to learn about cognitive psychology in my gen psych class. one of our new topics is 'intuition'. how often do you follow your gut feeling? i usually dont, and i believe that this partly has to do with my algorithmic thinking. i have to take the long way out by making a list of the consequences of choosing a burger over a salad, or a new pair of shoes over a new pair of jeans. i wish i would follow my intuition, no questions asked. i wish i could take a risk and enjoy it, rather than spend the entire time thinking about all the things that could go wrong. just something to think about. would you jump off an airplane tomorrow if your gut told you to?

alrgoithmic equations

in my psychology class today, i found out that i think using algorithum. basically, i overthink things all the time and find it very difficult to make a quick decision. the positive to this is that i have a higher success rate, but it also means that i use way to much time to come to my conclusion. example: i could spend my entire lunch break debating on what i'm in the mood for, which restaurants have those food items, and how far away they are rather than going out and actually being able to get something on my break. while i was thinking about how anal i am, i thought about people that i know who are impulse decision makers, like my sister. she thinks heuristically. she can go into a store and not have the slightest clue what she's looking for, but can find an entire outfit within a matter of minutes. this also allows her to be more open to new insight, whereas i would have a harder time finding a new way to look at or do things. i find this interesting, and it makes me want to challenge my way of thinking and force myself to be put in more impulse situations.

question. everything.

this past week in my psychology class, we watched a video over children with certain disorders, such as ADHD and bipolar disorder, and the different types of medications that they are put on. the video showed clips from a few different families who had a child diagnosed with one of these and the trips to the doctor, the different pills that are part of their daily routine, how school and the social scene affected them. there was a certain scene that struck me as odd, and it got me to thinking. one of the families went in to see their young son's doctor. the mother inquired about some type of therapy or other hands on approach that might be beneficial for her child, rather than adding another medication or uping a dosage. the doctor immediately responded with 'no, there is no other way.' I was certainly confused. first and formost, the patient should be the main concern of their doctor, and their fmaily doesn't think that their current treatment is working, then their doctor should right away assure them that he will find another option or look into other possibilities of he is unsure. there should be discussion, not an answer that completely throws something off the table. it got me to thinking about my own teenage cousin, who was diagnosed with ADHD early on. he is on at least three different medications, and we are under the impression that if he does not take them, he will be completely out of control. this video, however, made me wonder how his doctor appointments go. is there room for discussion? or is he on all of these meds just because his doctor told him that's what he had to do? this begins my questioning of all doctors, and whether or not their are providing client-based catre, or their own form of treatment?

This past weekend, I was required to attend a play put on by a local church for my Intro to OT class. the play is part of a series of events calle Satruday Social Club that take placae every month, and are attended by a group called AADD (Association for Aging with developmental Disablilities). its memebers are adults ranging in age who would normally not be able to do these things on their own. the activites are anything from watching wrestling to plays, to going to the city museum. on my trip, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of about 20 people, all with different stages and levels of different disgnoses. a couple were in wheelchairs, others assisted by the director, and the rest were able to walk in on their own. there was one in particular that stood out to me. his name was david. he had on a blue shirt, tan pants, and tennis shoes. he seemed slightly younger than the others, though his thinning hair would make it look otherwise. he was the first one to say hi to me. when we went to get cookies and drinks during intermission, he told me that his snack was good, but he really wanted to get back to his seat. talking to david afterwards about the play, i began to wonder if maybe his disability had to do more with the two sides of his brain than other parts of his body. after all, he could physically function just fine. it was his answers to my questions that didnt quite make sense. when i asked him what he thought of the play, he responded back with the same question aimed at me, or when i asked him if he had fun, he said the play was very good. it could have been the way i was wording things that were confusing to him, but i think that the two sides of his brain just werent quite interacting how they should. like maybe information went in one ear, through tone side of the brain, and then got jummbled up going in to the next side. like maybe he had an answer to the question, but his brain was permitting him from getting it out the right way. regardless, david was more than happy to listen to and try to answer my questions, and didnt seem to notice anything wrong with his responses. his carefree attitude moved me, and i know that it will get him far.

heres a link to find out more info about this amazing group of people:
http://www.agingwithdd.org/

taking on parkinsons

I recently found a new job, and had my first day last night. as I walked into the store, I was met by my new supervisor. i noticed 2 things right away; her name was Elaine, and she had Parkinsons. as the night went on, however, i noticed something else. Parkinsons didnt affect her. she showed me around the store and the breakroom, shaking all the way. but not once did i hear her get mad about dropping something, or knocking something over. not once did i hear her complain that she couldnt do something. what i did hear? her voice in my earpiece telling me and my coworker that maroon 5 was playing, and adam lavigne is her man. I heard her shriek in excitement when she saw that we were above the planned income. I watched as she laughed, danced, and threw her arms in the air every time she helped myself or a customer. as the night went on, i began to notice less and less that she had a presently incurable disease. instead, I noticed her attitude, the way the smallest thing seemed to make her day, and as i soon realized, i began getting excited too. her enthusiasm about everything was contagious. I couldnt stop laughing when she shared a story with me, or made a face when she didnt like something she saw. I wanted to know: how was she so happy with her life? how could she possibly not be rude to those who were more physically fortunate than her?  aside from those things, I also became interested in just how hard on the body parkinsons is. so I did some research, and found that Elaine was suffering from a lack of motor functions, and something in her brain was not aiding her body the way it should. her central nervous system was not receiving enough dopamine, nor was it sending it to any other parts of the body. the horrifying part? it progressively gets worse. her balance will probably be gone in just a few years, her speech has already been affected, and her memory was going to disenigrate before she knew it. the point to all this? she is my new idol. she is taking on what many believe to be a terrible disease, and shes powering through it. shes not letting it slow her down, at all. one thing she did last night that not even I do on a regular basis? she ran. whether it was to help a customer or answer one of my endless questions, she acted like getting to you was the most crucial part of her job. I am not easily inspired, but Elaine sure did just that to me last night. no matter how long I work with her, or stay in touch after moving on, I will never forget how she influenced me on my first day. and let's face it, not many of us can say we have someone in our lives like that.

to see where I got my info, heres a link.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/parkinsons-disease-000123.htm

making leaps and bounds

so this past weekend i volunteered at a local daycare called leaps and bouds. it's desgined especially for children with disabilities. the day i was there, i met a little boy who had cerebral palsy. he had a walker, and a tie dye shirt on. when we first started out in the play area, i wanted to make extra ceratin that he wouldnt get hurt, and the activities were something he could handle. the more we played, the more i learned that he could do anything that play area had to offer. we went on the trampoline, played in the spider web, and he even climbed up the slide by himself. i had to take a step back and realize that even though his movements might have been limited, his brain and his neurotransmitters worked completely fine. they were still tarveling through the dendrites, to the axon, and out the axon terminal to his brain. he was still receiving the necessary impulses, but his body just wasn't responding to them in the same way as say, mine would. it was amazing to realize that he could still live a normal life, with normal transmitters.

9/14/2011

hey guys!
just thought i'd introduce myself. my name is cassie and i am a first year OT student and am hoping to specialize in pediatrics. i love to play sports and hang out with my family and friends. i played club volleybal for 5 years and select softball for 2. i am the middle child of 4 (trust me, its possible) and am very close with my parents. if you ever have any questions, let me know!