1) I was not able to view the video due to technological difficulties, but I have developed many thoughts just by reading of the studies in the book. I was surprised at the results of the Asch’s Conformity experiment because the correct answer seemed extremely obvious. If I were to have done this experiment, I believe that I would have internally questioned my answer, but I do not think I would have changed it. Although seemingly obvious, I can see how people conform their answer to what everyone else is saying. It is like the “ask the audience” lifeline on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. Contestants usually choose what the audience suggests because it is what the majority thinks/knows, therefore, it is usually correct. This experiment shows that it is human nature to “go along with the crowd.” This aspect is a part of several species throughout the world because if members of a group do not stick together, they will most likely be killed or die in some other way (starvation, etc.)
I thought that Malgram’s Obedience experiment was shocking! As we saw in class, most of us believe we would not advance very far in the intensity of the shock, especially if we were told that the person being shocked had a heart condition. I can’t believe so many people went all the way on the intensity of the shock! This experiment shows that it is human nature to be obedient to those superior to us, even though we may think what we are doing is wrong or inducing pain upon someone else.
I was also astounded by the results of the Stanford Prison Experiment. I do not think I could do such things as the prison guards did, especially if I knew and had good relationships with the “prisoners.” I thought the most interesting aspect of this experiment was the fact that after it was complete, the “prisoners” had very altered and bad views of the people who played the “prison guards” because of what the “prison guards” did to them, even though the “prisoners” understood that this was merely an experiment. This experiment shows that it is human nature to sooner or later form our attitudes around the roles that we may or must take.
2) Social influence is when someone acts or thinks in a way that is influenced by a group of people (this happens for a variety of reasons: acceptance, information correctness, etc.). I recall, on several accounts, thinking or writing down an answer (whether in school or simple driving directions) that I was almost positive was correct, but when more than one other person disagrees or gets a different answer, I usually question whether my own is correct. I don’t always conform to other’s answers, but I question the correctness of my own. Another example of social influence in my life is when I go to leadership conferences. In the beginning, almost everyone is shy and conceded, but as the conference progresses, people begin to loosen up and become very interactive and outgoing. I try to step outside my box immediately, but it is quite hard when others are not. I find myself “going with the crowd” and becoming increasingly outgoing as the conference progresses. We all seem to feed off of each other.
3) The most interesting thing I learned in this class is everything I learned about the psychological disorder, schizophrenia. Again, as I stated in my previous blog post, my dad’s mother developed schizophrenia when Dad was about 12 years old. As a result of the disorder, Dad did not have many good memories of his mom the last 6 years of her life. Therefore, he did not like to talk about her very much. When I read about schizophrenia when I was up north hunting with Dad, I asked him if his mother showed certain symptoms that the book explained. He really opened up and I learned a lot about the grandma I never knew. I also read some information about the disease to Dad. He liked learning and understanding more about the disorder his mom had developed. Dad opening up to me about his mom was one of the most important things that has happened to me throughout this course. This is one thing that I hold very close to my heart and has ultimately changed my life.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Blog Post #12 - Psychological Disorders
1) Deciding whether something is or is not a psychological disorder can be very difficult because there are many grey areas to consider, such as whether the patient is telling the truth, or simply trying to cover up something he or she did. Although one thing is for certain. According to the book, to be a psychological disorder the person must exhibit “Deviant and distressful behaviors . . . when also judged to be a harmful dysfunction.” This means that the behavior(s) a person exhibits must be different from most other people in one’s culture, must cause the person distress, and must interfere in an obstructive and bad way in all of the person’s daily activities in order to be considered a psychological disorder. The book gives a clear example of a behavior that is dysfunctional, “An intense fear of spiders may be deviant, but if it doesn’t impair your life it is not a disorder.” If someone merely acts “abnormally” they do not have a psychological disorder (unless they exhibit all of the above criteria) because what may be abnormal to some people, cultures, and/or societies, may be quite common and normal to others. This is why more than just deviance is accounted for when it comes to deciding whether someone has a psychological disorder.
#2 & #3 (Together)
The most interesting thing I learned in this section is definitely the part in our book about schizophrenia. My dad's mother died when he was only 18 years old from cardiac arrest. When Dad turned about 12 years old, his mother developed schizophrenia. Dad's memories of the last six years with his mother were not very good. Therefore, he doesn't talk about her very much. If you ask, he usually tells you a little bit, but his answers are short and he barely ever goes into detail.
When I realized that this chapter had a part about schizophrenia, I waited to read it until I went up north hunting with Dad (this is my time with Dad and the boys on his side of the family). The hunting shack up north is only a two room, 500 square foot house with no electricity (except when we run the generator) and no plumbing. (We use an outhouse.) Therefore, Dad and I get a lot of quality time together to talk and have fun.
I would read it at the table in the evening and when I would learn a little more about the disease, I would ask Dad if his mom ever showed these signs and acted in certain ways. Dad became very open with me and explained a lot. He told me that the first sign he remembered when she was beginning to get the disease was when one of their kittens ran underneath the fridge. The kitten would be able to get out on its own, but his mom was determined to get the kitten out. She even tried so hard that she cut her arm all up from reaching under the fridge. Dad thought that her actions were quite weird. His mom also had hallucinations (visual and sound) and she was hard to follow when she spoke. In later years, Dad told me that his mom was so drugged up on medications from the disease, that she was very unresponsive and lethargic. I also learned that she was the one who "invented" corn and rice (mixed together). (This is a popular dinner side at my house.)
Learning this information about the grandma I never knew was the most important thing to me. I hardly know anything about Dad's family history and it's nice to find out.
#2 & #3 (Together)
The most interesting thing I learned in this section is definitely the part in our book about schizophrenia. My dad's mother died when he was only 18 years old from cardiac arrest. When Dad turned about 12 years old, his mother developed schizophrenia. Dad's memories of the last six years with his mother were not very good. Therefore, he doesn't talk about her very much. If you ask, he usually tells you a little bit, but his answers are short and he barely ever goes into detail.
When I realized that this chapter had a part about schizophrenia, I waited to read it until I went up north hunting with Dad (this is my time with Dad and the boys on his side of the family). The hunting shack up north is only a two room, 500 square foot house with no electricity (except when we run the generator) and no plumbing. (We use an outhouse.) Therefore, Dad and I get a lot of quality time together to talk and have fun.
I would read it at the table in the evening and when I would learn a little more about the disease, I would ask Dad if his mom ever showed these signs and acted in certain ways. Dad became very open with me and explained a lot. He told me that the first sign he remembered when she was beginning to get the disease was when one of their kittens ran underneath the fridge. The kitten would be able to get out on its own, but his mom was determined to get the kitten out. She even tried so hard that she cut her arm all up from reaching under the fridge. Dad thought that her actions were quite weird. His mom also had hallucinations (visual and sound) and she was hard to follow when she spoke. In later years, Dad told me that his mom was so drugged up on medications from the disease, that she was very unresponsive and lethargic. I also learned that she was the one who "invented" corn and rice (mixed together). (This is a popular dinner side at my house.)
Learning this information about the grandma I never knew was the most important thing to me. I hardly know anything about Dad's family history and it's nice to find out.
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