Blog Post #11

I think that a few of my positive personality traits are that I am optimistic, nice, understanding, easy to talk with, and just a generally happy person. I usually always look on the bright side of everything that happens in my life. If there is no bright side, I try to find one. I like to believe that I am a nice girl and I try to be kind to everyone. I feel that I am understanding because I accept people for who they are and try to understand their problems even if I don't know what they are going through. I think I am easy to talk with because I try to understand people's lives and I try not to judge anyone by things they have done or want to do. I wouldn't want anyone to judge me for my past or my mistakes, so I don't think it's right to judge them. Finally, I am usually always happy. I try to stay in a good mood and I try not to get angry. I think life is better if you can enjoy it and just live it with a smile on your face.
Some negative traits of mine would be that I am reserved, sensitive, and I can be a perfectionist at times. Being reserved is a downfall because I am rather shy around people I don't know and I also keep a lot of my feelings on the inside. I am quite sensitive in every way because the smallest things offend me. I cry easily and can get very emotional sometimes. I feel that being a perfectionist is definitely a downfall for me. I like things to be exactly right most of the time and I freak out when something is different or out of place.

I think I am very optimistic. I always try to look on the positive side of life, and if there isn't one, I'll try to make one up. I think this particular trait makes my life so much better. If you make every experience a positive one, life can be simply amazing. If you live a happy life, I think things will work out better for you.

One thing that changes about my personality in different situations is my amount of confidence. When I am with my family or my friends, I usually have a lot of confidence and I am pretty outgoing. When I get around people I have just met or those I get nervous around, my confidence goes down, and I am less outgoing and more quiet. I think this change is 'adaptive' because when I don't know someone well, I am afraid to put myself out there right away and allow them to see what I'm really like. My friends/family know I'm strange, but I don't want strangers to know that! :) Another thing that changes about me is how reserved I am. There are some people I trust fully with everything and I tell them everything. In a different situation involving people I don't trust, I just bite my tongue and don't really talk at all. I think this is adaptive because when a person does this, they are protecting themselves and their secrets from untrustworthy people.

I have experienced regression, or the return to more primitive behavior, when I was young. My grandma used to babysit me on the weekends sometimes and I would always get homesick and miss my parents. I always brought along my blanket or a stuffed animal to remind me of them. That would help me get through the night, even though I didn't need those things when I was at my own house. I have also experienced displacement, or taking out aggression on an object less dangerous than the one that initially aroused the emotion. If I get in a fight with my parents or siblings at home, I sometimes slam my bedroom door just because I'm mad. And then there's denial, or refusing to admit that something unpleasant has happened. I'm sure everyone has experienced some form of denial in their lives. I will often deny something I did that I am embarrassed of or ashamed of because I don't want to admit to it.