I think that these studies are very interesting. I find it fascinating how people will conform to the group, as in Asch's experiment, even though they know they are correct. I think most people are afraid to be different or look bad in front of others. This study shows that we as humans are scared of failure. We sometimes lack confidence in ourselves and believe the majority is right, even when they are not. I also thought the Standford Prison Experiment was interesting. Normal, decent people transformed into their roles almost completely, even though it was only an experiment. They almost seemed to forget who they really were and took on this imaginary role. The guards were cruel to the prisoners and the prisoners were fearful and withdrawn from the guards. I think this experiment shows that people can sometimes lose themselves in their work or their leadership roles.
Social influence is like peer pressure. When other people around you change your behavior or opinions according to their beliefs, they are influencing you. I have been influenced by my peers many times in school. For example, if we are working in a group on a project, I will usually go with the ideas of the group instead of my own because I don't want to upset anyone. I am more of a follower than a leader so if other people have decent ideas, I would rather go with them than argue about it. Also, I have been influenced at work. If one of my coworkers says we don't need to do something, I will listen to them and slack off even if it means getting in trouble with my boss later.
If I am supposed to be the leader of the group, I will often try to get ideas organized and stuff, but I don't become overbearing or obsessive about being the head of the group. If I am just a member of a group, I will act normally and follow what the rest of the group says.
The most interesting thing I learned is class was how intense the human mind actually is. I learned about how dreams work and how they usually have some significant connection with our lives. I learned that our memory isn't full-proof and that things tend to get jumbled up. We cannot replay our memory like a movie in our head because holes form in them or they become altered by outside influence. I found a lot of things interesting in this class.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Blog Post #12
According to the book, mental health workers believe that a psychological disorder is classified as something that is an ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions that are deviant, distressful, and/or dysfunctional. Just because a person is different, however, doesn't mean they have a psychological disorder. Some people simply think in different ways or have a different outlook on life than what is considered 'socially normal.'
I cannot really think of anyone in my life that suffers from a psychological disorder. A disorder I found interesting to read about was schizophrenia. This disorder literally means split mind. People with this disorder suffer from disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions. Schizophrenic people often babble to themselves about random thoughts that pop into their heads. They sometimes suffer from delusions and usually have selective attention. They also have hallucinations and usually hear voices in their heads that tell them to do bad or inappropriate things. Schizophrenic sufferers may also exhibit improper emotions, like crying when something is funny or getting angry for no apparent reason. Life with this disorder would be very difficult and I would not wish it on anyone. The people suffering from it are often disconnected from reality and act totally unlike themselves. I would hate to have this disorder. Life would be really strange and depressing, in my opinion.
The most interesting thing I read about in the book was the thing about the Genain quadruplets. Twin sisters Nora, Iris, Myra, and Hester Genian are all genetically identical. The four sisters all suffer from some sort of schizophrenia. The chances of any four random people being diagnosed with the disease are 1 in 100 million, yet these sisters all have it.
I cannot really think of anyone in my life that suffers from a psychological disorder. A disorder I found interesting to read about was schizophrenia. This disorder literally means split mind. People with this disorder suffer from disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions. Schizophrenic people often babble to themselves about random thoughts that pop into their heads. They sometimes suffer from delusions and usually have selective attention. They also have hallucinations and usually hear voices in their heads that tell them to do bad or inappropriate things. Schizophrenic sufferers may also exhibit improper emotions, like crying when something is funny or getting angry for no apparent reason. Life with this disorder would be very difficult and I would not wish it on anyone. The people suffering from it are often disconnected from reality and act totally unlike themselves. I would hate to have this disorder. Life would be really strange and depressing, in my opinion.
The most interesting thing I read about in the book was the thing about the Genain quadruplets. Twin sisters Nora, Iris, Myra, and Hester Genian are all genetically identical. The four sisters all suffer from some sort of schizophrenia. The chances of any four random people being diagnosed with the disease are 1 in 100 million, yet these sisters all have it.
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