LAST WEEK OF PSYCH! =(

What did you like about the class?
- Psychology is probally the most interesting and most useful class i have taken so far in high school. Learning about how the brain works and how to understand other people helps you in real life, unlike pre-cal or chemistry.

What was your favorite activity or project?
- My favorite activity was building the play-doh model of the brain. It was a fun activity, as well as informative.

What didn't you like about the class?
- There was a lot of reading involved, each chapter in the Psych book was around 30-40 pages. And those were considered the short chapters. It was hard to concentrate on reading because the book itself looked so boring, with hundreds of words and few pictures on each page.

What do you think I should leave out next year?
- Having to do the study guides. The chapter at a glance works better because we actually read the whole chapter instead of a few details.

Do you have any suggestions or ideas for things I could do next year in AP Psych?
- More group projects! The sensation and perception fair was really fun due to the fact that we were allowed to work in groups :)

Do you have any suggestions or ideas for next semester in AP Econ?
- more engaging activities instead of powerpoint notes.

thanks for reading (: <3

Is having babies recession-proof?

WIth the economy spiraling downward, many households are forced to change their lifestyles, such as not going on vacations as much, buying cheaper (and less) food, and even how many babies they can afford to have.

On an Australian survey, 70% of the mothers stated that an important factor in deciding to have a child was the economy. Many parents are hesitant to have children because of uncontrollable events, such as a pay cut or being laid off from their jobs. Also, many parents wish for their children to have extra curricular activities, such as playing a musical instrument, or participating in a sport. However, parents are forced to cut back on these expenses because of the economy's bad condition.

In recent years, it has been proven that the birth rate drops when there is a national crisis or recession. The decline was seen during the Great Depression and again in 1976 following the oil crisis, according to the Population Reference Bureau in Washington.

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In my opinion, i think that it is horrible how our struggling economy has led to parents dealing with an issue like this. Children are an important part of every parent's life, enabling the parents to grow and experience joy with their mini me versions. If i personally was not able to have a kid due to the economy, then i would be extremely depressed. I hope that despite the economy's problems, parents can find a way to have as many kids as they wanted to, and still raise them well.

http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons/200901/is-having-babies-recession-proof

Personality Tests

Jung Typology Test
Qualitative analysis of your type formula You are:
distinctively expressed extravert
distinctively expressed sensing personality
distinctively expressed feeling personality
slightly expressed judging personality

Understand Yourself Personality Test
85
ExtraversionHigh scorers tend to be sociable and outgoing. They prefer to be around people most of the time. High Extraversion is associated with being seen as more popular and more socially competent, having more friends and dating partners, being accident-prone, taking more study breaks, engaging in thrill-seeking and delinquent behavior, better performance in sales and management jobs, higher job satisfaction, earning a higher salary, having more leadership roles, attending more parties, exercising more frequently, belonging to a fraternity, playing a sport, smoking cigarettes, consuming more alcohol, and preference for hip-hop, soul, funk, electronic, rock, and heavy metal music.

82
AgreeablenessHigh scorers tend to be compassionate, good-natured, and eager to cooperate and avoid conflict. High Agreeableness is associated with being seen as more socially competent, with greater religiosity, greater willingness to help a stranger, and preference for pop, country, and religious music.

61
Low scorers tend to act spontaneously rather than making plans. They may pay little attention to details, are not very well-organized, and can sometimes be careless. Low Conscientiousness is associated with risky behavior, disciplinary problems, being accident-prone, more job changes, consuming more alcohol, and receiving more traffic tickets.

Big Five Personality Test
Expressive Style 4.30(High) People who score similar to you in Expressive Style see themselves as talkative, animated, and outgoing. You probably prefer to interact with other people, meet new people, and feel as though you are more energetic than others. Most often you appear self-confident in social situations and freely express your happiness and enthusiasm.

Interpersonal Style 4.80(High) People who score similar to you on Interpersonal Style see themselves as very sympathetic and kind. It may be distressing to you to see anyone else unhappy so you sometimes sacrifice your own desires to help someone else. You probably hate conflict and rejection and make it a point to treat others with love, compassion, and respect. For this reason you may be quite good at maintaining relationships.

Work Style 3.00(Medium) People who score similar to you on Work Style tend to be achievement oriented but make sure to take time out for an earned break. You probably work hard for what you really want, but try not to let responsibility concerns dominate your life. Even though you may think you procrastinate, you are probably just hesitant when you are unsure of your goals.

Emotional Style 2.60(Medium) People who score similar to you on Emotional Style tend to be stable under stress but not without a more emotional side. You may either experience strong reactions but tend to control your expression when you’re around other people, or experience strong reactions infrequently so you tend to feel you’re justified when you do express your emotions. You may be moody, irritable, or tense at times, but probably keep your feelings in check most of the time.

Intellectual Style 3.40(Medium) People who score similar to you on Intellectual Style would usually like to challenge the system but value the stability of the tried-and-true, hence they find themselves giving in to tradition. You are probably willing to entertain less conventional ideas when appropriate, but accept these new solutions only after their value has been demonstrated. You may consider yourself progressive but not often given to flights of fancy.

Attractiveness
Attract
Dimension: CheerfulnessIndividuals that score high on this dimension are particularly attracted to guys that look happy, fun-loving, and upbeat. Feedback:You tend to somewhat prefer people that have this characteristic, and you prefer this characteristic about as much as the average person.

Life Satisfaction Test
Satisfaction with Life is one of the more popular indicators of overall well-being in population-level research. That is, research that is used to compare nationwide levels of well-being. With regards to this assessment, your score was 20.00. Based on previous research, we classify you as being somewhat satisfied with your life overall.
Your overall self-esteem score was 47.00. Scores on this test range from 10-50 with scores below 19 being considered low self-esteem. Score ranging from 19 to 31 are considered to be in the normal range.
Self-esteem is a popular research topic in educational and developmental research. Especially, research involving adolescents. It is considered to assess the emotional aspect of one's perception of oneself.
Your overall Self-Efficacy score was 39.00. The average score on this test is 35.52.
Self-efficacy is a popular research topic in the vocational counseling field. It is thought of as measuring the degree to which an individual believes they can accomplish tasks if they put their minds to it. Many researchers believe that this is one of the best predictors of success with training in a number of domains.
Your overall Capacity for Power score was 31.00. The average score on this test is 25.65.
Capacity for Power is a recent addition to the field of personal well-being. It is believed to measure one's sense of personal control over their life. It is closely related to another psychological construct, Locus of Control.


In regards to the three personality tests, i agree with all of them. Overall, i am a very outgoing person, and love to be around people. During the weekends, if i don't see any of my friends, i usually go into a kind of depressed mode because i'm not used to not seeing people. But it's always better to be with a group of friends that loves you than to be by yourself, right? :)

For the attractiveness test, i believe that the reason why i like cheerful looking guys is because i am a cheerful person. For example, dating a (no offense) emo kid with a gloomy expression would drive me crazy, because he wouldn't match my personality.

And finally, for the Life Satisfaction test, i also agree with the results. To be honest, there are times when i am unsatisfied with my life, but when i take the time to contemplate everything that i have done, i find a way to make myself feel happy about life again.

if this post sounds funny, forgive me please. it's a little late and i'm tired (:

Week 3: Personality Disorders

Mimi,
Remember how I used to be so independent in high school? Well, in college, I am completely opposite. The huge campus scares me because I am unfamiliar with it, as well as seeing hundreds of different people each day. I always need someone to help me navigate the campus, or else I will get lost. Sometimes, when my friends leave me to go to their next class, I feel scared that they are leaving me forever. Before making choices such as what shirt to buy or what food I should order, I ask whoever I am with for their opinion, and he/she usually makes the choice for me. I feel that if I am incapable of making choices for myself, because they will turn out being the wrong choice. Also, when I am left alone in my dorm by my roomate, I ask a person to come over and keep me company. I constantly have a need for people to be around me, or else I will feel abandoned and rejected. I dont know what to do =( write me back soon! xoxo

i miss you a lot!
-monkeyy

Salesman that is afraid of customers! Ironic, huh?

A 35-year-old clothing salesman was showing a particularly fussy customer a suit 2 months ago and suddenly began to sweat profusely. His heart started to pound, he felt dizzy, and became fearful that he was about to die. The customer didn’t notice his condition and continued to question him about the suit in minute detail. The patient, feeling faint, abruptly left the customer and went to lie down in the back of the store. The customer became insulted, complained to the manager, and left. When the manager found the patient he was slumped in a chair in the back room trembling. Approximately 10 minutes later the patient’s symptoms began to subside. He saw his physician the next day who found no evidence of any medical problems. Two weeks later, he had another similar unexpected attack. Since that time he has worried continuously about having another attack. His friends and colleagues have noticed that he is no longer as spontaneous and outgoing as he had been in the past.

After reviewing the salesman's symptoms, it can be concluded that he has a panic disorder with Agoraphobia. A patient with Agoraphobia has reoccuring and unexpected panic attacks, persistant worry about having future panic attacks, and has a significant change in behavior after the attack. Also, as in the salesman's case, one's panic attacks are not the result from a medical problem or a substance. To fix this problem, the manager should give the salesman customers that are easy to deal with, not fussy ones like the previous person. Also, if in any instance there happens to be a fussy customer, the manager and other co workers should assist the salesman in dealing with hi/her. After a period of time of practicing these situations, the salesman's panic disorders with Agoraphobia should decrease.

thanks for reading! =)

Brooke Shields's Battle with Postpartum Depression

From a first glance you would think that the former Calvin Klein model Brooke Shields has it all; timeless beauty, fame, a loving family, and a great marriage. On the contrary, after giving birth to her daughter, Rowan Francis, Brooke Shields spiraled downward into a state of postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a disorder where the mother of a newborn suddenly feels extreme sadness and emptiness. Also, the one in 10 mothers who are affected by this disorder are proven to withdraw from family and friends, have a strong sense of failure, and have thoughts of suicide.


With a new infant in the house, and the mom suffering from depression, things got out of hand very quickly. Shield's husband Chris Henchy stated that when baby Rowan would cry, Brooke did not bother to care for her as a normal mother would. Brooke's depression even got to the extent where if she was near a window, she would strongly feel an instinct to jump out of it, because she wanted to end her miserable life.

With everything that is happening in the world today, I can see how even famous stars like Brooke Shields can suffer depression. I think one of the reasons why Brooke suffers this depression is because of all the pressure that society puts on her. After giving birth to her baby, she is expected to loose weight really quickly, and go back to shooting ads and modeling. If I were her, and pressured to do that much, I would also probally feel depressed. The good thing is that her depression is behind her, and now she lives a great life with her family! i love happy endings =)













LINKS:
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/mooddisorders-famous.shtml

http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/brooke-shields-depression-struggle