PSY 102 Final Paper PDF

Preview

Summary

Psych final paper...

Description

Running head: APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE

Applying Psychology to Everyday Life: A Reflection Lydia Thompson Grand Canyon University: PSY 102 November 29, 2020

1

2 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE Applying Psychology to Everyday Life: A Reflection Psychology is the study of mind and behavior, (Merriam Webster…). It can apply to everyone’s lives and help one understand both themselves and others. Throughout this course, I have learned numerous concepts, theories, and terms about emotions, memory, motivation, etc. By understanding and applying what I have learned, will benefit me in many areas of my life as well as help with maintaining relationships. The purpose of this paper is to describe how psychology is used in my professional, academic, and personal life, as well as describe the overlap of the concepts.

Personal Life During my time in this course, I learned about different theories and concepts about emotions and memory. Both memory and emotion play a huge role in my life in how I make decisions, carry out daily tasks, and maintain relationships. Emotions are feelings that evoke physical responses that can change how one acts and thinks (Grison and Gazzaniga, 2019). I was taught that people try to regulate and control their emotions because it can influence one’s thoughts and how they make judgments. According to my Meyers Briggs personality test, I am an ISFJ which means that my decisions are heavily influenced by my feelings. Since I am so strongly guided by my feelings this affects a lot of my relationships and how I navigate conflict. I always feel it is best to avoid confrontation so that I can avoid conflict. However, this is not always the case because sometimes confrontation is good, but because I feel like it is the best solution, that affects how I act. Not only did learning about emotions also affect my relationships but memory did as well.

3 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE Learning about memory is also helpful in my personal life. Everyone carries out daily tasks and experiences different parts of life. Memory plays a significant part in how one remembers how to do things whether it is to swim, read, or even a childhood memory. Both short-term and long-term memory are the two types of memory yet are extremely different from each other. Someone with short-term memory can only remember things quickly after being told to do something. Whereas long-term memory is when one can store something in their brain for more than a couple of years (NLM and NIH, 2020). This is helpful because I have a bad memory which makes it more difficult when trying to do favors or everyday tasks. On one of my blended days for this class, I was assigned an assessment to determine whether I have short-term and longterm memory. My results displayed that I may have short-term memory loss, which makes sense to why I cannot remember things very well. However, because I learned this, I now know I need to put some more effort into remembering things. While these two concepts are applicable for me to use in my personal life, psychology can also be used in one’s professional life. Professional Life-9&11 Psychology will also continue to help me in my professional life. I learned different theories behind motivation, one being the achievement motivation theory. The achievement motivation theory covers the idea that one strives to do well to achieve their goal and has the desire to do good (Grison and Gazzaniga, 2019). The way I was raised was in a very academically competitive school and was always driven. I would always try to get A’s on every assignment and at least try my best so that my teachers would acknowledge my effort put in. Knowing that I strive for perfection will be very helpful in my professional life. Since I am driven, future employers will hopefully recognize that. In class, I also learned that health and well-being could be another concept from psychology that will help in my professional life.

4 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE Health and well-being were another chapter covered in class. From the stress brochure assignment, I covered workplace stress and learned new concepts. I never knew workplace stress was a thing, nor did I know there were both short and long-term effects that came from it. I discovered different coping mechanisms to help combat the different effects one may experience from workplace stress. Simply just taking breaks and stretching one’s legs or even talking to your coworkers about your concerns can help fight off the feeling of burnout and headaches (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). Learning this will help me professionally, so that even though I may strive for perfection and want to get everything done, taking small breaks now and then will help one in the long run. I am a communications major and love talking to people. Being able to take breaks and talk to people will be a good way to build stronger relationships with coworkers and benefit me in the long run. Not only does applying psychology help me professionally, but it also helps me in my academic career. Academic Career In class, chapter 6 covered the topic of learning. One form of learning is habituation. This is when someone is exposed to an external factor and as time passes, they get used to it. For example, if you study at cafes regularly, one would be able to drown out the background noise, unlike those who prefer to work in quieter places (Grison and Gazzaniga, 2019). This can apply to my life especially since I am now on campus at college. I live in the dorms, so I do not have as much privacy as I did back home. I am only able to study in silence but being at college there are no quiet spots. Understanding the psychology behind habituation will help me realize that I will eventually adapt to my surroundings and be able to study even in louder areas. Besides learning, examining the psychology behind thinking and intelligence will also help me succeed in my academic career.

5 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE I also learned about how there are multiple intelligence and how we think. Knowing this can help me academically because I was taught there are different approaches people take when solving problems. Heuristics are mental shortcuts we use to cut down the time we need when making decisions (Grison and Gazzaniga, 2019). An example could be a good rule of thumb when researching papers is to use sources that are only five years old. I use heuristics all the time when it comes to my academic career, whether it is when I am researching something or knowing what my teacher is looking for. Using these mental shortcuts are helpful because they also cut down unnecessary time spent. Robert Sternberg theorized that there are multiple intelligence represented through the Triarchic Theory. Sternberg believed everyone had analytical, creative, and practical intelligence (Sisco, n.d.). If his theory proves to be true, understanding the psychology behind this is interesting because when being paired in group projects some display certain kinds of intelligence, more than others. This is beneficial then academically because different people who have various intelligence are coming together, and can create a stronger academic environment.

Areas of Overlap During this course, we also covered the topic of sleep. Sleep can be applied to all three areas of my life, whether it is personally, professionally, or academically. Sleep is vital and helps maintain people functioning properly. Without sleep, it would not allow time for the body to repair. The restorative theory emphasizes the importance of sleep and how it benefits one because it allows time for the body to rest and repair (Grison and Gazzaniga, 2019). As a college student, it need to get sleep so that I can do well in school. Personally, sleep benefits me in that I will not be

6 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE upset or easily agitated by others. Professionally, sleep gives my body the time it needs to rest so that the next day I can be fully refreshed and prepared for what is to come. Conclusion In conclusion throughout this paper is has described how psychology is used in my professional, academic, and personal life, as well as describe the overlap of the concepts. Understanding the psychology behind emotions and memory can be beneficial in my personal life. I understand my emotions can affect my judgments and that I may need to put more effort into remembering things. Also, I understand the importance that motivation and health and well-being play in my professional life. Without motivation or taking care of my well-being, it will be harder to succeed professionally. Academically, knowing the different aspects and concepts from learning and thinking can also help me. Knowing that I will adapt and take mental shortcuts will help me thrive in my academic career. While various aspects of psychology can be applied to my personal, professional, and academic career, sleep happens to overlap with all three areas. Sleep can affect every area of my life in numerous ways. Learning different concepts from psychology will always be useful since it can be applied to everyone’s everyday life.

7 APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO EVERYDAY LIFE References

Grison, S., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (2019). Psychology in your life. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019, February 20). Coping with stress: Workplace tips. Retrieved November 24, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/indepth/coping-with-stress/art-20048369 National Library of Medicine, & National Institutes of Health. (2020, September 09). Memory. Retrieved November 24, 2020, from https://medlineplus.gov/memory.html Sisco, B. R. (n.d.). Test Bed Stuff. Retrieved November 24, 2020, from http://www.uwyo.edu/aded5050/5050unit6/sternberg.asp...