...Department of Public Administration Name: Muhammad Raheel Sheikh Roll No. 44 Subject: Psychology Title: Assignment; Science of Happiness Submitted to: Azra Anjum “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” ~ Aristotle “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mohandas Gandhi * What is happiness? “Happiness is deceptively simple. It’s about being satisfied with life and experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.” Every living being in this world seeks happiness whether he/she is aware of it or not. It is the meaning and purpose of life. Happiness seems to have almost magical properties. We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long life, health, resilience and good performance. Still, many of us find the pursuit of happiness to be frustratingly difficult. A relatively new branch of psychology called positive psychology is studying what makes people happy—and what doesn’t. Researchers are learning that the keys to happiness are within everyone’s reach. * Three basic sources of happiness Happier people are more likely to live longer and tend to be healthier, more successful, and more socially engaged than people who describe themselves as less happy. Researchers have explored three basic sources of happiness: genetics, including temperament and personality; life circumstances, such as...
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...Psychology summer work 1. Research Stanley Milgram’s study on obedience and make a summary of the following; • The aim of the study • The hypothesis (or theory) he was testing • The method used • The results obtained • Milgram’s conclusions • Any criticisms or issues that have been raised about experiment and/or Milgram’s conclusion The aim of study To find out the willingness of his study volunteers to obey an authoritative figure who told them to perform acts that go against their personal conscience. The hypothesis People will obey others who are in a position of power over them, even if obeying meant they defy their proper or moral behaviour. The method used There were 3 people involved: The person in charge of running the experiment, the subject to the experiment and an actor who pretends to be part of the experiment. They all had different rolls; the person in charge of running the experiment was the ‘experimenter’ (and they took the authoritative roll), the ‘teacher’ (who was given instructions to perform by the experimenter) and the ‘learner’ (who was subject to the teachers actions). The two subjects (The actual volunteer and the actor) get to pick a piece of card each which would tell them their role in the experiment, little does the subject to the experiment know that both cards say teacher. When they are asked to read out what they got the subject would obviously picked teacher so he says teacher, but although the other person (the actor) would...
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...The Social Approach- Stereotypes Study Are 11-12 years old students more likely to have stereotypes than teachers? Abstract: We carried out a questionnaire on 11-12 year old students and teachers to compare the amount of stereotypes the different age groups hold. Stereotypes have unfortunately been prominent in our multi-cultural community and since the rise in popularity racially discriminating groups have seen, we wanted to establish if younger children have been more readily influenced by stereotypical views than adults. Aim: I will be investigating the difference in the amount of stereotypes 11-12 year old students hold compared to teacher. I want to see if 11-12 years have more stereotypes than teachers through analysing their questionnaires upon completion. Hypothesis: 11-12 year old students will have more stereotypes than teachers Null Hypothesis: There will be no difference in the amount of stereotypes 11-12 year old students have in comparison to teachers except due to chance Background: I will be looking into the Social Identity Theory (SIT) to explain the stereotypes people have. SIT has three stages: 1. Categorisation: We organise people, groups and objects to understand and identify with them 2. Identification: We adopt the identity of the group we have categorised ourselves as belonging to 3. Comparison: We compare our groups (in groups) to other groups (out groups). This is where in-group favouritism and out-group denigration is established...
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...Mind- Body Interaction Sometimes, one can be experiencing stress but his/ her mind and body can be so good at hiding it at times without even being aware. In such cases the symptoms might be more subtle and therefore difficult to recognise, such as: * working endlessly without tiring * having little feeling or emotion (except the occasional outburst of anger) * increased use of alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or other drugs (which may suppress feelings of stress) * behaviour that is 'out of character' * an inability to relax If you are under a lot of stress for a prolonged period of time, but do not feel stressed, eventually it may catch up with you and cause more serious symptoms, such as: * stomach ulcers * heart problems * minor illness (allergies, skin disorders, migraine) * serious illness (eg: arthritis, cancer, diabetes) * mental problems (eg: depression Consider this example of mind- body interaction. * Tomorrow you are schedule to take a final examination, and you must pass the course in order to remain in the nursing program. After a sleepless night, you cannot swallow any food at breakfast, your heartbeat is rapid, you are filled with feelings of anxiety, and you have a diarrhea. What causes the link between psychological stressors and the physiologic stress response? The exact cause is not well known but it is thought that humans respond to treats of danger as if they were physiologic threats. A person perceives...
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...Case Study 1: “The case of the manager who doubled productivity” In order for Cliff to take advantage of principles of operant conditioning to modify his staff’s behavior, he would have to be begin rewarding his employees and complimenting them on a job well done once he would see an employee working hard and well enough. It would boost up the employees confidence to continue to work hard and do a good job. Cliff’s predecessor’s strategy of punishing undesirable behavior not work very well because that just made the best employees in the staff quit and leave and make the remaining employees feel as if even if they would work there hardest the manager still wouldn’t be happy with them. In order to get someone you need to give something in return. Punishing the staff would just be them giving you the productivity you need but they get so positive advantage in return. Cliff made a lot of use of partial reinforcements schedules were he would set dates and times where he would go out of his way to show his employees how grateful he is for all their hard work. For example, he set daily production goals. Each time that goal was met he would buy each employee lunch every Friday. In order for Cliff to use his own technique to train his staff to complete a complex new task they had never done before, he would set goals and spot checks to make sure what the staff members were doing and if they needed any assistance. Cliff can make use of principles of cognitive learning theory...
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...Even though some people call separation "avoiding an argument”, I think of it as reaching out for solution or an accurate way to solve an argument that could prevent your relationship from becoming more problematic. I believe It is a good step to take if you’re in the midst of a heated argument with your spouse, close friend, or family member. I witness separation frequently in my life. Many of my friends and some of my family members use separation when they have an intense argument, are upset, or arguments that don’t go anywhere while they’re having it. So in order to calm down and think of better solutions to their problem, they separate themselves from the situation for a while and leave it as it is because they’re afraid that if they don’t separate themselves from the situation it may become worse. While they’re separated, the time of the separation will allow them to develop a clear understanding of how they are going to handle thing and solve the issue without being angry or saying negative things or something that would lead the relationship in a bad stage. After a while, they come back with resolution on how to handle or approach the situation and start with good communication. Therefore using separation would prevent worse fights to come. Nevertheless, when people are calm they think clearly, weigh the condition correctly, and solve the issue well. I think separation is more preferable over the others because using separation in a heated argument or any kind of argument...
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...Foundations of Psychology There are many schools of thought in psychology, most psychologists use a combination of the different theories but some believe only one is accurate. It depends on what answer we are looking for and what our thoughts are on the different theories. Behavioral Neuroscience/ Biopsychology Biopsychology is the field that investigates the electrical and chemical processes in the nervous system that creates emotions, and behavior in a person. They study when there is trauma to the head it can cause a person’s behavior to change as in the famous case of Phineas Gage, a rod had gone through his brain causing damage to his brain that was so severe that his personality changed (Kowalski & Westen, p.6, 2011). A major issue is the localization of function where as stated by the authors Kowalski & Westen (2011) “different parts of the brain control different aspects of functionality” (p.7). Cross- Cultural Psychology Cross – cultural psychology is a field in which they study if phenomena occurs the same in a particular group of people. They believe that one’s character is effected by their culture, values, and way of thinking. Introspection In 1879 Wilhelm Wundt started the first psychological lab (Kowalski & Westen, p. 9, 2011). The method he used here was introspection where trained observers verbally reported everything they thought when given a stimulus or task. The objects where varied and from their responses he can conclude that the...
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...What Is Organizational Psychology? What is Organizational Psychology? Organizational psychology has become a prominent necessity within companies all over the world, regardless of size. With the growing number of competitors providing similar services and stressful expectations of continued success, this position proves time and again to be one of crucial significance. Organizational Psychologists offer a corporation unbiased, fresh ideas in the area of improvement and advancement using various methods of analysis and research. The following paper will examine the field of organization psychology by defining, explaining the evolution, comparing and contrasting organizational psychology with related disciplines and analyzing the role of research and statistics. Defining Organizational Psychology Organizational psychology as defined by Jex & Brit(2008) is a “field that utilizes scientific methodology to better understand the behavior of individuals working in organizational settings” (p. 1). In the most basic terms, organizational psychology uses the scientific psychological principles and research methodology to study numerous topics that are vital to comprehending human behavior in different organizations. An applied field, organizational psychology is relevant to numerous work settings and applies research in the effort to increase productivity in the workplace. Organizational psychology focuses on specific conduct and behaviors employees exhibit on the job; particularly...
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...Journal Prompts 1 Psychology of Motivation The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When I only think about what I want, my mind creates explanations for why can’t I get it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominates my mind. I become jealous of my competitors and start making excuses for why I can’t succeed. In this state, I tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence. The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in my life. Make a mental list of my strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, I realize how competent and successful I am already. This will rejuvenate my confidence and get me motivated to build on my own future success. It might sound strange that repeating things I already know can improve my mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively I think, the more examples my mind will discover to confirm that belief. When I truly believe that I deserve success, my mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to myself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest...
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...Reflecting on the video, one technique used during check-in was the scaling technique. During check-in, it was determined through discussion that a couple of members held apprehensions about participating in the group. One felt hesitant and a bit cautious about revealing herself, and the other felt the environment was not safe emotionally, as he felt belittled (Corey, et al, 2014). To gage these members, seeking to explore their receptivity to the group, the group leader asked a simple question: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how read are you to participate in this group?” (Corey, et al, 2014). This scaling technique, though a simple question, provides the group leader with invaluable information and insight to the depth of how these members were affected by what took place in the previous group, and how to direct, or redirect the current group. As group leaders, special care is to always be given to members and their feelings. We are to be encouraging, and cautious not to offend. According to Corey, et al (2014) “at this juncture, we want to do what is necessary to make the room safe enough for members to talk, so we reinforce any step that members take in speaking about themselves. We take care to listen non-defensively as each member checks in” (p. 73). References Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Haynes, R. (2014). Student workbook for groups in action: Evolution and challenges, (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Jacobs, E., Masson, L., Harvill, R., Schimmel, C. (2012)...
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...Rebecca Zellner Professor Joseph Ben-Ur MKGT 4311-Buyer Behavior Exercise in Consumer Psychology 1. Describe, define and explain all relationships between all the systems in Freud’s theory. According to Sigmund Frued analyses, human personality consists of three interacting systems: the id, suger ego, and the ego. These elements of personality work together to create complex human behaviors. The id consist of primitive and impulsive drives impelled by the pleasure principle consisting of basic physiological needs such as thirst, hunger, and sex which the individual seeks immediate satisfaction without concern for the specific means. For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The id is established in early life such as an infant that is hungry, he or she will cry until the demands of the id is met. However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or logical. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle we might find ourselves indulging or participating in wrongful behaviors not thinking of the outcome. In comparison the super ego is conceptualized as the individual’s expression of society’s moral and ethical codes of conduct. The super ego’s role is to ensure the individual’s needs are met in a socially acceptable fashion. Lastly the ego is the individual’s conscious control. The ego’s role is to monitor and balance the impulsive demands of the id and the sociocultural constraints of...
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...P1 Psychology is the study of behaviour and mental processes. The aim of psychology is to understand the way the human brain processes information in different environments. Psychology has different approaches and perspectives which are particularly used to view a human’s way of thinking, feeling and the ways in which they behave. There are five different perspectives that have been observed and studied by well-known psychologist these are; the cognitive approach, behaviourist approach, biological approach, humanistic approach and the psychological approach. The cognitive approach is the way the human mind retains, stores and processes information to solve a problem they are faced with in their day to day lives. The different processes that need to happen in order to solve a problem are; Perception, attention, memory and problem solving. Perception is the way we view a situation by using and having our own opinions. By having gained an opinion into the situation at hand, this will allow your brain to move into the next cognitive stage which is attention. Attention is the brain understanding the information that has been given by the environment and gaining a further insight into becoming an outcome of the situation, but before that you will need your brain to tap into the long term memory stores, which then leads into the third stage of the cognitive approach theory. The memory stage compares the current information given by the environment to the old information that’s...
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...Victoria Cooper Face Blindness It has been said that maybe 2.5% of the population have inherited facial blindness (Jordan, 2011). Facial blindness is very imperative in our criminal justice systems and the concerns for the impact it has on it as well. Most people who have inherited facial blindness or prosopagnosia do not even know they have it. This is the issue that is of great concern. Therefore, it brings into the question whether or not prosecutors (DAs) rule out the possibility of an eyewitness' having face blindness before testifying against a defendant. One concern about people who may have prosopagnosia is that when using eyewitness testimony, there’s a possibility that the individual may have the diseases. The issue arises when we do not consider this because there are people with the disease and could possibly have no idea that they do. Under the criminal justice system, when using eyewitness testimony with the consideration of face blindness we are incoherently impacting lives negatively. Not considering facial blindness decreases the reliability of an eyewitness testimony because people have a misconception of people’s faces. Eye witness testimony is already fairly unreliable due to outside influence on a person’s ability to recognize a face such as the time since they saw the individual, pressure from peers, or even just the natural idea of simply forgetting (Alperin, 2011). We can see plenty cases of where district attorneys have not considered situations...
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...1.0 INTRODUCTION The purpose of the current paper is to critically review the contributions that two of these studies have made to our understanding of societal perceptions, social support and how it affects breastfeeding attitudes and outcomes. (Kronborg and Vaeth 2004) Defined Social support as the mother's perceptions in relation to the support she receives from peers, family and the society at large. The first paper to be reviewed is written by (Leeming et al. 2013) and entitled 'Socially sensitive lactation: Exploring the social context of breastfeeding'. The second paper is written by (Scott et al. 2015) and entitled 'A comparison of maternal attitudes to breast feeding in public and the association with breastfeeding duration in four European countries: Results of a cohort study. The current paper will summarise the arguments, review the subject matter in both papers and compare and contrast the different methodological approaches taken by the authors with comments on the appropriateness of each method chosen. It concludes by a justified opinion of the subject. (Li et al. 2008), stated that discomfort with the idea of breastfeeding is one of the concerns for some women choosing not to breastfeed or incorporating shorter duration of breastfeeding (Stuebe and Bonuck 2011). Decades of research confirm the benefits of breastfeeding for infants and for maternal health (Cricco 2007) (Tarrant, Dodgson and Wu 2014) (Ingram et al. 2008). 1.1 ARGUMENTS (Leeming et al. 2013)...
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...Lauren Vandiver Mr. Keeton English 102 29 October 2012 Man’s Best Friend Recently, I read that in some religions, it is felt that when a pet owner is ill, the animal can take on the illness to help in healing their owner. While many pet owners claim that their pets actually do make them feel better, there are still some skeptics. However, research studies show that pets do have a very positive impact on various aspects of our health. In fact, for nearly 25 years, studies have correlated pet ownership with the following health benefits: lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, better psychological health, lower heart attack rates, higher survival rates, enhanced self-esteem and social interaction. So as people take care of their companion animals, the animals are in turn taking care of their owners. Dog owners would tell you how their best friend would snuggle up close to them for comfort and follow them everywhere and know well their routines such as feeding time and the time when their owners return from work. Experts say that pets are very therapeutic and can even prolong the lives of a human being, especially elderly or these widowed and living alone. Among the several emotional and physical benefits of owning a pet, these animals can form very close bonds with their human owners and in fact dogs are even known as men's best friend. Primarily, owning a pet serves as a wonderful way to rediscover a sense of purpose. It helps people feel needed and wanted. After...
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