Tag Archives: Fall 2018

First Impression Post: Chapter 13

--Original published at Taylor'sEtownCollegeBlog

Before taking all four personality tests, I would describe myself as being an organized and outgoing person who overall enjoys the presence of others and strives to make an impacts on other’s lives.  After taking the first personality test, I received the score of ESFJ.  These letters represent extravert, sensing, feeling, and judging.  I agree with this test because I do classify myself as being an extrovert and outgoing.  I also agree with the idea of sensing because I often make decisions based off of how I feel, rather than based solely on intuition.  I am feeling also, because I feel many emotions in situations rather than thinking about the situation.  Finally, I am judging because I am not very go with the flow and I make decisions based off of knowledge and facts.  I found this test reliable because it was based off of a famous personality test that is used by many psychologists.

The second personality test that I took, I scored ESTJ.  I find this interesting be it was very similar to the same results as the first personality test that I took.  The only difference is that instead of feeling, I got the score for thinking.  I think that the results were different because the working of the questions in this personality test were worded in a less confusing manner.  I feel that this test was more reliable because the website was more professional and seemed more scientifically based in the format. There were not ads or banners that would pop up while I was taking the test, unlike all the other tests.

The third personality test that I took, I do not agree completely with the score I received.  This is because I received a higher score for intellect than I did for extroversion.  I always have thought that I am more of a people person rather than an intellectual person. I did not find this test very reliable because there were lots of ads on the screen and it was not very scientific when presenting the results.

The final personality test that I took, I found highly unreliable. When the results were presented, there was improper grammar used and the sentences were not capitalized. I did not agree with these results what-so-ever.  The results that I received were the total opposite of all the results I received from the other tests.

Taking these tests were very interesting and identifying the reliability of these tests was entertaining.

~Taylor

Spotlight Post 2: Option 3

--Original published at Taylor'sEtownCollegeBlog

D.A.R.E., a program that was used to make kids aware of the negative impact drugs have on people’s lives. When the D.A.R.E. program came about, many people were highly supportive of the program because of its main goal. The tactics that D.A.R.E. used to inform the kids about the negative effects of drugs were through the “Just say no!” program. This was where students would meet weekly with a police officer who would inform the students about all the negatives of drugs and alcohol. It was a zero-tolerance based program that made all drugs and alcohol seem equally as bad. With the idea that all drugs and alcohol were equally as bad, students were made out to believe that marijuana and meth were at the same level of badness. This goes the same for alcohol. Many people criticized this program because of this theory.

 

D.A.R.E. is often questioned for its affectability. There have been many studies done to test the overall effectiveness of the program D.A.R.E. and others like it. Many of these studies are very challenging to find trust worthy because of the small sample sizes along with the lack of random assignment. Despite the challenge of a valid study, there are several studies that analyze the validity and effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program. In a study by…, it was found that D.A.R.E. had a less than small effect on the use of drugs (Pan). D.A.R.E. was found to have little effect on the significance of children using drugs and alcohol. Many people are bothered by this idea because of the amount of money and time that was invested into making this program grow. I separate study found the same results and stated that the money and time should be focused on other methods or reducing the usage of drugs and alcohol (West). These studies showed that D.A.R.E. ultimately caused an increase in the use of alcohol and drugs in children in their adolescent years. Through this abstinence training, it has been found to not be highly beneficial.

 

Alcohol and drug abstinence are not the only programs that are taught through out schools. Often sex abstinence programs are often taught in schools. These programs are often used to scare kids out of having sex, yet, there is not scientific evidence to support this method as being the most effective. These programs are often very similar to the D.A.R.E. program. Since the D.A.R.E. program has been proven to not be very effective, I find it highly unbeneficial to be teaching students the abstinence method when regarding sex safety and education. Personally, I believe that threatening kids and scaring them out of having sex is not the best method when it comes to educating them about the dangers. Instead, I believe that schools should have a very open discussion about how to have safe sex, instead of only preaching to students to not have sex at all. If the school educates the students on how to have safe sex instead of how dangerous it is to have unprotected sex, it will educate the students in a productive manner.

 
In review, the program D.A.R.E. has an overall intention of improving the safety and health of students across the world, however, it has been found not to be very productive at all. Therefore, with this information, I would recommend that instead of teaching abstinence-based sex education to transition to a newer method of teaching this sensitive topic. Overall, D.A.R.E. is not nearly as beneficial or effective as originally expected.
~Taylor

Works Cited
Pan, Wei, and Haiyan Bai. “A Multivariate Approach to a Meta-Analytic Review of the
Effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. Program.” International Journal Of Environmental
Research And Public Health, vol. 6, no. 1, Jan. 2009, pp. 267–277. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/ijerph6010267.

West, Steven L., and Keri K. O’Neal. “Project D.A.R.E. Outcome Effectiveness Revisited.”
American Journal of Public Health, vol. 94, no. 6, June 2004, pp. 1027–1029.
EBSCOhost, ezproxy.etown.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
=true&db=bth&AN=13270535&site=eds-live.

Chapter 13 Personality – First Impression Post

--Original published at Rachel Bickelman's PSY 105 Blog

The Jung Typology Test assigned me INFJ which stands for introvert, intuitive, feeling, and judging. When reading the description I thought it was quite accurate especially the part about being both detachment and involvement in friendships and with humanity as a whole. It was interesting how nuanced but capturing the description was. I am unsure about the credibility of the website. While it provides the same results as the Meyers-Briggs test, it does not have any affiliation with Meyers-Briggs. The personality test is only based on Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs-Meyer’s but does not go into detail how the results are calculated.

When I took the second test I got an ESTJ what the website describes as a “Field Marshall.” While I do like to take on leadership positions and help make decisions. Again, the credibility fo this website is unknown. While it is based on Jung’s type theory it does not describe much information about how the personality test is scored. I think it can provide a general idea of an individual’s preferences but cannot be completely accurate.

The big five personality test already seems more credible because it gives background on the personality test itself and how the results are calculated. Additionally it uses a test from an actual international’s study called the International Personality Item Pool. Finally, the test cites legitimate sources. I thought the results I got were relatively accurate. I thought it was interesting I scored over 50 on extroversion because I like to spend time by myself to “recharge.” The score I got on agreeableness and conscientiousness though I thought were accurate, they were both above 50 meaning I am friendly and optimistic, and also, careful and diligent.

Last I took the color personality quiz. I thought this quiz was relatively credible. I do not know much about color psychology but because the website explains a little about it’s relevance to the test and the studies done it seems more credible. The test is said to be accurate but the writers in the “About” section still are unsure if it is reliable. Thus, the credibility of this website decreases since it is not possible to be accurate without being reliable. Finally, when taking the actual test, the results claim they are accurate but not a diagnosis of personality which is contradicting. My results were surprisingly accurate and highlighted my fears and stresses about life.

Chapter 13

--Original published at Bailey PSY 105 Blog

In taking these tests, I found some very interesting (and in most cases accurate) results. The Humanetrics Jung Typology Test told me that I was slightly more extroverted than introverted, slightly more intuitive over sensible, moderately more driven by emotion than thought, and slightly more perceptive than judgmental. I would say that all of these are accurate by my own perception of my personality. I would say this is one of the most accurate of the tests (out of the four we were given), mainly because of the depth and quantity of the questions.

The second test, the Jungian Personalty test, also had a wide variety of in depth and insightful questions, which is why I would say is the other test that was very accurate. The results I got from this test were that I am a ‘Questor,’ meaning I am supposedly idealistic, self-sacrificing, cool and reserved, family and home oriented, have a high capacity for caring, and have a high sense of honer derived from my own internal values. I would say that these results, much like the first, are very accurate. I definitely see myself as someone who cares deeply for people, as well as holding myself to a high standard and putting others before myself.

I do not think that the third test would be as accurate, because it simply measured for ‘the Big 5’ personality traits, being extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and intellect/imagination. I scored in the 54th percentile in extroversion, the 26th percentile in emotional stability, the 62nd percentile in  agreeableness, the 15th percentile in conscientiousness, and the 40th in intellect and imagination. I would say these results are less true than what I believe about myself.

The final test, the color test, was by far the least accurate in my mind. Anything, from the song you’re listening to to a conversation you are having could sway your mood to the point that it influences you to choose a different color than you originally would. My color test told me that I was sensitive and compassionate, but still feeling strain and pressure. It also told me that I felt trapped and powerless, that I am getting less than I deserve for my hard work, and I want something interesting or exciting to happen in my life. These results read more to me like a horoscope than an actual personality test, and the vague, ambiguous statements could possibly be applied to any person in any given situation.

chapter 13 impression post

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

Taking the 4 personality tests, they were all laid out pretty differently. The first three tests were considerably long, asking similar questions, while the last one was two questions, based on what colors you chose in two separate orders. It seemed that most of the tests described my personality in similar characteristics. In 2 of the testes, my personality was named to be ESFP. This is Extravert, sensing, feelings, and perceiving. Th first test labeled me as 69% Extravert, 28% sensing, 41% feeling, and 12% perceiving. ESFP personalities are known to love people, excitement, telling stories, and having fun. Also very spontaneous, outgoing, and impulsive. The second test also described me as ESFP. More characteristics that come along with this personality type is warmth, daringness, caring, smooth, witty, funny, charming, clever, fun to be around, and more than generous. I think this definitely fits into how I would personally describe myself. I am very outgoing, have a wide social group of friends and always have something to say. I am also a very kind and forgiving person, which sometimes I wish I was less of being I am a “pushover” in some situations. The third test broke my personality traits into five different factors including, extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and intellect/imagination. I score pretty high in the extroversion category, meaning I am a very outgoing and social person. I didn’t score that high in emotional stability, being my lowest result. In agreeableness, I scored relatively high, meaning I am a friendly and optimistic person. I did not score as high on the next category, being conscientiousness, meaning I can be impulsive and disorganized but not too a large extent. And in connection to intellect and imagination, I scored lower, seeming that I am a traditional type of person. In the last test, I did not really understand how It could give us a variety of characteristics of our personality just be an order of which we picked colors.The test results described me as a strong and unwilling total advice from others, as well as stressed, self centered, thinks that no situation can upset me, and much more. I only agreed with about half of the characteristics it labeled me as. I think the first two tests were the most reliable and accurate to hoe I would personally describe myself.

Chapter 13 First Impression

--Original published at David's Blog

For this week we were told to take quizzes on our personality. It’s always interesting to see what these quizzes say about someone based on the questions they give. For the first quiz It says I’m more towards extroversion than introversion and i’m more sensing then intuition. It also says I prefer thinking and judging. The quiz then describes that I want to achieve order and continuity which I find very true I like keeping things nice and orderly. I then took the second quiz to see f it would give me different results. At the end of the quiz it gave me the same personality as the first one which is ESTJ. I think its interesting I have the same score from the first two quizzes. The third test I took gave me a similar answer as the other ones did. I was told from the test I Like to be organized in my work and that i’m also extroversion. It is quite impressive three of the quizzes so far explained my personality. The last quiz I took was the color test. I found it odd that someone would base a personality on what colors you happen to choose. The results from this one described myself pretty accurately as well. It told about how I like to be the center of attention which is normally true. In general I enjoyed taking the quizzes to see if they would come back true or not. They all came back true and very close to the same thing each time. So I believe these test are very credible since I got basically the same results each time and they were very true to what I think my personality is.

Spotlight post #2

--Original published at RachelsCollegeBlog

There are multiple things or events that can cause someone stress, these are called stressors. Some stressors include, daily hassles, traumatic events, and different life changes. There are many strategies that people can participate in to relieve stress. Everybody is unique, and one strategy may work for one person but not for another.

The first site that I came across provided stress management tips for athletes. Some of the stress management tips that they provided included, have a support system, have a positive attitude and participate in other physical activities. Most of the strategies that were provided have a possibility of being successful. A support system is a coping strategy that has been shown to have a positive effect on decreasing stress levels. Sometimes you just need a hug or someone to talk to. Having a support system will allow for you to have hope for the future and confidence in your own abilities. Having a positive attitude or being more optimistic is a good stress management strategy as well. When someone is optimistic they are able to better cope with stress and stressful situations as well as have better health in both eh short and long term. Those that are optimistic also have smaller increases in their blood pressure during times of stress. Finally, participating in other recreational activities can help manage stress as well. Regular physical activities have been shown to have a positive impact on both mental and physical health. Exercise reduces stress as well as mild depression. Aerobic activities have also been shown to put people in a better mood, as people who participate in aerobic activities express more self-confidence and a decrease in fatigue.

The second site that I found was directed towards college students. Obtain emotional support, get enough sleep, and breathe were a few stress management strategies that the website referenced. Emotional support is a good stress management strategy, as it allows you to talk about what is stressing you out. This is a constructive strategy called emotion-focused coping. The strategy is when you focus on the feelings that are involved in what is stressing you, the emotional support them comes from family and friends. This allows you to get what is causing you stress off of your chest. People who sleep do not leave enough time to sleep, end up being fatigued and lack alertness. This increases the amount of stress that a person may be under. When getting a decent night’s sleep, you are allowing yourself to be less fatigued allowing you to be more productive during the day, decreasing the amount of stress you are under. Breathing is a large part of relaxation and relaxation techniques that reduce stress. Those who have used relaxation techniques have been shown to have less stress. Breathing techniques have also been shown to reduce suffering and improve compassion and insight.

The third sight that I found was directed towards teachers. Some of the stress management tips that they provided included keeping a journal, make time for faith, and make time for physical affection. Keeping is a strategy that allows you to write down your stresses, allowing you to get the issue off of your chest. Faith is a something that allows people to destress themselves. Lack of control is a large factor that plays into stress, which is why religion is a technique that can be used to manage stress. Religion allows you to have control over yourself, which is something that allows you to reduce stress because you have control over something. In most religions you also have a support group, as people in religious groups are there for one another. Physical affection is also something that the website mentioned to be a technique to manage stress. This is something that may help for some, as it provides support both positive physically and emotionally support.

https://www.recruitingrealities.com/blog/5-stress-management-tips-for-student-athletes

https://www.everydayhealth.com/college-health/college-life-10-ways-to-reduce-stress.aspx

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/manage-teaching-stress/

Chapter 13 First Impression Prompts – Personality

Hand writing on a notebook

We all want to know more about our ourselves, and psychological tests are one way to explore our personalities. While the full psychological tests are often long and require a fee to take, there are an abundance of free versions online. Take the four personality tests linked below, discuss how accurately they describe your perception of your personality, and discuss the credibility of each test. Make sure to use the tag “Personality” on your post.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I had a lot of really great teachers whenever I was in high school. Sure, there were some that did not care about their students at all, but I have several teachers that really cared about me and wanted me to do well. One in particular was my German teacher. I was in his class for all four years of high school, so we knew each other pretty well. I would bring donuts in the morning for him and he would help me with my assignments to make sure I did well. In my senior year I was working forty hours a week as well as going to school full time. I told him about my schedule and he offered to go into my workplace and speak with my manager about cutting my hours back because they would not listen to me. Unfortunately they were not going to change my schedule so he helped me out a lot with class work. He told me he could not give me extensions, but that he would do what he could to help. He ended up changing the way he graded my assignments. He would skip putting some of my grades in to cut me some slack. He never said this out loud, but I could see it in my scores. Now I know that is not allowed, but I appreciated it more than I could express. I felt hopeless and depressed as well as overworked and that really helped me to do more in class to make up for what I could not do outside of class. I think that helping your students and getting to know them on a personal level is the best way to improve their performance in the classroom. My teacher did this for me and really left a positive impact on me.

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at LivsCollegeBlog

Music is an important part in my life so I try to implement it into as many things as I can. Whether it’s just relaxing with friends while listening to music, or listening to music while I work out, or listening to music while I study; I find that music is everywhere I go. After reading the first impression prompt and the article from New York Times, I think that Governor Miller’s decision was a wise one. Whenever I am studying, it helps to listen to music. I find that it is better to listen to classical music as it helps my focus more than music with lyrics. It is better to stick to music that does not contain any lyrics because you’ll focus more on the lyrics of the song rather than what you are studying. Although Governor Miller’s decision was a wise one, I do not think it was executed well. Rather than giving each student a cassette tape, Mozart’s music could have been implemented in the school system itself. If students listen to Mozart while they’re learning and then again while they are studying, it’ll help them to retain the information. I also don’t think it should be limited to just Mozart but rather have it expanded to classical music as a whole. I would highly recommend listening while you study to any student. It has highly benefitted me in my entire school career.