witt0329: April 2012 Archives

I think the concepts I will remember most in psychology are those related to experimentation and testing. Things like validity, reliability, and Occam's razor. Although these are concepts that I was aware of before I took this class, I did not really apply these ideas to my everyday thinking and questioning until taking psychology. I find myself questioning more of the news I hear and wondering about the validity of the statements. The news is filled with stories about different tests that show extraordinary or shocking results. I think it is good to always look at test results with a critical lens. It is easy to read the results of a study and not really think how valid the results may be or question whether participants were randomly assigned.

I will also remember some of the ideas in the chapters on relationships. It was interesting to hear a psychological perspective on what types of relationships last and what types of relationships are less likely to last, especially considering that many of us are at an age where we perhaps begin dating a little more seriously and look for qualities of a potential spouse. I think things like proximity, reciprocity and similarity are concepts I will remember in the years to come. I liked learning about the different types of love in the triangular theory of love and how different people at different stages of their lives will experience each of these types of love. I will also remember how the the strongest types of unions are those in which the couple loves each other on multiple levels and develops a true consummate love.

Chapter 12 of our textbook discusses different ways of coping with stress. On page 459 of our textbook there is a test we can take to determine our level of stress. After taking the test, the results are not surprising. I was in the "moderately stressed" range. I assume that most people are at least in the "mildly stressed" range and perhaps a few people are in the "major stressed" range. What this test demonstrates is that almost everyone is stressed which means that we need to find health ways to deal with that stress.

The problem-focused coping strategy is when we solve problems by directly confronting the issue and working through the problem. The problem-focused works hand-in-hand with the emotion-focused coping strategy which is when we try to change our thought process to view our situation or problem in a more positive light while engaging in behaviors that solve our problems and reduce emotional stress.

These coping strategies are great ideas and they are useful to incorporate into our lives. But how exactly do we utilize these coping strategies? What I mean is these strategies are easier said than done. In a stressful situation how do you change your thought process to view a situation in a more positive light? Do you all have certain tactics you use to help minimize stress?