Short Answer Responses

Short-Answer Responses 1. Based on your readings from Ch. 3 of the textbook and your personal experience, would you say that pop culture affects individuality? If so, how? Pop culture absolutely affects individuality. It permeates our society to where it shapes the actions and behaviors of whole communities. We are products of our environment for pop culture subversively guides our decisions, our morals, and influences heavily what we like and dislike.

In reading the steps to starting to realize individuality from the book, oftentimes people do not stop to discern what values pop culture instills in society to be of their own true beliefs, and they are just going with what is popularly accepted (Ruggiero, 2009). It is a sort of voluntary conformity because of the desire to fit in, and pop culture’s influences are so subtle that many believe they are being individualistic when in fact they are living their lives per the dictates of pop culture. 2. Think back to your childhood and the environment in which you were raised.

How did those early childhood experiences influence the level of curiosity you have today? Considering that curiosity is an important element of creativity, identify techniques that can help you improve or regain your curiosity. Being raised in a large family meant there was usually someone available to answer questions as a child. If the first person was unavailable, the next was more accommodating. This encouragement of curiosity and the realization that persistence would lead to an answer is helpful in later life as it becomes the norm to question everything rather than accept it at face value.

Although curiosity tends to wane as children grow into adulthood, there are several ways that people can regain their curiosity. Ruggiero (2009) stated “There are six specific techniques: a. Be observant b. Look for the imperfections in things c. Note your own and others dissatisfactions d. Search for causes e. Be sensitive to implications f. Recognize the opportunity in controversy” (p. 116). In other words: being aware of your surroundings and taking note of them, looking for ways that things could be improved, and recognizing that other people’s dissatisfaction probably means that a problem exists that needs a solution.

To do this, the cause of the problem needs to be discovered and once a solution has been presented, the possible impact of the solution on the people involved should be taken into account. 3. One of the key controversies in psychology is nature versus nurture. Is this a problem or an issue? Explain. In psychology, nature versus nurture tends to be an issue more than a problem. Ruggiero (2009) declares that “A problem is a situation that we regard as unacceptable; where an issue is a matter about which intelligent, informed people disagree to some extent. Many psychologists believe that people behave as they do because of hereditary or inborn factors. This is where the “nature” theory of human behavior comes into play. Other psychologists will argue that people think and behave as they do because of environmental factors, or simply put, because they were taught to do so. Nature versus nurture is clearly an issue because it is a matter that informed people, in this case psychologists, disagree to some extent as to what causes human behavior. 4. Identify three sources of information you may use when investigating a problem or issue.

Compare steps you would take to refine the solutions to a problem with steps to refine resolutions of an issue. Three sources of information you may use when investigating a problem or issue include expert opinion, observational study, and research review. Because an issue and a problem are two different things, so are the steps taken to refine them. According to Ruggiero (2009), steps to refine your solution to a problem include: a. Working out the details b. Finding imperfections and complication c. Making improvement Steps to refine resolutions of an issue are: a.

Deciding what action should be taken b. Recognizing and overcoming difficulties In both of these methods step one is similar, but it seems like deciding what action should be taken is more aggressive than working out the details. With step two, recognizing and overcoming difficulties seems like it would be more proactive in finding a resolution quicker than with finding imperfections and complications. Another comparative I noticed is that it takes more steps to refine a solution to a problem. Finding a resolution to an issue seems like an easier task than finding a solution to a problem. 5.

Sometimes your ego can make it hard for you to receive criticism of your own solutions. Do you think some personality types are naturally better at receiving criticism than are others? What strategies can you use to be more receptive of criticism of your own ideas and solutions? Ego often gets in the way and makes it hard to receive criticism. There are multiple reasons this occurs. Once we have settled on an idea, we tend to take ownership with interest in that idea. The thought of someone finding flaw with it is often hard to swallow. However, criticism is an important part of problem solving because no solution is perfect.

Additional, your perspective may be different from that of another person based on personal experiences, your interpretation of something you saw, read, or heard etc. Criticism, regardless of your personality type, is not easy for anyone to receive. What makes the difference is how a person responds to criticism. Perhaps an individual that has a high self-esteem would be more open to other ideas and be able to see the need to step back and review the idea objectively. There are two strategies that can be applied to overcome the natural reaction to defend your idea against criticism vs. ctively looking at it with an open mind. First, remind yourself that the feelings you may have to defend your idea are normal but you must disregard the initial reaction and force yourself to examine the idea critically. Second, use your ego to your benefit. When you are ready to give up and stop examining an idea, think about how you would feel if a flaw were to be pointed out. Visualize the situation, would you feel embarrassed. This visualization should provide a sufficient amount of motivation to subdue the ego in the “ME MONSTER” and continue to accept criticism and continue evaluating your deas. 6. When oversimplifying, a person distorts and misrepresents complex matters. How can you find and overcome oversimplifications in your arguments? To find oversimplifications in an argument, consider what important parts of the issue have not been addressed. Is the argument only focused on one point? To correct an oversimplification, state the argument in a way that considers all aspects of the matter accurately without distorting the facts to reflect a single point of view (Ruggiero, 2009).