(no subject)
FIND "toy" online, POST a link to it, then DISCUSS the ways it connects to human development.
Describe the ways Maslow's Heirarchy of needs connects to your life.
Which of the schools of psychology discussed thus far (psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive) most completely explains your mental processes and behaviors.
I think I'll pass on searching "toy" online. My wife and I saw a very disturbing Paula Zahn news article on CNN about child porn and the abuse committed and it made me sick. The detective interviewed said that trying to catch these guys requires viewing their sites and that he doesn't think he can do this kind of work much longer. He says seeing some of those pictures can damage your soul, and I firmly believe him. Let's hope Bill Gates and the rest of the people who have the power are working on software that will help catch, better stop these sickos from posting.
What does this say about human development? According to Paul Gillespie, the lead detective in Toronto, all but one of the 50 offenders his division has captured were fans of star trek, the popular tv show of the 60's. These trekies are clearly entertained by simplistic and contrived drama where the average white male not only saves the earth but all of the universe. There's a power issue there. Not to say that trekies are sick, but it makes sense that a pedophile (usually a white male) who needs to dominate and denegrate a child to feel satisfied would also be attracted to a TV show where 99% of the women were attractive, submissive, and attracted to a white guy of average height who goes around dominating other cultures that don't fit his idea of what's right.
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed discussing Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs with my class. I copied the chart of Maslow's Characteristics of Self-Actualized People and I asked them if they felt that they were self-actualized in anyway. Given that they are immigrants in search of a new life, it was hard for them to relate to having peak experiences, a feeling of autonomy, being able to focus on problems outside of themselves (Problem Centering), and capable of being spontaneous in a new culture. They agreed that in a few years they hoped to have lives similar to the characteristics mentioned above, but that for the time being, they all felt they shared the characteristic of having an accurate perception of themselves.
I encouraged them to think of how they could become self-actualized even if they never land the dream jobs they came over hear for. They countered with, “How can an assistant manager at McDonalds have these things?” I agreed and so we discussed how you could achieve these things outside of work. Many spoke of working full time and then going to school at night. They were skeptical that they would be having peak experiences in the near future. And I had to agree. So much of what Maslow says works only if you like your job or if you have enough time after work to find a venue in which you can fulfill these needs. Many of us are caught up with getting ahead, getting that degree, etc. that we don’t allow for any personal development.
This is why I feel I'm very lucky, because I experience many of the things mentioned on Maslow’s chart. Being a teacher allows me to work for the greater good, have peak experiences, work by myself, be spontaneous and open in the classroom and bounce my perceptions of myself and the world off my students, who are newly arrived and have a fresh and often clearer perspective on things.
I am weak at appreciating the simple pleasures of life the way I should. I’m so caught up with getting ahead, making more money, etc. that I don’t spend enough time watching my children grow, listening to my family, or playing with them after dinner. I usually get home at after 7, eat dinner, and put my kids to bed. Here I am, it’s already past 7 and I’m working on this. I need to find these characteristics at home as well as at work.
Describe the ways Maslow's Heirarchy of needs connects to your life.
Which of the schools of psychology discussed thus far (psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive) most completely explains your mental processes and behaviors.
I think I'll pass on searching "toy" online. My wife and I saw a very disturbing Paula Zahn news article on CNN about child porn and the abuse committed and it made me sick. The detective interviewed said that trying to catch these guys requires viewing their sites and that he doesn't think he can do this kind of work much longer. He says seeing some of those pictures can damage your soul, and I firmly believe him. Let's hope Bill Gates and the rest of the people who have the power are working on software that will help catch, better stop these sickos from posting.
What does this say about human development? According to Paul Gillespie, the lead detective in Toronto, all but one of the 50 offenders his division has captured were fans of star trek, the popular tv show of the 60's. These trekies are clearly entertained by simplistic and contrived drama where the average white male not only saves the earth but all of the universe. There's a power issue there. Not to say that trekies are sick, but it makes sense that a pedophile (usually a white male) who needs to dominate and denegrate a child to feel satisfied would also be attracted to a TV show where 99% of the women were attractive, submissive, and attracted to a white guy of average height who goes around dominating other cultures that don't fit his idea of what's right.
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed discussing Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs with my class. I copied the chart of Maslow's Characteristics of Self-Actualized People and I asked them if they felt that they were self-actualized in anyway. Given that they are immigrants in search of a new life, it was hard for them to relate to having peak experiences, a feeling of autonomy, being able to focus on problems outside of themselves (Problem Centering), and capable of being spontaneous in a new culture. They agreed that in a few years they hoped to have lives similar to the characteristics mentioned above, but that for the time being, they all felt they shared the characteristic of having an accurate perception of themselves.
I encouraged them to think of how they could become self-actualized even if they never land the dream jobs they came over hear for. They countered with, “How can an assistant manager at McDonalds have these things?” I agreed and so we discussed how you could achieve these things outside of work. Many spoke of working full time and then going to school at night. They were skeptical that they would be having peak experiences in the near future. And I had to agree. So much of what Maslow says works only if you like your job or if you have enough time after work to find a venue in which you can fulfill these needs. Many of us are caught up with getting ahead, getting that degree, etc. that we don’t allow for any personal development.
This is why I feel I'm very lucky, because I experience many of the things mentioned on Maslow’s chart. Being a teacher allows me to work for the greater good, have peak experiences, work by myself, be spontaneous and open in the classroom and bounce my perceptions of myself and the world off my students, who are newly arrived and have a fresh and often clearer perspective on things.
I am weak at appreciating the simple pleasures of life the way I should. I’m so caught up with getting ahead, making more money, etc. that I don’t spend enough time watching my children grow, listening to my family, or playing with them after dinner. I usually get home at after 7, eat dinner, and put my kids to bed. Here I am, it’s already past 7 and I’m working on this. I need to find these characteristics at home as well as at work.