Weekly Blog; Social Thinking

The social positions and the roles that come with them. The Philip Zimbardo experiment definitely shows how this can go bad. For those who don't know what this is it is an experiment on role taking and how it effects the behavior of people. Colleagues of Stanford volunteered. Zimbardo randomly selected each man to either be a guard or a prisoner. The experiment got so serious that they had to end it early. The boundary between the role and the person was erased! The guards turned into brutal guards who took advantage of their power and the prisoners had to be released because of the oncoming stress and anxiety.
This proves that roles of your social positions completely influences your behavior. I can honestly say that this has happened to me. I am a lifeguard at the Tundra Lodge and a lifeguard runs the ropes of the pool and even has the power to revoke the passes into that pool. I am completely different when I am a lifeguard and trying to enforce rules than I am as a friend or a student. I remember I kicked a boy out of one of the pools because he swore at me. It made me angry and I kicked him out of the pool, in turn, wasting his money on the water park. As a worker I also am timid to my managers and do what they say. When I am with my friends that doesn't really happen. I say what is on my mind, I do what I do, and I am who I am. I don't take their orders neither do they order me to say clean the toilets. I also think that the environment in which this role is and social positions. If I grew to know my friends as orderly maybe I would act different in order to fit in. Or maybe I would have moved on to different friends. Depends on the role that is required of my social positions.

Weekly Blog: Eating Disorder

Frolich's syndrome is the condition of the lateral hypothalamus that actually increases appetite. Through research, not wikipedia, I found that it not only affects your metabolism but it affects your sexual characteristics, which I didn't expect at all. This disorder will cause absence of genitals! How does that even happen? How does a hypothalamus disorder affect your genital growth?
Flolich's syndrome was associated with tumors of the hypothalamus which also depresses secretion of gonadotropin. Another interesting fact is that it was only boys who receive this disorder. I'm sure that girls, when they destroy the lateral hypothalamus, will receive this disorder.

Definition

Odgren case

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=5&did=2011390341&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1271872783&clientId=14507
The article I found off of ProQuest was very interesting. It was about a special needs child who convicted violent crimes in his high school as an act to novels. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. According to the article John Odgren suffered from multiple mental disorders and decided to act upon stories and books he had read previously. This attack took place at Lincoln-Sudbury High School and attacked pretty much everyone. He apparently killed a 15 year old band participant by stabbing him and penetrating his heart. He stabbed a boy named Alenson with a 16 inch knife and left him to die in the bathroom. He suffered from bipolar, hyperactivity, Aspenger's disorder, and a form of autism. John was set free.

Weekly Blog; Psych Disorders

The DSM-IV in my opinion is completely correct. We read an article today that completely demolished the idea of even having this DSM-IV. Having a book that defines psychological disorders is only beneficial to the people who sincerely believe they have something wrong with them. Having experts who specialize and diagnose these disorders only helps eliminate false diagnosis.
Even though I agree with the DSM-IV, the new psychological disorders going into the new DSM-V in 2013 are a bit absurd. a binge eating disorder? Hypersexuality? Are they serious? This book needs to become serious and literal. I believe that the disorders they are adding to the book are repetitive and are just branching off of each other. I want to know what everyone else thinks. Do you think that these are legit disorders and they should be treated or if they are just explanations for the problems people bring to themselves?

Weekly Blog/ Sleep Problems

Today we talked about the sleep talking man. I looked at a couple pages about him and the stuff he says is hilarious. I chose to write about him because I have been told I talk in my sleep. No one could ever tell what I was saying or anything but they said I could hold conversations with myself. I also had problems where I would wake up crying, or having mild night terrors. I would wake up crying and shaking only in some nights. It wouldn't happen every night but my mom would wake me up and I would be completely in tears. One night, though, it got bad. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and my hand were covered in blood. Whether something happened in my sleep or it was just a bloody nose I didn't know because I couldn't remember anything. It was scary. I also have experienced times where I was told that I would twitch. I don't know what it is but I have been told that I do it all the time.

An article about Adam and his wife...some of the things he says.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6983170/Woman-keeps-blog-of-sleep-talking-husbands-funniest-comments.html

Adam Lennard Quotes
http://gregwhit.blogspot.com/2010/01/adam-lennard-quotes_22.html

8 Intelligences: Gardner

Today we took the multiple intelligence test and I thought it was very interesting. The 8 intelligences really came into perspective when I did this activity. When you were done with the test it showed each intelligence and gave a lamens definition. It helped me put a definition to the 8 intelligences that the book failed to do. In my test I got that I was most intelligent in linguistic and intrapersonal. In lamens terms I am best in learning terms and vocabulary and work and know myself. This will help me in college because now I know how I need to study. I also believe that it is a good idea to make freshman and younger students to take this test so they know how they learn and it will help them make school easier. It may also help teachers in possibly splitting up students on the way they learn. It could make our students tests scores higher and possibly bring more students to our schools. I think its something to think about in the future.

Weekly Blog: Solving Problems

For my blog this week I wanted to talk about solving problems and the methods people take. Reading the pages and taking notes on the concepts and methods of solving problems, I realized that I could actually relate to or find examples of times where I have used such methods as algorithms and insight and obstacles such as fixation.

Algorithms, according to my notes, are just step-by-step directions of how to solve a problem. I would argue that everyone, sometime in their life, has used algorithms to solve a puzzle, do arithmetic equations, or even to organize their daily routine. I use algorithms in math. It helps me become error proof in my math problems and understand the concepts of such things as proofs, solving for "x", and doing trigonometry. Algorithms make it easier and organized to make correct solutions to a problem.

Insight, again I would argue, every one uses or has. Everyone, I would say, has had an obstacle, such as a challenge problem or even an answer in your head to a question on a test. I have had many moments were, in a test, I struggle for the answer on the test. I sit there and think about it until finally the AHA! moment comes along. It just makes the clouds around that thought disappear.

Along with solutions I have had obstacles. There has been many times where I have been doing a puzzle or reviewing a test where if my thought, which I was positive was right, was completely wrong and I didn't know how else to solve such an issue. Or even when you disagree with someone and you are POSITIVE you are correct, and they prove you wrong, you just feel like you just didn't know. I have that a lot as well. It really helps me learn these concepts, solutions, and obstacles when I can relate them to personal experiences.