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Learning # 1: Self-actualization. Self-actualization is defined as “the process of fulfilling our potential” (Myers, 2015, 34.2).
Example from my life – Abraham based the description of self-actualization from the lives of people who share characteristics, such as “self-aware and self-accepting, open and spontaneous, loving and caring, and not paralyzed by others’ opinions” (Myers, 2015, 34.2). I have seen most of these from my grandfather.
Explanation of how my life example represents self-actualization – According to Myers, mature adults eventually seek to fulfill one’s potential, and in this process, learn enough about life “enough about life to be compassionate, to have outgrown their mixed feelings toward their parents, to have found their calling, to have ‘acquired enough courage to be unpopular, to be unashamed about being openly virtuous, etc.’ (Myers, 2015, 34.2). I personally have not gone through this process, probably because I’m still young, but I have seen most of these qualities from my grandfather. Currently, he is more focused on nurturing relationship. Unlike when he was a bit younger, he is now more compassionate and more interested living a peaceful and spiritual life. I believe he is now ultimately seeking self-actualization more than anything else.
Learning # 2: Extraversion – Extraversion is one of the factors identified in the Big Five Personality Traits, and it is characterized by being sociable, fun-loving, and affectionate (Myers, 2015, 35.1).
Example from my life – Based on the characteristics that are associated with an extravert personality, I believe that I can classify myself as having one because of my behaviors and attitudes.
Explanation of how my life example represents extraversion - I believe that I am an extravert because I have always been sociable. I find it easy to adapt in a social setting, and I am rarely shy to approach other people. I have the tendency to seek out fun in everything I do, and I am affectionate in terms of how I relate to people, especially those who I value the most.
Learning # 3: Reciprocal determinism - According to Albert Bandura, “behavior, internal personal factors, and environmental influences all operate as interlocking determinants of each other” (Myers, 2015, 35.2). This is how he described reciprocal determinism.
Example from my life – The interaction of my personality, my environment, and my behaviors can best explain how reciprocal determinism works.
Explanation of how my life example represents reciprocal determinism – Being an extravert, I choose environments that are more social in nature. I like to hang out with friends, and I enjoy being part of group works and community services. Within these environments that I choose, I find joy and fulfilment. Clearly, my personality shapes my interpretation and reaction to my social environment. As a result, my enthusiastic disposition whenever I am with groups of people influences the people around me most of the time. The more I enjoy other people’s company, the more they also seem to enjoy my presence.
Learning # 4: Self-esteem - Myers defines self-esteem as the “feelings of high or low self-worth.
Example from my life – I have understood how the effect of low-self-esteem works by reflecting on the behavior and attitude of one of my friends.
Explanation of how my life example represents self-esteem – Experiments revealed that one’s low-self-esteem can also affect other people (Myers, 2015, 35.3). I’ve seen this happen as an effect of one of my friend’s low self-esteem. He would always talk about the things that he probably can’t do, like passing an exam, despite the fact that he has been performing well in school. His low self-esteem seems to also impact us, his friends. I observed how critical he has been towards others. Instead of encouraging our friends, including me, and praising our academic performance, he would always find a way to make us feel like what we are doing is not enough to be considered great work.
Learning # 5: Self-serving bias – Self-serving bias is defined as “our readiness to perceive ourselves favorably” (Myers, 2015, 35.3).
Example from my life – According to Epley and Dunning, self-serving bias is a reflection of how we overestimate ourselves and underestimate other people (qtd. in Myers, 2015, 35. 3). Although I may not always be aware of it, I believe that like many others, I am guilty of self-serving bias.
Explanation of how my life example represents self-serving bias – Back in high-school, there was a particular Math examination that I almost failed while I did well in other subjects. My mother and I had a conversation about it, and I was so sure that I failed the Math exam because the instructions and format were confusing. However, I remember telling my Mom how proud I was because I did well in my other subjects since I studied hard a week before. At that point, I accepted responsibility for my good academic performance while I didn’t do the same for my failed Math exam.
Learning # 6: Fundamental Attribution Error – In 1977, Ross defines fundamental attribution error as “the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition” (qtd. in Myers, 2015, 36.1).
Example from my life – I honestly believe that most often than not, I, like many others, commit fundamental attribution error, and this was evident in a scenario that happened within our neighborhood.
Explanation of how my life example represents fundamental attribution error– According to Myers (2015), “we all commit the fundamental attribution error” (36.1). I believe this to be true. Few months ago, a case was filed against a teenager from our neighborhood because he was allegedly bullying a classmate. However, we, his neighbors, couldn’t believe it because he seemed to be sociable and respectful. The problem was that we never really knew how he was behaving in school. This means that we have attributed his behavior to his personal traits of being sociable and respectful of his neighbors, which is why we seemed to have a hard time believing that he was a bully in school.
Learning # 7: Attitudes – Attitudes refer to the “feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events” (Myers, 2015, 36.1).
Example from my life – Recently, I have been aware that “actions affect our attitude” (Myers, 2015, 36.1). This is why I have been trying to wear a positive action so that it can help me elicit more positive attitudes.
Explanation of how my life example represents attitude – Although I am optimistic most of the time, there are moments when I also feel the exact opposite without any reason. I have been aware that positive actions affect attitude, so whenever I feel down, I smile and think about happy thought. This action helps uplift my attitude because it’s quite hard to smile and think of negative things at the same time. Myers (2015) is correct when he states that “not only will people stand up for what they believe, they also will believe more strongly in what they have stood up for (36.1).
Learning # 8: Conformity - Conformity is defined as “adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard (Myers, 2015, p. 36.2)
Example from my life – The word conformity is neither good or bad. However, whenever I hear this word, I tend to associate it with an unfavorable outcome based on the experience of my cousin.
Explanation of how my life example represents conformity – At one point of his life, he was influenced by his peers to use drugs. When confronted by his parents, he said that he had no choice but to conform to his group, otherwise, he will be considered as an outcast. Indeed, as Brown stated, “Being a friend or part of a larger groupprovides great benefits of acceptance, friendship, and identity, but can also demand conformity” (qtd. in Simons-Morton and Farhat, 2010, p.193)
Learning # 9: Aggression – Aggression is “any behavior intended to harm someone, whether done out of hostility or as a calculated means to an end.” (Myers, 2015, 37.2)
Example from my life - I am personally not an aggressive person, but in my life, I have met few aggressive one, like an old classmate and his brother.
Explanation of how my life example represents aggression – When I was in grade school, I had a very aggressive classmate. He used to get mad easily, and he was often involved in fist fights. The same was true for his brother, so I would always saw their parents being called in the principal’s office. According to Myers (2015), “genes influence aggression,” and I am thinking that aggression probably runs in their blood (37.2).
Learning # 10: Companionate Love – This kind of love is defined as “the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined” (Myers, 2015, 38.1)
Example from my life – By looking at the relationship of my grandparents, the meaning of companionate love becomes clear to me.
Explanation of how my life example represents companionate love – According to Myers (2015), love becomes steadier as it measures (38.1). This is true with the case of my grandparents. In few more years, they will be celebrating their 50th years together, but they seemed to have developed a deep level of trust and understanding. They are always together, and in most days when I am with them, I noticed that they are comfortable with silence. When I look at them, it is like they do not need too much words to communicate and understand each other because they have been together long enough to establish a strong love for each other.
References
Myers, D. (2015). Exploring psychology in modules. Retrieved from http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/exploring9einmodulesdsm5/2886732#/ebook
Simons-Mortin, B., and Farhat, T. (2010). Recent findings on peer group influences on adolescent substance use. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 31, 191 – 208. doi:10.1007/s10935-010-0220-x.
