Week Eight: Type A and B Behavior Patterns

This week I found the behavior patterns interesting. There are two types of behavior patterns and they are type A and type B. Type A individuals tend to be very competitive, angry, inpatient and restless, whereas type B individuals tend to have the opposite behaviors of a type A person. I was amazed to find out that type A individuals are twice more likely to have heart disease than those who are type B. Even though types A people are more likely to suffer from cardiac disease they however recover better form heart attacks than type B people. I guess this is good news if you are a type A individual like me. In addition, the book stated that type A individuals recover better from heart attacks because they are motivated to stick to their diet and exercise regimens.

I am a type A person to the extreme. I am indeed am very competitive. I have to be the alpha and win. Just the other evening I was Scrabble with my sister and I got very angry at her because she blocked my 30 point word. Let’s just say I did not speak to her for the rest of the night.

 I know this is off topic from the rest of my blog, but I would like to learn more Hormone replacement therapy because there are many risks but there are also benefits. The book said that the Hormone Replacement therapy resulted in fewer hip fractures but it also had a greater chance of developing breast cancer, stroke and heart attack. To the benefits outweigh the risks.

Week Seven: Primary and Secondary Mental Abilities

From this reading, in chapter ten I found primary and secondary mental abilities interesting. Primary mental abilities are groups of related intellectual skills, whereas secondary mental abilities are broader intellectual skills that include and organize the primary abilities. The five main abilities are number, word fluency, verbal meaning, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation. The number ability involves the basic skills of mathematical reasoning. The second ability is word fluency and this is how easily an individual produces verbal descriptions. The third ability is verbal meaning and this is an individual’s vocabulary capacity. Inductive reasoning is the ability to infer from particular facts to general concepts and the last ability is spatial orientation and this is the ability to reason in a three dimensional  world. These are just five of the 25 skills. These are the only ones the book discusses.  Secondary mental abilities include fluid and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence stresses the abilities that make an individual a flexible thinker. Sudoku, cross words, word searches and mazes are way to test fluid intelligence.  Crystallized intelligence is the knowledge that one has acquired through life experience and education. This knowledge includes the comprehension of communication, judgment, and the ability to remember many other things.

In the book it states that crystallized intelligence improves throughout adulthood and I believe it. When I was younger my crystallized intelligence was horrible not just because I was young and lacking life experiences but because I genuinely was not that smart, but with time I have improved this by reading more and by doing intellectual activities such as discussions and trivia games.  In the book it mentions the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and that this game was based off crystallized intelligence. I remember thinking to myself when I was younger that it would be fun to go on that show, but I thought I would be too dumb for it. Now that I know that it is based on crystallized intelligence it kind of takes the fun out of it. 

I would like to learn more about the Seattle longitudinal study (p.374). I found it quite intriguing especially the differential changes in abilities over time.

Week Six: Kohlberg's Theory

From this week’s material I found the three levels of moral reasoning interesting. There are three levels of moral reasoning and each level is divided into two stages, for a total of six stages. The first level is known as the preconventional level and this is where one’s reasoning is based on external forces such as receiving a punishment or reward. The first stage is known as obedience orientation and one’s moral reasoning is founded on the idea that adults know what is right and what is wrong. The second stage is instrumental orientation this is where one’s morals stem from their own needs.  The second level is the conventional level. This is where one’s moral reasoning is built on society’s expectations or what others think them. The first stage of this level is the interpersonal norms and one’s morals are centered on winning others approval, whereas the second stage focuses on social system morality. In this section one believes in maintaining society to promote the good of all people. The last level of Kohlberg’s theory is the post-conventional level. This is the level where one’s reasoning is grounded on personal moral code and is not dependent upon external forces. The first stage of this level is based on one’s belief that laws are good for everyone, and the last stage is universal ethical principles in which one believes that everyone share the same morals and values.

As I child my moral reasoning was at the preconventional level. My morals were strictly based upon if I would receive a punishment or a reward for my actions. My behavior and thinking was based on if I would get a reward for a good behavior, and if it was a bad behavior I wouldn’t do it because I did not want to face the negative consequences. Now that I am an adult I like to think that I have reached the post-conventional level. I do have my own moral and code of ethics and it is not biased by anyone opinions-it is what I personally believe. 

I know that there are cultural differences in moral reasoning, but I would like to know more about different countries and what their morals are and how does moral reasoning affect their values.

Week Five: Abuse

From this week’s reading I found the section on abuse thought provoking.  Cultural, parental and child factors are what contributes to child abuse.  Cultural factors are a broad category for the likelihood of an individual abusing a child. In other words, children in the United States are more likely to be abused than children in Asian countries. The textbook states that many European and Asian countries have laws protecting children from physical punishment, whereas in the United States parents are allowed to spank their children as a form of punishment. The way a parent rears their children is dependent on sociocultural values. Parental factors are the second contributor of child abuse. Parents who were abused themselves as children are more likely to abuse their own child later on in life, to be exact, about one-third of abused parents abuse their own children (Kail & Cavavaugh, 2010). In addition, parent who are lacking in effective parenting techniques often abuse their children because there is often inconsistent discipline and the parent usually has unrealistic expectations of the child. The third factor is the abused children themselves. Children who are at the infant and preschooler age are more likely to be abused because they cannot control their behavior that causes the parent to abuse them.  The example the textbook used was the classic example of shaken baby syndrome, where the parent shakes the baby to death to stop the baby from crying. Furthermore, children who are often ill become targets of abuse because of the added stress  it brings to the parents.

I can speak from personal experience that all three factors contribute to child abuse. Before I was adopted, I grew up in foster care where I witnessed many children enter the same system I was in. A majority of children who enter the foster care system were victims of abuse and neglect. Many were from poverty stricken and dysfunctional families. The worst case of abuse I saw a baby who was neglected. When the baby entered the same home I was in, the back of her head was completely flat. She was born to crack addicted mother who ignored her and left her lying flat on her back while she was in her care, and this is what cause her skull to be deformed. Luckily she entered foster and found a loving foster home.

I would like to learn more about studies on resiliency. I specifically want to know how an individual can break his or her family’s dysfunction. I think that if everyone could learn how to do this the world would be a much better place and maybe it just might lower the odds of a child being abuse.