Why We Share Secrets

Being students at an all girls high school, none of us are unfamiliar with gossip. We are all told not to do it but at one time or another everyone has gossiped, and in some cases it has led to consequences, like the ending of a friendship. In Mark Matousek's article, he explains how four of his best friends had dropped him as a friend over gossip. What infuriated him about this fight with his friends was that the gossip was not malicious, and in fact was just because he and his friends (who frequently gossiped too) just wanted to share information and never meant any harm. He goes on to explain that as people, we are able to share information and that's an advantage in our human evolution. People gossip because they care about what is going on around them and want to share information with each other so everybody can be in the know. It is part of human nature, and as long as it is done in an innocent manner, and not with the intent to hurt another person it is a harmless aspect of human life.

Would you consider gossip to be a bad thing, even if it is not done maliciously? Do you find that it is more common that people gossip in order to harm others or simply because they want to know more information? Is gossip something we can control and try to stop doing or is the article right and it's simply human nature to gossip?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethical-wisdom/201112/gossip-is-human-why-we-share-secrets

What Motivates You?

In his article, "Different Motivational Strokes for Differentially Motivated Folks," Dr. John Tauer explains a time he was challenged when attempting to motivate a basketball player he coached. Dr. Tauer thought that he had motivation broken down to an exact science. In this case, he had been proven wrong. Tauer initially stressed the value of intrinsic motivation for a person to succeed over extrinsic motivation. His player surprised him by saying it was necessary that his coach yell, punish, and embarrass him in front of the other players in order to motivate him. Puzzled by his athlete's acceptance of his own lazy behavior, Dr. Tauer listened to what the player had to say and continued to motivate him in this manner and eventually culminated in a successful season overall.

I personally know that I am not motivated to do something if I am being spoken to in a negative tone. Although it is necessary to get a 'kick in the butt,' there are often poor communicators who attempt to motivate others but actually end up demotivating them. I think in motivating people, in any type of setting, it is necessary to first establish a layer of trust and to next treat them as a equal- not to condescend or belittle them. I think understanding that everyone responds to different things is necessary when motivating a group or an individual.

What motivates you? Do you respond better to some people and not others? Why or why not? Have you ever been faced with a difficult situation in trying to motivate others? What happened?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/goal-posts/200906/different-motivational-strokes-differentially-motivated-folks

The Special Skills of People Who Are Always Getting Stereotyped

Sorry this was so late! But, here we go...

We all live in a society in which stereotypes have become a large part of our lives, whether we consciously place people in stereotypes or not. Many of us have been stereotyped based on the school we attend, the clothes that we wear, the classes we take, our ethnicity, and who we are friends with. Going to IHA someone may look at us in our uniform and think we must be the greatest thing to walk the face of the earth, or that we are snobby catholic school girls. Based on our ethnicity someone may assume we eat dogs or love rice if we are Asian, or think we are superior to others if we are white. By what we wear someone may call us preppy, a jock, a nerd, a hipster and so forth. (yes I did realize this started to sound like The Breakfast Club) In this article Bella DePaulo reports a study in which groups of people talk about the stereotype they were categorized, how they felt and how they reacted to being stereotyped.

What are your opinions on stereotypes? Have you ever stereotyped a person? Have you been stereotyped and how did it make you feel? How do you react to being stereotyped? How can stereotyping impact a person's life?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/201111/the-special-skills-people-who-are-always-getting-stereotyped

Growing Up Online- Beneficial or Harmful?

As 17 and 18 year olds, we've grown up in the digital age. Social networking sites have helped us keep in contact with friends, youtube has provided us with entertainment, and newspapers are no longer needed to know the latest news. However, now we face the common dilemma of what to post and what not to post online.

But never mind growing up in the 1990s where a parent was needed to help you play a CD-rom on the computer. Unlike the 1990s, children before they're even born have internet footprints almost as large as ours. Parents post ultrasounds, photos, and videos of their children growing up on social networking sites and never question how their children will react to their internet footprint later on in life.

Should parents post images and videos of their children on social networking sites? If they should, where should they draw the line? Do you think children looking back on the photos in the future will mind? Do you think it will affect their future college and job opportunities? What do you think are some psychological issues that could result from immediately having an internet footprint?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-digital-self/201111/digital-natives-growing-online-0

Does the Job of Your Dreams Exist?

As high school seniors, we've all been thinking not only about the colleges we wish to attend, but potential career paths we may want to pursue as well. With all of the options out there today, it may be hard to narrow down the list to one or two choices. Should you stick with your childhood dream job, or move towards a more practical job given the uncertainty of today's economy? Although it may seem more logical to pursue a career that guarantees stability and income, Diane Barth argues the opposite. She states that daydreams of our ultimate career may actually lead to increased productivity and overall happiness as a result.

So, would it be better to pursue your ideal career, no matter the risk you would be taking given today's economy, or to just take any job that promises financial stability? Do you think you would be better off in the long run knowing that you at least attempted to land your dream job, even if it didn't work out? Do you think that daydreams, as stated in the article, can actually lead us to become more productive and solve this job dilemma?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-couch/201111/does-the-job-your-dreams-exist

-Maria Southard

[Couldn't get my own account to work, so I posted from Regan's]

Being a high school senior, life is about balance. There are many things that need to be balanced in your life, whether it is school, your social life, your family life, etc. Now going off to college, you will probably be confronted with even more stressful situations. In the article, the author, Nancy Schlossberg says that balance in one's life equals happiness and that there are two steps that can lead a person to make decisions that are well balanced in their life.

Now I must ask, How well do you balance everything that is going on in your life? What things in your life are hard to balance and why? Do you feel that the two steps in the article would help you find more balance and happiness in your life?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/transitions-through-life/201111/happiness-is-balancing-act

Is Lying Addictive?

At some point in our lives we have all lied, whether it was to get out of trouble from our parents or having a false excuse as to why our homework is not complete. It would be impossible to say that we could stop lying, but when does the simple "white lie" turn into a much more serious problem. Dr. Nogales says that we lie in order to avoid embarrassment and to gain a self image due to the immense amount of pressure placed on humans to be great. People lie because they want to be someone who they are not and in result they are never happy with what they are doing. They often cannot acknowledge the things they are accomplishing because down deep they know it does not belong to them. They begin to lose their friends and relationships and their true self becomes isolated. Lying can be addictive and is extremely hard to stop but is certainly possible.

Now I have to ask you, do you think lying is addictive? Do you have a friendship that has ended as a result of lying? Do you find that you know people who begin to lie so well that not only are you convinced their lie is true but they seem to believe their own lies? How do you think you would handle a situation where someone very close to you was a liar?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/family-secrets/201110/liars-and-deceivers

Procrastination: Can you cure it?

As high school students, most of us probably procrastinate to some degree. But if you procrastinate too much, it can begin to affect your stress levels and grades. Gretchen Rubin suggests 8 tips for curing your chronic procrastination: don't give yourself a reason to hurry, don't be afraid to ask for help, make choices more quickly, conquer the task in small steps, work through the task for 15 minutes straight, get it done first thing in the morning, avoid distractions and interruptions, and don't get preoccupied by the work itself.

Ask yourself: are you someone who works now and plays later or do you procrastinate? Is procrastinating worth it or does it just add unnecessary stress? How often and how much do you procrastinate? Do you think Ms. Rubin's tips will work to help decrease or eliminate procrastination? How do you avoid procrastinating or fixing your procrastination?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201110/8-tips-stop-procrastinating

Should Makeup Really Matter?

Hey girls!  Sorry for the delay, I've been trying to post this for the past few days and it won't let me but I finally figured out that I think my account just isn't authorized to post on here so I'm posting it from Jacquie's account.  Thanks!

- Ellie McCarty

Many of us have probably considered the effect that makeup and our looks have on dating and our relationships, but have you ever considered the effect that this could have on our job prospects? According to the article a new study suggests that women who wear more makeup have a better chance of being hired because they are more likely to be perceived as competent, likeable, attractive, and trustworthy as opposed to women who wear natural makeup and no makeup. As students at IHA, we often separate work and makeup/looking attractive in that most of us usually disregard how we look when we come to school because our effort and thoughts are focused on our schoolwork, athletics and other obligations.

Do you think that this should carry over to the workplace and that women should focus more on working hard than looking good, or do you think that it is beneficial for women to wear makeup to work, and why? What do you think might be some reasons why people in general see women who wear makeup as more competent, likeable, attractive, and trustworthy? Do you think that employers should consider whether or not a woman wears makeup, or do you think that they should completely disregard on the job or career field or that the sentiments of employers are/should be generally the same across the board?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201110/want-boost-your-job-prospects-try-beauty-makeover

Luck of the Irish? Or Talent?

Many athletes have their own little quirks or superstitions. They have to do a routine or wear a certain outfit in order for them to do well in a game. Psychologists have questioned whether these superstitions are legitimate or if it is simply pseudoscience. Psychologists have given many explanations for superstitions; to calm them down, to give them something to blame, or to put them in the right state of mind among other things.

Is this superstition just in their head? Do you feel there is any scientific explanation to back up their faith? Do you have any superstitions? How would you feel if you went to a game or a meet without your lucky charm? Do you think this superstition affects boys or girls more? Are they different kinds; do girls think more about outfits and boys think more about routines, etc.?

Read more about this in Mayberry's article, Unearthing Superstitions http://psychologyofsports.com/2010/06/08/unearthing-superstitions/

Are You Addicted?

Admit it. You check Facebook at least once a day, your Twitter, Tumblr, email. You cannot live without the internet. When you're not in school, it's your connection to your friends. And it's not necessarily a bad thing, when used in moderation.
However, if abused, we become addicted just as if we were abusing a drug. The author, John Cline, uses the phrase "internet addiction" to describe this compulsive internet use. People will stay up all night playing games, blogging or chatting with friends on Facebook. It's something to worry about, especially for us as not only normally teenagers, but as high school students equipped with computers used for school.
Would you consider yourself addicted to the internet? How much time is too much time spent on the computer? What are some of the serious health issues regarding "internet addiction"? In relation to the chapters we just studied, how would you go about devising an experiment to test the relationship between computer use and sleep deprivation; could you use a survey technique, naturalistic observation, or a case study? Check out Cline's article titled "Sleep and the Internet Addict"

Bullying- A part of life?

Drama, it’s a part of our everyday lives. It seems as through drama is impossible to escape because we are constantly surrounded by girls. Being in this type of environment can be difficult and stressful, and -for some- may be too much to bear. In our society it is easy for girls to confront each other in nasty ways. Technology and Facebook aide in this process and can affect us more than if bullied face to face. Although some fights of aggression can be resolved the memories of things said can last a lifetime.

In this article, by Ditta Oliker, she discusses how society views bullying as something that only happened between males. It wasn’t until recently that female bullying was acknowledged. Why do you think female bullying took longer to be acknowledged? Based on your experiences are males or females more aggressive? Why? Do you think male of females are affected more by bullying? Why do you feel girls have the desire to bully eachother?


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-long-reach-childhood/201109/bullying-in-the-female-world

10th Anniversary of 9/11

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11. I vividly recall that day, during my second week of college.... gathered with my roommates, glued to the TV. I could tell you what I was wearing that morning, what class I was in, the day of the week, etc. (This is something we refer to as a 'flashbulb memory').

This article offers suggestions to parents on how to address the topic of 9/11 with their children. Please read through and consider how you feel about the psychologist's opinions. Then, briefly answer the following questions in your reply post: Do you agree or disagree with the author? Is there anything else you think parents should do? How do you think schools should handle the sensitive topic of 9/11? Do you feel that we, as a country, adequately commemorate this day? Should we be doing anything different?

Parents and 9/11

Be sure to reply by the end of the school day on 9/16.