Psychological the Most Creative Person

Psychological

The most creative person I know is my friend, Clinton. He is a graphic artist but also does some prop design and animation. His work style is very different than that of my less creative friends. He is very deliberate in his actions. When he gets an idea about some project, he will research and prepare before he starts anything. He loves to brainstorm about projects and write down different ideas - he calls it "blue skying." He will He has the ability to look at a problem and see it from many different angles and with many different solutions. He has the ability to move forward in whatever project he is working on with a lot of confidence and very little concern regarding derision from other quarters.

Clinton generally approaches his work, as I have noted, with careful preparation and research. He tends to think carefully about a project before he begins, but then will work with a degree of commitment and concentration which is not common to my less creative friends. He is very aware of detail and somewhat of a perfectionist in regards to his work. This is in direct opposition to the way he approaches many of the other issues in his life, where he is somewhat avoidant and a significant procrastinator. In his work, he is willing to consider all options and possibilities, and will frequently try new media and work in certain styles outside of the norm. He is very willing to make mistakes in his work, probably more than my less creative friends.

Clint tends to work better in smaller groups, or autonomously. When he is working on a project with others, he is very willing to work toward the goals of the group, but when he is in his creative element, he has a tendency to be somewhat dismissive of others ideas. He does not mean to be, and is fun to work with. He is just single-minded in his tasks and tends to expect others to be as open and flexible and creative as he.

Portfolio: This chapter was interesting in that we discussed the psychology of creativity. I think many people feel they are not creative simply because they are not "artistic." This chapter helped me understand there are several layers of creativity. I am a creative person in the way I think, write and deal with the problems of others. Creativity is important to a well rounded personality, since a lack of creativity results in severely linear thinking.

Question 10.1

Depending on the period in my life I describe, I spend more amounts of time in different levels of the hierarchy. If I speak simply of the present, I spend the greatest amount of my time fulfilling my love/belonging and social needs. When I am working and going to school, it is important that I have a strong emotional and family support. The emotionally-based relationships provide me with the greatest satisfaction, and tend to sustain me even when there is an imbalance in the other portions of my life. Should I lack physiological or safety need fulfillment, if I turn to my family and friends, I can receive basic life support as well as emotional encouragement.

If I do not tend to these needs, I have a tendency to feel rather lonely. I find it difficult to progress in other areas when I am socially isolated. The support of my family and friends provides me with a significant level of esteem building. It is sometimes difficult to meet all my needs on my own, and I find that the support of others not only makes me feels fulfilled, but in part leads to my own sense of belonging and self-esteem.

I do not feel that I am excessively dependent on others. On the contrary, I feel that I am self-sufficient and capable. But I prefer to surround myself with other people, friends and family as I feel it makes life more fulfilling.

Portfolio: Maslow's theory was interesting, but simplistic. Many people do not have enough insight to achieve the kinds of personal growth he describes, or else life circumstances prevent them from moving on to higher, self-actualizing levels. Does this make life less germane?

Question 11.2

Freud's attachment theory was based upon the belief that the primary caregiver is the one who will most affect the patient's personality and character. Freud also believed that the mother will automatically bond with a child simply because the effect of the 9 months of intrauterine contact. The anxiety that the patient feels resides in the unconscious. This anxiety may represent ideas or feelings about the patient's mother actively repressed. The patient should also be aware the feelings he has for his mother may not be negative, but may rather represent unfulfilled wishes, dreams, or painful and repressed emotions. The patient should understand that the unconscious usually acts as a repository for socially unacceptable ideas or memories, at least according to Freud, and that the patient has used this as a defense. When the patient sees a woman who physically reminds him of his mother, then it causes an anxiety response. The anxiety response is an unconscious impulse, a conditioned response which makes the patient feel anxious, even though the situation may be devoid of stimuli which would otherwise make the patient feel anxious

According to the Freudian school, the patient's thoughts will not be available to ordinary introspective thought, but rather need to be accessed via psychoanalysis. The analyst is trained to interpret the symptoms (in this case, the anxiety) by techniques like random association or dream analysis which is conducted in the analysis session.

Portfolio: I enjoyed studying the psychoanalytic school since it was the first to even consider the effect of the unconscious and its effect on the conscious mind as well as patterns of behavior. I feel that many of the theories are outdated, but can be integrated into cognitive behavioral techniques of therapy.

When used appropriately, defense mechanisms are healthy responses to psychological distress. They are a major contributor to the formation of personality. Professionals surmise that the presence of defense mechanisms defines and verify the existence of psychological pain, and therefore add credence to the study of psychology. The presence of defense mechanisms was also considered my Freud to be a major developmental element of the personality. Defense mechanisms allow one to express an uncomfortable feeling in a disguised form

The use of defense mechanisms may also become maladaptive. When the defense begins to affect the individual in terms of relationship or contact with reality, this is when the defense becomes pathological. Any individual who overuses defense mechanisms, or uses mechanisms which are less adaptive to standard behavior is likely suffering from some clinical psychological syndrome.

It is unlikely that one would be completely free of defense mechanism. When an individual engages in rational problem solving, this is a conscious ego function and therefore not a defense. The individual who primarily uses problem solving for dealing with stress is likely the person closest to living without using defense mechanism. It could be said that a person who overuses rationalization may be unable to deal with emotional defenses, and thus displays an element of pathology.

Portfolio: Studying defense mechanisms make me profoundly aware of which mechanisms I use myself, and which one I use appropriately or in a more maladaptive fashion. I am also more likely to identify a mechanism in friends, or in characters I see in the movies. It has been helpful for me to understand the difference between the presence of psychological characteristics and dysfunctional behavior.

Question 13.2

It is more common for a patient to express ideas of suicide than to actually go through with the act, but each patient who expresses suicidal ideas or emotions should be taken seriously. Most patients who complete a suicide have some psychiatric orders, usually seen by acute care or family practice practitioners. Their emotions may range from fleeting ideas of suicide to having specific thoughts with serious intent and a plan. Epidemiologically, a male who is older than 65 years is more likely to complete suicide, especially if he is widowed or divorced and living alone. Stressful life events tend to increase the risk. Access to firearms is also significant.

Often times the patients suffer from major depression, with associated substance abuse issues, especially alcohol. Patients will often express feelings of hopelessness, anhedonia, insomnia, severe anxiety, and problems with concentration, psychomotor agitation. An individual who has a history of impulsive, aggressive and antisocial behavior, especially in the presence of home violence is considered to be at special risk.

People often commit suicide due to depression, severe and often times unrecognized. Suicide is a response to the emotional pain they feel, and an attempt to rid themselves of the pain and suffering. Patients often feel hopeless, and that if nothing will ever change, then it is senseless to continue living. People often attempt or commit suicide in response to life stress, emotional pain, extreme living conditions or prolonged illness or disability.

Portfolio: Patients who express suicidal ideation should always be taken seriously. I have read that the greatest risk factor for suicide in previous attempts. Sometimes suicide can be considered a cry for help, and everyone who expresses some time of suicidal ideation deserves evaluation.

Question 14.2

The form of psychotherapy I find the most appealing is the cognitive behavioral approach. It appeals to me since the focus if reparative and based on a desire to change one's behaviors which contribute to the problem which prompted therapy in the first place. Patients who engage in cognitive behavioral therapy require a certain degree of insight into how their behaviors contribute to their own emotions or feelings. The interaction of mind and body can be especially telling; many psychological disorders have physical manifestations and conversely, many chronic medical problems can also manifest emotional symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy allows the individual to recognize patterns of distorted thinking like anxiety reactions or feelings of guilt which result in dysfunctional behavior patterns. Therapy allows the individual control over these dysfunctional neural pathways and as they occur, helps the patient to learn to alter the behavior that occurs in result to the distressful stimuli. The cognitive behavioral therapist can help the patient identify the problem and work toward a reparative process in a more timely way than in, say, Freudian Analysis. Additionally, I feel CBT is attractive because the degree of input from the therapist is high and there is a significant degree of interaction on the part of both the therapist and the patient.

Portfolio: I have enjoyed studying the different styles of psychotherapy, and found it challenging to discern the subtle differences between many of them. I believe that the most effective therapist is able to change from style to style slightly without a high degree of distress based on the needs of the patient. I think this makes for a good therapist as well as the most effective counseling experience for the individual patient.

Question 15.2

Women are not passive creatures as a rule, and neither should they be considered to be simply passive recipients of media content. It should be noted that women will select what they chose to watch and the reaction will be based upon individual experience as well as frame of reference. A woman viewing sexually explicit pictures in the setting of a date may feel it more off-putting based on the social context, while in the company of female friends she may be less upset than she would have been on the date.

The possibility of emotional or psychological arousal which may be attendant to the review of sexually explicit material may trigger behavior in the women which is frowned upon - for example, a woman is meant to be the passive partner is sex and should the material cause her to express sexual needs to her partner or engage in sexual behavior, then often times her behavior is considered uncomely, "unladylike" or smutty. People are also likely to learn about sexuality from how the media portrays women, and it is possible that women get a message from the context in which the sexually explicit behavior occurs. Is it only the pretty woman who is chosen? When a woman gives herself over to sex, it is often time the woman who is the "victim" whether it be in a morality play or in a submissive position in the sexual activity. Often time's sexually explicit material is based primarily on male fantasy which can be in direct opposition to female desires, essentially objectifying the women into something less than human, and rather as simply a means to an end for male sexual satisfaction. In a social context, women are more likely to feel that the sexual relationship is an element of a broader intimate relationship and is likely to be uncomfortable with images which take place outside that context. This is not to say that women are always uncomfortable with sexually explicit images, but rather that the message given by such media is often in direct opposition to the values women are taught.

Portfolio: Pornography is generally by and for men, and many times women view pornography at the behest of a significant other, as would be evidenced by the relative lack of female centered pornography.

Question 16.1

In the Milgram study, the participants were given a reality and told them that this reality was appropriate within the setting and therefore inevitable. So when the study participants were told by others that the administration of shock was part of the experiment and must be done in order to complete the experiment, most of the individuals felt that, even in light of screams of pain from the participant, the pain was to be taken for granted and not to be avoided, and that the screams were inevitable. In society it appears that people are more likely to want to be seen as obedient, rather than morally right. The study shows that ordinary people, in the absence of personal hostility may voluntarily enlist themselves in a horrible process, mostly because an authority figure tells them to. Even when outcomes of the destructive acts become clear, and when asked to continue, very few people are able to summon the moral certainty to work against what they perceive as authority. Milgram felt the subjects who were unable to make decisions left it to the group, who then represents to the individual the acceptable behavioral model for society. Obedience is a strong element in this theory, since in this setting; the individual views himself not so much as the person causing the pain, but more like the person carrying out the wishes of those assigned above him. It is in this way that soldiers are able to go to war, commit acts which are prohibited in the non-military society and still work outside of the normal societal bounds. Obedience to the superior is valued above all in the military society, and the individual surrenders choice for obedience.

Portfolio: I wonder what my response to the Milgram study would be. I hope that I would be the one who said I would not go on. I have a suspicion that it would be difficult for me to purposefully give pain to another because someone in an authority position told me to. I have not been tested in this way. It brings to mind the case of Kitty Genovese, the woman in New York who was slain in the street while over 80 people heard her cries, yet no one intervened. Did that happen because others did not want to get involved, or because others felt it was likely someone else would call for help?

Activity 10

After the study, how do you think the prisoners and guards felt when they saw each other in the same civilian clothes again and saw their prison reconverted to a basement laboratory hallway?

The prisoners must have felt very surreal when they saw their former guards in civilian clothes, attending classes, going on with business as usual. I imagine that some of the guards who really got into the role were a little embarrassed at how they had treated some of the prisoners and may have been unwilling to make contact. Some of the prisoners may have felt they wanted to take revenge on the guards, simply because they had "taken advantage" of the situation and treated the prisoners badly, and may have wanted to physically harm the guards, or expose the behaviors to others. Alternatively, the prisoners may have also been embarrassed to see the guards again, especially if they had broken down, or begged or cried. It also may have taken them back, however briefly, to the time they were in "captivity" and it may have made them feel vulnerable. I guess the reaction would have been based on the pre-experiment personality of the individual, and how severely the experiment had affected them. It may have been very difficult to see the "prison" reconverted, or it may have been comforting. By all accounts the experiment was harrowing for guards and prisoners, and it may have provided a degree of closure when the hallway was reconverted to its original form.

Question 17.1.

There are several elements associated with increased job satisfaction. Were I the boss, I would try to ensure a good flow of communication from top down and back up again, with employees feeling they had a say in some of the day-to-day workings of the company. I would try to ensure that good work was routinely acknowledged and that employees knew they were valued elements of the organization. I would try to be sure all employees had a sense of security within the job and knew the expectations of the position as well as understanding the work required and the level of responsibility each held. This allows individuals to complete work with a relative sense of satisfaction and the knowledge they are working to a set level. I would try to make sure that the supervisors I assigned followed my style of management and were positive in their interactions with the employees. I would try to always hire and promote from within the company, which would enhance employee allegiance to the company and hopefully keep the company from high turnover. I would encourage my employees to solve problems at the lowest level possible but still maintain an open door policy for all my employees. I would try to be as flexible with schedules as possible without impairing the quality or quantity of the work, and I would encourage independent thought and work on the part of the employees. Finally, I would research to be sure my employees were being paid at or above market standards and I would try to poll employees on what kind of benefits they wanted, and provide them whenever possible.