Psychology is defined as the exploration of knowledge on the mind or behavior of human beings. The study of the psychology course is helpful because as a learner, I am interested in helping others while understanding how and why people display different behaviors. As a student in psychology, I hone critical thinking skills and acquire the necessary training in the application of the scientific method (Hoffman, 2012). Critical thinking skills are valuable as they help the learners to actively apply a set of skills to information in the course of understanding and evaluating the said information. The best applications of critical thinking skills include maintaining the attitude of skepticism, recognition of internal biases, and the sound use of logical thoughts (Macdonald, 2013). This implies that psychology students do not only gain knowledge on the complex factors shaping one’s behavior, but also come to appreciate the interaction of our biology, the environment, and the experiences that determine this behavior. Consequently, psychological concepts are labels that treat abstractions as if they have concrete or material existence including the interaction between people and their environment.
Depression
Everything seems challenging when I think about dealing with depression. Depression will always eat up the mind and influence the behavior of a person negatively (Macdonald, 2013). The worst thing in my life was to learn that my family and friends were doing everything to support me yet I continued feeling so lonely. Anything that I was told was turned into bad ideas as I felt everybody was my worst enemy. Depression made my life to be like a nightmare because every time, I felt like I needed to sleep to wade off the bad ideas in my mind. However, the worst even happened as I further developed sleeping problems (Riggio, 2017). I lived with the knowledge that I needed help, even though it was a burden now that everybody seemed to be an enemy in my life. I instead fought to be free from the medics, counselors, and hospitals as I lost the motivation and purpose in my life. Living with depression taught me different lessons that have been the guide in the entire life.
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I realized that one of the most important things that I could do to help in the situation apart from hospitalization and therapy was to develop strong social support. I realized the need for forging stronger ties with friends and family (Macdonald, 2013). Understanding that I could count on supportive loved ones was the turning point in my life as it improved the depression. I also realized the need for reducing stress. The body releases a hormone known as cortisol when the body is fighting the stressors (Hoffman, 2012). In the short-term, reducing the stress was a good thing because it helped in gearing up to cope with the stressors in life. I understood that in the long run, high levels of stress may lead to depression and other adverse effects such as drug abuse.
I also emphasize on the need for improving sleep hygiene as a health promotion practice that could help in reducing the levels of depression (Macdonald, 2013). I have come to learn that sleep and mood are intimately related, where people suffering from sleep disorder often experience sleep disturbances. When I was depressed, I felt like I could not fall asleep even though I struggled to get out of bed because of the high levels of exhaustion. I came to realize the importance of sleep hygiene as it improves the quality of sleep (Riggio, 2017). I used different practices including turning off electronics at least an hour before getting to bed. I also realized that using the dim light while engaging in relaxing activities or reading a book could promote sleep hygiene. I also discovered that improving eating habits could positively influence the levels of depression.
There is a clear link between diet and mental health. In this regard, improving nutrition can prevent and treat mental illness because there are different brain-essential nutrients that can affect the levels of depression (Hoffman, 2012). Research has also shown that deficiency in mineral compounds such as zinc can increase the levels of depression. I cannot determine whether I had lowered levels of zinc, but all I came to understand was that proper nutrition could relieve the levels of depression. I also recall having learned to stop negative thoughts in a bid to solve my depression. Depression did not only make me feel bad but also caused the development of negative thoughts in my life. Learning how to change these negative thoughts was a hurdle even though it improved my moods in the long run (Riggio, 2017). The best approach to coping with negative thoughts was cognitive behavioral therapy, which worked in terms of altering the negative thinking known as cognitive distortions that caused depression.
Anxiety
Consciousness describes the awareness of the internal and external stimuli of a person. Being conscious means having the awareness of our thoughts and emotions. I often experience different states of consciousness and different levels of awareness on a regular basis. Firstly, I describe consciousness as a continuum that ranges from full levels of awareness to a deep slumber. Sleep is often a state that is marked with low levels of physical activity and reduction in the sensory awareness that is distinct from the rest that occurs when we are awake. On the other hand, wakefulness is defined by high levels of sensory awareness, thought, and behavior (Macdonald, 2013). In our lives, we, therefore, experience two extreme states of consciousness, while there are intermediaries between these states that are related to daydreaming, intoxication due to drug use, and unconscious states such as the case of anesthesia (Hoffman, 2012). The altered states of consciousness can be defined by high levels of anxiety.
Whenever I want to know that I am developing the altered states of consciousness, I always feel as if I am disconnected from the real world, where I am in a dream-like state. The best example is where I once experienced a daydream about driving from work to school without even having the thought about the driving itself (Riggio, 2017). Anxiety can make you feel as if you are not part of what is going on as you get out of touch with the surrounding world. In my daily life, I understand and appreciate the difference between my thoughts and my actions. I always imagine situations and actions with the clear understanding that these are merely thoughts, and that there are no consequences of the thoughts in real life. Most of the times, I look at these thoughts as a safe and convenient way of rehearsing actions that I might never do in reality. In the real-life situation, anxiety tends to change all these (Macdonald, 2013). As I become more anxious, the gap between my thoughts and the actions that I take seem to narrow.
One day, while listening to a motivational speech, a person seated close to me tapped my shoulder and said, “Brenda, why are you panting heavily?” That was when I realized that the anxiety I had developed had bluffed me into believing that I am in danger and that I should avoid the source of anxiety. Since then, I realized just how anxious thoughts can turn the catastrophic thoughts into a feeling of reality (Macdonald, 2013). I felt as if I am in danger, even though the source of the fear was mere imagination that was made to feel real by the altered state of consciousness. Labeling the anxiety in my life involved giving the label of anxiety. I once spoke in soliloquy saying, “Brenda, the terror that you are feeling is your anxiety. You are not in danger and you should not run away from what is making you feel that way.” That is the time I started learning how to manage my anxiety.
Whenever I experience the feelings of terror, I label it anxiety because if I label it as a danger, I might respond differently or even develop depression. Even though there is no way of using the feelings to help make the right labeling decision, anxiety will always make the thoughts feel as if something dangerous is really happening. My anxiety will always make me feel afraid of the things that may not even cause any form of danger (Hoffman, 2012). For example, my anxiety begs me to stay safely under my covers because I feel that the world is too dangerous. I also develop the fear of getting too happy because I believe that there is so much more to lose in this world (Macdonald, 2013). Labeling my fears as anxiety has often worked where I experience it melting into my subconscious. I always believe that the environment in which I was brought up is responsible for what I have to endure in my life at this time.
Parental Styles
Parenting is a social role that determines human behavior. In today’s psychology, there are four major recognized styles of parenting including the authoritative, neglectful, permissive, and the authoritarian style (Hoffman, 2012). Each of these parenting styles bears different characteristics that may bring about different reactions in the children depending on the way it is applied. It is essential to consider that every relationship between a child and a parent is different from other relationships, where I am not quite sure about the best way to go about parenting (Macdonald, 2013). However, the psychology class has been a guide that can help in decoding the parenting styles and the possible suggestions that can be applied in raising happy, responsible and productive members of the society. Firstly, I do not think that the authoritative parenting style is the best way of raising up children, even though it is regarded as the most effective and beneficial style of parenting for normal children (Riggio, 2017). I always feel that authoritative parents are easy to recognize considering that they are marked by high expectations that they have for the children.
Authoritative parenting tends to create a healthy environment for the growth of a child, while it helps in fostering a productive relationship between a parent and a child. In my personal analysis, I find that most parents do not recognize that they are authoritative. The best approach to helping such parents know that they are applying an authoritative form of parenting has been to put them to the task of responding to some simple questions (Hoffman, 2012). I always ask parents if their children have a daily structure including planned bedtime and common household rules. As a person who has been raised under the authoritative parenting style, I understand that there are consequences for disrupting the daily structure and household rules (Macdonald, 2013). Most of the parents under the authoritative form of parenting have a healthy and open line of communication with their children, while the child understands the expectations that they have for their behavior.
In as much as the parenting styles are supposed to differ in a bid to accommodate different children, most of the styles may not work out especially if the child has behavioral problems or other traits that are difficult to handle (Riggio, 2017). Such cases call for the adjustment of the parenting appropriately and seeking out for help from licensed therapists if the parent may feel overwhelmed. In my life, I have emulated the trait of open communication with the child as the most important trait that can help in building a harmonious relationship (Hoffman, 2012). A parent who fosters the ability to speak to their children without judgment or reprimand always gain an insight into the life of the young ones, where they provide the children with a deeper understanding of the world around them.
I have also had the opportunity of interacting with parents who use the neglectful parenting style. In my personal view, I find that this is the most harmful style of parenting as is affects the psychological development of the child. Most of the parents who rarely fluctuate naturally into this form of parenting do so in response to the behavior of the child. Such parents do not care for the emotional and physical needs of the child even though they attest to the fact that they understand what is going on in the life of the child (Macdonald, 2013). In turn, the children find out that the home does not provide a safe space where they can share their experiences and expect positive feedback, but in turn, expect negative or no feedback. Neglectful parenting has a negative impact on the social behavior of a child. For example, the child may lack the skills of making meaningful relationships in the future with the peers. Most of the parents in such relationships have however found excuses for not being there for their children (Hoffman, 2012). Most of the children I have seen being raised in a neglectful parenting suffer from the lack of foundation of trust with their parents from which they can explore the world. Above that, children who experience a negative or absent relationship with their parents often have harder times while trying to socialize with other people.
I have also experienced the harmful impacts of permissive parenting at a personal level and in the lives of my peers. This form of parenting is also known as indulgent parenting, where the parents may be responsive but not demanding (Riggio, 2017). I came to realize that I was brought up under the permissive form of parenting when I realized that my parents tend to be lenient while trying to avoid confrontation. The most beneficial element I got from this form of parenting was that my parents were very nurturing and loving. However, I cannot underscore the fact that the negatives could outweigh this benefit. I was subjected to very few rules, which were obviously inconstant. The lack of structure made me grow up with little self-discipline and self-control. I always believe that my parents adopted this method as an extreme opposite approach to the authoritarian form of upbringing, where they were afraid of doing anything that could upset me. For instance, even when they had set limits or rules, they often compromised the rules to accommodate my mood (Macdonald, 2013). This form of parenting highly influenced my behavior as I grew up with high levels of insecurity because of the lack of set boundaries.
I think that my parents mistook the authoritarian parenting with the authoritative parenting style and found that they were permissive in the social role of child upbringing. The authoritarian parenting style or the strict style of parenting is portrayed in the lives of parents who may be demanding but not responsive (Macdonald, 2013). In this style, parents hardly allow for open dialogue with the child in as much as they expect the children to follow a strict set of structures and rules. The parents will always rely on punishment as a means of demanding obedience or teaching the child a lesson. The parents often set strict rules that they believe should be followed no matter the situation (Hoffman, 2012). They are also reserved in the amount of warmth and nurturing that they show the children. In my experience, the structure and rules of an authoritarian parent are necessary for the healthy development of the child even though good things are always overdone. It is therefore essential to create a balance between providing the structure and open communication to help the child understand the benefits of following the rules (Riggio, 2017). Children brought up from the authoritarian style of parenting always live in fear, where they always associate obedience and may experience difficulties in social situations.
Conclusion
The environment in which we are brought up highly influences our psychological development. The best example is the form of parenting that we are subjected to at a tender age. The style of parenting has an impact on the social and psychological development of the child. For example, most of the children who are brought up in an authoritarian parenting style tend to live in fear. However, the study of psychology is essential as it forms the foundation with which learners can respond to the psychological problems that such people face in life. For instance, the psychology class can help a person to deal with depression, anxiety, and other mental problems that may result from the interaction with the environment in which we are brought up. I have come to discover that the best application of the critical thinking skills acquired in a psychology class is the recognition of internal biases and the sound use of logical thoughts.
References
Hoffman, C. (2012). Careers in clinical, counseling, or school psychology; mental health counseling; clinical social work; marriage & family therapy and related professions .
Macdonald, C. (2013). Health psychology center presents: What is health psychology? Retrieved from http://healthpsychology.org/what-is-health-psychology/
Riggio, R. E. (2017). Introduction to industrial/organizational psychology . Routledge.
