Girls Have a Harder Time Growing Up

Boys and girls both go through tough times growing up, but I believe that girls have a harder time with this. Girls are more emotional and go through bigger changes, in my opinion. Aside from puberty, boys really do not change much. To girls, a tiny misdemeanor can be the end of the world. In addition, growing up, girls are very catty and can be vicious. Girls just want to fit in and be accepted, and it can be harsh for them to do so. I think boys are more accepted, whereas girls are not. If girls don't wear the right clothes, have nice hair, or aren't pretty, it is hard for them to fit in. With girls, especially in high school, popularity is based off of looks. It is hard to deal with this because I know a lot of people who have a lot more to offer than just their appearances.

Personally, when I was growing up I had to go through the challenge of becoming accepted by those around me. I was still young and had to accept myself. It's hard because you don't really know who you are as a person at this awkward time in your life, so it can be difficult for other people to know who you are, when you don't even know yourself.

From the discussion, the boys in my group even agreed that it is harder for girls while growing up. Boys are more accepting of each other, and although they can be cruel at this age, boys have it easier than girls.

Being the Last Born Child...

As a person today, I've definitely been affected by my birth order and place in my family. Aside from being the youngest person in my immediate family, I am also the youngest person in my entire family. In addition to this, all of my cousins are boys and I have more uncles than aunts! This has definitely had a big impact on me and who am I as a person today. The positive aspects of this are: I'm definitely the favorite, I am good at understanding boys because I'm constantly surrounded by them, I have a lot of patience, I'm outgoing, I look up to my brother and cousins, and I make people feel as if they're at home. On the other hand, being the youngest isn't always fun. I sometimes try to grow up too quickly because I want to be just like my brother and cousins. They're allowed to do a lot of different things that I cant do because of my age. Being the youngest definitely causes me to be jealous of the older family members.

In just dealing with my immediate family, my brother and I are 4 years apart but we are extremely close and have a great relationship. We can tell each other anything and we always work with each other, not against each other. He is always there to look out for me and protect me which is really nice, and I love being able to have him to look up to. He has set many examples for me that I follow this day and that I have learned from.

The research I found about being the youngest is somewhat true, because I found that the youngest gets bored very easily, and this is true. I always need somebody to entertain me, and I have a hard time amusing myself on my own. It is also true that I make people feel at home and that I am outgoing.

Stress

The major cause of stress in my life is school. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well in school, as do my parents. I struggle greatly with math, and I am constantly stressed out when in that class. To cope with stress, I run on the treadmill and blast music to help me forget about my stress. Math gives me major anxiety, and it's something that I've always struggled with since I was a child. It takes me a while to grasp concepts, but once I understand them, then I'm fine. The process of understanding concepts in math stresses me out to the max because it is very frustrating for me. To deal with stress more effectively, I could also do things like yoga or to read a book.

Stress is very dangerous to people's health in many ways. First, stress can cause heart disease (heart attacks) as well as cause high blood pressure. In addition, it weakens the immune systems of people and in more extreme cases, shortens people's life span. In addition, stress can cause people to gain weight (usually in the area of the abdomen). Moreover, when under stress, the body produces epinephrine as well as cortisol which can lead to heart palpitations.

America leads the world in stress-related diseases because in our society people are constantly being judged based on their status either socially or economically. The world that we live in is very competitive, which causes many people to stress about almost anything. Lastly, citizens of America are always putting pressure on themselves to be perceived highly.

"The Brain: A User's Guide"

The three most important insights about the development of the human brain (from birth to teenage years) are that when a baby is born their brain is like a sponge, ready to absorb and take in any and all new information from their surrounding world. Every day, hundreds of thousands of connections are being made between neurons constantly. As the baby grows older, their brain becomes shaped by experience. A child's brain is like plastic in that it is flexible and constantly changing. Not only are their brains vulnerable, but enjoying discovering the many wonderful aspects of the world. Lastly, the teenager's brain is still not fully developed and is still maturing. The teen's brain is going through millions of changes each day which is very hectic.

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction are two very serious problems that many people find themselves struggling with. I think that initially this disease starts because of poor impulse control and little will power, but ultimately these two problems are diseases of the brain. People become so reliant on the substance that sometimes their body can not function without it, and if they don't obtain the substance, they might even become severely ill. This is all part of the brain and how it deals with the substances that it takes in. In addition, these diseases can be genetic. Being addicted is a disease of the brain because it causes mental illness in some cases, and in all cases it affects human behavior. Although poor impulse control can lead people to initially taking drugs or incessant drinking, it is ultimately a brain disease.

Favorite Psychology Fields

Yesterday in class I learned that the field of Psychology offers many fields, all of which dealt with different things. I found that being a Psychiatric Nurse was a very good job that offered a lot of benefits. This one was my favorite because the nurses were allowed to work directly with the patients by determining the diagnosis of their mental illness as well as prescribing appropriate medications. In addition, these nurses educate patients and their families about their condition and teach them how to cope with their problems. I thought this was very beneficial because I know that I feel accomplished and happy when I know that I help out others. Lastly, Psychiatric Nurses make an average of 85,000 dollars a year! The second field that I found to be most interesting was Geriatric Psychology. I am extremely close with my grandparents, and I enjoy spending time with older people. In this field, the psychologists help their patients deal with change, stress, memory loss, death, anxiety, etc. They may also work with doctors and act as advisers to nurses. Many people have an aversion to old people, but I am not one of those people so this job would suit me well. Lastly, the third field of psychology that I found to be very interesting was Sports Psychology. Within this field, psychologists help athletes with social and developmental factors that influence sports participation. This job would be great for me because I am very athletic and constantly surrounded by athletes.

I would definitely consider majoring in Psychology because it offers endless job opportunities. Now I understand why

Psychology is such a popular major . I also enjoy working with people so this field would enable me to do so.

I think that the study of Psychology outside of work is significant because it not only helps us get a better understanding

of ourselves, but also other people in the world that we interact with. It helps us understand our relationships and hopefully

can allow us to live a better life.

3 Questions About Me

1. How does the way you have been rewarded, punished, and disciplined over the course of your life affect who you are today?

The way I have been rewarded, punished, and disciplined in my life has greatly affected me as a person today. Over the weekend I was watching old home videos from when I was about 7 months old. Every movement or sound I made, my dad would praise me with tremendous enthusiasm and tell me ‘good job’! It was really funny because it happened so frequently and for things that were so silly! Although I thought it was funny, I also realized that this was detrimental to me because later on I would always expect to be praised for every little thing I did. This is very true because my mom always tells me that I expect to be praised for everything that I do and I frequently seek her to extol me. After watching this video of myself as an infant, I finally understood why I expected to be praised for every thing I did! In addition, my parents are extremely strict and over protective of me, so as an individual today I feel that I am mature for my age and that I know the difference between right and wrong.

2. Explain how the following factors have influenced who you are today: religion, ethnicity, gender, hometown/state, country. Being Jewish has influenced who I am as a person today. My family members were in the Holocaust, and my Grandpa Jack survived it and is fortunately still alive today! Being Jewish is very important to me and has made me uphold strong values and morals. I am Hungarian, Austrian, and Russian and I honestly don’t think that this has impacted me in any noticeable way. However, living in River Vale all of my life I have learned to respect my community members and to uphold long lasting relationships with all of my friends.

3. How important do you think physical factors such as genes, hormones, brain chemistry, and brain structure are in determining who you are, how you act, what you think, and how you feel? I think that physical factors including genes, hormones, brain chemistry, and brain structure have everything to do with determining who you are. Aside from environmental factors, all of these 100 percent have an affect on how you act, what you think, and how you feel.