Sleep

I feel like teens like myself do not get enough sleep because of a couple of reasons. Firstly, we are very busy doing college applications, deciding which college to choose, studying, homework, and extra curricular activities. Another reason is that teens like staying up late because staying up late means that you are the only one awake in the house. I know I personally love having that sense of privacy since I rarely have any at all. Other teens might be struggling with getting to sleep or staying asleep because of the stress in the development of their life, pertaining academically and non-academically. Another reason that I find much too commonly is teens stay up late doing their work because they have a hard time getting it done earlier in the day. During the day there is so much going on that it is hard to focus in on the work and it takes everybody else resting for teens to focus on the work they have not done. Almost all teens have problems with sleep deprivation and almost all teens procrastinate. I feel like as one gets older, they have more responsibilities that need to be done at certain times, so nothing gets procrastinated and you go to sleep earlier.

Defense Mechanisms

I would have to say that my most obvious defense mechanisms are denial and repression. However, it seems I am so talented at hiding my problems that these mechanisms are not so obvious. Repression applies to me because there are a couple facts in my life that I choose not to think about or bring to my attention. At times I feel like this will catch up to me in the end, but while I cannot do anything to help this cause, I feel it is better not to acknowledge it. One of the problems I am talking about is my money situation. Even though I am applying to eight colleges and plan on going to one of these colleges next year, I have chosen to ignore the fact that I do not have very much money to spend and my choices for school are more limited than I think. My dream school to get into would be Boston College, but most of the time I ignore the fact that even if I get accepted, I would never be able to financially hold myself and stay in the school more than a year. My other defense mechanism would be denial because I have chosen to deny most of my issues as a way of thinking of the more positive things in life. I feel that denial goes almost hand-in-hand with repression, but I would say I am more in denial about my family issues than my financial situation. In short, I have had numerous family situations that I feel might seriously affect me psychologically later on in life. I have denied these problems because I feel there is not much that can be done to help this problem and I would rather pretend it did not exist.

Freud

Freud's studies still matter today because he started the foundation of psychology. For example, he started the whole idea of talking about your problems to feel better; something we use frequently still today. He was correct that humans are naturally going to destroy themselves and that the dark side of the subconscious mind definitely exists. If he were alive today he would likely warn us that more wars will break out because of non-peaceful ties in Israel and other countries not getting along. He might also comment on the fact that sexuality is a lot more talked about and open today and why that is, since he spent a lot of time talking to his patients about their lusts.

Guys vs. Girls

It seems as though women have a tougher adolescence than men do. The articles talk about a period in which girls go through what the author called "The Bermuda Triangle," a time in which girls go through a stage of decreasing grades, loss of assertiveness, and a need to rebel. Sometimes junior high school for some girls is described as the time they have "died." However, in our group discussions I talked with the girls about this subject and none have them said they could relate to this. I realize the stage probably happens to the young woman populous, but nobody can relate to this stage. Personally, I do not remember going through many hardships growing up as a young boy. The only real thing I can remember having a hard time with was making sure my emotions do not show and that I maintain my status as a growing man, not a boy.

Birth Order

Being the youngest in my family has helped out my stress life. It makes me feel as though I am not counted on for many burdens and have less weight put on me. It allows me to learn from my older sister's mistakes as they first pave the road. Having a good relationship with my older sister has allowed me to be more prepared for life. She tells me how people change around her age so that I expect it later on. She tells me how college life is so that I can be more prepared for the feeling and the experience. Rarely anything takes me by surprise anymore except for the interests that I have that my sister does not share. I have learned how fortunate I am to being in this position, but it does not benefit me in every single way. For instance, my needs often come second, as my sister must deal with things first. My sister was able to get a car, but I will not be able to because there will be no place to park it now that the driveway is taken up. There must be sacrifices and pros and cons for everything so I have learned to accept it.

Intro Questions

1. How important have your early childhood experiences and relationships been in shaping who you are today?

-They are relatively important in the sense that my parents’ early divorce may have shaped me in some way.



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

-My awards have shaped me in a positive way and have uplifted my confidence. The way I have been disciplined has shaped me into a respectful and responsible person.



3. Explain how the following factors have influenced who you are today: religion, ethnicity, gender, hometown/state, country.

-I am not a religious person, so this does not factor into the person that I am. My ethnicity has affected how I eat and some of the people that I know. My gender has put me into the role of being the man of the house and of the qualities that come with that role. My residence has allowed me to feel as though I have a more fortunate life than others do, so I should be grateful for everything that I receive.

Psychologist Career Fair Questions

A. Rank your 3 favorite psychology professions and why.

Sports Psychologist - They study how the brain works when a person is playing a sport and why they enjoy it so much. This appeals to me because I am very interested in sports and I would find it interesting to learn how I am thinking when I play them.

Consumer Psychologist- They study why people buy the products that they do. This interests me because I find it interesting that people walk into a store and buy things that they see on the way because it suddenly catches their eye. I would like to know how they are thinking when they do this.

Developmental Psychologist- They study the stages in which people live their lives. I find this interesting because people change constantly and it is interesting to observe how much a person changes in a given amount of time mentally and physically.

B. Do you think that you might consider majoring in psychology? Why or why not?

Yes I am considering it because I have always observed people and wondered how they work, why they do the things they do, why they say the things they say, why they act the way they act, and I have always looked to have a career in this field.

C. In what ways do you think that the study of psychology is useful outside of work?

I feel it is useful if somebody is going through a hard time and they need some helpful advice and somebody to talk to. I feel it is also useful if a person is acting strangely and possibly may have a psychological disease but does not know about it.