Psychology

Consciousness is often divided into two types public self and private self. Public self is a perception of oneself based on who or what others perceive one to be (Self-Consciousness). Private self is a perception of oneself purely based on ones own feelings and perception (Self-Consciousness). In the exercise for this course, I created a list of self characteristics for both public and private self. The ten characteristics that I believe to be true of my presented or public self include organized, creative, patient, problem solver, loyal, understanding, determined, professional, polite, and confident. The ten characteristics that I believe to be true of my perceived or private self include easy going, creative, organized, intelligent, fun loving, caring, athletic, decisive, patient, and a hard worker. My colleagues list of characteristics include creative, problem solver, patient, smart, organized, professional, humorous, quiet, loyal, and a team player.

My public self list and my colleagues list include many of the same characteristics such as organized, patient, problem solver, and professional. This was not a surprise to me as my public self awareness is a perception of myself based on what I believe others to see. These characteristics are not only necessary, but are also required in my particular line of work as a Senior CSR at a local bank. If I didnt present these qualities to the public, I wouldnt be accomplishing my job in a manner that pleases both the customer as well as the bank that I work for.

Our lists also differ in the ways I see myself and the ways my colleague views me. This was not a surprise either. When Im not at work, I have the opportunity to be more laid back and easy going. Things dont have to be as structured as in the workplace. I perceive the fun loving characteristics to be more obvious when I am at home with family and not co-workers, employers, or customers. The question then becomes, which characteristics represent the real me Which characteristics are deliberate and which are unconscious traits

First, I believe the deliberate characteristics to be the traits that I have learned to apply in my work as well in situations at home. Traits such as being patient, a team player, professional, and polite are all learned. These traits are deliberately carried out in the workplace in order to effectively communicate, assist, and provide for all needs brought to me by the customer, co-workers, and employers. Just the same, these traits are deliberately carried out in the non-working environment to help me communicate with those around me and to work as a team or family unit.

I believe the unconscious traits include traits such as being a problem solver, humorous, quiet, and even loyal. In my work and outside of work I unconsciously process circumstances that come my way and look for a solution that benefits me. Being quiet at times and humorous at other times are also unconscious traits. I tend to be humorous or somewhat funny when I am nervous. This is an unconscious reaction as well as a solution to dealing with new or uncomfortable situations. Being quiet tends to take place in the middle of a task or assignment. I dont intentionally tune everyone out, yet I close down in a way to think specifically on the task at hand. Completing the work is the top responsibility.

Looking at the unconscious and deliberate characteristics, I come to the conclusion that the true me actually comes from both sides. The unconscious acts arent intentional, yet they make up who I am. The deliberate traits are intentional and after learning to put those into motion, they have become part of me. I am devoted to my job and am definitely organized, smart, a problem solver, and patient with customers. Im also a laid back, fun loving individual that enjoys different activities. These characteristics all describe the real me, who I am and who Ive shaped myself to be both privately (as perceived by myself) and publically (they way I want to be perceived by others).

The past year can be characterized as a period of ups and downs on my part. My experiences have not only helped capitalize on my strengths but also help recognize new facets that have served as an ego booster and buster.

One instance that a person served as an ego booster on my part was when I participated in an orientation. The speaker here was good offering insights, allowed reflection of my capacities on my part and influenced my leadership and interpersonal skills. Another event that served this purpose revolves around reading a book from Nicholas Sparks. His novel captured my view concerning life and became an essential component that provided a new outlook on how to view things accordingly. This then provided a new direction and view towards my chosen specialization and career.

I also became an essential ego booster for others when I provided a good advice to my friend who was having difficulty in his class. Here, I became patient for his part and showed him how relatively easy the task would be if enough effort and time were given. The end result provided good and made him realize that the endeavor can be made accordingly. At the same time, I became an instrument for an ego boost when I provided a good critique to one of my classmates papers. Though I provided some changes in her work, the comments I made were constructive and did not seek to create negativity on her work or capability. Rather, I focused on what she can explore further and dwell into so as to gain better analysis and insights on the matter.

On the other hand, there were also instances that people became an ego buster on my part. Receiving a negative feedback on one of my papers is a good example for this. Though I did try my best to produce a good one, it did not meet the standards of the professor. Not to mention receiving comments that further degraded my personal capacities. At the same time, there was the challenge of a group mate who questioned my leadership in a group activity. I do believe that this question in my ability to function effectively temporarily slowed down my motivation to work and interact with other people.

There were also instances where I became an ego buster for other people as well. One situation involves providing a sudden spur of negative feedback towards another for a mistake that can be considered elementary. The manner on how I said these were somewhat negative which contributed to my opinion an ego buster. Another scenario that contributed to such involves blaming other people for my responsibility despite the fact that they know these aspects as well. These then became an essential aspect that hindered my capacity to boost their motivation to work with me further. The end result was that we gained a measly grade out of the process.

Behavioral, psychological and contextual factors influence the career choice of an individual and affect the career counselors capability to arbitrate efficiently to help the client in making efficient career decisions or choices (Hammond, 2001). Therefore, according to trait and factor model of career counseling, career counselors are required to diagnose the client by collecting pertinent information, such as family background, attitudes, aptitudes, and interests of the client. The model is problem solving oriented and is aimed at assisting clients in making career decision effectively. Clients are normally categorized as indecisive, decided, or undecided. Decided clients have assets of personality and thus make their career choices with no hesitations whatsoever. Such clients only seek the counseling of the career counselors to confirm the validity of their predetermined career choices (Zunker, 2005).

Deficits, such as unacquainted, lack self confidence and knowledge regarding the occupations adversely affects the reception of career counseling by the clients. This is because such client lack self esteem and thus cannot ascertain whether the decision they are making is detrimental or constructive (Zunker, 2005). Person environment fix (PEF) model assists this category of career counseling clients to realize self identity, as the model is aimed at enhancing self knowledge in the clients. The model enables optimal career selection by the client (Zunker, 2005). Lastly, there are indecisive clients. This category of clients lack self confidence, suffers from personality disorders and usually require psychotherapy prior to career counseling as stated in trait and factor model (Zunker, 2005).

In connection to models of career counseling, I feel and think that personality plays a major role in a way client receive career counseling development. This is because those clients who have self esteem and identity make career decisions with no hesitation whatsoever. This is contrary to clients with deficits in self confidence and identity, since these clients do hesitate to make career decisions. Therefore, I strongly believe that, those clients who make sound career decisions as a result of career counseling have self confidence, knowledge, and identity assets, whereas those who are not even sure of what decision to make encompass personality disorders, such as low esteem, lack of self identity and knowledge limitations.

The human sexual response cycle is comprised of a four stage model of responses during sexual activity, namely the excitement phase, plateau phase, orgasmic phase, and resolution phase.  During the excitement phase, the spouses begin to excite one another by holding, kissing, and rubbing genitalia, during the plateau phase, the couple is at a high level of excitement and the man and entered the woman, during the orgasmic phase, the husband and wife have orgasms in which the sperm is pushed from the body of the male and pulled into the body of the female, and during the resolution phase, the couple slows down and relaxes together.

The excitement phase marks the initiation of erotic mental and physical stimulation, the plateau stage is a heightened level of excitement prior to organism when the female is being penetrated by the male, the orgasmic phase is noted by quick muscle contractions and waves of extreme pleasure, and the resolution phase marks a refractory period (Fichner-Rathus, Nevid,  Rathus, 2008).  There are different perspectives about which part of the sexual response cycle is the most intimate, yet I believe that the orgasmic phase is the most intimate and fulfilling.

The orgasmic phase is most bonding part of the sexual response cycle, with the excitement phase perhaps being the most difficult phase.  While it is not always easy to gauge what is going to initiate sexual excitement at any given place and time, it is very easy to gauge that once sexual activity has succeeded in commencing, the orgasmic phase is the most anticipated and heartfelt.  Couples can sometimes have difficulty entering the excitement phase, as one spouse may be tired while another one is excited, or one spouse may yearn for a certain kind of attention and not receive it.  However, the orgasmic phase is utterly the goal, when two people are so exactly in tune with one another that they burst in to a tremendous expression of intimacy and self gift, sharing themselves fully in every way with one another, body, mind, and spirit.

Female circumcision popularly referred to as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of the external genitalia of women. The parts removed include the clitoris, the labia and the openings into the urethral and vaginal cavities. Compared to male circumcision, the degree of tissue removal is much more in female circumcision.

There are four types of female genital mutilation. The most common, called type 1, involves holding the clitoris between the thump and index finger, stretching it out and cutting it off with a sharp blade. To stop bleeding, gauze is applied to the wound and in cases where the mutilation is being performed by a professional, stitching may be done.

Type 2 involves the removal of the clitoris just like in type 1 but the vaginal lips (Labia Minora) are removed either partially or fully. In type 3, a lot of tissue is removed. This is the most gruesome form as the clitoris, the Labia Minora and the inner surfaces of the Labia Majora. Thorns or poultices are then used to hold the raw edges of the Labia Majora together for a period of about six weeks until they have healed.

Type for of FGM is unclassified and involves varied procedures.  Pricking, stretching or incising of the clitoris and, or the Labia Majora. Alternatively, the clitoris can be cauterized by burning or subjected to herbal medicine or chemical corrosives.

Female genital mutilation is common in some cultures in Africa and in certain Islamic cultures. It is supposed to be a rite of passage into adulthood but there has been a lot of condemnation for the practice. FGM can result to death or seriously affect the ability of the victims of bearing children (Bettina, 2006). Where it is performed under unhygienic conditions, infections may result. Since it is mostly performed to girls between the ages of 10 and 17, it is a violation of childrens rights.

There are varying perspectives on the efficacy of breast self examinations.  Some people believe that conducting breast self examinations are important for identifying odd growths in the breast early in the course of breast cancer development.  They think that breast self examinations are critical in identifying breast cancer in its early stages.  However, there are also people who contend that the performance of breast self examinations have not been proven to have any benefit.  They believe that there are no known correlations between conducting breast self examinations and preventing breast cancer progression.  When women conduct breast self exams, they should be aware that it may be helpful to locate odd growths in the breast but that breast self examinations have not been proven to be linked to having any health benefit.  In conducting breast self exams, I experience an array of emotional feelings, some positive and some negative.

When conducting a breast self exam, I have the feeling that perhaps I am doing something to assure myself of breast health or maybe I am locating something which may be an illness.  The feeling that that I may be making certain that I have healthy breasts makes me feel good.  I am comfortable with feeling my skin and tissues to check and be sure that everything feels normal.  However, in conducting a breast self exam from the perspective of perhaps finding something negative, an illness or strange lump, I feel scared and uncertain.  Part of me believes that I am not an expert and that breast cancer can be best found by mammograms and not by my own surface judgment.

In general, breast self exams are not widely accepted as the best means of locating a problem and promote a diverse range of feelings in the person conducting the self exam.  Perhaps what would make me the most comfortable would be to begin getting mammograms done at the age of 50, which is recommended by many practitioners in effective breast cancer detection.  Breast self exams initiate a range of differing personal emotions and are not yet proven to be an essential element of health care.

The study conducted by Peterson et.al correlate the relationship of using the cognitive approach in enhancing career development strategies. Under this principle, important considerations are given towards the processes associated with the notion of cognition and its contribution to the value it gives towards ones chosen career. Such foundations then help allocate better choices and opportunities for students in making the right choices accordingly.

Operating on a theoretical perspective, the notion of using the cognitive development of an individual may prove to be both influential in determining the capacity of individuals to address the changing responsibilities of their chosen career path. However, careful consideration must be made in its ability towards allocating the necessary functions pertaining to an individual. Since each one may vary on how they perceive issues, finding the appropriate gauge and measurement for these remain to be necessary.

Comparing this to the trait-and-factor theory, it can be argued that its definition surrounds the capacity to induce a deeper analysis in the persons capacity. Since the this theory circumvents only assigning appropriate traits in accordance to specific tasks, it limits the capacity of an individual to grow along the way while a cognitive perspective in career development provides greater opportunities to recognize other factors that can induce growth.

Due to this, the idea of using cognitive assessment in career development may hold its ground as long as careful analysis and substantive methods are used accordingly. By carefully measuring these elements, counselors can effectively use such instruments towards harnessing better skills acquisition and improved learning environments that are both adaptive and adherent to the current needs of todays workplace.