Psychology

In the article, Safe as a woman,  Melissa talks about two seeds that grew inside her.
The first seed was that of homosexuality, which became a part of her from the age of seven.

The author does not give a specific reason for her sexual orientation. In fact, Melissa
herself is confused about her affinity towards girls instead of boys. So, when Melissa, a devout
Christian reads a particular paragraph in the Bible berating homosexuals, she feels dejected.

Acceptance by society is desired by everyone. It is so with Melissa too. She wants to be
accepted as she is. Reading those lines in the Bible, makes matters worse for her. As an adult,
Melissa finds acceptance in her lesbian relationship with her girlfriend. She becomes part of the
gay community, where she feels welcomed and can be free of pretense.

But, she describes this step as unable, unaware and unwilling to resist. This clearly
shows that in her subconscious mind, she is still programmed to follow societys norms and
Bibles teachings.

She craves acceptance from the society, especially the church, though she is not aware of
this. Later, she finds acceptance, when she meets a couple, Doris and Bill, who like her for what
she is. The couple start praying for her illness and the second seed is planted. She becomes an
active member of the church and begins to think of womanhood.

There are many interesting aspects to this transition. Earlier, when Melissa was a child,
she visited the Church, as she felt it was the right thing to do. Later, she joins the Church of her
own free will. The difference is that as a child, Melissa was confused about her sexual
orientation. Her regular visits to the Church and her subsequent sighting of a paragraph If a
man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They
must be put to death their blood will be on their own heads (Leviticus 2013), in the Bible fills
her with guilt.

She believes subconsciously, even when she is in a lesbian relationship, that she is
suffering from an illness and homosexuality is a sin. This thinking can be traced back to her
childhood, when it was ingrained in her that the word of the God was final.

So, in a way, the second seed of enlightenment, was planted even before the first. And
because of that seed, Melissa experiences guilt all the time. But, when the couple accept her, she
is freed from her guilt.

A free Melissa decides to walk away from homosexuality. She begins by joining
Crossover Ministries, which helps people with changing their sexual orientation.

Melissa starts reading all the literature available on the subject to understand her past
behavior and march towards womanhood. In the end for Melissa, acceptance was far more
important than following her desires. The desire and the fear of the written word in the Bible was
so much that she manages to convince herself that homosexuality is a sin that needs to be
repented.

And so she begins a new quest for womanhood at the age of thirty.

Diagnosis Dependent Personality Disorder, Axis II, Cluster C anxious and fearful
Symptoms Agnes displays six of the eight specified criteria provided by The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV text revision (as cited in Perry, n.d.) indicated by the following
Need for others to assume responsibility for her life. She has become extremely reliant on her daughter and she insists that she accompany her in everything she does

Difficulty in expressing disagreement with others. This is manifested in the submissive and passive role she assumes in the relationship with her husband

Lack of self confidence. Agnes has difficulty in initiating projects or doing things on her own. Agnes made no effort to pursue a college degree despite yearning for one

Intense desire to obtain approval and support from others, which was evident in being a teachers pet and suspending her own education to help her husband finish college

Exaggerated fear of being unable to take care of herself. Agnes once had a panic attack at the thought of becoming isolated and

Agnes is preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of herself. Agnes misinterprets episodes of anxiety as heart disease for four years.

Some features of dependent personality disorder overlap with those of borderline, histrionic and avoidant personality disorders, but there are differences as well. For example, both borderline and dependent personalities fear abandonment. However, Agnes does not have the pattern of intense and stormy relationship that the borderline has. Histrionic and dependent personalities both have strong needs for reassurance and approval but the style of histrionic is much more gregarious, flamboyant and actively demanding of attention (Carson, Butcher Mineka, 2000), whereas, Agnes is more docile and self-effacing.

Therapy plan
Initiation The therapist must facilitate short-term weekly sessions where Agnes can realize and air out how her life problems have occurred and why it has gone on for so long and to such a high degree. The therapist must avoid becoming another authority figure Agnes will be submissive to. Long-term therapy, while ideal for many personality disorders, is contra-indicated in this instance since it reinforces a dependent relationship upon the therapist. Further, prior research by Winston and colleagues (1994) has found that short-term psychotherapy that is both active and confrontational results to significant improvement in patients with Cluster C disorders.

Maintenance Group therapy with assertiveness-training activities that provide clearly defined goals to encourage boldness, confidence and initiative may be integrated to Agness program. Care should be utilized to ensure that Agnes does not use groups to enhance existing or new dependent relationships. Challenging dependent relationships Agnes has with others that may be unhealthy for her should generally be avoided at the onset of therapy and is ideally done when initial improvement has been made. As therapy progresses, restraint must be used if she is not ready to give up these unhealthy relationships.

Termination Cessation of therapy is an extremely important issue to consider. While termination should always be a joint decision between the clinician and the client, people with this disorder often think they require more treatment. The therapist may need to prod Agnes toward ending therapy. As the end of therapy approaches, Agnes may re-experience feelings of insecurity, lack of self-confidence, increased anxiety and perhaps even depression. This is typical of individuals with this disorder so terminating therapy should be treated appropriately. The clinician should not allow the patient to use these new symptoms as a way of prolonging the current therapy. The objective is to end a relationship at an agreed-upon time and way. Agnes should be reinforced for the positive gains made in therapy and encouraged to explore their new-found autonomy or improved management of their anxious feelings. (Dependent Personality, 2006).

This paper is to show and present articles to show the investigation of a specific mood or mental disorder. The main objective of the paper is to define DSM and mental disorder. TheDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States. It is published by the HYPERLINK httpadd.about.comodglossaryahgAPA.htm American Psychiatric Association. The DSM contains a listing of psychiatric disorders and their corresponding diagnostic codes (About.com, 20010).

There are a number of psychological mood disorders. These may be based on either genetics or based on situations and events that might have occurred in their lives. Mental or mood disorder is a clinically significant behavioural or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress (e.g., a painful symptom) or disability (i.e., impairment in one or more important areas of functioning)it must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular eventNeither deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are mental disorders unlessthis is a symptom of the dysfunction (DSM-IV, APA, 1994).

Depression
To ordinary people, the word depression is used lightly.  Even a normal person, who just had a bad turn I life or merely just did not get his way may say that he feels depressed.  But the term depression has a deeper meaning and scientific definition.  In psychiatry, depression is a symptom ofmood disordercharacterized by intense feelings of loss, sadness, hopelessness, failure, and rejection. The two major types ofmood disorderare unipolar disorder, also called major depression, and bipolar disorder, whose sufferers are termed manic-depressive. Other types of depression are recognized, with characteristics similar to the majormood disorders, but not as severe they are adjustment disorder with depression, dysthymic disorder, and cyclothymic disorder (Wolpert L. , 2000).

Having defined depression and finding out that there are 2 other kinds that fall under its umbrella unipolar and bipolar disorders.  Bipolar disorder is much rarer, affecting only about 1 of the U.S. population women and men tend to be equally susceptible. Its sufferers alternate between states of depressionsimilar to that which is experienced in unipolar disorderand mania, which is characterized by intense euphoria and frenetic activity. Bipolar disorders are often interspersed with periods of relatively normal behavior, which may last for long periods of time between episodes of depression or mania. Manic-depressives have an extremely high rate of suicide, and episodes of the disorder tend to recur (Wolpert L. , 2000).

This kind of disorder may hit any kind of person or individual, even adolescents may have this kind of disorder. A few years ago, mental health counsellors and other professionals rarely diagnosedbipolar disorderin adolescence. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that up to one third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the United States may actually be suffering from the onset ofbipolar disorder. In addition, it has been estimated that one third of the children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) may be suffering from emergingbipolar disorder(as cited Wilkinson,G.B., Taylor, T.  Holt J.r.).

Because  this illness may hit children, their young minds may not be able to grasp the essence and gravity of the disorder, in fact they and even their parents may not even know of the illness, young adults turn or tend to try different things and experiment. Adolescents may consume illegal drugs in an attempt to control their mood swings and insomnia. Sudden development of the disorder following puberty often results in addiction to drugs and alcohol in these vulnerable adolescents. It then becomes necessary to treat both thebipolar disorderand the substance abuse (as cited Wilkinson,G.B., Taylor, T.  Holt J.r).  In children and younger adolescents, the disorder is more continuous than in adults with few asymptomatic periods between episodes of depression and mania. Some children and adolescents cycle between depression and mania as few as several times per year, while others cycle within a week or month. However, most bipolar children cycle between depression to mania several times throughout the day. This mixed state can cause them to feel full of energy, restless, worthless, and self-destructive simultaneously (as cited Wilkinson,G.B., Taylor, T.  Holt J.r).

Treatment
Though this may sound dreadful, bipolar may be treated and there is still hope for those to experience and go through life as normal as others.  Antidepressants are safe to use with mood stabilizers but ease bipolar depression no better than placebo pills do, report psychiatrist Gary S. Sachs of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and his colleagues. Their investigation, the largest ever of bipolar disorder, appears online and in the April 26 New England Journal of Medicine (Bower,B., 2007). Clinicians must adjust treatment to an individuals symptoms, comments psychiatrist Robert H. Belmaker of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel, in an editorial published with the new report. For example, Belmaker prescribes only antidepressants to patients with severe depression that alternates with mild mania and gives mood stabilizers to most other bipolar patients (Bower, B., 2007).

Agnes lives in a relatively constant state of worry and diffused uneasiness. She is scared to be left alone and is troubled about a  heart disease  which the doctor assures her has no pathology and is probably a result of nervousness and strain. She lives in anxious apprehension, which is defined as a future-oriented mood state in which a person attempts to be constantly ready to deal with upcoming events (Barlow, Chorpita,  Turovsky, 1996). This mood state is characterized by high levels of negative affect, chronic over arousal, and a sense of uncontrollability (Barlow et al., 1996). This is apparent when Agnes acknowledges that her behavior is absurd but is still compelled to perform within a pattern not warranted by her environment.

In addition to their excessive levels of worry and anxious apprehension, people with generalized anxiety disorder often have difficulty concentrating and making decisions, dreading to make a mistake (Carson, Butcher,  Mineka, 2000). This is supported by the fact that Agnes has made no effort in pursuing a college degree despite yearning for it. Individuals with this disorder also commonly complain of somatic symptoms like heart racing and difficulty breathing (Carson et al., 2000) which coincides with what Agnes interprets as  heart disease .

300.01     Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia
Diagnostically, panic disorder is defined and characterized by the occurrence of unexpected panic attacks that often seem out of the blue. According to the DSM-IV definition, the person must have experienced recurrent unexpected attacks and must have been persistently concerned about having another attack or worried about the consequences of having an attack for at least a month. To qualify as a full blown panic attack, there must be abrupt onset of at least 3 to 14 symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, depersonalization or derealization, fear of dying, of  going crazy  or of  losing control  (Carson et al., 2000). These descriptions coincide with the incident where Agnes was left alone in her daughter s house and had a panic attack at the thought of isolation. Following the incident, Agnes refused to be alone, perhaps fearing that, at the event of another attack, no one would be there to help her.  Thus, she insisted that her daughter accompany her everywhere.

Axis II
301.83     Dependent Personality Disorder
Individuals with this disorder show extreme dependence on other people, clinging and submissive behavior. They also show acute discomfort, even panic, at the possibility of separation or sometimes of simply having to be alone, often leading to excessive reliance on emergency medical services (Bornstein, 1997). This coincides with tendency of Agnes to constantly cling to her daughter.

These individuals usually build their lives around other people and subordinate their own needs to keep those people involved with them. As a result of their lack of self confidence, dependent personalities passively allow other people to take over the major decisions in their lives. This is apparent in the subservient behavior Agnes exhibits with her husband.

They are often preoccupied with a fear of being left to take care of themselves and lack the ability to initiate projects or do things on their own. Both of which are characteristics exhibited by Agnes.

Axis III
None
Axis IV
Agnes grew up with a father who had a moderate drinking problem. It has been seen that adult children with parents who have alcohol problems  feel isolated, and uneasy with other people, especially authority figures. To protect themselves, they become people-pleasers, even though they lose  their own identities in the process. They become reactors rather than actors, letting others take the initiative. (Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service Organization. n.d.)

Agnes has always been with male figures that makes it easy for her to slip into submissive or subservient roles which she has also observed with her mother. Agnes must be able to develop self-confidence so she may become more secure in her interactions with the world.

Axis V
GAF60
Code 51-60 Some mild symptoms (e.g., depressed mood and mild insomnia) OR some difficulty in social occupational, or school functioning (e.g., occasional truancy or theft within the household), but generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal relationships. (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p.32)

Agnes experiences depression due to a sense of helplessness about the events happening in her world, a phenomenon referred to as  learned helplessness . She experiences difficulty to function well when left alone and is prone to panic attacks. However, Agnes manages to maintain a relationship with her husband and daughter, albeit the daughter has become frustrated by Agnes s escalated clinging behavior for the last six months.

This paper attempts to analyze two experiments, one focused on destructive obedience and the other on cognitive dissonance, their complementary perspectives in the decision-making as well as the different thought process of immoral behavior.

BEHAVIORAL STUDY OF OBEDIENCE
Stanley Milgrams research first published in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, involved forty males aged between 20 and 50 years of age, recruited from New Haven area.  They were obtained by responding to a newspaper and direct mail advertisement which asked for volunteers to participate in a study of memory and learning at Yale University.  The participants represented a wide range of occupations, including postal clerks, high-school teachers, salesmen, engineers and laborers.  They were paid 4.50 for their participation in the experiment. The trial consisted of ordering a naive subject in the role of a teacher to administer increasingly more severe punishment to a confederate in the context of a learning experiment. Punishment is administered by means of a bogus shock generator with 30 switches marked clearly in 15 volt increments from 15 to 450 volts.

Results.  Sixty-five percent of the participants obeyed and gave shocks up to 450 volts and 35 stopped sometime before 450 volts and refused to participate. Milgram believed that it is the situation that people find themselves in rather than their dispositions that best explain their actions.

EVALUATION OF PROCEDURE
Weaknesses. A major criticism of Milgrams study was his decision to recruit only male Americans, which resulted in a sample that did not reflect the general population despite taking subjects of different ages from a range of backgrounds.  Also, participants were limited to those who read the advertisement and volunteered for a laboratory experiment, it can be argued that those who replied would have significantly different personalities than those who did not and this would once again make an unrepresentative sample.

Another criticized facet of Milgrams work is concerned with ethics. The subjects were led to believe that they were giving real electric shocks to a real participant thus causing the subject to experience emotional conflict. Milgram stressed that the extraordinary anxiety and the striking reactions of tension and emotional strain generated by the procedures were not anticipated. It was supposed that the subject would simply stop or continue as his conscience dictated. Yet, this is not what happened. An additional ethical concern is the verbal prods used in the experiment which suggested that participants were not given the option to halt the experiment should they wish to. 

Strength.  Milgrams experiment showed notable control and made an impressive job of creating a realistic situation, for example the subjects believed that the roles of learner and teacher had been allocated fairly, by drawing lots, and that the assignments of roles were random. The subjects were convinced that they were actually administering electric shocks on another person. It is also important to note they all used the same apparatus and were subjected to the same verbal prods.

COGNITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF FORCED COMPLIANCE
In Festinger and Carlsmith s classic 1959 experiment, also published in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, students were asked to spend an hour on boring tasks like turning pegs a quarter turn, over and over again. The tasks were designed to generate a negative attitude. Once the subjects had done this, the experimenter requests some of them to do a favor. They were asked to talk to another subject, who is actually an actor, and persuade them that the tasks were motivating and fun. Some participants were paid 20 for this favor, another group was paid 1, and a control group was not asked to perform the favor.

Results. When asked to rate the boring tasks at the conclusion of the study, those in the 1 group rated them more positively than those in the 20 and control groups. This was explained by Festinger and Carlsmith as evidence for cognitive dissonance. The researchers theorized that people experienced dissonance among the contradictory cognitions, I convinced someone that the task was exciting, and I in fact found it boring. When paid only 1, students were forced to internalize the attitude they were induced to express, because they had no other justification. Those in the 20 condition, however, had an obvious external justification for their behavior, and thus experienced less dissonance.

Weakness.  The usage of money in the procedure to induce compliance can take on diverse meanings, each individual could have perceived the money differently, as a bribe, a reward or as compensation, and this can induce a corresponding attitude change. Also, one can argue that the large amount of 20 can induce suspicion for such a seemingly simple task.

Strength. The experiment involved subjects to not only vocally state opinion contrary to their personal judgment but also required convincing another person that their vocal statements are true. This creates a definitive situation where dissonance can strongly resonate and attitude change can be inferred.

COMPARISON
Both experiments observed individuals in situations where they were expected to do activities contrary to their moral standards, although in different degrees. Festinger and Carlsmith involved lying and Milgram required the more extreme behavior of inflicting pain on another individual.

Moreover, Festinger and Carlsmith observed internal change in opinion and Milgram focused on the external execution of a physical action. Both experiments consider the thought process of individuals in decision making.

ANALYSIS
Human beings will always find themselves in situations where they are faced with actively making a choice that may or may not coincide with their personal beliefs and moral standards. It is in this context that both experiments offer insight, Milgram was himself surprised at the results of his trials, saying in his book, Obedience to authority an experimental view, that this reveals the power of authority to triumph over conscience.

Milgrams trials on obedience show that people have a strong inclination to comply with authority, despite the strong occurrence of cognitive dissonance or discomfort between the conflicting moral stand, It is wrong to hurt someone, and the action I am hurting someone. The subjects were observed to sweat profusely, tremble, stutter, groan, dig fingernails into their flesh and succumb to nervous fits of laughter during the experiment, although despite these reactions they continued to follow instructions from the figure of authority. In Festinger and Carlsmiths trials the subjects who were offered 1 persuaded themselves that they initially misjudged the circumstances and downplayed the severity of their actions, amending the situation to convince themselves that no harm is done. These experiments show that in the thought process of an individual who is doing something wrong, situational attribution occurs. The subject distances himself from the action saying that he was not thinking, merely following orders or following instinct. After the commission of the wrong deed, the person reduces dissonance by exaggerating the importance of the action thinking that the knowledge or object obtained outweighs the discomfort he is causing, the person also minimizes the extent of damage or conflict caused.

Abstract
The paper provides a review of the article from the Development Psychology journal. The summary and research design are discussed. The article adds to the current state of knowledge about human emotional and cognitive development.

Dearing, E., Wimer, C., Simpkins, S.D., Lund, T., Bouffard, S.M., Caronongan, P.  Kreider, H. (2009). Do neighborhood and home contexts help explain why low-income children miss opportunities to participate in activities outside of school Developmental Psychology, 45(6), 1545-1562.

Children who grow in poor communities often experience the lack of educational and social opportunities and thus tend to lag behind their peers in emotional, social, and cognitive development (Dearing et al, 2009). In their article, Dearing et al (2009) explore the impact of social contextual factors on childrens participation in activities outside of school. For the purpose of their study, the authors integrate developmental theory on family income, neighborhoods, and out-of-school activities (Dearing et al, 2009). The authors do not provide any specific hypothesis but aim to explore neighborhood and home contexts as potential mechanisms helping to explain why low-income children miss opportunities to participate in activities outside of school (Dearing et al, 2009). Dearing et al (2009) investigate available out-of-school opportunities, neighborhood explanations of poor childrens involvement in out-of-school activities, and home explanations to low participation of low-income children in activities outside of school. The two primary research questions are (1) do lower-income children participate less than affluent children and (2) do affluence, neighborhood, and home support explain involvement disparities associated with family income (Dearing et al, 2009). Because childrens participation in school and out-of-school activities contributes significantly to their cognitive and emotional development, Dearing et al (2009) seek to link childrens social status to their emotional and knowledge capabilities and skills.

The study involved child and family data from the PSID-CDS  a longitudinal study of family economic and employment issues with the two large samples included and initiated back in 1968 (Dearing et al, 2009). Wave I of data collection was completed in 1997, when children eligible for participation were between 1 day and 12 years old (Dearing et al, 2009). In 2002-2003, Wave II was completed, to collect data on childrens activity participation (Dearing et al, 2009). The authors of the present study focused their efforts on children from elementary school, creating a sample of 1,420 children (Dearing et al, 2009). For inferential and descriptive analyses, Dearing et al (2009) used a poststratification factor, the inverse of a familys probability of selection for the PSID, and the inverse of a childs probability of selection (Dearing et al, 2009). Demographic information was gathered via parent or primary caregiver report (Dearing et al, 2009). Family PSID reports on income were accessed and analyzed (Dearing et al, 2009). Cognitive and emotional support at home was measured via the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment  Short Form during Wave II (Dearing et al, 2009). Tract-level data from the 2000 U.S. Census was used to create an indicator of neighborhood affluence (Dearing et al, 2009). Parents were asked to report whether their children participated in seven chosen activities during the past year, while additional child, parent, and home characteristics, including parents propensity to invest in their children and their self-efficacy, were assessed (Dearing et al, 2009).

The authors found the direct link between the level of income and childrens participation in out-of-school activities children from low-income families were exceptionally unlikely to participate in out-of-school activities and thus missed significant growth-enriching opportunities (Dearing et al, 2009). In poorer children, income was much more strongly associated with their participation levels than in more affluent families (Dearing et al, 2009). In its turn, living in affluent neighborhoods and having high family income was the basic predictor of high participation, while affluent neighborhoods proved developmental benefits for children in terms of their achievement (Dearing et al, 2009). The unexpected finding was in that children from less affluent neighborhoods were more likely than their wealthier peers to participate in church activities (Dearing et al, 2009). These results contribute to better understanding of how human development occurs and how childrens propensity to use enriching resources can be limited by preexisting conditions and disadvantages (Dearing et al, 2009).

I cannot say that the results of this study became a revelation to me that childrens development opportunities are influenced significantly by their socioeconomic status and financial abilities is not new. However, the study is interesting and useful in the sense that it emphasizes the role of home support and home cognitive investment in childrens cognitive and skill development. Regardless of the level of income and affluence, parental support and encouragement specific to a particular activity is more important than generalized emotional support, and can foster motivation regarding out-of-school activities in children (Dearing et al, 2009). This information contributes to the knowledge about emotional and moral development of children presented in class. As future professionals, we must be aware of the role which parental and home support plays in the social, emotional, and cognitive development of school children and their participation in out-of-school activities.

1.Identify your overall goal (athletic or otherwise) and write it outusing valid goal setting principles  write out your outcome goal(largeroverall objective), at least two intermediate goals that wouldbe very specific steps to getting there, and at least three task goals(specific activities) for each of your intermediate goals. Be veryorganized so that this is easy to read  use bullets or outlineformat. You must use valid goal setting principles regardingspecificity, timelines, etc. we discuss this in class.    My goal is to lose 10pounds in one year. One of my intermediate goals is to lose all the fat around my waist line within for months. I intend to achieve this by

Swimming for 30minutes daily
Doing 50press ups in the morning and another 50 before I sleep
Increase my water consumption from 6 to 8 glasses a day.
Another intermediate goal will be to reduce my calories consumption by 400-600 by
Replacing soda with a glass of water
Replacing morning egg with an apple
Replacing red meat with white meat

2. In class, we discussed motivation styles and how these styles affectour ability to achieve our goals. Please write a paragraph thatdescribes your primary motivation style and list, in bullet format,at least three specific, valid ways that you can use to motivateyourself to achieve the above goals (from step 1) again, be specificand use valid principles.

One of my motivational styles is to maximize on enjoyment. I do this by taking part in activities that are challenging. Being able to tackle activities with optimal challenges successfully gives me the will to continue and work harder. Challenging tasks create an adrenaline rush that makes me want to continue undertaking such an activity for example setting a time frame within which to swim across a swimming pool will make me go for more laps in an attempt to beat the set record time. It also boosts my self esteem.

I can motivate myself to lose 10pounds by
Buying myself something I love like a new pair of shoes for every one pound lost. Celebrating my victory would help me a lot in working even harder.

Having a list of all the benefits associated with being slender and going through it every morning.
Having an instructor to guide me on the most suitable forms of exercise and who will occasionally rate my progress.

3. Write a paragraph that discusses your primary stress copingstylearousal levels and list (in bullet format) at least three newthings you intend to do to manage your arousal  either during yourathletic pursuits, or just in life in general. Be specific anddetailed.As too much arousal is dangerous, it is important to set up methods of regulating stress, I manage my stress levels by listening to music. This method always leaves me feeling refreshed and ready take on any task.

Other new ways I intend to use to manage my arousal are
Maintaining a positive attitude about life in general regulates arousal.
Try and establish mental skills and practice such skills in order to manage arousal.
Having good sleeping habits and avoids overworking the body.

4. List at least five distracters that you face in your athleticpursuits, or in other areas of your life, and list at least five waysthat you could combat those distracters. Use a bullet format oroutline format for this. Be specific and detailed.In my effort to accomplish my goals, I tend to be distracted by the following

Talking to someone as I work out. This tends to make me drift attention from the task I am doing.
Listening to music as I try to concentrate in another activity.

Having internet as I try to work makes me spend more time on it and chatting than on performing the task at hand.

Television is another major distracter in my life.     
When I am practicing for a game and the coach keeps on shouting.   
 
Some distracters are external and sometimes harder to control, however, use the following methods to cope with both internal and external distracters
Thinking positively helps me to ignore petty irritations and refocus.
Being psychologically prepared to expect distractions especially during big events.

Before a big event, I ensure I have enough rest so that I have enough energy to control the distraction.
At times the only option is to ignore the distraction and try to work as if it were not there.
I have developed a refocusing plan by deep breathing. Having practiced the art of taking a heavy breath helps me regain focus instantly.   
       
5. Write a reaction paragraph where you discuss how the abovestrategies could have helped you in the past, or will be able to helpyou in the future with this goal and others.

The above strategies have come in very handy in achieving my previous goals for example when we had a basketball match in an away ground without supporters, I was prepared to deal with the distraction of not having a cheering group while our opponents were being cheered for. This mental readiness helped us win the match.

Having enough sleep before going swimming will give me enough energy to deal with distraction and therefore work harder at losing weight.

Being able to ignore distracters will help me in ignoring music being played in the gym or a friend trying to talk to me as I work out to lose weight.