Rawlings 1

Emmalie Rawlings

Professor Hansen

Psychology 1010

24 April 2019

Reflection

Throughout the course of this class I was able to learn a lot about myself through the

learning of the material. In the beginning of this class I was unsure about whether or not I would

enjoy the concepts we discussed. As the class continued, there were multiple times throughout

reflection papers, discussion boards, and reading that compelled me to learn more about

something or discuss the topic with those around me. One of the very first things that we

discussed that I still remember reading about, was the concept of gender differences in smiling. I

found this topic to be intriguing because it’s one of the many things that we learn from society. I

think it is interesting to analyze the things that we learn in our family’s vs what we learn from

society. It is interesting to see how things like social norms, can be integrated into us very

deeply. This concept was also discussed in the psychosocial development paper and chapter. I

think that recognizing stages of development can have an influence on what we learn throughout

our lives depending on social factors, similar to what we discussed in gender differences.

The concept of different stages throughout our lives is intriguing to me and knowing what

stage people are in can be very beneficial for learning. Since I want to work with people,

specifically children, in the future, I think that having a knowledge of the psychosocial

development stages can be helpful to better connect and understand the children. Another

concept that I think will be beneficial in my life, regardless of what career I go into, is the topic
 Rawlings 2

of classical conditioning. Tied with classical conditioning is positive reinforcements, negative

reinforcements, negative punishment, and positive punishment. I think that I will remember this

concept in the future because it will be helpful while teaching my children. I will be able to help

them learn values and responsibility from applying this concept into my parenting. I have learned

a great deal throughout this course that will help me better understand my own future children,

my peers, coworkers, and have a better understanding of those that are in any of my

relationships.

There is a large practical application of the course and I look forward to applying these

concepts now and later in life. I have been able to better understand myself through this course as

well. Through our discussions of mental illness, sleep behaviors, personality, and therapy, I have

had the opportunity to recognize parts of the reading in myself. In the past, I have experienced a

large amount of anxiety and depression and I think that learning more about the clinical

diagnosis of mental illnesses has helped me better understand the symptoms for myself.

Similarly, I think that reading about different forms of therapy helped me to realize the benefits

and deterrents of different types. Learning about the variety has helped me to become motived

and want to do more research into what therapy would be best for me.