#socialsciencesunday

[mainlymaryam]

Many personally psychologists nowadays believe that there are 5 ‘basic’ personality traits, known as the big 5. Each personality trait reflects a range from one extreme to the other, e.g. extraversion is a continuum between extraversion and introversion. And most people lie between the two extremes. 1. Openness features characteristics like creativity, imagination and insight. Those scoring highly in this trait have a large range of interests, they’re curious and excited to learn new things/experiences. While those low in this trait may dislike change, are not very imaginative and may not comprehend abstract concepts. 2. Conscientiousness features thoughtfulness, goal-oriented behaviours and good organisation skills. While those low in this trait dislike schedules, may be messy and often procrastinate or fail to complete tasks on time. 3. Extraversion features sociability, talkativeness and assertiveness. Those scoring high in this trait are outgoing and being around other people provides them with energy while those low in extraversion (so introverted) prefer solitude, have difficulty starting conversations, dislike small talk and being the centre of attention 4. Agreeableness includes traits like trust, kindness, altruism among other behaviours. Those low in this trait have little interest in other people and manipulate and insult others. 5. Neuroticism is characterised by negative emotions like anxiety, sadness and instability. People high in this trait are irratiable, worry a lot, get upset easily and experience mood swings, while those low in this trait are emotionally stable, can cope with stress and are relaxed. To help remember the big 5, the acronym OCEAN can be used. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #bigfive #personalitypsychology #bigfivepersonalitytraits https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtb3acIED8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

Personality Before the late 1960s, personality was always defined as a list of individual behavioural traits that you inherited (genetically). Tests were put into place by psychologists as a way of predicting and understanding an individual’s behavior. For example, Cattell identified 16 personality traits, Eysenck only proposed 3 or 4 and then there were Tupes and Christal who suggested that there are 5 personality traits (the Big Five which I’ve mentioned in a previous post). To everyone’s (psychologists) surprise, in 1968, Mischel claimed that the ‘classic’ personality test was pointless. How did he come to this conclusion? He analyzed a number of studies that had ‘predicted’ behavior using personality tests and found that ONLY 9% were accurate. Focusing on external factors (e.g. context), Mishcel thought it was essential to examine the interaction between a person and the situation they were in. He believed the attributes of the situation a person was in and the manners used to deal with such situation influences one’s behavior. You may know Mischel through his infamous ‘marshmallow experiment’. Wanting to understand habits of thinking, the experiment tested the willpower of 4 year old children. They were provided with 1 marshmallow and were given two options: 1. eat immediately 2. wait 30 minutes and get an extra marshmallow As expected, some children waited and some couldn’t. Mischel contributed to monitor the children’s (from the experiment) progress into adolescence. Surprisingly (or not?), he found that those who ‘resisted temptation’ were more: dependable, psychologically aware, academic, social and confident. Thanks to Mischel, the way personality is studied shifted from ‘how personality predicts behavior’ to ‘how behavior reveals personality’. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #personality #bigfive #mischel #waltermischel #socialsciencessunday #marshmallowexperiment https://www.instagram.com/p/CWjpJ54ISwf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

TW/death Do you ever reflect on your own mortality? Melanie Klein, a psychoanalyst, had depression and was surrounded by death. They say opposites attract, you have good and bad, friend and foe - opposing forces are an integral part of life. And the most powerful forces? Life and death, of course. To avoid our death instinct overcoming us, we direct it towards other things using our life instinct. We are aware of this ‘aggression’ within us and we are constantly in a tug of war between growth and creativity & power and destruction. This tug of war causes a ‘psychic tension’ within us and Klein states this is why we have an innate likelihood towards violence and aggression. This conflict - between love and hate, good and bad, pain and pleasure - confuses our psyches. And so for some, anger becomes the norm reaction towards every situation - good or bad. Interestingly, Klein believed that this conflict remains within us throughout life, an unconscious bubble of ‘violence’ is within us. She also thought that the concept of eternal happiness is impossible; the aim of living is finding a way to live with this conflict. Our human experience will constantly be filled with ups and downs, good and bad days, pain and loss. We need to learn to live between these two extremities and find a balance. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #psychoanalysis #melanieklein #thelittlebookofpsychology https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRlmB3oFym/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

Galton was interested in knowing whether our abilities and personalities were something we were born with or we learned them. He was one of the first psychologists to identify nature & nurture as two individual influences, which could be measured and compared, concluding that both these elements were responsible for personality traits. In one his articles, he mentions that when nature & nurture have to compete, nature naturally (no pun intended) wins. Although external factors can have an impact, nature (or our genetics) is stronger. He does insist that both nature & nurture are needed to form personality, for example someone may have the genes for intelligence but this trait needs to be supported through education and learning. Galton studied over 150 pairs of twins and found that they were either very similar or very dissimilar. Interestingly, the degree of similarly didn’t change with time, despite his assumption that a shared upbringing would reduce the dissimilarity. Galton was known in the 1800s, but the nature-nurture debate is still ongoing. Some are in favour of Galton’s theories, in that people can learn to support certain traits while others believe we are born with a tabula rasa (blank state) and we are all equal. All agree and recognise that nature & nurture are both crucial and important in human development and both interact in various ways. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #francisgalton #galtoneugenics #eugenics #personality #naturenurture #psychologyfacts https://www.instagram.com/p/CV_hJ11oU9s/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

J.P. Guildford Guildford, a psychologist, suggested that the traditional IQ test had some flaws as it completely ignored the aspect of creativity. Creativity, as a definition, can mean to have more than one solution to a problem. He devised a few tests that would evaluate divergent thinking. Such as his ‘Alternative Uses Test’ (1967) where participants were asked to write the many uses they could think of for a toothpick, brick and paper clip. Or his ‘Consequences Test’ were he would ask participants to imagine what could happen in a world void of national and local laws. Guildford would score participants’ creativity on four parts: originality, fluency, flexibility and elaboration. Intelligence isn’t just one thing where you’re either smart or not but rather it’s made from 3 different activity groups: 1. Operations are the intellectual processes used like memory or cognition 2. Content is the information or data involved like auditory or visual stimuli 3. Products are the results of applying ‘operations’ to ‘content’ Due to the complexity of Guildford’s tests/theory, the standard IQ tests are more widely used and known but he has opened the doors of research into intelligence and creativity. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #intelligence #creativity #guildford #modelofcreativeability https://www.instagram.com/p/CVbTReUImj3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

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subhanAllah, it's no wonder 'smiling is a sunnah', it not only has (inshaAllah) spiritual blessings but also other worldly benefits. For example, Abel and Kruger (2010) analyzed the longevity of professional baseball players based on their smile intensity. Their results indicated that those players with no smiles lived for an average of 73 years while those with Duchenne smiles lived for an average of 80 years. What a difference smiling can make - living 7 years longer! Secondly, smiling helps release the 'good' hormones. These hormones include: dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. According to Dr. Gupta, dopamine makes us feel happier, while serotonin helps reduce stress. Do you ever have to fake a smile, even though you're not feeling yourself? Yeah, same. Interestingly, researchers from the University of South Australia found that participants who forced a smile stimulated their amygdala (emotions center) thus releasing neurotransmitters in turn promoting a positive state. In a way, smiling tricks your brain into thinking you're happy and can help improve your mental state. Fake it 'til you make it. Smiling not only encourages a positive emotional and mental state, but it can also improve your immune system. Due to some neurotransmitters, smiling makes you more relaxed, it reduces blood pressure and pain and increases important immune cells and antibodies*. (*based on several studies) If the aforementioned points haven't convinced you to smile a little more, maybe this last point will: smiling makes you more attractive. As humans, we are more drawn to those who smile while frowns or scowls may make us draw away from people. Think about it, if you're on a bus, do you sit by someone smiling or someone frowning? Smiling can make people believe you have a great personality, you're more attractive, more youthful and more confident. I know it's hard to fake a smile, especially with the current state of the world, but the benefits are worth it. :) #socialsciencesunday #socialsunday #smile (at SMILE) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVJF6idIs8P/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

Carl Rogers (1902-1987), an American psychologist, perceived that the philosophy of time was too structured to account for human experience and that humanity was too diverse to be fitted into rigid categories. Rogers is of the view that mental wellbeing is not a specific set state, good mental health can't be achieved suddenly. He claims that existing is less of a journey towards an ending but rather a process of growth that doesn't stop. Rogers provides a checklist (picture above) on how to lead a more satisfactory lifestyle: 1. be open to experience - push yourself outside the comfort zone of your daily routine. Do something new, push the boundaries, try a new route to work, a new dish or a new workout routine. 2. live in the present moment - be in the here and now, don't fixate on your past mistakes (if only I did...) or the future (if I do this....). Enjoy the moment as it is. 3. trust yourself - trust your ability in making decisions/judgements. You are capable so believe in yourself. 4. take responsibility for your choices - your life is yours, you're responsible for how you act/behave in this world. 5. treat yourself/others with unconditional positive regard - be empathetic, open-minded and appreciative of yourself and others regardless of who they are as a human being. The phrase 'the good life' refers to the attitudes and characteristics of people who have embraced Roger's approach to life. In order to live 'the good life', we learn to trust ourselves. We are able to own our own lives and take responsibility; we are more likely to live a more authentic and satisfactory life when we are free from external influences. #socialsciencesunday #psychology #psychologystudent #learn #carlrogers #carlrogersquote #carlrogerstheory #thegoodlife #thegoodlifequotes #checklist #sundaysessions #psychologyfacts #howtolivethegoodlife #inspirationalquotes #inspiring #checklist #goodlife #unconditionalpositiveregard #responsibility #trustyourself #opentoexperience #liveinthepresentmoment #thelittlebookofpsychology (at The Good Life) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUSR2yAIqP7/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mainlymaryam]

Are you learning a new language? Or perhaps you’ve learned a new language? Which tips have you used to help you learn? Here are 5 tips that can help when learning a new language! #languagelearner #linguistics #socialsciencesunday #language #learner #learninglanguages #learninganewlanguage #newlanguage #tipsforlearning #tips #linguistics #languagetips #practicemakesperfect #youcandoit #learningtips #5tipsforlearningaforeignlanguage https://www.instagram.com/p/CUAuBShIhzJ/?utm_medium=tumblr