#thinkingself

[psycho-self-care]

BLOG #13 CULMINATING ENTRY 

We could all agree that the human person is a wonder that is quite a mystery for us even though we are the humans. There are a lot of things that we could question regarding the human person itself because of our natural state of curiosity we might as well make use of such trait in order to learn and discover more about the things that could possibly help enhance our existence. The discovery of the self, starts from asking the questions about how one attained the state of where he or she is currently and that leads us back to the society where we grow up in and the acceptable norms and standards present during that time. Personally, I saw that the overall factor that affect the way that we function and perceive the world is the society, its means, ways and motives. Technically, most of the things that we live by today is a social construct or some kind of standard that is formulated and implemented in society

Understanding the self through bioecological systems perspectives shows how we are not just a person who is undergoing a certain development rather we have this dynamic interaction with the surroundings, the plants, the animals, and humans (or systems). Every single interaction is an exchange of knowledge both new and old that would further enhance the way a person functions and lives his or her own life. Furthermore, this society that we live in is not just a concept perceived in a macrosystem type of way rather it is also made up of microsystems that all contributes in order to have a functional and lasting macrosystem. It shows when a person develops and adapts through the different interactions that one encounters every single day. We have this certain connection with the world or the society that could determine how we formulate our own perceptions of the world. Considering that our world today is gearing towards globalization, there are more aspects of humanity that we should all consider in order to survive and be united with other people. The risk of creating a blurred line between the different classifications of people gives diverse effects in both sides. Positively, it may lead to better relations and a solidified unity within the community; while it could also be negative when people do not accept such act of bringing people closer together and understanding each other’s take on the situations happening in the society.

Our respective selves have the right to respond towards these situations and could be seen through the thinking and feeling self. Our system one thinking may be of-denial or a bit defensive about the whole idea of globalization, yet this could be counteracted by the logical thinking of our system two thinking; which takes the time and effort to weigh the facts found around it and decide what is the best option of reacting. On the other hand, the feeling self is responsible for giving away the emotions that is felt during a certain situation. It is the thing inside of us that binds us all in one common unity for we rational beings are also capable of feeling or attaching feelings towards certain circumstances that we find appealing or worth remembering. Moreover, it is our feeling self which is responsible for the bias in our reactions and the way we handle circumstances that change the course of our lives.

Those reactions and decisions that we make every single day is also linked towards the way the community or the society’s standards are formulated. Those laws, rules and norms implemented in a certain community would more likely be working with a person’s superego which is fueled by the morality principle. Meanwhile, we could see how the negative parts of the community (e.g. drugs, violence, rebellion, etc.) may stimulate and work alongside our id. Lastly, everything between the polar opposites of a person’s mind and setting is mediated by the ego, for it dictates the actions that satisfies one’s cravings (id) in balance with the society’s standards (superego). All of these are experienced and developed through one’s own life since birth; like that of the psychosocial development theory and the psychosexual stages. Therefore, acquiring a certain type of foundation towards one’s own self and a structuring of one’s identity.

We all have different stories that we navigate through on a daily basis. We do not get to choose where and how we would be born, and different communities and systems offer a different set of standards and rules that apply for their own betterment. It is really an eye-opening experience to be able to try on other people’s shoes even for a day because it would be a totally challenging whatever you’ve been accustomed to. There are a lot of things we could uncover just by interactions or nourishing our relationship with the important people in our life such us our selves, parents, and peers. In the end, we are all just wandering humans who want to shed some light in the experiences that we accumulate in miniscule time in the spectrum of time and history. You do not exist to just merely stare at a certain corner and wait for yourself to rot, rather you must live life and experience it to the best that you can because you only live once. So no matter the gender, the affiliation, the status, and the role that people have in your life it is best that everyone must learn how to love and accept love, for it is our key to happiness and fulfillment in life. 

[asilentsiren-blog]

Blog Entry #3

While going through this topic, I began to question myself, wondering what was a part of my system 1 and which was my system 2. My mind had immediately gone into thinking about how these two systems play a part in my ability to interact with other people. Thinking about my actions, why I do them, and what is good or bad about them is something I do very often. I have come to believe, however, that this constant evaluation of my actions has led me to choose what kind of ways I would act in a specific situation, and since I constantly do it, my system 2 decisions have become system 1 reactions. For example, as a child, I’ve always been a little carefree when it comes to talking to people, I didn’t care much about how I acted or what people thought about me. This was something I thought was fine, until I accidentally started offending some people with decisions I had made and things I’ve said. After evaluating myself on that situation, I began to be more cautious with how I talk to people and how I approach people, and that system 2 acknowledgement became a habit. And now, by system 1, every time I see a new person, I immediately worry about how I want to present myself and how I want them to think about me. This worry causes me to avoid most social situations because avoiding possible mistakes was a lot easier than constantly worrying about what to say.

Now, my social system 1 is avoiding people and thinking it’s better to run away from people. This is further supported by my system 2 reasoning, or self-convincing, that I am a shy person and that’s alright, because I still have friends anyway, so I don’t need to be any different. Every since I started college, however, the need to be better at socializing has increased a little bit. And I’m starting to realize just how difficult it is to change one’s system 1’s reactions due to how ingrained in our being they are.

I chose to interpret this topic in terms of socializing because it is the area of my life in which I can see my two systems trying to combat each other the most. I want desperately to open up and be able to talk to people, but I find it difficult to go against my natural reactions of spikes of anxiety in social situations and fear of rejection. I found this topic rather fascinating, particularly because these two systems sound straightforward and simple, yet they are involved with so many aspects of one’s life.

[psycho-self-care]

BLOG #3

THE THINKING SELF

Our thinking self has two systems which could be called System 1 and System 2. The System 1 is the involuntary and immediate response that we have towards immediate interaction and/ or situation, While, System 2 is the complex and takes more effort type of thinking which involves a slower process of thinking and reconsidering the situation at hand.

To further explain, System 1 is the impulsive self that we often use with almost every new situation that we encounter. This system requires little to no effort at all when we use it therefore it is the instantaneous word, thought, or action that we give out. Since this system has a faster thinking time, it is the first one to give a person an answer to circumstances that one encounters. In short, it is the basic instincts that are acting when system 1 activates. Contrary to that is the System 2 where everything is thought of and processed in quite a slower pace than System 1. This deliberately processes the situation or information at hand, which makes the whole situation takes more effort and more reflection. Moreover, the reasoning it gives out is mainly used along-side evidences and intelligent assumptions that may or may not be biased depending on the way one’s mind works. Though slower, this system makes every decision a bit more logical than just having instantaneous responses.

Both System 1 and System 2 have their own positive and negative sides when used in different circumstances. Although we want to use a certain system at a certain event, we could not fully control the action of both systems. System 1 tends to be more gullible to mistakes for it is the impulsivity in each person that lets it show and it may or may not ruin the circumstance. An example of real life impulsivity may be shown when you agree instantly to what other people tell you to do may it be: drinking, partying, paying for them, etc. it is a case which does not benefit the self for people may use it to take advantage of you and your impulsive tendencies. However, this could also be utilized when one has a job which follows a certain routine and/or order for it does not require too much thinking and/or processing effort from the person. It is better to make use of this system when the stakes of the situation are low, as to not make any major problems to your situation. For System 2, it makes a person prone to over thinking and probably having a hard time in performing tasks that require time limits. The slow processing of System 2 makes performing easy tasks difficult like that of when you are in a quiz bee, there is usually a time limit for you to answer. This system is more likely to be used when there are high stakes type of situation and it might affect the future and/or permanently change one’s life. Either way, we could all access both the System 1 and the System 2 and whichever one uses, affects the way a certain situation at hand would go.

Admittedly, we are imperfect people and probably one of the most prominent proofs is that we tend to make mistakes in judgement and in actions. This lapse in judgement and mistaken action(s) could be shown when we utilize both systems. And, not to generalize but, we usually do it in extremes, we either think too much or don’t think at all. Thinking may be taxing but we need to use our brains somehow, right? It’s only a matter of how we use it and how we let it affect our actions and reactions. The best way to utilize both systems properly could be taken from an advice given by Daniel Kahneman which is, "Jumping to conclusions is efficient if the conclusions are likely to be correct and the costs of an occasional mistake is acceptable”.