Self evaluation

This semester like the one before, we learned a lot and we worked a lot. We wrote, spoke and listened.
Short talks we one of the funniest and most enjoyable things to do. The best short talk day was there were only me and two other girls in class. We had an interesting discussion.
Of course we had to do Power Point presentations which took some time and effort, but was worth it. I am proud of myself that I did not read much from a sheet and did not lose my thoughts. I even enjoyed it as I got the feeling that I had to do it. It was strange though, because actually we had to make them.
I cannot forget to mention Summary writing. It was not easy as formal language is still a little bit unusual for me and it is hard not to use informal words, but the ones I wrote I managed to do them quite good.
We did Moodle and ESP vocabulary tests, which were the hardest part of all. With Moodle tests it was quite ok, because we did them at home. On the other hand, ESP tests were harder. We did them in classes with no notes. We had to remember words and meanings of them, and it was quite hard as I almost always got tensed when we did them. Tension gets in the way of doing things right.
Also, there were listening tasks. They were the easiest things to do for me, especially when we heard recording twice. I almost always made none or few mistakes. Almost always teacher dictated and we had to write down tasks. It was annoying, but very useful. This semester I even did not have to try very hard to write fast.
We had two new things that we did. They were Online listening and Online exercises. Online listening was almost the same as listening to a cassette. Exercises always made us laugh, because we hard to go to one computer and write type the answers. Sometimes one student typed one answer, sometimes one student typed while others dictated. If the one who typed made a mistake everyone would tell him at the same time so sometimes class was a mess.
All in all, this semester made me to work harder, but there were happy moments too. It will be strange when we will not have English classes in next semester.

Personality disorders vs. Behavior

To begin with, we should understand what disorder and behavior are. Personality disorders are long-term patterns of thoughts and behaviors that cause serious problems with relationships and work. People with personality disorders have difficulty dealing with everyday stresses and problems. They often have stormy relationships with other people. The exact cause of personality disorders is unknown. However, genes and childhood experiences may play a role. Bahavior is the response of the system or organism to various stimuli or inputs, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious they are.

Disorders are closely related to behavior as they may take effect on persons daily functioning. Most people with a personality disorder are distressed about their life and have problems with relationships at work or in social situations. Many people also have mood, anxiety, substance abuse, or eating disorders. Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters. Cluster A personality disorders involve odd or eccentric behavior; cluster B, dramatic or erratic behavior; and cluster C, anxious or inhibited behavior.

People who belong to cluster A can have Paranoid, Schizoid or Schizotypal personality. People with a paranoid personality are distrustful and suspicious of others. Based on little or no evidence, they suspect that others are out to harm them and usually find hostile or malicious motives behind other people's actions. People with a schizoid personality are introverted, withdrawn, and solitary. They are emotionally cold and socially distant. They are most often absorbed with their own thoughts and feelings and are fearful of closeness and intimacy with others. People with a schizotypal personality, like those with a schizoid personality, are socially and emotionally detached. In addition, they display oddities of thinking, perceiving, and communicating similar to those of people with schizophrenia.

Cluster B contains Narcissistic, Antisocial, and Borderline personalities.People with a narcissistic personality have a sense of superiority, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. People with an antisocial personality, most of whom are male, show callous disregard for the rights and feelings of others. They tolerate frustration poorly, and sometimes they are hostile or violent. People with a borderline personality, most of whom are women, are unstable in their self-image, moods, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Their thought processes are more disturbed than those of people with an antisocial personality, and their aggression is more often turned against the self.

In the third Cluster C are Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive personalities. People with an avoidant personality are overly sensitive to rejection, and they fear starting relationships or anything new. They have a strong desire for affection and acceptance but avoid intimate relationships and social situations for fear of disappointment and criticism. People with dependent personality lack self-confidence and feel intensely insecure about their ability to take care of themselves. People with an obsessive-compulsive personality are reliable, dependable, orderly, and methodical, but their inflexibility makes them unable to adapt to change.

People with personality disorders often think that they are completely fine and that everyone else isn’t. Also, they avoid taking responsibility for their actions. These disorders put people in danger for harming themselves and others either psychologically or physically.

______
References:
> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/personalitydisorders.html
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior
> http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/sec07/ch105/ch105a.html

Psychology of handwriting

Many people live in this world and there is almost the same number of handwritings. Each person’s handwriting talks and tells things about him.
There are people who study handwritings are called graphologists. The letters a and o are communication letters. When a writer’s a’s and o’s are open at the top, that writer likes to talk, and will find it difficult to keep a secret. When they are completely closed at the top, the writer is someone you can trust to take your secret to the grave. But when a writer’s a’s and o’s are distorted or unclear, trust not. If a writer not only closes letter at the top but seals it tightly by finishing it at the bottom means that the person is so secretive that he will not even tell himself the truth. Famboyant script shows that the person is quite an actor and is tend to embellish the truth. If letters a and o have a sharp tail – „stinger“ – that means that the writer communicates with sharp, piercing words. Stinger writers are also ten to be extream at sex – they either do not have it at all, or they become sexaholics. And if the written words seems to have an ending which is easy to misread means that writer is well known how to disguise the truth.
In conclusion, there are many ways to read what handwriting is telling about the writer. And as much as you want to hide your true identity, the truth is easy to read.

References:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27419228/

Self Evaluation

This semester in our English classes we learned a lot. Also, we worked a lot too: we did tests, discussed modules, wrote summaries, spoke...
Writing summaries wasn‘t easiest thing for me, because in formal language I use words like they etc. But if you spend more time while writing them then you are able to think how to say “they” in other, formal, ways.
Listening for me was one of the easiest tasks. You just have to read what you need to find out and listen carefully. Of course, listening the record twice helps a lot.
We did some speaking too. There were times when we had to speak in class without doing preparations at home and other times we had to prepare it at home. I’m not a very good speaker, because in my head I often jump from one thing to another and that gets me confused. After these thing I get nervous and have to calm down in order to continue my speech. But speaking without preparations is more fun to me. You tell and hear what comes to everyone’s mind first. We were laughing during those classes.
We also did Power Point presentations. It was an interesting thing. In order to make a presentation I had to read module carefully and find out main things. And then I looked in internet for other interesting things to that module. I was lucky, because my module was short and clear. Everything was on it. I think I did good job on that.
In order to test our knowledge we did Moodle tests at home and ESP tests at class. They were hardest part of our studies. At least for me. In order to do it good we had to read material again and learn it. It takes some time to read everything, but it helps. I’m not very happy with my work. I know I could have done much much better, but I was to lazy. That’s the biggest problem. We did Moodle tests at home through our computers. There was no time limit and if didn’t have conscience we were able to find answers in material. Of course with these test we had some problems, as person who made them did few mistakes in writing correct answers and that’s why even if our answer was correct computer showed that it was incorrect. ESP test had limited time as we always did them in class 10-15minutes until the break. And there was more stress for me doing them, because when I get that little paper and suddenly get nervous and forget what I’ve read. But I think in some time I will get over this problem.
To sum up, there was good and bad times this semester, but life is wavy and we can’t expect it to always be good. And I must put more effort in studying in future.

Types of laughter

Parents quickly learn what baby wants when he‘s crying, but don‘t think much about what their laughter means. Very few people think about types of laughter. People laugh at strangest things. There are two ways to group laughter, but both ways group five similar types.

First grouping consists of:
1) Etiquette laughter – when people laugh at things even though they aren’t funny. For example, when people want to please their boss or friends. People rely on laughter as a means to get along with others.
2) Nervous laughter – during times of stress or anxiety, people often laugh in subconscious attempt to reduce stress and calm down.
3) Pigeon laughter – laughing without opening mouth. Lips are sealed, laughter produces humming sound, much like the noises a pigeon makes. Also called bees laughter.
4) Silent laughter – freeze your smile into Jokers smile and let belly do all the work of pushing air in and out just as we are laughing loud. In yoga and laughter therapy it is called “Jokers laughter”. It helps to relax, calm down and go back to sleep after waking from bad dream.
5) Belly laughter – is considered the most honest laughter, but hardest to experience, because people have to find something truly hilarious before they start laughing with clutching their bellies and gasping for air (sometimes people also end up rolling on floor).

Another grouping of laughter is grouping it by emotions:
a) Snorting – a snob expressing disapproval
b) Sniggering – intensive, unsympathetic and immature
c) Cackling – loud, ape-like shrieks, enjoying the misfortune of others
d) Chuckling – kind and thoughtful
e) Belly-laugh – open and trustworthy

Laughter has benefits like removing stress, calming down and sometimes helps to see a better side of bad or sad situation. However, there are drawbacks of laughter. People can feel shame when they laugh in wrong time or place. Sometimes other people may not understand and get insulted by ones laugh.
All in all, people laugh and it is said that “laughter is the best cure” and “if you laugh more, you live longer”.

References:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-nature/emotions/happiness/science/5-types-of-laughter.htm
http://changingminds.org/techniques/humor/laughter.htm
http://www.laughangeles.com/images/world-laughter-day-logo.jpg

Psychology of obsession

There are people who check if they have locked their house or some people have to wash their hands dozens time in day. It is not normal. Those people have psychical disorder – obsession.

Obsession is a compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety.

There are few types of obsessions. These are two of them:

· Obsessive – compulsive disorder (OCD)

· Obsessive love disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the fourth-most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes. OCD causes the brain to get stuck on a particular thought or urge. A typical person with OCD performs rituals which leads them to relief from anxiety. This is why people strangest things – washing hands over and over again, checking if the lights are turned off, if door is locked and so on.

Treatment - Exposure and response prevention. For example, if you are a compulsive hand washer, you might be asked to touch the door handle in a public restroom and then be prevented from washing up. As you sit with the anxiety, the urge to wash your hands will gradually begin to go away on its own. In this way, you learn that you don’t need the ritual to get rid of your anxiety – that you have some control over your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.

Obsessive love disorder is much worse. There are persons who confuse love with obsession. Obsessive lovers believe that only the person they fixate on can make them feel happy and fulfilled. In some cases people think that they are in love with another person even if they do not know each other. This can leads to stalking and in worsed cases – raping and murdering.

It can be cured in few ways:

#1: learning to let go

#2: talking to yourself

#3: finding a hoby or special interest

#4: talking to friends

#5: getting professional help

Disorders may be treated and people may get rid of them. Firstly, people have to realise that they have a problem. Secondly, people must want to be cured. Thirdly, people must get help.

References:

http://helpguide.org/mental/obsessive_compulsive_disorder_ocd.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/obsessive-love-treatment.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/obsessive-love-disorder.html

Psychology at MRU and at Kingston University

I am studying Psychology at Mykolo Romerio University (MRU) and I would like to go to Kingston University in London, United Kingdom, to deepen my knowledge in Psychology. At Kingston University are subjects that we do not learn here.

First year students study Experimenting with People, when students in small groups design, run, analyse and report a significant piece of psychological research. It is very bad that we do not study it at MRU. Moreover, students have an interesting subject called Western Historical Thought, 1700-2000. They learn how people thinking has changed since year 1700. This subject includes feminism, racism, fascism, war, liberalism, capitalism and many more. I think it is a very interesting subject. Also, I would experience what it means to try to fit in among other people and I would learn more about this country.

However, there are negative aspects of studying abroad. At MRU we study in our native language and at Kingston University everything would be in English. That means that it would be harder to understand. What is more, education is more expensive in Kingston University, I would have to find a place were to live and buy food. Now I am living with my dad so I do not have to pay for anything. Also, it would be very hard to be so far away from family and friends.

It does not matter how many disadvantages there are, I would like to learn new subjects that I do not study here,to go abroad, to experience all new feelings and to change my life even for short time.

References:
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/psychologybsc/