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ehlessandraspsyche · 1 year

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Blog Post 8: Myself through the years through the lenses of Psychology 101

Introduction

As we continued discussions on concepts of psychology, I have slowly been able to develop my analysis regarding my life experiences in connection with how I have developed as a person. In this blog post, I will be analyzing different life experiences and stories from my childhood and trying to explain them with the different concepts discussed in psychology.

Behaviorism in Action

As a child, I imitated many things from the people around me. Since I was the eldest and the only child at that time, I was given more attention. Once, my mother told me that I was the reason why my parents called each other Mama and Papa instead of their usual pet name of Hon (disgustingly sweet, I know). Apparently, I started calling my father, hon, because they were using it around me. I was (still am) a daddy’s girl who would always copy her father. As seen in the picture, I am pretending to read (in reality I was looking at the comics page) while my father reads as well. As mentioned in Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, children are influenced by models and pay attention to them, and imitate their behavior. Since they were the adults in my life, it was natural that I copied their behavior. My parents reacted differently to these two scenarios. In the first one, they did not outright punish me for calling my father “hon”, instead they stopped calling each other that in front of me so that I would not copy that behavior. For the second scenario, they encouraged that behavior in me, and perhaps that was the reason why I became such a big bookworm in my childhood.

Another one of my more embarrassing stories from my childhood was the time when I kicked everyone out of my house. I was around three or four years old at that time, yet I already had the audacity of a teenager. No one really remembers what caused my outburst, but they distinctly remembered when I shouted “Layas! Layas!” at them. Just imagine a tiny child shouting at everyone in her household. I really acted like I was the one paying the bills. Although my father was more lenient towards me, he scolded me for my actions because not only did I disrespect him, but I disrespected my mother, aunt, and grandmother as well.

As a “gifted child” of some sort, my main motivation (asides from earning the approval, respect, and awe of my family) was the rewards that I would receive during awards season. I still mostly remember the gifts that I received from the year-end recognition. The ones that I remember the most was the iPad I got in Grade 2 and the phone that I received for my junior high school graduation. Those rewards became my motivating factor for doing well. Often, I would treat my grades as if they had actual purchasing power.

From those two examples, we can observe the Operant Conditioning that B.F. Skinner explained. Behaviors are either encouraged or discouraged using positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or punishment. In the first example, I was punished for my bad behavior. Although I wouldn’t say that my mean streak has fully gone away, I could say that I was able to suppress that meanness successfully. Luckily, I didn’t develop any aggression toward my father, but I did develop a tiny fear of angering him. For the second example, they relied on positive reinforcement in order to strengthen my desire to get high grades. Was it effective? Yes! Did I inadvertently connect my self-worth to my grades? Maybe. (refer to blog post 6 for that one)

Observing Psychosocial Development in me

As mentioned, I was the type of student who would always bring in awards and such. I was confident in my abilities and was somewhat assured of my identity. When I reached Grade 5 and Grade 6, that assurance shifted and I didn’t really fit into what I perceived myself to be. In short, I had some sort of identity crisis. Sure, I was popular enough that people had crushes on me and confessed to me, but, I never accepted any of them. I felt as if I was too immature to be pursuing relationships like that. I could never force myself to be in a relationship if I wasn’t attracted to the person in the first place. I wasn’t sure where I truly fit in. Sure, I had no problems socializing with people, but I found it difficult to have one consistent friend group that would last. Luckily, I have a friend who I still talk to and am still close to. Truly, she was the only person I would regularly message during the pandemic. Thankfully, we both passed in UP Manila. I have someone to talk to regarding my struggles (living alone for the first time, being independent, being far from home, and not relating to city people) and we both struggled with that. Now, I have more friends that I truly care about and I have a stronger sense of identity.

My experiences as a pre-teen and now as I enter young adulthood are consistent with the fifth stage of Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory. In the fourth stage (which occurs between ages 12-18), people develop their sense of self and explore their independence. I definitely experienced confusion about who I am as a person. I’ve had many internal crises about my attitude and behavior. Recalling back to my first blog post, I mentioned that I was obsessed with categorizing myself. Now, I recognize that it was just me figuring out my identity. As I approach my 19th birthday, I find myself ready to start engaging in meaningful relationships and allow myself to fall for someone. This is consistent with people approaching the fifth stage, which is isolation vs. intimacy. I feel that I am ready to be with someone and explore myself not as a single person, but as a person in a romantic relationship. I do recognize that I have some issues with commitment because I am afraid that they would not accept me for who I am. I hope to work on that so that I would be easy to be in a relationship with.

Studying Psychology 101 made me more aware of the intricacies and theories that explain my behavior as a child, a prepubescent girl, a teenager, and a young adult. Now that I am aware, I hope to avoid being confused and learn to accept that whatever I am going through is natural in all of us. It was honestly a cathartic experience to be able to know and explain why and how I am feeling this way. As I continue my journey in BA Behavioral Sciences, I hope to be able to learn more as I grow and experience more as a person.

Word Count: 1137 Words

References:

Cherry, K. (2022, August 3). Understanding Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740#toc-stage-7-generativity-vs-stagnation

Mcleod, S. (2023a, May 18). Albert Bandura’s social learning theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Mcleod, S. (2023b, June 2). Operant conditioning: What it is, how it works, and examples. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html#Punishment-weakens-behavior

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ehlessandraspsyche · 1 year

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Blog Post 7: to all the selves I've loved before

past memories

Dear past Gaby,

I wouldn’t even bother asking how you are feeling. I know, I’ve been there. I have felt everything you feel. I have shed every tear you will shed. Every doubt that comes to your mind I already know. We both know that we are terrible at comforting other people, what makes us think that we can comfort ourselves? We are INTJs after all (don’t worry we haven’t changed all that much). Even though people say that you are mature for your age. That you are the perfect kid. Remember that that is what you are. Just a kid. You don’t need to feel as if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Kids make mistakes and kids aren’t perfect. Even if you think that all is lost, just carry on. However bad you think it gets, the world never ends as long as you don’t stop trying. Your family and friends will not desert you. You are not alone. Your future is bright. You get into a school that you would’ve never dreamed of applying to in the first place. Stop obsessing over the little things and let your anxiety go away.

We could never undo the past, but we can look to the future.

Sincerely,

current experiences

Dear present Gaby,

Hi. It seems weird to write a love letter to my current self. I just want to tell you this. Please take time to rest. Take care of yourself and relax for once. I know that we are currently drowning in requirements right now but that does not mean that we can let ourselves go. Taking care of ourselves by eating well, sleeping enough hours, and not ruminating over every single thing will do wonders for our mental health. I do feel like a hypocrite right now because let’s be honest, we will probably sleep late tonight too. But that’s okay, as long as we have the intent to take care of ourselves, the first step is done. We cannot prepare for the future if we do not take care of ourselves in the present. I know you probably don’t feel it right now, but I love you. Even if we may make mistakes every single day.

Sincerely,

future happiness

To future Gaby:

I hope we are in med school by now. Just kidding. I don’t really know what happens in the future (I’m not there yet, as you can probably tell), but I hope that we are happy. Not everything goes to plan and that is okay. As long as you and the people around you are happy, then everything will turn out fine. I hope we would be achieving our dreams or whatever we desire. I hope that we finally are at peace with whatever happened, happens, and may happen. I can only hope for what would happen to us in the future, but whatever it is I pray that it is good. We evolve and develop as humans every single day. Who I am emotionally, cognitively, and mentally may be very different to who I am in the future. But that does not mean that I would be disappointed in who I become because it is part of the journey.

Be happy.

Sincerely,

Word Count: 542 Words

References:

Jean Piagets theory of cognitive development. RSS. (n.d.). https://www.structural-learning.com/post/jean-piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development-and-active-classrooms#:~:text=The%20Theory%20of%20Cognitive%20Development,world%20(Miller%2C%202011).

The Myers & Briggs Foundation - MBTI® basics. (n.d.). https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

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ehlessandraspsyche · 1 year

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Blog Post 6: i wish i was better

eldest daughter/gifted kid syndrome

From the very beginning of my academic career, I have always been a step above the rest. I was the type of student to be called on by teachers to do special projects for the school and always the type to end the school year with medals on her neck. I was the kid that my parents didn’t really have a problem with. Sure, I was somewhat maldita and spoiled but I didn’t have any problem with my schoolwork. Since they knew that I could do my homework on my own, they didn’t really help me and instead helped my younger brothers. They often used written and oral exercises (Sarsalejo, 2012) for my brothers and I was left to do self-studying. I didn’t have any problems. Which was probably what exacerbated my so-called fall. Looking back on it, I still struggle with disconnecting my self-worth from my academic prowess, but my grade 5 self struggled with not connecting my sense of self with academic validation. I barely studied back then and I was always told that I was naturally gifted but lazy.

I hate grade 5 and grade 6 me

Then, the second quarter of grade 5 happened. As they were calling the top ten of the batch, I got more and more anxious as my name wasn’t called. Until all of the top ten students were on the stage except me. I felt like a disgrace. Up until that point I was perfect. If it weren’t for that MAPEH component, I would not have been in that position. I felt stupid. I have never hated myself more at that point. By the next quarter, I was back in the top 5, but it was all for naught, I would not be able to graduate Grade 6 with honors. I was at my lowest point, I hated the world. I was depressed, lonely, and most importantly angry at myself. Everyone in my family looked up to me. My parents did everything they could to support me in my academic endeavors. They even allowed me to take the entrance exam for the Philippine Science High School (I didn’t pass by the way, further rubbing salt into my wound). My younger brothers viewed me as a role model that they all need to follow. If I wasn’t perfect, who am I? My family was never angry at me for failing but I was angry and disappointed at myself which somehow hurt more.

bouncing back and falling again (how the pandemic made it worse)

I was elated when I passed the USTET in 2020 and I was even more elated when I learned that I was in the Top 5 of our Batch when I graduated from junior high school. I felt like I have finally redeemed myself from my past failures. I was looking forward to the future with bright eyes. Then in March, the pandemic started. What we thought would only last two weeks, lasted for more than two years. I was unable to attend my senior prom, my recollection, and most importantly my graduation. Even though I had only cried about my canceled graduation for two minutes, I was deeply saddened by the news that I would not be able to see the fruits of my hard labor and that I would not have closure from my junior high school life. At first, it was not all that bad, I was excited to be at UST Senior High School, even though it was online. I was always an introverted person. Sure I can talk to people well enough but I never realized the importance of social interaction in my life. I was unable to find friends in UST because I couldn’t socialize through social media. I felt alone and I also struggled with classes. I was so consumed with my anxiety that I fell from grace once again. I even felt the physical symptoms of anxiety as I was unable to eat food because I was busy spiraling due to the numerous amounts of requirements that I needed to fulfill. Once again, I did not graduate with awards. I was depressed, anxious, and lacking a spark in life, consistent with what others during the pandemic felt as well. (Tee, et al., 2020) However, I found redemption in passing the UPCA. Nowadays, I find myself in a better headspace. Yes, I still have problems with anxiety and paying attention but now I am surrounded by people who know how I am feeling. Slowly, I am removing my view of self-worth from academic success in order to remove the anxiety that I feel.

Word Count: 776 Words

References:

University of the Philippines - Diliman Sarsalejo, , F. J. S. (2012). Digital Archives @ UP Diliman. https://digitalarchives.upd.edu.ph/item/53921/971/EfG3egD3gMhdBG3ChML6F9M5?fbclid=IwAR24hhXKWxU7qfblDh6WMWMXEtRTsYxAMXDrGeCGQW8E0TCTNDgs7-5kA1c

University of the Philippines - Manila Tee, M. L., Tee, C. A., Anlacan, J. P., Aligam, K. J., Reyes, P. W., Kuruchittham, V., & Ho, R. C. (2020). Psychological impact of covid-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 379–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.043

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ehlessandraspsyche · 1 year

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Blog Post 5: alessandra and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad study habits

Realizations

I’ve always known that my study habits are really not that great and after listening to the Psych O’Clock Habit segment, I’ve realized how much my study habits have been holding me back. Professor Kay Anonuevo really advocated for self-regulated learning which, according to Zimmerman, is where learners transform their mental abilities to academic skills. It is self-directive and requires the student to be proactive and not just reactive to their studies. Self-regulated learning requires consistency, avoiding cramming, and strict adherence to a schedule. Every single thing that I struggle with. I’ve noticed that my study habits are reactive and in response to what is required of me by the nearest deadline. If there is a quiz, I will only really study for it the day before. While it does help with the retention of information (as the information is fresh and recent), my level of understanding is not at the level that I would want it to be. I rarely ever reviewed since my attention during class is focused only on the topic, however, during online classes my last-minute review sessions did not become enough and I found myself not being able to retain information. I felt really “called out” the first few minutes of the podcast when the male host started listing all of my bad study habits one by one.

Oof, you’ve got problems

I recognize in myself that I have terrible attention problems. I find it difficult to start, finish, or even stay focused enough to do a task without feeling some sort of pressure, like a deadline or low grades. I get easily distracted and I often feel restless when sitting down in front of my computer. I need different stimuli such as music or background noise in order to focus completely. Although I am not diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I often find myself relating to the struggles of people with ADHD in studying. I also use some of the techniques that they have said to work with them. My attention problems do not mean that I am completely unable to focus as I have these short bursts of hyperfocus on the task at hand that I am often able to complete the task quickly and efficiently. These bursts often come four hours before the deadline. Honestly, I am not exaggerating how terrible I am at beginning and finishing tasks but once I get into the groove of things, I am as efficient as a workhorse. As I have mentioned before, moments of intense pressure also lead me to these hyper-focused states. During hell week, I often find myself cramming many deadlines at the same time. In order to complete all of my deadlines, I create a schedule for myself that I often follow perfectly.

Will it work for me?

Although I can see how self-regulated learning can help, I find that it mostly benefits neurotypical people who have the ability to focus immediately. However, I find that sticking to a routine or schedule helps with my focus as I have already mentally prepared myself for doing that routine. I would need to really train myself in order to commit to self-regulated learning. I would need to set goals that are proximal, which would be time-specific and challenging enough to stimulate my brain. In terms of using socialization as a method to help in studying, I find that when reviewing for an exam, I would need to study alone in order to get most of the concepts. Then, for the social aspect, I would explain it to a friend so that I would be more likely to retain the information. For projects, I find it effective to be in a group call in order to have some accountability and outside pressure to complete the task. Somehow, knowing that my friends are also doing the same thing as me makes me more likely to focus on the task at hand. For the next semester, I would like to try out self-regulated learning to see if it would help me with my abysmal learning habits.

Word Count: 681 Words

References:

Psych O’ Clock Habit - Self Regulated Learning. (2010). Psych O’ Clock Habit. Retrieved 2023, from https://iskomunidad.upd.edu.ph/images/2/25/POCH101410.mp3.

What is self-regulated learning?. Develop Self-Regulated Learners. (2017, June 8). https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/self_regulated/what.html

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ehlessandraspsyche · 2 years

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Blog Post 4: an interview with the one I love (mama 😘😘)

Growing Up

My mother didn’t grow up with the same lifestyle that I did. She is the middle child and the eldest daughter of the family. Her father was a Customs employee and her mother was a seamstress. When she was thirteen years old, her father died leaving her mother as the sole breadwinner and caretaker of the family. As a seamstress, my grandmother did her best to put food on the table and to pay the tuition of a private school for three kids. She used to live in Malabon (where my grandfather lived) and they were supposed to move to Malinta when my grandfather died. They didn’t move there and instead, sold the house and returned to my grandmother’s hometown.

In Nabua, many of my grandmother’s relatives either served in the United States Army or the Navy and many of them worked in the US. My grandmother’s brother also worked abroad in Italy, which meant that they had money. Because they were poor, other members of the family treated them differently. One memory that my mother shared with me was a time when she and her sister were going to church. Their uncle had a jeep (which at that time was a symbol of wealth) and happened to pass by them and offered them a ride. As my mother and aunt were getting in the jeep, it started moving. They were offended because they felt like they were being treated as a charity case and that their uncle only helped them to boost his ego. “Just because [they] were poor and offered a ride, doesn’t mean that you get to treat us badly”.

Another memory that my mother shared was the time she and her sister had to share the hand-me-downs of their younger cousin. My grandmother was the guardian of her brother’s children as both he and his wife worked in Italy. To compensate for not being there, they always gave balikbayan boxes to their children. So, their cousins had almost everything they could wish for, while my mother and aunt would only have what my grandmother could give. Once, one of them had to use the old shoes of their cousin, who was younger and smaller than them. It was painful because of the size difference, but they had to persevere. They had a difficult childhood while growing up, but times were changing. My grandmother was able to put them through college.

My mother met my father during the baptism of my cousin. My father was a “bunkmate” and worked on the same ship as my mother’s cousin. After a few months of courtship and a year of engagement, they married in December 2003 and I popped out in September 2004. Although my father was the main breadwinner, without my mother, they would not have been able to establish what we have today. They went through hardships, such as my tita scamming them, and came out stronger together.

Reflecting on my qualities

My mother recognizes that she is an anxious person. She also has a tendency to catastrophize things in her mind immediately jumping to the worst conclusion. An example of this was when a few days ago, before our interview that day, my mother left more than 20 missed calls on my phone. Apparently, she got scared that someone broke into my unit and hurt me all because I didn’t say good morning at our normal time. (I woke up late because I had no online class that day, so I couldn’t say hi). My mother takes pride in her meticulousness. She has a keen sense of design and aesthetics. She practically decorated our entire house. She also finishes everything that she sets her mind to. She is also a sensitive person who is attuned to the emotions of others.

Health and its effects on behavior

Recently, my mother was diagnosed with an iron deficiency and was prescribed supplements. This wasn’t a surprise since her sister also had anemia and I had low blood pressure. There has been a link between anemia and anxiety. The symptoms of anemia and anxiety overlap, such as fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Some symptoms of anemia can cause anxiety itself. (Sweeney, 2021) When my mother gave birth to me, she also had some complications which led her to have a cesarean section. During her pregnancy, her anxiety worsened especially during her last. When my mother was pregnant with our youngest brother, she was already 39 years old (which is considered a geriatric pregnancy). Because of her small vaginal canal, she could not give birth naturally and the consecutive cesarean section operations greatly thinned her uterus which made her complicated pregnancy even more complicated. Her last pregnancy was plagued with anxiety and she was scared that she would die. Anxiety seems to run in the family as my cousin has been diagnosed and is currently receiving treatment for her generalized anxiety disorder.

Lessons in Life and How to Deal with People

From her past experiences, my mother has always given me these four pieces of advice. Choose people who choose you. This saying has always been my mother’s catchphrase. My mother is a kind person who had a tendency of letting other people walk all over her. Because of an event (that was asked not to be shared), her mindset and outlook in life changed. She no longer allowed people to take advantage of her kindness and chooses to be with people she knows care about her and ones that would not betray her. This ties into her second piece of advice, Know your crowd. Choose to be with people who you will feel proud that you know. People who will not lead you astray are the people you should be with. People influence each other and if the people that you surround yourself with are a bad influence, it will negatively impact you. The third piece of advice that she gave me was to Choose a husband who has few siblings. One of the hurdles in my parents’ relationship was my father’s siblings. My father has ten siblings and they had the tendency to abuse my father’s kindness. When they married, my father’s siblings never liked my mother because they feel as though she was taking him away from them (physically, financially, and emotionally). My mother asked my father if they could live in Bicol rather than in Leyte, where my father grew up and since he is no longer a single man, his siblings were no longer his to provide for because he was already starting a family. The physical distance between them also led to emotional distance. Because of that, our family was essentially excluded from family events such as reunions and gatherings. One of my aunts also insulted my mother to her face and scammed her. My mother says that fewer siblings mean fewer people to please. Lastly, my mother says do not loan out an amount of money that you are not willing to give away. Loaning out money has always been difficult in our culture as there is a tendency where the people who are loaning the money neglect to pay. Instead of chasing people to pay you, make sure that whatever amount you loan out, you will not mind if it does not come back. If someone does not repay you, then never let them lend money again.

Piecing it together

My mother’s attitude towards life becomes clearer once you reflect upon her own experiences and her health. Since she was left behind by her father at such a young age, she had to cope with the loss of not only a father figure but a source of income. Although they weren’t poor, they weren’t well-off either. Her financial situation at the time led her to develop certain behaviors. Our grandmother highlighted the importance of education which was why she made sure that all of her children graduated from a private university. She deeply believed that education will help them rise above their station and it did. My mother also became a frugal person who hates waste because they did not have the capacity to waste anything. While there are two schools of thought regarding this topic, I am leaning toward both nature and nurture. The environment surrounding my mother and her biological health greatly affected the way her behavior and attitudes were shaped.

Word Count: 1,379

References:

Beder, M., Simon, K., & Manseau, M. (2019, June 29). Addressing poverty and mental illness. Psychiatric Times. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/addressing-poverty-and-mental-illness

Brenner , G. H. (2022, February 22). How losing a parent affects young children. Psychology Today. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/experimentations/202202/how-losing-parent-affects-young-children#:~:text=Early%20parental%20loss%20is%20associated,to%20how%20survivors%20approach%20adult

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, February 8). Pregnancy complications. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pregnancy-complications.html

Ferguson, S. (2019, February 1). What is catastrophizing? 6 ways to stop it. Healthline. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/catastrophizing#:~:text=Catastrophizing%20involves%20believing%20that%20you,they'll%20fail%20an%20exam

https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/catastrophizing#:~:text=Catastrophizing%20involves%20believing%20that%20you,they'll%20fail%20an%20exam

Person. (2022, December 16). Is geriatric pregnancy high risk? Nebraska Medicine. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens-health/pregnancy-birth/is-geriatric-pregnancy-high-risk#:~:text=Definition%20of%20geriatric%20pregnancy,and%20fetus%20%E2%80%93%20for%20various%20reasons

Sawhill, I. (2016, July 28). The behavioral aspects of poverty. Brookings. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-behavioral-aspects-of-poverty/

Sweeney, M. (2021, February 2). Anemia and anxiety: Understanding the connection. Healthline. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/anemia-and-anxiety

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ehlessandraspsyche · 2 years

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Blog Post 3: girl... continue

TikTok Fame and Female Rage

What first drew me to Girl, Interrupted, was its fame on TikTok. I admit that I only knew about this film because I saw a clip of it with a bad game under it and because of the two TikTok sounds that grew in popularity. The first sound bite was played in a compilation of other “female rage” movies like Gone Girl and Pearl. It was Janet, an anorexic, shouting “it’s not fair, it’s not fair” in response to Daisy, another girl in Claymoore getting discharged from the mental hospital. The second clip was Lisa, Angelina Jolie’s character, saying “Everybody knows. Everybody knows that he [expletive] you. What they don’t know is that you like it” to Daisy, who kills herself the next day. The film was based on a memoir by Susanna Kaysen who wrote it based on her 18-month stay in a psychiatric hospital during the 60s. The film was very reflective of the atmosphere of the 60s, depicting the hardships of having mental health issues as a woman during the time.

Winona Ryder: The Troubled Teenager of the 90s

I also watched Girl, Interrupted because I was a fan of Winona Ryder. I first discovered her when I had my musical theater kid phase and watched “slime tutorials” of Heathers the Musical and learned that there was a Heathers movie. I became thoroughly obsessed with her works. A consistent trait of all of Winona Ryder’s characters is that they are all mentally unwell. Veronica Sawyer was in a toxic relationship and killed three people. Lydia Deetz could see ghosts and almost marries Beetlejuice. It wasn’t surprising that Susanna Kaysen, a teenager who has mental health problems, was portrayed by Winona Ryder.

The 60s and its effects on the treatment of mentally ill women

As the film was set in the 60s, it was imperative that the tumultuous social and political climate of the time was still shown in a movie about mental health struggles. The quality of treatment of the mentally ill is dependent on the current social and political climate. Before, mental illness was covered up in deep shame. Although there is still a significant social stigma, especially in the Philippines, mental illnesses are given better treatment. What remained consistent was the mistreatment of women and their mental health. The 60s was the beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement and women were heavily scrutinized and judged based on their mental health. This could best be seen in the scene where Susanna’s initial psychiatrist almost immediately diagnoses her with Borderline Personality Disorder based only on a short interview and had her sent away to Claymoore. The treatment of the patients at Claymoore was also very “of the time”. Lisa had to endure electroshock therapy and that event caused her mental health to deteriorate further. There was something about the way that they treated the girls there that deeply resonated with me and my own struggles with my mental health.

Portrayal of Mental Health in Media

A gripe that I had with the movie was how they handled the girls’ mental illnesses. They portrayed them as a group, yet the only people whose mental illnesses we see are Lisa’s and Susanna’s. I wished the other girls weren’t reduced to the stereotypes connected to their mental illnesses. I saw the impact of the environment surrounding you on how you recover from a breakdown. When Polly had her breakdown, Susanna and Lisa made the effort to lift her spirits which stopped her from sobbing. However, we can also see how mental health professionals can also inadvertently slow down the progress one has made. What caused Lisa and Susanna to run away to Florida was when Lisa was administered electroshock therapy. Although Lisa was a sociopath, electroshock therapy should not have been used. Having a good community around you is imperative for improvement. Once Susanna realized that she wanted to be in society and not on the outskirts, she had the drive to continue and to improve. Overall, I enjoyed the film and hope that others will watch it too. It may not be a definitive “female rage” film but it certainly portrayed how gender affects how mental health professionals treat you.

Word Count: 675

References:

The History & Evolution of Mental Health & Treatment: Sunrise. Sunrise House. (2022, November 28). Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-info/history-evolution-mental-health-treatment/

IMDb.com. (2000, January 14). Girl, interrupted. IMDb. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/

Jewell, T. (2021, November 30). Sociopath: Definition, vs. psychopath, test, traits, and symptoms. Healthline. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/sociopath#treatment

Date Written: March 25, 2023

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ehlessandraspsyche · 2 years

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Blog Post 2: sex, gender, and trauma-dumping

Sex and Gender Stereotypes

The lessons this past week focused on the concept of sex and gender, as well as the concepts of brain and personality. It was important to distinguish sex and gender as these two topics are often confused with one another. Sex is the genetic and biological characteristics of a person, while gender is the socially constructed behaviors and roles that are associated with a person. Sex has an influence on gender as this is the basis of gender constructs. The fundamental physical difference between men and women is directly correlated to how gender constructs are created. For example, men are physiologically stronger than women. This ties into the social stereotype that men should do physical labor while women should do less physically demanding work. Gender stereotypes can be harmful to both sexes. Men are expected to be stoic which in turn causes men to repress their emotions. This lack of emotional stability makes men more volatile and less likely to seek help. This can be seen in the statistics concerning suicide as men are more likely to successfully commit suicide than women. For women, the gender stereotype of them being more emotional works against them. Their perceived emotionality prevents them from getting jobs that require a level head.

Gender Identity and Presentation and my sexual orientation (??)

Coming from the “woke” generation, I try to use the correct terminology as much as possible. We learned in this lesson the difference between assigned sex at birth, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. My first encounter with these terms was when I was scrolling through Tumblr searching for my favorite characters. I encountered a headcanon about their sexuality and I recall being confused by gender identity and sexual orientation. I thought the terms were interchangeable and I’ll admit I often forget the differences between the terms. Reading about a topic is very different from actually discussing it, so now I can recall the difference between the terms. Gender identity is the perception of being male, female, or neither. As a person, I am cisgender and I identify with my assigned sex at birth. One of my closest high school friends identifies as non-binary and they use she/they pronouns. My gender presentation is very feminine. I enjoy wearing skirts and dresses and whenever I wear other outfits my only requirement is that 1) it looks good on me and 2) it’s not masculine. Sometimes, I would wear androgynous clothing whenever I feel less girly on that day. My sexual orientation is… still up for discussion. I don’t really want to place a label on myself because I still haven’t come to terms with it yet. But if I were to place a label, I would be bisexual with a preference for men.

I'm psychologically androgynous (again, ???)

An interesting term that was brought up during the discussion was psychological androgyny- which is where a person displays both male and female gender role characteristics. It resonated with me as I feel that it is how I would describe my personality. As the eldest child and the only daughter, there were certain expectations for me that shaped my personality. As the eldest daughter, I was expected to care for my younger brothers. I was gentle, nurturing and emotional. I was basically an on-call therapist who was ready to hear whatever problem my brothers were having and solve it. As the eldest child, I was expected to be disciplined and set a good example for my baby brothers. I was stoic in the sense that I never showed my weaknesses to them. How could I, when every action that I do influences their decisions for their lives? Since I decided to study in Manila, my brothers also decided to study in Manila as well. I couldn’t openly show signs of distress in fear that they might fall apart once they see their ate crying. I had to be strong. Which is why I identified with the term psychologically androgynous as what my outer gender expression is not reflective of my psychological gender expression.

Word Count: 665 words

References:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, March 22). androgyny. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/androgyny

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, March 23). gender identity. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/gender-identity

Date Written: March 25, 2023

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ehlessandraspsyche · 2 years

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Blog Post 1: me before psych and the constant struggle with my sense of self by lana del rey

Before I even began my journey in General Psychology, I have always been interested in it. I like analyzing the behaviors of myself and others as I am a very conscious person. Every move that I will make, am making, and made is analyzed and reflected upon. I am aware of the possible consequences of my actions and how they will affect my future. I overthink a lot and am generally an anxious person. For me, my personality traits are a blend of my parents. My father and I have the same personality type, both of us are INTJs. This is probably the reason why we are both independent and like being alone. Both of us are capable of adjusting to different environments quickly as we are currently away from home (I am in Manila and my father is an OFW). Although I show my emotions like my father, I also inherited my mother's anxious nature. We both tend to overthink the little things. She always makes me check her Facebook captions if the grammar is correct or not, just like how I hate passing my work before letting it marinate. I don't mean it literally but, I don't like passing my work immediately after I finish it. My mother and I are also very aware of our social perception toward others.

I like categorizing myself. I want to see order and meaning behind everything which is why I like things that do that. I use personality quizzes such as the Myers-Briggs Test and Enneagram in order to see where and how I fit in. I even studied astrology because that is how much I value typing myself and my personality. Categorizing myself helped me analyze my personality and behaviors as I had a hard time grasping my sense of self. Having a box to fit me in became a way for me to recognize myself and helped me find people to relate to. To be honest, I think that the only reason why I was obsessed with things like MBTI, Enneagram, and Astrology was that I was scared that I would never fit in anywhere.

Until now I recognize that I am a deeply insecure person. I am afraid of commitment because I think that nobody actually likes me for who I am. My sense of self-worth fluctuates more than the inflation rate. One moment I would think that I am a great person who is really pretty and someone who is liked by all, the next I would think that I deserve trash and nobody likes me. This is really reflected by my love life or lack thereof. I’ve had a lot of guys ask me out before and I turned all of them down because I couldn’t envision myself dating them. Then I would kind of regret not accepting them because I would see people my age having relationships. I know that I shouldn’t be in a relationship if I would only accept them because I want a relationship and not because I like them as a person.

This moment in my life is just so genuinely confusing to me. I have no definitive sense of self that I fully identify with. Hopefully, through this course, I would get to understand the enigma that is my psyche.

Word Count: 550

Date Written: March 25, 2023

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