Week Seven

The section "Going to College" in chapter 10 was an interesting one. Returning adult students (students over the age of 25), seem to be more mature and take college a lot more seriously, on average, than students under the age of 25. Returning adult students are great to have in class because they bring a new perspective to classroom discussion and seem a lot more motivated and interested than the students around my age (19). I'm curious how the average grades of returning adult students compare to students between the ages of 18 and 25; I'm guessing that returning adult students have higher average grades despite having to balance family/work with school because of their exceptional motivation.
Chapter ten was my favorite read so far this year because it related to me so well; I am in my emerging adulthood stage. Emerging adulthood is basically the stage between being an adolescent and an adult. I have not reached the point in my life where I consider myself fully an adult and I'm not sure when it will be. Although I'm legally an adult, attend college, and am employed, I know I haven't reached the point of full maturity. Maybe I will feel like an adult when I'm 21 or maybe when I finish school? I like they idea of "emerging adulthood" because turning 18 does not correspond with maturity. It happens subtly over time and is something to look forward to.

Week 5

A few things from chapter seven intrigued me, including the section on television. I was appalled to read that a young North American child will witness at least several thousand murders on TV before reaching their adolescence. Also, the average cartoon displays an act of violence every three minutes. These facts surprised me because I would never consider dangerous the cartoons that my little brothers watch on a daily basis. In my opinion more education shows should be on television and parents should consider adding a parental control on their television sets.

            My youngest brother is seven years old and the “Consumer Behavior” section from chapter 7 states: “preschool children often believe that commercials are simply a different form of entertainment-one designed to inform viewers. Not until 8 or 9 years of age do most children understand the persuasive intent of commercials; a few years later, children realize that commercials are not always truthful” (Kail, Cavanaugh, 2007, 2010). I never considered talking to my brother before about the intent of commercials but after reading this chapter, I made sure he knew.

            I enjoyed reading about the four different types of parental behaviors. I reflected on how I was parented and realized that my dad had used an authoritarian parenting style while my mom was more authoritative. Even though I disliked both styles of parenting when I was a young teenager, I have grown to appreciate them. I believe that there are many more than four types of parenting styles and I would like to know more and read a more in-depth description. This week’s reading was very interesting; I would recommend the chapter 7 text to any parent or soon-to-be parent. 

Week Four

I thought that the section on ADHD was very interesting because I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when I was 16 years old. After being diagnosed with ADHD I was prescribed a stimulant that was supposed to help me stay focused on my school work. The results were miraculous; I went from sleeping in class to getting A’s on my tests. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue taking the medicine because I suffered from many of the stimulant’s terrible side effects. Reading the chapter-six section on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was the first time that I have ever heard of psychosocial therapy. I wonder why it was never suggested to me when the medicine did not work. Although medication is an easy fix, it’s not always the best.  

It seems like America has a little pill sized solution for every problem. Us Americans use pills for a plethora of reasons including: weight loss, pain relief, sexual stimulants, cold and allergy relief, insomnia, and many more. Pill use has become so common that most people don’t think twice before popping a few Tylenol or even Vicodin. Overmedicating is huge in America and with modern medical science advancing at such a rapid pace it seems like the issue is only getting worse.