Carefully review the four goals of psychology in chapter 1. They are describe, explain, predict and change. Think of a behavior in your life that you would like to change. For this essay question, write five paragraphs, each containing at least 200 words. The behavior that you choose does not have to be extremely personal, and this assignment is not meant to be intrusive. Write about a behavior that you feel comfortable sharing. Also, the most common mistake students make in this assignment is not clearly separating out how each of the four goals is distinct.
Paragraph 1: Describe the four goals of psychology to illustrate that you understand them.
Paragraph 2: Using the behavior you would like to change, apply the first goal of describe, applying only that goal and applying it correctly (current state, metrics).
Paragraph 3: Using the behavior you would like to change, apply the first goal of explain, applying only that goal and applying it correctly (how did the current state come about and what is maintaining it).
Paragraph 4: Using the behavior you would like to change, apply the first goal of predict, applying only that goal and applying it correctly (brainstorm list of what may help).
Paragraph 5: Using the behavior you would like to change, apply the first goal of change, applying only that goal and applying it correctly (using some, but not all of the items in the brainstorm list, what is the plan of action going forward to change the behavior).
Using information from chapter 2 regarding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, write about at least two times when your fight or flight reaction kicked in (even if not a full blown fight or flight) when you were not actually faced with a true emergency. Each example is to have a paragraph of at least 250 words. For example, you may have had a frustrating situation at work or school and noticed that your fight or flight reaction was stimulated, but that there was no actual need to fight or flee. Sometimes it triggers after the accumulation of ongoing stressors and a conflict with someone is “the last straw.” How did your reaction affect the situation and how you handled it? Write also about how you calmed yourself, or about how your parasympathetic nervous system finally kicked in. Knowing how your nervous system behaves in these situations, what can you change going forward?
Using information from chapter 4 – write a 250 paragraph about the quality of your sleep. Use specific concepts from the text. Also, write about what you would do to improve the quality of your sleep. Again, use specific concepts from the text so that your work is based on known science and not just general opinion.