Assignment: Understanding a little
more about the brain, God's incredible design, state two structures of
the brain that you did not understand before and how understanding it
will now impact the way you view yourself, view others and your care for
yourself and others.
Response: The part of the brain that I learned the most about was the reticular
formation. previously I did not even know this part of the brain
existed. This part of the brain can trigger any other part of the brain
if it deems circumstances relevant. It controls the sleep-wake cycle and
attention focus. It filters the things around you as important or not
important and can shut out the ones that are not important. Upon more
research I learned that this part of the brain can develop habitual
focuses or overlooking. For example, I live on a busy street and people
are always saying "I wouldn't be able to sleep if I lived here." I don't
even notice the sound anymore; my reticular formation simply overlooks
it. The reticular formation is connected to the brain stem and if
damaged then the victim can enter a comatose state.
Another part of
the brain that I did not know existed is the limbic system. This part of
the brain controls feelings and has some effect upon memory and
learning. Emotions and feelings can be greatly effected by any damage or
tampering with these parts of the brain. Damage to the limbic system
can bring about a 180 degree turn in personality, but it can also damage
learning ability and memory.
These parts of the brain both made me
think about if I damaged them. I could loose much of my memory or even
fall comatose. I do not think I would like that. Being in mixed martial
arts I think this reading and study has convinced me to be a bit more
careful with head protection for myself and my students.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
BBC - General Psychology 3
Assignment:
How
does the production of your own neurotransmitters impact you on a daily
basis? Give at least three examples with your discussion.
Note: Make sure you have proof
Response:First off my third favorite neurotransmitter has to do mostly with
eating and sleeping. Its name is huge! ready? Gamma-amino butyric acid.
Try saying that ten times fast. If you don't feel like saying all that
then you can just say GABA. This neurotransmitter also effects feelings
of aggression and is effected greatly by tranquilizers and alcohol. This
could be why people: drink more when drunk, sleep so easily when drunk,
get aggressive when drunk. This neurotransmitter is very important to
daily life because it controls eating, sleeping and aggression. If my
GABA was too low i would feel anxious, irritable and unfocused on a
daily basis. I personally would not want to live in a world where there
was no sleep, no eating, and always anxious, irritated, angry people.
My second favorite neurotransmitter is Dopamine. If you are lazy and do not feel like saying that then you can call it DA. This neurotransmitter controls movement, while also having a direct impact upon learning abilities, attention span and pleasure. This neurotransmitter effects me right now because I can focus on this paragraph, learn what I have read in this chapter, and feel pleasure when I submit this (I hope). There are diseases which are caused by too much or too little Dopamine like Parkinson's disease and possibly schizophrenia.
Finally, my most favorite neurotransmitter is Endorphins. This neurotransmitter effects the feeling of main and mood control. This is commonly talked about in the sports world because some sports may release these endorphins to relieve pain or simply raises moods. I learned in the reading that endorphins may also directly effect the act of taking placebos. This has long been an interest of mine since I once learned a person can get "drunk" off of water and extremely hyper off of drinks without high sugar and such when they believe that they are actually partaking in something else. In a world without endorphins we would have some very grumpy people.
My second favorite neurotransmitter is Dopamine. If you are lazy and do not feel like saying that then you can call it DA. This neurotransmitter controls movement, while also having a direct impact upon learning abilities, attention span and pleasure. This neurotransmitter effects me right now because I can focus on this paragraph, learn what I have read in this chapter, and feel pleasure when I submit this (I hope). There are diseases which are caused by too much or too little Dopamine like Parkinson's disease and possibly schizophrenia.
Finally, my most favorite neurotransmitter is Endorphins. This neurotransmitter effects the feeling of main and mood control. This is commonly talked about in the sports world because some sports may release these endorphins to relieve pain or simply raises moods. I learned in the reading that endorphins may also directly effect the act of taking placebos. This has long been an interest of mine since I once learned a person can get "drunk" off of water and extremely hyper off of drinks without high sugar and such when they believe that they are actually partaking in something else. In a world without endorphins we would have some very grumpy people.
BBC - General Psychology 2
Assignment: Respond to the statement is "All truth
God's truth?" What are your initial thoughts about this statement, and
what conclusions do you then come to? Make sure you include a definition
of "truth".
Response: When evaluating the statement "All truth is God's truth" my response is simple. This statement is correct. God created everything including all truth. Therefore all truth belongs to Him, and anything aside from His truth is not truth. Jesus himself stated "I AM the way the truth and the life..." (John 14:6). According to scripture God is truth. The Merriam-Webster definition of truth is "a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality". That definition describes God pretty well. But how can we know truth? We know that God is truth, but how can we know a God we can not see? Scripture says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..." (John 1:1). This tells us that Scripture (God's Word) is divine and therefore truth. With this foundation we can use Scripture to evaluate "truths" in today's world that are not specifically in God's Word. Things such as the scientific method can be used to search for truth but never come above God's Word. Any fact found apart from Scripture should then be compared to scripture to be sure it aligns with truth. Human beings have a natural desire for truth. Unfortunately too many of them look in all the wrong places. As disciples of Christ we must do our best to quench their thirst, to give them truth, to show them Jesus.
I realized that my response had an issue in it... lets see if you can find it.
Response: When evaluating the statement "All truth is God's truth" my response is simple. This statement is correct. God created everything including all truth. Therefore all truth belongs to Him, and anything aside from His truth is not truth. Jesus himself stated "I AM the way the truth and the life..." (John 14:6). According to scripture God is truth. The Merriam-Webster definition of truth is "a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality". That definition describes God pretty well. But how can we know truth? We know that God is truth, but how can we know a God we can not see? Scripture says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..." (John 1:1). This tells us that Scripture (God's Word) is divine and therefore truth. With this foundation we can use Scripture to evaluate "truths" in today's world that are not specifically in God's Word. Things such as the scientific method can be used to search for truth but never come above God's Word. Any fact found apart from Scripture should then be compared to scripture to be sure it aligns with truth. Human beings have a natural desire for truth. Unfortunately too many of them look in all the wrong places. As disciples of Christ we must do our best to quench their thirst, to give them truth, to show them Jesus.
I realized that my response had an issue in it... lets see if you can find it.
BBC - General Psychology 1.5
Question: Example of experiencing psychology in your life??
Response: An example of psychology that I have seen included my family but was mostly focused on one person. The past three months have been a time of trial and growth within my family. A family my parents were counseling had decided that they could no longer host the child that they had adopted. They had him spend the night at our house so they could consider their decision without his presence at the house or something. After that night he never went back. We have been working on adoption processes after a lot of prayer and contemplation. With this new six year old boy at our house we have been filled with so much joy and laughter. He has made so much progress since he came to us. I think the way we treat him compared to his last family has made the difference. He no longer has "panic attacks" like he used to and does not have as difficult a time obeying, eating, behaving or interacting with people. He is still very shy but has grown so much. I think my parents training in psychology and counseling subconsciously effected their relationship with him.
I don't know if that was an adequate answer due to the fact that it was not really about me so I will also talk about a psychological effect that I am familiar with. A very large portion of martial arts is mental. Personally I struggle with being intimidated by larger opponents so I do a lot of revising my mindset. In martial arts we always have to look at the glass half full in order to keep motivated. Always think "only a minute left" instead of "a whole minute left?" and so on. I realize that when I go to practice with a "ready to fight" attitude instead of a "I hope I do not get beat up.... again" attitude then I really do much better. I actually have my first jiu jitsu tournament tomorrow so I could very easily get worried and panic but I will be keeping my mindset on what I have learned and what I need to do.
Response: An example of psychology that I have seen included my family but was mostly focused on one person. The past three months have been a time of trial and growth within my family. A family my parents were counseling had decided that they could no longer host the child that they had adopted. They had him spend the night at our house so they could consider their decision without his presence at the house or something. After that night he never went back. We have been working on adoption processes after a lot of prayer and contemplation. With this new six year old boy at our house we have been filled with so much joy and laughter. He has made so much progress since he came to us. I think the way we treat him compared to his last family has made the difference. He no longer has "panic attacks" like he used to and does not have as difficult a time obeying, eating, behaving or interacting with people. He is still very shy but has grown so much. I think my parents training in psychology and counseling subconsciously effected their relationship with him.
I don't know if that was an adequate answer due to the fact that it was not really about me so I will also talk about a psychological effect that I am familiar with. A very large portion of martial arts is mental. Personally I struggle with being intimidated by larger opponents so I do a lot of revising my mindset. In martial arts we always have to look at the glass half full in order to keep motivated. Always think "only a minute left" instead of "a whole minute left?" and so on. I realize that when I go to practice with a "ready to fight" attitude instead of a "I hope I do not get beat up.... again" attitude then I really do much better. I actually have my first jiu jitsu tournament tomorrow so I could very easily get worried and panic but I will be keeping my mindset on what I have learned and what I need to do.
BBC - General Psychology 1
Assignment: "Describe what comes to your mind when you think of the word "psychology".
Now give a solid definition of what psychology is and does that align with your presuppositions"
Response: Personally when I hear the word "psychology" I automatically think of a deeply intelligent detective (like Sherlock Holmes or someone) who can interpret a person's actions and reactions in order to tell what is really going on in the person's mind or even play mind tricks with the person. Upon studying the subject I learned that my initial thoughts may be part of psychology, but psychology is much larger than that. Psychology is the study of behavior, the mind, and its mental processes. This science covers many departments of studies that all share the same goal. Some of these departments are: developmental psychology, social psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, and personality psychology. The main objective of psychology is to figure out why people do what they do. There are many different approaches to this as well. For example some psychologists will merely observe the person's behaviors and the environment within which they reside, while others search for answers within the genetic makeup of the person. Unfortunately, many people depend upon the study of the mind to fix their problems and make them happy. These people are mislead, and they do not know that true joy, hope and contentment only come through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The more I look into and study this science the more I learn that was missing from my original assumptions.
Now give a solid definition of what psychology is and does that align with your presuppositions"
Response: Personally when I hear the word "psychology" I automatically think of a deeply intelligent detective (like Sherlock Holmes or someone) who can interpret a person's actions and reactions in order to tell what is really going on in the person's mind or even play mind tricks with the person. Upon studying the subject I learned that my initial thoughts may be part of psychology, but psychology is much larger than that. Psychology is the study of behavior, the mind, and its mental processes. This science covers many departments of studies that all share the same goal. Some of these departments are: developmental psychology, social psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, and personality psychology. The main objective of psychology is to figure out why people do what they do. There are many different approaches to this as well. For example some psychologists will merely observe the person's behaviors and the environment within which they reside, while others search for answers within the genetic makeup of the person. Unfortunately, many people depend upon the study of the mind to fix their problems and make them happy. These people are mislead, and they do not know that true joy, hope and contentment only come through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The more I look into and study this science the more I learn that was missing from my original assumptions.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Long Time No Post
Hey guys!! So, I have not posted in quite a while. I am now doing online courses with Baptist Bible College!!! This gives me a lot more time online and more things to write about :) I will also be writing up some short sermons and such spontaneously. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Research Paper
This is a link to my most recent Research paper. It is about sex trafficking in Cambodia. I hope it will encourage some people to stand and make a difference in any way they can. Be warned; there are graphic facts and is not appropriate for those who are younger. I also trust none of you will "steal" my work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)