Personal Reflection Assignment #1 – Selecting a Topic Purpose:…

Question Answered step-by-step Personal Reflection Assignment #1 – Selecting a Topic Purpose:… Personal Reflection Assignment #1 – Selecting a TopicPurpose: Apply the goals of psychology (describe, explain, predict, change) and course concepts to a real-life situation.Overview: Over the course of the semester you will be submitting several assignments to help you prepare for your final Personal Reflection paper. To get started, this assignment asks you to start thinking about possible topics.Task: Provide examples of three of your own behaviors that you would like to improve or change. For each behavior, include a short statement providing an example of a time that you have engaged in this behavior that makes it clear why it is a problem you want to solve. Each description can be brief (see example below), however you should write in full sentences and include a specific example of each one.Example:  I am messy. I regularly throw clothes on my bedroom floor at the end of the day and wait weeks before I bother to pick them up or wash them. This is a problem because there have been mornings where I realized that I had nothing clean to wear and other times when I had friends come over and I was embarrassed to let them see my room.Your instructor will review the three topics provided in this assignment and offer feedback so that you can identify the single behavior that you will use for Personal Reflection paper. Think carefully about the behaviors you suggest as you will be exploring one of these behaviors in depth throughout the semester. For the final paper you will be asked to describe the behavior, explain where it came from, predict what will happen if you do not make any changes, and finally come up with specific changes you can make to improve the situation. In addition, you will be connecting your topic to concepts and vocabulary we will be learning in our course.Possible Topics: Below are some common examples of topics that would work for this assignment. You may choose from this list, if they apply to you, or come up with some of your own. Remember, only choose topics that you feel comfortable writing about and discussing in class. You should never choose a topic that feels too personal. Do not feel that the topic has to be a serious personal problem. Many students write bout very common everyday behaviors that they want to improve on. If you have questions or concerns about appropriate topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your instructor. Please note, if you are retaking B110, you must choose a new topic and cannot reuse the same paper from the last time you enrolled in the course.Putting things off to the last minuteYelling/cursing frequentlyNot finishing things you startAvoiding a specific situation (specify)Texting or using your phone while drivingSpending too much time watching TV or on social mediaModifying eating habitsChanging exercise habitsThere are some topics that students sometimes identify that won’t work well for this assignment. We have found that students find the assignment easier to write when they focus on an observable behavior. Here are some examples of things that tend not to work as well for the assignment along with some suggestions on how to rethink the topic.Worrying/Being anxious/Stress – These are not specific. Can you identify instead what it is that you do when you are worried/anxious/stressed that you want to stop doing? For example, do you bite your fingernails, avoid the situation, or eat junk food perhaps? As we will learn this semester, we can’t completely avoid stress, but we might be able to change how we react to it or some things that cause it. Try to focus on the behavior you want to change.Being introverted – This is really more of a trait or personality characteristic rather than a behavior. Instead, can you frame your topic as something more specific that you feel is a problem like, “I often turn down invitations to go out with friends” or “I rarely volunteer or talk in class.” Social Science Psychology PSYC 140 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)