Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Secret Life of Pronouns

The Secret Life of Pronouns

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20848-the-secret-life-of-pronouns.html

The way you speak can reveal many things about you that you do not realize. For example your personality, thinking style, emotional state, and connections with others can all be revealed by words you use commonly. One such word is “like”, commonly used by teenagers. Another is “um”, also used by the teenage population. The Little words that you use everyday are the ones that reveal the most about you. There are three main types of writing that can reveal a lot of your personality, Formal, Analytical, and Narrative writing. People who write Formally tend to be more concerned with status and power, less honest, and drink and smoke less. people gradually become more Formal as they age. Analytical people tend to be more honest, have higher grades, and have a more complex view of themselves. Finally people who use Narrative writing tend to be natural story tellers, have more friends, have better social skills, and see themselves as more outgoing.

This can affect how many people interact with each other, possibly allowing people to learn much more about people through conversation than before.

this can effect everyone who talks to other people or writes anything

Scientists Reveal Jealousies on Mock ‘Mission to Mars’

Scientists Reveal Jealousies on Mock ‘Mission to Mars’

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-reveal-jealousies-mission-mars-173527695.html

This is a follow up story to the blog reported earlier on the 520 day mock mission to Mars.

The Russian program director of the mission reported is wasn’t all smooth sailing for the 6 man multinational crew. The mission was designed to test the long-term effects of stress and isolation. The psychologists witnessed conflicts between crew members and the command team because the work load was not always evenly distributed. Jealousies emerged over who received more news from their loved ones. This sense of jealousy is similar to those experienced by draftees in their first months away from home. Doctors were on the ready to massage hurt egos and diffuse any explosive disputes. No one’s physical health suffered and the crew remained a single team. The 3 Russians, 1 Chinese, 1 French, and 1 Italian were each paid about $100,000 for the experiment.

Being paid $192.31 a day with food and lodging included doesn’t seem too bad. But being confined in small metal containers without much outside contact and a language barrier with other smelly men doesn’t seem like a good job for the money. The only positive of the job is if it someday helps future astronauts make a successful trip to Mars and back.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrom in definition is a poorly understood and often misdiagnosed neurological disorder.RLS (which is also sometimes referred to as Jimmy Legs, spare legs or "the kicks") may be known as uncontrollable urges to move the limbs in order to stop uncomfortable, painful or odd sensations in the body, most commonly in the legs.RLS may start at any age and is a growing disease for a certain percentage of people although it may disappear permanently in some sufferers.This article is very importan to know about me and others. It gives us basic information of thia syndrome and helps us understand what it is.

Color Blidness

Color blindness

Color blindness in definition is the inability to perceive differences between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. It is most often from genetics, but may also occur because of eye, nerve, or brain damage, or due to exposure to certain chemicals.In that case I believe color blindness is great infromation to know about people. It can now help you know that color blind people need to see colors like blue,black,and red when looking at things to actaully read it.

Tic

Tic

A Tic in definition is a sudden, repetitive, stereotyped, nonrhythmic, involuntary movement (motor tic) or sound (phonic tic) that involves discrete groups of muscles. There are to different kind of Tics there is simple motor, motor tics, simple phonic tics, complex motor tics and typical tics. Simple motor tics are sudden meaningless movements, such as eye blinking or shoulder shrugging.
Motor tics can be of an endless variety and may include such movements as hand-clapping, neck stretching, mouth movements, head, arm or leg jerks, and facial grimacing.
A simple phonic tic can be almost any possible sound or noise, with common vocal tics being throat clearing, coughing, sniffing, or grunting.
Complex motor tics are purposeful-appearing and of a longer nature.
Complex phonic tics may fall into various categories, including echolalia (repeating words just spoken by someone else), palilalia (repeating one's own previously spoken words), klazomania (compulsive shouting), lexilalia (repeating words after reading them) and coprolalia (the spontaneous utterance of socially-objectionable or taboo words or phrases).
Coprolalia is a highly-publicized, though uncommon, symptom of Tourette syndrome.
Typically, tics increase as a result of stress or high energy emotions, which can include negative emotions, such as anxiety, but positive emotions as well, such as excitement or anticipation.This article is very informative and good to know about ticcs and others can know it,and I know now alot about it as well.

Hallucinations

Hallucinations

A Hallucination in definition is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus.Hallucinations can be found in many sensorys including visual, auditory,olfactory, gustatory, tactile, or proprioceptive (sense of balance and position in space). Metacognitive abilities in definition are abilities that allow us to monitor or draw inferences from our own internal psychological states (such as intentions, memories, beliefs and thoughts).
The ability to discriminate between self-generated and external sources of information is considered to be an important metacognitive skill and one which may break down to cause hallucinatory experiences. This article is very informative and tells us about Hallucinations and I believe it will help others know what it is, because I now know what it is.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy

Epilepsy in definition is a common chronic neurological condition that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures.These seizures are symptoms from abnormal activity in the brain.It affects approximately 50 million people worldwide.Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication - surgery can be used in difficult cases.Not all epilepsy syndromes are lifelong, for example some are confined to particular stages of childhood.
Epilepsy is usually treated with medication prescribed by a physician; primary caregivers, neurologists, and neurosurgeons all frequently care for people with epilepsy.This article is beneficial to many people included me because it explains what it is and how you get Epsilepsy.

Insomnia

Insomnia
Frustration and drowsiness consumes you, the moments of realization that tonight is going to be a sleepless night. Upset and grouchy the next day, a real bummer! Now imagine facing that multiple nights at a time. Seems like a menace, doesn’t it? Now on top of it put going over all the negative events of the day and dreading the morning to come but wanting it to happen soon so the night can be done with. That would be insomnia. Insomnia is one of the most commonly diagnosed sleeping disorder, one out of three Americans face this and 10-15% face it chronically. More commonly found in women, people with chronic medical problems, people with psychiatric disorders, older people, and 9 of 10 have it along side with another disorder. This disorder leads to disqualify of life, feeling depressed, fatigue, negative moods, mood disturbance, and irritability. They also have a bigger lost of productivity. It has a tendency to start due to over stress and can continue even after the initial stress is resolved. It’s the case of hyper-arousal. It’s a brain system malfunction and psychiatric conditions. Perhaps even starting in childhood. Poor sleeping habits leading to bad days. Treatment consists of medications that cause you to go to sleep and therapy to get you into the better habits of sleep. Sleep is an important part of our lives, health, and sanity. The lack of sleep can also lead to violence, which is why people with insomnia are more likely to be violent than a person who gets an appropriate amount of sleep. It’s a vital thing, so try and keep stress free so you don’t get to the initial point of sleepless nights and then don’t get into the bad habit that leads to the disorder.


Resources: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleepless-in-america/200807/insomnia

Relationships

Relationships
I think we all have a part of us that wants to be needed, whether we want to admit it or not. Quoted of Pablo Neruda “Love is a question” and it’s a question we must ask ourselves. What is the ideal concept of things we love and can we find them in another? Sometimes people become to self-centered to love another person and personally, to me, life without a concept of love is meaningless. To those who wish to find someone to have for a lifetime or to call our own, love is our strength. In it we find happiness and a push to go above and beyond ourselves. Love makes us want to try and be the best at something or to be ‘amazing’ because we want a bond with someone, a bond we can always turn to. I like to call that bond a relationship. A good, healthy, happy relationship is beneficial to both parties, much like friendship. Only it can go on to a more intimate level. The closer we become to someone, the more we need them. Being in the right type of relationship with the right person can lead you to a healthier you. I think this is because it makes you want to appear better-so the other is appreciative, become more intelligent-to broaden you conversation options: so you can converse with them longer, be better- so they’ll want to be around you like you want to be around them. It gives you something to always find a way to look forward to it. As well as you’ll have someone to be there for you to brighten your day if things aren’t going right. So you won’t have to fake a smile and you can smile because they’ve given you a reason to. A relationship will leave you wanting more and you will want to grow. Growth is excellent for the mind and the body, psychologically the growth will help you be more well rounded. Showing everyone should want to have someone and to eventually be in a relationship because you can help yourself and be brighter, and you can help them and give them something to look forward to. Personally, when I make someone else happy, I’m happier. That happens a lot in a relationship, so as long as they’re right and beneficial to both parties, it will have a good psychological outcome.


Resources: Prior knowledge from my environment, what I know, what I've read, and my psychological perspective on it.

Friendship

Friendship
Friendship, it just seems to happen. I mean for me, I’ve always been super terrible at making friends that aren’t of the opposite sex. I don’t know what it was, I just could not make friends with another girl. However, I have made a few friends that are girls. I have many acquaintances, I hate no one, but I enjoy very much my tight notch of friends. I am not sure what has drawn me to them or even made me want to stick around, but it happened. Honestly, I do have more guy friends, but the friendships that place the most value with me are the few friends I made that are girls. Perhaps because they’ve been able to relate more to me and we have a lot of common problems. Do not get me wrong, I value all my friendships and appreciate them, I just have more trouble thinking of how to live with out my friends that are girls. I have two best girl friends that have gotten me through more than I could even begin to thank them for. So, what is it that causes a friendship? People like to commonly say “it just happens”, that was my initial thoughts. Well, it’s more complex than we tend to believe. Obviously interaction is key, the more regular it is, the more likely you are to enter the friendship zone, but it’s more than that. There’s also the need to have things in common, that’s a key that gets us talking to one person we see regularly than another we see regularly. The switch from the train of acquaintances to the train of friendship happens at the Self-Disclosure station. The ability to share personal stuff with one another is when you first decide if you want to switch those trains, the more deep it gets, the closer you get to the train of friendship. Reciprocity is the true train jump, can the confide in you as you can them? That’s what distinguished friends from acquaintances. Now that you’ve reached the friendship train, what keeps them on board? Closeness and benefits for both sides of the friendship. Friendship keeps people happy and allows them to vent when they’re not. If we didn’t have someone to confide in, we’d build up everything, and eventually breakdown. Once you’re close enough to be considered ’besties’, the friendship becomes not on a physical interaction level but on a communication level. Friendship does not see distance as a problem but an obstacle. If it’s good enough, it will find ways, because no one wants to lose the person they trust and can find confinement in. We want to keep the things that benefit us and make us happy. It makes us better psychologically and healthier because of our positive psychology found in it. <3


Resources: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200611/friendship-the-laws-attraction?page=3

Underage Drinking

Drinking Underage
People think drugs are just pills you can pop, something you can inject, or something you can smoke, well it’s alcohol too. Alcohol is the top choice for the youth to make a problem out of in our country. It is a public health problem: people are experiencing the consequences of drinking at way too young of an age! The age of when to start has even gotten lower! Just the other month I was babysitting and I met one of their friends in the sixth grade and he had already been exposed and done drugs of all kinds, including alcohol. Our age range and the amount we do it has increased and this is not okay! Younger people are starting in on the use of alcohol and when they do studies show that they do it intensely. Starting off young seems to lead to the use of other dangerous drugs at a young age or in general, risky behaviors, sex with more than six partners, and bad grades. That is not a lifestyle anyone should want to get into or fall into. Alcoholism had killed one of my uncles, a grandmother, and tends to take over my family and is even more dangerous for me to be around, but I have the strength to never want to do it because I have seen what it can do and have seen all the harm growing up at first hand. So listen up, those of you who don’t know, there are some known reasons on why adolescents drink. It’s risk taking, gives you the rush that you want- when I think of that risk taking and the rush people who drink want, I think: drink and you have the RISK of dying. Expectancies, what they expect to get from alcohol, those who drink expect to get the brighter and positive sides of drinking, it calms you and makes everything more at ease- wrong, I think of how it can hook you and make you addicted or how it can lead you to feel drowsy, unstable, and put you in stupid dangerous situations. The fact that younger drinkers have more tolerance and can consume more, I guess it may seem cool because younger drinkers can drink more and have a stronger take on the positive stuff- I think what about the chance of being affected in the negative sense. It’s an escape, self explanatory-still, I think what if it becomes the permanent escape/departure. Some can’t help it, it runs in the family, it‘s hereditary- I warn you to be careful. They were raised around it and only saw the good- they all lead me to think please open your eyes and see all the negative impact it can have. It kills, it isn’t fun, and not only can you take your own life but you could take another. Absolutely no one ever has the right to danger another person. Stay smart and don’t start.

Resources: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm

Pyros

Pyros
Pyromaniacs have developed a nickname of pyros, however, pyromaniacs was developed from Greek’s word pyr: meaning fire. So, obviously a pyromaniac has to do with fire. Yay, fire!(: Pyromaniacs use fire to induce euphoria or happiness often on institutions of fire control. This disorder goes beyond the love of fire and turns into impulsive control disorders, that’s what pyromaniacs have, an impulsive control disorder. It usually occurs and starts between the ages of 7 and 15. However, it is rare to come across someone who has a strong passion to start fires, less than one percent around the world is what studies seem to find. Even a more rare form of the disorder are children who develop it as early as the age of three! Adolescents arrest for arrson, you’d assume pyromaniacs would be the case, wrong! Only a small portion of them actually have it, they just have a love for fire(not to the extremes, like me, I mean I love fire, but I don’t have a super strong obsession for it, it’s just cool) or trouble. The pyromaniacs are 90% male and only 10% female (easy math that I know you could have done in your head, but your getting it anyways :D ). Common causes of pyromania can be broken down to two groups: individual and environmental. Individual as in: personal problems like feeling they need to be drastic to get attention or have past charges of crimes, revenge, or just because of social issues. Now what is meant by environmental is: neglect, physical or sexual abuse in earlier parts of their lives, and seeing adults light fires and be around fires as a relief of stress when they were developing. Something to separate the pyros from those who have no special relation to fire and just happen to do it for a criminal purpose or an emotional motif, symptoms. The first symptom would be they purposely set fires on more than one occasion, and before they do they face an emotional build up. When the spark goes off and a fire ignites a person suffering from pyromania will suddenly grow interest and fascination and may also experience pleasure, gratification, or relief. A build up of stress and emotion is often evident and seen in teens towards family and friends, would also be a symptom. So, if someone’s lifestyle consists of sudden interest in something where fire is found, experience pleasure, and tend to be overall happy except with stress and emotion build up towards family and friends, they may be a pyro themselves. Therapy is usually the treatment for pyromaniacs, but remember, fire is not a toy- it’s just really cool!

Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyromania

Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology
Thriving as a human when studied is classified as positive psychology. Unlike plain psychology that seems to wander the roads of disorder and illness, this is the road we seem to sometimes miss: happiness and fulfillment. In a time where things are starting to appear rough, we should really look into some positive psychology. We could all use a little cheering up. I know though, that too much of a good thing-isn’t a good thing. So don’t over do it, people. The glass is still only half with water, not full, but think of it as half full instead of half empty. A seemingly perfect thought of process, in my opinion anyways. Sure, I’m sometimes a tad bit more positive then the next guy, but hear me out on my take of what studies of positive psychology say makes life most worth living. (: The past decade is when positive psychology caught the eye beyond just academic purposes, everyday general people have become hooked, as well. I’m one of them and why shouldn’t you be, too? No, don’t blind your perspective on the more problem-focused psychology that has had its superiority for so long, because yes reality has it’s problems, but don’t ignore the good in it as well. The good life takes work and effort, don’t get discouraged. Sit back and take a look at your life, think of the bad, get all the negative out in the air. Now, go through all your good memories, a happy one to knock out the bad, no matter how significant it may be. It leads us to happiness, happiness classified as a part of life with a good spin. When we are happy we are satisfied, and as we go on with that we become even more satisfied, which will help us more easily find things to be happy about. This can lead us to trying harder, doing well in our environments, obtaining good social behaviors, and a good health and a longer life. All these things help design us a buffer to make our wall harder and stronger, better protection against the negative. Sure, we’ll see it, but we won’t let it knock us down!(:


Resources:http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200805/what-is-positive-psychology-and-what-is-it-not

Colors

Colors
Colors, yes colors, are more than just something to see. They are quite powerful in a psychological manner. There truly is more than meets the eyes. By using color psychology you can create a positive or negative feel. The psychology of color can change by each shade and who’s view you’re going from. Well I’m going by “http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html” view on the psychology of colors on what they think is the basis for it in the western hemisphere.
♥ Black: Quite the serious color with a range of psychological beliefs. To us, the western hemisphere, we use it as a color of grief, you’ll see many in black at a funeral. It’s a powerful and authoritive, stable and strong color. Also, it’s associated with intelligence and sometimes evil.
♥White: Purity, cleanlieness, and safety (less likely to bump into something in the brightness of this color)! As well as to show absence of color or neutrality.
♥Gray: Solid things in life, a helping hand, strong character, everything the offset gray (silver) seems to show. Grey in plain can also represent old age, death, depression, or a loss in direction.
♥Red: Energy, movement, exciting, an eye catcher. Don’t use it too much because it seems to raise heart beats, but is a good way to get excitement flowing if used in just the right manner. Sometimes linked to love, but that’s mainly pink.
♥Blue: Seeing the color blue causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming; but that isn't true of all shades of blue, sometimes it can become overwhelming. However it also shows dependability, wisdom and loyalty, perhaps why most uniforms consist of blue.
♥Green: The color of peace, harmony, comfortable nurturing, support, growth, money and well paced energy.
♥Yellow: “Cheerful yellow the color of the sun, associated with laughter, happiness and good times. A person surrounded by yellow feels optimistic because the brain actually releases more seratonin (feel good chemical in the brain) when around this color. It is the color associated with optimism but be careful with yellow, when intense, it is the color of flames and studies show babies cry more in (bright) yellow rooms and tempers flare more around that color too.” So, don’t overuse this color!
♥Orange: Happy and energet, fun times, and warmth, as well as ambition, is what this color is and it’s certainly not calm! A new attitude is what this is all about.
♥Purple: A royal color, indeed. Carefully used to lend an air of mystery, wisdom, and respect. Girls are most likely to select nearly all shades of purple as their favorite color, I know I have(:
♥Brown: Reliable, stable, and friendship, it's the color of the earth itself "terra firma" and what could show stability better than the planet that‘s kept us alive as a species (and many others) for so long. Also, associated with things being natural or organic.
So choose your colors wisely. It is no accident on why colors of labels tend to not change. Think of your favorite product, did the label come to mind? Mine would be Dr. Pepper and every time I envision it I can see it’s perfect red with white lettering. See it too? I bet. So, when color scheming think of what message your trying to convey when putting colors together. (:


Resources: http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html

NPD

Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Everyone loves, whether it’s themselves or if it is another. It is good to have confidence and faith in yourself, to love yourself, but taken to far it can become self-centeredness to take over your life. Some people, however, can’t even control it. They are diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Narcissistic Personality Disorder described to a tee would be: a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. According to Groopman and Cooper the cause of NPD is unknown but based off of various researchers there is a possibility that it is related to:
♥An oversensitive temperament at birth is the main symptomatic chronic form
♥Being praised for perceived exceptional looks or abilities by adults
♥Excessive admiration that is never balanced with realistic feedback
♥Excessive praise for good behaviors or excessive criticism for poor behaviors in childhood
♥Overindulgence and overvaluation by parents
♥Severe emotional abuse in childhood
♥Unpredictable or unreliable caregiving from parents
♥Valued by parents as a means to regulate their own self-esteem
Some of these traits are a normal part of development, only becoming a part of NPD when it continues into adulthood and becomes basically their only priority and they don’t partake in interpersonal environments. Perhaps a defense against shame, that is what some research studies have shown NPD to be a part of. There are many subtypes of NPD but there is a common treatment, psychotherapy. It’s hard to get fond of another when you only care about yourself. Grow your range of caring and do such by having psychotherapy.

Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

OCD

OCD
A disorder with no prevention, a disorder we face known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The anxiety disorder of compulsions. A more detailed note on what OCD is would be: an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (the compulsion)- a well put definition by the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. Most times the people who have those obsessions and compulsions, the commit them. They commit them just for the temporary relief of committing what they were driven to do. Only, if the ritual of the compulsion is not performed, it can lead to intense anxiety. It is more common than it was originally thought and more people are showing symptoms as well as developing it by the age of thirty. There is an unclear link that this disorder may be linked to the Tourette syndrome due to that about 20% of people with OCD have tics. Several theories have risen on what is the cause of OCD, but much more studies would to be taken to make it clear on which is true. The first is thought to be from head injury and infections, whereas the other is thought to be related to brain abnormalities. Obsessions and compulsions that aren’t from medical illness or drugs and that cause major distress or interfere with everyday life are symptoms for OCD. Obsessions and compulsions that the person usually recognizes as excessive or unreasonable. Ie: an excessive fear of germs and the compulsion to repeatedly wash your hands to rid the germs. Usually OCD does not progress into another disease or disorder but still if you show signs, go get them tested and checked out. So you can be treated and perhaps feel less obligated to do the unreasonable things that could possibly even ‘backfire’ on you. Some treatments consist of different types of medication or just psychotherapy to help get you more along the lines of what we call ‘normal’.

Resources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001926/

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia
A chronic and severe disease that disables the brain, Schizophrenia. This isn’t something that you can run away from because it is global. Schizophrenia has different severities and levels but one thing people should be clear of is: It is not “Split Personality”. We all see the world differently in some way than the persons around us, but those with schizophrenia they see it with a striking amount of difference. They act in a more strange sense or even bizarre at times than those who do not have this disease. Schizophrenia can lead you to need a managing assistance to do the most basic functions of independent living. Voices are heard, conversations take place with oneself and responses occur to imaginary fears, all of which can sometimes happen to those with Schizophrenia. We all have that moment when we seem abnormal and just can’t collect our thoughts, perhaps while presenting in front of group; that doesn’t mean you have Schizophrenia. Then there is the exact opposite where someone can seem well put together and responsible but be facing hallucinations and delusions, those who have subsided and are working to overcome their Schizophrenia, perhaps with medications and therapy. The conditions affects between one-half and one percent of the world’s population. The exact cause of Schizophrenia is unknown, however it is thought to be caused by a combination of psychological and environmental factors. Studies have also shown that there is clearly a hereditary component relating to the disorder. The years around WWII, scientist thought this disorder was an outcome of just flat-out bad parenting; today’s studies show that this isn’t true and in Schizophrenics there is a common psychological basis. That consists of smaller volume, reduced blood flow to certain areas, and enlargement of the ventricles. Over the past decade we have put much attention on Schizophrenia being linked to neurotransmitters.

Resources: http://www.psychologyinfo.com/schizophrenia/
and http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0006/ai_2699000609/

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Personality Disorders: Histrionic

Resource: http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe06.html

There a number of personality disorders that people can get. One of these is Histrionic personality disorder or HPD. This condition is characterized by excessive emotinality and attention seeking. This is only diagnosed when these behaviors are persistent and very disabling. It is difficult for a person with this condition to be on the right path on a real relationship. They become manipulative to get attention especially in relationships or with lovers. It becomes almost unusual for a relationship with a same sex friend because they require much attention. They also require excitement and may get bored with a normal routine. They also might enter a job with enthusiasm, but they may soon lag interest in time at a fast rate. The suicide rate is not known for this, but it is a risk that they may commit suicidal gestures to get others attention.

I think this article was capable of getting me interested in the subject. This is not enough to give me enough information but enough for interest to burst. It was an alright article. Also, I think this may be able to help with psychological help in the world if used right.