WEEK 1

1) The types of work professionals in specialty areas within the larger field of psychology do

 

Developmental Psychologists study the intellectual, physical, and emotional development of adolescents and adults. One particular area of study would be Gerontologists, which is particularly interested in developmental changes because of age additionally the population change. Another would be applied developmental psychologists which focus solving problems in everyday settings. (Kuther, 2013) Personality psychologist aim to treat issues pertaining to an individual’s personality. This is done thru the study of personality traits. This sis so they can help a person organize hour they process information. This could be mental health counselor or clinical social worker.

2) The type and level of education one must achieve to work in those specialty areas

 

You can become a gerontology aide with just a bachelor’s degree. For an applied developmental psychologists you are required to obtain a graduate degree, a doctorate, and a license. Educational requirements to become a personality psychologist require a doctoral degree and in addition you are required to meet internship requirements also which is typically about 2 years. Once you meet internship hours you can then apply to be licensed.

3) A description of work settings and average incomes one can expect in careers within the specialty areas.

 

Median salary for a gerontology aide is gerontology aide is $44,000

Median salary for an applied developmental psychologists is $72,000

Median salary for a personality psychologist is $67,880

 

4) Whether after researching the areas you find them to be career possibilities you are interested in or careers that don’t capture your interest and why

 

Gerontology Aide is something that would intrests me because I would prefer to have direct contact with the people I intend to help. (Kuther, 2013) Providing activities and events that will help raise the quality of life of the seniors would be very fulfilling. The downside to that is it is the book suggests it is mainly focused on the elderly community and I have worked in a nursing home previously and it was a very tough environment. Also anecdotal notes can sometimes be very difficult for me because I have yet to fully grasp observational notes without applying personal opinion.

Applied Development is focused on diagnosing learning disability and developmental delays and then implementing prevention and progression plans. Which can minimize medication interventions which is something that I like. (Kuther, 2013) Working with other professionals to help someone show progress would be very enjoyable. The downfall to this is that it is very fast paced with and focused within areas such as hospital well continued interventions with the same individuals may be minimized.

5) A description of the most interesting thing not previously known that you learned about the specialty areas

Previous to this week I had never heard of a gerontology aide. By doing this week’s assignment I have been introduced to something I can do will just a bachelors that pays a decent median wage while I continue to progress my educational experience and obtaining my internships hours. But ultimately my goal is to become a BCBA or ABA which would lean more towards the information I learned about applied developmental psychologists.

 

6) A description of an everyday and real-world human experience related to two pod-casts you select to listen to on the specialty web pages provided

I live with my grandfather he is 87 has bone cancer and also dementia. While I’m at work there is a care provider that takes care of him. When I come home from work every day he has to be reminded that I have only been gone for about nine hours because he always thinks I have been gone a lot longer. Additionally he has begun to call his sons by the opposites name although he still knows the difference when he sees there face this can serve to be a big challenge because I’m not really sure which son he is referring to. My grandfather has often times become violent and about three weeks ago he grabbed the steering wheel on the way to the doctors because he thought I was trying to take him to Mexico. Although he is can become very agitated he also doesn’t remember what he has done soon after which makes things difficult to deal with sometimes. This is important because the podcast I choose that I listened to “Dementia: When “Living in the Moment” is Not A Good Thing” I could directly relate too. Also another podcast I found interesting was “How Do You Really Raise Self-Esteem? The Incredible vs. American Idol” This is important to me because I struggle from PTSD and anxiety and a lot of my stress as been suggested to be associated to my self-esteem being crushed by my ex-wife.

 

7) A description of a “Hot Topic that fits with what you know about each specialty area after researching it and how the two are related.

A hot topic that I would use applied developmental psychologists for is bullying. These two things are directly connected because the specialty focuses on practical situations and uses real life settings to find solutions. Typically bullying is an impulse response which with behavior interventions can be modified and corrected. At the same time bullying can be addressed by personality psychologists because they focus on finding out what is making a person do a particular thing such as social norms and then provide goals to change it by attempting to use behavior modification techniques.

EXERCISE 18.3   Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought

 

In 1956 a researcher named Roger Sperry conducted some experiments on a handful of patients with grand mal epileptic seizures. In the procedure he created, he cut the corpus callosum, the bridge of neural fibers that connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Not only did the operation reduce the number and intensity of the grand mal seizures, but it also soon gave credence to a whole new concept of how the mind, through the brain, processes information. Roger Sperry’s research led to a Nobel Prize in medicine and to the household expressions right-brain thinking and left-brain thinking.

Left-brain thinking skills are associated with judgment, analysis, mathematical and verbal acuity, linear thought progression, and time consciousness; right-brain functioning is associated with global thinking, holistic thinking, imagination, humor, emotionality, spatial orientation, receptivity, and intuition; Western culture grooms and rewards left-brain thinking. It is fair to say that judgmental thinking is one of our predominant traits. Although it is true that Western culture is left-brain dominant in thinking skills, the truth of the matter is that to be dominant in one style of thinking is actually considered lopsided and imbalanced.

 

1. How would you describe your dominant thinking style? Would you say that your left brain or right brain dominates?

 

2. If you were to make a guess or assumption as to why your thinking skills gravitate toward one direction or the other, what would be your explanation?

 

3. One of the basic themes of wellness is balance—in this case, balance of the right-brain and left-brain functions. Based on your answer to the first question, what are your dominant thinking skills and your non-dominant thinking skills? What are some ways you can balance your patterns by bridging between the right and left hemispheres of your brain?