Journal 1

The prompt

Autobiographical Paper


Now that you’ve had a chance to think through your view of personality, you will write your own autobiography (3-5 typed and double-spaced pages). Describe your personality, including your main traits, your typical style and manner of interacting with people and stressful situations, the main features or “quirks” that make you unique, and the ways that others who know you well would describe you.

In addition to your answers in the survey, here are some questions you might consider:

  • How do you think you became the person you are today?

  • What psychological, social, genetic, physical, or situational factors do you believe have most influenced your personality development?

This paper needs to display significant insight and thought. Also, be aware that your descriptions and analyses may change over the semester as you read, study, and do more introspection. 

Your journal entry should be 500 words in length, at a minimum, and should be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx format) via this journal assignment link. This assignment utilizes the Turnitin originality tool. Upon submission, Turnitin will generate an originality report that detects plagiarism. This report will be sent to your instructor. 



1.     Define personality:

Collection of humor, ideas, perception of others and self perception

 

2.     Define self:

What isn’t perceived by others how you think and feel about your decisions

 

3.     Give the characteristics of a healthy personality:

Disciplined, patient, open-minded, honest

 

4.     When you first meet a person and have no prior knowledge concerning the person, on what basis do you characterize, stereotype, or decide how to act toward and interact with the person?

Polite, asking background and how their background informs their opinions on the location they’re at.

 

5.     What gives a person’s life meaning?

I think what gives a person’s life meaning are those they impact

 

6.     What makes human beings “human”? (How are all alike at the core?)

It’s a mixture of choice and our biology. It doesn’t make us superior, just above enough, yet below enough. A species in constant limbo because it cannot replicate the beauty of the world we’re brought into, but still capable of some primitive replica of it.

 

7.     What motivates all human beings? Is motivation learned or innate? Does it change during one’s lifetime?

 

I think a lot of it is innate but we’re taught learned motivation and then it gets challenged throughout our lives to then defaults to innate.

8.     Do humans have an unconscious? If yes, to what extent is normal, adult behavior controlled or guided by the unconscious?

I think the unconscious is more our automatic responses or our “default settings” opposed to what we would do consciously or mindfully. It could be the decisions we make when we don’t overthink, reflexive decision making, etc.

 

 

9.     Why are human beings different? (Is the difference a product of the environment, or are we born different?)

I believe we’re given the decision making, love, self-actualization abilities from God and what we do with them are our choice.

 

10.  How consistent is a normal, adult human being from one situation to the next? What causes inconsistencies, if there are any?

I think stressors, new environments, and fatigue can cause inconsistencies. A human should be pretty consistent unless a core motivator is at play (money, sex, love, connection, success). For example, I’m nicer when I’m clocked in and new to people, versus being more candid and awkward when money isn’t a factor.


Autobiography

  • How do you think you became the person you are today?

  • What psychological, social, genetic, physical, or situational factors do you believe have most influenced your personality development?


    Psychology majors should be loving, and I am, but no one can know. As a certified terrible liar, every guy I’ve flirted with, my parents, and friends can tell you I’m terrible at hiding how I’m feeling. It’s either spewing out of my mouth at you, under my breath, or etched in the furrow of my brow or the pout of my lips.

    I grew up in a house where feelings weren’t shamed, but managed. Hard times are many and recurring, from my dad’s health landing him in the hospital every year or two, financial struggles, pivot after pivot. Meanwhile, the usual sitcom struggles. Moving cross-country, first kisses, being bullied, knowing everything and nothing, and growing up, changing its definition by the minute. I was born in New York to a Puerto Rican family, so being outspoken is in my nature, but being bullied from Pre-K to middle school left me hyper-aware. Aware of when I’m observed and cast aside in the same 3-second glance. I know when I pander in a conversation, it is either a breath of fresh air or going to be hurled as an insult behind my back.

    So, no one can know how loving I am. I love people; I yearn for connection, helping others, learning about others, but pivoting and recalculating has left my head spinning. I’m smart, so I dove headfirst into practical matters and floundered about typical adult things. I went on my first night out, despite the horror stories I heard from my parent. I kept my wits about me, and I loved it. The dancing, the ability to wear something comfortable, drinking my water, dancing until I was too hungry to dance more, then leaving. On the day-to-day work, get my job done, laugh, then go back to what feels concrete. Textbooks, audiobooks, video essays, and scrolling. Only to realize I don’t have to stay in my head.