Pyschology assesment

Tim Johnson
Mr. Obrien
Humanities
9/16/2013
Final Draft
1) Is man inherently altruistic or egotistical? Man is both altruistic and egotistical because one can show more compassion or act like a good human being rather the egotistical human being can be more selfish to make themselves feel good. One quote I found that would back this up would be when Martin Luther King Jr said “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or walk in the darkness of destructive selfishness’’. Another quote I think that would be relevant to this topic would be when John Darling said ‘’Children are naturally good and will turn out to be good human beings if they are not crippled and thwarted in their natural development’’. Both of these quotes are relevant to the topic is man inherently altruistic or egotistical because both quotes are saying based on who you are as a human being will play a huge factor on how you were raised and if you will be altruistic or egotistical. Overall, I believe that man is inherently both, however how you are raised plays a huge factor on if you are more altruistic (selfless) or egotistical (selfish) in their environment.

The first quote I choose “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or walk in the darkness of destructive selfishness”- Martin Luther King Jr. Basically Martin Luther King Jr is saying that man must choose which path he is going to take either being more altruistic which means your showing more compassion toward others and longing for relationship is a part of human nature or more egotistical does things to make him/herself feel good. Each man can have their good/selfless sides or evil/selfish side of themselves so they can be either or. For example man can be more religious which can show a more selfless side or man can be naturally selfish if someone is harmed in a certain way they would only care about themselves. While the second quote “Children are naturally good and will turn out to be good human beings if they are not crippled and thwarted in their natural development’’-John Darling is saying how you are raised plays a factor in if you are altruistic or egotistical. They are both human nature, but the way you were brought up may cause one to be more apparent than the other. Or just by the way your life is going can play a huge role on if your more caring for others or more selfish/greedy and not really caring about other people. Naturally if a person has more money they will be egotistical and if you are raised to help the needy than you will be more altruistic. Overall, both quotes show being both egotistical and altruistic are connected dependently how you are raised in your society.

2) In what ways is identity shaped? Identity is shaped by many factors, including experiences, culture, and family life. One quote I think that is relevant to this topic is “Identity in America is complicated but it’s also simple; it’s about whom you identify with and who identifies you’’-Eric Liv. The second quote that I think is also relevant to this is when Dorothy West said “Identity is not inherent, it is shaped by circumstance’’. Both of these quote shows how identity is shaped by whats around you like your friends or different circumstances that you have faced in your daily life and how identity is impacted by these. I believe identity is shaped by different experiences because of what a person learns throughout their childhood through bad experiences can show them how to act in the future.

The first quote “Identity in America is complicated but it’s also simple; it’s about whom you identify with and who identifies you’’ bye Eric Liv explains who you talk to and how it identifies you as a person in this society. For example your personality in school or the workplace a person can identify you as a funny guy or a quiet/shy guy just by the way you act. It also can be just your appearance the way you dress up or the way you look can have a person judge you if you’re wearing sports apparel that you’re a athletic guy or if you dress in all black most people would automatically judge as a depressed individual. The second quote “Identity is not inherent, it is shaped by a circumstance’’-Dorothy West shows how circumstances shapes an identity. For example, the persons upbringing when you are growing up and you did something wrong you would have to face the circumstances and learn from what you did by facing a certain type of punishment. This can help a person change their mental state which helps identify that person and their characteristics for the future. Both of these quotes show how identity is shaped by different experiences because of what a person learns throughout their childhood through bad experiences can show them how to act in the future.

3) What do creative expressions reveal about an individual and a culture? I think creative expressions reveal an individual’s abilities, who they are and where they come from. In regards to culture it reveals what a society believes in and their morals. One quote I choose was “Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features that characterizes a society or group. It includes creative expressions, community practices, and material or built forms’’. The second quote I choose was “Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm’’-Earl Nightingale. Both of these quotes show how our creativity is connected to our society and or culture. Creative Expressions reveals an individual’s abilities based on their culture because of who they are and where they come from and it shows what a society believes in and their morals.

The first quote “ Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features that characterizes a society or group. It includes creative expressions, community practices, and material or built forms’’ shows how different cultures characterize a society or group based on the creative expressions which can be through a individuals perception which can be through the works of art. The second quote I choose was “ Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm” by Earl Nightingale. I think this quote means creativity is based on our enthusiasm by the way we act as an individual. Creative expressions reveal things about the individual/cultures personality. They show how these people feel and then which reflects on a society as a whole. For example how people feel about an issue like the war on Syria through a comic strip or protests can show how an society as an whole believes that we shouldn’t spend the funding on the war and let Russia handle the issue. Both of these quotes connect to the essential question, What do creative expressions reveal about an individual and its culture? It shows that creative expression is based on how the society feels as an whole through an individuals personality or perception about a certain topic or viewpoint like the issue with Syria. Overall these quotes reveals an individuals abilities based on their culture because of who they are and where they come from and it shows what a society believes in and their morals of a topic.

4) What is man’s responsibility to others and himself? Man maintains a responsibility to take care of himself as well as others. Man also has a responsibility to give back what is taken, whether it be the environment or another individual. In theory, it favors were treated similar to a barter( someone who gives back) , lack of unnecessary violence would exist. The responsibility thought to maintain our artificial lifestyle is false and only creates dangerous stress and tension. One quote that would show this would be the golden rule “Treat others as you want to be treated’’. The second quote I had that would show this would be “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you, never excuse yourself’’- Henry Ward Beecher. Both of these quotes show mans responsibility for others and himself through treating others in a good way and giving back to the community by putting yourself as an higher standard than everyone else. Mans responsibility to others and himself is to keep others and himself is too keep species thriving and to help others thrive through everyday life whether it would be in school as a teacher or even a inventor to create things for the everyday man.

The first quote “Treat others the way you want to be treated’’ –Golden Rule shows us that us human beings have the responsibilty to treat others in an human way and not treat others unfairly. For example people shouldn’t bully others if they don’t want to be bullied etc. The second quote “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you, never excuse yourself’’- Henry Ward Beecher shows us that don’t let yourself down and keep going even though others might not believe in you. For example how even though some people say because I am in special ed they say I’m not going to go anywhere well the way I look at it if I try hard enough in all my studies I will get somewhere in my life . Like I’m about to pursue a phd in psychiatry which is a long task (about 10 years in college). These quotes both connect to the essential question what is mans responsibility to others and himself? Just by help others and to try your best in life even though people might get in your way. Overall, both of these quotes proves mans responsibility to others and himself is to keep others and himself is too keep species thriving and to help others thrive through everyday life whether it would be in school as a teacher or even a inventor to create things for the everyday man.

5) To what extent are human’s creators and destroyers? Generally creators are optimists by making new ideas, while destroyers are pessimists and want to break apart the ideas. However, sometimes creators end up destroying by making things such as weapons, and destroyers could create conflicts that lead to new ideas. Determining whether a person is a creator or destroyer depends on their intentions To be a destroyer you don’t have to physically destroy something, you just have to have that negative mindset. Creators also don’t physically have to make something, they just have to agree with the ideas. I think both are connected creators can have the aspect of creating to destroy. One quote that I found relevant to this topic would be “To create is to destroy’’- Joseph Stalin. The second quote would be “Energy cannot be created or destroyed’’-Albert Einstein. Both of these quotes explain the different aspects of creating and destroying. Humans are both creators and destroyers because we tend to destroy the things created by others and occasionally ourselves through our negative mindset that can lead us to destructive behavior.

The first quote “ To create is to destroy”-Joseph Stalin. Is true because man itself destroys what it initially builds. Also by the fact that when we create new ideas, beliefs and explanations for a purpose in life as a human being , but we are also destroyers in the sense that people can put down our thoughts and disprove our beliefs or explanations as a human being. The second quote I choose was ”Energy cannot be created or destroyed’’-Albert Einstein. Einstein is saying that the ability to create or destroy is always there and it will never go away. Yes I agree with this quote because once you create something someone will always know that was around and it in the sense that it will never be forgotten. Overall both of these quotes connect to the essential question To what extent are humans creators and destroyers either creating can lead to destruction or either or will never go away in existence.

6) To what extent is man a product of nature vs. nuture? I think if a child is brought up in a poor area with bad parents they will have a higher chance of growing up poorly. If they have great parents that chance significantly decreases. Ultimately, your life is how you make it. Yes I think this is true because I have poorer cousins which are suffering based on their childhood and the parents not doing their job by raising them efficiently. The first quote that I think would back this up would be when John Darling said “Children are naturally good and will turn out to be good human beings if they are not crippled and thwarted in their natural development”. The second quote that would show this would be “While each child is born with his or her own distinct genetic potential for physical, social emotional, and cognitive development, the possibilities for reaching that potential remain tied to early life experience and the parent-child relationship within the family’’. Basically both of these quotes are showing that our development is based on the environment around us. Man is a product of both nature vs. nuture because your environment and growth can show major factors.

The first quote “Children are naturally good and will turn out to be good human beings if they are not crippled and thwarted in their natural development’’ by John Darling shows us how if children don’t have any issues through being raised and raised by good parents than they’ll turn out to be good human beings in this society. Just by how you adapt to what’s around you, what you’re taught and how you make information relevant to you. Also nature gives individuals a general sense of who they are personality wise but the person truly becomes is a direct result of ones experiences throughout their life. While the second quote “While each child is born with his or her own distinct genetic potential for physical, social emotional, and cognitive development, the possibilities for reaching that potential remain tied to early life experience and the parent-child relationship within the family’’ shows us how parents have an a major impact on their childrens development as they grow up. Both of these quotes connect to the essential question by how man’s nature is an impact of their development through their families.

7) What does primitive man lose/gain in becoming civilized? Men looses freedom, freedom to demonstrate evil and individualism while man gains feeling of security ,safety and philosophy. One quote I found for this would be when Benjamin Franklin said “Any society that is willing to give up a little bit of freedom for a little bit of security will lose both and deserve neither”. Man loses his identity because he conforms to a certain society. He gains companions.

The quote “Any society that is willing to give up a little bit of freedom for a little bit of security will lose both and deserve neither” by Benjamin Franklin means that I think this quote is true if you give up some freedom than you wont have the ability to want to show security. Man also lose their true selves in an attempt to get civilized and he can gain respect. Yes I think this is true because once civilization happened people have changed their original beliefs on how to gather food and man has gotten lazy in that regard. This quote connects to the essential question by that man looses his identity as a person because man has to conform to a certain society and the new way of life.