Honestly, I have thought about capstone a lot in my free time, but mostly about how stressed I am about getting the whole project done at home with all the continuous (online) learning. I have been so bombarded with the whole corona situation that I have been so confused with what work to do one day at a time. I think I can add 2/3 more sources to my written component because I think I still have a lot of work to do left with that. I have been finding some good sources through my European History class as we talk about humanism and thinking that goes into humanist texts. I would like to maybe look into work from Plato and Descartes. I would like to see if it is possible for me to reach out Dr. Feig and see if she knows any doctors that could help me with my topic, and a potential interview (virtually). I think in term of inspiring others, I would like someone to experience a situation where instinct and management are crucial in order to make a decision. I have been interested in studying crisis management as I see this topic come up a lot with some distinct points of my topic. I do have to work hard and stick to what needs to be done, but I definitely think my drive to create a product I am truly passionate about will drive me to be successful with this learning experience.
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In this edition of my REVISED project narrative, I wanted to focus more on sources of smart, thoughtful, and serious thinkers around my topic. I looked to more serious and various forms of sources to see more lenses around my topic. I originally believed that the research I would conduct would end up being psychologists and sociologists or even work from AP lit like Renaissance Self-Fashioning. I was wrong and as I dove deeper into my study I found voices and stories from people of all different education backgrounds.
Bibliography Bocock, R. J. "Freud and the Centrality of Instincts in Psychoanalytic Sociology." The British Journal of Sociology, vol. 28, no. 4, 1977, pp. 467-80. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/589422. Accessed 13 Feb. 2020. This is a journal entry about Sigmund Freud's theory about psychoanalysis and sociology. The whole article is written by R. J. Bocock who argues against two writers critiques about Freud's theory of the unconscious. The whole article is part of The British Journal of Sociology which was published in 1977. However, Freud's theories are still relevant in today's society especially with studies of the mind and the individual. Bocock argues Freud's psychoanalysis and the conflict which arises from instincts. Freus goes deeper into how instincts play a role in intimate sectors of an individual: sexual desires and death. This is interesting to see how Bocock argues the importance of this Freud's instinct theory in relation to understanding psychoanalysis I find this source useful as it examines different opinions about decision making. It also goes into extensive detail about Freud in his work, but making it clear and understandable for readers who are not in the field of psychology or sociology. This allows me to see different opinions about the quality and legitimacy of psychoanalysis. Freud proposes that there are two instincts which is death and sexual. This is really interesting because instincts are created based off of emotions in certain settings. For example, in group instances Freud notes that hostility tends to be present but families and hostility is different. Freud connects the idea that instincts are a connection of something physical and emotional and act in part as a result of biology. Connolly, Terry, and Marcel Zeelenberg. "Regret in Decision Making." Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 11, no. 6, 2002, pp. 212-16. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20182815. Accessed 13 Feb. 2020. This is a journal article which was published in Current Directions in Psychological Science and it discusses commonly talked about themes in the area os psychology. This is a new proposed theory about how regret plays a role in decision making and what the psychological and emotional impacts are of that. This focuses on certain studies pertaining to decision making and shows the impacts it has had in the creation of decision theory. These studies range from psychological observances to economic cases where decision and choice were at play. I like this article because it articulates how recent decision theory is and how conclusive it has just been in deciding how emotions play a role in this. I think "regret" is something that is a natural result of some actions and this also connects to my research on rational thinking. I thought of a sub question of what is the correlation between rational thoughts/choice and feeling regret? This also gives more insight into a specific subgroup of decision theory which is called decision justification theory (DJT). This has to do with regret and the two ways regret comes about when making a decision. This journal also produces a profound statement where feeling a sense of regret regret could possibly allow an individual to have better decision making skills Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self- Fashioning from More to Shakespeare. 1998, 2005 ed., University of Chicago Press, 2005. Renaissance Self-Fashioning has been a really useful source in my study about decision making and instincts. It has allowed me to see how cultural and social forces impact the way we make decisions. Stephen Greenblatt gives examples of how trusting emotions would eventually play a role in hist writing about writers during the Renaissance. At the same time, Greenblatt argues ideas how significant moments in his life would contradict his work. For example, the Vietnam war played a crucial role in his writing of the book. The main takeaway from this source is the ability to fashion your own identity through outside forces, and ultimately find a way to fit in with the norms of society. However, Greenblatt in turn argues that this is not attainable and that we are unable to simply fashion ourselves because there are extraneous forces that play a role in how we act. I picked Greenblatt because I was enticed by his work at the beginning of the year. I think Greenblatt provides an explanation that somewhat contradicts other theories about identity. I am able to think about the implications self-fashioning plays in an individual whether that be emotional or physical. HAGSTROM, ROBERT G. Investing: The Last Liberal Art. 2nd ed., Columbia UP, 2013. JSTOR, doi:10.7312/hags16010. Accessed 13 Feb. 2020. This source I find really insightful as it comes from a business man but yet this portfolio manager, Robert Hagstrom, writes about topics like biology, psychology, and sociology. While the topic is business and finance, Hagstrom makes several cases about why topics like Biology, for example, are important and how they play a role in the overall stability of an economy. This is important in my project research as it contains chapters about psychology, philosophy, and decision-making which is what my topic is about. He goes into detail about why this is significant, but also details the implications it has in real life scenarios like finance or investing. This is not my main argument, but finding examples which examine the usefulness of decision making will therefore adhere to my knowledge about the usefulness that instincts play in actions. Hagstrom goes into detail about rationale and the overall rationale of choices. This lets me think about how rationality plays a role in decision making. Hagstrom also analyzes the belief that someone of high intelligence can lack the ability to make rational though. This allows a different perspective for me to see how instincts and decision making are specific for the individual. Someone really smart could make terrible decisions because they lack the rational component to trust their instincts, whereas a "dumb" person can make rational decisions even in the absence of intelligence. Pronin, Emily. "When the Mind Races: Effects of Thought Speed on Feeling and Action." Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 22, no. 4, 2013, pp. 283-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44318676. This source is very specific as it focuses on the factors that play into decision making like thought and emotion. This includes cognitive abilities like speed and reaction time. The author Emily Pronin proposes that quick and fast thinking can serve as a positive factor into fostering a positive mindset. I have not thought about emotions so much in my project so far, as I cared about the effects of decisions and the role instincts play in actions. In this journal, Pronin proposes and analyses several case studies about where speed was tested and manipulated to see how one responds to certain tests. This results showed that quick intuitive reactions provoke a positive effect of behavior, ideas about the self, and problem solving. I find this important as it gives me more examples of experiments that have showed positive correlations to decision making and instincts/ reflexes. I had previously not focused so much on manipulated variables which impact decision making, but I now find that when it comes to instincts, there are more contributing factors that play into that. For example, I thought about the gut instinct feeling but now I found how speed effect instincts. Along with this, I have acknowledged that judgement is also a critical factor in decision making. Internal: I believe that I will be speaking with Mr. Curtis about rational thinking and productivity and get a wider scope about how that impacts decision making in the understanding of our world socially and culturally. I would also like to speak with Dr. Feig about what instincts play in cognitive thinking within an individual.
For this, I will definitely have to do more thinking about people involved with this field of study around psychoanalysis and psychology. I plan to reach out to therapists at Atlanta Center for Wellness which is a facility that has clinicians able to educate and speak about mental and physical health. Something that I have read and been particululary interested in is Renaissance Self- Fashioning, which talks about how we make decisions for ourselves and how does that play a role into fashioning our identity. Greenblatt has a lot to say about how social and cultural forces lend a way into understanding (or creating) an identity for ourselves. Even today, social and cultural aspects of society play a role into the telling of our identity and decision is key to that. Every action is a decision, and how we choose to tell it is up to us.
I am not going to lie trying to find someone to speak with internally feels like a challenge. A challenge, because I don't know where to start and who to start with. I am sure Dr. Feig has some knowledge to share as she has a Ph.D. in child development, but I am not so interested in learning. Same thing with Ms. Strickland who I would be honored to interview/be mentored by. I feel like I need someone deeper into the science of decision making and intuitions. Therefore, I think I can also speak to Mr. Clark who has studied neuroscience and understand the functions of taking action and ultimately free choice. It seems almost dialectical that there is a scientific component behind decision making, but it is a science. Not just psychologically, but the ability to make a decision that is rational vs irrational and where that lies within an individual. My first question would be: "Why is it that we (as humans) go for the gut instinct when trying to make a decision?" For this, I would like to see how independent (free will and choice) plays a role in students, and how have teachers understood this in the classrooms at Galloway. Is there a way students independence play a role in their success in a class? How do faculty find students to trust themselves and make decisions for themselves? Basically, focusing around Elliott Galloway's belief that a student's learning is specific to the individual and they can become tremendous beings if they become advocates of their learning. Externally, I am scared to reach outside my comfort zone, but I am very enthusiastic about what I am studying. I think anyone should be concerned with my topic because it is something that affects any person any day. I feel like I need to do more research about people affiliated with my topic in the Atlanta area. I am specifically looking for someone who has a background in psychology, and also understand the neurological science that plays a role in this area of study. Probably someone with a background similar to Dr. Feig. My first question I would ask them would be "Why stands in the way of making a decision for ourselves and basically how does trust play a role in the shaping of an individual?" I would focus on questions like "How do we distinguish how to think with our heart vs. mind? How do we/don't we take actions from decisions?" I hope to ultimately learn about the scientific and emotional components behind my topic, but ultimately find something that can serve a higher purpose whether that is for me or my peers. I want to become enlightened by the individuals I will meet. Right now, the main question I want to think about is: how do we factor logic, instincts, and outside influences into our decision making? From this, I want to dive deeper into how we can find our own voice through decision making. I want to be challenged with my research so I expect it to be hard to answer, because it is something outside the norm. Meaning, most people do not know the impacts about decision making and how that could be detrimental for our health. We hear about action and how to take action, but what are the implications of this whether good/bad. |
Main Topic: How do instincts play a role in decision making? Specifically, the mind connection about decisions and logical explanations to actions/reactions.
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