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Jodi Swanson

Module 1 DQ 1

Some interesting findings from these studies you've cited, Elizabeth. I love that your examples involve children's experiences--these are often a bit easier to wrap our heads around because children less frequently have the cognitive capacity or life experience to apply more hypothetical, abstract thought to a situation, until they're a bit older.

For our class's benefit, could you talk a bit more about these studies? Specifically, talk a little more about why the children who experienced mild threats were able to justify their actions. Could you also talk a bit more about the link between cognitive dissonance and music?

Dr. Swanson

Module 1

Individuals react to a variety of social cues to construct their personal realities. These cues include social categorization. Are social categories a valid basis for the construction of personal reality? Why or why not? How might the misinterpretation of social categorization cues lead to errant self-categorization and falsely shape the personal reality of the individual?

Module 2

Social categorization as a mental shortcut can be relatively simple, and it can be harmful if individuals do not recognize its potential effects.

How can individuals most effectively mitigate the potential effects of social categorization? Support your reasoning.

Alice Benningfield

Module 2 DQ 2

Consider various types of negative characteristics such as being scheming and power-hungry, being cold, being aggressive, or being unintelligent. How can an individual most effectively break the cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy (including negative self-attribution and negative self-esteem) when tagged with one or more of these types of negative expectations? Support your position.
It can also be difficult to break the cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy, maybe even more so when someone has a negative self-attribution or a low self-esteem. Someone that tends to behave in a cold or aggressive manner might elicit unfriendly responses in others, which may make the individual believe that others don't like them; thus, justifying their actions. Challenging the cycle self-fulfilling prophecies is often seen as a difficult task by many who suffer from a negative self-concept (Lankton, 2013). Some potential ways that a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies can be challenged include analyzing negative thoughts about oneself in situations, detecting potential cognitions that are not rational, and questioning them rationally or through observation, then replacing the cognitions that are not rational with alternative cognitions that are more adaptable (Lankton, 2013). Analyzing the negative thoughts in situations involve detecting how one perceives their self when participating in interpersonal relationships. For instance, an individual believes that most people do not like him or her; therefore, this makes it fine to behave in a cold aloft manner toward them. According to Weaver, Filson, Moses and Snyder (2015), whether these beliefs are rational or not can be questioned rationally or through direct observation. An example of this is an individual might expose their self to social situations and try to behave in a warm manner to see if people treat them differently. The cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies can be challenged; however, it is not always possible to challenge these self-fulfilling prophecies. This is because the person experiencing them might not always be able to find ways to contradict negative self-attributions or a low self-esteem.

Lankton, C. H. (2013). "Have You Done Anything Ericksonian Today?" Co-Creating Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. Ericksonian Methods: The Essence of the Story, p 119.

Weaver, J., Filson Moses, J., & Snyder, M. (2015). Self-fulfilling prophecies in ability settings. The Journal of Social Psychology, pp 1-11.