Autobiographical Psychosocial History

9 Psychology Final Assignment

The concepts studied in this Psychology class have made me think of many things that have affected my life. I was really interested in the information on memory. I took the memory style test and definitely determined that I am a visual learner. In the past when I heard this, I thought it meant people had to have pictures in order to learn material. I discovered that I do things that put me into this category. I write out notes when I need to learn something, I use highlighting, and now I know that some of the other techniques that make learning easier for a visual learner. I also found it very helpful when reading the tips for improving your memory. I thought the key word technique was amazing. It was given as a way to learn a foreign language, but I could see how it could be helpful in most any subject. I also thought the “less is more” advice on taking notes was interesting. It encourages you to listen and comprehend the lesson and more or less just jot down the main points.

The next concept that I really enjoyed was the information on meditation. In the past, I always associated meditation with flower children or monks sitting around chanting. I had never attempted any of the relaxation techniques that are suggested with meditation. I had never thought of yoga as a form of meditation either. The readings in the book made me look at meditation in a new light. The studies done on the brain really showed a difference in the people that did practice meditation regularly. I especially liked reading about the different forms of meditation while doing the meditation worksheet. I found many ideas that I have tried since then to help me relax when I am really feeling stressed.

The concept of parenting is important for any young adult that anticipates having a family in the future. As I was growing up, I feel like my parents went through many of the stages based on what was happening in their own lives. When I was very young, I think that I lived in a authoritarian house. There were rules, rules, rules. I did not really realize that I had complete structure every day until changes in our household made changes in the parenting style. Now, I lived in a permissive home. I was in junior high and it was really confusing when I was not getting instructions on everything that I was doing. Of course, I took advantage of that after a while. Thank goodness, this seemed to wake my mother up and she turned into more of an authoritative parent by the time I was entering high school. I really believe I would have had a terrible time in high school if she had not made that change. I realized that all the stages were happening, but it was really interesting to read that they all had a name and characteristics that went with them. I hope to be an authoritative parent from the beginning of my future children’s lives.

One of the most important concepts that people