One’s attitude is important to how they make judgements and decisions within their environment.

Provide substantial answers to the discussion posts below. ***Must be 150 words minimum for each response and provide one citation from the assigned Chapter***

Chapter 5:

xxxxxxxx Student’s #1 post xxxxxxx

Attitudes play a major role in the concept of social psychology. One’s attitude is important to how they make judgements and decisions within their environment. People may have different attitudes towards certain subjects and depending on how the subject makes them feel, their attitudes may come off as strong or weak. (Saylor, 2014) Attitudes in research are important to note because they are used as an evaluation tool of the person. Their attitude may influence how they answer certain questions or perform certain tasks. It is also important to note that attitudes can be partially genetic or learned through direct and indirect experiences. (Saylor, 2014) Researchers should evaluate one’s attitude before including them in a study, as it can have a great impact on the results.

When it comes to marijuana, I think that it should most definitely be legal. Personally, I hate the stuff and I can’t stand recreational users. It bothers me when people brag about “being a stoner,” or the reckless things they do while under the influence. However, I believe that the marijuana plant is truly medicinal and those who need it should have access to it without fear of punishment.

Marijuana has almost no harmful side effects. It is not addictive, it causes very small impairment over long term use, and it has not been linked to lung cancer. In fact, marijuana has been proven to increase lung strength due to the anti-inflammatory properties found in THC. (Archer, 2013)

Let’s talk about legal alternatives to marijuana. Available are prescription drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes (nicotine). All prescription drugs have side effects. I learned when I was in pharmacy school that side effects range from very minor up to death. One may take a prescription to make them less depressed but the side effects may include diarrhea or vomiting. Alcohol can be used to “take the edge off,” and may provide relief for those with anxiety. Alcohol has the potential to become very addictive, cause high blood pressure, liver damage, brain damage, depression and many other issues. (Archer, 2013) Cigarettes may also be used to help “take the edge off.” Cigarettes have been proven to cause multiple types of cancer, increase asthma, raise blood pressure, stain teeth, as well as cause many other types of issues. (Archer, 2013) Due to all of these negatives being associated with these products, it has led me to agree that marijuana should be legalized around the world.

Regarding homosexual marriage, I am not religious, and I am a firm believer that as long as something doesn’t affect me, then it is not my business. I fully believe that it should be legal for one consenting adult to marry another consenting adult, no matter what their race, color, origin, disability, sexual preference, etc. The idea that homosexual marriage is not ok, is an old idea that society needs to move away from.

Throughout time there have been certain laws that were written in the Bible that were abolished as society changed. An example would be the rule that humans are to eat clean meat (grazing animals) and avoid fat and blood. (Winnal, 2004) Obviously, the majority of the population no longer follows that rule and society doesn’t hold that standard. Another societal change to be made aware of is racism. Up until the 1960’s it was unacceptable for African Americans to share a water fountain, buildings and even movie theatres with white people. Yet, society changed and realized that there is nothing wrong with this. No diseases were going to be spread, nobody caught anything and that the fear was ridiculous and absurd. I feel as if homosexual marriage should be legalized for the same reason that we had the civil rights movement. Plain and simple, there is no reason to be against it. We don’t uphold every single other Bible law, and it isn’t hurting anybody.

Illegal immigration is something that I have a firm stance on. It is illegal and is not ok. I am completely for legal immigration as well as reforming the process to get people through quicker. I understand that other countries, particularly those south of us, have it pretty bad. If as many people who ran away from their country stood up together as one and fought back, I believe that they may be able to make a difference and change the way things are being ran. The economy is what concerns me regarding illegal immigrants. I believe that those who come over illegally, work without paying taxes and take government benefits, throw off the economy. I’m tired of being called racist for my beliefs on this topic. The entire process definitely needs reformed but it doesn’t mean that the law can continue to be broken and that’s why I have the attitude that I do.

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Chapter 4

Student #2 Post:

We work hard to achieve a good social status and be seen by others with respect and admiration. Having a high self-esteem is accomplished by how others see us and not just how we feel about ourselves because we care about what others think about us. This guides us to behave a certain way and compare ourselves to others to know what we should do to belong. Having a “positive self-image” is achieved by behaving in ways that make others like us and see us as good giving us a good “social status” (Saylor, 2014, p. 23). Some are better than others and some overdo it creating a different outcome. A “narcissist” will think very highly of himself and focus only on himself, which is not exactly what others like, this person will be seen as conceited and will not be liked as much as he likes himself (Saylor, 2014, p. 28).

Being able to notice what others want and how to act in a certain situation will help in having a positive self-presentation. When a person is able to quickly read others and behave in a way to fit in they are good at “self-monitoring” (Saylor, 2014, p. 26). This is helpful at work so that one can effectively do their work and be able to succeed in what they do. For example, a waiter learns they need to please the customer to get a good tip and check if the customer is doing well, but not overdo it and become obnoxious interrupting conversations or ignore the table having them wonder if he left town. Same goes for any other job and business, the main goal is to satisfy the client, because a positive interaction will more than likely cause that person to return bringing business.

In our social life, being aware of our behavior and how we present ourselves will help us get along with others and to be liked. We are more likely to be accepted into groups and have a good feeling about ourselves improving our self-esteem. Men are more likely to be “assertive” and women “modest,” because that is what is expected of them to fit in (Saylor, 2014, p.24). Women can be leaders just like men but are sometimes discriminated against because of their gender and the way they are supposed to act according to others. When one does not act in a way that is expected then they are not as easily accepted.