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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
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4:06 pm - Guy friends
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There are some guys in my life that I really enjoy talking to and count as friends. Occassionally, I wonder why I only keep them as friends - until I remember the personal philosophies or views that they hold that I seriously don't agree with.
Then it's: "That's right. If I had a relationship with them, I'd have to kill them. Damn."
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9:49 am - Revisiting the 5 word meme
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Why not? These words are from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) cat_irix:
creativity: Okay, I have a real long essay on my thoughts on creativity here, so I'm going to share something from my capstone on the subject.
Most of the tests you find online for determining hemispheric brain dominance are actually not valid. Depending on the test, they are usually testing either learning styles, which the neurology researchers have totally debunked, or make the invalid assumption that creativity equals right brain thinking. The following chart will show the flaws in that.
( Da Chart )
As you can see, while the right hemisphere does do a little more than the left, the left hemisphere is in charge of one of the most creative parts.
children: I am actually very fond and passionate about children. I feel that to have healthy adults, you need to make sure they have decent childhoods. At the moment, though, I want a break from the whole thing. I've been involved in some type of childcare since I was a child, myself, and I'm just a bit burned out. I figure I'll be ready for them again when I start getting grandchildren.
compassion: Compassion is a tricky thing. Many of us think we're being compassionate when we really don't have a clue about what we're doing. First off, you need to try to understand the situation from the person's position. I've been given a lot of bad advice by people who failed to do this, not realizing that their suggestions would make a bad situation worse. Then you have to step back and see the overall view of the situation.* Short-term compassion can be worse sometimes than not helping at all. You have to be able to respect people as people. And then act. Sometimes you have to chose to believe people and remember, even though they may be deceitful, that it doesn't mean you should withhold compassion for them.
* It is interesting to note that the right hemisphere of the brain is involved in not only insight and empathy, but also in seeing the "big picture". (Yeah, I'm still stuck in capstone regurgitation mode.)
psychology: The evolving science of how minds and emotions work. Things are far more research driven than they were thirty years ago, thanks to time and the amounts of studies that have been done. It's not an extact science, but look how many centuries it took us to get chemisty and physics to the place they are now. Just last week, a study was published showing that there are physical indicators in the brain that show the effect of psychotherapy in people with depression. And the results were positive. So much for the prior claim that you really can't measure the effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Amber: A series by Roger Zelazny, which has become my psychological playground for certain issues. I know it's not for everybody, but it really works well for me.
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| Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
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9:49 am - 5 Words Meme
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Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.
These are the words korgmeister gave me:
INTJ: My usual MBTI temperment. When I first took the Keirsey version I laughed at the descriptor "Mastermind" until I read the description and saw many of the traits my family and friends have brough to my attention. That got me studying the MBTI some and into some MBTI groups. I have no problem with the temperment sorter being used in a general way in the HR fields. I do have a problem with it being used as a static indicator of someone's behavior because it doesn't take into account things like normal human development (healthy personalities change as people mature), environment, cognitive disruptions, and other variables. It also doesn't fit in with the temperments observed in children via scientific research.
In short, I see the MBTI the same way I see the Lewis Dot Diagrams for atoms. It's quick. It's useful for simple interactions. It falls apart when things get complicated.
Art therapy: Personal Experience - Art Therapy gives the client a way to express those feelings and experiences that they have trouble verbalizing and gives them a format for dealing with confusion that can be used even after the treatment is ended. The permanance of the art allows one to look back over several years and see patterns that would not be available during active therapy work. Working with found materials and collages often stimulates introspection on how one interacts with the people and the world around them.
Disagreed with/disliked this about the theory - I dislike the extremes of some of the practitioners. One set believes that all art must be analyzed right then. Another extreme set feels that it should be experienced and not analyzed. I think that reoccurring and exaggerated images should be at least partly analyzed, but for the rest, the focus should be on the client's experience. One should sometimes be patient and let the art work explain itself as time goes on.
Narcissism: Well, not all narcissism is bad. A little is nessary for a good self esteem. It's when it becomes pathological that we start having problems. And, unfortunately, I have a lot of experience with that type of person, due to the fact that I had a high tolerance for those behaviors. Actually, I still have a high tolerance, if I'm not paying attention. However, I also have a strong reaction when I realize I am dealing with a pathological narcissistic person. It's one of those self-protection things that I've been able to tone done to a reasonable level over the years.
Mormon: My religion. http://ldsconnections.livejournal.com might give you an idea about my views, if you scroll past the "FYI" posts.
Open-mindedness: Some people might find this incongruent with the last word, but I'm not in control of your personal experiences or biases. People are people. And you don't have to agree with someone to be willing to listen to their views. You don't have to agree with them to treat them like a brother or sister. I think the main components for open-mindedness is being able to accept people even if your views differ from them and respecting them, even though you know that they don't accept everything you do. That last part is something that I find many people have a problem with. They want everything they do to be embraced and supported by those who surround them.
Remember - just because I'm not with you, doesn't mean I'm against you.
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12:08 am - Random Thoughts
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| Monday, June 29th, 2009
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9:50 am - Early cave artists were female
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| Friday, June 26th, 2009
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12:08 am - Random Thoughts
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| Thursday, June 25th, 2009
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12:08 am - Random Thoughts
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| Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
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12:08 am - Random Thoughts
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| Friday, June 19th, 2009
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12:09 am - Random Thoughts
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| Thursday, June 18th, 2009
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12:09 am - Random Thoughts
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| Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
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12:08 am - Random Thoughts
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| Monday, June 15th, 2009
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10:31 am - and very tired
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| Friday, June 12th, 2009
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12:07 am - Random Thoughts
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| Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
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11:35 am - We didn't tame cats. They just decided to live with us.
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12:07 am - Random Thoughts
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| Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
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4:39 pm - Call me "squishy"
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I asked my daughter (rhetorically) just what was the allure of sleeping on me for our cats.
She answered, "It's because you're SQUISHY! Remember when Jake and I used to lay on you during church? It was because you are squishy and comfortable!"
That's just great. The secret of my physical allure is that I'm squishy.
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9:20 am - Something to consider
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YA Author's Teen Memoir Tells Too Much For Publisher
"He's courted controversy for more than a decade with his bestselling tales of underage sex and teenage heroin addicts, but Melvin Burgess has finally found a story too controversial for his publishers to handle: his own. The Carnegie medal-winning author, whose new novel, Nicholas Dane, tackles the subject of sexual abuse in children's homes, has found a recently-completed teenage memoir dropped by his publisher over fears that it could provoke costly legal action." The Guardian (UK) 06/08/09
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(leave an offering)
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| Sunday, June 7th, 2009
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12:07 am - Random Thoughts
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| Saturday, June 6th, 2009
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12:48 am - Random Thoughts
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| Thursday, June 4th, 2009
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12:07 am - Random Thoughts
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