One of the General Psychologists of the Company-Paulo Antonio - Essay Example

of interviewee Paulo Antonio is a 31-year old Hispanic who has lived in the United s most of his life. He graduated with a baccalaureate degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is currently thinking of pursuing a post-graduate education. He is presently working as a staff in a psychology clinic, and enjoying his job. Paulo Antonio desires to be one of the general psychologists of the company, thus motivating him to continue his studies on the field. (Customer’s Initials): Good afternoon. Tell me about yourself. Paulo Antonio: I’m Paulo Antonio, 31 years old and a graduate of BA Psychology. I may be getting married this year to my girlfriend of three years. I have two younger siblings; my brother is a marketing agent while my sister is a nurse. My mother works as a company consultant, and my dad is a businessman. He left us when I was in college, and he has another family now; we see each other every now and then. I’m usually optimistic, and I take a time out from work and other stressors when I feel that it gets hard to breathe, figuratively. C.I.: How does a person’s race, gender, or ethnicity contribute to his personality and attitudes? P.A.: Well, race, gender, or ethnicity always contribute to an individual’s wholeness. They do not necessarily solely ground the person’s attitudes and personality, but they do play their parts, especially when you consider the society. Take for example, gender. Although the present times are more open to equal gender roles, it cannot be denied that there are still several stereotypes that men are more dominant, and women, let’s say, are more emotional. Another, race. I am a Hispanic, and you are an African-American. We have different cultures and backgrounds that mold our personalities, making us who we are today. Usually Hispanic families have two parents in the household, but look at us, we have a single parent since years ago. That, for example, has changed how I act and perceive things, specifically in line with family values. C.I.: Personally speaking, what is the strongest influence on your attitudes? P.A.: As mentioned, I tend to have a positive attitude. I think my mother has influenced me a lot. She is a really strong woman. She has taught me, both directly and indirectly, that every problem that comes is accompanied by a hidden solution you have to uncover yourself so you can learn things in life that cannot be found in books. She sees light in little things, and she is very spiritual, which I believe has helped her a lot in her struggles. Observing her, and watching her, I believe that my optimism is something I owe her for passing on to me. C.I.: Do you self-monitor, or look back at yourself, with regard to your attitudes? How so? P.A.: Of course, I think everyone basically does. Although I am generally optimistic, there are times when I feel like the world is on my shoulders, and I fall back to being negative. Being a Psychology major has helped me, though. It’s now easier to detect when I’m being too hard on myself, so I snap out of those morbid thoughts. Sometimes I see myself implementing a “self-cognitive behavioral therapy!” *laughs* C.I.: Good for you. They say a man’s personality sums up his characteristics from different aspects. What experiences most contributed to the development of your personality? P.A.: I think it was when dad left us. Although I was in college already, my siblings were young, then. And taking into consideration our usually conservative culture, I felt ashamed that we had to go through such experience. Our relatives back home had strong family bonds and generally stayed with traditional gender roles. It seemed like everything had to change quickly. Mom had to find a better-paying job, and I felt the urge to stand as the man of the house. My thinking changed, and I was emotionally vulnerable but I had to learn how to deal with it. Dad leaving was a blessing in disguise - I learned how to take care of myself and my family better. C.I.: Have you taken the Myers-Briggs test? How accurate do you think the results were? P.A. : A couple of times! Results differed but mostly I was an ENTJ (extraverted, intuitive, thinking, judging). I think it suited me well, though. I prefer long-term planning and organizing, and enjoying reading to expand my knowledge on certain things. I have also received comments that frank and decisive, and authoritative in presenting my ideas. Looking back, that is really me. C.I.: Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? P.A.: Extrinsically motivated most of the time. I get pressured with set deadlines and goals, but I work better in the presence of challenges and pressures around me, compared to self-motivation. I think I don’t know how to motivate myself effectively without getting distracted more than the times I need or want to be. C.I.: Getting through your degree, and considering your plans to be in school again, how do you prefer to study? P.A.: I don’t really have extreme study habits. I could do well with headphones and music, as well as the “quiet environment” type. In college I usually just stayed in the dorm to study. When my roommates get irritatingly rowdy, I just put on my headphones and continue to study. C.I.: Last question that may be interesting considering you are a Psychology major. In terms of accurately remembering information, do you observe the behavior performed, or do you instead read how the behavior is performed? P.A.: I do better with observations. Undeniably, my senses have been sharpened. “Reading” how a person behaves was also taught to us, but I find observation to be more convenient and accurate. It’s like a mirror of the person’s probable personality, but then again, it is not impossible that the process of performing the behavior decodes ideas on who or what the person is. For many centuries and decades, psychology has tried, and is constantly trying to decode man’s attitudes and personality. Basic premises include that they differ according to culture, experiences, the situation one is currently in, and his goals. Human personality and attitude will most probably remain to be complex, as our environment also continues to change. After giving examples, Bohner and Wanke (2002) define attitude as “a summary evaluation of an object of thought,” where an attitude object “can be anything a person discriminates or holds in mind” (p. 5). In the interview, Paulo expressed that he is generally optimistic, telling us that anything has a positive side underneath. Similarly, I can also say that I tend to look at the bright side of circumstances. I believe that such attitude is important to survive against all odds. There is no single definition of personality upheld by psychologists, but rather an integration of many ideas is seen. Burger (2008) suggests that personality can be defined as “consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual,” elaborating that there are individual differences among people, and each our intrapersonal processes would determine who we are (p. 4). Both attitudes and personality are influenced by many things, and one cannot pinpoint only one contributor for such. There are personalities dubbed as “bad” or not pleasing, but personality development changes across the lifespan. Social relationships are said to contribute to the continuity of personality (Mrockzek & Little, 2006, p. 447). For instance, transitioning from a single woman to a mother could alter her personality that would be suitable for the new role she is in. The interviewee expresses that race and ethnicity influence personality and attitude. I agree with him because I believe that there are certain things you can or cannot do, as well as traits that you acquire because of your race. Being an African American, I have perceptions that only people of my race would understand. While Paulo reports to be strongly influenced by his mother in terms of attitudes, I greatly owe mine to both my family and culture. We have gone through several trials over the years, and looking back, I realize that my way of thinking is founded on those experiences. Different from Paulo, I tend to be intrinsically motivated, and put into my mind that no one can get me to do the job but myself. It also then follows that I prefer to study quietly, and cannot concentrate if I listen to music at the same time like Paulo does. Personally speaking, I find observation to be an important skill. Thus, I remember information more precisely when doing this, rather than decoding the behavior. This is also seen to be similar with Paulo’s manner of remembering information. Paulo stated that he was an ENTJ according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), while I am evaluated to be an ENFJ (extraverted, intuitive, feeling, judging). We can see that this theory, based on Jung, suggests that differences in behavior are related to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to perceive and then make judgments about what they have perceived (Whiston, year, p. 259). Although this instrument is widely used, it has its limitations and may not be as accurate and precise. The interview allowed me to look back at my self, contemplate on my personality and attitudes, as well as the influences that make me who I am now. References Bohner, G., & Wanke, M. (2002). Attitudes and attitude change. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press. Burger, J. M. (2008). Personality (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Mrockzek, D. K., & Little T. D. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of personality development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Whiston, S. C. (2009). Principles and applications of assessment in counseling (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Read More