Navigating

 The Waves of Change: Embracing Life's Dynamic Nature

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• Life is a continuous dance of change, an ever-evolving tapestry woven with threads of both anticipation and uncertainty. Like a river meandering through the landscape, our lives are constantly shifting and reshaping, adapting to the terrain and the currents that propel us forward. Some changes, like the gentle progression of seasons, unfold gradually, allowing us to prepare and adjust with ease. Others, like sudden storms, strike with unexpected force, leaving us scrambling to find our footing amidst the chaos.

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• Amidst this dynamic flux, the human spirit possesses an innate capacity to adjust, to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of life. Adjustment, in essence, is the process of altering our behavior or expectations to achieve a desired outcome or state of equilibrium. It's a dance of negotiation, a delicate balancing act between our internal desires and the external realities that surround us.

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Consider the simple act of driving. As we navigate the roads, we encounter unexpected obstacles, like traffic jams or sudden detours. In such instances, our adjustment mechanism kicks in, prompting us to seek a detour, slow down, or even consider an alternative route altogether. This automatic adaptation is a testament to our ability to respond to changing circumstances in real time.

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Similarly, we adjust our communication styles to match those of the people we interact with. Subconsciously, we mirror their verbal and nonverbal cues, creating a sense of rapport and connection. This ability to chameleonize, to blend in with our surroundings, is a crucial social skill that facilitates effective communication and understanding.

However, some adjustments are more profound, requiring a deeper level of conscious effort and personal transformation. The transition from high school to college, for instance, marks a significant turning point in an individual's life. It's a period of adapting to new environments, forming new friendships, and navigating the academic rigors of higher education.

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• In the realm of personality psychology, adjustment takes on a central role. It refers to the significant changes an individual undergoes in response to internal and external challenges. Adjustment, unlike coping, is not always a conscious or deliberate process. It can be a subtle shift in perspective, a gradual acceptance of new circumstances, or a complete overhaul of one's beliefs and behaviors.

As we navigate the ever-changing currents of life, let us embrace the process of adjustment, not as a sign of weakness, but as a testament to our resilience and adaptability.  Let us view change not as a threat but as an opportunity for growth, a chance to reinvent ourselves and discover new possibilities.

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Remember, life is not a static destination but a continuous journey of transformation. Embrace the ebb and flow, the twists and turns, and let the process of adjustment guide you toward
a more fulfilling and resilient existence. 

Zimbardo

Experiment

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• The Stanford Prison Experiment was a psychology experiment conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University.
• The experiment was designed to examine the psychological effects of imprisonment, particularly the effects of power and authority.

🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪Methods

• Participants were 24 male college students who were randomly assigned to be either prisoners or guards.
• The experiment took place in a mock prison that was set up in the basement of the psychology building.
• The guards were given instructions to maintain order and discipline in the prison, while the prisoners were given instructions to obey the guards.

🧪🧪 Results

• Within a few days, the guards began to exhibit abusive behavior towards the prisoners, including sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, physical abuse, solitary confinement, and incessant prisoner counts.
• Many of the prisoners became depressed and disoriented
• Half of the student prisoners had to be released from the study because of psychological strain
• The experiment was terminated after six days due to the emotional suffering of the prisoners and the escalating abuse of the guards.

🧪🧪🧪Conclusion

• The Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated the powerful effects of situational factors on human behavior.
• It also highlighted the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of ethical considerations in research.

The experiment was designed to be realistic so the participants were not told that it was a simulation. The experiment was videotaped and the recordings were used to study the behavior of the participants. The Stanford Prison Experiment was criticized for its ethical concerns but it is still considered to be one of the most important psychology experiments ever conducted.

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 References

 Lurigio, A. J. (2023). Stanford prison experiment. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.

The Shocking Experiment:

How Far Will You Go to Obey an Authority Figure?

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In July of 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram began a series of about twenty social psychology experiments designed to test the way people comply with authority (Davidson 2022)

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• Milligram wanted to know how many people who were considered normal would continue to inflict pain on another person when told to do so by an authority figure.
• He was inspired by the atrocities committed during World War II by seemingly average German citizens who were following the orders of their leaders.

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First Experiment (Davidson 2022):

one adult played the role of an emotionless authority figure, while an actor played the role of the learner. The experimental subjects, all men, were cast in the role of the teacher and instructed to deliver an electric shock to the learner for each mistake. The shocks started at 15 volts up to 450 volts. The teacher was given a 45-volt shock before the experiment began to experience what the learner would feel. The teacher and learner were placed in separate rooms so that they could hear but not see each other. The teacher would read a work and the learner would have to choose the correct word from a list of four. The authority figure reminded the teacher to shock the learner with a stronger shock each time a mistake was made. The teacher was unaware that the learner was an actor.

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Before the experiment, Milgram polled Yale psychology graduate students and faculty about what percentage of people they predicted would administer the highest level of shock.

65 percent of the 40 men administered the full range of shocks. Not one of the 40 men stopped before reaching 300 volts.

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Milgram designed about twenty variations of this experiment and this is what he learned (Davidson 2022):

🧪🧪Women were slightly more likely than men to complete the shock series.

🥼🥼More people completed the shock series when the authority figure was in the room.

🟦🟦Fewer teachers completed the series when they had to physically place the actor's arm on the shock device.

👀👀About 2/3 of the teachers completed the shock series regardless of their cultural background or gender.

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Milgram concluded that in a structured society, an innate need exists that causes one to obey authority regardless of one's cultural background and gender. He also concluded that when people have little information about a situation, they tend to comply thoughtlessly to the demands of authority.

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Milgram was criticized strongly for the psychological discomfort that he allowed the subjects to feel and was denied tenure at Harvard. 

His later research produced the concept of "six degrees of separation"

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 Reference

 Davidson, M. S. (2022). Psychologist Stanley Milgram Begins Obedience-to-Authority Experiments. Salem Press Encyclopedia.