Final Project

Motivation Psychology was a class I was very interested in taking. I was hoping it would teach me the skills and techniques I would need to use while in school and in the work force to get ahead; and I was right. While taking this class, I learned the theories and perspectives of true human motivation. Our studies varied from human emotions, personality, addictions, managing stress, homeostasis and behavior arousal. Each subject sparked interest and appealed to me on the basis of human nature. Not only did we learn the theories, but also the inspected the research to support it. Having statistical evidence to back each theory made it much more concrete and exciting. I think a course such as Motivation is important for anyone to take because it touches upon human elements that relate to everyone. Whether you are a student in school striving for a degree or a plumper striving for work; each human is driven by something or someone. Motivation is a soulful quality which spans across the globe as a reoccurring value in people of any race or ethnicity. Professor Berg also makes the subject matter exciting and significant to your life. I really enjoyed this class and all the knowledge it gave me. I even found myself researching further into topics we discussed in class to show to other people!

Although many of the topics were all unique and important, my favorite section was on stress, coping and health. With the amount of expectations in today’s society, stress is inevitable. Ranging from the slow economy, rising tuition levels, decrease in jobs and lack of social security; stress in indicted across all ages and social statuses. And if stress goes untreated or detected, it can lead to health concerns and even early death. Something as overlooked as stress can really put a dent in your quality of life. I feel this was my favorite chapter because I related the most to it and learned a great deal to cope from it. I am currently a 21 year old female college student who bites more off than I can chew. I am involved in numerous clubs and activities, takes five classes and works 30 hours a week in retail store to help pay for my college. Although I may be slow to anger, I am swift to become stressed out. My body use to become run down after my lack of sleep and nutrition throughout the week. Feeling sick and tired all day is not how I planned on college being. Thus, I have trying to cope better with my stress.

I would like to exhibit how I began to cope with my stress and maintain my health while at school. Coping refers to how a person manages or deals with life events or stressors, and here is how I like to relax: 

 going for bike rides

 taking hikes

 listening to music

 reading books

 outdoor activities

 volunteering at local animal shelters

To extend this topic outside of class I have recently engaged in secondary appraisal. Secondary appraisal is making an inventory of appropriate resources to cope with the demand. I have recently been involved in helping create a new club at Stockton this past semester with my friend Jenn. It is a support group with students who have a loved one with cancer. My mom has been a fighter of cancer for many years and it is very difficult to cope with the stressors it brings. Although talking to friends and family helps, it is very eye opening to talk to an individual who is going through the same events you are. The support group has been launched this past semester and we meet at 8:00pm on Tuesday in the Campus Center meeting room 3 if anyone is interested. I have found this experience to be monumental for me and helps me cope with my home life stressors.