Psychology
My Experience
I would say that taking this class was a rollercoaster of emotions. Without a doubt, it was one of my hardest and most complex courses, but it was also one of the ones that I ended up enjoying the most. It was definitely nos easy, and there were times in which I wanted to give up. However, looking back on these past 2 years, I can confidently say that it was the class in which I learned the most about myself, my classmates, and the course itself. It was a class full of dynamic and interactive activities, that kept me interested in the subject.
Skill - Reflective
The skill regarding the IB Learner Profile that this project helped me develop was the reflective one, as I was a able to develop empathy, consciousness, and respect by doing this activity. The last part of the project, which was the overall reflection, was a really deep and eye-opening experience, which can be presented in my answers regarding the reflection questions. I managed to put myself in other's shoes, which I was a able to connect to the psychology course, as well as to CAS. This was one of my favorite projects, and the one from which I learned the most skills, emotionally and physically.
The biggest challenge that I faced while doing this project was moving from one place to another. It sounds pretty obvious, but I didn't realize how hard and stressful it would be to simply go down the stairs, sit on the couch, etc. It made me realize the lack of dependence that a person with paraplegia feels, and this made me reflect a lot.
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This project will help me in the future because it helped me to develop empathy on another level. I really became solitary with people with disabilities , and I know that it is not nearly the same experience, but I now have a completely different perspective when it comes to this topic.
SENSE DEPRIVATION PRACTICE
Reflection
How was your experience during this practice? At the beginning I was struggling a lot, but as the days went by I started to learn how to do things while being in a wheelchair and I was able to become more independent. Overall, I liked this experience because it really helped me understand what paraplegics have to go through, and how their homes have to be completely adapted in order to be comfortable for them.
What did you learn about yourself and others? I learned that I have to trust others. From my family, I learned that it requires a lot of patience living with a disabled person because you are very likely to want to help them all the time, and it must be really exhausting for both parties.
How did you manage to communicate and explain your needs? Most of them I did, but others my family didn’t understand, especially the fact that I was so “inquieta” all the time, and wanted to push myself around.
What did this experience make you think about the relationship between social identity and disability? I feel that by having a social disability you might not feel connected with people that don’t have the same needs and struggles as you, which automatically creates a social “barrier” or groups. However, I do think that it is possible for these groups to get along and to try to put themselves into each other's shoes.
Virtual Visit to Holocaust Museums
Reflection
This was a very eye opening experience, because we’ve always learned about the holocaust, but this activity took it to the next level. It was very profound to see the concentration camps, and listen to the testimonies of the survivors. The exposure to these activities made me connect and truly “put myself in the shoes” of the survivors. When I listened to the testimony of the survivor, all I could imagine was the fear that they must’ve felt, as well as the pain of watching your family die. Even though I have never met this person, the way in which they told the story made me feel close to them, and really be empathetic.
On the other hand, listening to one of the former members of the Hitler-Youth was a totally different experience. For this testimony, I really had to think as if I were this person, in order to understand their reasoning and thought process. It was a completely different side of the story, and it was very interesting to listen to how this man explained that the main reason for Hitler’s “success” was the propaganda. I liked the reflection that he made at the end, stating that as a society, we shouldn’t automatically believe what the government or the higher power is communicating, because it is very easy to get fooled. This testimony is highly related to Social Identity Theory, as this man explains that one of the main reasons why he admired Hitler so much was because of his father, and the way he was brought up. It is clear to see that in comparisson to most victims of the holocaust, this man grew up in a wealthy household in Berlin, being one of the few families that owned a car. His father became a militar when he was young, and he always looked up to him. In a way, it could be argued that by the social status he had, as well as his religion, this man had a higher tendency to become a member of the Nazi Party.
This experience made me realize the lengths to which humans go to be part of a group, but especially how people don’t question the morality of members of their same group. In another way, the perpetrator’s testimony made me realize that this man never questioned what his family, friends, and other members of the Nazi Party did was wrong, simply becuase he belonged to that same group. When you belong to a group, you automatically believe that your group is superior to the others, as seen with the in-groups and out-groups. In this case, that theory is supported by the testimony of this man.
Regarding tolerance, this experience taught me that before judging others, it is important to know where they come from, what they’ve lived through, and be empathetic with them. In order to understand someone’s point of view, you have to put yourself in their shoes. For example, in the second testimony, I can’t automatically judge the man who as a member of the Nazi Party without listening to his story. First, I have to understand his cultural background, to really submerge myself in his experience. I think that it is also important to recognize how he regrets what happened, and that he has reflected on the whole situation. One of my favorite quotes is “we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply”, and I believe that it should be the other way around.
Link to the Auschwitz virtual museum:
Skill - Knowlegable
I developed the knowledgeable skill because I expanded my knowledge about a very globally-important topic. I managed to connect the Holocaust to history, philosophy, and most importantly psychology. I now have many different perspectives upon the matter, which ultimately give me more knowledge and information about it.
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REFLECTION
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When I look back on this project, I remember feeling many emotions at once. I couldn't help but feel vulnerable and disappointed. It was definitely a very emotional and sensitive experience, but it also made me reflect on history itself and its relation to psychology. Doing the reflection for this project helped me express all the thoughts that entered my mind while I was completing the virtual tour which was liberating and it helped me understand the whole experience better.
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Something that I learned about myself is that I can be very vulnerable regarding these topics, and because of this I usually tend to avoid them. Due to the fact that this was a school assignment, I had to complete the task. However, when it comes to watching movies or visiting museums, I rarely do it voluntarily. Nonetheless, this experience helped me realize that we have to inform ourselves about topics that make us uncomfortable, because they are usually the most emotional and important.
