Personal Reflection Assignment #1 - Identifying a Behavior

Purpose: Apply the goals of psychology (describe, explain, predict, change) to a real-life situation.

Overview: Over the course of the semester you will be submitting several assignments connected to this project. During the first week of the semester, I asked you to start thinking about the personal reflection assignments. You submitted two behaviors that you want to change for that assignment. Now you will revisit those topics and consider some others.

Task: Provide examples of three of your own behaviors that you would like to improve or change.  Specifically, each behavior should be something you either want to increase (e.g., I want to exercise more often) or decrease (e.g., I want to stop leaving things to the last minute).  For each behavior, include a short statement providing an example of a time that you have engaged in this behavior.

Example:  I am messy - I often throw clothes on my bedroom floor at the end of the day and wait weeks before I bother to pick them up or wash them.

Your instructor will review the three examples provided in this assignment and offer feedback so that you can identify the single behavior that you will use for the remaining assignments. Think carefully about the behavior you select, as you will be exploring this behavior in depth throughout the semester for the remaining reflection assignments. Remember, only choose topics you feel comfortable writing about and discussing for a class. If you have questions or concerns about appropriate topics, please don't hesitate to reach out to your instructor.

Examples of some behaviors that would work for this assignment (you may choose from this list if they apply to you or come up with others):

Yelling /cursing frequently
Putting things off to the last minute
Not finishing things you start
Avoiding a specific situation
Taking unnecessary risks
Spending too much time watching TV or on social media
Modifying eating habits
Changing exercise habits
Examples of things that are not behaviors or are not specific:

Worrying/Being anxious/Stress These are not specific. What is it that you do when you are worried/anxious/stressed that you want to stop doing? For example, do you cry, bite your fingernails, avoid the situation by doing something else?  Do you isolate yourself from others? Do you overeat?
Being introverted This is a personality characteristic not a behavior. What is it that you do, or do not do, that you want to change? For example, I want to go out with friends more or I want to speak up in class more.
Having low self-esteem Again, this should be changed to describe something that you do that demonstrates low self-esteem. For example, do you avoid talking in class or meeting new people? Do you spend extra time doing simple tasks because you are worried about what other people will think? Do you avoid making decisions?
Being emotional This is not a specific observable behavior but might manifest itself in many different behaviors. What does this look like? For example, do you cry frequently? Do you yell a lot? Do you have trouble sitting still or relaxing?
Personal Reflection - Identifying a Behavior (1)
Personal Reflection - Identifying a Behavior (1)
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