Psychological Perspectives on Real-World Issues
Psychological Perspectives on Real-World Issues
What current issue has you wondering, “What do others think about this topic? Is there research that supports what people are saying about this topic? What are the experts recommending?” This week, you will examine how psychological science can inform a wide range of current issues beyond what you see in the popular media.
For this paper, you will select a current issue of interest and discuss which concepts of psychological science can help you further understand the issue.
To prepare:
Select a current issue (e.g., universal health care, gun control, the environment, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, overuse of social media, violent video games) in which you have interest. Then, think about which psychological concepts would be relevant to your issue. For example, if you are discussing violent video games, you might be interested in the relationship between exposure to the games and aggression, or you might want to look at how the brain responds to the rewarding feeling of playing the game. If you were discussing the impact of social media, relevant psychological concepts might include addiction, isolation, or depression. Find a scholarly journal article related to the topic. This article should be no more than 5 to 7 years old. Visit the http://www.
With these thoughts in mind:
Briefly describe the issue you selected, and explain why you selected it. Next, explain which psychological concepts are most useful in understanding that issue. Using your selected scholarly article, explainhow the psychological concepts were discussed in terms of your chosen issue. Also, describe how the author(s) of the article used psychological concepts to explain, or frame, your selected issue. (750+ words).
RESOURCES:
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2012). Public skepticism of psychology: Why many people perceive the study of human behavior as unscientific. American Psychologist, 67(2), 111–129.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2007). To analyze thinking we must identify and question its elemental structures. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.
Huitt, W. (1998). Critical thinking: An overview. Revision of paper presented at the Critical Thinking Conference, Barnsville, GA [March, 1993]. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.
Bell, B. (n.d.). Critical thinking. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://www.
Thagaurd, P. (2012, May 28). What is pseudoscience? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.
Answer preview
The current issue that I have an interest in is the overuse of social media. The advancement in technology has created significant channels for social networking. I selected this topic because since the establishment of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram among others, has had severe effects on many social media users especially the youths. According to Jan, et al., (2017), 88% of users on platforms like in Facebook spend most of their time engaging in unhelpful comparisons with their followers. Unfortunately, many develop Facebook Envy which affects how they view themselves, and this makes them ungrateful about everything in life. The overuse of social media damages the self-esteem of an individual such that he/she develops low confidence and self-doubt, and this leads to issues like stress.
The most useful psychological concept that can help in understanding this issue
Self-esteem is a significant psychological concept…
(830 words)