Discussion 1
Explain what cultural influences can make it difficult to identify symptoms of mental disorder and why.
Discussion 2
In responding to the students below, discuss how the decade, society, and economics of the time, and any other factors, may have influenced what was being produced musically.
Sarah post
Most record labels sign artist that they feel will fit their brand along with their current talent. They also are looking for people that can marketed to the mass population. There is no point of signing an artist on to the label if they will not make them any money. While a lot of artist succumb to this and give into the pressure of their label there are bands that fought hard to remain the same and it has paid off for them. The main band I think of is Panic at the Disco. Over their six albums their sound has change but in very different ways to match the mood of the band and not the label. They made songs they wanted to hear and preform, letting them show their fans passion in each album. This is worked out great for the band because for the last 14 years their fan base has only grown. Their label was smart to let them have creative rights in their music.
Robert post
Not the biggest hip-hop or rap fan but I think this genre is the easiest to identify the control of certain labels. If you look at the icons such as Eminem and Drake, you can see a vast difference from their earlier music and their modern music. I think there are many reasons behind it. One reason is the money. Record labels want whatever kind of music or sound can make them money. Popular artist might not have that sound they are looking for at first, but offer the attention and popularity that will bring money in so they sign these artist and then tweak their sound. The artist may not really care that much because of the money as well. In todays world you really have to be careful with what you say and various record labels really dial down the bluntness of an artist so the song is attractive by most fans of the genre. Eminem is a great example of a person who takes his lyrics pretty far over the line in some aspects but that’s why he is loved and hated. His modern sound, other than his most recent album, has been very watered down for the masses. This allows for more songs to able to be streamed on the radio. Depending on how you look at it it can affect the music both negatively or positively. Negatively the artist can’t really be an artist. Positively, more money is usually the outcome.
RESPOND TO THE NEXT TWO STUDENT POST IN 100 WORDS
Jerryca post
Explain in your own words what happiness is. It’s a state of mind, a very pleasant mental and emotional state of mind. Humans that are happy most of the time live healthier lives. Happy humans are content with their overall life, seeing their glass half full, instead of half empty. Some humans live life looking for the good in everything, while not allowing the bad things to hinder the love and happiness they prefer to keep seeking. Some humans think money is happiness, others believe happiness is a new house, new car, better and/or easier job, etc. Some humans like me believe happiness starts within oneself and is shared with others. Meaning: True happiness is being truly happy with the human looking back at the human in the mirror (oneself). No one can own a humans’ feelings, so however a human chooses to feel and/or deal with issues throughout life is their choice. Therefore no one else is to blame for how a human is feeling because no one else has control of their happiness and/or sadness (actions and/or reactions). According to studies and/or the textbook, explain how thinking is believed to influence one’s level of happiness as well as the development of depression and maintaining of its symptoms? The human mind is a powerful thing, but each human born is not lucky enough to understand no one can rule their freedom to think and believe but them. Meaning: Family, culture, authority figures, etc., can lead children, young adults, and even older adults into believing they must think and believe a certain way. This type of up-bringing and/or brainwashing weakens the powerfulness of a humans’ mind to think and believe on its own. Not being allowed to think and
believe freely can instill sadness, hate, anger, resentment, fear, etc. And that will lead to long term mental issues, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, schizophrenia, etc. ‘’A growing body of research links positive mental states, even unrealistic ones involving positive illusions, to healthier physiological functioning (e.g., Taylor and others, 2003)’’ (Straub,2014). ‘’This phenomenon appears to occur in people who lean toward self-enhancement, a tendency to recall positive over negative information, to see oneself more positively than do others, and to feel personally responsible for good outcomes’’ (Straub,2014). Maintaining symptoms of stress, anxiety, etc., can be done by breaking a stressful load down before anxiety comes into play.
Meaning: If house work is stressing a human, that human can break down the work between a time frame that isn’t stressful. Or between the humans living in the house, so it’s no longer stressful.
Meaning: View life as a challenge, instead of a problem.
Ashley post
In my own words and through my own experiences, happiness is a state of mind. Happiness is unique to each person. It pertains to ourselves, our health, our loved ones, our experiences, and our lives in general. It results from biological, physical, and mental states. Having our basic needs met can illicit happiness, and anything extra is a bonus. It comes from pleasant experiences with love, friendships, family, pets, and an individual’s unique support system. It also comes from within yourself, and is illustrated through pride, completing a goal, having fun, accomplishment, learning, hobbies, and understanding. It can be an emotion, something that results from an event that lasts minutes to hours, or a mood, which has a more consistent affect (Durand & Barlow, 2013). It can be here in a minute and gone in a flash. We can decide to be happy or decide not to be. We can control it, to some extent, through will power and training out brains to be happy as often as we can, even in the face of adversity, such as that of learned happiness (Durand & Barlow, 2013).
According to studies and/or the textbook, explain how thinking is believed to influence one’s level of happiness as well as the development of depression and maintaining of its symptoms?
One way that thinking can encourage depression is through a model called the “learned helplessness theory of depression” (Durand & Barlow, 2013, p. 220). There are three ways this model represents the thoughts and feelings that contribute to depression. The first style is internal, and that is that the individual themselves feels their failings are the cause of the negative life event they’re facing. The second is stable, in that, even when the negative life event is over, any future negative life events will still be a result of their failings. Lastly, the third is global, which is still being studied, where these attributions span across a multitude of issues (Durand & Barlow, 2013). This model is the result of difficulty with coping and feelings of hopelessness that often occur with depression when a negative event has occurred. These thoughts, as described in the model, reinforce that bad things will continue to happen, one after another, and that they are the person’s fault. It perpetuates a vicious cycle of thinking that is difficult to overcome (Durand & Barlow, 2013). A number of studies have found that negative thought patterns lead to and are a risk factor for depression. (Durand & Barlow, 2013).
Another way that thinking can encourage depression is through the “reciprocal gene-environment model” (Durand & Barlow, 2013, p. 219). Stress, as determined through last week’s reading, impacts everything; physiologically, mentally, emotions, and physically. In this model, the person, prone to depression, can put themselves in stressful situations, and this is reciprocal because the stress is what triggers the depression through the stressful events the person seeks to find (Durand & Barlow, 2013). This genetic susceptibility of depression activates a psychological state that leads the person to believe stressful events are uncontrollable (Durand & Barlow, 2013).
Lastly, regarding negative schemas, which are cognitive defects that were developed during childhood, the individual may not even be self-aware enough to know that their thought process is irrational and destructive. This is an error in which their brain is taking in these situations, and future situations. Therefore, even something minor can cause a major depressive episode (Durand & Barlow, 2013).
All of these aforementioned models and schemas can both cause and continue depression for an individual. If a person is stuck in the mud and they don’t have the energy or knowledge to get themselves out, they will stay stuck. The same concept applies to negative thinking and depression.
