While in highschool, there tends to be a divide between who students truly are, and who they desire to be. Although many may not be aware of the potential they truly possess, others may be aware yet struggle to change through the motion of their repetitive habits, which prevents easy solving of personal issues. Not only does this single handedly prevent growth within an individual, but causes a multitude of setbacks for those around them. For example, this may include team projects and individual procrastination, preventing completion of the assignment. High school is inevitably an environment and time period filled with growth, new possibilities, and hardships. Learning the basis of psychology and how the human brain facilitates cognitive thinking, can push those who hope to make improvements in their lifestyles in enabling a healthy and balanced life.
Step 1: Understanding the principles
Psychologists Joseph Jastrow and Robert Spalosky have delved into the anatomy of the human brain and how it affects the thoughts and actions of people, in which are seemingly unprovoked. While this toolbox of things utilized everyday to provide self expression may seem as if it’s been handpicked over time through experience, it can be argued that it’s the exact opposite. Default behavior vs Conscious decision. By default, human behavior is drawn to what’s most familiar, rather than what’s deemed to benefit an individual. An individual may know something is good for them, but it may take a long time to take action, because self improvement is a challenge to implement. “We are nothing more or less than the cumulative biological and environmental luck, over which we had no control, that has brought us to any moment,” said Spalosky. Jastrow believes realizing the factors that are out of an individual’s control, can help people understand how to self evaluate.
What is repeated is strengthened. An example of this would include a student getting stuck thinking about their insecurities in their thoughts and speech. This strengthens their insecurity until it becomes part of their identity. Another example would include an individual that may want to explore new books to advance their perspective, yet when they enter a library and walk over to the same bookshelf, they feel more inclined to pick from what they’ve always been reading. Repeating old habits like this requires a new way of thinking, according to NHS psychology teacher Mike Rothrock. “Change requires change, which when you’re potentially a little bit lost or having trouble identifying who you are, you look for places to fit in. That can cause fear of rejection, but it also speaks to how your brain is changing in how you evaluate yourself and society” said Rothrock.
Step 2: Applying to yourself
“You have to think about thinking. You have to be able to identify if there’s something wrong or if there’s something right, to just take a moment and reflect on what’s happening, what’s occurring”… ”It all requires conscious awareness of change,” Rothrock said. “Having the ability to think about thinking… that’s cognition. It really takes a moment to self-evaluate, which a lot of the time is difficult to do because that makes you have to be truthful with yourself about what you’re going through. I am always a fan of meditation. Just taking moments to take deep breaths, not worry so much, and think,” said Rothrock. Rothrock believes that emphasizing the importance of slowing down in a hectic world is what makes progress realistic andmanageable.“There’s a phrase in psychology about the need to belong… and sometimes it’s not even about fitting in but needing access to groups. If you’re lost and someone pulls you in, good, bad, or indifferent, you’ll have a tendency to trend towards wanting to belong,” Rothrock said. Having social circles that push people out of their comfort zones, while still providing support and inviting energy, helps build trust and self love along an individual’s journey. Instead, seek out new connections that can be an aid for personal development.