Powerpoint presentation for class not included

Well I got sort of sidetracked and distracted with med's making my final week of last class almost impossible for me to finish. I managed to hang in there just long enough to do my part with this Team paper that we got 100% on and a powerpoint slide presentation that I can't figure out how to post on here, so I'm out of luck in showing it off. This A+ paper saved my grade, giving me an A- in the class instead of a B+ so once again it is teamwork that makes the grade. I did a lot for a guy that was druggied out most of the week of class. The intro and conclusion I did the rough drafts for, with Karen helping with their editing needs. the fourth paragraph belongs to Dan and I collaborating on writing. Too bad no PPpresentation to show, Michelle and Jeff did most of it and it is fantastic! Already into my third week of my third class and I've done two papers that our Prof hasn't graded yet, seems he's busy in Court, maybe some sort of professional capacity as a psychologist. I can post when I get the papers back.




A Day in the Life of an Average Joe
Karen Blye
Michelle Eklund-Rentfrow
M. Sonny Keating Jr.
Dan Pimm
Jeff Pippin
University of Phoenix



A Day in the Life of an Average Joe

Introduction

Consider that much goes on unnoticed in one’s thoughts during the course of a busy day. A daily routine lends itself to established habits that no one gives a second thought to before, during, or after the course of an ordinary day. Many subtle changes can occur in one’s daily routine and social situations through a period of 24 hours that seemingly little thought or notice is given to the different masks worn that show one’s best or worst face in any given situation, until built up frustrations lead to stress and impaired thinking. Day in and day out, from hour to hour, an average person displays many facets of ones individual personality that inwardly seem the same to themselves, but to an outsider, one can be a completely different person in one situation compared to another. Let us view the examples of a fictitious character named Joe, a middle class male American, to examine the differences in personality in different social situations throughout his day.
Morning
At 5:50 AM Joe’s alarm rings, waking Joe up from a deep sleep. Instead of rising and shining to tackle his day with enthusiasm, Joe despairingly hits the snooze button, regretting having to face another dreary day full of repetitive responsibilities that he has learned to resent. Joe has lost his self esteem and is unable to give himself the self discipline and consistency he needs to begin his days with a positive frame of mind. When Joe competes with his wife for use of the bathroom every morning, he becomes agitated and blames her for his running late, the ensuing arguments bringing marital discord that marks the start of their day. Unchecked, this attitude breeds contempt and resentment, their behavior towards one another unknowingly becoming the norm. As stated by Kowalski and Western (2005) “not everyone is able to hold on to idealized perceptions of their partner or to put a positive spin on repetitive, annoying behaviors” (Chapter 8, p. 49). When Joe helps his daughters get ready for school, his attitude changes to playful persuasion to inspire them to cooperate instead of arguing. Joe masks lingering frustration and resentment from his children about his morning arguments with mommy to spare their feelings. Stepping outside to leave for work, Joe runs into his overly sociable neighbor who likes to talk. Joe exchanges pleasantries for the sake of being neighborly, masking impatience by looking at his watch, conforming to social expectations for the sake of keeping up appearances.
Midday
By mid-morning Joe is engrossed in work, focused so intently on his computer screen that he is oblivious to coworker’s calling him to come join in for a coffee break. The frustrations of his hurried morning and subsequent commute distract him from doing quality work. Joe feeling the overwhelming stress of the morning needs a minute to refresh and relax and agrees to go with his coworkers for coffee. The lively energy Joe shares with his coworkers while engaging in sarcastic ‘shop’ talk revives him. After the much needed Coffee break is over Joe’s boss unexpectedly announces an early deadline for his proposal to be completed by 2:00 for an afternoon meeting, turning Joe’s enthusiasm to irritation with the new, seemingly unrealistic deadline, leaving him thinking; “great, another stress I did not need today.” Joe is experiencing; “Job stress which is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker” (Koesten, 2005, 2). Working in a furious frenzy Joe manages to finish the proposal on time with the help of his team. Appreciating his coworkers and the support they offer Joe experiences social facilitation finding the presence of his team a positive stimulus and performing better (Changingminds.org, 2007). Relaxed and relieved, Joe begins to anticipate having a drink after work, causing Joe to feel even more impatient for the day to end.
Evening
Precisely at 5:00, Joe logs off of his computer, turns out his office light and heads out to greet the evening. Reaching the door, Joe’s boss asks him to replace an absent colleague in a business meeting to close a deal with one of the company’s valued clients. His mind set on a different sort of meeting with coworkers for happy hour drinks, Joe reluctantly agrees, thinking he may be able to combine business with pleasure to include dinner and drinks. In state of denial about his drinking he doesn’t think he has a drinking problem in order to give it any thought at all. As stated by Mark Griffiths (2007) in Round table discussions: “Whatever you are addicted to, if you have it at hand, you do not necessarily think about it all the time” (¶ 9). Joe goes over the proposal and gets his client on the cell phone to ask a few questions. Joe is surprised to discover that his client is a woman when she answers the phone. Immediately Joe shifts from his original plan of a local sports bar, to a fine dinning restaurant nearby and suggests comparing notes and going over the proposal over dinner. Not a mean spirited sexist, Joe just considers a dining setting would be more appropriate for his client. Chivalry and sexism as related attitudes is discussed by Viki, Abrams, and Hutchison (2003) stating “…hostile sexism may coexist with subjectively positive sexist attitudes toward women, that is, benevolent sexism” (¶ 1). During dinner, Joe realizes that his client has more business savvy then anticipated and drinks have slightly impaired his negotiating skills. In his rush to leave work and swept up by the occasion, Joe remembers that he had not called his wife about coming home late. Driving home after his business meeting, Joe feels a little guilty about his neglectful behavior towards his wife and her feelings. So he stops to buy her some flowers and a nice bottle of wine, adopting an altruistic behavior that blends selfish and unselfish motives at the same time.
Conclusion: Diagnosis of daily life.
Not all that bad of a day for our Joe, just sort of an average one for the average person. The idea being that because habits, once formed, become unconscious, leading to unthinkable behaviors and changes in attitudes, things that people do everyday. Mental compartmentalization of day to day activities and differing responsibilities lead to disassociate personality structures. What Joe says to his wife about his boss and work is not what he tells his coworkers, and certainly not what he tells his boss! Such broad personality changes border on borderline personality and or multiple personality disorder. Not that morning arguments with the wife make anyone borderline, anymore then being two-faced with attitudes about one’s job and bosses make for multiple personality, the behaviors are miniature representations of the psychoses’. Does Joe's behavior reflect increasing abnormal processes, or is it as Joe thinks of himself, that he is just an everyman caught up in the stress of daily life in the modern world? Wife, work and the world will not change for Joe, so it becomes necessary for someone like Joe to consider changing one’s thoughts and attitudes that are evidenced in personal behaviors. Therapy helps in having an outside observer draw attention to behaviors and the attendant thought processes that cause them, before habits become rigid structures that cannot easily be broken. Cognitive-behavioral counseling might be the most effective for someone in Joe’s situation where his concerns of attitude towards his marital partner, career, and alcohol use can all be addressed by a non-judgmental professional.




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