Assignment #6- Miller Luhan- The Day by Day

People just behave the way they behave and that's it, right? Nope.

Last year I enrolled in an elective called Psychology. This class transformed my life and altered the way I perceive my actions and those of others around me. 

When I was little my mom always said, "Count to 10 before for say what you're about to say." This sentence- usually used to prevent an altercation- frequently entered my mind when sitting in that 5th hour class because my response would almost always be "I'll do my best". 
My teacher, Mrs. Clark, always started the hour with examples of what she intended to talk about for the remainder of the class. Most of the examples were very relatable... especially ones that relate back to my mom's infamous sentence. For instance, younger children do not yet have the ability to form logical thoughts- a level in cognitive development called the concrete operational stage. Human behavior is determined by other factors besides age as well, from being hungry to being in a certain social group. Behaviors are forever changing, but patterns are easily recognized.
The most influential part of this academic course was its relation to how I perceive the world around me. I now see others behave in a certain way and I think of reasons (almost like excuses) why they would make that decision. 
My instant thought, on a basic level, is usually "maybe they're having a bad day". Teenagers are at a critical stage in cognitive development where society demands more from them than their brains are actually capable of doing. Human brains are usually fully developed by age 25 and teenagers are asked to pick what they want to do for the rest of their life and expected to make smart decisions when navigating social circumstances, etc.

Each person is different, each personality is different, each person's goal is- you guessed it- different. It is almost impossible to ask a child to count to 10 before something else is said because impulse control and previous experiences lack in undeveloped brains. I've determined that Psychology allowed me to be more patient with myself and others, and to realize- especially with the stress of my recent college visits- that it is okay to not know exactly what I want to do with my future quite yet (what I want to major in and study). I live by the day by day, learning new things and shaping new experiences to make important decisions in my future, and to develop good relationships with the people around me.