World View

World View

Trimmer Harris

Social Psychology 110

Professor Andrea Chapman

January 7, 2012

What do you feel were the most powerful influences on your view of the world (parents, media, friends, school, etc.)?

The most powerful influences on my view of the world were from the media. The media had a huge impact on how I saw the world. For many years my ideas about the world was based on what I saw, heard, and read or in the media. The influenced my decisions about what products to buy, how to act, live, look, and dress. The media even influenced my thinking on what kind of family is normal. I used to watch the television series the "Cosby" show because it portrayed to me as being a normal family and this lead me to think that this is the way families should be. The influence of the media also extended into how I viewed myself and others. Television and magazines portrayed women in a certain way generally focusing on their attractiveness; or at least the Hollywood version of it.

How do you think the influences shaped you as an individual?

As an individual the media has shaped me in many ways. Through watching television series as the Cosby and Leave it to beaver I learned how to have better parenting skills. I learned that a normal family can exist. Because of how the media portrays, a strong black women I have learned how to be an independent individual and except the way God have beautifully made me. Also, while entering in public affairs I have learned how to interact with my peers and those that are of other ethnicity.

Have the influences on your view of the world changed over time and if so, how?

Yes my view of the world has changed over time. As a young individual I lived life as it came but as an older adult I see the world totally different. This is because I now have the responsibility of parenting and preparing a good life for my family. I also learned that nothing is given to you; you have to work hard for whatever you want in life.