The Infatuation With Genes in Regards to Blue Eyes

          It is truly quite interesting to contemplate how blue eyes became as prevalent as they appear today but nonetheless, before this blog, I had not put much thought into that question.  The fact that it originated in the Black Sea region 10,000 years ago poses many further questions.  I mean, if a mutated gene could cause such a common physical attribute in humans, what mutation is still to come that will change the look of humans in the future?  I think this example of how one person's mutilated gene affected an unthinkable amount of individual's appearances further emphasizes the impact genes have on a person.  In other words, his genes were passed down and inherited by generation after generation, which suggests the importance of nature in terms of nature versus nurture.

          As for how genetics play into a person's behavioral side, as well as their mentality, I feel that it is pretty even with the environment so I would give genes' influence on behaviors a 50.  Genes do play a huge role in the type of characteristics people possess and how they react to different types of situations.  For instance, the way I react to emotional situations depends solely on my genes and how I handle my emotions.  As an emotional person, no matter what environment I live in, I will never be able to control how my feelings react to situations that occur in my life.  People are genetically prone to deal with things in their own ways and that is something that is hard for nurture to overcome.

          The environment people live in, as well as the way people are brought up by their parents, also plays an enormous role in the way a person behaves and thinks about things, therefore, I also give nurture a 50.  Certain characteristics people possess alter in time due to the way they live and the people they surround themselves with and while it may not permanently change a person, it can change their personality temporarily.  For example, I may be born with traits that would lead me to be haughty and vain; however, if I am brought up amongst poverty, my environment will shape those traits as fit to my life.  This illustrates how while genes can provide me with 50% of myself, the alteration from my environment will shape me the other 50%.

         

Ethics, Animal Rights and Use of Torture

          I think the ethical boundaries enforced within psychological experiments is a great thing to help maintain the the upmost safety throughout the duration of experiments.  There are numerous liabilities and errors that accompany experimentation and without doing things, such as informing a person on the possible consequences for his/her participation, companies would face all sorts of law suits.  Therefore, the ethical stipulations play a vital role in maintaining peace among the participants.  Also, it would be ethically wrong to allow a person to die for the sole purpose of scientific research, hence the limitations draw that fine line for the researchers. It also benefits psychologists in the sense that these stipulations stand the same for all practices and companies, thus keeping an even playing field among companies and their capabilities.
          However, one thing I do not agree with is the wide range of differences from the human ethical guidelines and the animal ones.  I do support animal experimentation to an extent in the sense that it is better to test animals than humans, due to their lack of emotional intel compared to ours.  Although, I think we are all familiar with that sorrowful puppy whimper or animal cry, thus depicting their pain and contradicting my aforementioned support for animal testing.  I think harming animals is wrong and experiments that do so should be looked at in a more serious sense.  There has to exist alternative tests for medicines and such that do not involve injury to living creatures, but that has yet to be determined.  While I understand the importance of animal testing, I would prefer more guidelines as to what can and cannot be done to animals.
          As for the intentional torturing of humans, I feel that my opinion of this goes hand in hand with my opinion of animal testing.  In other words, I do not support it, but i also do not condemn it because I realize the importance of such a thing.  Torturing often deals with our country and its safety, in which case I cannot criticize such tactics.  However, harming someone for information can lead to death, hence not even achieving the goal of receiving information.  In this case, a human's life was taken and nothing was gained.  I think torture should always be a last case scenario and authorities should attempt to refrain from such barbaric actions when possible.  Though I do not agree with many of the harmful techniques, I do realize that often times there is no other option.

The Psychology Behind Obesity

          The concept of obesity may have to deal with many perspectives of psychology but in this case I find the social cultural prospective to be the most convincing.  In society today we are bombarded with the opportunities to over indulge due to the plethora of fast-food joints and the serving sizes provided in our restaurants.  As stated in the voice-over, Americans are trained at a very young age to consume what is put in front of them, almost creating a sense of obligation to over-eat.  The convenience of such unhealthy foods also aids the increasing rate of obese Americans, as it is often cheaper, hence making it an easy choice.  Continuing with the convenience of fast-food venues, the speed in which one can receive their food also promotes the lifestyle of unhealthy living because it draws those who are always on the go.  With the unbeatable price and speed of some McDonald's fries, how could anyone resist, right?  Furthermore, the environment of restaurants, including the disapproving looks from the waitors as they collect your nearly full plate (when in reality you ate too much as it is), creates a vibe in which binge eating becomes the normal.  As humans, we had the need to please others and having the expectation of finishing our plate looming over us, we often cave and stuff ourselves for satisfaction from those around us.  This social cultural aspect of eating norms advances the growing problem of obesity much more than any other psychological perspective due to the atmosphere America provides its citizens when it comes to the consumption of food.
           Yet another perspective that could weigh in on obesity that is not mentioned in the voiceover would be the developmental perspective.  This deals with how the brain develops over time and what it becomes accustomed to.  I feel that this plays into obesity because our surroundings continuously enforce the accessibility of unhealthy foods, and advertisements usually promote fast foods such as fried burgers and fries.  The more our brain is exposed to these unhealthy options, the more our brain will crave these things on a day to day basis, eventually making us obese. The point I'm trying to convey correlates to the theory that if we repeat an action a certain amount of times, we will master it; similarly, if we repetitively are subjected to fast-food, eventually we will consume it regularly, leading to our obesity. By nature, we are creatures of habit and the consumption of unhealthy foods is not an exception.