Understanding Narcissism

Before I even begin, I just want to clarify by saying that this research topic I had mentioned in my previous post was actually found on WebMD. (Not on Psychology Today) *I apologize there*😂

Anyway, I can't exactly remember what I was doing where I came across this article that was published on a website called WebMD. But what I do remember, is I instantly became curious to have a thorough read through the article which contains information about what narcissism is all about.

Before reading through the article, I was already aware of what narcissism is, but at the same time, I wanted to plunge my mind deeper into the subject for the intention to develop a better & wide understanding of the reasons of how narcissism is unknowingly formatted into oneself. Here's what I have gathered...

Discussion/Review:

Narcissism is what is classified as a self-involvement that creates a dark personality trait to a person. Its overall intention is to fill their ego by purposely ignoring the needs of anyone around them. It was at this point during my reading of the article where I read that narcissism may not be a permanent trait to some people who just choose to behave like narcissists. This may well be dependant on how their mental health is coping, by again, choosing to behave this way as their way of trying to block out everything going on around them. Although, you may seem to think they enjoy behaving this way on the outside, but a look into their mental health state must be considered to be able to understand more about their reason for their choice of narcissist behaviour. 

As I then found out, narcissism has a spectrum. People who are going through a temporarily period of narcissism are classified on the lower part of the overall spectrum. 

In terms of the higher end of the spectrum, you have people who have to live with narcissism attached to them day-in, day-out due to a disorder. And that disorder is named as: 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)' There are 2 different types of narcissism that link to the personality disorder just mentioned. The 2 things the types share in common is the fact that different childhood experiences play a role of being officially diagnosed with NPD. Another common thing in the 2 types is the different ways people will behave in relationships. I suppose that does makes sense, given how different childhood experiences are first formatted to shape a person's upbringing.

Going back to narcissism in general, it is important to factor in all of its characteristics before just saying how it is just by looking at it on the outside. You will notice right away with any narcissist behaviour that a person will make themselves look important compared to other people around them by purposely paying zero attention to how these other people will react around them. This could be followed by that person constantly wanting to be admired for every single thing. Even though, there could be hardly anything for that person to be admired for - Just for the sake of not wanting to look like a disappointment. As a warning to any person who criticises a narcissist person, they will just hit you back hard (emotionally) with rudeness & abuse by thinking they are not receiving the support you are giving them. This has to be done by showing compassion & understanding. What I mean, is by not comparing yourself to other people. No judgement, just be there to show support to.

Conclusion: I would say the one thing that really spoke out to me while reading this article, was that narcissism goes way deeper than just its name. Meaning, there are so many psychological factors of how narcissism is made up of by discovering the roots of the trait.

As always, if anyone is interested to see where I got my research from, the source link is here: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/narcissism-symptoms-signs        

Let's talk about #ADHD

I think I can safely say that I've been keeping my productive self busy during the recent weeks. The variations include work, finishing off the remainder of my coursework & keeping up with my self-care. (Going out walking)

Although, with that said, I have become rather interested in researching the overall subject of #ADHD. But why? Mainly there is a ton of psychology which plays a part in how ADHD operates inside one self's mind. This also includes how they manage their wellbeing.

Not only that, but I am also aware of the amount of misconception there is about having ADHD, as some people tend to view having ADHD as a negative. But let me tell you, that really isn't all about having ADHD. The condition goes way deeper than what some people think. This is why I can gladly say that I've done enough thorough research to be able to piece together enough evidence that I need to make this post. (I'll link my evidences below)

Like I said before, I want to use this post (as well as evidences) to highlight all of the positive aspects of how ADHD works, so it helps everyone to gain a better, as well as a wider picture understanding.

Myths VS Facts:

As mentioned before, some people tend to view ADHD as a means of little - no focus whatsoever. Coming from an aspiring psychologist's view who is keen on the subject, I personally think it is rubbish to be viewing ADHD in that trend, as it's undermining their hidden capabilities in terms of what oneself with ADHD is actually good at. What people should bare in mind in relations to the mentioned myth above, is to understand that oneself with ADHD have a different brain structure. Moreover on that, people with ADHD have a uniquely good level of hyperfocus, which means they're interested on focusing on things that interest them. And if necessary, we could be talking crazy interested in something which makes ADHD individuals want to be active in day in, day out.

Another thing which may annoy those who have got ADHD, is if you was to say to them: "You will need to outgrow it eventually". They would feel offended, as there is no such thing as needing to outgrow ADHD. Instead, there is such a possibility of managing one self's ADHD, as it could be beneficial to help them to work on themselves. This also includes managing their mental health.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/common-myths-about-adhd  

It's not just the behavioural side:  

What I mean by that, is there is evidence which shows people with ADHD tend to have a creative mind. This evidence has proven people with ADHD to be able to express themselves in a creative manner, as it helps them to unleash their happiness by wanting everyone around them to acknowledge their feelings. Particularly, in a way which makes them feel appreciated to show off their unique talents. Allowing an ADHD individual to show off their hidden creativity, allows them to be open minded in life by thinking that there is nothing which can hold them back in any shape of form. Meaning, they dislike the idea of having barriers to achieving whatever they want to achieve.

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-creativity-brain-health/  

The ADHD Iceberg:

In case if anyone is interested, I have attached the iconic ADHD Iceberg picture below. Purposely because you can feel free to do your own research on ADHD by looking at its actual factors.

*I actually began working on this post last weekend, but I ended up getting distracted with other stuff going on*

The psychology behind social media

Hello all, Happy Sunday! I hope it's been a good one for you, especially with the hot weather today.😎

Since my last post, I've been keeping myself occupied, by staying off the internet and going out walking, which is what will be bringing up today's topic of social media.

What is social media?

Social media is a multi-communication app, which allows us to connect with friends and family, by making your own posts, pictures and stories to share online with them.

Even though, it may be fun and enjoyable to use for posting about your happy moments for everyone to see, such as going out travelling, clubbing or just hanging out with your friends and family etc. It can otherwise be very well known for "Controlling your happiness" (This is a quote, which has been taken from a friend of mine's documentary that'll be displayed at the end of the discussion)

Going back to my last point, social media sometimes has the capacity to control your happiness, especially when you're feeling depressed and bored, by saying to yourself: "Do you know what, I feel like just scrolling through my social media feeds, to see what everybody else has been doing, so that it makes me feel happy" 

Doing this, only shows that you have no interest on focusing on yourself, by looking into other people's lives on social media, which will then lead your mindset to start "Comparing yourself with other people" (Another quote taken from the upcoming documentary) As you judge yourself where you stand in your life progression, against other people in theirs. This is when your mind starts saying: "I feel like I'm doing A LOT better in life then these people, as I've got many pictures, as well as posts on there, which always gets likes and comments. Whereas, this person is boring, as they can never be bothered to post anything"

Don't get me wrong, whenever people like and comment on your posts, it does feel "Rewarding" (Another quote) to you, as those people do genuinely appreciate what you are doing in the making of that post, as well as yourself for that matter, as it makes YOU appreciate what you actually physically do in life, in order for you to receive that amount of praise. I always feel the same way too when this happens on my social media.

Finally and foremost, it is NEVER a good idea to spend lots of long hours on social media everyday, as it drains all of your productive time, which you could be physically doing something towards your goal or hobby, as these are the things you're interested in to make you become into a successful person one day in your life. Plus, it drains your mental health, by constantly looking into your eye-damaging phone screen, so that it brainwashes your mind, by making it think there's nothing fun to do in the outside world anymore, and you'd rather be indoors constantly surfing the internet 24/7, as this becomes your new favourite form of entertainment.

I think I've pretty much concluded everything in that topic now.

Thank you very much for taking your time to read through this long and extensive post today, and as promised, here is my friend's awesome documentary about his outtake on social media.

The topmost reason I wanted to share it with you all in this post, is that he words every single thing about my OWN use of social media, meaning, I couldn't word it any better, as he explains everything. I'll leave you to enjoy.

Documentary: Detached

If you want to see of more of what my friend does, then click on: Nicholas Stone

"The internet is like a genie in a lamp" My own definition with added psychological explanation

Yes, I am fully aware that this title may sound strange to most or even all of you, but once I begin my explanation about it, you'll understand what I am talking about.

This is a definition which I've come up with ages ago now, so I thought about sharing its meaning, as well as what people think about when using it.

What does this definition mean?

It means, that when you think about anything you wish to look for on your mind, you type it up in the search bar on the internet and... BOOM. The internet finds EXACTLY what you wanted to look for! Example given: You want to find out the best Spanish recipes

 

Why does a genie relate to this definition?

You know when you rub a genie's lamp or bottle and they appear straight away? You then say: "I wish I can play my favourite computer game on the internet" Before you even know it, you get your wish granted and you're playing your favourite computer game on the internet, as it felt like yesterday enjoying them good times, except it could've been years ago.

It is the same scenario when you type in your wish to play your favourite computer game in the search bar on the internet, so it appears straight away and you therefore, have your wish granted.

 

What does this definition make people think?

As these 2 scenarios link very well with each other, it makes people think that the internet is the best way to fore fill you down time, by wishing what you would like to look up on the internet and see if you get that wish granted.

This could be the most typical reaction of most people: "WOW! The internet is like having your own genie in your computer/laptop, as I can look up anything!" Which is very true in that statement, as the internet is purposely hand created, so it can help the public find useful information with whatever they need to use for in their work purposes.

Since one source of internet became increasingly popular for the worldwide public to use, there were many other sources created, such as: Bing, MSN, Yahoo and Google Chrome. (Which is my personal favourite) More people began responding with: "I love the internet so much! Every source has what you are wishing to look for!"

Final conclusion: The internet will always be the best source for looking up stuff, as it comes up straightaway and the answers can appear on multiple browsing sites! "Just like a genie!" (A quote from Spongebob Squarepants)😂

Thank you for reading through. Please feel absolutely free to comment your thoughts below or tell me in person and I shall hopefully make another post in 2 days time!

Have a good night.

  

How can listening to music benefit you psychologically?

I'm sure by now, most people can relate to how music can help you gain positive thoughts in your head. Which is why, I feel the need to further detail on this thoughtful experiment, to help people have a more better understanding of how it works.

*Here are some common quotes, which I hear and see a lot in relations to the benefits of listening to music*

 "Music is my life"      "Music is my escape" "Music makes me feel free" 

All of the stated quotations are correct, in relations to how does it make people feel. But the topic goes far deeper rather than just using basic quotations. On that note, let's dig in!

If you were in a depressed mood, in which, you intend to find a way to lift your mood clouds, but at the same time however, you don't feel motivated enough to be doing something physical.

In this case, listening to music would be the answer to that problem.

All you have to do now, is find one of your favourite songs, grab some headphones or earphones, sit back and............. let the words, rhythm and instruments take control!

This psychological procedure allows the music to overpower your mind of current stress. Meaning, it clears away all of the negativity. (This procedure can also be used to bring back nostalgic memories. See - https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2374978378533176995/8313501195419048471 )

What part does the words play?

The words create a meaning for every song. With that just said, it can be to do with love, memories, motivation or even life. They help you to think about people or something in particular you did previously, by listening to its meaning. In terms of love, the words of certain songs you listen to, makes you think about people or even just one specific person whom you love the most, by the written lyrics of the song which suite the person's personality. In terms of motivation, some songs tend to use repetition words in their songs, which can help boost your motivation to do something, in the way that they say it.

  

What part does the rhythm play?

The rhythm helps to create an enjoyable and catchy beat for us to play along to. Perhaps dance along to as well? (If that helps you) Playing along to the rhythm of a particular song, can help us to just focus on all the creative ways you can drum or tap along to, to ensure you keep up with the beat to help you get better and better. This way, you won't be able to think about anything else, other than something you're really enjoying in the moment of time. 

What part does the instruments play?

The instruments seem like another way of giving all songs a different meaning to them. By that, they create many different themes for whatever suits your characteristics best. Weather it's rap, soul, jazz, rock, pop, classic, cartoon, house or folk. Everyone has a different personality. Mine, for example, would very much vary from all of them. This is due to me always having a passionate love for music in general.

As always, thank you for taking your time to read through. Please feel free to let me know how music benefits YOU as a person. I shall see you in my next post. Laters!

The psychology involved with cybercrime

Hey all, 

I was intending to make a post earlier in the week, however, I had my head buried in coursework all week, so I wanted to get that out of the way. Also, I've just finished a course on The Open University called: "The psychology of cybercrime" So I reckon now would be the perfect time to disclose everything I've learned with you.

Question overall: 

Why the need for cybercrime?

Let's explore the psychological factors!

First scenario:

Say if you were a Twitter user, and you noticed that one of your friends has a 2nd account for some peculiar reason, you then immediately presume they created it, and therefore, proceed to follow them.

However, what you fail to realize, is that your friend DID NOT create that account, in which it was created by somebody who has an intention of hacking them. By doing so, they know that you're following them on twitter, which will allow them to take advantage of your account by looking into your personal details, as well as your personal photos. (Some being inappropriate)

Furthermore, they have more intention of exploiting you all over the internet by sharing your private photos (which may be inappropriate) everywhere. This will then be followed by humiliation, violation and guilt, as to why you'd trustingly followed the hacker's account thinking it was one of your friends.

Here's some useful advice: When you see another social media account with a photo of your friend and their name - Ask them first if they actually DID create another account, because you never know beforehand who is on the other side of it...

Second scenario:

You were just casually browsing the internet, when all of a sudden... a random email notification pops up on your screen.

Now, you might be thinking: "Oooh, I bet this might be exciting or urgent, so I better check it out" This email happens to be sent from a branded company informing you that you need to re-new your membership by asking for your bank details, including the use of exclamation marks. You make the decision to go ahead and send your bank details.

But after a while, you get a notification from your bank, saying that a large portion of your money had been raided from your account. You will then immediately realize you've been a victim of 'fraud'.

This type of cybercrime asks for your bank details through your email pretending to be a branded company. 3 things to bare in mind here: A. Look for the @something.com next to the branded company name, B. Branded companies would NEVER ask you to send over you bank details through an email and C. You would not see any branded company use any exclamation marks in their form of writing.

Third scenario:

Again, you were just casually browsing the internet, when all of a sudden... a random notification pops up on your screen. But this time, it's stating that your computer/laptop is at risk of slowing down, so it's advising you to click on 'save file' to help reduce the lagging in the system.

But instead, another message pops up saying a "trojan" virus has been found in the system and starts to cause problems with every single thing involved. To put it in simpler terms, you're unable to access ANYTHING.

This type of virus is designed to send scam pop messages on your computer/laptop screen, which will only end up destroying every single tab and file on it. 

Thanks for taking your time to read and PLEASE stay safe when using the internet. I shall be back soon with another post. Stay tuned!