Report 2:
My Understanding of Driving Psychology
By Mari Osakoda
Instructions for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 1, 2, 4, 7 and 10.
The Question I am answering is
Question 1
Question 1:
(a) Consider Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4
in the Lecture Notes, in the Section on Driving Psychology Theory and Charts
at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
Consult the article from which the Tables were taken.
Table
1
Driver
Behavior as Skills and Errors in Three Domains
|
SKILLS
(+) |
||
|
AFFECTIVE
(+A) |
COGNITIVE
(+C) |
SENSORIMOTOR
(+S) |
|
I've got to be careful here. Don't want to cut anybody
off. |
This person looks like he's in a hurry to get in. I better
let him in. |
(Waving and smiling:) Go ahead. |
|
ERRORS
(-) |
||
|
AFFECTIVE
(-A) |
COGNITIVE
(-C) |
SENSORIMOTOR
(S) |
|
I wish I could give that guy a piece of my mind. |
I don't think people like that should be allowed on the
road |
(Yelling:) "You stupid idiot, why don't you watch
where you're going!" |
Table 2
Behavioral
Zones of Driving
|
Affective
Responsibility |
|
Sensorimotor Responsibility |
|
(7) altruism and morality vs. |
(8 )positive dramatizations and mental health (17) negative dramatizations and insanity |
(9) enjoyment and satisfaction |
|
Affective
Safety |
Cognitive
Safety |
Sensorimotor
Safety |
|
(4) defensive driving and equity |
(5) objective attributions |
(6) polite exchanges and calmness |
|
Affective
Proficiency |
Cognitive
Proficiency |
Sensorimotor
Proficiency |
|
(1) respect for regulations and self-control |
(2) knowledge and awareness |
(3) correct actions and alertness |
Table 3
Two
Stages of a Driving Personality Makeover Plan
|
|
|||
|
|
Cognitive
Level |
Sensorimotor
Level |
|
|
·
reasoning against my attribution errors (It's
always their fault. It's never my fault) ·
counteracting my self-serving bias in how I view incidents ·
acquiring more socialized self-regulatory sentences I can
say to myself |
·
waving, smiling, signaling ·
not crowding, not rushing in, not swearing ·
not aggressing against passengers ·
pretending that I'm in a good mood even when not |
|
|
|
|||
|
Affective
Level |
Cognitive
Level |
Sensorimotor
Level |
|
|
·
feeling responsible for errors and seeking opportunities to make reparations ·
feeling regret at my unfriendly behaviors and impulses ·
feeling good about behaving with civility or kindness ·
feeling appreciation when being given advice by passenger ·
being forgiving of others' mistakes and weaknesses |
·
acknowledging and knowing my driving errors ·
planning and rehearsing the modification of those habits ·
analyzing other drivers' behaviors objectively or impartially |
·
anticipating the needs of other drivers and being helpful to them ·
verbalizing nice sentiments ·
enjoying the ride and relaxing |
|
Table 4
The AWM Approach in
Driver Self-Modification
·
First step: Acknowledging that I have this particular
negative habit. (A)
·
Second step: Witnessing myself performing this negative
habit. (W)
·
Third step: Modifying this habit. (M)
(b) Using your own words, describe
the three behavioral domains and levels of a driver (nine cells).
The three behavioral domains of
driving are affective, which are a drivers feelings and motivations while
driving. Cognitive, the part of a
driver that controls thoughts and reasoning; and finally sensori-motor which
are the actions that people do while driving.
The three levels of a driver are proficiency, mastering the basic skills
of driving. Safety-thinking about the
protection of the driver’s car and lastly responsibility, the realization that
driving is an act in which drivers need to be caring, and altruistic.
When a driver begins to drive their primary
concern is efficiency in operating the car, following the rules of the road,
and paying attention to what is going on around them. Safety, is the second level of a driver, where the driver has
interactions with other vehicles on the road but is still mostly concerned with
the safety of their own vehicle. The
last level is responsibility, where a driver realizes that they are a part of a
complex driving web in which the driver is considerate of the needs of other
cars. A responsible driver is also able
to deal with aggressive drivers with optimism and restraint.
|
Three Behavioral Domains of a Driver |
|||
|
Levels of a Driver |
Affective |
Cognitive |
Sensorimotor |
|
Responsibility |
I
realize that I am part of a much larger system of drivers and must act
accordingly. |
I
will let this person in because they have been waiting to merge. |
Waving,
letting the driver know that they can go. |
|
Safety |
My
car is the most important car on the road and I don’t care about the needs of
others. |
I
have to close this gap so the other car can’t get in. |
Following
closely, not leaving space for other drivers. |
|
Proficiency |
There
are so many things to remember while driving I hope I don’t forget anything. |
I
have to press the gas and brake, put on my blinker, and stay in my lane. |
Gripping
the steering wheel, sitting straight, not having the radio on. |
(c)
Illustrate each domain with your own driving behavior skills and errors, or
that of another driver you know well, or a driver in a particular movie.
When I started to drive all I could think about
was don’t crash the car, don’t speed, and don’t follow too closely there were
so many things to remember! I remember
feeling nervous every time I had to drive, I didn’t want to drive on the
freeway or go on the on ramps. I stayed
on the surface streets and always followed the speed limit. My palms were always sweaty and my right leg
muscles were sore because I was so tense when I was driving.
As I got to be a better driver I relaxed a
little, I even turned on the radio so I could listen to music while I
drove. My focus shifted from following
the rules of the road and not crashing to being aware of others on the
road. Although I was aware of the other
cars I saw them as a danger to my safety and began to drive defensively. Other cars were the enemy, they were the
ones that were preventing me from changing lanes, they followed too closely,
and they made me nervous.
Now I think that I am somewhere in the middle
of safe driver and responsible driver.
Now I try to let people merge and thank people when they are nice to
me. I am aware of the cars around me
and, more importantly, of the people in them.
Every car has somewhere to go and they all have a right to do so
safely. I think of driving as a
cooperative event in which masses of people must coordinate their actions to
prevent accidents from occurring.
I have not done a total turn around in my
driving behavior, there are days where I am cranky, tired, and don’t feel like
being such a nice driver. I honk my
horn at people and curse at drivers when they do reckless things. I am aware of my behavior behind the wheel
and I know that all of these things are wrong to do. Everyone cannot be a responsible driver all of the time, it would
be impossible. That would only happen
if we lived in a perfect world where there were no stress or distractions.
I think the most important thing to remember
while driving is that there are not just cars on the road, but people too. If drivers would look at each car and see
the people inside of it they would be less prone to drive aggressively. Every car on the road is just as important
as all of the rest, no car has the right to impose on another car.
(d) Make up a "driving
personality makeover" plan for yourself (or another driver you know well),
relating specifically to negative thoughts you have about other road
users.
I
am very intolerant of people on the road who are in my own words,
“stupid.” These “stupid” drivers do a
wide range of things, they don’t pay attention to the road, they tailgate, they
speed, and they talk on their cell phones.
I realize that I let these drivers get to me and that my negative
feeling towards them has a negative effect on my life. I wish that I was not so irritated with
these people and that I could just “let it go.” So the focus of my driving personality makeover plan is to
realize that there are things that I cannot control so I shouldn’t waste my
time getting upset over them.
|
Stage 1-Avoiding Being an Aggressive Driver |
||
|
Affective level Overcoming
my resistance to change. |
Cognitive level Learning
to do rational analyses of traffic incidents |
Sensorimotor Level Acting
out civil behavior |
|
·
Realizing that
drivers make mistakes ·
Grasp that I
make the same mistakes as the drivers who I am getting upset at ·
Being able to
dismiss feelings of rage and hostility towards other drivers ·
Reminding
myself that I am not the most important car on the road |
·
Rationalizing
behaviors that would cause me to become upset or impatient with other drivers ·
Taking an
objective look from the other car’s point of view ·
Neutralizing my
aggressive thoughts with concern for the other driver ·
Empathizing with
the other driver |
·
Smiling,
waving, giving the shaka sign ·
Not making
aggressive eye contact with other vehicles ·
Not honking my
horn unnecessarily |
|
Stage 2-Becoming a Supportive Driver |
||
|
Affective Level Maintaining
a supportive orientation towards other drivers |
Cognitive Level Analyzing
driving situations objectively |
Sensorimotor Level Behaving
in a cooperative style |
|
·
Accepting that
other drivers are people who do not deserve to be aggressed upon ·
Forgiving
drivers when they make mistakes ·
Be a helpful
whenever possible ·
Being a
supportive passenger |
·
Giving the
driver the benefit of the doubt ·
Realizing that
the driver had a good reason for their actions ·
Recognizing
that I am not a perfect driver and should not expect others to be perfect
either |
·
Smile, and make
eye contact when another driver helps me out ·
Allow drivers
to come into my lane when possible ·
Encourage
others to look at their negative driving habits and give tools to modify
their negative behavior |
(e) Discuss the problems you
anticipate in carrying out such a plan successfully.
I have witnessed both of my parent’s
outbursts of anger while driving ever since I was a child. My parents are usually calm, level headed
people but when they drive something inside of them changes and they become angry
and impatient drivers. I am like that
as well, usually calm and well mannered but when I drive something takes over
me and I react without thinking. My
quick anger response leads me to become angry with other drivers. This will be my biggest problem with my
driving makeover.
Another problem that I anticipate is I have
problem thinking before I act, especially in regards to driving. Anger and frustration are emotions where
people often react without thinking and I hope this makeover will help me calm
down and be able to react accordingly.
I need to take the time to evaluate the situation and realize that it is
not worth getting upset over. I have no
control over other driver’s actions so I am wasting my time getting upset over
something that I can’t control.
(f) Any other comments you wish to
make.
I
hope that this driving makeover works for me and that I become a better driver
because of it. I would like to have
greater control over my anger because I would not want my children to see me
reacting in such an inappropriate manner.
I would like to become a good role model for my children when I have
them. If this does work I hope to
spread the word to my friends and family so they can become more understanding
drivers as well.
The Question I am answering is
Question 2
(a) Give a brief
review of our two textbooks: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and
Nahl), and Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer
(Peter Rothe, Editor). The reviews should be between 3 and 6 paragraphs for
each text.
Road
Rage and Aggressive Driving
was an enjoyable and informative book to read.
It was written in a way that kept the reader interested and gave
valuable insight into the world of Driving Psychology. The examples that are given in the book are
easy to understand and are helpful in understanding what is being talked
about. It covers a wide range of topics
from supportive driving to children and road rage.
One
thing that I really liked about the Road Rage book was that there were questionnaires
that you could do while reading the book.
I think that helps the reader become actively involved in the book and
helps them to become a better driver by realizing some of their bad habits. The activities in the book help the concepts
that are being talked about more real because the reader can evaluate their own
behaviors and learn how to prevent them.
Road
Rage and Aggressive driving is
a book that I am going to keep and encourage other people to read as well. This book is a comprehensive guide to a
variety of problems face while on the road and Dr. James and Dr. Nahl wrote the
book in a way that is appealing to the general public. I think reading this book has helped my
driving skills and has made me aware of my thoughts while I drive.
Driving
Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make
Traffic Systems Safer is a
more technical book to read. It gives a
lot of information on the three systems that all drivers come into contact with
when they are driving. There is the
personal sub-system, institutional sub-system and finally the technical
sub-system. This book is good because
it helped me realize that there are so many layers that are involved in the
simple act of driving.
Driving Lessons covered a wide range of topics ranging from the topic of older
drivers to red-light cameras. The
studies in the book provided information that could be helpful in further
studies of traffic safety. J. Peter
Rothe choose articles that encouraged readers to think about the complex web of
everyday things that link driving together.
This book helped me realize that driving doesn’t just impact the people
on the road but everyone in society.
The focus of this
book is to make roads safer but because most of the research took place in
Canada there is little to no mention of the safety measures being taken in
America. The book may have been more helpful if there were more studies in
the book that took place in America. A
vast majority of the studies were conducted in Canada so I do not know how
those results would translate onto American drivers.
(b) Select one Chapter from each
text and give a summary of it.
In Road Rage and Aggressive
Driving I am giving a summary of Chapter 7-Children and Road Rage. I am doing this chapter because I never
realized that the way that I behave in the car is a direct result of my
upbringing. I drive the same way as my
parents do and play the role as a passenger just as they do.
Children will copy everything they see and
repeat everything that they hear.
Parents need to be aware of their behavior at all times especially in
the car. Parents sometimes forget that
they are role models for their children, and when they forget they slip up and
negative behaviors are learned.
Parents can encourage their children to be good
passengers by acknowledging their positive behavior in the car and reinforcing
it with small rewards. Verbal praise
also works for encouraging positive behaviors.
The best thing that a parent can do to encourage their children to be
good passengers is be a good example.
The important thing to remember is to be consistent, children need
constant reminders and praise that they are doing a good thing.
Parents also need to emphasize the importance
of being good pedestrians to their children.
Children need to learn good habits, like crossing in the crosswalk and
looking both ways before crossing the street.
Children need to learn that the road is a dangerous place and there are
severe consequences for not following the rules. Parents can help this process by stopping at stop signs and
yielding to pedestrians crossing the street.
In regards to the media parents should talk to
their children about what they see on T.V., in movies, and in video games. Children ought to realize that things they
see in the media are not accurate portrayals of real life. And that the people in shows and in the
movies are only acting and the roads are filled with actors and professionals
that are there to make sure no one gets hurt.
Parents are a child’s first and most important
teachers, it is their job to teach their children skills that will help them
when they get older. Teaching a child
to be a good passenger, driver, and pedestrian seem like impossible tasks to
parents but they can be taught with good role modeling and consistency. I don’t want my children to drive like me so
I will do my best to be a good role model for them.
In Driving Lessons: Exploring
Systems That Make Traffic Safer I have selected Chapter 19 to
summarize. Is Using a Cell phone
Like Driving Drunk? discusses on
several studies that calculate the risk of talking on ones cell phone while
driving. Talking on the phone while
driving is a by-product of our “time is money” society. People use their cell phones to call loved
ones to tell them to start diner, make appointments, call the office, and for
social purposes. The question here is
does talking on a cell phone as distracting as driving drunk?
To find this out the authors of this chapter
Donald Redelmeier and Robert Tibshirani looked at several older studies to see
of there is a correlation to talking on the phone and car crashes. When they looked at these studies they found
that cell phone owners had fewer accidents then those who did not. They also compared the accident rates of the
same drivers before and after they bought cell phones. The result was individuals had fewer
accidents after they had bought a cell phone.
Confused with these results Redelmeier and
Tibshirani decided to do their own study.
In 1994-1995 drivers in Toronto who had been involved in an accident but
not injured were studied. The results
were drivers were prone to accidents if they had made a cell phone call during
the ten minutes before the accident occurred.
Furthermore, drivers increased their accident risk by 6.5 when they were
using their cell phones. They also
studied the results of using hands-free handsets, and the risk for that is
5.9. The authors concluded that the
false safety that hands-free sets gives encourages drivers to talk on their
phones for longer periods of time and increase their exposure risk.
Redelmeier and Tibshirani also looked into the
time of day to see if there were increased risks at certain times. They also looked into see of the season
affected the rate of accidents; there were no significant increases for either
variable. In conclusion, they found
that cell phones might be a distraction and recommend that cell phones be used
in moderation.
In regards to the opening question if talking
on a cell phone is equivalent to driving drunk the authors of the study say
no. The average cell phone call while
driving is two minutes while alcohol stays in the body for several hours. The question if talking on a cell phone is
equivalent to drinking coffee, applying make-up or shaving has also been raised
and the answer to that is also no.
Although no research has been done on these other driving activities
drinking coffee takes only seconds as opposed to talking on the cell phone, which
could take minutes.
There are many distractions a driver must deal
with while driving: the radio, other passengers, traffic, eating and drinking,
the list goes on and on. Distractions
while driving are common and drivers have to focus on their primary task, which
is driving. More research needs to be
done on how drivers deal with these distractions, not just the distractions
themselves.
(c)
Discuss in what way will these ideas contribute to solving society's driving
problems.
Children will grow up to be drivers
who will themselves have children.
Parents should provide good role models so their children will learn
what is acceptable behavior in the car.
After children learn what is acceptable car behavior they have the
knowledge and the tools to teach their own children the importance of vehicle
safety behavior.
If parents do not provide adequate examples as
to how their children should behave in cars and on the streets road rage and
aggressive driving will worsen. There
will be more incidents of road rage, more people will get hurt as a result of
road rage and people will die. Also,
children who do not understand the importance of traffic safety put themselves
at risk of being hit by cars.
Parents should see the importance of driving
safely and being good passengers so that their children will grow up to stop
aggressive driving and road rage.
Aggressive driving and road rage are by-products of our society, which
emphasizes violence. Children must be
taught the consequences of aggressive driving so they do not grow up and do it
themselves.
Cell phones are here to stay, it is hard to find someone who does not
have a cell phone. They are
distractions to driving, but so are other people in the car, the radio, eating
and drinking. Drivers who use cell
phones need to be aware of the risk that cell phones pose so they can be
smarter about choosing when to use their cell phones.
All drivers want to be safe while driving, many
do not see talking on their cell phone as something that can be dangerous. More research needs to be conducted so cell
phone manufactures, the police and legislators understand the effect that cell
phones have on driving. Without
conclusive evidence it is premature to blame cell phones for accidents and to
enact laws banning their use. As more concrete
evidence is found drivers can make a more informed decision about when to talk
on their phones.
(d) Any other comments you wish to
make.
I choose these two chapters because they have
issues that I felt were important to the future of driving safety. Children will grow up to be the next
generation of drivers and I will do my part to make sure that my children will
not be aggressive drivers. Cell phones
are another issue that affects the future of driving. I hope that people will become more aware of how distracting cell
phones are and use them with caution.
The Question I am answering is
Question 4
(a)
Select three of the following student reports from Generation 15:
1.
*http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/ahsing/report2.htm
2.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/chun/report2.htm
3.
*http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/lukey/report2.htm
4.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2001/morreira/Report2.htm
5.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2001/shellgirl/report2.htm
6.
*http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2001/reaves/report2.html
7.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/sophie/report2.htm
(b)
Summarize each of the three reports. Be sure you put a link to the report you
are referring to.
All three of the below mentioned
reports are on the Emotional Spin Cycle which refers to the positive and negative thoughts and the effect
that they have on our actions. The
understanding of ones Spin Cycle is important if a person wants a feeling of
more control or understanding of how their thoughts and actions are
related.
In the world today one of
the main problems is not that people experience rage, anger, or depression;
it’s that they don’t know how to deal with these emotions. Realizing that a person does have an
“Emotional Spin Cycle” can be an effective tool in dealing with ones negative
emotions. Through education and
awareness of the “Emotional Spin Cycle” the public can be made aware of the
triggers that cause them to experience these negative emotions.
The Emotional Spin Cycle is
a result of person’s upbringing; a child learns how to react to situations by
observing their parents. The parents
are not aware of their negative reactions and pass them on to their children. This is evident in the rise of rage and lack
of self-control in our society today.
I
have chosen to summarize report 1: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/ahsing/report2.htm.
Jennifer Ah Sing did Report
1 on the “Emotional Spin Cycle,” she used the Emotional Spin Cycle to better
understand herself and to gain greater control over her emotions. Jennifer decided that she would track her
emotions for two weeks to see if she could recognize any patterns in her
“Emotional Spin Cycle.”
In her first week she took a
baseline sample of her general feelings of rage and anger. She wrote down her
feelings, thoughts, and reactions to things in her life that stressed her
out. Jennifer rated her feelings of
stress, helplessness, anxiety and optimism on a scale of 1-10, 1 feeling
stressed and helpless and 10 being relaxed and optimistic.
In the second week she
analyzed the data that she collected during the first week. Jennifer realized that most of her negative
feelings came from thinking about bigger projects, and thus stressing her
out. Her stress the smaller things in
life caused her to become angry, frustrated, and enraged.
At the end of the two weeks
Jennifer acknowledged that she needed to stop and think about what was really
bothering her and how if affected her interactions with other people. In the end Jennifer realized that coping
with her emotions, and not just reacting to them made her life a lot
easier. She also realized how helpful this
method was and that she wanted to share it with others.
Second report that I summarized was: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2001/lukey/report2.htm.
Like Jennifer, Natalia also
did her report of the Emotional Spin Cycle that was covered in Dr. James’s
class. Natalia believes that through
education that people can be in control of their emotions and can pass their
good habits on to their children.
Natalia chose to monitor her
behavior at home for the next eight days; she chose her home because that is
where she experienced most of her rage episodes. She wanted to modify her threefold self- her cognitive, affective
and sensory motor self to better understand herself.
Along with the
self-monitoring system and the three-step method Natalia also used something
called the bridge technique. The bridge
technique focuses on the threefold self and its interactions with the self and
others. The bridge is divided into two
parts, the self, (depicted in blue) and others (depicted in red). The self and others are divided again into
two parts: the negative and positive.
So there are four types of interactions: positive blue or negative blue self-interactions and positive or
negative red others interactions.
So the purpose of the bridge
is to have the person cross over from the negative side to the positive
side. Natalia used the bridge to
transform her negative thoughts into positive ones and she vowed not to let the
small things in life impact her overall happiness. So with the self-monitoring and integrating the bridge method
Natalia began to realize how her feelings affect her thoughts, which can then
influence her actions.
The self-monitoring helped
Natalia realize that she is an emotional person and often reacts without
analyzing her feelings and thoughts about the situation before reacting. She doesn’t let life’s little annoyances get
in the way of enjoying the rest of her day.
Now she hopes to pass this information on to her friends to help them
deal with their negative emotions.
The last report that I am summarizing is: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2001/reaves/report2.html
Like Jennifer and Natalia,
Nicole also did her report on the Emotional Spin Cycle. Along with the self-monitoring and threefold
self-Nicole focused on her negative feelings and how they relate to her daily
life as well as her interactions with her son.
In her self-monitoring in week one I noticed a pattern, Nicole was most
frustrated and upset when her son didn’t listen to her or made her late. She said she yelled at her son a lot during
the first week and that made her more upset and didn’t help the situation any.
During the second week
Nicole acknowledged that yelling at her son would not help the situation and
would try to modify the way she talked to him.
When Nicole didn’t yell she was amazed at how easily she son listened. When Nicole was able to control her anger
she found that everything went better for her.
The small things in life didn’t bother her as much and she was a more
positive person. Nicole successfully
crossed over the bridge into the positive side.
(c)
Add a General Conclusion Section in which you discuss your reactions to what
they did –
(i) their
ideas,
Jennifer’s
ideas about the Emotional Spin Cycle were she thought that it was important for
society as a whole to be aware of their thoughts so that they can be more
responsible for their actions. She
believed that more people needed to be educated about the Spin Cycle so there
could be less negativity in the world.
Natalia
wanted to not dwell on the unimportant annoyances that ruin her day and cause
her to behave negatively. She wanted to
improve her behavior at home and in her daily life. As Natalia became aware of her anger she modified her thinking to
not allow herself to be so angry and to not let her anger be reflected in her
actions. As her thoughts became more
positive, so did her behavior.
Nicole
was very stressed in the beginning of the self-monitoring exercise and she
hoped that the Emotional Spin Cycle would help her be more relaxed at work and
with her son. She focused on the
negative side of the Spin Cycle and hoped by the end to have crossed over to
the positive side. In the end she was
able to cross over on to the positive side by realizing that she shouldn’t let
the little frustrations in life ruin her whole day.
(ii) their
method,
Jennifer wrote
down her emotions for one week, three times a day for a total of twenty-one
reports on her thoughts, emotions, feelings and actions. She reported any intense feelings that she
had and wrote them down as soon as she could.
Also, she used a global rating scale, from 1-10, 1 being with little
positive thoughts or hope and 10 being the opposite, positivity and hopeful
thoughts. During the second week she
choose several points from her previous observations and focused on changing
specific feelings. After she identified
these specific feelings that she wanted to change she wanted to “bridge” these
negative thoughts into positive thoughts.
Her last step was to recognize her changes in her thoughts, feelings,
and emotions from the negative side to the positive side.
Natalia self
monitored her behavior for eight days and incorporated the three-step method,
witness, acknowledge, and modify to gather her data. She specified one intense emotion that she felt during the morning,
afternoon and evening time, Natalia wrote down what she was feeling and what
her body was experiencing. She also
used to global rating scale (1-10) to measure her stress levels, self
satisfaction, productivity, relations with others, hope for the future and
level of negativity. She also used the
bridge technique to help her focus on how to cross over from the negative side
to the positive side.
Nicole, like
Jennifer and Natalia concentrated on getting from the negative side of the
bridge to the positive side. She used
the three-step method and global rating scales to rate her levels of
emotionality. She did this three times
a day and wrote down what was the cause of her stress, frustration, or anger
and what she did about it. Her first
week was monitoring and recording her thoughts, feelings, and actions and her
second week focused on changing her negative feelings to positive ones.
All three of the
girls found that they were controlled by the emotional spin cycle; they learned
that through self-monitoring and the three-step method that their negative
emotions could be controlled and modified into positive ones. They all found the method helpful to
changing the way that they interpret and react to the world around them.
(iii) their explanations.
Many
people in the population let their negative emotions get the best of them. They let the small irritations in life ruin
their day. They walk around with
hostility and anger towards the rest of the world. They are aware of their negative thoughts and behaviors but do
not know how to change their thinking.
People
need to be aware of their negative emotions and how to change these negative
thoughts into positive ones. If the
majority of the population is stuck in their negative states of mind, this
leads to stress, grouchiness, hostility, irritation, and hopelessness. The Emotional Spin Cycle helps people
monitor their behavior and makes them aware of the changes they can make to
make their lives more enjoyable.
(d)
What did they gain from doing their reports?
The girls gained insight into their thought process and behavior
patterns. They all made significant
progress in crossing over the bridge onto the positive side. They realize that the experiment was just
the beginning of a new way of evaluating their thoughts and actions. All of the girls want to educate others on
the importance of learning the Emotional Spin Cycle.
Jennifer realized that one person’s behavior
could affect the other people that they come into contact with. Negativity can spread like a disease,
passing from one person to the next.
Monitoring her behavior helped Jennifer stop her negative thoughts,
evaluate the situation, and respond in a more appropriate manner.
Natalia gained greater control over her
emotions, and realized how her emotional behavior had a negative impact on the
people around her. She gained greater
stability in her emotionality, and was more optimistic and rational, which
increased her overall happiness.
Natialia became a more self-aware person who has greater control over
her life now.
Nicole had a positive experience; it helped her
at her work, with relations with her son and in her daily life. She felt less stress, was more productive,
felt better about herself and had a brighter outlook on life then she had
before. Her relationship with her son
improved too, she reacted calmly and in a more controlled manner, which
minimized the time, she spent scolding and yelling at him. Nicole wants her son to remember her as
being a loving, not yelling parent and she hopes to keep up her positive
interactions with him.
(e)
How do their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues?
The three reports were so positive; each girl
had a life-changing experience with the self-monitoring that it made me want to
try it. It seemed like all of the girls
became better people as a result of taking part in the Emotional Spin Cycle
experiment. I need to be aware of how
my actions affect others, especially because I work with children. I would like to be a good role model for
them and be remembered as someone who was fun and happy. I often get upset at little things and take
my anger out on people who don’t have anything to do with the situation. There are times when I wonder what would
have happened if I had just took the time to evaluate the situation.
Because I do work with children and that can be
frustrating at times I would like to learn a new way to cope with my
frustration so I don’t take it out on the children. One of the good things about the Customizing My Emotional Spin
Cycle is that it uses the threefold self and self-monitoring in its method of
observation. I have started to use both
of these
methods
and they have helped me become more aware of my behavior as a driver. I try to integrate this method into my daily
life.
(f)
Any other comments you wish to make.
Through greater education about the
Emotional Spin Cycle more people can make life changes to make their lives
easier.
The Question that I am answering is
Question 7
Question 7:
(a) Our textbook Road Rage and
Aggressive Driving has checklist exercises in several chapters. Do the
following four exercises:
(i)
Exercise on How Passenger-Friendly Are You on p.184-5
(ii) Exercise on Witnessing Your Aggressive Driving on p. 140-3
(iii) Exercise on Your Road Rage Tendency on p. 40-42
(iv) Exercise on Your Verbal Road Rage Tendency on p. 91
(b) What were your reactions to
each exercise?
(i) Checklist: Do You Support Passenger Rights In Your Car?
I think that I am considerate of my passengers in my car. I don’t drive in a reckless manner or take
pleasure in scarring them. I will take
as many bathroom and food breaks that my passengers ask for. I treat my passengers with courtesy because
that is the way that I would like to be treated when I ride in their car.
The rule in my car is: ask and you shall
receive. If you would like to change
the radio station, just ask. If you would like to turn the air conditioning on
or off, all you have to do is ask. I do
get upset when people do things without asking. This is because I would never change anything in a person’s car
without asking first, and I expect the same consideration when they are in my
car.
As far as direction giving goes, as long as you
tell me nicely and don’t yell its fine with me. I don’t know all of the roads in Hawaii so I will ask if for
directions if don’t know where I am going.
I get annoyed when someone is giving me directions and goes, “Turn…right
now! You missed it!” I am not a mind reader and if someone is
giving me directions they should know when the turn is coming up. I also don’t like to be yelled at when I
drive, it rattles me and distracts me from driving.
I change my driving style to accommodate my
passengers, I drive carefully when I have passengers in my car. With my friends and boyfriend I drive pretty
much the same way as I would if I were alone.
When my family comes into my car I make sure I follow every sign
exactly. Especially with my Grandma, I
take special care not to rattle her around in my car and to make sure that she
feels safe. I also drive very carefully
with my father because he is the one who taught me how to drive. I feel that I have to do an extra good job
to impress him with my driving skills.
(ii) Checklist: Witnessing
Your Aggressive Driving
After completing this checklist I was surprised for find that I
didn’t have many of the items checked off.
The items that applied to me were about witnessing my emotions, I
realize that I am a very emotional driver with bad habits. If I don’t control my emotions I could
become an aggressive driver and road rager.
My high emotionality makes me worry because I don’t think when I am
emotional, I just react, this could cause problems for me not only in regards
to driving but in other parts of my life.
I need to take hold of my emotions and not allow myself to react so
quickly.
I get angry when other motorists force me to
brake, and am suspicious when other drivers don’t let me into the lane, I feel
satisfaction when I retaliate against another driver, and I stereotype certain
drivers. I need to change my behavior
because there is no point in getting angry over something that I have no
control over.
(iii) Checklist: Your Road Rage
Tendency
My score was six, which means that I have
moderate road rage habits. I realize
that I have some aggressive habits when I drive but I justify this by saying
that I mostly have aggressive thoughts and not actions. I realize now that having aggressive
thoughts can lead to road rage so I hope to control my emotions when I
drive. I hope to be the kind of driver
that is calm and level headed, and a good role model for others who ride in my
car.
(iv) Checklist: Your Verbal
Road Rage Tendency
I checked off almost all of the items for this checklist, which
did not surprise me at all. I know that
I swear a lot when I drive and I use derogatory statements when people do
things that endanger the safety of my car and me. I think that verbal road rage is acceptable because no one else
hears it besides me. It’s just me in
the car most of the time and making a comment or degrading the other driver
doesn’t hurt anyone.
I do realize that it is a bad habit that I have
and I would like to stop it because I don’t want to be the mother who swears
when her children are in the car with her.
I see the harm in this pattern of negativity and I am trying to stop my
verbal road rage by using the AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification. I acknowledge that I have a verbal road rage
problem. I witness myself doing it when
I get upset at drivers, and I am trying to modify this habit. I try to substitute other words for
profanities when I drive and people make me upset. I have started a swear jar that I have in my car and I make
myself put a quarter in it each time I swear while driving.
(c) Discuss how these exercises
help you to become more aware of yourself as a driver.
I knew that I had some bad habits when I drove but I didn’t
realize that I had such a severe verbal road rage problem. Now that I know that I have such a problem I
have taken the steps to try and control it.
I now realize that my negative thoughts while driving could lead to road
rage and aggressive driving in the future.
I am aware of my negative thoughts and am trying to change my attitude
towards other drivers.
In regards to the way I treat my passengers I
feel that I do a pretty good job at keeping them safe and happy when they ride
in my car. I am accommodating to them
as long as they ask nicely. The only
thing that I need to work on is tolerance when people don’t give good
directions. I need to be more patient
with my passengers when they are trying to help me get somewhere and more
understanding as a driver.
(d) Do some of the exercises with
another driver you know. How do they help you understand some principles of
driving psychology mentioned in the book? Discuss and illustrate.
I asked my boyfriend to do the verbal road rage tendency checklist
and passenger rights checklist. The
principle that he demonstrates is the self-serving bias, he doesn’t think that
he exhibits verbal road rage at all even though I have heard him numerous times
say demeaning and aggressive things about other drivers. He even says things when he has his window
down and the other driver can hear him.
He does not see himself as a verbally
aggressive driver at all, his lack of insight into his true emotions and
actions are exhibited. He experiences
the feelings of road rage but when I ask him about it or tell him what I
learned in class he is not interested.
I once asked him to rate his driving skill on a scale of 1-10 and he
said that he was a 10! When I told him
that drivers who rate themselves as good drivers also say they engage in
aggressive driving he totally dismissed me.
I have asked him numerous times to stop being a
verbally aggressive driver but no matter how many times I talk to him he still
denies that he has a problem. I don’t
know what it will take for him to realize that he has a problem with
verbalizing his aggression. I have the
tools to help him but he just doesn’t listen.
(e) Any other comments you wish to
make.
I
would like to ask everyone that I know all of the questionnaires, I would like
to encourage people to think about their driving behavior. I tell my mom, dad, friends, and boyfriend
about the things that I learn in my driving psychology class. They seem interested because it is a topic
that affects their lives. This would be
a way for them to understand what I do in class because most of them have never
heard of driving psychology before.
I would like
to take the things that I have learned and make others aware of what road rage
is and how they can prevent it from happening.
Most people don’t think that psychology is important and don’t see how
they can benefit from learning about psychology. Everyone drives or is somehow impacted by driving in their
lives. Education about driving
psychology can help people be more aware of their driving behavior. When they take the time to objectively look
at their negative driving behaviors they have taken the first step to becoming
supportive drivers.
Question 10:
(a)
Explain the "supportive driving" orientation in relation to the
driver's threefold self. Refer to our book on Road Rage and Aggressive Driving
where this concept is discussed.
What makes a good driver? Most people think that a good driver is a
defensive driver. Defensive drivers are
able to anticipate what they think the other car is going to do and “defend”
their car against harm. Defensive
drivers view other cars as the enemy-someone that intends to do harm to their
car. This mentality leads to feelings
of hostility, aggression, impatience, and suspicion of other cars.
A true good driver is a supportive
driver they give other drivers the benefit of the doubt and are optimistic in
their driver mentality. They key to
being a supportive driver is redirecting feelings of hostility and anger into
more pro-social thoughts and actions.
Supportive drivers are able to self-monitor their thoughts and are
conscious of their negative thoughts.
They are able to change negative thoughts into positive and optimistic
thoughts that do not place blame onto other drivers.
The three-step driver
self-improvement program helps drivers modify any negative driving
behavior. Acknowledge is the first
step, where the driver realizes that they have a bad driving habit that needs
to modified. The second step is
witness, where the driver witnesses their behavior while driving and
impartially evaluates their thoughts, feelings and actions to determine the
severity of their negative driving behavior.
The third step is modifying, where the driver takes small steps to
change their undesirable behaviors.
Acknowledging that a driver has a
negative habit is the first and hardest step in the three-step method. Most habits are subconscious and have been
learned over time, they become a part of our daily lives that we don’t even
notice them. The driver must not make
generalized statements like, “I will try to be a better driver.” These kinds of statements do not help the
driver realize their specific negative behaviors; specific statements such as,
“I will try and not give people the finger.” Is a statement that pinpoints one
negative behavior to be modified.
The second step is witnessing,
self-witnessing specific behaviors such as speed, distance between cars,
yelling, making rude gestures, and not signaling. Verbalizing and critically thinking about what causes a driver to
become aggressive on the road helps the driver in changing his or her negative
thought pattern to a more positive one.
The driver is encouraged to think about what their mood is, what they
were noticing, how they reacted, and what they intend to do about their
negative thoughts.
Self-witnessing can be done in a
number of different ways, the driver can place a tape recorder in their car,
put beads or coins into a jar to keep track of the occurrence of aggressive
driving, or write in a journal or log book when they arrive at their
destination. Keeping track of drivers’
negative thoughts, feelings, and actions helps create a baseline to which
changes can be monitored over time.
With this baseline of events that creates hostility the driver can then
focus on a few behaviors that they would like to change.
In the modifying step the driver is
encouraged to take small steps to prevent their hostility on the road. Making a list of specific behaviors that
need to be modified and working on one or two each time they drive makes a
daunting task seem easier to do. Also,
simple things like leaving a few minutes earlier can really help a driver in
being a supportive driver. Rushing
cause drivers to not care about the needs of others, when adequate time is
available drivers feel more relaxed and are more inclined to display altruistic
behaviors towards other drivers.
A
byproduct of self-witnessing is a greater sense of self-knowledge, being able
to see yourself objectively. When the
driver is aware of their emotions and feelings they have the ability to
regulate their aggressive behavior.
This is a valuable skill that can help a person in other aspects of
their lives besides driving.
(b) Describe any resistance you experience
regarding this orientation, including
(i) the idea that how you drive is a moral
issue of human rights
(ii) the idea of lifelong driver education and the idea of mandatory
participation in QDC support groups
I
believe that drivers need to be more considerate of one another and think of
the needs of others every once in a while.
I don’t think that the general public would be so open to this
idea. People are self-centered and
think that their needs are the only ones that matter. Altruism once in a while may be tolerated but it would be naive
to think that all drivers have the ability to become supportive drivers.
Most
drivers who think that they are good drivers also recognize that they drive
aggressively. These drivers are a
majority of the population who are not very willing to even recognize that they
are bad drivers. Even if they were to
realize that they do have an aggressive driving problem they wouldn’t know
where to go for help.
Everyone
is different when it comes to driving, some people are passive and others are
aggressive. It is our choice of how we
want to drive, and unless the police are called in most aggressive drivers will
continue to drive recklessly and endanger the lives of others. Telling people how they have to drive is not
a violation of human rights; it’s a matter of public safety. All people have a right to be safe when they
drive, cross the street, ride their bikes, or do anything related to the
road.
I
think that lifelong drivers education is a good idea, if a person drives for
most of their adult life they are bound to forget some of the rules of the
road. Drivers should be required to
attend refresher courses in driving safety and education. As drivers age they should be taught about
the increased risks that older drivers have to deal with while driving. New drivers should have special classes to
teach them about the importance of emotional intelligence, road rage, and the
dangers of racing and drunk driving.
(c) Describe the reactions of friends when you
tell them about driving personality makeovers
When
I told some of my friends about driving personality makeovers they almost
laughed in my face. They thought that
no one would take the time to change their driving behavior unless the
government ordered it or drivers got something out of it, like money or reduced
insurance. They thought that people are
too busy to take the time to objectively look at their driving behavior and
create a makeover plan that they would stick to. All of my friends were unanimous in saying that driving personality
makeovers were a dumb idea.
I tried to help them to understand how big a
problem road rage and aggressive driving are and how so many lives could be
saved if people underwent a driving personality makeover. My friends said that personality is
something that you are born with and nothing can change it. You can’t make over personality because it
is something innate and ingrained into a person.
I
couldn’t make my friends understand the importance of driving personality
makeovers because they didn’t think it was possible to change a large part of a
person’s life. They have the
misconception that changing unwanted behaviors takes up too much time and no
one has that kind of time to devote to change.
I think the problem is people are so set in their ways that they don’t
even realize that they have bad habits that need to be changed.
(d) Anything else you have to say.
I believe that people need to take
an objective look at their driving behavior in order for them to realize that
they have a problem. The public is not
aware of how big the problem of road rage is.
They also don’t think that they are aggressive drivers; denial is the
thing that keeps aggressive drivers from getting the help that they need. If people were required to take classes on
aggressive driving more people would be aware of the problem and try to change
their negative behaviors.
Class Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/classhome-g23.htm
My Home Page:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2005/osakoda/home.htm