Report 2:
My Understanding of Driving Psychology
By: Amy Beeler
Instructions for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 1,2, 3, 4, and 7.
Step 2: Answering the
Questions
The Question I am
answering is 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/leonpsy22/409a-g22-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
Consult the article from which the Tables were taken. (b) Using your own words,
describe the three behavioral domains and levels of a driver (nine cells). (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. (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. (e) Discuss the problems you anticipate in
carrying out such a plan successfully. (f) Any other comments you wish to make.
(b)
Using your own words, describe the
three behavioral domains and levels of a driver (nine cells).
The three behavioral domains are the Affective,
Cognitive, and Sensorimotor; all of which make up the driver’s threefold-self.
This approach deals with not just the external, but internal factors that
affect the self. Beginning with the first domain, which is Affective, the
driver does a self-witnessing action and tapes a dialogue. The dialogue may show disapproval of another
driver, express fear, hope, anger, or frustration of a particular driving
situation, any of which fall under the category of affective behavior. The internal dialogue can be used as a sort
of rolodex of affective states.
Secondly, the domain of Cognitive behavior includes
actions such as imagining what other drivers are thinking, feeling, or doing.
In addition, attributing errors to oneself, and witnessing and describing one’s
reasoning about a particular driving situation, is also an example of the
Cognitive self.
Lastly, the third domain of a driver’s threefold
self is the Sensorimotor domain. Simply
defined as actual actions that the driver does while driving, such as waving to
thank another driver, or glaring at one that cut you off. Moreover, if a driver witnesses and describes
sensations or motor actions, we can have more clear data on the Sensorimotor
behavior.
The levels of a driver: There are three different
sections, each with an example for Affective, Cognitive, and Sensorimotor. There is a section for Responsibility,
Safety, and Proficiency, each with a positive and negative example of
behavior.
First, the section dealing with responsibility:
Examples for Affective Responsibility are kindness without immediate
gratification (altruism) and Morality, VS. Driving without a conscience, and
the notion that you deserve to take your half right out of the middle,
regardless of what the other drivers deserve (egotism). For Cognitive Responsibility:
either positive dramatizations, (or feelings/opinions about their driving
situations…mental health) VS. Negative dramatizations (insanity). For Sensorimotor Responsibility: satisfaction
and enjoyment VS. Depression and stress.
Next, we look at the Safety section for all three
domains. Affective Safety is driving
equally with other drivers, along with defensive driving VS. Opportunism and
driving aggressively. Cognitive Safety
is objective attributions VS. Biased Attributions. Sensorimotor Safety is a Calm, polite
exchange with other drivers VS. A rude, impolite, aggressive exchange with
other drivers. Lastly, examples of the Proficiency section for all three
domains.
For Affective Proficiency, there is either a
respect for the rules and regulations of the road and demonstration of
self-control, VS. A lack of self-control and disrespect for regulations and
authority. Examples of Cognitive
Proficiency are Knowledge and awareness VS. Faulty thinking and
inexperience. Examples of Sensorimotor
Proficiency are correct actions and alertness VS. Inattention and faulty
actions.
(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.
I will now
describe my skills and errors in each of the three domains. First, for the Affective domain, I am
altruistic towards other drivers, at some points of my day. I like to leave room to let others in,
because I believe, that at some point down the road, someone will do so for
me. However, if my day has gone by, and
no one else has done things like that for me, I will no longer do it for other
people. The next day I will again, begin
with a fresh start and be accommodating to my fellow drivers.
I demonstrate my Affective domain of the threefold
self by verbalizing to myself about this. I tell myself, “no one has let me in
today; you (other driver) can wait for someone else to let you in.” I like to
drive equally with the other drivers, but this does not always happen, and I
become an aggressive driver, who takes opportunities out of turn, and sometimes
speed and show disrespect for rules.
Next, is the Cognitive domain of my
threefold self, in which I will describe my skills and errors. I often have something happen on the road
that has endangered me in some way, and I get angry and speculate about what
the other driver was thinking, or lack there of in terms of their thinking
process in that situation. This
speculation of what the other driver was thinking or feeling is an example of
my cognitive process in action.
Sometimes I have negative dramatizations of a
particular even, and sometimes I have a positive one. More often than not, I have biased
attributions to what I think about the other driver’s thinking process was when
they endangered my life and my property.
I do believe that given the fact that I have been driving a good bit,
almost every day of my life since the age of about 16 yrs. old, I have more
knowledge and experience than I did then.
However, I think given time, I will improve upon this experience and
knowledge.
Finally, I will describe both my skills
and errors of my driving in the Sensorimotor domain of my threefold self. I
often wave at the other driver when they allow me space to change lanes or
merge into traffic. I do this more often
than I used to, because I almost always do it, even if I think that they did
not purposely let me in. I like to
acknowledge them because I like it when other drivers acknowledge my efforts
towards them.
I also have been known, from time to time, to make
obscene gestures to other drivers when I perceive that they have done wrong by
me somehow. Both actions, positive and
negative, are examples of my Sensorimotor domain. I am usually alert when driving, but
sometimes, if I have not had very much sleep, or something is on my mind, I am
not as alert and somewhat inattentive.
(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.
My
plan for a “driving personality makeover” for myself that specifically deals
with my negative thoughts towards other drivers will be in two main stages.
Stage One is avoiding being an aggressive driver. First I will deal with my resistance to
change in the Affective level. I will
commit myself to inhibit my feelings of anger and retaliation, make it
unacceptable to demean and ridicule other drivers, and activate my higher morals
of fairness and kindness to strangers.
To sum up, I will act as I would like others to
treat me, as I like to call, “The Golden Rule of Driving.” Also, I will learn
to do rational analyses of traffic incidences, and this change will affect my
Cognitive level. I will attribute errors
reasonably and unbiased, and acquire more socialized and self-regulatory
sentences that I can say to myself in order to stay sane on the road.
In addition, I will accept the blame for my part in
situations, and not be so quick to accuse others of wrongs. For my Sensorimotor level, I will act out
civil behavior. I will always wave,
smile, and show courtesy to my fellow drivers.
I will not crowd, rush in, tailgate, cut-off, and swear. I will not
pretend I am in a good mood when I am not, and I will not aggress against my
passengers. To sum up, I will use only
positive gestures and actions while driving.
Stage two of my plan for a “driving
personality makeover” will include actions that will make me a supportive
driver. On the Affective level, I will
need to maintain a supportive orientation towards my fellow drivers. This includes being responsible for my own
errors, and whenever possible, make attempts to make up for the error. In addition, I will feel regret when I show
unfriendly actions or behaviors to other drivers, I will continue to feel
appreciation when others show me courtesy, and continue to feel good when I do
the same for someone else.
Most importantly, I will be patient and
understanding of other’s mistakes and forgive them for making them. For the Cognitive level, I will analyze
driving situations objectively. I will
not only acknowledge my own driving errors, I will objectively analyze other’s
driving errors as well. I will make
every attempt to try and modify my less desirable habits. Lastly, I will behave
in a cooperative style on the Sensorimotor level. I will not only try to anticipate the needs
of other drivers, I will accommodate said needs whenever possible. I will verbalize nice sentiments in order to
relax and enjoy the ride as much as possible.
(e) Discuss the problems you anticipate in
carrying out such a plan successfully.
I can see many possible problems to carrying out my
driving makeover plan. First, change is
not easy, nor is it a quick process. In
order to carry out this plan, it requires constant effort and vigilance. Sometimes, when things do not change quickly,
the first impulse is to give up and regress to former tendencies. If the effort is not there, the change will
never take place. Also, a vast amount of
patience is required to accept to constant mistakes and errors made by other
drivers. Sometimes, after a long day, a
person may not feel as if they have the patience to accept several errors that
other drivers have made. I believe that
patience and effort are the corner stones of making a driving makeover plan
successful.
(f) Any other comments you wish to
make.
I think that a driving makeover would be
beneficial to even good drivers, because everyone can improve, regardless of
their skill level. Even Dr. James would
probably agree that his driving requires constant effort to maintain his
driving goals, and that keeps him safe on the road.
The Question that 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. (b) Select one Chapter from each text and give a
summary of it. (c) Discuss in what ways will these ideas contribute to solving
society's driving problems. (d) Any other comments you wish to make.
(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:
Steering Clear of Highway Warfare (By: Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane
Nahl)
Road Rage
and Aggressive Driving by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl, is an
informative book that explains thoroughly about exactly what the book is
called; road rage and aggressive driving.
However, it is also about so much more.
First it begins describing simply what road rage is, and what aggressive
driving is, and how to notice and look for it.
The book builds upon that initial information and
goes even more in depth with the driving issues that plaque the whole
world. It gives startling statistics
about deaths and injuries that occur because of negligence or inexperience, or
because of anger and loss of control behind the wheel. As the book progresses further, there are
helpful quizzes at the end of chapters that help diagnose an individual’s
issues as a driver, and the book does so in a way that is hard to miss the
message of.
Some of the most important aspects of
this book are the vast amounts of research done that does not just encompass
our country’s driving issues, but those all around the world. It is hard to ignore a world-wide phenomenon,
and this book shows the reader why. The
issue of road rage and aggressive driving is a world-wide issue that demands
world-wide solutions. Another important
aspect is the explanations of what it means to be an aggressive driver. Many people would not think that they would
fall into that category, however if they read this book, they would know that
most people do fit into it. The understanding
that many, many factors go into becoming a danger on the road, and what those
factors are, is the beginning of growth and change for the better.
In addition, parents and teachers would
benefit greatly from reading this book.
They would come to the realization that they could play an important
role in helping the next generation of drivers the values of patience and
supportive driving. Parents need to
watch not only what they say in the car, but also what they do, including body
language. Their children are a constant
audience to their actions in and out of the car, but it is so easy to forget
that once they get behind the wheel and something upsets them. Showing from the earliest age, how to be a
good passenger, leads to learning how to be a good driver, and a supportive
driver.
The book also mentions many times about what it
means to be a supportive driver, an important piece of this road rage
puzzle. Being a supportive driver, as
opposed to being a defensive driver, promotes more understanding of the other
drivers, and more patience towards them as well. Empathy for your fellow driver is the first,
and perhaps the most important, step to being a supportive driver, and
hopefully, by teaching more drivers about how to do this, will save lives on
the road.
Finally, the book provides valuable, taken right
out of real life, examples of what to do, and what not to do on the road. It gives supporting reasons for why these
real life examples are either positive or negative, and gives solutions for
each. In addition, an interactive
website accompanies Road Rage and
Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare, and there are
several helpful sources and activities in both the website and the book, with
the ultimate goal of safety on the road.
-Driving Lessons: Exploring
Systems that Make Traffic Safer (J. Peter Rothe, Editor)
J. Peter Rothe edited the essays in the book, Driving Lessons, but many other people
authored the collection of essays. This
book is a bit harder to sum up because it is such a collection of different
works, but, like the title suggests, it is a collection of driving
lessons. This book proposes that by
asking why we have a huge problem on the road that only seems to be on the
rise, in a different and innovative way, we might be better apt to solving it. By looking at the hazardous conditions that
people drive under…not just the physical ones, but the mental ones too, we
could gain a better understanding of how to cope with them.
In addition, there are factors that many of us do
not even think or know about. For
example, the unfair and unjust pressures that are put upon the truck drivers
that are desperately needed to transport all sorts of goods across our
country. Or the mental faculties that
are strained by our stress and impatience, that in turn make us a danger behind
the wheel. This collection of essays
helps us to better understand so many of these issues we are not at all aware
of.
A number of sub-systems go into the dangers of the
road issues. These systems, more often
than not, overlap with each other to form these issues, so to solve them we
must figure all of the ones involved in each situation. These sub-systems include: political, legal,
economic, psychological, sociological, and cultural, just to mention a few. These essays reflect a combination of these
systems in the articles that were under discussion at the Traffic Safety Summit
’98, as the editor, J. Peter Rothe says was the sources of this books
material. This ever-growing issue is
getting more and more attention, and the word road rage has become an all too
common headline on local news reports.
Traffic safety is such a complex issue, that it
deserves complex theories and solutions.
That is why this book is a valuable source for the learning of these
issues, because the information range is so vast and complex. As the years go by, the problems of traffic
safety change, and just when we think we have invented some sort of miracle
safety feature to cram into new cars, the statistics of deaths continue to
increase. This book explores the
directions that this issue is going in, and hopes to address the ever growing
issues in a new way.
(b)
Select one Chapter from each text and give a summary of it.
For the Road
Rage and Aggressive Driving book, I chose the chapter entitled: Road Rage
Nursery (which begins on Page 151). I
choose this one because its message stuck out at me above any other one in the
book. I truly felt that I grasped that
the point was, and saw how important it was to be applied to life. This chapter discusses the importance of
setting a good example for your child, starting with infancy. At birth, children are brought home from the
hospital, riding in the car, most likely with one of their parents
driving. Thus begins the road rage
nursery. If the parent drives with
anger, hostility, and frustration, the child will pick up on it and learn
it.
As parents, and other adults driving children
around from point A to point B, we can either set a good example, or a bad
one. The chapter illustrates a real life
example of when a father got into an altercation with another driver with his
three-year-old and five-year-old in the back.
They were telling there dad to “go get him” and egging him on to attack
the other driver. He had already taught
them road rage and aggression towards fellow drivers, way before they were able
to drive themselves. The chapter also
outlines not only a need to set a good example of driving, but teach children
how to be a courteous and respectful passenger, with positive reinforcement of
good characteristics, not just negative reinforcement of the undesirable
ones.
For the Driving
Lessons book, I chose the chapter on Revisiting Communications and Traffic
Safety, because it outlines a problem with in the whole traffic safety issue
that I had not even thought about. The
communication that surrounds road phenomena that makes a huge difference in the
way we see a situation. First of all,
when developing communication systems, we must do so in order to reach a wide
range of individuals. The communication
is lost to most of the audience, if it is geared to reach only one group’s
range of understanding.
In order to get the message across, we must broaden
the Field of Relevance to that it reaches a larger audience. A good way of broadening a Field of Relevance
is to make it more personal, and a good way of doing this is with an emotional
appeal. If an individual can see his/her
loved one being hurt as a result of their actions, they are more likely to
think twice about driving unsafely.
In addition, by changing the language used to talk
about traffic safety issues, then the message and understanding change
too. By calling a car accident a crash
instead of an accident, the responsibility of the occurrence remains intact. An accident implies that there is not fault,
and in actuality, most of the time it is due to the driver’s mistake.
Also, saying things like, “it came out of nowhere”
or “the visibility was poor due to weather” imply that the driver could not
notice bad conditions or pay as much attention to the road as they should be. Finally, news reports that say things like
“the Chevy cavalier failed to make the sharp turn and went off the road killing
its passengers” implies that the car had a will of its own, and the driver had
no responsibility. All of the above are
examples of how misleading certain ways of communication can be.
(c)
Discuss in what ways will these ideas contribute to solving society's
driving problems.
I think that learning about how important examples
adults are to children, even at the youngest of ages, will help us to prevent
the next generation of aggressive drivers.
It is so easy to forget what examples we are to little ones, but in
actuality, we are major ones. I would
hate to think that I am a bad example to my little nephews, and to my own kids
some day. Helping to create good
passengers in our kids is a very important step for the future of this problem,
and to the future of our safety.
I can completely see how our language and
communication sets us back from moving forward towards a safer future. If we alleviate our responsibility from our
car crashes, we do not learn from them, and we continue to cause danger to
ourselves and others. By changing the
way we speak, we change the way we act too.
(d)
Any other comments you wish to make.
Both of these books, because they are so different
in some ways from each other, help to fill in gaps the other leaves. They are very complimentary of each other,
and both have very strong information to convey.
The Question I am answering is Question 3: (a) Discuss
these two Web sites: drivers.com vs. drdriving.org by first describing their overall
appearance and purpose. (b) What are their main differences? Be sure to
consider at least these areas: (i) articles (ii) newsletters (iii) style (iv)
probable audience (v) public relations or policy (vi) advertising (vii) size
(vii) ranking (viii) Other sites that link to each. (c) Any other comments you
wish to make.
(a)
Discuss these two Web sites: drivers.com
vs. drdriving.org by first describing their
overall appearance and purpose.
The overall appearance of these two websites is as
follows: Drivers.com was fairly colorful
and organized, but it seemed to have two distinct purposes, that did not really
seem to match. When initially arriving
to the home page, there are two different ways to go: either to information on
computer drivers, or information on drivers on the road. While the two sections have the same “driver”
subject, the website does not fit for me, and therefore the appearance, while
colorful and well put-together, did not illicit credibility. The overall appearance of drdriving.org was
also very organized and had several eye catching aspects. So advertisements
were animated, and the sections were clearly labeled and easy to understand and
navigate. This website did not have the conflicting purposes like the first,
and so it was much more credible, just based on initial appearance.
(b)
What are their main differences? Be sure to consider at least these
areas: (i) articles (ii) newsletters (iii) style (iv)
probable audience (v) public relations or policy (vi) advertising (vii) size
(vii) ranking (viii) Other sites that link to each.
These
two websites had several main differences between each other.
(i) Articles: Drivers.com had several articles that
discussed a range of car and/or driving related issues. When I took a closer look and investigated
the first three, main articles that they had spotlighted on the front page of
the driving section, all three did not seem very well written. The first article, was discussing what had
happened and what was discussed on a call-in show. It used language like “cop” and “the guy
said,” along with others, during the course of the article. The second and third articles also used
language that did not make them sound professional and therefore, not credible.
Drdriving.org also had a wide
variety of articles that were available for the public. However, what I noticed about these, were
that they were written in a more eloquent way, with and by credible sources.
These articles range from Legislature choices and rules about driving, to articles
about teen and elderly drivers, to ones about ideas for improved safety on the
road, all of which was clearly organized. I did not feel that the articles were
as clearly organized on the other website.
(ii) Newsletters: I did find a link on drivers.com
for a subscriber to sign up for their monthly newsletter. While I did not find a similar “newsletter”
link on the drdriving.org website, it is clear that one of the, if not THE,
biggest reasons for the sight is to counsel their fellow drivers and provide
helpful information and materials that will aide them.
(iii) Style: The style of both websites is fairly
organized. However, like I stated in the
above paragraph, the clear aim of drdriving.org is to participate actively in
helping spread the word and help to fellow drivers. So the style of that website is helpful and
easy to follow and find information. The
style of the other one is more of a barrage of articles and links, with no
really clear purpose.
(iv) Probable Audience: The audience for the
drivers.com website is somewhat unclear, because of the two separate purposes
that it seems to be trying to fit under one roof. It had many links to
information on truck driving and other jobs associated with driving, so I would
have to assume that they could be the probable audience for that website. The probable audience for drdriving.org is a
range. It has materials for teachers,
parents, and people of all ages who are drivers or passengers. Therefore, the
audience for that website is all drivers who are open to change in the way they
do things, and may or may not be seeking help to do so.
(v) Public Relations or Policy:
For the drivers.com website, it is stated that, “The company's objective is to disseminate
information in this important area and provide a meeting of minds for millions
of professionals and non-professionals alike.”
For the drdriving.org website I was able to find
a disclaimer, “All
information on this site is offered to you as a convenience for free and on an
"AS IS" basis. DrDriving(TM), (Dr. Leon James or Dr. Diane Nahl) are
not liable for any incidental, indirect, special, or consequential damages,
including lost profits or unforeseen consequences, arising from your use of
guides, recommendations, techniques, or the content available on this site or
the sites for which hypertext links are included on this site, even if advised
of the possibility of such damages.
Please note that all DrDriving letters are posted as is unless you
explicitly request anonymity.”
(vi) Advertising: For
the drivers.com website, there was a plethora of links to jobs available that
are related to driving, as well as a posting of a tire advertisement at the top
of the articles. There are obvious links
to ways that companies and individuals could advertise on their website. Also, there is a whole other portion of the
sight that deals with computer drivers.
Most of the advertising that is done on drdriving.org is for books that
were written by “drdriving” and other learning materials including other books and
videos.
(vii) Size/Ranking: Drivers.com is about midsize, meaning it
has some links to articles and other areas such as job acquisition and
advertising, and it also has the part of it that deals with computer
drivers. The drdriving.org website is
rather large in comparison. It has many more links to articles, and contains
more of its own information about driving psychology within it. More
drdriving.org information comes up when searching for driving related
information in search engines.
(viii) Other Sites that Link to Each: Several other sites do
link to each website. I am not positive on how you find out for sure how many
other sites link to drivers.com and drdriving.org. What I did was type in both in Yahoo Search
and found many other websites that link to both, although the links for drdriving.org
did out number the other websites.
(C) Any other
comments you wish to make.
The only other comment that I would like to make about these
two websites, would be that overall, if I was looking on the web for
information on driving issues, I would use more information and links that I
got from drdriving.org, than from drivers.com.
Like I said initially, the credibility of that site over the other seems
very different.
The Question I am answering is Question 4: (a)
Select six student reports on driving psychology from Generation 20, as listed
in the Readings Section of the Lecture Notes. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-lecture-notes.htm#g20-reports
You must select any two students from Report 1, two different students
from Report 2, and two still different students from Report 3. So there will be
a total of six different students, two students for each report. (b) Summarize
each of the six reports. Be sure you put a link to the report you are referring
to. (c) Add a General Conclusion Section in which you discuss your reactions to
what they did – (i) their ideas, (ii) their method, (iii) their explanations.
(d) What did they gain from doing their reports? (e) How do their ideas
influence what you yourself think about these issues? (e) Any other comments
you wish to make.
(b) Summarize
each of the six reports. Be sure you put a link to the report you are referring
to.
Report 1:
The
first report that I looked at was by Shari Arakawa-Longboy, called Driving
Psychology: Theory and Application. Her
report deals with traffic psychology, and what she has learned by taking that
class. She states that even though she
did not enter the class thinking that she needed help with driving, she felt
that the class really opened her eyes to her own issues on the road. Because of the extensive reading and research
that was required of her to give the definitions of several points in her
paper, she felt that she left the class with a lot of useful knowledge that she
hopes to pass on to others. After her completion of the class,
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakawa-longboy/report1.htm
The second report I looked at was one by Jenny
Arakaki on Driving Psychology: Theory and Application. She described in her report, that Driving
Psychology is how to manage your thoughts and emotions while driving on the
road. She said that it is a life-long
process that needs to be taught to every individual, whether they are young or
old. She went on to define some terms
and concepts, as did
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report1.htm
Report 2:
Now
I will briefly summarize two different people’s reports for the Report 2
assignment. First, I looked at, My Driving Personality Makeover Project, by
Ikue Fukushima. She described briefly
about her report 1, and how the assignment applied and prefaced the report 2,
because the first report gave her good background knowledge and
information. She then lead into her
report 2, which primarily dealt with her diagnosis of her boyfriend’s
aggressive driving. She had him take
several of the exercises that are provided in the Road Rage and Aggressive Driving
book, and showed the results of each.
She analyzed his threefold self as it applied to driving, and explained
why she felt that the activities were beneficial for him. A link for this report is found below:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/fukushima/report2.htm
Next,
I will summarize a report 2 written by Chris Concepcion, also entitled My
Driving Personality Makeover Project. In
this report, Chris describes his experience with identifying his aggressive
driving via the questionnaires in the Road
Rage and Aggressive Driving book.
Chris states that he took the exercises that were best able to help him
diagnose his driving problems with aggression and rage. He posted the results within his report, and
he went on to discuss what the results meant to him. He saw that his selfish ways would only
contribute to the constant problem of aggressive driving. Chris stated that he knows bad habits are
very difficult to break, but that he was on his way to improving.
Also,
he noticed that the type of music he listened to affected his overall mood when
driving. Overall, he felt that his emotional intelligence was on the rise due
to his self-learning on his driving style and philosophy. A link to his report
can be found below:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/concep/report%202.htm
Report 3:
Finally,
I examined two still different student’s reports for the Report 3
assignment. The first of which was that
of Jesse Chang’s report entitled, My Proposal for Lifelong Education. In it, Jesse outlines what he feels would
prevent the “road rage nursery” which is something that is basically defined as
the process in which a parent passes on their aggressive driving and road rage
to their children at the earliest of ages…birth.
Jesse
shows several stages in which a child, depending on age, should be looked after
and taken care of, while in the car.
Beginning when their children are just infants, a parent should watch
what they say and what they do in front of them. Even sighing at something that has upset them
is something to omit whenever possible, because the baby can pick up on the
slightest change in their parent’s mood.
When the child gets a bit older, parents can talk with them about
dangerous behaviors and actions, and also about rules of the road, all this being
age appropriate, of course. A link to Jesse’s report can be found below:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/chang/report%203.htm
Next
is Jeremy Kubo’s report 3, also entitled, My Proposal for Lifelong Education. In it, Jeremy talks about similar points that
Jesse did in his report 3, as he also begins his paper discussing what some of
the proposals and actions that certain areas have made in order to make
learning how to drive more age appropriate by implementing different steps and
actions that are more age-appropriate.
While he did not break up his steps in quite the same way as Jesse did,
he did outline many of the same important actions to be done by parents and
other adult drivers around those who are observers (children up to elementary
and middle school) and those who become the trainees behind the wheel.
What
seems to be forefront of importance in both reports, is the idea of setting a
good example at all times, for even if the adults do not realize, they are
being watched. In the end, he felt that
his new awareness of how societal attitudes and actions play such a huge role
in teaching the future generations of drivers, that will be beneficial in his
overall driving health. A link to this
report may be found below:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report3.htm
(C) Add a General Conclusion Section
in which you discuss your reactions to what they did – (i)
their ideas, (ii) their method, (iii) their explanations.
(i) Their ideas: I found that I agreed with all of the
students who wrote reports that I discussed above. There are such valuable lessons to be learned
in this class, and the effects of which can be even more meaningful if passed
on to others in my life. Both Jeremy
Kubo and Jesse Chang discussed, at length, about the importance of teaching
children correctly and techniques in which to do so. I thought they both, while stating the ideas
in different ways, conveyed a valuable message about the stages in which
children and young adults progress, and how at different ages, they have
different needs.
(ii) Their method: I enjoyed how Ikue Fukushima
would snap a rubber band around her boyfriend’s wrist when she was trying to
prove her point on when he preformed an undesirable driving trait. I found her negative reinforcement to be a
creative way to get a point across, and honestly, I had to laugh when I read
that portion of her report! Also, every
student’s report that I examined, seemed to show that they were honestly trying
to assess their driving in a way that was truthful. I think that, the honest effort made by
everyone to acknowledge their faults is really something positive.
(iii) Their explanations: Every one, for the most
part, explained their experiences and ideas in a way that I found to be
interesting and thoughtful. I saw that
they really put a tremendous amount of time explaining their ideas in an
eloquent way. I especially noticed the
time and thought that had to have been put into Jesse Chang’s report 3. He had several steps just in early childhood
that he separated and explained in a very clear and thought out way.
(d)
What did they gain from doing their reports?
What did they gain from doing their reports? Each and every person stated that they gained
quite a lot of knowledge and understanding during the class. I feel the way
(e)
How do their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues?
Their ideas, especially those of Jeremy Kubo and
Jesse Chang, just re-iterate what I think about this class and what it has to
offer people. Jeremy and Jesse both
explain in detail about how we should be teaching our children more beneficial
driving techniques and lessons. I strongly
believe that sometimes we just do not realize how much of our actions are
passed along to the future driving generations, and I am very cautious about
what I do in front of young ones, now not just outside the car, but inside as
well.
(e) Any other
comments you wish to make.
It was interesting to read prior generations
reports on what they learned. It is
always interesting, if for no other reason, than because I go from feeling
alone in my feelings and assumptions, to feeling like I am in good company.
The Question I am answering is Question 7: (a) Our
textbook Road Rage and Aggressive Driving has exercises in several
chapters. Do the following four exercises: (i) Exercise on scenario analysis on
p. 129; (ii) Exercise on self-assessment on p.134; (iii) Exercise on
identifying assumptions on p. 131; and (iv) Exercise on negative vs. positive
driving on p. 122. (b) What were your reactions to the exercises? (c) Discuss
how these exercises help you to become more aware of yourself 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? (e) Any
other comments you wish to make.
(a) Do the
following four exercises: (i) Exercise on scenario
analysis on p. 129; (ii) Exercise on self-assessment on p.134; (iii) Exercise
on identifying assumptions on p. 131; and (iv) Exercise on negative vs.
positive driving on p. 122.
(i) Page 129:
Scenario Analysis to Modify Oppositional Thinking. This exercise calls for the
participant to look at several common scenarios that can, and do, occur while
driving and try to find what is wrong in each statement example that fits with
each scenario. For example: In a section
about obsessing about slow traffic, “at this rate, we will never get
there!” This statement is false, at some
point, you will get there, but maybe not at the desired time. In addition, if you wanted to try to avoid
this, you could leave earlier, so that if there is an unforeseen holdup, you
can remain calm because you have allowed more time. The patience is lost when
the above statement is made, and being able to retain patience is an important
aspect of driving safely.
(ii) Page 134: Assessing Myself as a
Driver. In this exercise, you are asked
to think about your driving over the past few weeks. Then you are to make a list of your best
traits, and your worst traits. Then you
must ask someone else who has driven with you to make a list of the same things
about your driving. When I did that, I
found that I always waived to people who let me in, and my passenger
agreed. I also let many people into my
lane, and my passenger also agreed on this for my positive traits.
However, for my negative traits, I get frustrated
with people who tailgate me, or show me no courtesy while on the road. My passenger stated that I usually drive a
little fast; about 10 miles over speed limit.
She also said that I tend to speak about what the other drivers are
doing wrong, although she said I only did this once to her recollection.
(iii) Page 131: Identifying Wrong Assumptions. The participant is asked to read a letter
about being arrested for a DUI, and when finished, reread each paragraph and
identify the wrong assumptions this young man who wrote it makes. I found the
letter to be one-sided and show the writer to either be unwilling or unable to
see it from a perspective other than his own.
(iv) Page 122: Negative Verses Positive
Driving. For this Exercise, the participant
must review the contrasts between antisocial and prosocial driver orientations
in the table provided. Then you must
describe the difference in each example, and show how they differ in terms of
the focus. For Example: “This traffic is
impossibly slow! What’s wrong with these fools? They’re driving like
nutcases!” VS. “I’m feeling very
impatient today. Everything seems to tick me off.” The difference lies in the blame and
responsibility in each statement.
The first statement is antisocial because it speaks
negatively about the other drivers, with no evidence and no blame or
responsibility on the person making the statement. In their mind, they are the only one on the
road whom is right, and everyone else is wrong, just because there is frustrating
traffic. The second statement voices
frustration in the situation without making silly accusations and negative
statements about the other drivers, who are probably just as annoyed. The second statement acknowledges their own
impatience and does not alleviate them from blame or responsibility of the
situation, nor does it place the blame on other drivers.
(b)
What were your reactions to the exercises?
My reactions to these exercises were that of
learning. I thought that some of my
comments that I make to myself on the road were examples of harmless
venting. I learned that there is
actually a difference between positive and negative statements and therefore,
my venting is not positive. As with the exercise above from page 122, I say
things out of frustration that are not constructive. They are actually making me more upset, as I
tend to lay my anger for the traffic on other people, and not on myself. For some reason, most drivers (including
myself) feel like they are entitled to get where they need to go in a timely
way, and other drivers are constantly coming between us and the destination. In
truth, no one has any more or less right to be on the road than I do.
(c)
Discuss how these exercises help you to become more aware of yourself as
a driver.
Like I stated above in my reactions, I do feel like
these exercises helped me to become more aware of myself as a driver. Like in the exercise where I was to asses
myself as a driver, it opened my eyes to some of the things that I just do
without even thinking twice about. My passenger called me out on my constant
speeding, which I justify because I feel like I go the speed that I am
comfortable with, that I can control if something were to come up
unexpectedly. Really, there are speed
limits for everyone’s safety, including pedestrians, and it is not optional for
people like me who need to get somewhere quickly.
Examining my driver’s threefold self, I realize
that my problems do not just lie in what I say or do in the car, but what I
think in the car as well. I have
identified my sensorimotor problems which are in my gestures, my cognitive
problems which are in my opinions on other drivers, and my affective which are
my sporadic instances of disrespect for the rules of the road. I must work on all corners of myself in order
to effectively change my driving.
(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?
After I did some of the exercises with my husband,
I really saw the principles of being a supportive driver being important. He is a worse road rager than I, and just the
other day, when someone was demonstrating how not to be a supportive driver to
him, he retaliated. When I saw on paper,
how much he and I need to work on, and it really made me think about what I
have learned this semester. I saw my
desire to change after doing these exercises with him.
(e)
Any other comments you wish to make.
I do think that my husband and I could benefit from
completing even more of the exercises in the book, and then making an effort to
modify our driving. We are both
dangerous at times, and I think we should think about doing something about
that.
Step 3: My Report on the Current Generation
1.)
On
For her second concept on Fatality forecasts
covered how hard it is to even predict how many traffic fatalities there will
be in the future, mainly because of the many variables that affect it. Malia was struck by how many fatalities are
predicted for the year 2010…between 1 and 1.3 million. Her final topic dealt with the economic costs
of road accidents. The costs of road
accidents should be a strong deterrent for the lack of safety on the road, but
it isn’t. She found this interesting
because it has been estimated that on average 1% of a countries gross national
product is spent on this.
The content of her presentation overlaps
what I said in my discussion of the answers above, especially when discussing different
ways that the Driving Lessons book shows us to look at the traffic safety
issue. The cost of road fatalities and
incidents is astronomical, but many people are not even aware of the issue.
2.)
On
Kyle said that he felt that he was not really
unsafe when using his phone in the car, but that others he has seen are. He went on to say that he rides his
motorcycle a lot, and the most dangerous to him on the road is the “soccer-mom
on the phone in the SUV” because they do not seem to be paying much attention,
and can easily miss a motorcycle next to them.
The content of his presentation overlaps
what I was saying about safety on the road in the above questions. Being on a cell phone is just another factor
in the traffic safety plague. Although
somewhat difficult to have extremely accurate numbers, the cell can and does
affect the sensorimotor action of driving, and it can be dangerous.
3.) On
In addition, woman drivers must deal with the added
stress of discrimination, which Jadine seemed to really be able to assimilate
with, on account of her previous job conditions. In addition, the work hours and conditions
take a toll on the mental and physical health of drivers. They are often driving while sleep deprived,
stressed out about meeting deadlines, and missing families. She expressed worry about being on the road
with such sleep deprived drivers.
This information overlaps what I said in
the above questions about truck drivers working under very difficult condition,
and how it is just one more aspect of the traffic safety issue that never seems
to decrease or disappear. With so many
points that contribute to the problem, it becomes that much clearer that that
problem is huge and complicated.
Obviously, just one solution will not help the problem, it will take
many, many solutions to even make a dent in the issue.
Step 4: My Advice to Future Generations
The best advice I can offer to future
generations is to stay on top of your assignments in this class, otherwise you
will definitely have some frustrating and stressful nights. While the assignment that Dr. James gives may
seem like it is not really that big of deal, when you sit down to do it, you
will find that completing just a piece of it can be a several hour task. I would also suggest finding someone in the
class that you can exchange phone numbers or email addresses with, because if
you need help, it will be a good shoulder to lean on.
The information in this class will prove
valuable in your life, even if you do not chose to implement it right
away. At first I understood the driving
issues put forth, but it wasn’t until later on, when I felt myself putting
others in danger by my aggression, that I decided to actually try to
change. There is such a problem out in
our world on traffic safety that I decided I no longer wanted to add to
it. Like I said, this decision may not
come right away, but I found it to be a good one in the end.
Lastly, if you take nothing else from
this class, you will take some computer know-how with you…mostly because you
are forced to learn it to pass this class.
It is frustrating at first, but Dr. James will insist you keep trying,
and at some point, this light will come on in your head, and you will get
it. Then you will not understand how you
did not get it before! Computer know-how
does come in handy at some point in your life, it is really inescapable. Besides, if you really do struggle with the
time-consuming projects and the computer issues, this is only a semester long
class. It will eventually end!
Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/classhome-g22.htm
My
Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2005/beeler/home.htm