FIVE DEFINITIONS FROM PREVIOUS GENERATIONS
Irene Barrinea, Generation 8, gives us her definition of traffic psychology. She says she came to the conclusion, through her research of prior generational reports, that traffic psychology was not only an analysis of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior's while driving and interaction with other drivers, but also the discipline of it.
She stated that the analysis was important in psychology because we need to analyze not only people, but theories and research as well. She states that the best way to find out the causes of road rage is by, analyzing the problem and that might lead towards solutions to the problem.
She also states that discipline was important to her definition. She says that by disciplining our thoughts, feelings, motives and behaviors we can learn to take control and be able to have positive experiences while on the road.
MY COMMENTS
I liked and agreed with Ms. Barrinea's definitions of Traffic Psychology. It was very obvious to me that she put in a lot of effort and research into this definition. She knew what she wanted to say and she said it. I particularly liked that she said traffic psychology was an analysis and the discipline of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors while driving.
Mary Elizabeth Pacheco, Generation 7, states that in her opinion traffic psychology is a seminar course that explores traffic psychology. She says that traffic psychology covers psychology of road rage, driving self-assessment, as well as self-modification techniques.
MY COMMENTS
After reviewing Ms. Pacheco's definition of traffic psychology, I have to say that I believe she was going in the right direction. However, she was a little vague. She didn't give too many details of what she thought traffic psychology was. Yes, this course covers the psychology of road rage, self-assessment, and self-modification, but she didn't say what road rage was and why self-assessment and modification would be necessary and beneficial.
Cheddiemae de Rizzo was also a generation 8 student. She didn't have a single definition stated as definition, but in her comment for Kim Oshiro, I found what her thoughts and interpretations for traffic psychology were. She gave her definition of traffic psychology as not only a means of improving your driving behavior, but also a means of helping us to become better people. She believes that traffic psychology is a way of teaching people how to be better human beings by teaching us how to deal with emotions that arise while encountered with negative and positive driving experiences. She says traffic psychology not only modifies our driving, but our individuality as well.
MY COMMENTS
I enjoyed Ms. de Rizzo's definition of traffic psychology because she stated that traffic psychology would help a person to deal with their emotions, on the road as well as everyday life. I have to agree with this. I find that I am observant of myself more since taking this course and not only on the road, but all the time. I really do believe that "please" and "thank you" are magic words because they make a world of difference when encountered with problems among traffic as well as pedestrians.
Claudine F. de La Cruz states that traffic psychology requires more than a mere sentence to define it. She states that traffic psychology is the study of our thoughts and behaviors involving traffic. This includes our many different behaviors, attitudes we hold and our individual personalities as well as the means we choose to deal with our daily stress as road users. Ms. de La Cruz also states that traffic psychology is an attempt to identify dangerous driving personalities, behaviors and patterns and seeks methods to modify these behaviors: self-witnessing, self-modifying methods, driving buddies and quality driving circles.
MY COMMENTS
Ms. de La Cruz's states that defining traffic psychology can not be done in one simple sentence. I tend to agree with her. Her definition was very well put. Traffic psychology is not simple and it doesn't only involve one thing. It involves a variety of things: our thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, our surroundings, etc. She also, within her definition, stated methods to modify behavior, which I found very relevant and beneficial to her definition.
Dina Takahashi gives her definition of traffic psychology as a term that is utilized to describe the process in which methods are implemented to modify driving behavior.
MY COMMENTS
In my opinion, her definition of traffic psychology was too simplified. This is not all there is to traffic psychology. She seemed to leave out very important parts to the definition: our thoughts, feeling and our actions when encountered while driving. She just says that traffic psychology is a way of implementing means to modify behavior, but what behavior? She doesn't mention anything about the behavior. I continued to read her report to try to find more to her definition, but found little. She did go on to give her opinion of what a good and bad drivers were, but her definitions was unsettling for me.
MY EXPERIENCES AND WHY TRAFFIC PSYCHOLOGY IS IMPORTANT
There are many reasons why I believe that traffic psychology is an asset well acquired. Many people, including myself, sometimes have trouble controlling their emotions on the road as well as in our everyday lives. We need to be aware of our actions and sometimes it isn't possible for anybody to bring it to your attention, because we don't want to listen to what others have to say about our uncontrollable acts. Nobody is right except ME. Let's face it we have all lost it at one point or another. And in reality there is only one person that can convince us that we have lost it and that is ourselves. Traffic psychology, in my opinion, does that. It makes us aware of what is norm and what isn't. Traffic psychology helps us to deal with our thoughts, feelings and our attitudes towards other people's actions on the road as well as our own actions. Self-awareness is the key and self-modification is the means of modifying ourselves to better our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behavior in general. Self-awareness and self-modification is a means to start disciplining ourselves towards the norms of our society. Through self-awareness I believe a person can make themselves aware of what they are really doing to themselves as well as others. When we are out on the road, we need to remind ourselves that it is not just us on the road. We are sharing this road with others and we need to be courteous, friendly, and safe.
I have an experience that still frightens me when I think about it. I was traveling on Kam Highway Ewa bound one day. I accidentally cut right in front of somebody. I say it was accidental, because I truly did not see this other vehicle. I waved at the man and I lipped to him that I was sorry. Well, this was totally unsatisfactory for him. I truly will never forget this. He was extremely upset. It just did not phase him that people are human and because of that we make mistakes. And I am the first to say, I made a mistake. This man tailgated me; honked at me; he got on my side and yelled obscenities and then sped up and got in front of me and braked. I was totally in shock. I kept telling him that I was sorry, but he was clearly out of control. I don't know if he had a bad day or what was going on, but he really scared me. I know that I shouldn't have cut into the other lane, but I did not see this man (he must have been in my blind spot, I don't know). But, the point here is that he was totally and completely out of control. Something could have happened to me, had I retaliated towards him. But, because I kept saying that I was sorry and I never left the inside of my car and I never said anything to make him any madder. I was able to drive out of that situation fine. Had this man taken a traffic psychology course or been made aware of his temper, he may not have acted the way that he did. I was truly very lucky.
I also know that when encountered with something like this a person should drive to nearest police station or stay within sight of other vehicles. Never try to reason or argue with someone when they are this upset. Just walk away. Knowing how to handle oneself is a person's best weapon and traffic psychology can help you achieve this goal.
Another experience: one morning I was taking my daughter to school, when someone cut me off while I was making a left hand turn. The light turned green for me and I was turning when this other car came out the opposite lane, the one that was supposed to be for incoming cars. I was extremely upset, because this man could have caused an accident. I was with my daughter and that was all that I was worried about. I have to say that the first words out of my mouth were "you idiot", but then my daughter asked me why I had said a bad word to the man. That brought me back to civilization. I was no longer upset at the man, but more at myself for my actions. I reminded myself that I needed to stay calm and collected for my sake and more importantly my daughter's sake. But, I have to admit that at that moment when he cut me off, I too like the man in my first example was furious. I was ready to follow him and ask him to watch where he was going. But, I restrained myself and I was able to cope. I tried to make excuses for the man that cut me. Maybe he was late for work; maybe he was sick; maybe , maybe... Many things could have affected his driving, but I was still upset. The point here is that we all get upset and we all make mistakes. Traffic psychology is a wonderful means to get in touch with ourselves, with our emotions. Traffic psychology can help to modify our behavior.
Our driving behavior is affected by many factors: the affective domain (our feelings and thoughts), the cognitive domain (our thoughts, and judgments), as well as the sensorimotor domain (our sensory input and motor output). Therefore, it isn't just one thing that makes us act the way we do, but rather all of these domains.
MY COMMENT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
My advise for future generations would be for you all to place yourself in other peoples' experiences. Look at your own experiences and how you reacted to them and then look at others' and see how you would have acted before you took this class and now that you have taken this class. This self-awareness is really something wonderful. It is an eye opener. This report and most importantly this whole class has opened my eyes to how I really am and how I need to modify myself.
EPILOGUE
Future generations, I just want to reiterate
to you all that you need to reach inside yourselves and really take a good
look at yourselves as drivers, passengers, pedestrians, etc. We all
have an important part in the world and we all participate together to
make traffic. Whether it be pedestrian traffic in between classes
or traffic on the road we all need to make life as harmonious as we possibly
can. Our safety out on the road is not only our own, but those around
us. I took psychology 409, traffic psychology, during summer 1998
and now Psychology 409, cyberpsychology, and I am still learning about
myself and others. We never stop learning and I suppose that is why
we all continue with our education, for our thirst for knowledge.
Good luck to you all in your journey.