Carol N. Ohta Modifying Other Peoples Resistance to Change

"Modifying Other Peoples Resistance to Change"




Introduction
Traffic Psychology is the result of the knowledge one acquires as a driver through behavioral principles to modify and change ones behavior or conduct in everyday traffic situations; for example, as a driver, pedestrian, walker, biker, runner, and other human ways of getting from place to place. Traffic Psychology's focus is on self-witnessing (produces a protol awareness of your thoughts & feelings-out loud or silent) your own behaviors in traffic situations and using reasoning methods or conditionings (reasons why you should change or modify that particular behavior) to bringing your resistance to change visible.

Are you interested in receiving and collecting more information about Traffic Psychology? If so, then please visit my teachers article explaining more about Taxonomy of Driving Behavior for Traffic Psychology.

Through making your behaviors visible to see your resistance, is the starting process to produce ways that you can work on methods to change those resistant behaviors. In starting a method to modify ones behaviors in traffic, one must devise a driving persona plan. How do you do that you ask? I recommend you to take a look at Alan Furukawa's Plan because I think he describes it well. Remember to start out with a behavior that is attainable and in your reach. Only when you have modified your behaviors for a time now, I think you should tackle a big behavior and after you achieved that goal to modify that behavior, start at the small behavior you need to modify again.

Why do I think you should ever change or modify your behavior in traffic? Where do I start... I think as a society we forget that we endanger our lives each day we get up in the morning. We influence and change our lives in our everyday activities. How? Hey, don't you go to school or work and drive or ride the bus or any transportation to get from place to place? Is your response, well yeah. Okay then, let me remind you that whenever you're on the roads or in class their are people all around you and anything you do, the other person reacts to your actions and you react to their actions. People can react verbally or silently, either way, you have changed or influenced their lives because they responded to you.

Resistance is the factor that makes you not want to do something or your reaction to not wanting to admit you need to change. Everyone goes through the stages of denial that we as society or citizens need to change our behaviors before we can change our lives and the people around us. If you're like my uncle and think you have no behavior to modify, guest what, you are the very one who needs to change because nobody's perfect without any problems. Please don't become like my uncle because nobody will like you and your friends may turn on you. Not to mention, you'll live your life without ever realizing that you were a lonely person. Don't ever develop this kind of personality because you have so much to offer the world and the people around you. Please take this time and reflect on ways to change or modify your behavior.

If everyone became their own Traffic Psychologist, perhaps the world will change and life will flourish more than what it has become today. This isn't a fantasy, it's just that I would like people to live happier and safer lives. Not to mention, I wouldn't want anyone to become an anti-socialist. Be open to your options in life and experience changes. Life is strange and hard to begin with, there isn't a need to make your life not worth living for. You have made it this far in your life, so why not get up and modify your behavior. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK AND A HAPPIER LIFE.

This Assignment

What a surprise, this assignment for Traffic Psychology class was to help people I know to improve on their driving habits. I'm glad to have this opportunity because everyone has resistance to everyday activities that go on in this world each day. Oh come on admit it, there must be a time when you didn't want to take an exam, go to work or school, pay bills, and other activities that go on in your life. You're kidding or fooling yourself if you're telling me that you haven't experienced a time where you resisted doing something. Hint: How about taking the trash out? So now you admit that there was a time you resisted to do something, surprise you're not alone. Everyone experienced this at one time or another.

If you're still saying that you haven't resisted doing any activity in your life; well guess what, you're resisting to admit it right now. Ha..Ha.. Smile =).

Procedure

The procedure (Resistance to Traffic Psychology Plan) I chose to do with this assignment were as follows:
    1. Select the person
    2. Ask for the person's permission or consent
    3. Ask if there is a behavior that they wish to modify. If they have none,
    suggest that they observe themselves or have I observe their driving
    behavior for them.
    4. Choose behavior to modify (any behavior it maybe)
    5. Give reasons why they should modify that behabvior
    6. Note comments, attitudes, and abjections
    7. Motivate them to change behaviors (give them reasons why they should
    change behavior)
    8. Ask/observe their feelings about the why they should change their
    behavior
    9. Provide them with a method to change or modify behavior
    10. Have the participants try the method or makeover plan
    11. Ask/observe if they have any resistance to the plan or method
    12. If there are problems with the plan, work with them to work on a
    more workable mehtod for them
    13. Have them continue on modifying that behavior if it wasn't solved
    14. Have them work on another driving behavior they would like to work
    on
    15. Have them follow the steps I took to change their behavior so they can
    continue to modify their own behavior and become a functioning
    Traffic Psychologist of their own behavior.

In my assignment, first I had to chose two people or patients who would be willing to participate in this assignment. I chose my mother and a friend of mine. I had them chose what type of behavior they wanted to change. I then devised a plan on how they could modify their behavior and/or attitude in traffic. This report is to see the resistance that my two participants had while modifying their behavior.

Thanking people on the road

In the beginning of this semester my mother didn't thank people on the road all the time. She would tell me that it was to late to thank the person after they let her in the lane. I would tell her to thank them anyway because it would be courteous and the driver might appreciate it. I would hear never mind and forget about it, I can't do anything now. I would say to myself, well excuse me. Not to mention, if I was the other driver, I wouldn't let this driver in the lane again next time I see them.

I was surprised when I came to class weeks later and Dr. James telling us that we will have an assignment where we will modify someone's driving behavior. I started to laugh at myself because I had my own mother as a subject of mine for this assignment. I was wondering how I would break this news to my mother. I couldn't imagine how she would take it. Well to my surprise, I talked to my mother that one of my assignments for class would be to pick two people and help them change a driving behavior and write down the resistance that they have. She thought it was a good assignment because everyone has resistance to change. Little did she know that I had her in mind.

I jumped at my opportunity and asked her if she would mind to be one of my participants. Right away she asked me, what would it involved. I asked her to think of a driving behavior that she would like to improve in that isn't to difficult. I mentioned thanking people on the road, signaling when one changes lane or turns, or anything. She told me that since I mentioned that she should thank drivers when she is driving, she's been trying to do just that. I thought this is easy because she just told me what I wanted to hear. I thought what a good participant that I have.

I started to tell her that thanking people on the road could make the other person feel satisfied for letting her in or could make the other drivers day. I even mentioned that she would be acknowledging the other person existence on the road, makes the other driver remember that she's a nice driver, and reminds the other driver that not everyone is rude. My mother was happy and told me that I should ask my uncle if I could modify his driving behavior because he thinks he has no resistance and has nothing to modify in his life. I told my mother that I didn't want to work with someone negative for this assignment because it would take longer than this semester to help him change a little bit. We started to laugh.

I asked my mother if she had any objections to the assignment and she said no, she liked this assignment and thought this class was a good idea to take. She hoped that after this course I would finally decide to get my license again. Wow, she switched to my resistance to getting my license. I quickly switched back to the assignment and told her not to change the subject. Boy did that save me from her modifying my behavior in getting my license.

In continuing to ride with my mother I noticed that she would get angry if another driver wouldn't say thank you to her for letting them in the lane. She would swear and say next time I won't let you in again. Not to mention her saying that I won't let another person cut in. Kind of obvious that she was really mad and hurt at what this driver did to her. She even tailgated the person and was calling the driver names.

I told her to calm down and she exploded at me. She said "Why? Did you see them thank me while I didn't?" I started to laugh and told her you see how you feel when others don't thank you. She would settle down and say well I'm trying to thank people more often now and I would appreciate it if they thank people too. She told me to go and tell the other driver how to modify their driving behavior. I would just start to laugh.

She then told me that thanking people made her feel better and that she felt better. I didn't even give her any method to work on, just mentioning my assignment to her and she tried to change on her own. I was surprised that she took this assignment and class and used it to change herself without any methods of change. I was curious at how she changed her behavior without me providing any method. She said every time she was let into a lane, she remembered what I told her. She said she's been thanking drivers on the road when she is a driver and pedestrian. She even got thank you's back from people and felt good about it. She mentioned that getting thank you back from other people had made her day. Made her realize how much thank you's mean to people.

I told my mother that by her changing without me giving her any method to follow was good. It's the beginning of her becoming her own Traffic Psychologist on the road. I told her to keep it up and change other behaviors that she may want to change or modify. She smiled and said that she would like to keep on thanking people until it became an automatic behavior for her.

However, I found that I had to provide a method to her about thanking other drivers even though she was mad or upset with them for not letting her in when she needed to. For example, there is construction on the road and the lanes need to merge and other drivers don't want other drivers to cut in early or at all. When my mother was at the end of the closed lane one driver didn't want her to cut in, only until the very last minute did the driver let her in. She would tell me that she didn't think she should thank that person because they were rude. I thought that I should work on that with her because she should thank them anyway.

I mentioned to her that other drivers maybe rude and selfish but that she should thank them anyway because it will make her look better than that rude driver. I told her that she has a right to think that the other driver is a jerk and a half but to be better than that driver, she should thank them anyway. I told her the funny part about it is that if she says thank you to the rude driver that driver may have to think twice about their actions because they were rude. I tell her every time to say thank you to people even though they are rude.

Her resistance to thank rude drivers has improved a little and she still needs to work on them. She told me to ask my teacher to teach driving school to the idiots on the road. She mentioned that every time she's on the road and forgets to thank people she hopes that it isn't one of my classmates or my teacher. She says thinking that my classmates and my teacher are on the road, reminds her to thank people.

Speeding due to Rushing

My next participant was a friend of mine who is a student at the University of Hawaii and has been driving since 1987. She is 24 years old and a major in English. I told that I had to do an assignment in assisting other people about ways of improving their driving habits and I'm suppose to report on their resistance to change. She asked me if I could help her with her speeding while she is in a rush, angry, or late.

To my amazement, she shocked me when she told me that she speeds. Here is this friend of mine who says that she can't believe I haven't gotten my license yet. I told her that I'm scared of driving because I feel like people are rushing me on the roads and I feel as though drivers are aiming at me. She just laughs at me, no wonder, she's probably one of them who speeds pass me.

She told me that she is always in a rush, feels guilty for speeding and tries to be overly cautious, more alert for pedestrians and traffic, feels like she is on a high when she drives fast, tends to be extra careful, more alert for cops, and worries that she might miss something or get into accidents or die when she speeds.

I told her that she should change her behavior because it can keep insurance premiums low, abstract clean, live longer, and less stress. Not to mentions stop her from getting into unwanted car accidents. I told her to improve on her rushing she should leave the house earlier, wake-up earlier, and to take her time on the roads even though she is late. I even advised her to go the speed limit to help her maintain the speed limit and not speed. Try to relax, take deep breaths, and sacrifice steps in getting ready to get on the road earlier.

Her resistance to leaving home earlier is that she over sleeps and thinks that she can make-up time on the roads by speeding. She says it takes her to long to get ready so she sacrifices time to leave early to make-up time on the road. She resists to go the speed limit because she becomes anxious and worried when she is late. She says it's hard not to care if she is late because she still feels rushed inside herself. She starts to swear at other drivers and tends to be more verbal towards other drivers when she is running late on the road.

When she and I were talking about other ways that can help her improve we came across that she maybe taking out her anger on the other drivers giving her an excuse as to why she is late. She mentioned that she noticed that she even drives fast when she isn't in a rush because she learned how to drive fast due to all the other times when she is in a rush. She eve mentioned that she knows that she is creating more of a stressful situation when she's in a rush because she has to be extra careful, cautious, and alert.

I noticed that she gives me excuses but they aren't the real reasons why she might be resisting to leave early. She may be resisting to go where she needs to go. For example, school and doctor office. Perhaps her subconscious mind doesn't want to go to school or the places she needs to go.

I told her to keep working on it and try harder to leave earlier because I know she rather stay home then go to school or the doctors office.

She's still working on it and found that when she drives home she doesn't speed (she actually goes the speed limit) because she is more relaxed. Perhaps because it's the end of the day, she's less stress, and she is calm. It could be because she is resisting to go home. However, I feel that she doesn't resist to go home; perhaps, home is her safe guard and doesn't like leaving home because she feels secure there.

Conclusion

Resistance is a hard situation to overcome. However, once you overcome the resistance, change comes easy and to maintain a positive attitude towards driving and other drivers seem to develop a more positive out look of the driving world. Perhaps, looking at driving as a work of art of what we think our life is worth would make us want to change our attitudes on the roads.

To improve our own behaviors in traffic, we need to look at how we view our actions on the roads. To modify the unwanted behavior on the roads we need to first look at what behavior is driving us to drive the way we do. Devise a method that one can work with and work on those resistance to change and keep modifying those behaviors if the first method didn't work.

Anyone can be a Traffic Psychologist if one is aware and changes the behaviors that they need and want to change while driving. It's self rewarding when one can control and maintain a positive attitude on the roads while being courteous and aware of others around you. Being kind to other drivers is a start and from there one most work on bigger and tougher attitudes that they have on the roads.

Saying that you learned how to speed through your rushing is just an excuse to why you need or have to speed. Saying that I don't want to say thank you to rude drivers is an easy way out of what needs to change within your personality or character. Somehow people forget to become courteous and caring while on the roads. Dare devils on the roads and kind and caing people while off the roads. Perhaps, it's the stress and anxieties while on the roads. Whatever it may be, we all need to start to change those devilest motives and start modifying those behaviors to live healthier and better lives.

I use to think that driving was a gift that one achieved when passing the drivers test. I guest it's just a little satisfaction out of life to pass the test. After achieving the license, it becomes a chore to drive and maintain a health driving atmosphere around an individual. At least that's the picture I get by viewing and observing people on the highways. It doesn't help anyone if and when a loved one dies on the roads because sooner or later, people start to be careless on the streets again. One thing that stuck out the most when doing this assignment was that other drivers seem to motivate people to drive the way they do without realizing that they are driving just like them.


MY HOMEPAGE
MY TOPICAL INDEX
Professors Homepage: Main port of our Traffic Psychology class.
Wait, please Leave me a message! If you are you a visitor, I would appreciate your reactions or comments. If I know you, Thanks for visiting me. If you what to leave, send, or drop me a line, by all means please do so! See you later!!