Martinez, Maida Krizza B.

Psychology 1 MWF 1:00-2:00

Confessions of a Biased Juror

I. Introduction

This is my reaction. This is my point of view. This is what I feel and what I

think. I believe that “I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.” And

this is my totally biased reaction to the PSBA Student Ambassadors 2011 with the

theme of “Youth, Community, and Nature.”

And as it is, this is my amateurish attempt at an ultimately psychological

reaction paper. I am going to use everything that I could remember from our

lessons in psychology class on perception, motivation, nature and nurture duality,

and many more.

I have proven to myself that understanding my behavior is essential in

maximizing my potentials, adapting in different circumstances, and living a

fullfilling and happy life. But knowing mine and other’s behavior is also important
in answering why we feel the way we feel, think the way we think, and do the way

we do.

I not the master of my fate and the captain of my soul. But the result of

numerous evolution and complex intricacies of this material world where I grow,

act, and learn.

II. Significant Human Experience

I was hungry, thirsty, tired, sleepy, sweaty, and bored. According to Maslow

these human biological needs are the strongest and they must be appeased

immediately. My survival motives are beating my social motives of need for

security and safety. In order to feel secured and safe, I have to write this reaction

paper and hope to have good marks. But I am still a human being and I was

distracted. My ears told my brain that the loud music that was playing was

annoying, hence I felt annoyed. But that didn’t stop my fingers from tapping to the

beat and my voice from humming to its tune. Luckily, my conscious self wasn’t

fully aware of this conflicting reactions that my body is exhibiting.

I was not in the right mood for an appreciational learning, however I still had

a good laugh since I’m a big believer that if someone puts themselves in the

limelight they are giving everyone the ticket to laugh, to like, and to hate them.
And had it been held in the morning when I feel fresh, full, and happy, I would

have been the best participative and appreciative audience they could get.

Another point is that I have a very biased motivation when watching these

kinds of

III. Insights/ Analysis

Why didn’t I help when one of the contestants fell off the stage? It was

supposed to be the most rational reaction. When someone needs help we help. But

why didn’t I? Actually, why did most of the audience around me that time not

help?

I was just shocked and paralyzed in my seat. My friend and I were laughing

and giving unsoliscited remarks to the contestant when suddenly he just fell. He

posed, he slipped, and he fell. And I just stared. Then people just started reacting,

“Oh my gosh! Did you see that? What happened? Did he fall?” On the outside it

seemed like we cared, but i think that deep inside our minds we were thinking:

“Thank goodness, it wasn’t me.”

It sounds wrong but our need to survive is usually stronger than our motive

to help other people. I have no doubt that anyone in the audience who is mentally

healthy will not go in front and say, “Hi, let me be the one to fall for you.”
 So why didn’t I help? I have thought of it and tried to come with a plausible

answer.

I thought someone else would do it. And since others weren’t helping

perhaps the damage wasn’t serious. This is the best answer my brain could come

up. How many times have we been in situations where someone was in an

accident and we don’t even bother to stop and see what we could do to help? It’s

not that we are mean, selfish and heartless person. Even if we come from good

families, raised by caring and peace-loving parents, educated by brilliant teachers,

and are mentally healthy individuals, it would still depend on the situation we are

in.

Let’s say that contestant fell and you are the only one who saw it, would you

help? I would. Most likely, a lot of us would help if we thought we were the only

one who could. And it also depends on who is the person needing help. If he was

your brother perhaps it wouldn’t matter that you thought others would help him;

you would immediately stand up and run to help him.

Another situation, when on the way to school you see a bleeding person on

the street, but you’re running late and you have a presentation to make as well as a

major exam, would you help just like how the good samaritan did? Perhaps we
would, had there been extra time, unfortunately there wasn’t. So we would just

hurry along our busy lives and hope the next man would help the bleeding person.

Our behavior may be influenced by heredity like our looks, height, or mental

capacity and our environment like our education, economic status, and

geographical location, but given certain immediate situations, our behavior could

change dramatically.

IV. Conclusion
V. Recommendations
VI. Acknowledgement