The most defining factor of my schooling so far is my community involvement through two of the most significant charity associations in Hong Kong – the Hong Kong Joint School Volunteering Association (JSVA) and the Hing Kong Lion Club. Such extensive social work gave me many excellent opportunities to have meaningful interactions with the different factions within my community. Each faction holds its unique identity based on religion, social status, profession, or even family background. In an attempt to connect with each individual at an emotional level, I developed a keen interest in psychology. At the same time, I tried to figure out the factors that shape our personalities beyond the external criteria often used to categorize people.
Being someone who has enjoyed the privilege of quality education, safe shelter, healthy food, and loving relationships, I often failed to comprehend how those deprived of such “necessities” make it through every single day. It was not until I learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and some fundamental concepts of Positive Psychology that I came to appreciate how adaptable human beings are. The fulfillment of physiological needs is sufficient for survival, and as a person climbs up the “pyramid,” the motivation to drive further changes drastically. I would say that currently, I am somewhere between pursuing my esteem needs and achieving self-actualization – something that is profoundly related to Positive Psychology.
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Based on what I have understood from the self-study of this subject, which is also part of my extended project, we can only achieve our full potential once we make our self-esteem and emotions independent of our life circumstances. Undoubtedly, certain obstacles and challenges do influence our actions, but we must realize that we always have an informed choice to make. Even being happy with what you have is a choice. And interestingly, I feel that people surviving near the poverty line are closer to this self-actualization than many of us who enjoy more than our basic needs. Instead of being driven by society’s trends, they quickly learn to stay within their resources and strive for what actually matters.
However, I firmly believe that there is no single approach to achieving fulfillment, and that is why I am eager to explore many other disciplines within psychology. It is for our ease that we make common generalizations about diversity and define set personality types in which we try to fit every individual. Chinese astrology and personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs type indicator demonstrate this idea reasonably. While we may be able to investigate specific attributes of a person using these techniques, many other factors play in a complicated manner. The nature vs nurture debate is a classic example here. Even when I try to apply some psychology theories in my day-to-day interactions and social work, I occasionally find exceptions or even contradictions. Such instances inspire me to undertake a more holistic and comprehensive study of this subject to account for every subtle aspect involved in a particular case.
Finally, I am excited to apply some principles of the psychology of learning to excel in this undergraduate program just like I have been doing throughout my school life. Using 25-minute distraction-free sessions to beat procrastination with the Pomodoro technique, and then using self-assessment to solidify my newly learned concepts has been a killer combination in my study routine. In short, I can safely mention that psychology encompasses every aspect of my life, and carrying my passion for this subject, I eagerly look forward to exploring it further at the university level.
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