Name : Bridget Tan Su Ting

Student ID : 0318370

Group/Session : Monday, 12PM – 3PM

Subject : Social Psychology

Course : Foundation in Natural and Built

Environments (Feb 2014)

Submission Date : 10th November 2014

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JOURNAL 1

CHAPTER 1:

What is Social Psychology?

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Entry 1

Date: 11.08.2014

Time: 5.26 pm

Concept: Social Facilitation

Pressure

Social facilitation is the tendency for people to do better on simple tasks when in the

presence of other people. This implies that whenever people are being watched by others, they will

do well on things that they are already good at doing. This first lesson prompted me to recall my

experiences related to this theory.

Many a time, I encounter situations whereby I come across as a perfectionist. The

conscientiousness inscribed in my personality affects the way I complete a task and whom I choose

to involve it with. Due to the essential need to possess precision in all my work, the extensive

amount of pressure I put on myself to finalise tasks becomes a little too overwhelming and I

constantly find myself drowned in mountainous piles of unfinished work. The demand I make upon

myself in order to reach my expectations continues to haunt me up until this day.

In pursuit of the architecture career, I have experienced first-hand the tremendous extent of

workload and the difficulties involved. I automatically grasped the notion that something had to be

done to resolve the issue I had with my meticulousness to improve my efficiency in completing the

assignments. After spending weeks and weeks of attempting different ways to improve the

productivity, I decided that nothing could be done about this ill -fated quality I was born with (I was

pretty negative about it).

One morning, my assignment group held a discussion meeting in the library. Each member

was allocated a specific task and had to show progress within a time span of 20 minutes. In the midst

of brainstorming for ideas, it suddenly came to my realisation that my work automatically developed

faster in the presence of others. I noticed that I was not attentive to minor details and occasional

slip-ups on my piece of paper, but was more fixated on the number of people awaiting my

presentation of thoughts. The amount of effort put in had become entirely due to the crowd in the

room. Perhaps it was the pressure from all the anticipated glares that amplified my production

haste. After completion, I glanced at my notes and was impressed by the outcome. Although I noted

a few blunders here and there, the level of competence was definitely better than if I had done it

alone.

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It is a few months later, and I continually hunt for opportunities to work in groups – even if

only a friend – for the sole reason of being able to get work completed more efficiently. This has

notably caused an impact on my organisation and productivity without altering (if not improving) the

quality of the outcome.

The concept of social facilitation is relevant as I have a tendency to do better on simple tasks

when in the presence of other people. Whenever I am being watched by others, I become more

productive and the quality of my work is enhanced.

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Entry 2

Date: 13.08.2014

Time: 2.08pm

Concept: Confirmation Bias

Insecurities

A confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves favouring information that

confirms previously existing beliefs or biases. It is the tendency to interpret new evidence as

confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories. Confirmation biases not only impact how people

gather information, but they also influence how people interpret and recall information.

Confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs. I think everyone in this world

can relate to this concept at any point in their lives. With that said, I myself have encountered a

number of situations whereby this issue comes to the surface.

I was not blessed with a picture-perfect face, a flawless figure or an ideal personality. These

are the things I always hoped for. For the longest time, I was always insecure and unconfident about

my physical features. I knew that I wasn’t the typical girl-next-door who instantly turned heads as

she walked by. I was always a little sensitive when it came to discussing about beauty. For someone

who enjoys fashion and beauty, it was a setback knowing I couldn’t do much to enhance what I

already had so I guess it was safe to say that I was pretty upset about it.

Whenever someone talked about bodily features, I always focused on the negative parts

about myself and never really thought about the good ones I was blessed with. I accepted ill-

mannered judgements about my physicality without thinking twice about the criticisms. I suppose it

was because I was oblivious to the qualities that defined me. I automatically ignored any

compliments offered about my natural features because I constantly believed that I was not inclined

towards the beautiful side of society. It was disappointing at first but I eventually learned to

establish the assumption that I possessed unpleasant features.

A few years ago, a relative of mine recognised that I wasn’t too happy about myself and

decided to counsel me with the intention of raising my self -worth. She advised me to be more

grateful about my blessings instead of being ashamed of them. She accompanied that advice with

some words of motivation to convince me into thinking that everyone has their own positive and

negative features that define who they are. After an hour of listening to her wise guidance, I realised

that even the most beautiful person in the world has her own flaws, but it is how she chooses to

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deal with them that makes her attractive. Confidence is the key to everything and in this case, it

helped me in boosting my self-esteem.

The concept of confirmation bias is relevant as I favoured information such as the ill -mannered

judgements made about my physicality that confirmed my previously existing beliefs and biases

which were about the fact that I was not blessed with flawless features. I had a tendency to interpret

new evidence (criticisms) as confirmation of my existing beliefs.

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JOURNAL 2

CHAPTER 2:

The Self: Who Am I and How

Do Other Individuals See Me?

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Entry 1

Date: 18.08.2014

Time: 3.15 pm

Concept: Extrinsic Motivation

Resolution

Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The

motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide

satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide. An extrinsically motivated person will

work on a task even when they have little interest in it because of the anticipated satisfaction they

will get from some reward.

Being brought up by highly educated parents, I have been assured that education follows

success. Both my parents graduated with a Master’s Degree in Universiti Sains Malaysia. They were

awarded Top Students by their university for various subjects. With that being said, they have

showed me that having success as a reward for hard work is one of the biggest accomplishments one

can achieve. Their diligence is truly inspiring and it has brought me to where I am today.

This current generation does not know how important it is to work hard in order to achieve

our goals. We focus more on the rewards i.e. success and fortune instead of the work required to be

granted those rewards. My parents have always encouraged me and my siblings to work hard by

motivating us with rewards such as money, gifts and celebratory dinners since we were in primary

school. For this, I put in an enormous amount of effort when it comes to education as I believe that

it guarantees something in return, be it knowledge or success.

Throughout my primary and secondary school years, I attended several tuition classes daily

in addition to my long schooling hours (I studied in a private school). These classes sometimes ended

at 11 at night but I would feel satisfied at the end of the day, knowing that all the hard work would

eventually pay off. I never failed to revise my syllabus at least a few rounds before every

examination. It did not burden me at all. In actual fact, I found pleasure in studying and gaining

knowledge. I would stay back in school to finish up my homework so that I had more time to read

the syllabus at home afterwards. I was highly committed in all of my work and never bore the

thought of giving up on my studies. The results proved to me that with success comes hard work and

determination.

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Even after taking on a rather stressful and demanding course in college, I continue to work

hard in all of my assignments in order to be rewarded with success in the near future. The countless

sleepless nights I’ve endured throughout this year have reminded me that success and

accomplishment follow hard work and commitment.

The concept of extrinsic motivation is relevant because I received motivation externally, my

parents being the source. The motivating factors were money, gifts and celebratory dinners. These

rewards provided satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not have provided.

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Entry 2

Date: 20.08.2014

Time: 6.08 pm

Concept: Self-Discrepancy Theory

Transformation

The concept of self-discrepancy theory explains the ultimate source of anxiety and dejection.

The basic premise is that individuals experience anxiety when they feel they have not fulfilled their

duties and obligations, but experience dejection when they feel they have not fulfilled their hopes

and aspirations. According to this theory, throughout the lifespan, individuals learn the duties and

obligations they must fulfil to preclude sudden, adverse events or punishments. When individuals

feel they might not have fulfilled these duties and obligations, they experience an impending sense

of punishment, experienced as agitation and anxiety.

Five years ago upon entering high school, I was a typical teenager – rebellious and defiant.

On the first day of school, I was elected as the Assistant Class Monitor. Despite having a highly

respected position, I spent most of my time out of class, loitering around the school compound. I

took advantage of my post and never thought twice about skipping classes. With the post, I was

given the authority to get in and out of class at any time of the day, as long as I was fulfilling my

duties and keeping the class well-trained. However, nobody kept track of my activities and I was able

to freely do whatever I pleased. A few months passed, I was deemed the most popular girl in the

form and instantly became obsessed with the fame. I spent a lot of time chatting with boys, going

out and attending parties. Education never came to mind, and neither did family. I always behaved

in a rude manner towards my family, but I presume that was solely due to the evolving phase in my

life. All I thought about day and night was friends and boys. They were all I needed to be happy at

the time. Little did I know, it only goes downhill with that mindset.

I often got last in class when it came to studies. I always felt a little upset with the results but

I cheered myself up by talking to the countless number of friends I had. It made me feel better and I

would always promise myself that I would do better in future exams but never did. Maybe it was due

to the fact that I was too caught up in the fame, but I always felt a little disappointed when I glanced

at my exam papers. I knew that I wasn’t fulfilling my mission as a child and a person – to study hard,

to be successful and to return the favour to my parents with the success earned. I experie nced

anxiety and depression for a few months before I knew that something had to be done about the

major slacking.

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The next year, I shifted to a private school, quite a distance away from the previous school.

The culture was far different from the other school and it was definitely harder to make friends. I

spent a lot of my time studying (due to the lack of friends) and attended all classes. It was a major

transformation for me but it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. I was awarded

with good grades and one of the top students in class. Finally, I felt like I fulfilled my obligations and

could not be more contented with life.

The concept of self-discrepancy is relevant because I felt upset when I received bad grades. I

felt that I had not fulfilled my duties and obligations. Throughout the lifespan, I learned the duties

and obligations I needed to fulfil to preclude sudden, adverse events or punishments.

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JOURNAL 3

CHAPTER 3:

Social Cognition: Thinking

About the Social World

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Entry 1

Date: 25.08.2014

Time: 4.46 pm

Concept: The Negativity Bias

The Lost Battle

Negativity bias is the psychological phenomenon by which humans have a greater recall of

unpleasant memories compared with positive memories. People are seen to be much more biased

to the avoidance of negative experiences. They seem to behave in ways that will help them avoid

these events.

It was three years ago when my family went on a cruise for the year-end holidays. We were

enjoying the experience until we noticed that my mom was facing constant bowel issues and had to

rush to the toilet every now and then. As soon as we reached home after the trip, we advised my

mom to undergo a check-up at the doctor’s just in case there was something alarming that needed

to be attended to. She took the advice and proceeded to the hospital the next day. Upon her arrival

back from the hospital, my siblings and I overheard my dad on a phone call with a friend. “How did

your missus do when she had cancer? Yes, Stage 3,” was all I could manage before I zoned out. There

and then, I had it figured. My mother was diagnosed with cancer at stage 3.

I seemed to be the only one who reckoned the situation when I shot a glance at my siblings

with bewildered faces, still putting the puzzle pieces together. I announced the devastating news to

them, breaking into tears midway. Mom emerged from her room an hour later with reddened ey es

and an expressionless face. During dinner, she told us that the doctor had informed her that a

malignant tumour had been found in her colon and it had spread to quite an extent. Overwhelmed

by the news, the rest of us kept quiet and stared at our dinners as Mom storied to us. At that

moment, all I could think of was death.

Mom went through several surgeries in attempt to remove the tumour. I spent a lot of time

going in and out of the hospital, welcoming and chatting with guests who wished to express their

pity for her. She was in agony and I could feel it whenever I looked at her distressed appearance. The

chemotherapy had ruined her and she was losing masses of hair by the second. The excruciating

pain she had to endure during the radiotherapy was unbearable. What was truly inspiring was that

she never complained or moaned and groaned when pain struck her. She was always positive about

it and did not devote any time to bad thoughts.

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Two years had passed. The cancer had spread to her lungs, liver and had affected parts of

her brain. She was thinking like a two-year-old and couldn’t speak fluently. Mumbles were all that

she blurted. She had advanced to Stage 4. She looked miserable on the hospital bed. She was

constantly fidgety due to the immense pain she was suffering from the effects of chemotherapy.

Eventually, she had to be injected with high doses of morphine in order to be able to tolerate the

discomfort.

I spent most of my time in the hospital accompanying her, feeding her and attending to her

needs. I was also in Form 3, so I spent the time in the hospital revising for my PMR examination.

Approaching the exam, Mom had jaundice due to the cancer that had affected her liver. I looked at

her pale face that had a strange shade of yellow from the jaundice and immediately prayed for her.

She muttered words that were unfamiliar to the English language, her glassy eyes staring nowhere.

“She’s going to survive this. She’s the strongest woman I know. She’ll fight this. She’s better than

cancer,” was what I continually muttered to myself day and night.

A few days later, the rest of my family came to the hospital to accompany her as I attended

my weekly tuition class. After class, I rushed back to the hospital so that the rest of my family could

return home as I took charge of accompanying Mom. Little did I know, my favourite person had

passed away during my tuition class. Nobody informed me about the tragic news as they knew I had

to focus in class as my PMR was just around the corner – five days, to be exact. Dropped down to my

knees, I wept in the ward, stroking Mom’s face whilst holding her hand. “You can’t do this to me,” I

said to her.

This heart-breaking story would have been better, if I had explained the happy moments

during Mom’s journey with cancer. Like the time when she received good news from her doctor that

her weight had improved due to her increasing appetite, or how she always showed more love than

she usually did, or how I always told her stories about my daily life while she listened sensibly as she

laid on the hospital bed, or how my family ties strengthened as we bonded in the hospital ward or

during prayer sessions, or how I scored straight A’s for my PMR. Instead, I chose to tell the parts of

the story that lean towards the negative side.

I now avoid consuming all the food and products that my mother might have used as a f orm

of prevention of cancer but do not consider the food consumed when she received good news from

the doctor of the decrease in digits on her tumour marker signifying that her tumour had shrunken.

The concept of negativity bias is relevant because I have a greater recall of unpleasant

memories of my mother’s journey with cancer as compared to positive memories. I am seen to be

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much more biased to the avoidance of negative experiences in this story as I avoid consuming food

that aid in the growth of cancer cells.

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Entry 2

Date: 29.08.2014

Time: 7.50 pm

Concept: Counterfactual Thinking (Upward Counterfactuals)

If Only

Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to

create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred; something that is contrary to

what actually happened. There were a number of instances whereby I was labelled a pessimist. In all

occasions, I anticipate the worst and tend to recall negative memories as opposed to good ones. I

spend a lot of time thinking about past actions and creating substitutions that would have made it a

whole lot better.

I lost my mother to cancer three years ago. “She wouldn’t have passed away if only…” and

“she wouldn’t have been diagnosed with cancer if only…” are phrases I repeat on a daily basis. After

enduring a few months of chemotherapy, we noticed that Mom was deteriorating rapidly and made

the decision to stop the treatment and continue with alternative methods to find a permanent

remedy. During the course of finding a cure, my mother tried different methods that would aid in

the shrinking of her tumour. We ventured out to talk to cancer survivors about their experiences and

approaches on how they managed to banish the tumour. It was more of a trial and error with the

different doctors we sought after.

Along the way, we even visited a traditional Chinese sinseh who gave Mom traditional

medicine that were believed to assist in expelling the tumour. After finding out that it did not help,

we proceeded to a more modern doctor. He gave Mom a ton of medication, hoping to help get rid of

the cancer. She gobbled down 20 capsules three times a day, gulping buckets of water. She

eventually gave up and clandestinely reduced the dosage on her own. When I found out, I told my

dad and he took the initiative to talk to Mom about it. Instantly, I came up with a solution. I offered

to break open the capsules to be dissolved in water so that she could gorge them without having to

endure being full when she still had half of the capsules to take.

In due course, the bitterness of the mixture made her cringe and she could not bear the

taste anymore. In the midst of finding for other methods, Mom’s condition worsened faster than

usual so we had to rush and double the efforts. Mom’s oncologist contacted us and promptly

instructed Mom to resort back to chemotherapy or she would only survive a few more weeks.

Knowing nothing else could be done, Mom went back to the hospital and suffered a few more

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months with chemotherapy. It only took a few months for her body to decline with the torment she

was going through.

There are times when I think back and wish that Mom took extra care of her lifestyle and

diet. If she had, cancer would not have struck her. There are also times when I reminisce and hope

that she didn’t resort to that Chinese sinseh or the unverified doctor. After all, they might have been

the cause of her death. They might have shortened her lifespan. If only she hadn’t eaten all the oily

food that raised her cholesterol level, or the sweet food that fed her cancer tumours. If only.

The concept of counterfactual thinking is relevant because I have a tendency to create

possible alternatives that might have avoided Mom from being diagnosed with cancer, something

contrary to what actually happened.

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JOURNAL 4

CHAPTER 4:

Social Perception: How Do We

Perceive Others?

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Entry 1

Date: 22.09.2014

Time: 2.47 pm

Concept: The Halo Effect

Prejudice

The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an observer's overall impression of a person,

company, brand, or product influences the observer's feelings and thoughts about that entity's

character or properties. Also known as the physical attractiveness stereotype and the "what is

beautiful is good" principle, the halo effect, at the most specific level, refers to the habitual tendency

of people to rate attractive individuals more favourably for their personality traits or characteristics

than those who are less attractive.

I have three siblings. A brother who is 25 years of age and two sisters aged 22 and 21. When

we were babies, my two sisters and I had trouble eating. We never finished the food on our plates

and left more than half of the milk in our baby bottles. My brother, on the other hand, finished all of

his food, our leftovers and even asked for more. I guess it is safe to say that he was more on the

heavier side. He was taunted and bullied in school for being chubby, just as we see in the movies. He

was always insecure and kept his head down whenever he was in public.

Today, my brother is still corpulent and enjoys eating. After graduating with a degree in

Culinary Arts, my brother had a tough time looking for a job. He was often rejected after an

interview and did not know why. Due to his weight, employers did not want to hire him as it would

have been harder to attract customers. Months later, he finally secured a job as a chef. Although he

is plus-sized, he enjoys his job and does not get teased as he is constantly in the kitchen, hidden

from the crowd.

My first sister, contrariwise, happens to be one of the most beautiful girls I know. Since she

was a child, she always received compliments and praises about her looks. She was blessed with a

Eurasian look, despite being fully Chinese. My parents were told that she would grow up into a

beautiful lady, and they were right. Boys often fell for her as they glimpsed at her. Even girls shot

second glances at her as they walked by her with envious eyes. She was used to rejecting invitations

and often encountered boys who asked for her number on a daily basis.

After graduating with a degree in Mass Communication, she was given the opportunity to

pursue her internship in multinational companies without the need to attend interviews. She turned

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down some of the rare opportunities due to their inconvenient locations but still managed to work

in a well-known international firm as a Junior Writer. With the confidence she radiates, she finds her

job very enjoyable and socialises well with people. The contradiction between my brother and sister

proves that the halo effect is a true depiction of how the world operates today.

The concept of halo effect is relevant because the overall impression of my brother and

sister influenced the employer’s feelings and thoughts about their characters. Their employers

portrayed a habitual tendency to rate attractive individuals more favourably for their personality

traits than those who are less attractive.

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Entry 2

Date: 25.10.2014

Time: 6.20 pm

Concept: The Self-Serving Bias

The Blame Game

The self-serving bias refers to our tendency to take personal credit for success while blaming

outside sources for our failures. Essentially, we tend to believe that our successes are due to internal

traits and talents, while our failures are caused by variables outside of our control.

“I inherited this trait from my parent.” I often utter that statement whenever I act unruly or

emit an undesirable behaviour in any given situation. Although in certain circumstances it is obvious

that I am merely at fault, I have a tendency to take advantage of this phrase and blame it on the

genes.

I sometimes disliked the fact that I projected a rather uptight behaviour back when I was in

high school. Whenever it came to group assignments, I was assigned the leader of the group or if I

wasn’t, I gave orders to the leader to be distributed to the members. When a single member did not

fulfil their respective obligations, I would push them until they completed their tasks. I was often

frazzled when members did not cooperate or portrayed a lazy approach. The unnecessary stress I

had put on myself had caused me to lose sleep and frequently skip on meals.

I was invariably ahead of time. I always completed my assignments before the due date so

that I had extra time to seek my teachers and lecturers for approval or if they expressed an

unfavourable opinion, I had sufficient time to improve on any blunders I might have slipped. I have

always abhorred this harried conduct and attempted several times to change this part about myself

but never succeeded. In time, I accepted this behaviour of mine and took the easy way out by

blaming my parents for having passed down this heredity to me.

This uptight behaviour also led me to carry myself as a somewhat competitive person.

Without consciousness, I have acted ruthlessly in certain situations whereby I encountered fellow

opponents. Regardless of how close I was to the “competitors”, I still strived to be the best. This

aggressive demeanour had steered me in the direction of portraying a miserly and ungenerous

being. I often turned down invitations to join study groups due to the fact that I did not want to

share information with other people. On frequent occasions, I behaved crudely to classmates who

scored better on a test and responded offensively to people who wanted to photocopy my

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handwritten notes that I had spent months on. Although I have altered this unpleasant attitude of

mine, I obliviously put the blame on my parents for the genetics and continue to despise the cold

character I used to portray.

The concept of self-serving bias is relevant because I showed a tendency to take personal

credit for success while blaming my parents for my failures. Essentially, I tended to believe that my

failures and undesirable behaviours were caused by variables outside of my control.

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JOURNAL 5

CHAPTER 5:

Attitudes: Making Evaluations

About The World

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Entry 1

Date: 02.10.2014

Concept: 5.15 pm

Time: Planned Behaviour

Change

Planned behaviour is an extension to the theory of reasoned action which incorporates the

construct of perceived behavioural control, these being a person's beliefs about whether or not they

possess the necessary skills and resources to overcome any difficulties in engaging in the behaviour.

In primary school, I was acknowledged as one of the most sociable and outgoing people of

my year. It could have been due to the group of people I was exposed to or the environment I was

brought up in. Either way, I always loved how easily I made friends and how effortless it was to

engage in a close-knit relationship with my teachers. I was constantly invited to parties and social

gatherings. I was even identified as the life of the party by a number of people. It did not affect my

studies as I possessed the skills of balancing between social life and education.

When I entered high school, my behaviour did not change much as most of my friends had

joined the same high school as I did. I was constantly involved in major events hosted by the school

and relished junior life. It was until I received my mid-year examination results when everything

went into a downward spiral. My parents became aware of my grades that were progressively

deteriorating. Soon after, my parents suggested that I transferred to a private school the next year.

Naturally, I refused the transferral, having made so many friends in the current school. My parents

spent half a year attempting to change my mind and getting me to concur with their

recommendation.

It took me a few months to see eye to eye with their intentions after perceiving my vastly

worsened grades. At the new school, I was exposed to students who were more well off as

compared to those in the former school I had attended. This meant that it was harder to make

friends and much more effort was needed in order to approach these fortunate people. I spent four

years with a maximum of forty friends in the school. It was a horrible experience and if I were given

the opportunity to turn back time and switch to a different school, I would. I became an introvert

over time and did not make any effort to socialise with others.

I told myself that I would study hard to compensate for the lack of friends I had. After all,

that was the initial intention of moving to that school. Inevitably, my grades improved as I spent

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most of the time in school completing my homework and revising the syllabus, seeing that no time

was needed for socialising. I promised myself that I would graduate with results good enough to

apply for a scholarship in college, since the long schooling hours meant that I had a lot of time to

study. I also vowed that I would revert back to my vociferous self in college to make up for the

deprivation of friends in high school. I was genuinely convinced and believed that I had the ability to

change my behaviour after four years of being confined in the private school.

As a matter of course, I managed to score straight A’s in SPM and managed to apply for a

scholarship in college. I also accomplished my vow to improve my social skills. Although I’m still

halfway to becoming as easy-going as I was in my younger years, I am generally quite contented with

my efforts in reverting back to my preceding self.

The concept of planned behaviour is relevant because I had a belief that I possessed the

necessary skills and resources to overcome the difficulties in engaging in the behaviour of being

sociable after being transferred to a private school.

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Entry 2

Date: 05.10.2014

Time: 8.35 pm

Concept: Post-Decision Dissonance

Acceptance

Post-decision dissonance refers to strong doubts experienced after making an important,

close-call decision that is difficult to reverse. It basically states that after we make a decision

between two equal options, we get uncomfortable and start to wonder if we made the right

decision. This discomfort causes us to pinpoint all the positives of our chosen option and all the

negatives of the other.

My parents make it a tradition to travel overseas once a year. Each year, they provide a list

of suggestions for their children to choose from. After my mom had passed away, my dad was given

the responsibility to deliver the list of options to us. Knowing it was not an easy task, I assisted him

as he searched for tours that catered to our needs. After scrawling a mixture of ten states and

countries, my siblings and I were given the chance to indicate a few places that we preferred. Among

the locations written were China, Spain/Portugal, New York, Turkey and New Zealand; just to name a

few. Being a Broadway enthusiast, I have always wanted to travel to New York to experience some

of my favourite musicals and theatre performances. The ambiance in New York alone made me feel

excited. Without contemplating the other choices listed, I instantaneously selected New York. The

rest of my siblings had chosen Spain/Portugal.

Knowing that my dad would make the decision based on the majority, I was devastated and

shattered. The excitement that I had felt earlier immediately vanished into thin air. After being

consoled and persuaded by my family, I returned to reality and searched for the places of interest in

Spain and Portugal. Since the trip was only a month away, I did not have much time to buy winter

clothing that suited the weather or plan what I needed to bring.

As we boarded the flight to Spain and Portugal, I could not lose the thought about flying to

my dream destination – New York. I endured the flight and landed with an enlivened perception,

ready to make the best out of the trip. With numb legs, we set foot in the airport and that was when

I immediately noticed the first sign that told me I had made the right decision to follow the rest of

my family to Spain and Portugal. The duration of the flight was long enough that it had deprived our

legs from sensation. If we had travelled to New York, the duration of the fl ight would be more than

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double of what it took to reach Spain. We would not have enjoyed the journey but we would have

spent half of the time complaining about our deadened limbs.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Spain and Portugal for several reasons. Some of which are

the perfect weather that wasn’t too cold or too hot, the intricate medieval architecture they offered

(who wouldn’t revel in the brilliance of Gaudi’s works?) and the scrumptious local cuisine. We were

also given the opportunity to witness the eminent Flamenco dance, originated from Spain. If we had

chosen to travel to New York, we would not have appreciated the weather as it would have been too

cold, or the lack of medieval architecture as opposed to the modern architecture, and not to

mention the long flight we had to bear. I did not regret going on the trip to Spain and Portugal as it

was truly a memorable experience and a fun time bonding with my family members.

The concept of post-decision dissonance is relevant because after making an important

decision between travelling to New York and Spain/Portugal, I felt uncomfortable and started to

wonder if I had made the right decision to go to Spain/Portugal. This discomfort caused me to

pinpoint positive aspects of the trip to Spain and Portugal and all the negative aspects if we had

gone to New York.