Annotated bibliography

UWRT-1102-91

David Clancy

"Interview with Various Family Members." Personal interview. 29 Oct. 2015.

I interviewed my mother, father, and grandmother on topics related to
motivation. Things talked about related to how they handled my
brothers Autism to divorce. I can relate this to my topic as I asked
questions specifically relating to my research paper. The information
gathered will help with various parts of my project.
REFLECTION:
This is a Primary Source: The questions and related answers focus on
what kept these individuals motivated through tough times. Things
that were inquired about include: my brothers Autism diagnosis and
care, my grandmothers divorce, and my fathers constant moving
around. I will use this information to add a personal touch to the
project and a bit of information relating to motivation in difficult
situations. My list of sources are only the three individuals listed in the
citation, and is not exhaustive. During the interviews, I was very
determined to keep them as sterile from personal biases as possible,
however sometimes informal names were used. This is a very specific
case of three individuals who are related to me, and their struggles.
The intended audience is whoever is reading the paper, so for the most
part, the interview was made with Professor Intawiwat in mind. The
interview helped me understand motivations and many things in my
own life. Conducting this interview did change how I viewed a few
things in my life.

Annotated bibliography

UWRT-1102-91

David Clancy

Wein, Simon. "Heroism and the Fear of Death." Journal of Palliative Medicine
15.7 (2012): 731-32. PsycINFO. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
Simon Wein, MD has written many papers about how the human perception
of death motivates our actions. He examines how the fear of death is
in everyday life and how we as humans overcome these obstacles. The
source talks about how things as dark humor are also involved in our
desire to exist. Wein examines the aspects of our personalities that
drive us to become heros and how this in turn drive our personalities.
My paper discusses the reasons humans strive to achieve high goals.
REFLECTION:
This is a Secondary Source: This article focuses on why death is so
motivational, how it affects us and what effects it has on seemingly
unrelated areas in daily life. I will use this information to elaborate on
the main research question I have presented, which is: Why do
humans try to accomplish great things? The author, in his footnotes,
provides a list of psychological articles and papers that might be useful
for my assignment. These footnotes also act as academic sources,
validating the claims made in the authors argument. The intended
audience is a general audience of the public, as the wording is not
heavily laden with incomprehensible vocabulary. Moreover, the text is
simple to digest in one reading and is very short in comparison to other
works in academia. Though the argument is thorough, my opinion is
still that I am unsure of the matter.
This article is related to my topic as it shares the need to understand
the intention of those who do uncommon actions.

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UWRT-1102-91

David Clancy

Orehek, Edward, Jo A. Sasota, Arie W. Kruglanski, Mark Dechesne, and

Leianna Ridgeway. "Interdependent Self-construals Mitigate the Fear of
Death and Augment the Willingness to Become a Martyr." Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology 107.2 (2014): 265-75. PsycINFO.
Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
The authors of this paper are employed at various universities, the majority
in their respective department of psychology. One author is employed
in the Center for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague. The article is
comprised of the results of five tests to measure the motivations of
certain individuals. Results are then followed by interpretations by the
experts listed in the citation. I will use this as part of my analysis of the
human psyche into the reasoning behind certain reactions of humanity.
REFLECTION:
This is a Secondary Source: This article is based on the experiments
carried out by the various authors and the discussion of the results.
The experiments were mainly about the prospect of being a martyr and
the effects on the subjects. I will use this information to back up any
arguments I may make regarding the death motivator and the
response on human beings. The experiments will be invaluable in the
validity of my arguments. At the end of this paper, there are two pages
of references that may be useful in acquiring more information. This

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David Clancy

paper is completely academic inquiry, as there is no trace of opinion

and a large variety of sources. This is a specific overview of how
humans strive to be more than martyrs. The intended audience is
clearly academic, it has all the hallmarks of a research paper. Research
in this source allowed me to gain valuable insight in the darkest logic
that our species possesses. It reaffirmed my previously held beliefs
from previous reseach.

Hussak, Larisa J., and Andrei Cimpian. "An Early-emerging Explanatory

Heuristic Promotes Support for the Status Quo." Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology 109.5 (2015): 739-52. PsycINFO. Web. 31 Oct.
2015.
The author is employed by the University of Illinois in the psychology
department. This article talks about what creates the status quo in
politics. There are mentions of why humans fall into docile activities in
relation to voting cycles. I will use this in my paper as a counter
argument to the main points of the paper.
REFLECTION:
The article in question focuses on a few topics such as how young
children tend to vote with the crowd on topics they seem to be correct.
I will use this information as a counterbalance to the majority of the
paper, which focuses on why humans break the status quo. The
authors included a three pages of sources that could be used in my
paper in the future. The text is completely academic with no opinion

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David Clancy

possible in the entirety of the paper. All of the items are backed up with
facts. This is general in that the surveyed were random individuals on
the Internet. The intended audience is an academic one, with graphs
and sources galore. The source did not change my opinions on the
issue and I understood the studies involved.

Hogenboom, Melissa. "The Traits That Make Human Beings Unique."

Bbc.com. British Broadcasting Corporation, 6 July 2015. Web. 31 Oct.
2015.
Hogenboom has been employed by the British Broadcasting Corporation for
six years, as a journalist and producer and has major input in multiple
documentaries. The article contains multiple motivational reasons for
things in human history. Some things listed are the nuclear bombings
of Japan, the extinction of the Neanderthals, and the migration out of
Africa. I can use this information to articulate points on human
motivations.
REFLECTION:
This is an Internet Source: The article focuses on different theories on
motivation during the times of human development. I will use the

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David Clancy

information provided to show how people have acted throughout time

and changing cultures. There are no references provided, however
there are quotes from a few academic sources sprinkled throughout.
The article could be based in opinion, as there is no information to
dispute the claims made, and no opposing opinion. The article is very
general, as the examples that are made are broad on the human race
as a whole, with nothing commenting on different cultures or belief
systems. Hogenboom made this article for the general public, the
wording is very basic and easy to understand. It has allowed me to
understand public opinion regarding the fact but did not change my
thinking on the topic.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print. 12 Oct.
2015.
Jon Krakauer wrote for the Outside magazine, a publication for people
interested in adventuring in the outdoors. He has experience with
deadly situations, as on a climb of Mt. Everest, four of his companions
died during the expedition. This is a Book Source: This book tells the
story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who traveled the United
States and died near the Denali national park. It includes information

Annotated bibliography

UWRT-1102-91

David Clancy

from his journals, testimony from people who knew him, and
speculation on where he traveled. Some chapters have anecdotes
about others who have done similar adventures, or about how he
touched those around him. This book relates to my topic because it has
an undertone of the inevitable end. It has helped me also understand
some logic behind doing what seems impossible.
REFLECTION:
This book based on Chris McCandless focuses on four main issues.
These are human resilience, societys effect on the individual, lineage,
and the fragility of life. I will use this information to elaborate on my
topic, which is the question of why humans have a need to be the
greatest human. The author gives a list of people who have tried to
become the greatest human they have become, mostly by trying (and
all failing) to achieve symbiosis with the environment. The text is
almost completely fact, supported by evidence from firsthand accounts
and physical evidence. The book is an in depth look at McCandless
time as Alex Supertramp and details all available information on the
subject. Although written for people with little knowledge of the event,
it is written in a way that can be dissected as a case study into the
mind of people with eccentricities. This book helped me understand
individuals who strive for greatness by showing a story of an individual
similar to me, as a white American in his 20s from the east coast. It
changed that way that I thought about people who strive for greatness.
Previously, I believed that greatness was sought after by vain
individuals who only wanted attention and financial gain. This work,
however, has showed me that greatness is requested by us all, as a
part of the human psyche.