2013- 2014 Psychology Class

My name is Melodie Blanchard, known to many as Marie Blanchard. I was a junior at

Central High School and I was enrolled in Mrs. Katie Grafs psychology class. The 2013-14
school year turned out great in our psychology class since not too many seniors caught senioritis.
Throughout the year, we learned many different aspects of psychology and how they relate in
real life. We completed multiple projects, free responses, and tests in order for us to see how well
we understood the material. In this portfolio, you will have a chance to see five of my greatest
works that I accomplished this school year along with a reflection which include a chapter 11
and 12 free response on stress and motivation, a superhero project, Eriksons stages of
development, fractured fairytale project, and What is Abnormal mini-project.
Thank you Mrs. Graf for a great year! I enjoyed the class very much and Im glad I was
enrolled in it.












Chapter 11 and 13 Free Response
Task: This project was based on chapter 11 which focuses on motivation and chapter 13
which focuses on health, stress and coping. The task was to think about a time in my life when
Ive been emotional and under enormous stress and pressure due to work, school, family, etc. I
was then supposed to explain how the drive reduction theory, Maslows hierarchy of needs,
Schaters two-factor theory, Seyles General Adaptation syndrome, and perceived control
contributed to how my motivation, emotions, and/or stress levels at the time.

Learn: Through this project, I understood better how and why I do some of the things I do.
It helped me better understand myself and my characteristics. For example, though the Maslows
Hierarchy of Needs, I was able to understand that my motivation to graduate early arose from the
motives of belongingness and love. Since I was 18 years old and still a junior, I wanted to
graduate at the average age that students graduate from high school I didnt want to be that one
senior who was 19 years old.

Improvements: If I was to do this project over, I would choose very distinct examples of
events to relate in context the terms provided. I used almost the same event with only a few
slight changes in the wording. I would also include more discourse about each term provided.

APA Standards:
Domain 6
Standard Area 1
Content Standard 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3
Superheroes, Villains, Sidekicks, and the Brain
Task: For this mini-project, the task was to make up a superhero, villain, or sidekick for
ten areas of the human brain. Each character must either have a special power and/or special
weaknesses if that part of their brain was super. The mini-project was supposed to include
character descriptions such as a name for the character that references the brain area, a visual for
each character, a description of the characters super powers and/or weaknesses, and the area of
the brain used for that character and what it actually controls in the brain. The parts of the brain
that I chose were: the medulla, the cerebellum, the hippocampus, the amygdale, the occipital lobe,
the primary motor cortex, the right hemisphere, the Brocas Area, the corpus callosum, and the
left hemisphere.
Knowledge Acquired: When our psychology class started the chapter on the brain, I did
not feel confident about it. I had difficulties in trying to memorize different parts of the brain and
the role that each played. Through this mini-project, I was able to break them down each of them
separately. By giving each character a brainy name and a super power accordingly, I was able to
memorize them just by remembering the character that I drew. That also helped me find better
study skills such as having a visual while studying.
Improvements: If I were to do this project over, I would first choose other cool brainy
names for my characters because although I remembered them, they did not remember them as
easily as I would remember a weird word. I would also do a grammar check because I have a few
grammar mistakes.
APA Standards:
Domain 2
Standard Area 1
Content Standard 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1

Eriksons Stages of Development
Task: Chapter 12 was about human development in which many early psychologists such
as Piaget, Kohlberg, and Erikson provided a theory in which they identify the stages of human
development. We wrote a free response on Eriksons psychosocial stages which includes trust vs.
mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identify vs.
role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. isolation, and ego integrity vs. despair.
The task for this project was to list and describe the eight stages of Eriksons theory, while
including the conflict that occurs at each stage and discussing the outcome of resolving each
conflict in different ways; in addition, we had to also give a personal example from our own life
or someone we may know.
Knowledge Acquired: Through this free response, I was able to relate Eriksons stages
of development in real life which improved my understanding of the stages. By applying those
stages to my own personal life, I was able to distinguish some truths in Eriksons stages although
it was just a theory. Through this assignment, I also learned to look beyond the words provided
and seek their true meaning.
Improvements: If I were to complete this assignment over, I would try to be a little bit
more specific in my description of each stage because I felt that a few of them were very vague. I
would also go back and edit because it has a few grammar problems in there.
APA Standard:
Domain 3
Standard Area 1
Content standard 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 4.3, 6.3, and 7.2


Fractured Fairy Tale
Task: Our task for this project was to rewrite a fairy tale in which the main character has
one or more of the psychology disorders. The new version of the fairy tale must closely resemble
the old fairy tale in which we would add 10 or more psychology terms throughout the story. The
final copy of our fairytale should have included the rewritten fairy tale, the disorder(s) our
character has along with the DSM-IV definition o its specific disorder, and a list of our 10
psychological terms included in our story. My fairy tale was The Emperors New Clothes.
Knowledge Acquired: I was able to identify many different disorders in things as simple
as fairy tales. I was able to apply what I learned from the classroom to everyday events. I tried to
study these words; however I wasnt able to retain them. Once I finished that assignment, I was
able to remember multiple disorders and other psychology terms.
Improvements: If I were to do this assignment over I would add more psychology terms
because the fairy tale was long and the 10 psychology vocabularies that I included was not
sufficient to get my point across. Maybe I should have started early instead of procrastinating.
APA Standard:
Domain 6
Standard Area 4
Content Standards 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4






What is Abnormal?
Task: This assignment required that I observed a variety of behaviors by different people
in different settings. I had to select a behavior that I deemed abnormal and write a description of
that behavior. I had to explain why I thought this behavior was abnormal using the four criterions
to explain abnormalities: statistical infrequency, norm violation, personal suffering, and practical
approach. I was then supposed to pay attention to some of my own behaviors and write a
description of one of my behaviors that would be considered as abnormal, then explain these
behaviors using the four criterions.
Knowledge Acquired: I learned that not all behaviors that some people have are abnormal;
it could be due to a cultural difference. For example, my ex stepmother is Haitian and in Haiti,
you dont go to the doctor unless youre dying. That explained why, although she was a victim of
food poisoning multiple times, she never went to the doctor.
Improvements: If I were to do this assignment over again, I would change the topic I
wrote it on, because I felt like I violated someone elses privacy. Or maybe I could have just
identified her as anonymous; it would have been more ethical.
APA Standards:
Domain 6
Standard Area 4
Content standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.5