When the time came to begin searching for colleges, I had a few basic criteria. The school had to have a great pre-med track/program, it had to be reasonably close to home, they had to offer me a good financial aid package, and it had to be a place where I felt truly welcomed.

I am actually from Sherman so I never really considered Austin College since I had always thought about moving away to a bigger city. Therefore, I visited multiple schools always taking note of the distance from home and the environment I encountered when I got there. By the middle of my senior year, I still had not found a school that I loved so I gave Austin College a shot. I visited the school (since I had never been on campus) and completely fell in love. What I liked the most was the warm environment. Everyone was very welcoming and since it is such a small school, I felt like I could make it my home. The other schools I had visited felt so huge and I just knew I was going to get lost on campus and in the crowd and it would be much harder for me to make friends and feel at home in such a large and overwhelming place.

Therefore, I think the psychological motivation of affiliation played a very big role. I wanted to find a place where I could easily find new friends and a place where I could feel secure. I also wanted to stay close to home since I felt the need to stay connected to them. I also think my motivation is part of the Incentive Theory. Pursuing a medical career is something that is intrinsically motivating. It is something that I am passionate about and it is also something that I feel I have to do in order to meet the self-actualization and self-worth needs discussed in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I wanted to attend a school with a good pre-med program that would allow me to pursue my goal and meet these needs.

When motivation for schools starts to get lower, one of the things that could help would be to create incentives for myself. Establishing some incentives would create an additional extrinsic motivation to reach my goals. For example, I make daily to-do lists but sometimes I don’t accomplish everything on them simply because I’m feeling lazy. However, if I say that I will take a trip to the frozen yogurt shop if I finish all of my work, then I will be more likely to accomplish everything. Another idea that may be helpful would be to refocus on why I am in school and what I am working so hard for. I am passionate about becoming a doctor and serving others through my career. This purpose, however, can easily get lost in the midst of stressful Organic Chemistry exams and upcoming deadlines. By refocusing on this self-actualization need and the bigger purpose, I can regain my motivation to continue pushing through and make it to the end.

I definitely have higher levels of motivation for school at different times in the school year. At the beginning of the year, I have very high motivation and want to get good grades to have a high gpa, and at this point in the school year, I have an all time low in motivation. Right before finals and when the weather is getting warmer, I find it really easy to slack off. I came to this school because I wanted to have a good education with a high focus on academics and also be able to play volleyball.

          The incentive theory of motivation explains my motives to come to Austin College pretty well. According to the incentive theory, we are motivated to do things by external incentives. In other words, we are externally motivated. This means that external stimuli or outside events influence how we behave. I think I came to Austin College because I wanted to get a good degree and then eventually earn enough money to support myself. This is an example of a secondary incentive, as money is rewarding because I have associated it with other rewarding things, such as food. Food itself is a primary incentive, since no one needs to be taught that food is rewarding and is a biological need.

          Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can also be used to explain my desire to attend AC. Maslow places basic human needs in the order they need to be fulfilled. First are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and finally, self-actualization needs. Since my physiological needs, safety needs, and belonging and love needs were taken care of by my family, going to school may be a way to secure these needs by myself. By having a college degree, I will (hopefully) be able to secure my basic needs and work towards self-actualization.

          Since I am planning an intervention to help keep myself motivated until graduation, I will use incentive theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to help stay focused on why I came to AC in the first place. Whenever I feel unmotivated, I will focus on my law school application and eventual career. This will help me motivate using external incentives. I will also bribe myself to complete assignments using incentives, such as breaks or snacks. I will also use the hierarchy of needs to remind myself that if my physiological and safety needs are not met if I don’t get a degree, I will never be able to focus on higher needs such as esteem and self-actualization needs. If I can associate eventual happiness with success in school, I should be able to motivate myself enough to reach graduation!

I was motivated to come to Austin College because I felt it was where I could optimize my  success. The potential to study abroad as well as be well-equipped for my application process to medical school also fed into my motivation to come to Austin College. Furthermore, I want to have a comfortable life with a family and I need a stable career to do so and came to Austin College, as a step towards that career. The study abroad factor is related to the incentive theory of motivation in that the possibility of going to another country motivated me to come to this school. The ability to immerse myself in social settings can be seen as an intrinsic motivation factor that led me to come to this school. Thr hierarchy of needs theory focuses on meeting basic biological needs such as eating and drinking first, before acting on desires. My desire to live a comfortable life is a motivation factor that fits into this hierarchy of needs theory. An intervention for me to maintain my motivation for earning my degree at Austin College is focused on the psychologically motitvating factor of achievement. Setting goals and consistently achieving those goals will help me stay motivated in my years here at Austin College.

There are so many ways that ones motivation level could go up or down. For me, certain times of the year and the classes I’m taking influence my motivation level. I wanted to come to Austin College for a couple reason, some reasons were more practical while other reasons were a bit more thought out. Austin college for one, is very close to my home which is only 45 minutes away. Another, Austin College’s acceptance rate into medical schools was very high. I saw this as the first step towards medical school, it would increase my chances in my career pathway and moreover my job satisfaction which is exactly what Herzberg’s two factor theory talks about. In his theory, certain factors causes job satisfaction while certain factors causes dissatisfaction. Secondly, I wanted to go to a school that had small class sizes I thought that Austin College would be a good fit for that. I wanted to have a proper relationship with my professors and peers, feel confident in my work, and achieve everything that I possibly could. My second reason for attending Austin College is summed-up in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are 5 levels: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Love/belonging talks about building friendship, esteem is to feel confident and respected by others and self-actualization is the desire to achieve everything you possibly can and be the best that you can be. These reasons quite literally sum up why I chose Austin College as my undergraduate school.

Staying motivated through one semester let alone all 4 years is difficult! To maintain motivation to succeed until graduation, I would take the help of my professors, peers, and family. My family the most, I would ask them to hold me accountable for things that need to get done. I would also do my work ahead of time so the closer a due date would come I wouldn’t be so stresses to finish and and be more motivated to do the work with my best effort. I would find students in the same classes as I am and try to study with them. All in all, I am glad that I chose Austin College as mu undergraduate school and I am hopeful that this school will prepare me for my future endeavors.

This week we were asked to discuss a new mental health disorder called orthorexia, in which eating healthy food has become an obsession. Some of the criteria are presented here: http://www.orthorexia.com/orthorexia-proposed-formal-criteria/. It seems to me that these criteria are a good boundary between normal healthy eating and obsessive healthy eating, because the criteria presented here represent the point at which healthy eating is no longer good for you. In other words, this is the point when eating healthy begins to have adverse effects on your life. According to the criteria here, your perception of yourself is influenced very heavily on how well you adhere to the dietary restrictions you have placed on yourself, and if you deviate it can cause you anxiety, shame, and negative physical sensations. Here are two more sources that discuss orthorexia: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa,  http://www.timberlineknolls.com/eating-disorder/orthorexia/signs-effects/. Both of these sources seem credible, however the first seems more credible as it was written by a PHD. That being said, both sources provided very similar information that was consistent with the link provided in the prompt. These two sources enforced my belief that this is a disorder, because some of the information provided made me think of some friends I have who have taken eating healthy to such an extreme that their health seems to be at risk. I actually find this very interesting because I have often thought that this should be a disorder because it seems no different to me than other eating disorders. Compulsive dietary choices that have adverse health effects. Perhaps that has made me biased towards thinking these criteria are a good start to defining this disorder, but maybe not. Hope you enjoyed reading!

Contrary to popular belief, living as a college student is not easy. Although you have more freedom when it comes to social engagments and class-picking, life in college is really an opportunity for reality to hit you….hard. For example, most college students do not always have the best financial or roommate situation. At some point, the average college student just ends up glaring at their roommate who just walked in while in the process of eating out of a “just add water” cup of mac and cheese. For me specifically, the 8 ams, hard classes, and 3 hour labs make it hard to stay motivated. I originally chose to come to Austin College because I received a great scholarship and was told it was a great school to study pre-medicine. It can be hard for me to stay focused and motivated on my goals after receiving a low grade in organic chemistry, for example, or having to wake up for an 8 am class, which is ironic considering I had to do this everyday for most of my life. This year in particular has been the toughest yet, and I think the Incentive Theory best explains why I not only was motivated to come to college, but why I am still motivated to stay as a pre-med student.

Incentive theory basically emphasizes the effects of external stimuli on behavior, as it states that behaviors are controlled primarily by external motives. In my case, I am entrinsically motivated by secondary incentives, which means my motivation stems from external stimuli which are viewed as rewarding as a result of my association of them with other pleasures. I think this theory fits my style of motivation because it acknowledges the role of the future and I am a person who always thinks about the future; it can be hard for me to live in the present. Whenever my alarm goes off at 7:30 am or whenever I feel annoyed about having to go to OChem lab, I will take a few breaths, relax, and think of the future. By succesfully completing these courses, I will be able to go to medical school, so as to work as a doctor. The incentive here is working as a doctor. My mind associates this job with several rewards, including happiness as a result of doing someting I love, the many potential patients I will help save, and of course the living and respect I will earn. In addition, motivation to study for a hard class stems from knowing that if I study, I will make a good grade. Again, the incentive here is the good grade. In my mind, I associate good grades with feeling happy as a result of my hard work paying off, a good grade for that class in the long run, a good GPA, and a sense of achievement.

This idea of achievement also reflects another theory which I think describes why most people are motivated: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This theory also emphasizes the role of the future in motivation. Specifcially, the top two levels, the needs for self-worth and self-actualization, play an important role in the lives of students. These levels are what motivate us in our academic achievements and in trying to be the best we can be at what we do. As in high school, I think I will best be able to maintain motivation until graduation by always working towards the future. Anytime I have low motivation, my “intervention” will be to relax, think about if/how the beneifts of what I am doing outweigh the costs, and then apply these benefits towards my future life.

It’s very unclear to me how a simple lifestyle change like eating a salad instead of a burger, or some fruit instead of candy can be labeled as a mental disorder. Just because a person enjoys eating healthy, or forces themselves to make healthy choices in no way strikes me as being a mental disorder.Eating healthy is something you are supposed to do to keep your body functioning and provide your body with necessary nutrients. It should not be labeled as a disorder. Eating healthy has many different benefits and Americans should be accustomed to eating this way.  The obesity epidemic in our country has gradually risen over time and continues to rise because of the unhealthy choices people are making without thinking about the long term effects of these  choices. Grilled salmon and asparagus versus a McDonald’s  burger and fries is obviously the healthier option, but the healthier option isn’t always the tastier and more satisfying one.

After reading the proposed criteria I noticed some distinct withdrawals and effects from orthorexia nervosa that I believe are completely true however not everything within the criteria I deemed factual in some cases and not at all in others. Some of the statements made in criteria A seemed to have some exaggeration involved of just how people with this actually felt. Moreover I strongly disagree that severe weight loss is the result of malnutrition when relating it to orthorexia. I couldn’t help but acknowledge that there are potentially ties with this disorder and anorexia or bulimia nervosa. In all, eating healthy should not be considered an eating disorder because the boundary between eating healthy and having a mental disorder is not greatly set. I did not think my opinion however after reading the first article my it has slightly. It has convinced me a bit more that orthorexia could actually be a mental disorder when it gave an details on someone who has experienced such. It described the boundary between eating healthy and orthorexia more. In the second article, the possible origins of this disorder is discussed and how people could possibly develop this disorder followed by noticeable negative effects from the disorder. Similar to the first article, this one gives more insight of the disorder and its negative effects also mentioning the distinct differences between simply eating healthy and eating healthy to the point where it becomes unhealthy a.k.a orthorexia. On a final note while I had a big disbelief of orthorexia nervosa in the beginning, I now believe that it is an actual disorder that is trending within our society more than ever today and more people need to be aware of this disorder to prevent it from ever occurring to a friend, loved one, or even to themselves.

 Sources

http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/diseases-and-conditions/eating-disorders/orthorexia-an-obsession-with-eating-pure

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa

I was shocked when I learned eating too healthy can be labeled a disease and unhealthy. Reading the criteria for orthorexia, I have both critical and positive comments. As I still do not understand how healthy eating can be excessive and a negative issue, the criteria does create a foundation for the topic to be explored more in-depth. It explains an emotional aspect (which I believe could be the only potential issue with obsessive healthy eating) as well as the dangers of cleanses and the obsession to reach and maintain a “fit” body. My critical comments mainly involve this: people can read this criteria and take away to stop eating too much healthy foods, before they get orthorexia. And that should not be the case at all. Especially with obesity being such a big issue in our country, the fear of orthorexia does not help.

Jacquelyn Ekern and Crystal Karges defined and described in better detail what orthorexia actually is. I did not get a complete concept from the first criteria, but this article gave me a better understanding. When they defined orthorexia, I was still skeptical about the seriousness of the disorder. They went on to explain it can lead to unhealthy dieting and cleansing. From watching other people experience this firsthand, excessive cleanses and programs can lead to lack of nutrition and unhealthy weight loss. Although weight loss is not necessarily the goal of people with orthorexia, it can definitely be an outcome to it. Symptoms of orthorexia include:

• “Elimination of entire food groups in attempt for a “clean” or “perfect” diet
• Severe anxiety regarding how food is prepared
• Avoidance of social events involving food for fear of being unable to comply with diet
• Thinking critically of others who do not follow strict diets
• Spending extreme amounts of time and money in meal planning and food choices
• Feelings of guilt or shame when unable to adhere to diet standards
• Feeling fulfilled or virtuous from eating “healthy” while losing interest in other activities once enjoyed.”

I found this article to be trustworthy. Credible references are cited, every piece of information is thoroughly explained, and the authors had a purpose to write this.

Dr. Karin Kartina provides origin and history about the term. Dr. Steven Bratman formed “orthorexia” in 1996, not as a diagnosis, but as a way to describe his health-obsessed patients. Usually someone with orthorexia is diagnosed based on health reasons, but other factors such as lack of safety from poor health, desire for complete control,  desire to escape from fears, wanting to be thin, wanting to improve self-esteem, and using food to create an identity. Severe cases can involve social isolation because their lives are centered around food and planning for food. I found Dr. Kartina to be a credible source, as her schooling background would agree. Her information provided also came from credible sources.

At first, I was confused hearing about this disorder because what could be better than only wanting to eat healthy foods? But, the articles gave me perspective by adding in components such as diet plans, weight loss as a result, etc. Deciding if someone is just unhealthy or actually has a mental disorder is difficult. When symptoms like social isolation, weight loss, or any severe and potentially harmful things are involved, the person probably has the mental disorder.

Sources:

http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/orthorexia-excessive-exercise/understand-orthorexia

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa