Brenyanah Gassaway

Mrs. Thomas

UWRT 1104

23 February 2017

How is normality actually defined vs how society defines it?

Reflection 1: I feel like as developing teens and adults we face judgement of being ourselves

every day. We don't know what to say or how to say things in certain environments depending on

how comfortable we are in it. Growing up I faced many challenges being myself and being

comfortable in my skin because they people around me were different. Being normal to me was

wearing jackets in public no matter what temperature it was, crying when things aren't going

right, eating whenever I feel hungry, and speaking on how I feel. But growing up, I realized that

my peers are different, and some things they wouldn't understand. My inquiry question focus on

how normality is interpreted through society as for what the true meaning of being normal.

Reflection 2: Revising and editing my paper made me realize I can form my paper in a different

matter. I can take the idea of being normal and incorporate it to the differences between women

and men today. I still want to focus on the psychological part of writing my paper and how

society view the demand, but I am also going to incorporate my essay to the different gender

affects also. The most difficulty I had writing my inquiry proposal was finding the topic I wanted

to write about, now I am very comfortable with my topic and creating a product my classmates

can relate.

It was hard thinking of something to research about and creating a long paper to. I didn't

know what topics interested my mind until I sat on google and researched writing topics. And

then I got an idea, it was a very wise idea, what else is intimidatingly interesting other than
psychology. Psychology is the science way of studying the functions and properties of the human

mind. I know there are various and diverse questions and answers to how the human body acts

and responds. But who decides if that's right? Who decides what's normal or proper? This

specific topic caught my interest because who has factual research to back up what one believes

is true. I have encountered so many different opinions on how things are supposed to be, but I'm

not sure myself if that's the right way to live life. Then I thought what's a good research paper

that can stimulate my readers mind directly, and I decided on how society views the normal act

of living versus how it's actually pertained through psychologist.

I have grown up learning and experiencing different living environments through my life

and each one were very different. The guardians and my peers that I have interacted with all have

been through different backgrounds and living situations. This for me made me realize that I had

to quickly learn to adapt to different living environments and settings. For example, living with

my grandparents I had to learn to cook for myself, but living with my boyfriend I had to learn to

not go into their kitchen Willy-nilly. Ive always had to open my mind and not be quick to look

down on how someone else is because everyone learns how to live differently. Sometimes I have

to make sure that the way I present myself was simple and true to whom I really am. I began to

think before I took action growing up or even before I said anything, because what's normal to

someone could be looked at weird to another. I remember in elementary school I didn't realize I

had a lisp when I talked but my classmates recognized fast. I was picked and slandered for my

lisp but I couldn't control it or help it, it was normal to me.

This subject of normality sparked my attention because coming to college was a different

chapter in my life. The normal things I was use to was tested since I began my freshman year at

UNCC. I have met many different cultures that I never thought I would meet, I have worked with
people I might not could understand what they are saying, but I have been judged and looked at

different also. I realized that in a classroom setting, the diversity is high and some things that are

expressed are vaguely different than the person one might be sitting beside. This research topic

should cover how the American society today negatively or positively opinionate the action of

others around us, and what's the psychological view of a normal life.

To find different perspectives on my title, I will look into TEDTalks, scientific research,

and the opinions of the people around me. I will focus on what's the normal way of living of the

American dream versus how society interprets these actions. I can also get perspectives from

media by making polls and questions that I can get a variety of answers not only from the UNCC

campus community. I want to base my evidence on the questions that stem through my head on

how is normality determined. Is there one way to live only? What does psychologist and the

community believe?

My inquiry question stimulates everyone's mind, it should be important to my classmates today

for them to have an open mind to everyone. Everybody has their own way of thinking, of what

they believe should be accomplished in life. I think that my question will give my classmates a

different perspective with sources and facts to back it up. I also think it will be more interesting

and connecting to the UNCC community if a survey or poll is done to get the opinions of my

peers.