week 8 lantz

Week 8

Chapter 13

                The last chapter is putting everything we read together. This chapter is super handy for stating the jobs and ways to use psychology in jobs and in life. Even giving a list of jobs that utilize psychology. The chapter says, “The field of life span development recognizes the impact that psychology has on all aspects of our lives and that we are all stakeholders in the outcomes (pg. 301.) I believe this is true. Especially because everyone is affected by the actions of others.

                Reading about ways to use what we read in this book was so nice especially after reading many of people’s introductions to this class about being nervous or hoping to actually learn something from the class. I believe this chapter will help those and many other people who have their doubts because it lists not only careers that utilize lifespan psychology, it also talks about how it is used in leadership roles.  My old boss and a family friend runs a golf course. He went to college. Many would guess he had a degree in business but actually he has a degree in psychology and sociology. He has told me it helps him deal with customers on a daily basis but for long term it is how the environment around has affected customers.

The chapter says psychology is referred to as a helping profession. It is because it helps other professions in different ways. For example psychology is used in advertising and marketing by using what ages or genders to properly market to. Also what colors properly show off what to sell. What I mean is a certain presentation of color can affect a person’s mood to buy or even eat. It is the Psychology of color. It is the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious.

This is actually a big concept of the art world for selling art. Now studio art is a bit different because it is usually trying to make a statement but for other aspects the area to sell art is what is applicable to the bigger mass of people. What makes them comfortable, and is “nice.”  I quote nice because it is boring. It is overarching calming and pleasant to look at and that’s about it.  It is a basic cliché for Fads. For example look at Christmas cards, the snowy cottage in a forest. Those are usually by the artist Thomas Kinkade.  He paints other works very similar to this one. They sell for millions and yet they are all so similar it is lackluster.

Now in conflict to Thomas Kinkade, look at most art pieces in any museum, especially modern art wings. They have an artist statement that directs the viewers’ attention to what they see, even if its gruesome or simply a nude. The best question to ask here is would you feel comfortable to hang such a work in your house? Unfortunately the answer usually is a no. Think about what you look at and how it functions with a basic form of psychology and why they want you to think about what is in front of you.