Our Cheating H E A R T

1. What is the thesis of the article? (One or two sentences only.)

It is that humans are not designed to be monogamous. In other word, due to evolution, humans tend to be more polygamous, or having more than one mates throughout their life.

2. In what ways are the strategies employed by men and women to pass on the next generation at odds?

The men employ the strategies of cheating on their mates by looking for every chance that they can reproduce in other to pass on their genes and keep their traits away from extinction. On the other hand, women tend to look for the healthiest and strongest males with favorable traits to provide them with fertile offspring. However, women also seek comfort and protection from their existing spouses.

3. What conclusion does the article draw about monogamy?

It tries to convey to us that we, human, are not designed to stay with one mate for our life, but to be polygamous. In other words, we are more likely to cheat on our spouses for the fact that our biological structures and survival instincts are telling us to find more and more fertile mates and look for opportunity to reproduce. Not only biological factors that influence our mating behaviors, what seems to be the reasons that people tend to cheat on their spouse are sociological factors such as money and fame. Moreover, it is not only up to our genes that determine our fidelity to our spouses, but also our moral and decisions.

4.) In your own words explain the last paragraph of the article.

It is saying that humans are moral since we have our own ability to make judgments and reasoning skills. However, we are naturally not moral beings. We are what and who we choose to be, it is our awareness that makes us moral.

5. What are you personal reactions to the article?

I felt that this is a controversial topic since being unfaithful to one’s mate is considered immoral in almost every society in the world. However, it is right for the author to say that deep down inside each and every one of us, we are polygamous animals since the theory has been proven valid by many researchers and scientist. I have to agree with the author that we are monogamous or polygamous by our moral and reasons, or ability that separate humans from animals. It is up to us to decide whether we would be moral and live according to the rules and obligations of the society, or be no different from the animals on discovery channel.=)

Principles of Biological Psychology

This perspective believes that every single behavior, thought, and feelings are from the cause of chemicals reactions and cell activities in our body, meaning that what goes on in our minds are of the effects of chemicals and that our body and mind are related. Moreover, the body, though seems to be a complicated structure, can be divided into systems and many subsystems and that a complex mental process can be traced back to the simplest part of our nervous system, the neuron, that signifies whether the body will or will not generate a reaction, this is know as the all or nothing theory, or fire or not fire. Biological Psychology also focuses on how each of our brain hemispheres works and coordinates. Each of the hemispheres has its own unique ability; the left hemisphere is involved with language skills, and the right hemisphere is involved with spatial skills. The fact that our hemispheres are intact makes it possible for the left and right hemisphere to communicate and transfer the information that suits the tasks of the brain. In addition, although adult is more sophisticated and intelligent than babies, babies seem to have a lot more neurons than adults. Why? It is that the nervous system and the brain of a child are like a blank paper, and that the unnecessary neurons will be eliminated throughout the development of the brain. In other words, the child’s brain interacts with the surroundings and experiences and that what is necessary will be kept in order to survive.

The Boy Without a Penis

This story of a boy who had his penis operated off during a circumstition that went wrong is a solid example of the 'big issue' that psychologists around the world are arguing about: nature vs. Nurture.
During the 1960's, people tended to believe that behaviors of human are shaped by their past experiences and how they are raised. However, the case of David Reimer changed the whole idea. His family intended to raise him up as a girl, but the hormones in David opposed. I believe that David had suffered a lot through his life mentally. He had been traumatized by the fact that he was deceived by everyone around him and was distressed when he was rejected from society during his teenage. That would probably left him with a scar that would not heal by time, resulting in a tragic ending when David decided to commit suicide after losing his jobs and being seperated with his wife when he was 38.
This has proved to the world that it is not only how a person is raised affects his/her behaviors, but it is also the biological factors; the genes and hormones, that play significant roles in determining one's behavior. This case of a boy without a penis, though ended tragically, has contributed greatly to the study of psychology and opened the eyes of many psychologists.