Lee Mead outside the Adelphi
Author: JeannetGenie
Keywords: 046
Added: December 4, 2008
On the first day of any of the psychology courses she teaches, Janis Walters sets a key expectation for her students.
I tell them that by the end of the course, they should have a grasp of basic psychological concepts, says Walters, an associate professor in BMCCs Psychology Department. But more importantly, they should be able to apply them in their everyday life. The proper study of psychology, she explains, goes beyond textbooks and theories. The challenge is to get away from the dryness of theory and make it real.
Walters teaches courses in personality development and abnormal psychology; in all cases, she avoids framing concepts in terms of moral absolutes—right vs. wrong—pushing her students instead to understand who a person is, based on where they came from, their experiences, and all the social, economic cultural and environmental factors that shape personality.
How personalities are formed
By the same token, Walters has little use for the timeworn nurture vs. nature debate. Actually, I think most serious psychologists now believe the debate is outdated and that personalities are formed by a combination of inherited and acquired traits, she says. Most people in the field agree that neurotransmitters affect our behavior, but neurotransmitters are affected by our environment—so there are complex interactions between the two.
Born in Australia, Walters moved to New York after completing her undergraduate studies. She earned a Masters degree at City College and a doctorate in educational psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center. She then went on to a multifaceted career in medical education and clinical psychology, returning to school to do a postdoctoral program in psychoanalysis at Adelphi College. She joined the BMCC faculty in 2000.
In teaching about—and studying—personality development, Walters is particularly interested in the capacity of individuals to change and grow. We come into the world with ingrained biological temperaments and characteristics, which set the stage, she says. But what happens in our environment after that determines how our personality unfolds and develops. But do people really have the capacity to change?
The capacity to change
I believe if someone wants to change, they can change, Walters says. Of course, when someone is in a stressful environment, they may revert back to earlier ways of coping. But for the most part, we do grow with our experiences. We do change.
Culture, she says, can play a key role in shaping personality. In Japan, for example, children are encouraged from an early age to focus on the welfare of the group and individualistic behavior is discouraged. Conversely, here in the U.S., students are expected to speak up and show their individualism in the classroom. So culture is an important factor, and I incorporate it into my teaching as much as I can.
Not surprisingly, Walters derives great pleasure from the cultural diversity of the BMCC student body. The students here are diverse and non-traditional—and they bring out the best in me, she says, adding, I was a non-traditional student too.
Author: CUNYBMCC
Keywords: BMCC Janice Walters
Added: December 4, 2008
here we are in the interfaith officer of adelphi university. maxine is just waking up from a nap, and telling us how warm it is in there... and then she decides to point out the green markings on our wall. i think that it was victoria who had put written the green comments on our wall of shame, i mean fame. but the green smilies are from jana. it's funny, because after this video, i decide to take a nice nap :) nice and comfortable on the floor
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: maxwellc0ffeehouse warm allergies green wall of fame interfaith office adelphi university iv ivcf fellowship
Added: December 3, 2008
i woke up maxine... she's really not sick. it's really just allergies. look at her, she's sooo tired!!! ahhh... sorry, this video is pretty random. we had just eaten indian food at kabob chi!!! so good, mouth watering good... plus, max had taken allergy medicine, or should say cetirizine hydrochloride? 0_o? any nursing students out there want to tell me what that is? any takers? lol... and i just like to read the warning labels on different medication...
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: sick allergies maxwellc0ffeehouse cetirizine hcl medicine indian food fellowship interfaith office adelphi
Added: December 3, 2008
did you ever wonder what christian fellowship does? well this is not it, but it's close to what we do after hours to have fun. i'm all smiles just remembering the crazy fun we have, and this is one of those moments. max and i love to make beats, and try out new ways to make them. so we tried with the empty water cooler bottles, and man, was it fun!!! if you have an urge to do the same, do it. dont hold back, just have fun, and be creative. liz decides to come and join in on the fun... please excuse the end with the camera fixated on my foot...
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: water cooler bottle drum improv fun random foot maxwellc0ffeehouse after hours interfaith office adelphi university christian fellowship iv ivcf
Added: December 3, 2008
okay, wow... like... OH EM GEENESS!!! this is far beyond amazing!!! this guy, just watch, it's amazing, there really are no words for how cool this was to see in person. gavin, i think is his name, is doing the "single ladies put a ring on it" music video dance that beyonce does, and let me just say... WOW!!!
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: single ladies put ring on it music video dance gavin adelphi university christmas dinner
Added: December 3, 2008
i thought there would be christmas songs at a christmas dinner, but apparently that's not how adelphi rolls... instead the dj plays regular music, so there must be some dancing somewhere... oh look i found people, like our boo daphney, dancing like she does. ouch... sorry almost burnt myself because it's so hot... jk jk
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: adelphi university christmas dinner dancing dj
Added: December 3, 2008
adelphi christian fellowship was asked by csi to sing some carols. this is our last song, O Holy Night, sung beautifully by one, Tamme Zacharia... you can find her on youtube elsewhere under a pcnak video, not too sure, but she is singing No Sweeter Name. Amazing!!! and thank god, truly thank him for having her with us to sing this song bout him. and thank him for having everyone show up like they did.
Author: brokenupnside369
Keywords: holy night tamme zacharia christmas carol carole adelphi university ivcf christian fellowship intervarsity
Added: December 3, 2008
More info at: home.adelphi.edu/~paws/advertise.php
HD Version at: http://vimeo.com/2306673
The PAWS Recession special is coming soon!
Camera: Dennis Myagkov
Editor: Chris Gampat
Director: Ben Guralnik
Sound: Mike Prior
Host: Chris Gampat
Author: PAWSWebRadio
Keywords: paws web radio adelphi university the vlogcast advertising
Added: November 21, 2008
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