Brandon Schmermund's Archive

Self Diagnosis: Who Made You the Doctor?

5 Commentsby   |  11.27.10  |  The Schools of Psychology (Part IV-B)

One thing that always fascinates me is the amount of people that will tell me how many things they have wrong with them at that certain time. Then the same question always comes out of my mouth, “Did you go to the doctor?” I already know the answer to this question before my friend even tries to justify their reason for why they believe that certain illness has taken over their body. That answer is NO.
As a culture, we have seen how subliminal messaging can affect one’s thoughts and unconscious behavior. I believe the same can be seen in someone’s self-diagnosis of themselves or others around them. For example, the new rave is to buy a self-help book, which explains certain illnesses or diseases by stating which symptoms connect to them. Another example is WebMD. This website gives you the definition of illnesses ranging from asthma all the way to illnesses one in a billion people have ever been attacked by. Doctors go to medical school for several years to be able to recognize these illnesses and still have trouble knowing exactly what it is. Why would someone believe that they can diagnose themselves after simply reading an article on the internet or the new hot book?
The newest episode of The Modern Family shows us a taste of this happening in our culture today. YouTube would not allow me to post a clip of this episode, but if you would like to check it out you can at Hulu.com. It’s season two, episode nine. The scene I am focusing on is when Gloria catches Jay and Manny on the WebMD website. She does not believe Jay has anything wrong with him and states, “You think it here, you see it there, you feel it here!” Later in the episode you find out that Jay actually has acute appendicitis, but he went into the hospital because he believed he had another illness that was complete different from the truth. Check it out and let me know what you think!

How controlling is Behaviorism?

0 Commentsby   |  10.25.10  |  The Schools of Psychology (Part IV)

I recently made a comment on some one’s post which was about behaviorism and how influential it is in media and commercials. I wanted to follow up on that comment and bring up the idea of how many commercials now a days actually do not use behaviorism to make a catchy punch line or a song that, when one hears it, automatically thinks of that company in the media message. What are some ideas as to what companies are, dare I say, dumb enough to not use a catchy tune or a borderline inappropriate innuendo to get the audiences attention?

Black and White?

1 Commentby   |  09.20.10  |  Renaissance/Premodern (Part II)

I have been stuck on the subject of free will and whether it is even free anymore. Where do we as a society draw a line on whether one has control over their actions or no control at all? Exactly what is free will and what is determinism?
I have come to the conclusion that there really is no black and white index to determine what is free will and what is not. One always wants more out of what they already have or one always wants what they think they cannot have. I believe all of our outcomes are influenced by our own free will, but I also strongly believe God has a hand in everything one does in life. What do y’all think about this topic and what is your opinion on my thoughts of free will?

How Controlling is “The Cave”?

1 Commentby   |  09.06.10  |  Pre-Renaissance (Part I)

At first glance I didn’t realize how true Plato’s outlook on the cave philosophy really was and still is to this day. Plato makes a valid and very persuading point that society, as a whole, is very comfortable with where they are in their lives.

One thing that I started to think about was the different areas of life this cave metaphor could be used. People of today’s world are now being controlled by family, friends, movies, magazines, entertainment in general! We are too worried about what others think and have it crammed into our heads so much that we start to think those insane beliefs are our beliefs.

I believe we all have our own little caves we have been trapped in since we have been born. The Matrix is a perfect example of how controlling our world can be if we allow it. The idea of everyone being robots that are being controlled to make every move is a little over the top, but this idea of not having control of your own actions is not too far from the truth about how our society is run today.

Brandon Schmermund's Comment Archive

  1. Brandon Schmermund on Encountering Protestantism
    10:08 am, 09.20.10

    I believe that there is a right and a wrong way to open up to others and state your opinion on something you believe is corrupt and unjust. After saying that, I believe Luther was very juvenile in the way he presented his case against the Catholic church. I strongly agree with Anne involving her opinion on Luther and the things he preached were “okay” to involve one’s self with, as long as one had permission to do so by their spouse, or if one had paid the certain priest enough money to relieve them of the sins committed. Yes Luther did make some much needed changes involving translation of the Bible, but many of his beliefs were backward ways of thinking, even for his time.

  2. Brandon Schmermund on "We were made for each other"
    9:55 am, 09.20.10

    I feel that on this topic one cannot just have a black or white answer. There is too much that could go into this equation of match making. I was once told that as long as we take care of God’s big plan, he will certainly take care of our little one.
    We, as Christians, have certain limitations on who we see as potential mates. The same goes for any sub-type of people around the world. There are going to be certain boundaries in this whether we like it or not, but I do still think that one can still feel a sense of free will when choosing “The One”. What I mean by this is that one still has a choice of who they want to be that one that’s meant for them. This is where the gray area comes into play. Some people would disagree that this type of thinking is still free will, but I believe it’s what one makes of it. So what if you cling to a certain sub-type of society, you still have “free reign” on who you believe is the one for you to be with, given the restrictions of that culture. God will make a way.

  3. Brandon Schmermund on The Cave Through the Lens of Faith
    1:35 pm, 09.06.10

    I would have never thought about “The Truman Show” but it is a perfect example of the Allegory of the Cave by Plato. One thing to think about is the fact that Truman found his way out of the world other people tried to control for him.

  4. Brandon Schmermund on Will of the heart to change the mind
    1:21 pm, 09.06.10

    When I read this post it makes me think of society and our belief of what the “norm” really is. What gives certain people any right to say what is normal and what is weird. The people in the cave who did not want to embrace the new world were scared of not being “normal”, so they believed anger and violence to protect the world they know so well was the way to go about things. Great points Jeremiah!