Global Warming or Global Warning? Essay

One of the controversial issues in the United States in particular and in the world in general is global warming. A polemic has been going on whether the concept of global warming is real or not, and some believe that the phenomenon is caused by human activities while other denies that assertion. Whether we believe in it or not, global warming is now a well known concept in our society. Encyclopedia Britannica states that global warming is â€Å"an increase in the global average surface temperature resulting from an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and certain other trace gases in the atmosphere. † In a simple version, the planet temperature is rising due to chemical reactions occurring in the nature. Is this assertion true? And what are the factors that favor the happening of chemical reactions? Although the Earth’s temperature increase is a natural phenomenon, several other catalyzers participate to speed up the natural reaction, including human activity. According to Global Warming Newspaper Archives, tens of thousands years ago, the Earth was covered by a layer of ice, and that time was called the â€Å"Ice Age. † As the planet temperature began to rise, the whole layer of ice disappeared giving place to the â€Å"Little Ice Age† characterized by extreme cold and harsh conditions in poles and in uplands. The French mathematician and physicist Jean Baptist Joseph Fourier was the first to introduce the concept of global warming in 1824 when he noticed that the planet temperature was increasing. Fourier brought up the â€Å"Greenhouse effect† theory which explains how â€Å"carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earths atmosphere† (Global Warming Newspaper Archives). In 1950, Guy Stewart Callendar the British engineer supported the â€Å"greenhouse effect† and warned about the seriousness of global warming which led to the beginning of the environmental activism. Several predictions on the future of the Earth came up pushing the United Nations to hold an environmental conference in 1992 where countries were asked to engage themselves to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Since the effects of the 1992 Conference weren’t significant, the United Nations created the Kyoto Protocol the first international commitment to fight against global warming. 125 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but the United States the world largest greenhouse gases producer never signed for the global climate treaty. Global warming is a well understood concept because it is a reality. The change of the average weather condition of the planet in a long period of time is a strong indicator of the global warming phenomenon. This change usually concerns the temperature in particular, sea level, and natural phenomena in the second place. In the American Meteorological Society Bulletin, an Arctic sea ice extend average chart shows that from 1961 to 1990, for July-September and April-June, the ice extend has decreased. These periods correspond to the hottest period of the year. However, for October to December and January-March, the ice extend did not change even tough it had been subject of fluctuation over the years. The decreased of ice extend in the two first time period proves that the ice in the Arctic sea is melting. Scientifically, a material change is state from solid to liquid if it is exposed to an increase of ambient temperature. Another chart from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows the global average temperature of -0. 3 degree Celsius in 1850 and 14. 5 degree Celsius in 2000; the global average sea level of -125 millimeters in 1870 and 55 millimeters in 2000. The same chart also shows the decrease of Northern hemisphere snow cover from 37 million of kilometer square in 1925 to 35 million of kilometer square in 2000. These results clearly shows that the world is warmer than before, pole ice is melting, and sea level is going up shrinking at the same time the area of the living ground. Global warming is a reality daily noticeable. After recognizing the existence of global warming, many people believe that human activities are the main cause of the whole situation. According to MacMillan Social Science Library global warming is characterized by the fact that â€Å"certain gases trap heat from the sun in the earths atmosphere through a process known as the greenhouse effect which occurs naturally. † The greenhouse effect is a cyclic process that allows the Earth to stay warm and livable for beings when occurring naturally. It becomes a problem when human activities such as burning of hydrocarbons, use of chemical fertilizers, and decomposition of certain waste material pollute the atmosphere and increased the volume of greenhouse gases. Since the industrialization era started, human had been producing waste, and gases through his factories. The emission of gases is more observable in industrialized countries. Gases liberated in the atmosphere by the industries participate in the greenhouse gases scenario. The most known greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and water vapor. The carbon dioxide is known as a gas that absorbs infrared radiation. An increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to more energy absorption and accompany with an increase in planet’s temperature. According to the article â€Å"How Global Warming†, The World Watch Institute affirms that the world carbon dioxide emissions have increased from 1 billion tons in 1900 to 7 billion tons in 1995. The result of that is the increase of the Earth temperature from 14. 5 degrees Celsius in 1860 to 15. 3 degrees Celsius in 1985. Nitrous oxide produces by fertilizers and methane gas result of waste decomposition have the same energy absorbing quality as the carbon dioxide. Although humans don’t produce a huge amount of nitrous oxide, methane gas is abundantly produced on Earth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in a chart in page 15 of the report presents the increased of the methane emissions from 750 ppb in 1900 to 1750 ppb in 2000 (â€Å"Climate Change 2007†). These indicators significantly accredit the fact that mankind activities gravely impact the global warming effect. Some people don’t believe that global warming is real. The skeptics of global warming say that the increase of the world temperature as an argument in favor of pro global warming is a fallacy, because global warming is a natural phenomenon. So, global warming is not an environmental problem. The fact that scientists don’t have a consensus on global warming issue entertains the polemic. â€Å"The IPCC report is not evidence of a scientific consensus on global warming† (â€Å"Global Warming is Not a Serious Threat†). The Heartland Institute a con global warming organization says that â€Å"NASA released a study in October 2007 demonstrating that the recent decline in Arctic sea ice is due to unusual localized wind patterns rather than global warming † (Taylor). It means that the predictions and results on the gravity of global warming are not true because an official report of the NASA contradicts former assertion. Heartland Institute even affirms that â€Å"The December 2005 issue of Journal of Glaciology reports that the Greenland ice sheet is growing rather than shrinking† (Taylor). For con global warming, the topic is still a theory; it is not a fact yet because scientific research shows the contradiction on the subject. Global warming is not caused by human activities. Environmentalists have exaggerated the dangers of fossil fuels use predicting the â€Å"apocalypse. † Global warming advocates utilize the topic for political reasons. In the United Kingdom, Al Gore â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† is banned from school projection without disclaimer because of misleading and factual errors contain in the film. The British High Court believes that the film is too partisan and political. Jonathan Adler in False Apocalypse says that â€Å"William Gray of Colorado State University, one of the foremost hurricane experts in the world, insists that any increase in hurricane activity during the last few years is the result of natural variability, not human-induced climate change. † Those who believe that hurricanes are the result of global warming can learn that human activities have nothing to do with what happened in New Orleans, in Florida or in Texas. Natural disasters occurring in these days are not related to global warming; instead, they are inexplicable and remain a mystery since their causes are natural. Most of the scientific predictive effects of global warming did not occur. For instance, in 1995, Robert Shope, a virologist and director of Yale University Arbovirus Research Unit predicted an epidemical spread of yellow fever and cholera in North America due to temperature risings (Taubes). This disaster never happened even though the world temperature has risen. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reveals that human activities are the cause of an excessive amount of greenhouse gases release in the atmosphere; instead, Sallie Baliunas and Willie Soon, researchers from the George C. Marshall Institute say that â€Å"Most of the warming of the last 100 years has natural causes as its explanation. ` This is another board of researchers which confirms that the heating of the blue planet is not due to human activities, but by natural phenomena. President Bill Clinton says, â€Å"The overwhelming balance of evidence and scientific opinion is that it is no longer a theory but now a fact that global warming is for real. ` Base on different arguments from pro and con global warming â€Å"theory†, one can understand that pro global warming arguments weigh than con’s opinions. The fact that global warming skeptics acknowledge the existence of global warming is an important sign of the reality of the problem. Their arguments to prove that global warming does not exist are not convincing, and moreover they are based on refutation of pro global warming ideas. Global warming advocates clearly explain the correlation between the Earth’s temperature increase and human being actions. Before the industrial era, the world was less polluted than it is now. Emission of gases and decomposition of waste gravely pollute the atmosphere. The result of it is hotter summers, lesser snow in winters, and sometimes unpredictable weather especially here in the Metropolitan Area. Furthermore, car engine emission and inspection procedures have been put in place in order to reduce pollution which indicates that the government is aware of the fact that global warming is caused by human activities. The green seal logo is now given to business organizations that respect and practice waste recycling. This demarche shows the overwhelming concern for human’s survival in a planet in danger. Global warming is real for global warming advocates, and it is a misleading notion for con global warming advocates. Arguments from both sides of the aisle lead to a convincing opinion from global warming advocates. The world is confronted to a major menace called global warming; it is a global warning for humanity to consider the danger of the phenomenon and to get ready to fight it by reducing our waste, recycling in a daily basis, and to come up with an appropriate energy consuming policy that will help to keep our world safer and livable for future generations.

Thinking Skills

Eric Garner Thinking Skills Using Your Brain in the Information Age Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 2 Thinking Skills: Using Your Brain in the Information Age  © 2012 Eric Garner & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978-87-7681-966-8 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 3 Thinking Skills Contents Contents Preface 9 1 What Are Thinking Skills? 10 1. 1 The Potential of the Brain 10 1. 2 Brain Power 10 1. 3 Exploding the Myths 10 1. 4 Brainworks 10 1. 5 Brain not Brawn 11 1. 6 Management Thinking 11 1. 7 Thinking Matters 11 1. 8 Key Points 12 2 Positive Thinking 13 2. 1 Untrained Thinking 13 2. 2Distorted Thinking 14 2. 3 Catastrophising 14 2. 4 Confusion 15 2. 5 Distraction 15 2. 6 Yo-Yo Thinking 15 Please click the advert The next step for top-performing graduates Masters in Management Designed for high-achieving graduates across all disciplines, London Business School’s Masters in Management provides specific and tangible foundations for a successful career in business. This 12-month, full-time programme is a business qualification with impact. In 2010, our MiM employment rate was 95% within 3 months of graduation*; the majority of graduates choosing to work in consulting or financial services.As well as a renowned qualification from a world-class business school, you also gain access to the School’s network of more than 34,000 global alumni – a community that offers support and opportunities throughout your career. For more information visit www. london. edu/mm, email [email  protected] edu or give us a call on + 44 (0)20 7000 7573. * Figures taken from London Business School’s Masters in Management 2010 employment report Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 4 Thinking Skills Contents 2. 7 The Self-Image 15 2. 8 Positive Re-Framing 16 2. 9 Expecting the Best 16 2. 10Your Brain Wants Success 16 2. 11 Key Points 16 3 Improve Your Memory 17 3. 1 Synaesthesia 17 3. 2 Landmarks 17 3. 3 The Peg System 18 3. 4 Rhymes 18 3. 5 Mnemonics 18 3. 6 Remembering People’s Names 18 3. 7 Repetition 18 3. 8 Key Points 19 4 Blocks to Thinking 20 4. 1 Assumptions 20 4. 2 See Things from Other Points Of View 20 4. 3 Thinking and Doing 20 4. 4 Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits 21 4. 5 Think like A Child 21 4. 6 See the Detail As Well As the Big Picture 21 Please click the advert Teach with the Best. Learn with the Best. Agilent offers a wide variety of affordable, industry-leading lectronic test equipment as well as knowledge-rich, on-line resources —for professors and students. We have 100’s of comprehensive web-based teaching tools, lab experiments, application notes, brochures, DVDs/ CDs, posters, and more. See what Agilent can do for you. www. agilent. com/? nd/EDUstudents www. agilent. com/? nd/EDUeducators  © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2012 u. s. 1-800-829-4444 canada: 1-877-894-4414 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 5 Thinking Skills Contents 21 Time to Think 21 4. 9 Key Points 22 5 Logical Thinki ng 23 5. 1 Left-Brain Thinking 23 5. 2 Right Brain Thinking 4 5. 3 Managerial Thinking 24 5. 4 Logical Thinking 24 5. 5 SMART Goals 25 5. 6 Systematic Planning 25 5. 7 Using Information 25 5. 8 The Limits of Information 26 5. 9 Key Points 27 6 Creative Thinking 28 6. 1 Think like A Child 28 6. 2 Be More Curious 29 6. 3 Play with Ideas 29 6. 4 Make New Connections 29 6. 5 Be A Little Illogical 30 6. 6 Laugh More 30 You’re full of energy and ideas. And that’s just what we are looking for.  © UBS 2010. All rights reserved. Think For Yourself 4. 8 Please click the advert 4. 7 Looking for a career where your ideas could really make a di? rence? UBS’s Graduate Programme and internships are a chance for you to experience for yourself what it’s like to be part of a global team that rewards your input and believes in succeeding together. Wherever you are in your academic career, make your future a part of ours by visiting www. ubs. com/graduates. www. ubs. com/g raduates Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 6 Thinking Skills Contents Think Outside Your Limits 30 6. 8 Key Points 31 7 Brainstorming 32 7. 1 Brainstorming 32 7. 2 A Brainstorming Session 33 7. 3 An Example of Brainstorming: The Honey Pot 34 . 4 Brainwriting 35 7. 5 Key Points 36 8 Decision-Taking 37 8. 1 Time Them 37 8. 2 Align Them 38 8. 3 Balance Them 39 8. 4 Act When You Have To 39 8. 5 Use a Decision-Making Model 8. 6 Instinct 8. 7 Don’t Decide Without Acting 8. 8 Keep Your Decision under Review 8. 9 Key Points 9 Problem-Solving 9. 1 Please click the advert 6. 7 The Problem with Problems 360 ° thinking . 360 ° thinking 39 . 42 42 43 43 44 44 360 ° thinking . Discover the truth at www. deloitte. ca/careers  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth at www. deloitte. ca/careers Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth7at w ww. deloitte. ca/careers  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. D Thinking Skills Contents The Classical Approach 45 9. 3 Do Nothing 45 9. 4 Take Your Time 45 9. 5 Sleep On It 46 9. 6 Attack the Problem 46 9. 7 Two Heads are Better than One 46 9. 8 Occam’s Razor and the Five Whys 46 9. 9 Key Points 48 10 Innovation 49 10. 1 Create an Innovative Climate 49 10. 2 Keep Your Eyes Open 49 10. 3 Dreams and Daydreams 50 10. 4Develop Washing-Up Creativity 50 10. 5 Make New Connections 50 10. 6 Necessity is the Mother of Innovation 51 10. 7 Test, Test, Test 51 10. 8 Adopt and Adapt 51 10. 9 Take Lessons from Nature 51 10. 10 Key Points 52 11 Web Resources on â€Å"Thinking Skills† 53 Please click the advert 9. 2 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 8 Thinking Skills Preface Preface Introduction to Thinking Skills Thinking Skills are some of the most valuable skills you can learn today. The reason is simple. While in the past, people went to work for their manual s kills, today they go to work for their mental skills.We live in an Information Age, no longer an Industrial Age. That’s why brain has replaced brawn, and strength in thinking has replaced strength in muscles. No matter what kind of business you work for, nor what kind of job you do, today you are expected to apply a range of thinking skills to the work you carry out. This includes using your judgment; collecting, using, and analyzing information; working with others to solve problems; making decisions on behalf of others; contributing to ideas to innovate and change; and being creative about how your job can function better.This book covers all of these skills. It will show you that, whatever you think about your mental abilities or the level of your IQ or your formal education, your brain is the most powerful organ you possess. It is the tool that, if used skillfully, can help you perform better in your job, better in your team and better in your organization. By developing your thinking skills to meet the needs of the modern world, you are guaranteed to succeed. Profile of Author Eric Garner Eric Garner is an experienced management trainer with a knack for bringing the best out of individuals and teams.Eric founded ManageTrainLearn in 1995 as a corporate training company in the UK specialising in the 20 skills that people need for professional and personal success today. Since 2002, as part of KSA Training Ltd, ManageTrainLearn has been a major player in the e-learning market. Eric has a simple mission: to turn ManageTrainLearn into the best company in the world for producing and delivering quality online management products. Profile of ManageTrainLearn ManageTrainLearn is one of the top companies on the Internet for management training products, materials, and resources.Products range from training course plans to online courses, manuals to teambuilder exercises, mobile management apps to one-page skill summaries and a whole lot more. Whether youâ₠¬â„¢re a manager, trainer, or learner, you’ll find just what you need at ManageTrainLearn to skyrocket your professional and personal success. http://www. managetrainlearn. com Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 9 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? 1 What Are Thinking Skills? Few of us spend much time consciously practising thinking skills. We believe that thinking is either a natural function or believe that the great thinkers among us are gifted.Nothing could be further from the truth. All research shows that each of us has a hugely powerful potential in our brains that lies vastly under-used. Moreover, when faced with a wide range of unsolveable problems in our lives, the need to use this potential has never been greater. 1. 1 The Potential of the Brain The facts about the brain are truly stupendous. For example, did you know that the human brain takes up a fifth of all the energy generated by your body in its resting state? It is similar to a 20-watt light bulb continuously glowing. How big do you think the brain is?Well, if you can imagine it, your brain consists of 100 billion cells, each one of which connects to 1000 other brain cells making a total of 100,000 billion connections. There are more cell connection points in the human brain than there are stars in our galaxy. As Norman Cousins put it, â€Å"Not even the universe with all its countless billions of galaxies represents greater wonder or complexity than the human brain. † 1. 2 Brain Power Here are some more astonishing facts about your brain. Although the brain weighs just 3lb, it contains 12 trillion nerve cells (more than two and a half times the people on this planet).It contains 1000 trillion trillion molecules (way beyond our ability to compute), and can process 30 billion bits of information a second. Your brain has 10 billion neurons and the range of connections all the neurons in the brain could make would amount to one with 28 noughts after it. Just stop and wri te that down to get a feel for what that is. Your brain has enough atomic energy to build any of the world’s major cities many times over. Unsurprisingly, no human being has yet existed who has been able to use all the potential of the brain. How about you? 1. 3 Exploding the MythsOne of the reasons we fail to make the most of our brain and, therefore, our thinking skills, is that we hang on to a range of inherited assumptions about our brain and our capacity to think. Many of us believe that, contrary to the facts, we are either born bright or stupid. We think that we are only as intelligent as our measured Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and that this is fixed throughout our lives. We think that, when we run up against big problems, they just can’t be solved. We fret over taking decisions and bemoan our ability to choose wisely. We think that we are stuck with the way we think and that we cannot change it.And to top things off, we think that, as we age, our brain declines and with it, our abilities to remember things. The only one of these assumptions that is true is that it is only our thinking that limits the power of our brains. 1. 4 Brainworks A simple look at what we ask of our brains is enough to show us what a wonderful organ this is. First, unlike other species (at least to our knowledge), we are the only species that can think in the 3 dimensions of past, present, and future. We can use our brains to interpret our world in any way we choose, at one extreme, positively and, at the other, negatively.We can use our brains for working out answers to logical problems as well as using it imaginatively to work out answers to Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 10 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? illogical problems. We can imagine with our brains, invent and innovate. We can learn, change and develop. We can use our brains to interpret, understand, and become wise. We can use our brains to analyse things and to synthesise things. And, ag ain, uniquely for species on this planet, we can use our brains to think about our thinking. The brain is truly the most complex and versatile tool we have in our bodies. 1. 5 Brain not BrawnGiven the wonderful instrument that our brains are, it is astonishing that, until very recently, thinking was regarded in industrialised countries as a second-class skill. For several centuries, people were employed first for their manual labour, secondly, for their machine-operating skill and lastly, and only if called upon, for their thinking ability. Today, all that has changed. We no longer live in an industrialised age but an information age. Instead of brawn, the successful companies and economies of today and the future need brains. They are the ones that will harness, use and reward the combined thinking abilities of everyone in them. . 6 Management Thinking So what kind of thinking skills do we need in the Information Age? Mike Pedler and Tom Boydell are researchers who have studied the qualities needed by successful workers. They found that at least half of the key skills are those that relate to how we use our brains. Their list reads: 1. command of basic facts 2. relevant professional understanding 3. continuing sensitivity to events 4. analytical, problem-solving, decision-taking and judgment-making skills 5. social skills and abilities 6. emotional resilience 7. proactivity: an ability to respond purposefully to events 8. reativity 9. mental agility 10. balanced learning habits 11. self-knowledge 1. 7 Thinking Matters All of us are capable of developing our thinking in all these different skills. But we are slow to change. Percy Barnevik, former chairman of ABB says, â€Å"Organisations ensure people only use 5 to 10% of their abilities at work. Outside of work, the same people engage the other 90 to 95%. † By contrast, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, says that encouraging ideas was one of his top three tasks, (the other two were, selecting the right people and allocating capital resources).One of Welch’s typical approaches was to ask his managers not only what their ideas were, but who they shared them with, and who adopted them. When the factory of American entrepreneur and founder of IBM, Thomas Watson, burnt down, Watson was surprisingly unfazed. When asked why, he said that the wealth of his business was not based in his offices, assembly lines, and buildings but in the intellectual capital of his employees. He said, â€Å"I can re-build the offices and buildings. But I could never replace the combined knowledge, abilities and thinking skills of my people. † Download free ebooks at bookboon. om 11 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? 1. 8 Key Points 1. The human brain is so powerful that few of us come anywhere near to using it as well as we could. 2. Every person has the ability to think intelligently and creatively. 3. The brain is the source of key mental faculties such as memory, imaginatio n, creativity and innovation. 4. The brain is the key tool for mastering the modern information age. 5. Everyone in a modern organisation is a knowledge worker to some extent. 6. According to research, half the skills needed by successful workers involve the use of thinking skills.Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 12 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2 Positive Thinking For much of the time our thoughts let us down. They are confused, disjointed and reactive. They don’t have to be. Through training our thoughts to be positive, focused and assertive, we can at a stroke improve the quality of our thinking. 2. 1 Untrained Thinking When we treat the brain as an unknown quantity that we cannot manage, then our untrained thinking is likely to consist of all or some of the following: 1. doubts, fears and catastrophising: the phenomenon of letting one bad thought colour the rest of our thinking 2. antasising: imagining the worst is likely to happen and directing all our thoughts to planning for it 3. self-deprecating: letting mistakes and failures lead us to believe we’re not good enough 4. remembering the worst: worrying about something we did in the past that we can’t change 5. confusion: having no clear goals or plans 6. reactive thinking: thinking in habitual or limiting ways 7. distraction: the inability to concentrate and direct our thoughts at will. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 13 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 2 Distorted Thinking There are many common types of distorted thinking. Here are four.First, there is lazy thinking where we think in habitual ways rather than in questioning our thoughts. Second, there is compulsive and obsessive thinking where the same thoughts reverberate in our heads again and again. Third, we continually think in musts, should, and oughts when we use our brains to judge what we do and how we think. Fourth, there is black-and-white thinking, where we swing from believing that things are wholly good one minute and wholly bad the next. All of these are negative and limiting types of thinking. 2. 3 Catastrophising In an untrained person, doubts and fears can form a large part of what passes for thinking.Doubts and fears start small but can feed on themselves until they take over. It’s what happens when having left home, the thought occurs that we left the gas or electric on: very soon all our thinking is swamped by this one fear of catastrophe. Here is an anecdote that shows what can happen in the untrained thinking mind. A woman is driving along the motorway at night. Her thoughts start to race: â€Å"What if I get a puncture on the motorway? I’ll have to stop and walk through the dark to the nearest garage. Then I’ll have to ask someone to come out and fix the tyre. They’re bound to charge the earth at this time of night.They’re bound to look down their nose at me as well. What a nerve! † Just then she arrives at the garage, still thinking these thoughts, fills up her tank, and as she goes to pay her bill, blurts out to the astonished cashier: â€Å"†¦ and you can keep your bloody jack as well. † your chance Please click the advert to change the world Here at Ericsson we have a deep rooted belief that the innovations we make on a daily basis can have a profound effect on making the world a better place for people, business and society. Join us. In Germany we are especially looking for graduates as Integration Engineers for †¢ Radio Access and IP Networks IMS and IPTV We are looking forward to getting your application! To apply and for all current job openings please visit our web page: www. ericsson. com/careers Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 14 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 4 Confusion A good exercise to find out what you habitually think about is to take time out to sit and relax and jot down the kind of thoughts you automatically get. A series of such â€Å"soil samplingâ₠¬  usually produces a mixture of thoughts: we have thoughts about things on our mind, thoughts about pressing needs such as â€Å"I’m hungry† and thoughts coming in because of external interference.For many people the content of what normally goes on in their heads is jumbled and confused. â€Å"Life does not consist mainly – or even largely – of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing through one’s head. † (Mark Twain) 2. 5 Distraction The human brain connects to 24,000 ear fibres, 500,000 touch detectors, 200,000 temperature sensors and 4 million pain sensors. It is no wonder that with this capacity to absorb information, we find it hard to concentrate on just one thing at a time. So, instead of focusing, we let our minds wander.Instead of thinking what we need t say, we say the first thing that comes into our heads. Instead of getting to the point, we let our minds go walk about. 2. 6 Yo- Yo Thinking As well as being distracted, many of us have a tendency to swing from a positive mood to a negative one in what we might call â€Å"yo-yo thinking†: one minute up, the next minute down. The story is told of the farmer whose ox died and, in panic, went to the wise man of the village and wailed: â€Å"I will be ruined. Isn’t this the worst thing that has ever happened to me? The wise man replied: â€Å"Maybe so, maybe not†. A few days later, the farmer caught a stray horse on his land and used it to plough the fields in half the time he would have taken with the ox. He returned to the wise man and said: â€Å"Isn’t this the best thing that has ever happened to me? † Again, the wise man replied: â€Å"Maybe so, maybe not†. Three days later, while still overjoyed with his good fortune, the horse threw the farmer’s son into a ditch and broke his leg. Moral: Things are rarely as good – or as bad – as we think. 2. 7 The Self-ImageThe self-image is the key player in our thoughts. To understand its importance we need to turn Rene Descartes’ maxim, â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, back-to-front into: I AM WHAT I THINK. Whatever we think we are, we are. Our self-talk creates our self-image. This is because our thoughts are always directed to proving what we want to believe. So, if we think we are stupid at maths, our thoughts will automatically seek evidence that proves it and ignore evidence to the contrary. Similarly, if we think we are quite clever at maths, we will seek evidence to prove it.So, the key to releasing the potential of our thinking is to build a confident self-image in which our thinking is a partner in describing who we see ourselves to be. â€Å"Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day. † (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 15 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 8 Positive Re-Framing The reason why a positive self-image and positive thinking succeeds isn’t only mental. It is also physical. Studies have demonstrated that the neurons in the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for day-to-day memory and new learning) can shrink when we are stressed.Dendrites, the connecting wires between brain cells, have been known to permanently shrivel in response to negative thinking. On the other hand, love, affection and happy moods can strengthen these dendrites and enhance our ability to solve intellectual and practical problems. The negative thinker’s answer to: â€Å"Can you play the piano as well as Barenboim? † is probably, â€Å"No, I never could. † The positive thinker’s answer is â€Å"Not yet. † 2. 9 Expecting the Best Most of us find it easy to worry, but we invariably worry about the worst that might happen to us.By changing our thought direction, we can replace worrying about the worst into worrying about the best. Worrying positively has the same ch aracteristics as negative worrying: nagging thought patterns; visualising ourselves in the situation; playing and replaying every possible angle; hearing what we will say, feeling what we will feel, saying to ourselves what we will say. Olympic javelin thrower Steve Backleypractised positive worry when he sprained his ankle four weeks before a major competition. Instead of giving up, he mentally practised his throws from his armchair until he had made over a thousand throws.When the competition came, Backley made the throws he had mentally made and won. 2. 10 Your Brain Wants Success For much of the 20th century, it was thought that the brain was a trial and error mechanism: we tried something and if it worked, fine. If it didn’t work, too bad. End of story. We now know differently. The brain is not a trial and error mechanism but a trial and success mechanism. When set a clear goal, it actually seeks out not error but success. Error is not incorrect or faulty programming but simply deviation from the correct course. We set our goals.We try, succeed, succeed, succeed, succeed, succeed, make an error, check, adjust, succeed, succeed. Your brain actually wants you to succeed and it lets you know that you can succeed through training your brain to think in constructive, creative, and positive ways. 2. 11 Key Points 1. Untrained thinking is often confusing, distracted and negative. 2. Trained thinking is usually focused, confident and positive. 3. The human brain believes what we let it believe rather than what it knows to be true. 4. Worrying negatively is the same process as worrying positively so just change your focus. 5. Yo-yo thinking† is alternately thinking things are very good or things are very bad. 6. The key to making the best use of our thoughts is to build a positive and confident self-image. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 16 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3 Improve Your Memory Most of us complain at some time about our poor memories – especially when we forget things that are important, such as birthdays, anniversaries and meetings. But it is not memory that lets us down. Our brains remember everything we have ever experienced; we know this from near-death experiences, hypnosis and feelings of deja vu.What is at fault is our ability to recall. Here are 7 ways we can help our ability to recall facts and experiences of the past. 3. 1 Synaesthesia Synaesthesia is the association of memory with our senses. Dr Frank Staub of Yale University demonstrated that you can easily improve your memory when you link the things you want to remember with a memorable sight, sound, feeling, taste or smell. In one experiment, he wafted the aroma of sweet chocolate over a group of students who were preparing for an exam. On the day of the exam, he released the same aroma while the students were taking the exam.The result was that these students out-performed everyone else. 3. 2 Landmarks The reason why synaesthesia works is because what we want to recall is associated with a striking landmark. Landmarks don’t have to be limited to the five senses. They can be anything emotional, shocking, funny, unexpected, silly, embarrassing, or outrageous. That’s why people can recall precisely what they were doing at the time of shocking news events, such as the assassination of John Kennedy or the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. It’s also why we never forget our first day at school, a beautiful romantic holiday, and our first teenage kiss. Graduate Programme for Engineers and Geoscientists I joined MITAS because I wanted real responsibili Please click the advert Maersk. com/Mitas Real work Internationa al International opportunities ree wor o ree work placements Month 16 was I was a construction supervisor in the North Sea advising and helping foremen he solve problems s Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 17 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3. 3 The Peg System The peg system is a great way to remember a sequence of numbers, for example the phone number 302187.All you do is give each number a rhyming â€Å"peg† word and then make up a crazy, silly or exaggerated story about it with the words in the right order. So, let’s say 3 = knee, 0 (nought) = wart, 2 = glue, 1 = sun, 8 = gate, and 7 = heaven. We could then make up the following story: â€Å"First I wrote the phone number on my knee around a wart. I put some glue on it to keep it in place. Suddenly the sun came out, so I went out the gate and found myself in heaven. † Try it. You’ll find the story is always easier to remember than the numbers. 3. 4 RhymesThe Peg System works because we associate a number with a rhyming word, eg 8 and â€Å"gate†, 2 and â€Å"glue†. The same principle holds true for much more complex pieces of information. So rhymes help us remember that â€Å"In fourteen hundred and eighty two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue† (and disc overed America); that â€Å"i before e, except after c† (for spelling words like â€Å"believe† and â€Å"receipt†); and that â€Å"30 days hath September, April, June and November†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (for remembering the days of the months). 3. 5 Mnemonics Rhyming words like these are known as mnemonics, after the Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne.Another type of mnemonic is associating letters with names in a certain sequence. So, â€Å"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas† will instantly help you remember the sequence of the nine planets of the solar system, simply be looking at the first letters of each word. Making the sequence: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The great thing with mnenonics is that you can make up your own sentences for things you want to remember and you can personalize them to your own situations or make them as silly as you want (remember, silly is memorable). 3. 6 Remembering Pe ople’s NamesThe idea of associating something we want to remember with personal, silly, or funny associations is the key to remembering people’s names. Let’s say you’re introduced to a MrLazenby. All you need to do is picture him lazing on a summer’s day on a B road and you’ll remember his name. Similarly, a MrsPakenham could be imagined packing ‘em in in a fish factory and a Mr Forsyth could be pictured as a gardener with four scythes. The reason why these associations work is that you’re using both sides of your brain. Your left brain holds the name. Your right brain remembers the silly image. Together they help you recall. 3. Repetition One of the important keys to all these memory tricks is repetition. When we first collect a new piece of information, it goes straight into our short-term memories. This can only take 8 seconds. The trouble is, the short-term memory is a holding area for new information and unless we move stuf f out, it will quickly be replaced with newer information. Moving information out means moving it into our long-term memories where it can remain indefinitely. The problem here is, it can take anything up to 6 hours to get something firmly embedded. And that’s where repetition, review, and replay come to the rescue.Some scientists regard memory as the Rosetta Stone of the brain: the key that unlocks all the secrets of the mind. In an age of information, where most people are knowledge workers of one sort or another, having a good memory and being able to make the most of what you know isn’t just nice to have; it is essential. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 18 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3. 8 Key Points 1. When we forget something it is not because of a poor memory but because of our inability to recall. 2. There are various ways to increase our power of recall, all making use of our imaginative right brains. . Events that are shocking, emotional and sill y stay in the memory longer than things that are mundane and normal. 4. You can remember an event more vividly when you associate it with one or more of your five senses, such as smell or taste 5. Mnemonics are one of the best ways to remember lengthy or complex information by associating numbers with rhyming sounds. 6. To move information from your short-term memory into your long-term memory, you need to repeat it Please click the advert enough times to make it stick. We will turn your CV into an opportunity of a lifetime Do you like cars?Would you like to be a part of a successful brand? We will appreciate and reward both your enthusiasm and talent. Send us your CV. You will be surprised where it can take you. Send us your CV on www. employerforlife. com Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 19 Thinking Skills Blocks to Thinking 4 Blocks to Thinking Thinking, like communicating, is one of those functions we think we should be good at because we do it all the time, do it without e ffort and have done it for all of our waking lives. But there is a difference between just doing something like thinking or communicating and doing it well.Just as with communicating effectively, what stops us from thinking effectively for much of the time are the perceptual, emotional, cultural and environmental blocks that get in the way. Here are 7 of those blocks. 4. 1 Assumptions When we assume, we often make an â€Å"ass† out of â€Å"u† and â€Å"me†. Assumptions are examples of lazy thinking. We simply don’t wait to get all the information we need to come to the right conclusions. There is the story of the customer at the bank who after cashing a cheque and turning to leave, returns and says: â€Å"Excuse me, I think you made a mistake. The cashier responds, â€Å"I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do. You should have counted it. Once you walk away we are no longer responsible. † Whereupon the customer replies: â€Å"Well, okay. Thanks for the extra $20. † Tip: When you feel yourself wanting to draw conclusions, just wait until you have all the information. 4. 2 See Things from Other Points Of View A truly open mind is willing to accept that, not only do other people have other just as valid points of view from theirs, but that these other points of view may be more valid.A story is told that the modernist painter Pablo Picasso was once travelling on a train across Spain when he got into conversation with a rich businessman who was dismissive of modern art. As evidence that modern art didn’t properly represent reality, he took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and said: â€Å"This is how my wife should look, not in some silly stylized representation. † Picasso took the photo, studied it for a few moments and asked: â€Å"This is your wife? † The businessman proudly nodded. â€Å"She’s very small,† observed Picasso wryly. Tip: Don’t have a monopoly on how things are.Things aren’t always what they seem. Be ready to consider other points of view. 4. 3 Thinking and Doing It is part of Western intellectual tradition that the thinking part of a decision is separate from the implementation part of the decision, as if the decision was one thing and the implementation something quite different. Hence the gulf between those who take decisions, often in positions of authority, and those who carry them out: thinkers and doers. In Oriental philosophy, which has a much longer tradition than Western philosophy, the gap is not understood.Here there is no gulf between thinking and doing. There is only process. A decision and its implementation are part and parcel of the same thing. This means that the decision can be changed as the implementation proceeds, just as the method of implementation can be changed if the decision is reviewed in the light of new information. Tip: Involve implementers in the decision process. Download free eboo ks at bookboon. com 20 Thinking Skills Blocks to Thinking 4. 4 Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits Habit can be a major stumbling block to clear thinking and another example of laziness.Try this experiment. Write down the Scottish surnames Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall and ask someone to pronounce them. Now follow these with the word Machinery and see what happens. Most people are likely to mis-pronounce it. This is because we tend to think in habitual ways and don’t like what doesn’t fit. Tip: Don’t think that, just because things happened in a certain way once before, they will happen like that every time. 4. 5 Think like A Child Research shows that the number of synapses, or connections, in the brain is greater in a child of two than in an average adult.The reason for this is that a child of two has no limiting world view, as adults do. It’s like a sculptor who starts off with a large block of clay that can become anything. As he gradually removes the clay, the possibilities in his sculpture become less and less until it represents just what he’s looking for. If we use our brain like a child, accepting everything without judgment, we can actually halt and reverse the brain ageing process and become fully open-minded again. Tip: With the right stimulus and a passion for wonder, you can think like a child again. 4. 6 See the Detail As Well As the Big PictureThere is a poem by John Godfrey Saxe called â€Å"The Blind Men and the Elephant†. It tells how six blind men of Indostan go to see an elephant and each try to work out what it is from touching it. One blind man touches the tusk, another the trunk, another the tail, and so on. Of course, not being able to see the whole elephant, they disagree about what the animal is. When we see the detail and the full picture, it is easier to give everything its right context. Tip: Try to keep the big picture in front of you while looking at the details. It will help to put e verything in its proper place. See the full poem here: http://www. oogenesis. com/pineapple/blind_men_elephant. html 4. 7 Think For Yourself Taking time out to think is still frowned on in many organizations that prize activity over creativity. People who work in creativity-constrained organizations are likely to think the way they are supposed to think, or as others think, or as has always been the way to think. It’s like the blinkered thinking that Hans Christian Anderson describes in his story of â€Å"The Emperor’s New Clothes†. Everyone in the land refuses to see that the emperor is naked and has been duped into believing he is wearing a splendid costume for his coronation.Only a young boy who has been ill and not party to the cultural brainwashing can see the truth and cries out: â€Å"Look, everyone, the Emperor is wearing no clothes! † Tip: Don’t let others tell you how to think. When others ask your opinion, tell it to them straight. 4. 8 Time to Think One of the biggest stumbling-blocks to thinking is that, in many organisations, we still don’t recognize that it is sometimes more important than activity. Here is a story that illustrates an anti-thinking attitude. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 21 Thinking Skills Blocks to ThinkingThe car-maker Henry Ford hired an efficiency expert to go through his plant. He said: â€Å"Find the unproductive people. Tell me who they are and I’ll fire them! † The expert made his rounds with his clipboard in hand and finally returned to Henry Ford’s office with his report. â€Å"I’ve found a problem with one of your managers,† he said. â€Å"Every time I walked past his office, he was sitting with his feet propped on the desk doing nothing. I definitely think you should consider getting rid of him. † When Ford asked who the man was, he shook his head and said: â€Å"I can’t fire him. I pay that man to do nothing but think .And that’s what he’s doing. † Each of us has the power to think clearly. It’s part of our natural make-up as human beings. The trouble is that, too often, we block our natural thinking ability and so make errors in judgment. By unblocking your thinking, by not judging, not making assumptions, and not blindly accepting the views of others, you can access the full creativity of your thinking. 4. 9 Key Points 1. We often make wrong assumptions about what we see because of prejudice and false expectations. 2. We each see the world differently because of our thoughts; every â€Å"thing† is a think†. . Thinking like a child is more open and creative because it is not layered with years of learning and habit. 4. Culturally-accepted ways of thinking can sometimes limit us to thinking in familiar ways. 5. Well-directed and well-trained thinking is always more productive than activity. 6. Successful enterprises need original thinking if they are to avo id blindly following the thinking of the Please click the advert majority. BEN JIJ DE CEO OF CFO VAN DE TOEKOMST? Nyenrode Business Universiteit daagt je uit om mee te doen aan de Nyenrode Career Challenge 2013.Wat is jouw visie op de toekomst? Wat maakt jouw bedrijf succesvol in een veranderende samenleving? Doe mee en maak kans op een studiebeurs voor de Executive MBA of de Financial Controlling (Post) Master op Nyenrode. Schrijf je in en kijk voor meer informatie op www. nyenrodecareerchallenge. com of bel 0346-291 291. www. nyenrodecareerchallenge. com Powered by: Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 22 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5 Logical Thinking Logical thinking is to think on the basis of knowledge, what we know, and certainties, what we can prove.The past two centuries have witnessed an unparalleled reliance on the logical approach to thinking. It is the basis on which modern technology is founded. But the flaw in logical thinking is that it relies on the conscious b rain and this is the most limited and vulnerable part of our thinking. 5. 1 Left-Brain Thinking Logical thinking is the part of the brain that relates to its left-hand side (â€Å"l† for â€Å"left† and â€Å"l† for â€Å"logical†). It was Professor Roger Sperry of the University of California who discovered that different sides of the brain were responsible for different functions.He discovered that the left-brain†¦ †¢ governs the right side of the body †¢ governs the right field of vision †¢ deals with input sequentially †¢ perceives the parts more than the whole †¢ perceives time †¢ is the seat of verbal skills Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 23 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking †¢ is the seat of logical and analytical thinking †¢ sets goals, plans and reviews: the managerial mind †¢ formulates evocative language The left side of the brain is the chattering mind, thriving on, but limited by, inform ation. 5. 2 Right Brain ThinkingJust as he explained the workings of the logical, left-sided brain, so Roger Sperry also discovered that the right-hand side is responsible for romantic types of thinking (â€Å"r† for â€Å"romantic† and â€Å"right-sided†). In contrast to the left, he discovered that the right brain†¦ †¢ governs the left side of the body †¢ governs the left field of vision †¢ deals with inputs simultaneously †¢ perceives the whole more than the parts †¢ perceives space †¢ is the seat of visual skills †¢ is the seat of intuitive and kinaesthetic perception †¢ is responsible for imagination and visualisation †¢ formulates symbol and metaphor. 5. 3 Managerial ThinkingManagerial thinking tends to use the functions of the left brain more than those of the right brain. The sort of workplace issues that use left-brain thinking are analysing and detecting faults in mechanical processes through collecting , checking and testing information; investigating problems of the â€Å"what went wrong? † variety; learning from how things have been done in the past to improve the way we do them next time; and obtaining information that answers â€Å"what? †, â€Å"where? †, â€Å"who? † and â€Å"why? † questions. All of these issues rely on information and on information being correct, complete and understood. 5. 4 Logical ThinkingLogical (or left-brain) thinking comes into its own when we are working with verifiable and reasonably certain information. This is information we can be sure about because it has been confirmed scientifically. Using â€Å"scientific† information allows us to develop our knowledge by making logical deductions. It is the kind of thinking used in playing games of chess, (where there are quite definite rules) and solving puzzles for which there is an answer. Logical thinking uses 5 steps: 1. a clear goal or solution 2. systemati c planning 3. using information 4. reasoning 5. checking conclusions Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 24Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 5 SMART Goals The first step in logical thinking is a clear goal. Working towards clear goals is often described by the mnemonic SMART. These are goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bounded. For example, it may be a department’s goal to produce 30 tons of product a day from 28 tons after upgrading its machinery. SMART goals are managerial goals. They lend themselves to plans and the application of a step-by-step thought-and-action process. Clear goals work from a known starting point (that is, now) in a series of steps and sequences until the goal is reached.SMART goals assume that the future will be the same as now, that resources will stay the same and that nothing will interrupt the execution of the plan. If anything changes, then so will the SMART goals. 5. 6 Systematic Planning Systematic plannin g is the second step in the SMART process towards a goal. We know the â€Å"what? † because we have defined a clear goal; systematic planning tells us the â€Å"how? † to get us there. Systematic planning aims to find the correct method, the correct procedure, the correct system that can logically take us to our goal.In SMART goal thinking, planning is â€Å"systematic† because we can try it out in different circumstances, repeatedly and with different kinds of information. It is like a computer programme into which we type our formula and apply our information to come up with THE answer. 5. 7 Using Information The remaining steps in the SMART process involve using our left-sided brains to work towards our goals. Information is key to this process. We need to group it, organize it, rank it, fit it into the bigger picture, and make connections with it.It needs to be as accurate and verifiable as possible or else there can be no basis for further logical thought. Where information is uncertain, difficult to check, subject to change, not easy to understand, then it is of limited use. Please click the advert Budget-Friendly. Knowledge-Rich. The Agilent In? niiVision X-Series and 1000 Series offer affordable oscilloscopes for your labs. Plus resources such as lab guides, experiments, and more, to help enrich your curriculum and make your job easier. Scan for free Agilent iPhone Apps or visit qrs. ly/po2Opli See what Agilent can do for you. www. agilent. com/? d/EducationKit  © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2012 u. s. 1-800-829-4444 canada: 1-877-894-4414 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 25 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 8 The Limits of Information Logical thinking relies wholly on how reliable your information is. But, in a fast-changing world, information presents us with a number of problems. 5. 8. 1 there is too much of it We are bombarded today with huge amounts of information, much of it contradictory. It is calculated that one co py of the British Sunday Times contains in it more information than a medieval man would have had access to in a lifetime. . 8. 2 it gets distorted easily All knowledge comes to us via someone else’s perception and is filtered by our own perception. Even the most unbiased of television news-readers cannot avoid an occasional voice inflexion or raised eyebrow when they deliver a story. We can never be absolutely sure of the motives and thinking behind the information we receive. â€Å"Never ask a hairdresser if you need a haircut. † 5. 8. 3 it is incomplete We can never know whether the information we receive is complete or incomplete.In the hours after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in 1997 everyone believed that she had been a victim of pursuing photographers. Later it was discovered that her chauffeur had excessive levels of alcohol in his blood. 5. 8. 4 it is quickly outdated In today’s world of instant access to information via worl d-wide communications, knowledge quickly becomes outdated, obsolete and forgotten. All through history, when a craftsman learned his trade after a period of four, five or six years of apprenticeship, he had learned everything he would ever need to know.It would be sufficient for the rest of his working life. Today, this is no longer enough. We need updates every few years to keep abreast of what is happening in our chosen field. The giant American corporation, General Electric, has speculated that a newly-recruited engineer’s knowledge will be out of date within five years of starting in the job. 5. 8. 5 our conscious brains can only hold a limited amount of information Our knowledge-holding brains – the conscious thinking parts – are only capable of holding a limited amount of data at any one time.Most of us find it hard to keep more than about 7 or 8 facts in our conscious brain at any one time. To test this, deal someone 7 or 8 cards from a pack of playing ca rds; allow them 15 seconds to memorise them in their heads; and then ask them to turn the cards over and recall them. Very few people can successfully remember every single card. Now contrast this with the sub-conscious brain which stores every single experience and thought that we have ever had and still has room for a huge amount more. The logical, or scientific, approach to thinking relies on information about the world around us.From it, we can create the most wonderful inventions and manifestations. But, in a fast-paced world, this information is quickly out-of-date, quickly inaccurate, and quickly useless. If we are to rely on logical thinking to succeed in life, then we need to be masters of left-brain thinking. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 26 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 9 Key Points 1. Ordered thinking is thinking that is analytical, sensible and systematic. 2. The left side of the brain is the seat of logical thinking. 3. The right side of the brain is the seat of imaginative thinking. 4.Logical thinking allows us to make incremental progress based on verifiable information. 5. While logical thinking relies on facts and information, information itself can be unreliable and inaccurate. 6. The analytical conscious brain is limited in the amount of information it can hold; while the creative subconscious is unlimited. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 27 Thinking Skills Creative Thinking 6 Creative Thinking In our Western systems of thinking, there is a strong bias towards using the left-brain. We tend to prefer ideas that fit preconceived patterns, systems that have been proved and solutions that are low-risk.But in a time of change, where we need to solve major intractable problems, we need to be more creative and instead of known thinking and known solutions, develop new thinking and new solutions, ie using the right-brain. Here are 7 ways to be more creative. 6. 1 Think like A Child As adults we tend to think in a conditioned way aimed at showing how clever we are. Yet, as children, we are simply spontaneous and far more curious in our thinking. To re-capture your childhood curiosity, allow yourself to just wonder at things, to be completely present in the here and now, and to detach yourself from what you thought was real.Why are leaves green? Who is Father Christmas? What makes us yawn? Where do people come from? Why do we have to go to sleep? What’s at the end of a rainbow? What happens when we die? Please click the advert What makes us laugh? Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 28 Thinking Skills Creative Thinking Why do people fight? What makes the light go on? Where do animals go when they die? Why do we have to work? 6. 2 Be More Curious The search for new answers to old problems starts with being curious about the problem and looking at it with fresh eyes. Sigmund Freud said that such curiosity came more naturally to children than adults.Other great inventors have also recognised the import ance to creative thinking of being curious about the world. This is how Leonardo da Vinci described his endless curiosity: â€Å"I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand. Why shells existed on the tops of mountains along with the imprint of coral and plant and seaweed found in the sea. Why the thunder lasts a longer time than that which causes it and why immediately on its creation the lightning becomes visible to the eye while circles of water form around the spot which has been struck by a storm and why a bird

Consciousness and Its Variations

Chapter IV Consciousness and its Variations Intro: 4. 1 Consciousness Your immediate awareness of thoughts, sensations, memories, and the world around you represent the experience of consciousness. William James described consciousness as a â€Å"stream† or â€Å"river. † Although always changing, consciousness is perceived as unified and unbroken much like a stream. Because his idea of structuralism was based off of introspection, many of the leading psychologists at the turn of the twentieth century emphasized with the study of overt behavior, which could be directly observed, measured, and verified.In mid 90’s many psychologists once again turned their attention to the study of consciousness. This was due to two main reasons. First it was becoming clear that a complete understanding of behavior would not be possible unless psychologists considered the role of conscious mental processes in behavior. Second was because psychologist had devised more objective way s to stud conscious experiences. For example, they could often infer the conscious experience that seemed to be occurring by carefully observing behavior.Technological advances in studying brain activity were also producing intriguing correlations between brain activity and different states of consciousness. Different perspectives that psychologist are using to piece together a picture of consciousness are the role of psychological, physiological, social, and cultural influences. Biological and Environmental â€Å"clocks† that regulate Consciousness. Through the course of the day, there is a natural ebb and flow to consciousness. The most obvious variation of consciousness that we experience is the daily sleep-wake cycle. These daily cycles such as this are called circadian rhythms.You actually experience many different circadian rhythms that ebb and flow over the course of any given 24hr period. Normally your circadian rhythms are closely synchronized with one another. For e xample, the circadian rhythm for the release of growth hormone is synchronized with the sleep-wake circadian rhythm so that growth hormone is released only during sleep. The suprachiasmatic Nucleus: Your main circadian rhythms are controlled by a master biological clock-a tiny cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus in the brain. This tiny cluster of neurons is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, abbreviated SCN.The SCN is the internal pacemaker that governs the timing of circadian rhythms. The most important environmental time cue is bright light, especially sunlight. The light is detected by special photoreceptors in the eye and is communicated via the visual system to the SCN. As the sun sets each day, the decrease in available light is detected by the SCN, and then in turn the CN triggers an increase in the production of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is manufactured by the pineal gland, an endocrine gland located in the brain. Increased blood levels of melatonin help make you sleepy and reduce activity levels.The levels of melatonin rise at night and peak around 0100 and 0300. Melatonin levels drop shortly before sunrises. The pineal gland stops producing melatonin, as the light from the sun is senesced by the SCN. Circadian Rhythms and Sunlight: The 24hr day Since the light from the sun helps regulate our circadian rhythm, what would happen if the external environmental factors were taken away? Well the circadian rhythm then will be referred to as a free-running condition, because the body’s internal clock runs freely and independently of external time cues.Without the external time cues researchers have found that our internal body clock drifts to its natural (or intrinsic) rhythm. They also found that our natural circadian rhythm is about 24. 2 hours, or slightly longer than a day. Also as our melatonin peaks, our body core temperature also drops to it’s lowest. But when deprived of all external environmental cues your body’s sleep-wake, body temperature, and melatonin circadian rhythms become desynchronized. This means that they no longer properly coordinate with one another. An example is being jet lagged. Your out of sync with the sun set because the time zone difference is 12 hrs.Sleep **Fun fact: over a person’s lifetime, you’ll spend approximately 22years of your life asleep. *** (Pg143) Prior to the 20th century, sleep was largely viewed as a period of restful inactivity in which dreams sometimes occurred. The Dawn of Modern Sleep Research The invention of the electroencephalograph by Hans Berger gave sleep researchers an important tool for measuring the rhythmic electrical activity of the brain. These electrical patterns were referred to as brain waves. The electroencephalograph produces a graphic record called EEG, or electroencephalogram.By studying the EEG researchers firmly established that brain-wave activity systematically changes throughout sleep. Eye movements, muscle movem ents, breathing rates, airflow, pulse, blood pressure, amount of exhaled carbon dioxide, body temperature, and breathing sounds are just some of the body’s functions that are measured in contemporary sleep research. Nathaniel Kleitman used his 8-year-old son to discover a pattern from the EEG and his son’s rapid eye movements. More of these rapid eye movements were noticed when subjects reported dreams. Today we distinguish between two basic types of sleep.REM sleep and NREM sleep. REM is often called active sleep or paradoxical sleep because it is associated with heightened body and brain activity during which dreaming consistently occurs. NREM sleep, or non-rapid eye movement sleep, is often referred to as quiet sleep because the body’s physiological functions and brain activity slow down during this period of slumber. NREM sleep is divided into four different stages. The onset of sleep and hypnagogic hallucinations Beta brain waves are produced as you prepare for bed. They are small, fast brain waves.After you’re head hits the pillow and your body begins to relax, your brain’s electrical activity gradually gears down generating slightly larger and slower alpha brain waves. During this drowsy, pre-sleep phase, you may experience odd but vividly realistic sensations. You may hear your name called or a loud crash, fell as if you’re falling or floating, flying, or see kaleidoscopic patterns or an unfolding landscape. The most common hypnagogic hallucinations are the vivid sense of falling. This hallucination is often accompanied by a myoclonic jerk-an involuntary muscle spasm of the whole body that jolts the person completely awake.The First 90 minutes of sleep and beyond Each NREM sleep stage is characterized by corresponding decreases in brain and body activity. On average the progression through the first four stages of NREM sleep occupies the first 50-70 minutes. STAGE 1 NREM As the alpha brain waves of drowsiness a re replaced by even slower tbeta brain waves, you enter the first stage of sleep, which only lasts a few minutes. Stage1 is a transitional stage during which you gradually disengage from the sensation of the surrounding world. During stage 1 you can quickly regain conscious alertness if needed.Although hypnagogic experiences can occur in stage one, less vivid mental imagery is common, such as imagining yourself engaged in some everyday activity. STAGE2 NREM Stage two represents the onset of true sleep. Stage two sleep is defined by the appearance of sleep spindles, brief bursts of brain activity that last a second or two, and K complexes, single high-voltage spikes of brain activity. Breathing becomes rhythmical, slight muscle twitches may occur, theta waves are predominant in stage two, but larger, slower brain waves, called delta brain waves, also begin to emerge.During the 15-20 minutes initially spent in stage 2, delta brain-waves activity gradually increases. STAGE 3 NREM Stage s three and four are physiologically very similar. Both are defined by the amount of delta brain-wave sleep. In combination they are sometimes reefed to as slow-wave sleep (SWS). When delta brain waves represent more than 20 percent of total brain activity, the sleeper is said to be in stage 3 NREM. When delta brain waves exceed 50% of total brain activity, the sleeper is said to be in stage 4 NREM. During the first 20-40 minutes of stage four NREM, delta waves eventually come to represent 100 percent of brain activity.At that point, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate drop to their lowest levels. In stage four the sleeper maybe totally oblivious to the world but his muscles are still capable of movement. For example, if sleepwalking occurs, it typically happens during stag 4 NREM sleep. In stage four NREM it is possible for a person to answer a ringing phone, carry on a conversation for severa minutes, and hang up without ever leaving stage 4 sleep- without remembering t he conversation the next day. At this point the sleeper is approximately 70 minutes into a typical night’s sleep and immersed in deeply relaxed stage four sleep.At this point the sequence reverses from stage 4 to 3 to 2 and then enters a dramatic new phase called REM. REM Sleep During REM sleep the brain becomes more active and generates smaller and faster brain waves. Visual and motor neurons in the brain activate repeatedly, just as they do during wakefulness. Dreams usually occur during REM sleep. Although the brain is very active, voluntary muscle activity is suppressed, which prevents the dreaming sleeper from acting out those dreams. REM sleep is accompanied by considerable physiological arousal. The sleeper’s eyes dart back and forth behind closed eyelids-the rapid eye movements.Heart rate, blood pressure, and respirations can fluctuate up and down, sometimes extremely. Muscle twitches occur. In both sexes sexual arousal may occur. The first episode of REM sleep is about 5-15 minutes. From the first stage of NREM to the completion of the first cycle of REM usually lasts about 90 minutes has elapsed all together. Beyond the first 90 minutes Throughout the rest of the night, the sleeper cycles between NREM and REM sleep. Each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes on average, but the duration of cycles may vary from 70-120 minutes. Just and after REM sleep the sleeper changes positions.Stage 3 and 4 NREM usually occur only during the first two 90-minute cycles. As the night progresses, REM sleep episodes become increasingly longer and less time is spent in NREM. During the last two 90-minute sleep cycles before awakening, NREM sleep is composed primarily of stage two sleep and periods of REM sleep can last as long as 40 minutes. Changing sleep patterns over a lifetime During the last trimester of prenatal development, active REM and quiet NREM sleep cycles emerge. In the final weeks, REM and NREM sleep are clearly distinguishable in the fetus.Ne wborns sleep about 16 hours a day, although not all at once. Up to 8 hours or 50% of the newborn’s sleep is spent in REM sleep. The rest is spent in a quiet sleep that is very similar to NREM stages 1&2. Not until about the third month of life that the deep, slow-wave sleep of NREM stages 3&4 appear. Typically the 90-minute sleep cycle develops over the first few years of life. The infants first couple months is characterized as being a 60 minute sleep cycle, producing 13 sleep cycles per day. By the age of two the toddler is experiencing 75 minute sleep cycles.By 5 years old the typical 90 minute sleep cycles of alternating NREM and REM sleep is established. Total time spent in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and sleep time decrease over the lifespan. Do we need sleep? Sleep deprivation studies has show us that after one nights sleep deprivation, subjects develop microsleeps, which are episodes of sleep lasting only a few seconds that occur during wakefulness. People who go without sl eep for a day or more experience disruptions in mood, mental abilities, reaction time, perceptual skills, and complex motor skills.People us to thing that a person can adapt to only having 4-5 hours of sleep, but this is simply not true. Sleep deprivation can decrease concentration, vigilance, reaction time, memory skills, and the ability to gauge risks. Why do we sleep? Toblers theory of restorative theory of sleep states that NREM is vital to restore the body while REM is used to restore the brain and mental functions. Dreams and Mental Activity during sleep4. 2 By the adulthood the average person spends 2hours a night dreaming. So if you live to a ripe old age. You will have spent about six years of your life dreaming.Although dream may be the most spectacular brain production during sleep, they are not the most common. More prevalent is sleep thinking, also called sleep mentation. Sleep thinking usually occurs during NREM slow-wave sleep. Sleep thinking probably contributes to t hose times when you wake up with a solution to some vexing problem. When awakened during active REM sleep, people report a dream about 95% of the time. Early morning dreams are the longest lasting up to 40 minutes and are the most likely to be remembered by the dreamer. People usually have four or five dreams a night. Sleep and memory consolidation: let me sleep on it.Research shows that different sleep states and stages contribute to forming different kinds of memories. Evidence suggests that NREM sleep contributes to forming new episodic memories, which are memories of personally experienced events. In contrast, REM sleep and NREM stage2 sleep seem to help consolidate new procedural memories, which involve learning a new skill or task until it can be performed automatically. So how does sleep strengthen new memories? Almost a century ago John Jenkins and Karl Dallenbach showed that memories could be enhanced by sleep as compared to an equal amount of time spent awake.Their explana tion was that, compared to wakefulness, sleep kept additional information from interfering with new memories. This explanation was however wrong. The correct answer using today’s new technology is that: New memories formed during the day are reactivated during the 90-minute cycles of sleep. This process of repeatedly reactivation these newly encoded memories during sleep strengthen the neuronal connections that contribute to forming long-term memories. So after forming new memories or learning something it is best to sleep after wards. It is also important to sleep prior to learning.This has been proven to increase the chances of retaining information. Dream Themes and Imagery: Here are some patterns and themes that are well-substantiated findings on dream content. 1) Women report males and female in equal proportion as other dream story characters. 2) Men are more likely to repot other males as the dream story characters. 3) Negative feelings and events are more common than positive ones. 4) Instances of aggression are more common than are instances of friendliness. 5) Dreamers are more likely to be victims of aggression than aggressors in their dreams. ) Men are more likely than women to report dreams involving physical aggression. 7) Women are more likely than men to report emotions in their dreams. 8) Sex and sexual behaviors seldom occur as elements of the dream. 9) Apprehension or fear is the most frequently reported dream emotion for both sexes, followed by happiness and confusion. If apprehensive or fearful emotions become progressively more intense as a dream story unfolds, there person may experience a nightmare. The nightmare typically has the dreamer as being helpless or powerless in the face of being aggressively attacked or pursued.Although fear, anxiety, and even terror are the most commonly experienced emotions, some nightmares involve intense feelings of sadness, anger, disgust, or embarrassment. The Significance of Dreams Sigmund Freud â€Å"Dreams as fulfilled wishes† He was the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud believed that sexual and aggressive instincts are the motivating forces that dictate human behavior. Because these instinctual urges are so consciously unacceptable, sexual and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and wishes are pushed into the unconscious, or repressed. However, Freud believed that these repressed urges and wishes ould surface in dream imagery. Freud believed that dreams had two components. The manifest content, and the latent content. The manifest content being the dream itself and the latent content being the disguised psychological meaning of the dream. The Active-Synthesis Model of Dreaming Founded by J. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley and stated that dreaming is our subjective awareness of the brain’s internally generated signals during sleep. That the experience of dreaming sleep is due to the automatic activation of brainstem circuits at the base to the brain.So the brain stem sends electrical messages to the brain and then the brain attempts to make sense of the messages. Sleep Disorders 4. 2 According to data from National Sleep Foundation’s annual polls, 7 out of 10 people experience sleep disruptions. People with trouble sleeping usually complain about one or more of the following: Insomnia, Excessive daytime sleepiness, and Abnormal behaviors or sensations during sleep. Sleep disruptions become a sleep disorder when A) abnormal sleep patterns consistently occur, B) They cause the subject distress, and C) they interfere with a persons daytime functioning.All sleep disorders can be classified into two broad categories. First is the dyssomnias, which are sleep disorders involving disruptions in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep (insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy). Then there is the parasomnias, which are sleep disorders involving undesirable physical arousal, behaviors, or events during sleep transitions. People are sai d to have insomnias when they repeatedly complain about quality or duration of their sleep, have difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep, or wake before it is time to get up. Transient insomnias last anywhere from about 1-2 nights to a couple weeks.Chronic insomnias last at least three nights each week that persist for a month or longer. Women are more predisposed to insomnias than men. Insomnias are also influenced by age, and gender. Most commonly insomnias can be traced to anxiety over stressful life events. Obstructive sleep apnea Sleep apnea is the second most common type of sleep disorder characterized by daytime sleepiness and excess snoring. The sleeper’s airway becomes narrowed or blocked, causing very shallow breathing or repeated pauses or stops breathing. Each time breathing stops, oxygen blood levels decrease and carbon dioxide blood levels increase.Sleep apnea tends to run in families and is more predominate in middle age males. To treat sleep apnea requires a life style change. Usually its treaded by loosing weight, avoiding alcohol, surgery to widen breathing passages, or a special mouth piece. Sever to moderate sleep apnea is treated with positive airway pressure from a CPAP. Narcolepsy People with narcolepsy experience or abundance of daytime fatigue regardless of the amount of time asleep. This uncontrollable event of a rapid onset of sleepiness is called sleep attacks or microsleeps. About 70% of people who suffer from narcolepsy experience cataplexy.Cataplexy is the sudden loss of voluntary muscle strength and control, lasting from several seconds to several minutes. People with narcolepsy also can experience sleep paralysis. Parasomnias In a parasomnias, the person’s brain is just awake enough to carryout the actions yet is still immersed in sleep that he or she has no conscious awareness or subsequent memory of having performed the action. Parasomnias occur during NREM stages 3 & 4, are more common in children and decre ase with age, occurs in multiple family member, suggest a genetic predisposition. Sleep Terrors:Also called night terrors, typically occur in the first few hours of sleep during stage 3 & 4 NREM. Physiologically, the first sign of a sleep terror is sharply increased physiological arousal, restlessness, sweating, and a racing heart rate. The difference between a sleep terror and a nightmare is as follows: Whereas nightmares involve a progressive unpleasant dream story, a sleep terror is usually accompanied by a single but terrifying sensation, such as being crushed or falling. Sleepsex Also called sexsomnia, involves abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences during sleep.Without realizing what he or she is doing, the sleeper initiates dome kind of sexual behavior, such as masturbation, sleepsex-talking, groping or fondling their bed partner’s genitals, or sexual intercourse. Sleepwalking Also called somnambulism. Sleep-Related Eating Disorders Frequent sleepwalking episodes to the kitchen, compulsive eating, and then awakening the next morning with no memory of having done so are the hallmarks of sleep-related eating disorders. The dangerous part of this is when the subject eats non-food items such as cat food, raw bacon, salt sandwiches, coffee grounds, or hand creams. Hypnosis 4. 3Hypnosis can be defined as a cooperative social interaction in which the hypnotic participant responds to suggestions made by the hypnotist. Hypnosis is characterized by highly focused attention, increased responsiveness to suggestions, vivid images and fantasies, and a willingness to accept distortions of logic or reality. Effects of Hypnosis Subjects of hypnosis may report detachment from their bodies, profound relaxation, or sensations of timelessness. Sensory and perceptual changes Sensory changes that can be induced through hypnosis include temporary blindness, deafness, or a complete loss of sensation in some part of he body.People can also experience hallucinations und er hypnosis. Hypnosis can also influence behavior outside the hypnotic state. When a posthypnotic suggestion is given. The person will carry out that specific suggestion after the hypnotic session is over. Hypnosis and memory Memory can be effected by posthypnotic amnesia, in which a subject is unable to recall specific information or events that occurred before or during hypnosis. The opposite effect is called hypermnesia, which is enhancement of memory for past events through hypnotic suggestions. Explaining HypnosisPsychologist Ernest R Hilgard believed that the hypnotize person experiences dissociation- the splitting of consciousness into two or more simultaneous streams of mental activity. This is called Hilgard’s neodissociation theory of hypnosis. Limits and applications of Hypnosis Contrary to popular belief, you cannot be hypnotized against your will. Second hypnosis cannot make you perform behaviors that are contrary to your moral and values. Third, hypnosis cannot make you stronger than your physical capabilities or bestow new talents. Hypnosis can be used to help modify problematic behaviors.Meditation Meditation refers to a group of techniques that induce an altered state fo focused attention and heightened awareness. Common to all forms of meditation is the goal of controlling or retaining attention. There are two general categories of meditation, Concentration techniques involving focusing awareness on visual image, your breathing, a word, or a phrase. When a sound is used, it is typically a short word or religious phrase, called a mantra. The second category is opening-up techniques involving a present-centered awareness of the passing moment, without mental judgment.Rather than concentrating on an object, sound, or activity, the meditator engages in quiet awareness of the â€Å"here and now† without distracting thoughts. Effects of meditation The early research on meditation focused on its use as a relaxation technique that relie ved stress and improved cardiovascular health. Numerous studies now show that practicing TM (transcendental meditation) subjects experience a state of lowered physiological arousal, including a decrease in heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and changes in brain waves. Psychoactive Drugs 4. 4Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that can alter arousal, mood, thinking, sensations, and perceptions. There are four categories of psychoactive drugs and they are depressants (drugs that depress, or inhibit, brain activity), opiates (drugs that are chemically similar to morphine and that relieve pain and produce euphoria), stimulants (drugs that stimulate, or excite, brain activity), and psychedelic drugs (drugs that distort sensory perceptions). The Depressants Alcohol, Barbiturates, Inhalants, and Tranquilizers The depressants are a class of drugs that depress or inhibit central nervous system activity.In general, depressants produce drowsiness, sedation, or sleep. Alcohol Used in sm all amount alcohol reduces tension and anxiety, along with reducing the risk of heart disease. Alcohol can also be misused and considered a dangerous drug. How does alcohol affect the body? Generally it takes about one hour to metabolize the alcohol in one drink, which is defined as 1 ounce of 80 proof whiskeys, 4 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer. Alcohol depresses the activity of neurons throughout the brain. As the blood alcohol levels rise, the more brain activity that is impaired.Because alcohol is physically addictive, the person with alcoholism who stops drining may suffer from physical withdrawal symptoms. Inhalants Inhalants are chemical substances that are inhaled to produce an alteration in consciousness. At low doses, they may cause relaxation, giddiness, and reduced inhibition. At higher doses inhalants can lead to hallucinations and a loss of consciousness. Repeatedly inhaling is a practice that increases risk of serious damage to the brain, heart, and other organs. In a study using a inhalant abuser and a cocaine addict that tested both subjects cognitive abilities.The cocaine addict actually scored higher than the inhalant abuser. Even though they both were below the norm for non-users. Barbiturates-Tranquilizers Barbiturates are powerful depressant drugs that reduce anxiety and promote sleep, which is why they are sometime called â€Å"downers. † Barbiturates depress activity in the brain center that control arousal, wakefulness, alertness, and also depress the brains respiratory centers. Low doses cause relaxation, mild euphoria, and reduced inhibitions, but larger doses produce a loss of coordination, impaired mental functioning, and depression.High doses can produce unconsciousness, coma, and death. Barbituates produce a very deep but abnormal sleep in which REM sleep is greatly reduced. Tranquilizers are depressants that relieve anxiety. Common prescribe tranquilizers are Xanax, Valium, and Ativan. The Opiates Often called narcot ics, these groups of addictive drugs relieve pain and produce feelings of euphoria (a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being some times exaggerated in pathological states as mania). Opiates produce their powerful effects by mimicking the brain’s own natural painkillers, called endorphins.Heroin, OxyContin, Demorol, Fentanyl, Percodan, and Vicodin. The Stimulants Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, and Cocaine Stimulants vary in the strength of their effects, legal status, and the manner in which they are taken. All stimulants however are at least mildly addicting, and all tend to increase brain activity. Caffeine and Nicotine Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. Its found in almost everything (soda, coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola drinks). Caffeine stimulates the cerebral cortex in the brain, resulting in an increase in mental alertness and wakefulness.Nicotine, contrary to popular belief does not relax the body. Instead it stimulates it. N icotine increases neural activity in many area of the rain, including the frontal lobes, thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. Amphetamines and Cocaine Like caffeine and nicotine, amphetamines and cocaine are addictive substances that stimulate brain activity, increasing mental alertness and reducing fatigue. Amphetamines is sometimes called â€Å"speed† or â€Å"uppers. † Amphetamines suppress appetite and were once widely prescribed as diet pills. Cocaine is an illegal stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca tree.Inhaling cocaine produces intense euphoria, mental alertness and self-confidence. A more concentrated form of cocaine is called â€Å"crack† which is smoked instead of inhaled. Prolonged use of cocaine and amphetamines can result in stimulant-induced psychosis, which have Schizophrenia-like symptoms, including hallucinations of voices and bizarrely paranoid ideas. Psychedelic Drugs Mescaline, LSD, and Marijuana This is a group of drugs that creat e profound perceptual distortions, alter mood, and affect thinking. Psychedelic literally means â€Å"mind manifesting. † Mescaline and LSD Mescaline was derived from the peyote cactus.Another psychedelic drug is psilocybin which is derived from the Psilocybin mushroom or sometimes called the â€Å"magic mushrooms† or â€Å"shrooms. † Mescaline and LSD are very similar chemically to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is involved in regulating moods and sensations. These drugs can sometime have a â€Å"bad trip† were the user doesn’t get the results the wished for but they get the opposite. Marijuana The common hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, is used to make rope and cloth. But when its leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds are dried and crushed, the mixture is called marijuana. Designer â€Å"Club† Drugs Ecstasy and dissociative anesthetic drugs

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