Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Potential Resume Bullet Point

  • I created and conducted an in-depth survey on Immigration as a form of political exit. This survey was part of a research project that set out to record information on why people immigrate and the reaction native people have on immigrants. In order to collect the best results possible I made sure to ask college students and faculty for their opinions. I personally collected all data and created a variety of graph type visuals that were later presented in a university level Political Phycology class.

My Survey Applied to Political Psychology

My survey on Immigration applied to the psychology of exit. Given the various reasons stated on my write up, immigration is a reality many people are faced with when considering the harsh problems are world is faced with today. For the most part, exit through Immigration is involuntary and people are forced to create new lives in foreign regions. When looking at Maslows Hierarchy of Needs we can make many connections to the act of immigrating. The hierarchy pyramid states the needs most people need in order to live in a functioning society. Love/belonging, safety, and physiological needs are all reasons millions of people immigrate every year. Economic disparity, wars, and many similar uncontrollable circumstances ruin the lives of many people living around the world. It is human nature to want to improve one's quality of life.



Research Summary

This research was focused on seeing the approval people really have on those immigrating from other
countries. Through the various questions asked, I was able to identify that all immigrants for the most
part are immigrating not because the want to, but because the opportunity to improve their quality of
life would increase. They love their homeland but various factors keep them from enjoying their life to
their full potential. I also asked if people empathized with those immigrants and for the most part most
people would welcome immigrants if it meant they would have an increased chance of success. I
surveyed a total of 17 people around NDNU, students and faculty from all ages shared their
opinions on immigration.

My primary goal while conducting this research is to further understand the reasons why
people immigrate from country to country and how politics play a role in the decision making. 
factors contribute to the ultimate decision of leaving one country for the next. Economic disparity,
wars, and many other similar uncontrollable circumstances ruin the lives of many people living around
the world. When thinking about the contemporary reasons people immigrate, political and familial
influences are at center stage.

Survey Write Up

Victor Nambo
Political Psychology, Andrews
Research Paper
November 12, 2019
Immigration as a Form of Political Exit
Intro:
Throughout the course of this semester we have learned about the various reasons why
a person might exit a community, region, or country. Though all reasons may not be political,
more often than not the primary cause of leaving an area is provoked by an unavoidable
obstacle presented by government intervention, or lack thereof. Immigration is just as
much involuntary as it is voluntary and continues to be a big part of society in almost every
part of the world. According to modern civilization in the last couple thousand years, no matter
what country it may be, at one point of time, people either immigrated in or out of that country for
reasons that were ”political”. From the first civilization who decided to migrate to a different region to
find more food or better weather, to the current influx of refugees flooding into foreign countries
seeking refuge, people move from place to place for the primary reason of maximizing efficiency
and overall quality of life. My primary goal while conducting this research is to further understand
the reasons why people immigrate from country to country and how politics play a role in the
decision making. 




Review of Literature:
Immigration has been a common practice for most part of human civilization. While looking
for better ways of gathering information, I began by looking up the already existing literature
on the topic of immigration as a form of political exit. Through my research I found an article
titled “Root Causes of Migration” written by the United States Conference of Bishops. The
article ran through the various reasons why a person may leave or exit a country. The reasons
included economic, safety, environmental, and social factors. Each reason was backed by
a clear description of the overall decision making when considering leaving one country for
another. Immigrating to a different country for most people is a desperate reaction to
unavoidable circumstances. The article states, “Often, in the migration context, there are
both push and pull factors with push factors being reasons why people would want to leave
their home country and pull factors being reasons why people would want to come to a
new country. In migration, push and pull factors can be economic, environmental, social
and political”. (Justice for Immigrants par.1). With this in mind, we can begin to understand
the complexities of deciding whether to immigrate and start a life in a different country.  I
was also able to find article titled “How Americans See Immigration, the Border Wall and
Political Compromise” written by John Gramlich. This Pew Research article touched on
why Mexican people want to immigrate to the United States and why Americans feel like
they need protection through the construction of a wall. Further, the article gave specific
numbers on the amount of immigrants living in America legally and illegally. The process
of immigration has rules and regulations that differ from country to country. Recently though,
countries with a high number of immigrants are cracking down and considering the
removal or illegal immigrants.


Method:
Through creating a survey, I was able to get a better understanding on what people think
about immigration. Provided with a variety of questions ranging from “Do you approve of
immigration?” to “Have you ever Immigrated? If so, why?”. This particular combination of
questions gave me a good idea of the general opinions people here, at NDNU have on immigration.
I created a digital survey through Survey Monkey and also personally handed out physical copies.
I began this process by giving them an introduction about myself, followed by why im conducting
the survey and assured them it would be quick and anonymous. In order to get a good diversity
of opinions, my teammates and I agreed to get at least 15 surveys completed by a mixture of
college students, half male and female, and random people over the age of 30. Through sending
links to my survey to classmates, teammates, and teachers, I was able to assign and complete
17 surveys in one day. 
Results:
Have you ever immigrated to a different country? If so, why?:


On a scale of 1-10, how much do you empathize or approve of immigration when the primary cause is
a threat to safety? (1 being you don't approve, 10 being you strongly approve):
  • From the 17 who participated, the average number selected 7.6. Seven people voted a maximum
10 points in empathy, while one person voted a 1 on empathy.


With an abundance of opportunity, would you be willing to share the overall wealth of this
country with immigrants? Potentially sacrificing financial success, so that immigrants have
the opportunity to move up the social ladder.
  • 3 people voted strongly agree
  • 11 people voted agree
  • 2 voted neither disagree or agree
  • 1 voted disagree
  • 0 voted strongly disagree


Analysis
The results I received weren’t far from what I expected. Considering the people I had
complete the survey were for the most part minorities or live in a generally liberal institution,
most people are in favor of immigration in the United States. When living and working with
immigrants on a day to day basis, the acceptance of people from other countries is very high.
People seem to overwhelmingly empathize and approve of immigration when it comes to fleeing
catastrophic circumstances. 

Conclusion:
When considering the health and wellbeing of immigrants, most people approve of the
exit of one country to seek a better quality of life elsewhere. Many factors contribute to
the ultimate decision of leaving one country for the next. Economic disparity, wars, and
many other similar uncontrollable circumstances ruin the lives of many people living around
the world. It is human nature to want to improve one's quality of life. Most people would
probably prefer to stay in the same region as their ancestors, continuing the cultural
traditions and ways of life. When thinking about the contemporary reasons people
immigrate, political and familial influences are at center stage. 













Bibliography
“Root Causes of Migration.” Justice for Immigrants, 15 Mar. 2017, https://justiceforimmigrants.org/what-we-are-working-on/immigration/root-causes-of-migration/.
Gramlich, John. “How Americans See Illegal Immigration, the Border Wall and Political Compromise.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 16 Jan. 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/16/how-americans-see-illegal-immigration-the-border-wall-and-political-compromise/.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Reading links: review of literature

Immigration as a form of political exit:

Root Causes of Immigration
https://justiceforimmigrants.org/what-we-are-working-on/immigration/root-causes-of-migration/.

How Americans See Illegal Immigration, the Border Wall and Political Compromise
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/16/how-americans-see-illegal-immigration-the-border-wall-and-political-compromise/

"Why We Believe Fake News"; Article review

The overwhelming abundance of information one can find on the internet has flooded in the minds of all people around the world. The article focuses on the various ways people react to this information. Highlighted in the article, the way other view the same information may influence one to change their own opinions in order to be accepted or belong to a group. Unless we have all information possible, we as humans are rather scared to make a solidify a new way of thinking. Shared social information is important to most people considering the fear of being wrong or different. Large amounts of information can be just as confusing as it can be productive.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Stanford Prison Experiment

Physiologist Philip Zambardo conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment as a means to find out the ways people would behave if randomly given authority over other people. In this study, Zambardo used 24 students to play the roles of either prisoners or guards. Through his experiment, he was able to conclude that when given permission to handle extreme situations without proper training, violence and torture was the inevitable tactics guards would use when dealing with troublesome inmates. Through improvising roles, both inmates and guards were so deeply involved in their personal roles that they actually began to think they were real prisoners and guards. Inmates began to revolt against what the believed was unjust treatment and guards did their best to deal with their disobeying behavior. Ultimately, the experiment had to conclude early due to a string of mental breakdowns and protest posed by inmates.