So far I’m liking 2018.
Just a tad short of 1/3 of the way through this long month, I find myself reevaluating my ‘set point’ and realizing how for most of my life my default setting has been to view the glass as half empty — I’ve always had the tendency to view the world through a field-dependent lens.
As someone who has struggled throughout her life with MDD, it was intriguing to discover research showing field dependent ‘ learners’ tend more towards depression, to consider applying the recent science into neuroplasticity, and to reframe how I view myself and interact with the world around me.
First up this evening, a quiz:
Are you field dependent or independent? (adapted from this resource)
_____ 1. I like to work alone.
_____ 2. I perform better in groups or with friends
_____ 3. I prefer quiet places
_____ 4. I enjoy my work and hobbies and don’t need outside motivators.
_____ 5. I perform best with a clear deadline.
_____ 6. I tend to procrastinate.
_____ 7. I am usually prepared.
_____ 8. I prefer working with background materials provided and clear objectives
_____ 9. I prefer activities where there is a lot of discussion and activities
_____ 10. I perform best when I have access to background materials and clear instructions.
_____ 11. I enjoy discussion and group activities more than doing things on my own
Statements 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10, above indicate Field Independent characteristics.
All other statements indicate field dependent preference.
If you are Field Dependent (FD) and driving, you are more likely to have an accident due to following the preceding car too closely or not reading road signs. If you are Field Independent and driving, you are more likely to have an accident due to swerving in and out of traffic because you...are constantly scanning the entire visual field.
Personality Revealed Through Perception
- Field Dependence-Independence
- Field independent (relative to field dependent) people have the ability to focus on details despite the clutter of background information
- Field dependence-independence and life choices
- Education: Field independent people favor natural sciences, math, engineering, whereas field dependent people favor social sciences and education
- Interpersonal relations: Field independent people are more interpersonally detached, whereas field dependent people are attentive to social cues, oriented toward other people
- Current research on field dependence-independence
- Field independent people are better able to screen out distracting information and focus on a task
- Field-independent students learn more effectively than field dependent students in hypermedia-based instructional environment
(from hyered)
The Silver Lining
I was so distraught that the cyclone had ripped apart our house, and destroyed everything I owned, that I became morose and helpless, unable to do anything. But I noticed that the entire neighborhood were all helping each other, talking to each other cheerfully, sympathetically, showing kindnesses and support in a way they never had before, and I began to recognize that there was a silver lining even in this disaster!
- "life is a creation of the mind." (Buddha)
- ”there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so."(Shakespeare)
- "what you see is what you get." (Flip Wilson as Geraldine)
- Every silver lining has a cloud. (Mary Kay Ash)
- If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. (Wayne Dyer)
- Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. (Oprah Winfrey)
- When things go wrong, don't go with them. (Elvis Presley)
- We need to quit arguing about whether the glass is half full or half empty - and instead acknowledge that there's not quite enough water to go around. (Kate Brown)
So what about you?
- Are you field dependent or field independent?
- Is your ‘glass’ half empty or half full?
- Can you share some silver linings?
As always, this is an open thread.
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well. |