My Life: Psychology: Entry 10

Case study:
–noun
1.
a study of an individual unit, as a person, family, or social group, usually emphasizing developmental issues and relationships with the environment, esp. in order to compare a larger group to the individual unit.
2.
A detailed analysis of a person or group in a psychological study.

Case Study: Luke StormoGipson

Four Most Important Events In My Life

#1: Going to Central America

Every year (or so) my family, or a part thereof, has gone to Central America to do volunteer medical work. We head down there to give locals treatment they would otherwise be unable to get, and I was exposed to this at a young age. This helped me to realize, right off the bat, as a prepubescent, ignorant kid, the situation of people all over the world in developing countries. It broadened my very closed view of things, and it also forced me to become involved in the world community as a volunteer who could feel the simple, yet empowering, satisfaction of generosity. My mindset and behavior has been forever changed: I no longer judge people by their backgrounds or financial situation (since so many of the people are destitute Guatemaltecos). I don't take necessities for granted (like food or clothes or fresh water). And I appreciate my home situation for every great thing it is worth! My perspective was changed at an unusually young age, but for the better... I understand what others go through in poorer countries, and know what I must do, as a more priviledged person, to make the world a better place.

#2: Coming to India

As a student at a small American charter academy, I wanted to branch out and experience something totally different my senior year of high school. By attending Kodaikanal International School I definitely got this experience, and in ways I would have never expected. My school back home was small, white, conservative and abnormal (we wore uniforms and didn't have cliques). But KIS is larger, so diverse, more open and more like a typical high school (complete with social groups, house divisions and a less strict dress-code). Just saying goodbye to people back home impacted me emotionally before I even left. And I know I will have to do that again at the end of this year! But KIS and travels around India have broadened my worldview once again, and have made me appreciate and love the beauty in life that I had never known before. After this year, I will love just lying on the grass for hours on end, doing nothing. Or I will appreciate good food! Ha Ha

But seriously: Behaviorally, Kodai has taught me, above all else, to be who I am, and to love the unique self I harbour and am developing as I write this. It has also let me appreciate that being, and not be ashamed or insecure about what that is, or where that is going. And so, it has made all the years of pscyhological, pubescent turmoil ("self discovery") worth it. Here, my realization has come to a sort of frution (although I know I will always be on the path towards critical actualization of my true nature).

#3: From Cougars to Panthers

In eighth grade I switched schools from a public middle school (6-8 grades) where the mascot was the cougar, to a public charter school (6-12 grades) where the mascot was the panther. I was ready to be done with my old school and move on to better and bigger things. But fitting into a new envrionment at the height of puberty was intense and life changing. At my old school it was looked down upon if you got good grades, or were considered "smart". But at Charter, everything, including who your friends were, was determined my GPA. I fit in really well since I set high standards and was motivated to do work. I loved the feeling of being applauded for an "A" average. But finding a secure friend group was hard: only the evangelical christians wanted to be my friends so they could convert me, and others saw me as a loner. Even my best friend (who had been attending the school for a year already) didn't give me a second thought. Socially, it was a hard transition. Psychologically, I had to buck-up and start making friends fast before I got fed to the religious vultures in the corner. So, then and there, I mustered up self-confidence and became more secure with myself enough to make other friends and become accepted into the school community I would call my own for the next four years. Of course, after the initiation my "friend group" had its ups and downs, but in the end (at least before I left for India) we were closer than ever. And I realized how important it is to stand up for myself and be confident in times of change. My growth and maturity levels certainly developed a lot under these circumstances.

#4: Losing My Religion

My whole life I have been through dedications, baptisms, initiations and matriculation ceremonies to signify the religious path I took with the rest of my family. But none of these ever appealed to me. I used to be Lutheran, than Methodist, than Unitarian and Universalist, but within the past few years I have reevaluated my beliefs and personal dogma, and realized none of these were for me. So I became a god-questioning, "don't know, don't care" agnostic, in hopes of not being affiliated with religion or faith in any way. Why do I need to believe in God? At that time in my life, belief in something metaphysical wasn't a priority or even on my to do list.

Now, however, I have once again looked within myself to discover that I am no longer questioning the supernatural or God, but in complete disbelief. I have gone through a revelation (or antirevelation) that has led me to understand myself as an atheist, without faith or belief in a God. To me it's liberating, opening myself up to experiences and a comprehension I have of the world that would otherwise be limited by my religious obligations. And I no longer feel trapped by the quesitons or quandaries of the agnostic mindset. I am firm in my lack of religion, and I belive this has helped me cope more logically with life and what it has thrown at me. Psychologically, it has made things more rational to me, and has allowed me to express myself in the context of where I am/who I am at the moment (as opposed to what I believe in). So this was a major mental growth development in my teen years.