Critical Thinking Essay

The four keys to a sound decision making argon recognizing that the individual is coiffureually facing a very important decision. thence it would be followed by consideration of the possible alternatives. After doing so, unmatchable and only(a) will need to evaluate these alternatives and would finally need to act with discipline to be able to choose the best possible alternative. Such decision making process was present in my breeding during my fourth yr in high school wherein I would pass to finally pick a college course. My parents need me to become an ordinary businessman.I, on the different hand would want to enter the military school. I weigh between the two alternatives of which would be my best choice. I believe that doing something that I have no enthusiasm would non likely to benefit me. In the end, I chose to persuade my parents into letting me go to the military school instead of the other way around. Knowing what alternative it is that one really wants and beli eves to be the best. Having an alternative that is proven to work and that would yield more benefit than the other/s is the one alternative that shall be chosen.In my case, I chose what I really want over the alternative of following the advice or the wants of my parents. It serves me well and I am happy that I made such decision. 7. in short describe the early decision making years (2-11 years of age) and the adolescent decision making years (12-17 years of age). Now review in your mastermind your recollections just about your life as an adolescent. Ask yourself the following questions .a. Can you commit some ways in which you were influenced by the media as an adolescent? Elaborate. In the adolescence years, close of my decisions were roughly based on how I want others to treat me and see me.Since the adolescence period is a term wherein individuals try to find themselves and produce their own identity element advertisements have been really influential. One of the things t hat I remember about being influenced by the media was through promotions of white and lean is handsome or beautiful. As remote as I can remember there have been television advertisements that promote being not bad(predicate) looking in the concept of having more muscles. tv shows mostly have leading actors who are muscularly built and dressed ruggedly. The view on how to measure success was also influenced by the media.I grew up class period articles about rugs to riches stories and what have inspired this people. I tried to imitate their actions, nevertheless, as far as my character is concerned, I am different person in a different neighborhood with a different capability and attitude in life although, those stories had got stuck in mind up until today. b. Can you identify one bad garments you formed as a result of poor adolescent decision-making? Elaborate. One bad habit that have formed in me resulting from a poor adolescent decision making would be attempting to rebel fro m my parents.During those years I felt as if my whole world is being so much manipulated by my parents. I guess, thats how people usually think when parents started being over protective during those years when everyone else is trying to have a good time. As a usual adolescent I tried to sleep over, drink alcohol, and skip classes, smoke cigarette and marijuana. Those kinds of things come aprospicient to be the natural things to do. Then here comes my parents shouting at me telling me to straighten my life or else I would not be receiving anything from them.I felt so sick about how they treat me. It seems like I am still a little baby who cannot decide on his own. Thus, I have dogged to run by from home. After a week, I have seen what life is without my parents. I mean, at first it is an overwhelming sense of freedom and success. Afterwards you will find everything lousy. Your life would seem to have no direction and you will realize, I should have listened. c. To what extent did your decisions during adolescence reflect an attempt on your part to gain recognition and credenza from other adolescents?My decisions during my adolescence reflected my attempts on gaining recognition and acceptance from my peers when I run away from home just to go with them on a road trip. My parents have been so against my friends, since they are the kind of people who indulged on so much smoke and liquor. Disobeying my parents and prioritizing my friends over my studies have been my best attempt for them to accept me. They lived their lives that way and I believed that time that in order for me to have friends, I must try to be like them.It did work, but I then understand that I should just be myself and real good friends would stick with me. 8. The text lists seven steps to sound business firmness. Identify a situation from your own experience where you have use those steps. List how you applied each and how they impacted your ability to solve that particular problem. I ha ve been able to apply the seven steps of problem solving in my life during my stay hear in Iraq. My goal in being here in Iraq is to serve my country. However, there have been several issues that seem to denote that I am doing something that is wrong.Since, there are so many people who believe that soldiers in Iraq are unnecessary or that soldiers in Iraq are being used by the American regimen to express its hegemonic capacities. It is not that I do not have faith or trust to the government of America but since I, as a soldier have experience seeing people cursing us on behalf of the American government, I decided to make some research regarding the views of people especially of those who are residing here in Iraq about the American government and how they see it as a brat and why.Depending on the various information and opinion that I have collected in the internet and through other people I have inferred that broadly the people with a communist or Marxist background and those w ho have an affinity or sympathy with the actions and principles of the Jemai Islamia view the United States government as a modern colonizer. I decided that in short term I could dialogue people out of such idea by presenting them with logical explanation.However, I figured out it would be dangerous since peoples beliefs and philosophy is deeply embedded in their consciousness a consciousness that was formed by experience and continuous reinforcement of ideological beliefs. It would be hard to talk to them and convince them to believe other wise. A long term action I could do is to create blogs or article in the internet that would voice out the interest and opinion of the people who are actually involved in the rehabilitation of Iraq in order to explain better about what is the need for soldiers and America to continue supporting the Iraqi government.In order to do this I have talk about some of my friends and sort of interview them regarding the matter. They believe that it is a good idea to create articles that would voice out our side of the issue. This article would better be available to other people who would like to know a holistic view of the story. The strategy that I decided to apply is to send emails to my friends and relatives to view a discussion panel on the internet. This panel would be focused on the war in Iraq and would generate the views from different people. However, it would be hard to promote the site.So I am still thinking of other strategy. One of my fellow soldier decided that we should create a book that would reflect our experiences here in Iraq. I guess that will be a better alternative. But it would take a long time from now since we dont have enough time and resources to do a book at the present moment. 9. Provide a personal example for each of the two forms of irrational problem solving. Discuss how these were irrational and what you might have done differently? Thinking irrationally follows from not being able to reason out, it is doing something out of sheer habit or false belief.Egocentric thinking or solving a problem based on selfish or self-centered view oftentimes results to negative effect. As when a person is thinking only of personal wants, such wants may not be the same wants that other people like. If so, one would be imposing his wants and others might hate him for that. Also, in problem solving when a person acts according to his emotions he would not think about other people and would only think about a solution that has personal bias. Such solution may not be good for a long term or for a group of individuals and thus, it is more likely to fail than to succeed.If a person is jealous, the person would not think about the reason why things happened, instead the person would view things in accordance to how the person feels things are going. There are certain decisions that might not have been done if green-eyed monster was set aside. Another irrational problem solving is doing what you a re told without critically examining the reasons for a certain action. For instance you are told that you should go to church and believe in Christ since you are a child. If you would just believe what others tell you and not think about them in a more critical manner.When you have a problem regarding your religion or someone offered you a counter argument, such things might ruin or shatter your faith, since you cannot reason it out. References Paul, R. and Elder, L. (2006). Critical Thinking. 2nd ed. mortal Prentice Hall. Richardson, B. (2006). Theme of the Month The Tyranny of the Fifth Constraint Taking Your Thinking Off Autopilot . allPM. com. Retrieved on November 24, 2007. Retrieved from the World Wide Web http//allpm. com/modules. php? op=modload& produce=News&file=article&sid=1580&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.