Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Reflections on the Art of Choosing so far

[The Art of Choosing]   

We've covered a few chapters in Sheena Iyengar's The Art of Choosing so far. We've looked at issues related to cultural background and cognitive dissonance among other issues. 

Of the issues that we've covered, what's one topic addressed by Iyengar that you have found particularly useful for how you think about choice and choosing? Why? 

7 comments:

Unknown said...

The american dream is a topic that i could relate to the most. This is because my mother believes in the american dream and high education but my father does not. He tells me its not always the hard work you put into it sometimes most people just be in the right place at the right time. For example he could work his whole life to be a singer but if he cant sing then he will never have a career. My mom is actually the exact opposite. she feels if you work hard enough then your ability and goals are endless. I personally feel that both parents are right in a way because it affects the way we all make choices. We choice to go to college to achieve the american dream as I am doing. But it doesn't always plan out the way its suppose to. So its not always about working hard its about your environment as well.

C. S. said...

Pg. 87 “That’s how heavily invested we are in being singular and in being seen for who we truly are (or think we are)…Why else does every other high school valedictorian speech or college application essay quote from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”: “I took the one less traveled/And that has made all the difference”? Being too much like others, making the choices most others make, is at best a character flaw…”
Here, Iyengar, is making the point of the social pressure to be different. That if you choose to go with the crowd, you are lazy and lack ambition.
However, I find it useful to choose to be different. It may have this negative connotation, but I believe that we have a foundation of similarity. Then the experiences from growing up shape us into different people. I choose to be a Chemistry major with an Art Studio minor. I choose to work two jobs. I choose to budget my money. I choose to study late into the night. Every day we make choices that are unique to our own lives and that are similar to society. To go to school, to get a job, create a family.
I believe there is a much greater pressure to be the same as society. To not deviate from the cultural norm. So when I find diversity out of choice, I believe that is good and gives a more holistic perspective.

Chante S.

Lindsey McCall said...

The idea of the American Dream really stuck with me. This really touched home with me because I grew up with both of my parents married and in my home, all of my sisters have the same biological father and mother, my parents worked for the government and I was always at the top of my class. This seems like the American Dream to those on the outside looking in, but they failed to realize that I still had to fight for and earn everything I have today. People think that the American Dream is having everything handed to you, but its far from it. On a day to day bases you have to deal with people who hate on you and try their very best to bring you down, and then you have to deal with the pressure of meeting everyones expectations. The American Dream to me isn't what its all cranked up to be, because once you achieve it you have to fight to maintain it.

Sierra Ewing said...

The comment made by the author on page 105 says, "Changing our behavior purely for the sake of appearances may seem to conflict with the need to be authentic and consistent, but in many ways it is actually a result of those needs." This is an interesting topic to me because I would love to think that I am actually shaping my life the way I want and becoming the person I am because of choices I make and the values I have, but it seems that this is not entirely the case. There are so many outside influences that alter the way I live and the way that I view myself. In a way it reminds me that a large portion of my life and my actions are not a choice that I make out of my own integrity but made for the satisfaction of others. And yes, I do believe that we have the power to make the wise choice and we are responsible for the actions we choose to take; however, I am convinced that a lot of my actions are heavily influenced by factors unknown to me at face value.

Andriana C. said...

The topic of "Eye of the Beholder" stuck out to me the most. It is true that people do only pay the most attention to the lager figures in life and basically alienate the smaller, not so apparent figures. Assuming the more prominent figures are the most powerful and control specific situations. We have to choose to reach for the stars and come out on top. We have to choose to take control of our lives and have the confidence to do so and not let the greater powers decide our fates for us.

Anonymous said...

Mercedes H
On page 97, Inyengar says "certainly there are many times we do things we want to do, but there are many other times when we do things because they are required by the circumstances." That statement stuck out to me so much in the topic of choosing because there are so many times when it comes down to choosing the choice of what you have to do for the situation. Choice does not always come down to what we want to do because there are far more choices that can be made that fit the circumstances but is not necessarily what we want. I am a very hard headed person and I always want to do what I think is best but that is not always the right answer. It is difficult to choose so being aware of you options and your situation will make choosing that much more accurate.

Alexandra Donaldson said...

In the eye if the beholder was a topic that really was useful to me. It was so useful in changing the way i think about choice and choosing because often times people think "the bigger, the better" and that's not the always the best way to make a decision. We often overlook small things that don't stand out and sometimes the small things are what we need in life. I use a lot caution when makes choices and I'm not quick to make assumptions of something based off of appearances.