4/15/10 Word Post: Human Bonding

Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together. Bonding is a mutual, interactive process, and is not the same as simple liking.

Bonding typically refers to the process of attachment that develops between romantic partners, close friends, or parents and children. This bond is characterized by emotions such as affection and trust. Any two people that spend time together may form a bond. Male bonding refers to the establishment of relationships between men through shared activities that often exclude females. The term female bonding is less frequently used, but refers to the formation of close personal relationships between women.

In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Plato argued that love directs the bonds of human society. In his Symposium, Eryximachus, one of the narrators in the dialog, states that love goes far beyond simple attraction to human beauty. He states that it occurs throughout the animal and plant kingdoms, as well as throughout the universe. Love directs everything that occurs, in the realm of the gods as well as that of humans (186a-b).

Eryximachus reasons that when various opposing elements such as wet and dry are "animated by the proper species of Love, they are in harmony with one another... But when the sort of Love that is crude and impulsive controls the seasons, he brings death and destruction.” Because it is love that guides the relations between these sets of opposites throughout existence, in every case it is the higher form of love that brings harmony and cleaves toward the good, whereas the impulsive vulgar love creates disharmony.

Plato concludes that the highest form of love is the greatest. When love "is directed, in temperance and justice, towards the good, whether in heaven or on earth: happiness and good fortune, the bonds of human society, concord with the gods above- all these are among his gifts.”

There are many different types of bonding. There is maternal/paternal bonding, human/animal bonding, bonding between friends or siblings, classmates/co-workers bonding, etc. When living within the same quarters as another person, or animal, there tends to be some type of bonding that occurs even if you don’t get along with whomever it is that you’re living with. There are certain things that only people that have lived with you could possibly know (Where you prefer to hide your junk food and what your guilty pleasure food is. How particular you are about how dishes get put away. How often you shower or do laundry).

Levine, Jon (2003). "Secret of Paternal Bond." BBC News / Health, Tuesday, 25 February.

Latter, L. (1995). Article: “Human Pet Bonding”. Source: Animal Welfare Society – Southeastern Michigan.

Miller, W.B. & Rodgers, J.L. (2001). The Ontogeny of Human Bonding Systems: Evolutionary Origins, Neural Bases, and Psychological Manifestations. New York: Springer. ISBN 0-7923-7478-9

4/8/10 Word Post:Roommate

A roommate is a person who shares a living facility, called as a sharehome, such as an apartment or dormitory. Synonyms include sharemate, suitemate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in British English for an apartment). In the UK, the term "roommate" means a person sharing the same bedroom, whereas in the United States, "roommate" and "housemate" are used interchangeably regardless whether a bedroom is shared.

The most common reason for sharing housing is to reduce the cost of housing. In many rental markets, the monthly rent for a two- or three-bedroom apartment is proportionately less per bedroom than the rent for a one-bedroom apartment. By pooling their monthly housing money, a group of people can achieve a lower housing expense at the cost of less privacy. Other motivations are to gain better amenities than those available in single-person housing, to share the work of maintaining a household, and to have the companionship of other people.

Housemates and roommates are typically unmarried young adults, including workers and students (the practice of sharing a bedroom is mostly limited to students). It is not rare for middle-aged and elderly adults who are divorced or widowed to have housemates. Married couples, however, typically discontinue living with roommates, especially when they have children. In the United States, most young adults spend at least a short part of their lives living with roommates after they leave their family's home.

One difficulty is finding suitable roommates. Living with a roommate can mean much less privacy than having a residence of one's own, and for some people this can cause a lot of stress.
Another thing to consider when choosing a roommate is how to divide the cost of living. Who pays for what, or are the shared expenses divided between the two or more roommates. Also, the potential roommate should be trusted to pay their share and trusted to pay it on time. Sleeping patterns can also be disrupted when living with a number of people, so it is therefore important to choose housemates wisely.

“I don't need to pay a therapist to give me crap. I have a roommate that does it for free.”
-Unknown

Taking Power, Sharing Cereal, New York Times, Jan. 18, 2007; D.C. Lawmakers Share 'Animal House', ABC News, Mar. 12, 2007; Capitol Hill's Animal House is Their Home Away From Home, Boston Globe, Jan. 18, 2007.

4/1/10 Word Post: Living Situation

There are always different things that will effect a person’s living situation. Sometimes you have to move back to Mom and Dad’s until you get back on your again. Then there are times where you have found the perfect roommates in college that you feel you are going to live with for the rest of you life. There is the awkward ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend living situation where you moved in together and then broke up, but neither of you can afford to break the lease. There is the young mother/father living arrangement and the teenager still living at home scenario. Then when you get older, perhaps you are forced to live with a certain person because you have some of the same medical needs and the assisted living nurse require that you live together. The spouse that is too scared to leave their “significant other” even though they are getting abused on a regular basis.

There are more different types of living situations then I would ever be able to list. However, more often then not, whatever living situation you are in was at one point a choice. The circumstances may have changed from what they once were but it is always up to the people involved in how they want to handle how things have become.

I found a blog that asks people about their current living situations and these are the answers that the blogger received:

I live with my husband, and we share one house… although I think it would be a lot of fun to have two houses with a joined hallway. Or at the very least, two master bedrooms, as is the trend in new, big, construction.
I am an only child too! So I can totally relate to needing alone time, something that is a tad hard for hubby to figure out since he is one of five kids. The nice thing is, we each have our own office, and otherwise I know we would drive each other completely bonkers.
<3 Aimee · May 18, 02:25 PM · #

I live in a pretty messy old state house, with my crazy furniture (I have Karen walkers old board room chairs!) and artwork in a semi-ghetto part of town. But it’s mine and I love it.
I would love to move to a huge crazy old house up in the hills around wellingtons cod somewhere
<3 Sarah · May 18, 02:26 PM · #

I live by myself right now. I like it because I always have art projects and clothes scattered about the place. I do want a kitten or a sugar glider or some other pet soon… I think ideal would be having one or two friends down the hall.
<3 Katrina · May 18, 02:29 PM · #

I’ve always had an incredible desire for small spaces. I’d always find the smallest room in the house and somehow now I’ve ended up living in a house with a cupboard under the stairs that’s big enough for my bed.
I’m going to try it out when I’ve removed some shelving in there. It’s a perfect private space, everything in the room (and in small rooms before) is mattress and when the energies sort themselves out after you settle in, it feels comforting and sort of womb-y. Especially appealing in winter.
Obviously, it probably won’t work for claustrophobics, but I’m kind of the opposite so it offers me a great deal of privacy and security in a house where I have to be around people a lot.
<3 Amyz · May 18, 02:36 PM · #

I lived with the boyfriend for nearly two years and my dog for six of those. We live in a terrace in Richmond (a dream I’ve had since I was a teenager) with a tiny little yard and a pseudo bungalow/laundry. If I were going to live overseas I’d love a loft in NYC or a shoebox in Tokyo, but if I were going to live the domestic life I’d have a yard big enough for a serious veggie garden and a massive kitchen.
<3 Shannon · May 18, 02:44 PM · #

I don’t unnecessarily like big spaces; I just want one that’s big enough. I live with my husband and 3 cats. I just want enough room where we don’t feel cramped.
I actually lived in a loft in NYC, I would move back in a second, though maybe not to that exact space. : P
<3 tricia · May 18, 03:31 PM · #

Life in Tokyo can be pretty cramped. The two of us in a two story, ultra slim line apartment with dangerously twisty internal stairs can sometimes get pretty tight!
Alone time is oh so gorgeous – living together and working together with different languages, cultures and ways of doing things requires an intense amount of awareness (of course that awareness sometimes flies out the window) but there is never a dull moment.
Regular ‘Ladies Lunches’, separate shopping sprees and pampering visits to the salon make things a whole lot smoother!
Always expressing how grateful we are to each other (in any language), lots of hugs and plenty of love words help a lot too ;)
<3 tokyomade · May 18, 03:59 PM · #

I almost have that “hallway connecting two homes” thing…see, I live with my boyfriend (and his family), but I live in a self-contained unit that’s downstairs from their house. So I have my own space (which at the moment is strewn with academic texts on pornography and my entire wardrobe), but whenever I feel like it I can run upstairs and spend time with The Boy.
Being that we’re both people who need lots of alone time, it works really well.
<3 Nadia · May 18, 04:35 PM · #

I live in the tallest apartment building in aaaalll of san Jose, an art-deco style building built in the late 1920s…
I’m in the center of downtown, across from the new city hall, which is all space age and lit up at night, and I have 180 degree plus views of the city.
It was my number one choice for a place to live in san Jose and I finally got it
HOWEVER. San Jose is not my ideal city to live in! I want a beautiful Victorian with lots of bay windows near golden gate park in san Francisco that I can paint pretty colors.
<3 rachel · May 18, 05:54 PM · #

I don’t know if we’ve already mentioned this in e-mails, but I currently live with Bebop & his weeuns. In a house. In an area of the city that I don’t fancy much – very suburbish. Not ideal, as I’m not very kin to children & we’re having relationship difficulties.
I currently (JUST TODAY!) found a house that was built in the 50s/has a pool/patio/amazingness & I’m really hoping to build a little community of neat people there.
<3 mary bee · May 18, 07:12 PM · #

I live in a Victorian terrace house in England. It’s a lovely house! There’s enough space for us all to keep out of each other’s way if we need to (myself, my parents and my sister). However, my boyfriend stays round most weekdays so I hardly ever get time to myself! The only free time I have is if I decide not to go to his house at weekends.
Having someone staying in your room all the time really makes it seem smaller than it is! And I sleep in the attic room, which is massive!!
My ideal living situation would be University accommodation! I can’t wait to start a life away from home! I’m taking a gap year next year so I’ll be at home a lot longer than I wanted to be but at least it gives me the opportunity to travel!
<3 Lizzie · May 18, 08:29 PM · #

I live in my parent’s house now, so pretty much anything else would be ideal! Ha, I’m kidding… kind of. I think people move out of their parents’ homes faster in other countries than in the US, but I plan to move out after college and live la vie bohemia for a while – and that truly is my ideal because I’m not fond of anything too modern. :)
<3 Stefanie · May 18, 08:38 PM · #

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.”
-Unknown

3/25/10 Word Post: Interpersonal Relationships

An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on love and/or liking, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships take place in a great variety of contexts, such as family, friends, marriage, associates, work, clubs, neighborhoods, and churches. They may be regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and are the basis of social groups and society as a whole. Although humans are fundamentally social creatures, interpersonal relationships are not always healthy.

We define types of interpersonal relationships in terms of relational contexts of interaction and the types of expectations that communicators have of one another.

-Friendship
Theories of friendship emphasize the concept of friendship as a freely chosen association

-Family
Family communication patterns establish roles, identities and enable the growth of individuals. Family dysfunction may also be exhibited by communication patterns.

-Romantic
Romantic relationships are defined in terms of the concepts of passion, intimacy and commitment.

-Professional Relationships
Professional communication encompasses small group communication and interviewing.

-Interpersonal Competence
Assess interpersonal effectiveness in various types of relationships and contexts.


These relationships usually involve some level of interdependence. People in a relationship tend to influence each other, share their thoughts and feelings, and engage in activities together. Because of this interdependence, most things that change or impact one member of the relationship will have some level of impact on the other member.

One of the most influential models of relationship development was proposed by psychologist George Levinger.[6] This model was formulated to describe heterosexual, adult romantic relationships, but it has been applied to other kinds of interpersonal relations as well. According to the model, the natural development of a relationship follows five stages:

1. Acquaintance - Becoming acquainted depends on previous relationships, physical proximity, first impressions, and a variety of other factors. If two people begin to like each other, continued interactions may lead to the next stage, but acquaintance can continue indefinitely.

2. Buildup - During this stage, people begin to trust and care about each other. The need for compatibility and such filtering agents as common background and goals will influence whether or not interaction continues.

3. Continuation - This stage follows a mutual commitment to a long term friendship, romantic relationship, or marriage. It is generally a long, relative stable period. Nevertheless, continued growth and development will occur during this time. Mutual trust is important for sustaining the relationship.

4. Deterioration - Not all relationships deteriorate, but those that do, tend to show signs of trouble. Boredom, resentment, and dissatisfaction may occur, and individuals may communicate less and avoid self-disclosure. Loss of trust and betrayals may take place as the downward spiral continues.

5. Termination - The final stage marks the end of the relationship, either by death in the case of a healthy relationship, or by separation.

Byrne, D. (1961). Interpersonal attraction and attitude similarity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 62, 713-715.

Levinger, G. (1983). Development and change. In H. H. Kelley, et al. (Eds.), Close relationships. (pp. 315-359). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.

3/18/10 Word Post: Family

Family is a group of people or animals (many species form the equivalent of a human family wherein the adults care for the young) affiliated by consanguinity, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood.” It has been argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically and that many societies understand family through other concepts rather than through genetic distance. One of the primary functions of the family is to produce and reproduce persons—biologically and socially. Thus, one's experience of one's family shifts over time.

The different types of families occur in a wide variety of settings, and their specific functions and meanings depend largely on their relationship to other social institutions. The term "nuclear family" is commonly used, especially in the United States and Europe, to refer to conjugal families. Sociologists distinguish between conjugal families (relatively independent of the kindred of the parents and of other families in general) and nuclear families (which maintain relatively close ties with their kindred). The term "extended family" is also common, especially in the United States and Europe. This term has two distinct meanings. First, it serves as a synonym of "consanguinal family". Second, in societies dominated by the conjugal family, it refers to kindred (an egocentric network of relatives that extends beyond the domestic group) who do not belong to the conjugal family.

The way that people are brought up tends to have an effect on who they would consider part of their family. I know that my mother had an open door policy when I was younger, kind of like the neighborhood mom. Because of this I feel that I am more open to accepting people into my “family.” I realize that by technical definition I only have a mother, a father and two sisters by birth. Add on my “adopted” family and it grows by three more sisters and two brothers. This is my heart family.

While photographing for this project I am showing the different types of family that you can have. By this I mean that although the people that live together might not be blood related, there is something tying them together.

“There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
-Winston Churchill

Joys of A Large Family, by Rebbetzin Faige Twerski. angelfire.com

3/11/10 Word Post: Lenticular Printing

Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles.

This technology was created in the 1940s but has evolved in recent years to show more motion and increased depth. Originally used mostly in novelty items, lenticular prints are now being used as a marketing tool to show products in motion. Recent advances in large-format presses have allowed for oversized lenses to be used in lithographic lenticular printing. The combined lenticular print will show two or more different images simply by changing the angle from which the print is viewed.

Each image is sliced into strips, which are then interlaced with one or more other images. These are printed on the back of a piece of plastic, with a series of long, thin lenses molded into the other side. Alternatively, the images can be printed on paper, which is then bonded to the plastic. The lenses are lined up with each image interlace, so that light reflected off each strip is refracted in a slightly different direction, but the light from all strips of a given image are sent in the same direction (parallel).

The end result is that a single eye or camera looking at the print sees a single whole image, but an eye or camera with a different angle of view will see a different image.
There are three distinct types of lenticular print, distinguished by how great a change in angle of view is required to change the image:


Transforming prints

Here two or more very different pictures are used, and the lenses are designed to require a relatively large change in angle of view to switch from one image to another. This allows viewers to easily see the original images, since small movements cause no change. Larger movement of the viewer or the print causes the image to flip from one image to another. (The "flip effect".)

Animated prints

Here the distance between different angles of view is "medium", so that while both eyes usually see the same picture, moving a little bit switches to the next picture in the series. Usually many sequential images would be used, with only small differences between each image and the next. This can be used to create a image that moves ("motion effect"), or can create a "zoom" or "morph" effect, in which part of the image expands in size or changes shape as the angle of view changes. An example is shown in the image above.

Stereoscopic effects

Here the change in viewing angle needed to change images is small, so that each eye sees a slightly different view. This creates a 3D effect without requiring special glasses.

I am interested in trying to show my images like this. I still have to do the research that will make it possible for my images to be shown like this and as of yet I haven’t found anything available. But I will keep looking!!!

Oster, Gerald (1965). "Optical Art" (subscription required). Applied Optics 4 (11): 1359–69. doi:10.1364/AO.4.001359. http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=ao-4-11-1359.

Lake, Matt (1999-05-20). "An art form that's precise but friendly enough to wink". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5DC1E3EF933A15756C0A96F958260. Retrieved 2008-06-04.

3/4/10 Word Post: Snapshot Photography

A snapshot is popularly defined as a photograph that is "shot" spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent. Snapshots are commonly considered to be technically "imperfect" or amateurish--out of focus or poorly framed or composed. The term derives from the snap shot of hunting. Common snapshot subjects include the events of everyday life, such as birthday parties and other celebrations; sunsets; children playing; group photos; pets; and the like.

The "snapshot camera" tradition continues with inexpensive point-and-shoot digital cameras that fully automate flash, ISO, focus, shutter speed, and other functions, making the shooting of a good-quality image simple. Such cameras are typically programed to achieve a deep depth of field and high shutter speed so that as much of the image is in focus as possible. For expert photographers, who are better able to control the focus point, the use of shallow depth of field often achieves more pleasing images by blurring the background and making the subject stand out.

The snapshot aesthetic refers to a trend within fine art photography in the USA from around 1963[citation needed]. The style typically features apparently banal everyday subject matter and off-centered framing. Subject matter is often presented without apparent link from image-to-image and relying instead on juxtaposition and disjunction between individual photographs.

I am trying to recreate snapshot style photographs. I heard a lot of negative feedback from this during my midterm critique I do not want to give up on it. I know that there are still some issues that I need to deal with but I feel like I am heading in the right direction by trying to replicate the way these images were originally taken.

The term arose from the fascination of artists with the 'classic' black & white vernacular snapshot, the characteristics of which were: 1) they were made with a camera on which the viewfinder could not easily 'see' the edges of the frame, and so the subject had to be centred; and 2) they were made by ordinary people recording the ceremonies of their lives and the places that they lived and visited.

Notable practitioners include Garry Winogrand, Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tillmans, Martin Parr, William Eggleston, and Terry Richardson. In contrast with photographers like W. Eugene Smith and Gordon Parks, these photographers aimed not "to reform life but to know it."

Mark Jarzombek. "Joseph Agust Lux: Theorizing Early Amateur Photography - in Search of a "Catholic Something"," Centropa 4/1 (January 2004), 80-87.

2/25/10 Word Post: Change

–verb (used without object)

1. to become different: Overnight the nation's mood changed.

2. to become altered or modified: Colors change if they are exposed to the sun.

3. to become transformed or converted (usually fol. by into): The toad changed into a prince again.

4. to pass gradually into (usually fol. by to or into): Summer changed to autumn.

5. to make a change or an exchange: If you want to sit next to the window, I'll change with you.

6. to transfer between trains or other conveyances: We can take the local and change to an express at the next stop.

7. to change one's clothes: She changed into jeans.

8. (of the moon) to pass from one phase to another.

9. (of the voice) to become deeper in tone; come to have a lower register: The boy's voice began to change when he was thirteen.

Over time everything is bound to change from the way people look to the way that they act. Some have held that change is a consistent process, and rendered so by the existence of time. Others have held that the only way to make sense of change is as an inconsistency. I am trying to show that these inconsistencies can be used to show how people change over time.

“Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix.”
Christina Baldwin

Mortensen, Chris, 1985, “The Limits of Change,” Australasian Journal of Philosophy 63: 1-10.

2/18/10 Word Post: Environment

–noun

1. the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.

2. Ecology. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.

3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.

4. Computers. the hardware or software configuration, or the mode of operation, of a computer system: In a time-sharing environment, transactions are processed as they occur.

5. an indoor or outdoor setting that is characterized by the presence of environmental art that is itself designed to be site-specific.

In general, environment refers to the surroundings of an object. The environment in these photographs have changed drastically over time. Although it is just shown in the background it is still an important part of the image. Where people choose to take a picture says something about both the people in the image and the people that took the image. Going back to these same environments to see how they have changed over time is another part of this project.

“You see, it's never the environment; it's never the events of our lives, but the meaning we attach to the events - how we interpret them - that shapes who we are today and who we'll become tomorrow.”
Tony Robbins

“We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.”
Napoleon Hill

2/11/10 Word Post: Memory

The storage in sensory memory and short-term memory generally have a strictly limited capacity and duration, which means that information is available only for a certain period of time, but is not retained indefinitely. By contrast, long-term memory can store much larger quantities of information for potentially unlimited duration (sometimes a whole life span). The capacity can also approach infinity (unlimited).

‘Memory’ labels a diverse set of cognitive capacities by which we retain information and reconstruct past experiences, usually for present purposes. Memory is one of the most important ways by which our histories animate our current actions and experiences. Most notably, the human ability to conjure up long-gone but specific episodes of our lives is both familiar and puzzling, and is a key aspect of personal identity. Memory seems to be a source of knowledge. We remember experiences and events which are not happening now, so memory differs from perception. We remember events which really happened, so memory is unlike pure imagination. Yet, in practice, there can be close interactions between remembering, perceiving, and imagining. Some memories are shaped by language, others by imagery. Much of our moral and social life depends on the peculiar ways in which we are embedded in time.

“(Memories) are necessarily memories of particular events or situations, namely of episodes in the subject's autobiography”
Christoph Hoerl

Costa-Mattioli, M; et al. (2007). "eIF2α Phosphorylation Bidirectionally Regulates the Switch from Short- to Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity and Memory". Cell 129: 195–206. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2007.01.050. PMID 17418795

Hoerl, Christoph and McCormack, Teresa (2005), ‘Joint Reminiscing as Joint Attention to the Past’, in N. Eilan, C. Hoerl, T. McCormack, and J. Roessler (eds), Joint Attention: communication and other minds (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 260–286.

2/4/10 Word Post: Milestone

While looking through old family photo albums I began to realize that there are certain moments that it seems that everybody has wanted to catch. Things like the first day a baby has come home from the hospital, first time staying away from home, first prom, etc. I was able to catch a consistency throughout different people’s photo albums. I have decided to only use photographs that are of importance like this.

There are always firsts going on around us. Some major like first steps, and some not as major, but still momentous like starting a new job. I started thinking about all of the smaller milestones that occur in life, that seem to go unnoticed. We all know what a big deal a major life milestone can be. Some milestones are met with great fanfare and celebration, while others come and go quietly. Either way, keeping track of them is a large part of what family members seem to do.
“There are always firsts going on around us, even as adults. And it’s nice to be able to stop and celebrate them. Milestones are not limited to just childhood either. Many milestones occur in the lives of adults –a trip you saved for, the first meal you cooked for a holiday party, etc.”

11/12/09 Word Post: Emotional Detachment

Detachment is an inner state of calmness and being uninvolved on the emotional and mental planes. It is definitely not indifference. People who are indifferent do not care about anything, and are not active and initiative. On the other hand, people who possess emotional and mental detachment can be very active and caring, though they accept calmly whatever happens. Such people accept the good and the bad equally, because they enjoy inner balance and peace.

Emotional detachment can mean two different things. In the first meaning, it refers to an inability to connect with others emotionally, as well as a means of dealing with anxiety by preventing certain situations that trigger it. This detachment does not mean avoiding the feeling of empathy; it is actually more of an awareness of empathetic feelings that allows the person space needed to rationally choose whether or not to be overwhelmed or manipulated by such feelings. Although you will still have feelings for those persons, places and things from which you have become detached, you will have given them the freedom to become what they will be on their own merit, power, control and responsibility. Emotional detachment in the first sense above often arises from psychological trauma and is a component in many anxiety and stress disorders. The person, while physically present, moves elsewhere in the mind, and in a sense is "not entirely present", making them sometimes be seen as preoccupied or distracted.

"Letting Go"
* To "let go" does not mean to stop caring; it means I can't do it for someone else.
* To "let go" is not to cut myself off; it's the realization I can't control another.
* To "let go" is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.
* To "let go" is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.
* To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another; it's to make the most of myself.
* To "let go" is not to care for, but to care about.
* To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive.
* To "let go" is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
* To "let go" is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.
* To "let go" is not to be protective; it's to permit another to face reality.
* To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept.
* To "let go" is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
* To "let go" is not to criticize and regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.
* To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
* To "let go" is to not regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
* To "let go" is to fear less and love myself more.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/14712-developing-detachment/

Barlow, David H. (November 2002). "Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory". American Psychologist: 1247–63. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/55/11/1247.pdf.

Ohman, A. (2000). Fear and anxiety: Evolutionary, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.). Handbook of emotions. (pp.573-593). New York: The Guilford Press.

11/5/09 Word Post: Solitude

Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation; i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, deliberate choice, contagious disease, disfiguring features, repulsive personal habits, mental illness, or circumstances of employment or situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being disturbed. It may be desired for the sake of privacy.
A distinction can be made between physical and mental seclusion. People may seek physical seclusion to remove distractions and make it easier to concentrate, reflect, or meditate. However, this is not necessarily an end in and of itself. Once a certain capacity to resist distractions is achieved, people become less sensitive to distractions and more capable of maintaining mindfulness and staying inwardly absorbed and concentrated. Such people, unless on a mission of helping others, don't seek any interaction with the external physical world. Their mindfulness is their world, at least ostensibly.

“Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature.”
Albert Einstein

Maltsberger, J.T., M. Pompili and R. Tatarelli (2006). "Sandro Morselli: Schizophrenic Solitude, Suicide, and Psychotherapy". Suicide & Life Threatening Behavior '36' (5): 591–600. doi:10.1521/suli.2006.36.5.591. PMID 17087638.

10/29/09 Word Post: Isolation

Isolation is the act of isolating something; setting something apart from others or the act of isolating, or the state of being isolated; insulation; separation; loneliness. Strangely enough, isolation is perhaps the most valuable and difficult commodity to manage in the game of art making. Loneliness is a feeling where people experience a powerful surge of emptiness and solitude. Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company or wanting to do something with another person. Someone who is lonely may find it hard to form human contact. Many people have times when they are alone through circumstances or choice. Being alone can be experienced as positive, pleasurable, and emotionally refreshing if it is under the individual's control.

To experience loneliness, however, can be to feel overwhelmed by an unbearable feeling of separateness at a profound level. This can manifest in feelings of abandonment, rejection, depression, insecurity, anxiety, hopelessness, unworthiness, meaninglessness, and resentment. If these feelings are prolonged they may become debilitating and prevent the affected individual from developing healthy relationships and lifestyles. If the individual is convinced he or she is unlovable, this will increase the experience of suffering and the likelihood of avoiding social contact. Low self-esteem will often trigger the social disconnection, which can lead to loneliness.
Loneliness can evoke feelings that 'everyone else' has friends, and that one is socially inadequate and socially unskilled. A lonely person may become convinced there is something wrong with him or her, and that no one understands his or her situation. Such a person will lose confidence and will become reluctant to attempt to change or too scared to try new things for fear of further social rejection. In extreme cases, a person may feel a sense of emptiness.

People can experience loneliness for many reasons, and many life events are associated with it. The lack of friendship relations during childhood and adolescence, or the physical absence of meaningful people around a person is causes for loneliness, depression, and involuntary celibacy. At the same time loneliness may be a symptom of another social or psychological problem, such as chronic depression.

Secretly, you want to be found and you know that you eventually will but you persist in making yourself as invisible as possible even as you are filled with the anticipation of discovery. Waiting for change in isolation feels a bit like this except the anticipation is more akin to fear. I feel like I am holding my breath and the isolation make the struggle all the more intense. It’s not the being alone that is necessarily difficult it’s how that isolation clouds your perception of the world. Things seem bigger and more / too important without the benefit of another voice in the room saying, “chill out” (the voices in your head don’t count.)

We suffer a lot in our society from loneliness. So much of our life is an attempt to not be lonely: 'Let's talk to each other; let's do things together so we won't be lonely.' And yet inevitably, we are really alone in these human forms. We can pretend; we can entertain each other; but that's about the best we can do. When it comes to the actual experience of life, we're very much alone; and to expect anyone else to take away our loneliness is asking too much.

* American Buddhist monk Ajahn Sumedho: The Way it is

1."Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection", Caccioppo, John T and William Patrick,W.W. Norton, NY, 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-06170-3.

2. Doyle Paul Johnson, Larry C. Mullins, "Religiosity and Loneliness Among the Elderly ", Journal of Applied Gerontology, Vol. 8, No. 1, 110-131 (1989).

10/22/09 Word Post: Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people and often in a surreptitious manner. It most usually refers to observation of individuals or groups. Surveillance maintains social control, recognizes and monitor threats, and prevent/investigate criminal activity.

Some supporters of surveillance systems believe that these tools protect society from terrorists and criminals. Other supporters simply believe that there is nothing that can be done about it, and that people must become accustomed to having no privacy. As Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy said: "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.”
Some groups fear that society is moving towards a state of mass surveillance with severely limited personal, social, political freedoms, where dissenting individuals or groups will be strategically removed.

I have pretty much just been doing surveillance on people. Watching them as they walk by, trying to see what they are up to when they think nobody is watching. My last attempt at this was using a rearview mirror and trying to photograph the people in the cars behind me. This feat is actually difficult and I am having a hard time doing it.

Ethier, Jason. "Current Research in Social Network Theory" (in English). Northeastern University College of Computer and Infomation Science. http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/perrolle/archive/Ethier-SocialNetworks.html. Retrieved 2009-03-15.

Jensen, Derrick; George Draffan (2004) (in English). Welcome To The Machine: Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control. Chelsea Green Publishing Company. pp. 131. ISBN 978-1931498524.

Ressler, Steve (July 2006). "Social Network Analysis as an Approach to Combat Terrorism: Past, Present, and Future Research" (in English). Homeland Security Affairs Volume II (2). http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=2.2.8. Retrieved March 14, 2009.

10/15/09 Word Post: Privacy

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group of people that seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, but share basic common themes. The right against unsanctioned invasion of privacy by the government, corporations or individuals is part of many countries' privacy laws, and in some cases, constitutions. Almost all countries have laws, which in some way limit privacy. Privacy may be voluntarily sacrificed, normally in exchange for perceived benefits and very often with specific dangers and losses, although this is a very strategic view of human relationships. The concept of privacy is most often associated with Western culture, English and North American in particular. According to some researchers, the concept of privacy sets Anglo-American culture apart even from other Western European cultures such as French or Italian. The concept is not universal and remained virtually unknown in some cultures until recent times. Linguists sometimes regard a word “privacy” as untranslatable. Many languages lack a specific word for "privacy". Concerning privacy laws of the United States, privacy is not guaranteed per se by the Constitution of the United States. The Supreme Court of the United States has found that other guarantees have "penumbras" that implicitly grant a right to privacy against government intrusion.

In the case of some technologies, such as the printing press or the Internet, the increased ability to share information can lead to new ways in which privacy can be breached. Privacy uses the theory of natural rights, and generally responds to new information and communication technologies. In North America, Warren and Brandeis’ assertion that privacy is the “right to be let alone” (Warren & Brandeis, 1890) focuses on protecting individuals. This citation was a response to recent technological developments, such as photography, and sensationalist journalism. Warren and Brandeis declared that information which was previously hidden and private was now shouted from the rooftops. Privacy rights are inherently intertwined with information technology.

“Each individual is continually engaged in a personal adjustment process in which he balances the desire for privacy with the desire for disclosure and communication of himself to others, in light of the environmental conditions and social norms set by the society in which he lives.” - Alan Westin, Privacy and Freedom.

The intrusion of privacy is exactly what I am going to be doing in



Tim Wafa (January 2008). "Internet Privacy Rights - A Pragmatic Legal Perspective". Berkeley
Electronic Press. http://works.bepress.com/tim_wafa/. Retrieved 2008-08-17.

Quinn, Michael J. (2009). Ethics for the Information Age. ISBN 0-321-53685-1.

Westin, A. (1968). Privacy and freedom (Fifth ed.). New York, U.S.A.: Atheneum.

10/8/09 Word Post: Voyeur

Voyearism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors. These intimate behaviors could include dressing or undressing, sexual activities, or even using the restroom. Anything of a private nature. Voyeurism is a psychosexual disorder in which a person derives sexual pleasure and gratification from looking at the naked bodies and genital organs or observing the sexual acts of others. The voyeur is usually hidden from view of others. Voyeurism is a form of paraphilia. A variant form of voyeurism involves listening to erotic conversations. This is commonly referred to as telephone sex, although it is usually considered voyeurism primarily in the instance of listening to unsuspecting persons. The person being observed is usually a stranger to the observer. The act of looking or peeping is undertaken for the purpose of achieving sexual excitement. The observer generally does not seek to have sexual contact or activity with the person being observed.

“It has been claimed that some individuals who engage in "nuisance" offenses (such as voyeurism) may also have a propensity for violence. Voyeurs may demonstrate some characteristics that are common, but not universal, among sexual offenders of all types including sadistic or violent offenders who invest considerable time and effort in the capturing of a victim (or image of a victim); careful, methodical planning devoted to the selection and preparation of equipment; and often meticulous attention to detail.”

I feel that voyeurism has a lot to do with what I am doing with my project. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t feel as if my want to catch people doing something inappropriate is a problem that I need to deal with psychologically, it is just something that would make a great image. I would really like to catch some people in compromising positions because I feel as if it will make my image that much stronger.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth edition, text revised. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Gelder, Michael, Richard Mayou, and Philip Cowen. Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Kohut, John J., Roland Sweet. Real Sex: Titillating but True Tales of Bizarre Fetishes, Strange Compulsions, and Just Plain Weird Stuff. New York: Plume, 2000.

Wilson, Josephine F. Biological Foundations of Human Behavior. New York: Harcourt, 2002.
Read more: http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Voyeurism.html#ixzz0TNDAGIUg

10/1/09 Word Post: Paparazzi

Paparazzo is a term for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographs of celebrities caught unaware. They tend to take pictures of celebrities when they are not expecting people to notice, things that they would think they could do without being bothered. Many media outlets will pay a high price for unique photographs of celebrities, such as shots of them in more candid or vulnerable moments. Many paparazzi try to get naked photographs of celebrities, always a hot item with more sordid magazines. Others catch them on bad hair days, wandering the streets of the supermarket, or socializing with friends and families. The paparazzi may break onto private property in the quest for a perfect photograph, or crash private events.
The photographs are legal if they are taken from a public spot and the celebrities (who need the entertainment news media and generate the nipple slips and pantiless vehicle exits) are public persons in the news (meaning not for commercial purposes like advertising or product endorsements).
"The rule is that if you're in the magazines you're alive and the public will know who you are," Tiegel explains about celebrities in the media. "Once you're not doing anything and you fade away from all these tabloid magazines who fight every week to produce the same stories most of the time, you disappear -- which means you're not popular anymore."
"Celebrities need a higher level of exposure than the rest of us," says Peter Howe, author of Paparazzi, which chronicles the history of the trade. "So it is a two-way street. The celebrities manipulate the paparazzi too."
Seeing how people look at paparazzi is probably going to have an impact on how I take images for this project. I do not want to be seen as a nuisance but I want to be able to take images of people without them being aware. I feel like the process is just as important as the images that I end up with in the end. I still haven’t been able to find the legalities that are attached to this topic but I feel that as long as I am on public property I should be ok legally because how else would paparazzi be able to take pictures?

1. Is Everyone a Journalist?, Tony Sonenshine, American Journalism Review, October 1997.
2. Have celebrities finally snapped? The Guardian May 4, 2009.

9/24/09 Word Post: Social Norms

The study of the powerful impact that norms have on both thought and behavior is a well-established area of research in the social sciences, especially in the fields of sociology and social psychology. Social norms are the behavioral expectation and cues within a society or group. It is “customary rules of behavior that coordinate our interactions with others.”(1) Social norms indicate the “approved” way of doing things such as the way you dress, speak, and appear in general. However, you must keep in mind that what is acceptable in one social group may not be accepted in another. Good and bad are defined by social and cultural norms and these definition change from region to region, generation to generation. Social norms are even established with body language and non-verbal communication. As most of us know, social norms, such as handshakes, nodding, winking the eye, opening doors, pulling out chairs for ladies, standing when a woman enters the room, looking someone in the eye, not looking someone in the eye, dressing up to go to church, or walking on the street side when accompanying a woman, are all examples of social norms formed from societal and cultural traditions. Failure to stick to the rules can result in severe punishments, the most feared of which is exclusion from the group.
This topic seems to fit right into what it is that I am trying to convey in my images. By going through social networking websites, I have noticed the types of pictures that people post of themselves online. They tend to follow “social norms” set on them by society. I haven’t been able to differentiate between all of the types of images posted online, some of the easier ones of point out would be the ones with a camera held at a higher angle, the ones of the persons reflection in the mirror, the ones taken with cell phones while driving, and the ones that accent the types of assets that are wanted in a person. I have a lot more work to do but it helps that there are so many different terms that are helping me along the way.
1. Becker, Howard S, 1982, "Culture: A Sociological View," Yale Review, 71(4): 513-27
2. Fine, Gary Alan, 2001, Social Norms, ed. by Michael Hechter and Karl-Dieter Opp, New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation
3. Greif, Avner. 1994. "Cultural Beliefs and the Organization of Society: A Historical and Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individualist Societies." The Journal of Political Economy, vol. 102, No. 5: 912-50.
4. McElreath, R.; Boyd, R.; Richerson, P.J. (2003), "Shared norms and the evolution of ethnic markers", Current Anthropology (1): 122-129

9/17/09 Word Post: Twenty-something crisis

The twenty-something crisis is defined as “the state of simultaneously wishing to be old (and therefore taken seriously in steps along the career path), coupled with intermittent pangs for a quickly disappearing youth.” It is about trying to balance your need to have some alone “me” time and your want to go out, for days straight, with your friends and get wasted, showing that you are still the same person as you were in your college days.
They also call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. Suddenly change is bad, and you try and grasp onto the past because you already know what that was like. You find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.
"The way I look at it is a transition to adulthood," said Abby Wilner (1), a 28-year-old who is working on a second book about her peers. "It's taking longer than ever today because of college loans, debt, competition for jobs, more and more people living at home with their parents, and people taking longer than ever to get married. This phase, this transition, is becoming a more tumultuous process."
Knowing that there are people out there dealing with the exact same thing that I am currently dealing with does help me understand that everything will be ok in the end. It makes me feel like I am not so strange for not knowing where my life is going, or what exactly it is that I want to do. Finding this crisis made it easier for me to find words to describe how I am feeling, taking me one step closer to be able to find images to portray such a thing.


1. # ^ Goldstein, Meredith (September 8, 2004). "The quarter-life crisis". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/09/08/the_quarter_life_crisis. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
2. Robbins, Alexandra; Wilner, Abby. Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties. Tarcher, 2001. ISBN 1-585-42106-5