Mental Models: Disempowering Mental Models (Essay Sample)

Mental Models
Introduction
Mental models are psychological representations of hypothetical, real, or imagined circumstances. Human reasoning, as per Gentner & Stevens (2014), is the process by which people assess the status of the things affirmed in the premises, build an image, and draw conclusions about the environment. Furthermore, the human mind builds models of the world around them, their seen reality, and uses them to predict events, explain things, and reason. The superstructure of mental models is similar to the structure of what they reproduce. According to Barrett et al., (2013), the mind creates mental models from seen objects, imagination, and discourse interpretation. The evolution of mental models has an impact on how we make life decisions. The observed items suggest that we have the potential to have a negative impact on our future life discourse decision. As a result, mental models imply a wide range of inferences about life quality and the underlying theme of success and happiness. Each day of human existence, for example, is a logical experience based on the simulation of occurrences in mental models (Gray, Zanre& Gray, 2014). When I was going through the process of becoming a student, mental models played a big role in my life.
Question 1. My Area
It took me a long time to transition from high school to college. All through my childhood and early education, I was used to life at home. At college, I received numerous meanings of life throughout this time. The information I've received suggests that I formed certain impressions about college life, which makes me nervous. According to Gentner and Stevens (2014), our perceptions of the future and the world around us influence how we relate and assign value to new experiences. Therefore, as a high school student, I was afraid of how I would cope with life away from my parents amidst the things I heard about life at college. Zwaan (2016) argues that the current experiences affect how people get accustomed to a new engagement. Indeed, the way we adapt to new situations depends heavily on our current situation and our contentment. Life at home was lovely, and I never contemplated leaving for another place away from what appeared normal to me. Thus, becoming a college student presented a perplexing situation because of the perceived fear and past life.
Question 2
a. Empowering Mental Models
There are various empowering, mental models in my area. Notably, I am driven by the
need for commitment to my studies something that makes me feel more fascinated to continue learning. According to Zwaan (2016), the need for achievement in life drives people to engage in activities that are important and self-impacting. Therefore, I needed to attain self-actualization, and the only way to get there is through studying. In the words of Gentner & Stevens (2014), human beings incline standing out among others. Thus, I am instigated by the need to uplift my status quo and improve my chances of survival. Indeed, life is a multifaceted entity that requires total commitment, and sometimes neglecting things that we love most stands out in enhancing the future. These empowering mental models will help me overcome worries and make life comfortable at college.
b. Disempowering Mental Models
The change to a student's life away from home comes with various worries. In the words
of Gentner & Stevens (2014), human beings have different response mechanism to stimuli. The responsiveness makes them create the impression that may be damaging or building to their life. The initiation into a college student comes with several disempowering mental models. Notably, the perceived challenge of college studies presents a challenging situation to my quest for education in college. Notably, I have been conditioned to home life and changing that is a difficult decision that disempowers me. The fear of exposure to the new environment and the unknown experiences in the new setting also appears more disempowering to me. Moreover, I am under the illusion of a loss of control as most of my life will be under a regulated system that I must adhere. These disempowering illusions posit a challenge to my adaptation of the new life at college.
Question 3
* The Impact of Disempowering Mental Models
Human beings have a similar response trend to situations. According to tom Zwaan (2016), individuals are a product of nature and the environment they live. The way we see things and interpret them massively affects our lives and the impression we create towards the environment. Therefore, the disempowering mental models can have several impacts on my college life. Indeed, I will be in a situation of discomfort because of the perceived challenges. These challenges will render my life a college hard, and it might go more into affecting my performance. Moreover, I might find myself failing to create relationships with my colleges. However, there is a promising implication surrounding the disempowering mental model. Human beings are exploring nature. Therefore, I will find myself motivated to investigate whether the perception I had about college life is real or not. Thus, I will be fascinated to ensure that I assert myself in school.
b. Assessment of Disempowering Mental Models
The disempowering mental models are sometimes perceived although they may be true at
times. Notably, the notion that college studies are challenging is subject to the orientation and assimilation of the system by the student. Therefore, it becomes difficult to conclude that it will be challenging for me. It is true that disintegrating myself from home life to adapting the new college life will be challenging. Ordinary human beings must face switch challenges while shifting to new situations (Zwaan, 2016). The loss of control is also real, as I will be encountering the new environment with new rules and regulations. However, the challenges associated with the new switch are short-lived, and throughout life at college, I will learn adoption mechanism to cope with them.
Question 4. Reframing Disempowering Mental Models
Mental models can have a far-reaching effect on an individual’s life. In the words of
Barrett