1. Psychology of Toxic Relationships 

• Description- A major part of the human experience is the romantic encounters that we experience, learn, and grow from. Living through a relationship that could be harmful to a person’s mental well-being is an experience to which many people can relate to. Given the damage that such experiences could have on an individual it remains a common experience, but why? In this topic I will explore what about the instability and toxicity of these relationships that continue to draw humans in and make it so hard to walk away?  How far do the mental damages caused by toxic relationships go and do those damages go away? 

https://journals-sagepub-com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1177/0306624X211049187

This article discusses the mental and physical health consequences that arise from toxic romantic relationships. The article analyzes the situations based off of psychopathic traits in order to explain and answer questions through means of experimentation. The article reports that individuals who have experienced or are experiencing such abuse do in fact show negative symptoms in their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development. 

• “Consistent with past research, we predicted victims would more likely report experiencing emotional as opposed to physical harm and that psychopathy scores in victim’s partners would be associated with experiencing polyvictimization and the degree of physical injury (Brown & Leedom, 2008; Humeny et al., 2021; Kirkman, 2005). We anticipated that intimate partner victims would report a variety of negative symptomatology, via cognitive, behavioral, biological, emotional, and interpersonal consequences.”

2. Social media and body image 

Description- Social media dominates today’s society, but it is no secret that amongst social media usage comes a lot of of darkness. With exposure to social media, young adults are exposed to content that creates and idolizes unrealistic standards which can often lead to dissatisfaction with their image. There is a clear relationship and interconnectedness between social media standards and the discontent with self-image among young adults. In this topic I will discuss how this negative issue can actually turn into even bigger issues such as the detriments it can cause to ones health. 

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_pubs/771

This article conducts research in relation to the connection between social media and the attitudes of young adults regarding their own self image. This article supports the idea that social media does have negative affects to an individuals self esteem and identity as well as their overall mood. 

“The purpose of our research was to investigate the impact of body appreciation on the relationship between social network sites usage and body dissatisfaction with young adult women and men.”

3. Are zoos helpful or harmful to animals? 

Description- In this topic, I would focus on the ethics of zoos. As humans, are we supporting something negative when choosing to visit a zoo? While many zoos claim to act as sanctuaries that take care and restore animals by providing them with habitat, is it really ethical to remove animals from their natural habitat for the purpose of human entertainment?

1.Use of Electronics in the Classroom

In this topic, I will discuss the argument about whether electronic devices such as laptops and phones should be used in class. Many believe these devices can distract the user from the lessons and even make them shift their attention to something unrelated.

Article: https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/technology-and-student-distraction

This article highlights the pros and cons of electronic use in a classroom. Using surveys given to college students, the writer talks about how distraction played a big part and how we can create a classroom where we can use these devices to engage rather than distract. Rather than banning devices entirely, the article gives recommendations on how to prevent these distractions from occurring with focus being put on the instructors themselves.

Quote: “However, the evidence is not uniformly against laptops. Elliot-Dorans compared different sections of the same course that either banned or allowed laptops, and found that banning laptops led to lower quality of written work, lower attendance, and lower exam scores (Elliot-Dorans, 2018). The author surmised that students’ note taking was worse without a laptop, which impeded their learning.”

2.Death Penalty

In this topic, I will discuss the argument about whether the death penalty should be allowed or not. The use of the death penalty is highly debated with 27 of the states still using it. The death penalty is a form of capital punishment where a state executes a person due to the crime they committed.

Article: https://eji.org/issues/death-penalty/

This article highlights all the problems with the death penalty and the consequences associated with it. Using numbers, it tells us about the number of innocent people sent to death and also percentages to back up their argument. It also uses cases that can be used as evidence for their argument that the death penalty should be abolished entirely.

Quote: “A person doesn’t have to be innocent to be wrongly sentenced to death. The intense pressure to obtain a death sentence and the political stakes for police, prosecutors, and even judges can cause serious legal errors that contribute to wrongful convictions and death sentences. In Alabama alone, over 160 death sentences have been invalidated by state and federal courts, resulting in conviction of a lesser offense or a lesser sentence on retrial.”

3.Treatment of Animal Produce

In this topic, we will be talking about the environment and treatment of the animals that we raise and farm for meat production. The concerns for these animals stem from the farming facilities where animals live in inhuman and confined conditions. One side advocates for more humane practices while the other advocates that the practices are humane and are efficient and affordable.

Victim Blame

Blaming the victim is the action of victimizing them twice. It is clear that the criminal has commited a crime, but the spotlight is surprisingly and firmly on the victim. People are blaming them or holding them accountable for the way they dress, talk and act, etc. In other words, they demand a perfect victim. However, this would complicate the mental health of the victim, and led them to be unable to make it through. Also, it’s not a good sign to the society.

Article: https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/mental-health/victim-blaming

This article defined victim blaming and provide many examples that shows this phenomenon, such as the questions that some people usually ask to cause pressure and anxiety in the victim. The author also contribute psychological theories to explain the reasons behind victim blame, the effects of victim blame, and what the society can do to help the victims instead of helding them responsible for their injuries.

Quote: “Imagine if your purse was stolen and a coworker said, “If only you had stayed home.” Or imagine if you told a friend your boyfriend hit you and they asked, “What did you do to provoke him?”

Gun Control

There should be stronger gun control laws in every state to prevent violence and suicide rates. People claimed that having guns is a type of freedom and they support the second amendment which allows people to own guns. However, there are actually more gun violence, homocide and suicide rates.

Article: https://gun-control.procon.org

This article talked about the pros and cons of gun control. The pros examples seems more persuasive to readers since it provide datas of what really happened and the rates of death or injuries caused by guns. In the cons, there’s more of survey datas of what people think about gun control and that is not very supportive comparing to the rates of decrease in people’s lives and safety.

Quote: “A person who wants to kill him/herself is unlikely to commit suicide with poison or a knife when a gun is unavailable.”

Juvenile Crimes

Juvenile crimes should be punished and sentenced like adults crime. Some juveniles that commit crimes might think they won’t have to face a severe punishment and give careless altitudes about their action. Juveniles criminals are usually given more chances in the future while the people they victimized will be suffering all their lifetime.

Idea #1: What is the purpose of school?

With this essay topic, I would explore the discrepancy (if any) between the intended process and the result of the education and the reality of the institution. Many disagree upon the value of education in its current state and consequently, there exists many opinions and arguments regarding how education should be formatted; all of which could be used/mentioned to build an analytical aspect of my paper.

Related Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/the-weekly/nyc-schools-segregation.html

The article discusses the persistent issue of school segregation in New York City, highlighting that despite efforts to promote integration, the city’s schools remain some of the most segregated in the nation. It explores the historical context, current policies, and the impact on students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. – “Resistance to integration is rooted in some parents’ fear that integration will take something away from their children. New York has long maintained a two-tiered system in which parents with resources can send their children to the most popular and highest-performing schools, and black, Hispanic and low-income families are mired in under-enrolled and underperforming schools.”

Idea #2: Is there such a thing as moral development?

This essay will apply Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development to a case study, examining the factors that determine whether a convict should be tried in the adult or juvenile criminal justice system. The analysis within this paper will be centered around applying the idea of moral development (that can potentially be observed in the case study) to views of meta-ethics; the branch of ethics that explores the nature, foundation, and meaning of ethical concepts and judgments.

Related Articles:

– https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/four/marquese.html – Case study outline

–https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html – Explanation of Kohlberg’s theory of morality

“Disequilibrium plays a crucial role in Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. A child encountering a moral issue may recognize limitations in their current reasoning approach, often prompted by exposure to others’ viewpoints. Improvements in perspective-taking are key to progressing through Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. As children mature, they increasingly understand issues from others’ viewpoints. For instance, a child at the preconventional level typically perceives an issue primarily in terms of personal consequences. In contrast, a child at the conventional level tends to consider the perspectives of others more substantially. “

Idea #3: Is the idea of “grit” overrated? Is intelligence an inherent quality?

In school, we are generally taught to believe that continuous hard work and dedication will eventually build some extent of intellect. As a student, I’ve subconsciously grown to abide by this theory, though I don’t think it always applies to my experience; the idea of ‘hard work’ does not always seem warranted. In this essay, I would define intelligence, and explore whether this concept is fixed or gradually attainable.

1. Transgender Athletes in Sports
   • The question of whether transgender athletes should be able to compete with and against the gender of their choosing has been highly debated throughout the NCAA, even resulting in suspensions. Can biological males who transitioned into women participate against other biological women? And vice versa? This often leads to conversations about sexism regarding male and female anatomies.
   • https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/trans-athlete-competition-alberta-1.7157218
   • This article features 2 distinct points of view on transgender athlete participation. Both come from athletes themselves. On the one hand, Aria McGowan, a transgender woman playing women’s tackle football, advocates for transgender play as she states that her level of physical ability isn’t much different from other women. On the contrary, Selina Soule, a biological female, is discontent with this rule as she states that her passion for track and field was lost after continuously losing to transgender athletes. The article then goes into the inconsistencies among sports organizations.
   • “It was a very frustrating and demoralizing thing to have to go through, because we elite female athletes train so hard to shave fractions of a second off our times to win…. It’s heartbreaking knowing that no matter what you do, how many hours you spend in practice, that you will never be able to get that gold medal.” -Selina Soule
2. Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?
   • It is no secret that professional athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and overseas are being paid millions of dollars per year. A lot of athletes get paid millions to sit on the bench too. But is it fair to others whose job is to save lives, educate people, or build houses and apartments? There is no right answer as to whether they are overpaid or not.
   • https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2019/Overpaid-or-Underpaid
   • The article takes us through the typical process of starting young and making your way up to the big leagues. Despite its claim to dive into both sides of the argument, and a couple of statistics thrown in, it is pretty clear that the article favors athletes’ pay.
   • “However, when you look into the amount of time it takes for a professional athlete to get to wear they are and establish a name, the amount of money makes sense. Becoming a professional athlete is one of the hardest things to do in the world and if done, the reward of a large salary should be given!”
3. Is Hosting the Olympics Financially Untenable?
   • The Olympics is something usually every sports fan looks forward to every 4 years. Some of the biggest names participate and they happen in different cities every time. But it seems as though every Olympics for the past 30 years has run over its budget. So has it now become financially “un-worth it?” Even so, I cannot deny that the Olympics has been a favorite to watch, other than the World Cup.

1. AI Art is the downfall of artists

Description: AI art is viewed as a threat to artists because it undermines the value of human creativity by automating the artistic process. With AI producing art rapidly and inexpensively, traditional artists may struggle to earn a living or differentiate themselves in the industry. Additionally, concerns about copyright constantly come up, as many AI programs use images without artists’ consent, raising ethical questions about the source of the data they rely on.

Link:https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/jan/23/its-the-opposite-of-art-why-illustrators-are-furious-about-ai

Article Summary: This article from The Guardian discusses the growing concern among illustrators and artists about AI-generated art. AI tools like MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and Deep Dream Generator have made creating images more accessible, often at the cost of ethical and creative integrity. Many artists argue that AI art lacks the emotional and nuanced processes that define human-made art. Illustrators like Harry Woodgate and Anoosha Syed note that AI systems simply copy existing work, making the potential to mimic specific artists’ styles a major concern–small jobs like book illustrations, fan art, and logos, which help new artists build portfolios, could disappear as clients turn to cheaper AI-generated options.

2. Minimum wage workers deserve higher pay

Description: Minimum wage workers deserve higher pay because they often perform essential jobs that keep society running, yet their current wages frequently fall short of covering basic living expenses. As the cost of living continues to rise, many minimum wage earners struggle to afford necessities like housing, healthcare, and food. It’s not fair to give them the short end of the stick when they are relied on so heavily.

Link:https://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_viewpoints_michl/

Article Summary: The article from Economic Policy Institute argues that despite critics’ claims that a higher minimum wage would destroy jobs, evidence suggests otherwise. A study conducted by economists David Card and Alan Krueger found that New Jersey’s 1992 wage increase did not reduce employment in fast-food restaurants, and critics’ counterclaims, based on alternative data, still showed no significant job loss. Overall, the article suggests that higher wages reduce turnover and improve productivity, which can offset the costs of wage hikes for employers.

3. AI’s negatively affecting college learning

AI negatively affects college learning by encouraging dependency on automated tools, which can undermine critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With easy access to AI-generated answers, students are tempted by its efficiency, leading to a superficial understanding rather than deep engagement with class material. Additionally, the rise of AI tools has made it harder to ensure academic integrity.

1. Assisted Suicide

• Assisted Suicide should be legalized by all 50 states of the United States because it an individual right to die in a way one wanted it to be. Rather than dying painfully or prolongedly, they can have a choice to died peacefully.

• Link: https://apnews.com/article/medical-aid-dying-legal-physician-assisted-suicide-b67affd86c1d1ce99379ed34bdb2946b

• The article discussed varies story of individual wanted to end their lives with help of physician. Most happening in states that allowed these procedure or patient who flew to states like Vermont and Oregon; legalized assisted suicide to Americans. It argues that people who are near to death should have a freedom how they wanted to end their life and should not be controlled by the hands of government. Moreover, the roles of Physician is to help patients so understanding patient need with their knowledge is an essential job for them to evaluate whether an patient is qualify for this practice.

“Medical-aid in dying is not me choosing to die,” she says she told her 17-year-old grandson. “I am going to die. But it is my way of having a little bit more control over what it looks like in the end.”

By  JESSE BEDAYN

2. Low Birth Rates

• Low Birth Rates shouldn’t be an big concern in today’s societies because countries are overpopulated. In addition, younger generation are having difficulty of finding jobs and opportunities than before.

• Link: https://populationconnection.org/blog/world-population-day-five-reasons-to-stop-panicking-over-low-birth rates/#:~:text=Being%20able%20to%20allocate%20more,social%20services%20and%20public%20infrastructure.

• The article claims low birth rate can be beneficial to the world because woman have become more independent and education than ever before so they have been considering more on career paths. Furthermore, the article argues that they world doesn’t require many new population due to many reason like global warming, consumerism, and species extinction. To sum up the world will be better with a slower birth rate on account of that newborn can have more resources and have an healthier living environment.

“Being able to allocate more resources and attention per child generally means kids grow up happier, healthier, and better prepared for the future.”

By Olivia Nater

3. Should aquarium exist?

• Aquarium should not exist because fish are slaves to the economic investment where wild species have to live a thick glass tank for rest of their life. Human disregards feeling of animals, the mental, and physical heath of animal stuck in an unnatural habitat.

Ideas:

Data Collections of Privacy on apps

• Most of the apps that we own on our phones have our personal data collected. Such as debit/credit cards, location, etc. It’s a bit scary– no? 
• https://time.com/6209991/apps-collecting-personal-data/
• The article explains how most apps collect your data location. Some people can be really sensitive about apps knowing where they are. Even if people delete apps there’s always some kind of data being tracked. 
• “people have to make a decision about what kind of society we want to live in, and particularly what kind of protections we want for the most vulnerable members of that society.”

Is esports dying? 

• The esports industry isn’t having the best time and definitely not profitable. There are many cases which causes this, the games, players, organizations. Having the esports industry to shutdown in the near future.
• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/business/video-game-e-sports-profit.html
• The article shows that there are many fans who enjoy watching esport entertainment. Watching a favorite game or team in a competitive field can get exciting. Though esports teams don’t receive a lot of money, there is still hope in investors making esports dominant.
• “We were trying to accomplish as an industry what took the N.B.A. 50 years, but we were trying to do it within a five-year time period,” he said, referring to the many N.B.A. teams that were not immediately lucrative businesses. “Turns out that it doesn’t happen.”

How is technology affecting children today? 

Today many children are given technology at a younger age. As technology advances this could either benefit or lead a downfall to our future generations. 

1. Pros and Cons of social media

In social media, you will easily find like- minded people to interact with to share your interests. However, social media can also make people feel inferior because people compare themselves to each other.

-“The use of social networks is strongly correlated with the development of anxiety and other psychological problems such as depression, insomnia, stress, decreased subjective happiness, and a sense of mental deprivation.”

This article is about the disadvantage of social media. With the promotion of the internet, more and more people are now being affected by social media in a bad way, such as causing mental illnesses and unhealthy thoughts.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10129173/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20social%20networks,attention%20to%20mental%20health%20care.

2. Are first impressions important?

The initial impression plays a decisive role in a person’s perception; it is often the basis for subsequent interactions and attitudes towards others, and if the impression is bad, there may be no subsequent interaction.

-“If your first impression communicates positive traits to others, this can often lead them to make further positive assumptions about you. ”

This article describes how first impressions can affect how others see you. Examples include eye contacts, hands shaking, and the way you dress. First impressions can influence others to make hasty judgments about what you hold to be wrong, and others can fabricate an overall image of you, that is often difficult to change.

https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/importance-of-first-impressions#:~:text=to%20remember%20you-,If%20you’re%20able%20to%20make%20a%20good%20first%20impression,many%20scenarios%2C%20such%20as%20sales.

3. “Ladies first” contribute to gender inequality

“Ladies First” has never been about giving women preferential treatment in all respects or according to their wishes. The logic is to see men as the natural caregivers and women as the cared for.

Idea: Sexual/domestic abuse in a family household

I want to bring awareness to this specific topic on a deeper level by showing some of its psychological effects. But also tell the story of these families which have been through so much during their lifetime, I want to find out if other than women, that men can also be put in that position. Searching for at least one case of this that may have been successfully caught and stopped or that wasn’t found out until one may have died. Also, speaking on statistics of it, certain groups/races that this may be affected to more.

– For further analyzes they make many studies on different concerns about how it would affect later in life for the mom, dad, and child. This would lead to many factors of pregnancy’s, stress, and intimacy, that would cause certain things to happen later in life to each of the subjects talked about. With certain sections of people dealing with the abuse in many ways or even have postpartum stresses from the moment there child in born.

” However, mothers who are sexual abuse survivors may also express disbelief in their children because they fear revisiting their victimization. Their child’s disclosure of sexual abuse can trigger traumatic maternal emotions: memories of their sexual abuse, anger, fear, shock, distress, guilt, and helplessness.”

Hornor, Gail. “Child Sexual Abuse Victimization and Parenting.” Journal of Pediatric Health Care, vol. 38, no. 3, 30 Apr. 2024, pp. 438–449, www.jpedhc.org/article/S0891-5245(23)00277-8/fulltext, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.09.008.

– For a story so short many details were expressed about the truth of a relationship with can affect the person so much. In a way Abi was obsessed about her husband enough that she would never charge him with anything and would leave it like nothing happened. Even to the point where she had never experienced what true abuse was until her mom said she may die one of these day with everything that he does. Later she would find out that it was true and she may have died if it was not for the neighbors which stopped him, then after recovering she had stopped the farce and left him for good.

“I ran up the stairs and the next morning he apologized and said he didn’t mean to do it, he’d never do it again and how sorry he was for it. He said it was because of me, because I was screaming and shouting, and it was just to keep me quiet so that the neighbors wouldn’t hear. That was the first hit.”

““I Didn’t Know It Was Abuse until I Nearly Died.”” BBC News, 4 Feb. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/stories-51360772.

‌