Jennie S. Bev

A well-rounded education

by Jennie S. Bev

My nephews and niece go to international schools in Jakarta. They enjoy world-class education with a UK-standard curriculum. They are fortunate because more than 11.7 million Indonesian children have dropped out of school. However, does a world-class education guarantee a bright future? 

I don’t think so. It takes more than a good education to make a splash.

It is more important to have a well-rounded education, the kind of education that will prepare them for both further education and real life. Also, considering every child is a unique individual, parents should take into account their physiology, personality and learning styles. More importantly, parents should be aware that “true” education does not occur in the classroom but everywhere else outside it.

Introverts in an extraverted world

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by Jennie S. Bev

In an extraverted world we live in, introverts are oftentimes considered “weird.” In extreme cases, they may have been considered “outcasts.” Many labels are placed upon these quiet and deep-thinking individuals, yet the world needs them to balance out the louder and more outspoken type of individuals, known as “extraverts.”

How many introverts are out there? Many studies have resulted differently: 25 percent, 50 percent, or even 57 percent of the world population are introverts. No one knows for sure how many they actually are in general population, but among gifted individuals, introverts are the majority. Of course, not all introverts are gifted.

If you think all introverts are shy, well think again. Introversion has nothing to do with being shy or shyness. The latter is about being awkward, uncomfortable, and doesn’t like being around people. Many introverts are comfortable around many people. The main difference between an introvert and an extravert is the source of their energy.

Courage, wisdom, and learning

by Jennie S. Bev

Out of four cardinal virtues –wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance—the first two are the most required in self-development. By having the courage to do the “right” things, an individual develops wisdom to practice justice and temperance. Oftentimes, in the study of psychology, both wisdom and courage are discussed together. One can hardly exist without the other. And to optimize human performance, we need to cultivate both courage and wisdom.

Courage is considered the foundation of all virtues, as lacking it would be difficult to perform a virtue, any virtue, or even any action either virtuous or not. Thus, it is safe to assume that an individual’s precursor to virtuosity is courage.

Cycles of life and why they matter

by Jennie S. Bev

We may not be aware that we are moving forward from childhood to another childhood. According to Carl Jung, the first phase of life is called “individuation,” while the rest is named “transcendence.” Once we've hit “transcendence,” we are likely to hold on to the notion of “innocence,” which is a characteristic of “childhood” period. However, the quality of “innocence” differs.

In “individuation” phase, we are focusing on things and events outside ourselves, with which we learn how to maneuver and polish our survival skills, as well as physical survival and reproduction. In Developmental Psychology, this phase occurs during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. In this phase, many things would create confusion and uncertainty, hence considered the most “turbulent” time in people's lives. 

Self-system and self-esteem in learning process

by Jennie S. Bev

Every one of us copes with life’s expectations, challenges, and turmoil uniquely in our own specific ways based upon individual self-system. According to Toru Sato, PhD the author of The Psychology of Human Relationships, Consciousness, and Development, self-system is “an understanding in our minds that enables us to maintain the energy necessary for us to both psychologically and physically survive.”

In short, we all need a good working self-system to maintain a relative peace of mind in performing activities and progressing.

What is a "good life"?

by Jennie S. Bev

What constitutes a “good life” may not be identical from one person to another. This notion, however, can be tracked back to Aristotle’seudaimonia. “Eudaimonia” means happiness or welfare, which was used by Aristotle as the center of his ideas on ethics and political philosophy.

Happiness or welfare makes every effort of any human progress worthwhile, in which virtue and moral wisdom are expected to reside. It’s not about euphoria or instant gratification.

Happiness, positive psychology, and liberated learning

 

by Jennie S. Bev

The motivation and self-help industry is worth US$64 billion worldwide. People, who are seeking for a voice of reason and enlightenment, turn to print, electronic, and audio books and videos of motivational learning.

It taps a huge market for the optimization in human achievement, which can be attained more efficiently through positive psychology and liberated learning.

It is something to ponder upon pertaining to optimization of dissemination of democratic learning opportunities throughout the Indonesian archipelago. By narrowing the digital divide throughout Indonesia, we should be able to implement effective liberated learning through an online environment based on positive learning psychology.