Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Research Project

LITERATURE REVIEW:
Is Therapy My Enemy?
INTRODUCTION:
            Therapy? Everyone goes through tough, emotional times throughout their life, and each person deals with each of their tragedies in a different manner. One of the most common ways in which people in our current society deal with their emotions is with a therapist. Psychotherapy, the treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means, is a more specific therapy in which people engage themselves in, yet this is just one therapy. There are others such as cognitive therapy, family therapy, hypnotherapy, and many more that help people all around the world. Although many people use therapy as a way to get through their most challenging of times, you have to be wondering, “Does it really work?”
PROS:
            As you can expect, therapy, like most things, comes with pros and cons. There are many pros to therapeutic treatments. As you may know, many people in modern times suffer from depression and stress. One way they relieve themselves from those burdens, is with therapy. There are many ways that receiving this treatment would be a positive thing for people, but many do not believe so. It is up to oneself whether or not they want to go down the therapy road, but it will most often be a positive outcome for them and their friends and family who surround them.   
            Therapy is a very sensitive process which is sought by many people. Although you may think otherwise, there are many reasons that people receive, or want to receive, therapeutic treatments. Sometimes, “talking about our feelings or putting them into words by way of writing predicts better adjustment.”(Pennebaker 2) People often go through extremely traumatic events, which is why many people receive therapy. Others are forced by loved ones to do therapy in order to fix a relationship between themselves and someone else. Therapy is a major way to get over something that people can’t handle themselves, which is why therapy is such a popular thing.
            How can you find a therapist? There are many ways that you can find a good therapist for your own needs. On the internet there are always good therapists for everyone. Another common way people find their therapists is through word of mouth, many people get their therapists through their friend’s and family’s recommendations. Yet the most common way people find their therapists, is through their doctors. Doctors often know the best therapist for you.  A lot of time, “therapy is a great option for some people. If you find yourself feeling depressed, not like yourself, or simply in need of advice or an open ear, and are lost as to what to do or where to go for help, then I suggest you give therapy a try.”(Kalish 1) So, therapy is an amazing thing for some people, but you have to be the right type of person, with the right kind of therapist.
            I’m sure you are wondering if therapy actually has positive results and unfortunately, the answer is very vague. Sometimes the answer is yes, it worked out great and sometimes the answer is no, it didn’t help at all. When the results are positive, great improvement is shown and therapy appears to be the most affective thing out there. Studies show that, “emotional experiences were shared in about 90% of the cases.  The modal pattern was for the social sharing of an emotion to be initiated early after the episode. It occurred during the same day as the episode in about 60% of the cases.”(Pennebaker 4) Many times when people express their emotions closer to their traumatic event, its affects are much more effective, than when it is waited out for a period of time before they’re expressed; doing this, makes therapy extremely effective. Another way therapy can become more efficient is with patient involvement. A lot of time, “patient involvement in psychotherapy has been found to be a particularly powerful variable in relation to subsequent improvement.”(Lafferty 9) If a patient wants help, they have to be consistent and committed to getting themselves better because it doesn’t work unless both parties are willing to do anything that they can. This is why a “therapist's level of emotional stability can be positively related to various process and outcome criteria.”(Lafferty 7) If all of these aspects are good, then the outcome of therapy will be ideal but if not, therapy could be a waste of your time.
            Therapy is a wonderful thing for many people and it can help you get through the toughest of times in your life, but it’s not for everyone. Research shows that there are positive outcomes at termination and follow-ups of treatment. (Perry 1318) If you give therapy a try, it may help you greatly. You just have to be willing to change, and be willing to be fully committed to getting better. There are many ways you can find a good, reliable therapist to help you. If you need help from a therapist, I recommend giving it a try. It could be the best thing you have ever done.
CONS:
            In addition to all of the benefits people get from therapy, there are also many difficulties that could possibly come with receiving therapy. There are many ways that therapy could go wrong, even though it may not be as common as the positive effects of therapy. You don’t have to be special to have a good outcome in therapy, but you have to want to get better, you have to want to move on with your life, and if you don’t or if you’re not fully engaged in your treatment, then it could go wrong.
As explained before, you have to have a specific personality for therapy to work, it cannot always work. It has to be the right person and even the right therapist. Some things may work for some people, and not work for others; “In our next meeting, I commented on the happy coincidence of our sharing the same birthday. Dr. C tried to explore what this meant to me but I was unable to say anything beyond the fact that it made me feel good…Many years after this incident I was in a session with a fairly new patient. To my surprise she announced that it was her birthday and I impulsively revealed that coincidentally it was mine too. The patient became very angry and bitterly accused me of trying to take away her specialness.” (Goldstein 418) This shows, perfectly, how something can work for some people, but it could be the worst thing possible for someone else.  
There is an ideal personality for someone who is seeking therapeutic help. You do not have to be the perfect person, you do not have to be the kindest, or even the most cooperative person. What you do need is the willingness to admit that you have a problem, and that you need help. You also need to have the uncanny, unrestricted desire to change. You have to want to be better. In order for someone to have the greatest success, they have to be strong, courageous, and unique. The cold hard truth is, sadly not everyone has those qualities.
Some examples of personalities that are not what you need for success in therapy can be explained here. Someone who believes that they are superior to others. Just because someone has a mortifying amount of hubris doesn’t mean that they can’t be depressed. The only difference would be that, they wouldn’t get better until they changed their personality. Another common personality in people that need therapy but can’t get better because of their personality is, those people who constantly feel too sorry for themselves. It’s okay to feel upset or lonely, but if you don’t have the belief or courage to get better and you just sit there feeling sorry for yourself then therapy could never help you. Although people with these personalities can’t help themselves or be helped by others, they can once they fix their personalities.
There are many different ways that therapy can go wrong. Sometimes, when there is no one else besides your therapist, it can be hard not to get attached to them. In many instances, people have become emotionally enthralled in their therapist and too attached. This causes people to change the way they confide in their therapist. People start caring about what their therapist will think of them, and they start lying about their problems, which puts their entire treatment somewhere else, below their obsession with their therapist. When you are telling your therapist everything and, “giving him all this information, complaining, venting, and crying in front of him, and he is trained to be understanding and gentle and non-judgmental. How can we not feel close to this man?”(Kalish 1) It is an understandable problem, but it can be the worst thing for someone trying to receive treatment. Also, “A very widespread belief exists according to which sharing an emotion is helpful for people's well-being and health and that it should bring emotional relief. Lay people believe less in the beneficial interpersonal effects of communication of emotion. They do not endorse the view that communicating emotions has detrimental effects.”(Zech 10) It is also a very likely possibility that talking about ones feelings could be hurtful to their emotions. It can create even more problems for them. You have to have the right person, the right therapist, and the perfect timing, otherwise things could go horribly wrong and be immensely detrimental to oneself.
There is one simple reason that there is a possibility of therapy going wrong, and I have said it a thousand times. If you are not willing to change, and if you are delusional and in denial, then therapy cannot work for you. You have to be committed and open to suggestion or criticism. Therapy is not for everyone, but it can be.
If you or anyone else believes that they are in need of therapy, then it is possible for them. If you are able to forget about your dignity and your undeniable confidence for one moment, then you can benefit from therapy. If not, then you may be hopeless, but remember that is only until you realize that you need to change. Anyone who truly wants to change, can, and will. It is not up to anyone but themselves. Therapy is just a resource, you have to do most of it on your own, a therapist is just there to guide you.   
OTHER INFLUENCES:
            In therapy, there are different influences and ways to help people other than just talking and sharing their emotions verbally. There are different types of people, some like visual things better and some just like verbal interaction better. There are also therapeutic treatments that just allow you to do things that you enjoy, or things that help you push through your emotions. (Like when people have stress balls) Therapy can be benefited greatly by these alternative ways of helping people.
            An example of an alternative way of therapy is with video games. Many therapists use things that help people get rid of their anger, and some use video games. Video games can help adolescents rid their anger and resentment. (Ceranoglu 143) Another example is when a, “therapist played a direct, yet less active role in the therapeutic process by remaining in the background to observe the play and provide feedback or guidance as appropriate.” (Ceranoglu 142) This is showing a type of therapy, where the therapist leaves his client alone, for most of the time, in order to investigate the client’s mannerisms and emotional stability. This helps the therapist get to know what and who they are working with.
            Two other types of therapy can include direct and indirect therapy. These are two different, yet affective ways to try and help, or fix, one’s emotions. Although therapy is believed to be one thing, and one thing only, therapy is different things, with the same goals. Indirect therapy is when a therapist will attempt to interact as few times as possible. The idea of this type of therapy is that, the client will learn how to help themselves, but if necessary a therapist will intervene and guide his or her client. Indirect therapy is effective due to its self-relying basis. It can help a person learn things for themselves, and at the same time, get the help they need, but can’t get from themselves. Direct therapy is what most people will think of when they think of therapy. During direct therapy, as expected, a therapist takes a more “direct” route to treatment. The therapist will have the client write down, draw, talk about, etc. their problems, and then will proceed to try and fix the problem from the core. Although different, both ways of treatment are effective, it just depends, like everything else, on the therapist and client.
            A way of emotional help, in which you may, or may not, expect is with drugs. There are many legal drugs, antidepressants, that you can take, but do they work as well as good old fashion therapy? Even if they do, do most people agree with the use of drugs for this problem? Is it worth it to go to these measures? I guess that is just a preference, but it is important to know about the effectiveness of both before coming to your own conclusion.
            There are negative effects of taking drugs to help with emotional problems, contrary to what you may believe.  To start, “some of the costs of medications are underappreciated.” (Antonuccio 1) This provides you with a very logical and relatable argument. Unless you are a Hollywood star or lawyer, things are expensive, and you may not always have the money for medication. Although both do cost money, there are ways that you can get therapy without having to pay, if you cannot afford it. Also, “research suggests that antidepressants are the most common agents used in suicide by poisoning and are responsible for half of serious adult overdoses.” (Antonuccio 1) Remember, that you are taking these medications because you are depressed. If you are not being supervised, which is more occasions than not, you may not have the strength on your own to believe that you are worth it. You may believe that it is your time to go, which is controversial, but you could overdose and commit suicide which is not a good thing. With the support of a therapist, this is not likely to happen.
            Another option for using drugs with emotional treatment, is a combination of therapy, the old-fashioned way, and medication. Research has shown that, “82% of the weighted evidence indicated no advantage of combined treatment over psychotherapy alone.” (Antonuccio 1) It has been explained that the combination of drugs and therapy has not indicated a more effective treatment, than just therapy, I most cases. If preferred, it is possible to combine the two treatments, but, in my opinion, it would be a waste of hard earned money, because in almost all cases examined, no greater effects have been shown.
            As you have learned, therapy is not just one treatment, it is many different, yet the same, treatments, all of which are effective. There are many options for people to get help for their problems fixed. If you want, you can use psychotherapy or interactive therapy. It is also an option to use things like medication or even video games, to get better. Whatever works for you, is what therapy is, to you.
CONCLUSION:
For many people who suffer from traumatic events or even just regular, old teenage depression, therapy is a life saver. Therapy is an effective way to get rid of all of your problems and insecurities, therapy is like a drug. Therapy is like CPR. Therapy is a necessity. Therapy, is in fact all of these things, for some people. If you are in need of help, a stranger therapist is willing to help you, but you have to be willing to get help. Therapy is a beautiful thing, in which so many people use. Could life go on without therapy? It depends on who you are.
GAP IDENTIFICATION:
In researching therapy for my literature review, I have found a gap. The gap I have found in my research includes the fact that therapy is effective in most cases. In my literature review, I explained why people seek the help of therapy and the results of therapy, but I never explained, in depth, the aspects of therapy that influence the outcome of therapy. I explained that you need to be involved, as a client, in your therapy in order to make it effective, but I never explained how you can do that. In other words, what can you do to make your own therapy effective and be involved?   
RESEARCH QUESTION:
According to suburban, high school students, what about clients effects the outcome of their therapy?
METHODOLOGY:
            In order to fill my gap, I have decided to conduct a survey. The survey is geared towards suburban high school students. I have also come to the conclusion that I will be using mostly qualitative data to fill my gap because I believe it will be the most effective way possible. The belief that, “qualitative research methods can be used to identify causal relationships and develop causal explanations is now accepted by a significant number of both qualitative and quantitative researchers,” (Maxwell) which makes qualitative data well-suited for my research. Qualitative data is usable in ways that quantitative data isn’t, and never will be, but at the same time quantitative data can be used in ways qualitative data can’t. This is why my survey will reveal both qualitative and quantitative data. The emotional beliefs of high school students will fill the gap from my literature review.  
RESEARCH METHODS:
DATA COLLECTION PROCESS AND INSTRUMENT:
            My survey was constructed in five short, easy-to-answer questions which would help me close the gap I have found in my research. I started off with the question; “which of the following effects the positive or negative outcome of therapy? (Circle all that apply). I gave the options of; age, season/time of the year, therapist gender, client gender, and group or individual to choose from. These were the main things I believe may effect therapy’s outcome, and I wanted to see what my peers would think about them. I next asked whether or not the person had received therapy. I wanted this information because I wanted to have data from the perspective of someone who has gone through therapy and someone who hasn’t gone through therapy. The final two questions of my survey consist of opinionated questions. One of them being; “Would you receive therapy if you needed it? Why or why not?” Through my survey I was hoping to unleash the deep, emotional opinions of high school student from a suburban area, and I also wanted to know the percentage of the students who believed certain things. For these reasons, I made my survey accordingly. 
SAMPLE POPULATION:
            I surveyed 16 Norton High School students in order to fill the gap of my research. I surveyed both people who have had therapy and people who haven’t gone through therapy. I chose to make the research anonymous, so people’s answers would be more truthful. It is important in my research that I got the opinions of people who have had experience with therapy and people who haven’t had experience with therapy so that both sides of the story are told. I wanted to find information in high school students from a suburban area, because I can relate well to them and understand them better.
SURVEY:
THIS SURVEY IS ANONYMOUS, YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE YOUR NAME.
1.         Which of the following effects the positive or negative outcome of therapy? (circle all that apply)
-           Age
-           Season/Time of year
-           Therapist Gender
-           Clients Gender
-           Group or Individual

2.         Have you ever received therapy yourself?

3.         Explain why you circled at least one of the answers in question #1.


4.         Would you receive therapy if you needed it? Why or why not?


5.         Do you think therapy is a good resource for people? Why or why not?
DATA ANALYSIS:
After reviewing the surveys I have received from my fellow high school students, I have a lot of interesting data. 75% of people who took the survey said that they have not received therapy and 25% had received therapy.  On question #1, of the people who said that they had not received therapy, 67% said that age was a factor, 25% said that season/time of year was a factor, 42% said that therapist gender was a factor, 42% said that client gender was a factor, and 83% said that group or individual was a factor. As far as the students who have received therapy, on question #1, 75% said that age was a factor, 25% said that season/ time of year was a factor, 75% said that therapist gender was a factor, 50% said that client gender was a factor, and 75% said that group or individual was a factor. According to the people who have not received therapy, on questions #4, 100% of people said that they would receive therapy if they needed it. The most common reasoning of people was to see if it would help them. On question #4, 75% of people who have received therapy said that they would receive therapy again if they needed it. The one who said that they wouldn’t had a bad experience with their previous therapist. On question #5, people answered yes 100% of the time because they believe that therapy can be a good option depending on the person.
FINDINGS:
Overall, people believe that therapy is a fantastic resource for people who are emotionally struggling. People believe that age, season/ time of year, therapist gender, client gender, and group or individual therapy are all factors to whether or not therapy will be successful. I have found that it is believed by the students that age and group or individual are the biggest factors. Age can be a huge factor because if the client is too young then they may not cooperate with the treatment as well as someone who is older and is more willing to do things, all due to experience in life. Group or individual therapy can also be a great factor because some people may think that they will be judged by others and won’t want to open up in a group setting, but others may find the extra support very helpful. All of these are believed to be factors, but in the end therapy has to be adjusted to the personality of the client.
DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSION:
All in all, therapy can be the best thing for someone or it can be the worst thing for someone and there are many factors that can and will influence the outcome of the treatment. I have found in my research that everything in therapy has to be specific to the person’s needs and personality. With the right therapist and way of treatment therapy can be successful, but if everything is not perfect than it will most likely not work. Future studies should focus more on how a therapist or client can adjust their needs to make therapy work better and this research is very important because people have depression and anxiety everyday of their lives and people should not have to live through that. More and more suicides are being reported and I believe that therapy can stop this, and that is why therapy is an extremely important subject to research.  
WORK CITED:
Antonuccio, David O., William G. Danton, and Garland Y. DeNelsky. "Psychotherapy versus medication for depression: Challenging the conventional wisdom with data." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 26.6 (1995): 574.
Ceranoglu, T. Atilla. "Video games in psychotherapy." Review of General Psychology 14.2 (2010): 141.
Goldstein, Eda G. "Self-disclosure in treatment: What therapists do and don't talk about." Clinical Social Work Journal 22.4 (1994): 417-433.
Kalish, Miranda. "The Pros and Cons of Therapy." hubpagescom. N.p., 18 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Lafferty, Patricia, Larry E. Beutler, and Marjorie Crago. "Differences between more and less effective psychotherapists: a study of select therapist variables." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 57.1 (1989): 76.
Maxwell, Joseph A. "Using qualitative methods for causal explanation." Field methods 16.3 (2004): 243-264.
Pennebaker, James W., Emmanuelle Zech, and Bernard Rimé. "Disclosing and sharing emotion: Psychological, social, and health consequences." Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care (2001): 517-543.
Perry, J. Christopher, Elisabeth Banon, and Floriana Ianni. "Effectiveness of psychotherapy for personality disorders." American journal of psychiatry 156.9 (1999): 1312-1321.
Zech, Emmanuelle. "The effects of the communication of emotional experiences." Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: University of Louvain (2000).

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Research Question

For my data-driven research paper I will be writing about the topic of, talking to a therapist. This topic interests me because, I have recently been thinking about pursuing a therapist as my career. The actual question I will be researching is: What does Literature reveal about talking to a therapist?
  

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Cognitive Biases Essay

          In the article, "Why the Death Penalty Needs to Die", by, Nick Gillespie, there are many bias arguments made. Throughout the writing, Nick forms his opinion on whether the death penalty is a good way to punish people. There are many biases in Gillespie's defense such as: bandwagon effect, pessimism bias, and the framing effect. 

          Nick uses the bandwagon effect first when he is making one of his arguments. He is trying to express his opinion towards the inefficiency of the death penalty,but he doesn't form his own opinion. Gillespie just sides with his particular political group. "As a libertarian, I'm not surprised that the state is so incompetent that it can't even kill people efficiently." Gillespie only forms this opinion because it's what his"group" believes. 

          Gillespie uses the pessimism bias next, when he is discussing the uncanny costs of the death penalty. "I'm sure death costs more in California (everything else does) than in other states, but there's just never going to be a way to make it less than a huge waste of taxpayer money." Nick's opinion is an example of the pessimism effect because he is just assuming that since California is more expensive with other things, that the costs to pursue the death penalty will be more there too. 

          "So the death penalty wastes money," said Nick,"has no effect on murder rates, and is sometimes tossed at innocent people. Those three reasons are more than enough to end it once and for all." In this argument, Gillespie uses the framing effect. He is able to form three conclusions from the same information. 

          In Nick Gillespie's attempt to persuade his readers that the death penalty is a bad thing, many cognitive biases are used by him. It's debatable whether or not he's write, but it's not debatable that he uses bias opinions throughout his article. Does this make Nick's argument stronger or weaker? That's up to you. 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Who is Cody Aranjo?

                You might think that you know Cody Aranjo, but I can almost guarantee you that I know him better, because, recently, I got the opportunity to sit down with him and learn everything about him and his life.  So, if you want to learn more about Cody and his interesting attributes, keep reading.

            Cody is a 16 year old junior at Norton high school. He was born on March 27, 1998, weighing in at 7.6 pounds. Cody has 4 siblings, consisting of three brothers and 1 sister. The order of the children from oldest to youngest is, David, Brian, Cody, Kyle, and Rylee. The Aranjo family also has some pets. Cody has a dog and two fish, his dog is a cavachon named Biscuit. I asked Cody what he would have as his weirdest pet, and he replied quickly with, “a goat, and my parents almost bought me one, but if they don’t have another one with them, the get too lonely.”

            Chicken nuggets or chicken tenders? Cody would prefer, “nuggets, but they have to be the dinosaur ones form stop and shop.” Although Cody likes chicken nuggets, his favorite food it steak, and his favorite place to order it from is Longhorn. Mr. Aranjo loves his coffee. When I asked him if he drank coffee he answered: “Yes,” quickly and continued with, “I usually drink it twice a day too!” He also likes to get his coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts. His favorite dount is a blueberry donut.

            Cody is a very passionate person and he enjoys listening to music very much. His favorite type of music is, “Country, but I can also listen to rap or hip hop. So, basically, anything popular.” Cody’s favorite store is: “Apple, because I love technology, and I am always buying the newest iPhone.” Since Cody’s very interested in technology, I was wondering what his most used app is, and it is Instagram. Cody is, “Portuguese, and like 3% Irish.” This is a very unique combination of nationalities, which makes Cody even more interesting.

Now, if you thought you knew Cody before, you probably didn’t, but now you most definitely do. I hope you can realize how amazing and fun Cody is, because I did.  Wish Cody Aranjo good luck in the future in whatever he does. 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Incentives Response

A)           When you really think about it, incentives are essential to life. Incentives govern human behavior because without them, people would lack the motivation to do anything. There are many examples of incentives throughout many different activities. Some of which are: money, friendship, and even your own success. I believe the best incentive to motivate people is the simple satisfaction of impressing someone who you may think very highly of, and example of this incentive is when there is a little boy playing baseball. The boy wants to score as many runs as possible to impress his dad, this is his incentive. This could be an incentive for an adult figure as well, for example, in work when there is a task that someone needs to complete, they would hope to complete it as best as possible, in order to impress their boss.


        B)       An aesthetic experience is when all of your senses become as keen as ever. It is a moment like you have never felt before, when you are completely engaged in your particular activity. An example of this for me is when I am in a big game. While warming up, I would listen to music and become entirely enthralled by the atmosphere. During the game it is silent, the crowd isn’t even there, yet I can still hear them at the same time. I can see everything clearly to pick out the perfect pass. I can feel the pressure of players behind me and when we score, all I can feel is happiness and all I can hear s everyone shouting. It is a surreal moment that only comes once in a blue moon, but when it does, it is brilliant. 

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Bucket Lists: Short Term and Long Term


Long Term Bucket List:

 

1.       The first thing I would have on my long term bucket list is, to go to Spain and watch Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. I would have this first on my bucket list because I have always loved Real Madrid and they are rivals with Barcelona, so it would be very special game.

 

2.       I want to play for our local professional soccer team, The New England Revolution. Even though they are not very good, I would love to represent New England in the MLS.

 

3.       Next, I want to go sky diving in Mexico. The reason I want to do this is because my cousin Alyssa went sky diving and loved it. I want to do it in Mexico because it is so scenic.

 

4.       Hopefully, eventually I can go to a Lil Wayne concert. I want to go to one because, it would be so fun and he’s my favorite rapper.

 

5.       Brazil, I would love to go to Brazil, because they have amazing soccer. I would hope to play with local people.

 

6.       It would be so cool if I could make my own flavor of Gatorade. This is on my bucket list because I love Gatorade and it would be awesome if I could create my own kind, that way I would always have my favorite flavor to drink.

 

 

Short Term Bucket List:

 

1.       Score 10 goals in a soccer game. My record of most goals in a game is 5 from three years ago. It would be pretty nasty to double that record.

 

2.       I have never eaten sushi, and I think it would be pretty interesting if I tried it. I want to broaden my horizons with food because I am overall kind of a picky eater.

 

3.         Get a 100 average in a class at the end of the term. Last year I accomplished this, but it was middle school, and I want to do It in high school.

 

4.       I want to buy a pair of customized cleats. I see people with customized cleats all of the time, and I have never gotten them. I want to get a pair, because I want cleats that no one else will have.

 

5.       I hope that I can get a job soon. This is o my bucket list because I want to be able to buy a car when I get my license.

 

6.       My final goal is to get 1000 juggles with a soccer ball. This is my goal because my record right now is 682.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

High School Sports Response

          High school sports are immensely important in a teenager's life. Sports throughout high school can help students in many ways. You can benefit hugely by the experience of high school sports, in a social aspect, by the motivation to stay on the field, and learning life lessons. If you play any sport in high school I can guarantee that your high school years will be way crazier and interesting.
          
          I personally believe that one of the things I have benefited most from in high school is the sports, and one thing that I got out of sports in high school is the social part of it. Playing on the soccer team has helped me make so many upperclassman friends, who then introduced me to their other friends, and now I am friends with so many people I never even new before this year. If high school sports were demolished by your district, how would you feel about it? I am sure your kids are looking forward to playing sports in high school or even you, but then your district deprives you of them, how does that make you feel? All the upperclassman you were hoping to meet will never even acknowledge you. I'm guessing you agree with the fact that socially students in high school need sports in their school. 

          I am sure you are all reading this thinking, "What about my grades? I will have no time for homework," but really your academics can benefit from the playing of sports. In Amanda Ripley's article, "The Case Against High-School Sports", she tries to explain why high school sports are bad, and she gives an example of a school who did take away sports and she says that, once the sports were gone the grades were increased. "That first semester, 80 percent of the students passed their classes, compared with 50 percent the previous fall." I don't really believe that this helps her argument too much, because in many schools this most likely wouldn't have ended up the same way. If your school took away sports wouldn't you revolt against it? I know my school would. High school sports can also motivate you to do better, because it is a rule that if you are failing you can't play. You may be thinking that the standards are too low, but if you're that kid with all F's and can't play, then you're motivated to bring your grades up, while someone who is failing and doesn't play a sport in most likely a lot less motivated to bring up your grades.

          Life lessons are something you obtain from sports. As my old soccer coach would always say, "play like men!" What he meant by this was that you need to play with the maturity of a grown man and have sportsmanship and always make the best decisions possible, or at least try to. In sports, you can learn how to deal with and learn from other people, besides your coach. I'm sure you know, that there are always people who you are involved with that you may not exactly "like", and high school sports can teach you how to cope with that. Coaches can coach you in a specific sport, but they can also coach you in life. I have learned many things from my coaches over the years, but one major thing I have remembered most, and always will, is loyalty. All of my coaches have conveyed the message that, "we win together, and we lose together." All of my teams and I, live by this saying and has worked so far and will continue to in the future. If your high school took away sports, would you be able to deal with real life situations as well as if sports were available?

          High school sports have become more and more popular over the years, and I truly believe that students benefit greatly by them. Without sports how would everyone learn how to work as a team? Would they? These are very important points to think about and I do believe that Amanda Ripley's article "The Case Against High-School Sports" is wrong, although I do respect her and her argument in every way possible. I hope that no one has to ever go without the choice to play sports.

Ripley, Amanda. "The Case Against High-School Sports." The Atlantic Oct. 2013. Print.