So Tim and I have been talking a lot and he’s been showing me a lot of awesome bands. He introduced me to the Red Hot Chili Peppers the other day and I absolutely love them. Tim pointed out that I need to really listen to the lyrics and when I did I could really relate to them. Especially the song “Can’t Stop” or the “Otherside.” Tim understands why I like beat-boxing because sometimes I get lost in the beat and when he’s playing, he love getting lost in the song too. I tried playing the drums and Mrs. Meyers, the music teacher from school, taught me the few beats she knows on it. I guess I picked it up pretty quickly because she’s pretty impressed. Maybe I will talk to my parents about getting me a drum set.
Youth group is going okay. I’ve noticed that I’m starting to care more about the people there. It’s good to have fun and hang out but I want to go deeper in the relationships I have with my friends there. I can tell from some of their facebook statuses that, wow, their week was pretty tough and I don’t want them to have to put on a face at youth group. People should feel comfortable sharing it with someone or they should just know that someone cares about them. I’ve been trying to be more intentional, asking if someone is okay, or asking “how are you doing” and not just expecting the same old answer. And I’ve been asking if people have prayer requests. I don’t know, I really care about people. And some just have really big things going on in their lives.
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Empathy is an essential quality that needs to be gained early in childhood (Stern). John demonstrates that he has indeed gained this ability through his care and concern towards other peers at his youth group. He also shows a certain level of emotional (and musical) intelligence. During the interview, John stated that the reason why he was able to love something was because he was able to relate. He is able to relate to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs and lyrics and feels like he knows them. He is also able to relate to his friends at youth group.
John also mentioned that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were his role models in terms of music. He wants his own music to echo theirs. In this way, I find that he is participating in observational learning, not perhaps in the behavior of the band members, but in their musical playing and style. He also obviously learned about music and musical styles by observing and interacting with Tim. Tim’s deep appreciation for music became his own. Mrs. Meyers’ praise reinforces his love of music; it acts as a reward for his initiative, passion, and hard work.
To a certain extent, John is also discovering altruism by being a kind listener. According to evolutionary theorists, humans have evolved into altruistic beings because of the benefit that comes from being able to live in harmony. Behaviorists, however, might say that John was conditioned to be altruistic in his childhood.
According to Greenspan, affection is an important part of learning. Since he feels such an affective connection with music, he is able to spend a lot of time and energy learning the drums quickly. John’s confidence in picking up the new instrument is also indicative of successful management in Erikson’s autonomy versus shame and doubt stage. He does not doubt his abilities to try new things.
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