SMcGee – Cyborgs and Virtual Worlds

Language Immersion Final Proposal

Introduction

The idea behind the proposed virtual reality experience, “Language Immersion”, is to expose students to different parts of the world, and different languages. Students commonly take classes to learn languages, and practice specific words and concepts during class time. A big part of language is how it is used casually with the slang and colloquialisms used within a native speakers daily life. These colloquialisms might not be learned in a classroom setting, because no native speakers may be present. Language Immersion can help students immerse themselves into the natural environment of a language, and learn how it is spoken naturally, and formally. A study was done with the game “Second Life” to see if anonymous online learning would be more helpful in language learning, than a classroom environment. The data did show that it was helpful, and some students appreciated their interactions with native speakers in a way that was casual and without the penalty of failure (Melchor-Couto). Exploring a foreign area with an unfamiliar language is not only educational, but fun.

The target audience for this product are students, and or other individuals that are trying to learn a foreign language. While Language Immersion can be used for personal use, the main idea is to use Language Immersion to increase a students understanding in a language that they are learning, and not solely be taught words, and sentences. While classroom-based learning has the possibility of a student forgetting what was learned by the end of class, Language Immersion will draw its audience in with its simple design; in the foreign environment a student or individual is exposed to, accomplishing daily tasks, and using different methods than traditional classroom and textbook learning, can help them make the leap in learning their desired language.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The user will learn foreign languages by being immersed into a foreign environment
The user will learn foreign languages by being immersed in environments where the language is spoken fluently
The user will be exposed to a variety of foreign language scenarios and be able to listen and learn
Uses difficulty levels to introduce a number of different concepts related to language
The user should learn a language in a more casual and practical sense

Language Immersion is educational, because it simulates real world experiences for someone who is learning a new language. Many people learn languages quicker and more effectively when they are immersed in an experience. According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, “research finds that immersion students whose first language is not English become more balanced bilinguals and develop higher levels of bilingualism” (carla.unm.edu). If these students are required to use the foreign language, they will be more likely to learn it. Other language applications fail, because they are not practical, or realistic. They are often too structured, and do not allow a user to truly be exposed to a language. These applications teach you how the language works on paper, but are unable to show and immerse a user into an environment surrounding a desired language, failing to accurately teach slang or casual conversation. This is an area that VR immersion excels in. By total immersion into a language, and into an environment that is real and accurate, users will be allowed to feel as if they were away from home, and their native language.

Progress can be assessed by using data that is gathered from the users of the Language Immersion experience. This data can tell us vital information, such as, if a user is passing levels, and increasing their knowledge and fluidity in a certain language. In addition, when applied to a classroom setting, teachers can evaluate the students’ progress before and after using the experience for the time of use, based on the curriculum. For example, a written knowledge base line test could be administered prior to using the Language Immersion VR App, and then after continued use for a week or more, a second test can be administered. This experience can be developed to fit a number of flexible curriculum’s and time frames, but just for an example, a week is appropriate. Scores and results can be shared between institutions, teachers, and the application developer in order to further understand how language learning is being affected by the immersion of VR. A beneficial data collection can also be conducted in the applications early development stages, to test if people are learning from it. This would be similar to focus groups and/or play tests. By utilizing focus groups and play tests, certain aspects of production or development could be revisited, in order to release a more complete application.

User Experience / User Interface

Language Immersion will be usable through Google Cardboard, Galaxy Gear and any of the more advanced virtual reality set ups. Our goal is to reach maximum accessibility, so that it can reach a bigger audience. In it’s simple design, this application will not have too many choices that might overwhelm the audience. An example of this simplicity are the first, four choices presented, including different roads. In the use of the Google Cardboard, each choice can be selected by using the small button on the top of the cardboard. The layout of Language Immersion is similar to a point and click adventurer, but instead of exploring a picture, a user is exploring a 3D immersive virtual space. The first level will take place on a city block, with signs in the foreign language, and people will be walking around. Someone will walk up to the user and ask for directions to a specific place, tasking the user with leading them there. The success of that task will depend on the ability of the user to understand that language, even with background noise and other conversations occurring around them. The best place to film this virtual experience is on a city block in the United States, and build it on actual clues that exist in that area to orient people; this will look very similar to Google Street View.

Implementing would be speaking responses, instead of just pointing and clicking, will be the next step in Language Immersion. In the example of the task of giving directions, to direct the person, a user would have to use their words to guide them to a certain location. The difficulty to implement voice in Language Immersion is unknown, but it would be a massive step not only for the application, but teaching, as well. A similar example of this technology is the built-in microphone in the Duolingo Mobile app, that allows users to speak into the app to answer questions, and prove that they can pronounce each word correctly.

Implementation Strategy

Our teams goal is to market Language Immersion to teachers and schools, as a supplement to language classes. A great way to market this application would be to attend various teaching conventions, and set up demos to try to appeal to this demographic. One conference our team would market at would be the Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention which is held yearly, and in 2018, had an attendance of 6,040 teachers and scholars (Modern Language Association). The MLA convention is an appropriate place to demo at, because there are many language educators that would be interested in the product. Another convention is the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages annual convention, hosted by an organization of more than 12500 language educators and administrators (ACTFL).

Also, Language Immersion will be marketed to regular consumers to use, if they want to learn a language on their own, like Duolingo. It would be downloadable as an app, and used with Google Cardboard, which is fairly accessible. Advertising through Instagram, Reddit and Twitter would be the most successful way, because it needs to appeal to a more tech savvy audience. Additionally, we could send our application to various tech savvy or education-minded internet personalities to test and sponsor our product, if they are interested. Some possible personalities would be the Vlogbrothers, two brothers who cover various topics, but find an interest in talking about education, with 3.1 million subscribers on YouTube, VSauce, a science YouTube brand with 13 Million subscribers on the main channel, and Austin McConnell, an eclectic YouTuber with almost 730,000 subscribers, who covers content such as books, film, weird trivia, and obscure history.

Long Term Vision

The initial prototype is being kept simple, because at this time, our goal is the quality of the application, not how much it can do. In keeping our project focused, we have limited the paths to four, and a few interactions will occur based on a users actions in the application. In a series of applications to come in the next five years, there will be free roam mode, voice interactions, stories, and more chapters. In free roam mode, users will have conversations with people in environments that they find, by either wondering, or picking a location to travel to. With the experience of free roam mode, a user can be even more immersed, because there is no script behind the actions they take.

Voice interactions in and out of free roam mode, will enable a user to talk to the people in the experience, instead of clicking the VR headset. This will make interactions more interesting for the user, including in, hospitals, restaurants, and other areas, not just cities. As the levels increase, the application will memorize who the user meets, and increase the complexity of the conversations based on the difficulty level, including more slang and casual conversation.

Secondary audiences could be immigrants who want to come to the United States, as they often use the world and media around them to learn the language of the country that they move to. This application can help people learn English before they migrate, for it would immerse them into the environment of a specific area they are moving to. The next phase of development will be releasing more languages, and more locations, based on the popularity of languages. Not only would students benefit from the educational value of knowing a second language, but those who are learning for work, and or personal purposes will benefit, also.

Works Cited

Melchor-Couto, Sabela. “Virtual World Anonymity and Foreign Language Oral Interaction.” ReCALL, vol. 30, no. 02, 2018, pp. 232–249., doi:10.1017/s0958344017000398.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Susan J. Wolfson. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelleys Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. Pearson Longman, 2007.

Increasing Student Engagement and Retention Using Mobile Applications : Sma…: Books, Articles and More. https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=8958ac06-1457-4297-9d39-ea5bcfcb4864%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=513323&db=nlebk. Accessed 29 Nov. 2018.

Evaluation of Distance Education Applications in the Kyrgyz Republic Univer…: Books, Articles and More. https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=8958ac06-1457-4297-9d39-ea5bcfcb4864%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=124997730&db=eue. Accessed 29 Nov. 2018.

Essa Ahmed, Heba Bahjet. “Duolingo as a Bilingual Learning App: a Case Study.” Arab World English Journal, Vol. 7 no. 2, June 2016, pp. 255-267, https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=116912698&site=eds-live&scope=site

DeWaard, Lisa. “Is Rosetta Stone a Viable Option for Second-Language Learning?” ADFL Bulletin, vol. 42, no. 2, 2013, pp. 61-72, https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2013651579&site=ehost-live

MLA Convention Statistics. Modern Language Association. https://www.mla.org/Convention/Convention-History/MLA-Convention-Statistics. Accessed Dec. 5, 2018.

About the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. https://www.actfl.org/about-the-american-council-the-teaching-foreign-languages. Accessed Dec. 5, 2018.

Byerly, Alison. “Are We There Yet? Virtual Travel and Victorian Realism. U of Michigan P, 2012, https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2014306920&site=ehost-live

N.A. Aziz et al. “Modelling and optimisation of upgradability in the design of multiple life cycle products: a critical review.” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 112 Part 1, January 2016, pp. 282-290, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652615011671

Stephen J. Cowley, Rasmus Gahrn-Andersen. “Simplexity, languages and human languaging.” Language Sciences, Vol. 71, January 2019, pp. 4-7, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0388000118301360

Presentation Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sK9t91oMNtJiWm7QoUBWPPOXs-QWbtuPvfbCTqdaLwY/edit?usp=sharing

Destination Forge

In the prompt of creating a virtual experience based off of Frankenstein, and an idea that teaches empathy, I formed the idea “Destination Forge”. Destination Forge is an educational, pro-social, adventure-strategy Virtual Reality (VR) experience that combines the story of Frankenstein and the importance of empathy, with a personalized experience of finding one’s true identity.

In the beginning of the experience, participants will have the option to customize their character and decide their occupation, character traits, and voice. Throughout the experience, the participants will be required to complete quests, and based on their responses to various NPC’s and approaches to each quest, a clone of their character will start to form. Based on the amount of empathetic choices a participant makes at the end of formation, their character and it’s clone will either merge to form a powerful mega-human, which will go on to complete quests that encourage empathy, or ultimately will be cursed forever, unless a journey to the “Mirror of Empathy” is made to renew themselves.

The character options will be limited, because the purpose of the game is more important than the number of hair styles available. The body of the characters will be close to the models used in SecondLife, or the role-play game IMVU. Voice acting will also be limited, but occupations will vary.

The target audience for this virtual reality experience is middle and high-school students, based on the understanding of empathy that is required to participate in the virtual experience. The purpose of Destination Forge is to teach students empathy and ultimately believe that empathy is a super-human ability. In a study conducted by Christine M. Bachen et al., pro-social games have been found to “increase empathy and decrease schadenfreude, or pleasure taken at another’s misfortunes.” (Bachen).

The environment for this virtual experience can be chosen: the city, the country, or the work place. Donghee Shin concludes that “stimulated empathy in VR can increase a user’s overall empathy and the perception that a virtual environment is realistic” (Shin). In Destination Forge, the environments and quests are realistic, which will ultimately lead to a more effective impact on a participants life, and level of empathy.

Bachen, M. Christine et al. “How do presence, flow, and character identification affect players’ empathy and interest in learning from a serious computer game?” Computers in Human Behavior, Nov. 2016, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074756321630471X

Shin, Donghee. “Empathy and embodied experience in virtual environment: To what extent can virtual reality stimulate empathy and embodied experience?” Computers in Human Behavior, Jan. 2018, ezproxy.stevenson.edu:2090/science/article/pii/S0747563217305381

Extra Credit (Frankenreads)

On October 30th, Dr. Sheryl Wilson spoke on the History of Frankenstein for the 200th Anniversary of the novel. In the presentation Dr. Wilson gave, she discussed many points, but certain one’s grabbed my attention. The first interesting point she gave was about the narrative structure of Frankenstein, which we also discussed in class. She labeled the Creature as the center layer, Victor Frankenstein as the middle layer, and Robert Walton as the outer layer.

The next interesting point she covered was Orientalism, and how Safie represented wisdom at the center of the book, just by the meaning of her name, and her origin. Then, she asked “How long did it take Victor to create the Creature?”, leading the class (and other participants) into guessing numbers, until we ultimately learned that Mary Shelley purposefully chose the time of nine-months; this also added onto our in-class discussions on Shelley’s interest in the “rhythm of creation”, as explained by Dr. Wilson.

The last point that spoke to me was the discussion of the meaning of “my hideous progeny”. Dr. Wilson explained this phrase, by including Shelley’s statement in reference to her novel.

After this presentation, I learned that Frankenstein has an ingenious writer that does not make any mistake in the way the novel is written. Every word and phrase has meaning. Although Shelley is credited for Frankenstein, I also learned that the original journal entries of the novel show evidence that Percy Shelley may be the co-author. Dr. Wilson left us with the question, “Is Frankenstein co-authored”, and I do not have an answer; yet.

A Child In Disguise?

In the seventeenth chapter of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the creature, after being sent off in disgust by Victor, faces the world alone. He finds himself in a village of cottages, learning the ways of humans and experiencing their interactions. He learns the names of “the cottages themselves” (Shelley 83) and of a specific family; their names being “Father”, the sister “Agatha”, and the young brother “Felix” (Shelley 83). Although the creature was unable, at first, to understand the communications between humans and apply it, he was able to “distinguish several” (Shelley 83) words. After an encounter Felix has with an Arabian, female stranger, “Safie” as he calls her, she is instructed by him the book, “Volney’s Ruins of Empires” (Shelley 89). The creature learns through the continuous explanations Felix gives to Safie; he obtains “a cursory knowledge of history” (Shelley 89) and an “insight into the manners, governments, and religions of the different nations of the earth” (Shelley 89).

In our world, when a child first learns about history and the matters of the nations of earth, some find interest in it, and others do not. The creature’s reaction to learning these topics was sadness and concern. For when he learned about the “American Hemisphere” (Shelley 89), he cried with Safie over the fate of the Native Americans. The creatures learning styles and reaction to the topics he learns, leads me to ask the questions:

Although the creature is made-up of full-grown human parts, how can he be compared to a child, or a being who is not fully intelligent just yet?
How does his current lack of understand towards communication affect his intelligence of understanding ideas?
Do you feel that his reaction to the discovery of the American Hemisphere is appropriate in this time?

A Little Empathy, A Lot of Change

Empathy is what makes us human, and it has an effect on self-esteem and social anxiety disorder

The ideal human being does not exist, but having self-esteem, social anxiety disorder, or both, may lead one to believe that they are worth less than another human, based on the impossible standards imposed by society. How does self-esteem and social anxiety disorder affect one’s ability to feel human, and have worth? Since the beginning of time, humans have had face-to-face, friendly, and sexual interactions with other human beings, so why are self-esteem and society anxiety disorder prevalent in our society? We can blame the idea of the ideal human being in our society, and the varying levels of empathy in each of our lives. By reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, one can better understand the affect of these standards on a society. Dick creates the image of an artificial, post-apocalyptic world, which hosts a society with the standards of being physically and mentally abled. If a human being is not affected by the nuclear fallout, and abled, they have the chance to migrate to the new planet, Mars; because of these standards, different characters suffer from low self-esteem and social anxiety disorder symptoms, including androids. The ultimate question remains; is empathy what makes us human, based on the affects it has on our individual self-worth and our interactions? By looking at the science and meaning behind self-esteem and social anxiety disorder, we can use the characters Rick, Iran, and Rachael, and the main concept of the book, empathy, to answer this question.

What Is Self-Esteem?

To truly understand what self-esteem is, I visited the website verywellmind. This website over-flows with information in different areas of psychology. Within this website, self-esteem is characterized as developmental psychology. This website also covers topics of disorders, self-improvement, and advice. verywellmind is one of the few verywell sites, others being verywellhealth, verywellfit, and verywellfamily. On this website, I have gathered information from the article “What Exactly Is Self-Esteem” by Kendra Cherry, which explains the signs of low self-esteem. Cherry states the definition of self-esteem:

“In Psychology, the term self-esteem is used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself.”

She also goes on to say that self-esteem is “often seen as” a “stable and enduring” personality trait, which can “involve a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as the appraisal of your own appearance, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.” (verywellmind) Being a human requires a level of self-esteem that enables the appreciation of human imperfection, not fitting any ideal body type. In this article, the signs of low self-esteem are provided:

Negative outlook
Lack of confidence
Inability to express your needs
Focus on your weakness
Feelings of shame, depression, or anxiety
Belief that others are better than you
Trouble accepting positive feedback
Fear of failure

Before looking into the symptoms of low self-esteem in each character, it is important to look deeper into social-anxiety disorder.

What is Social-anxiety disorder?

To define a much more complex topic, I chose to visit the National Institute of Mental Health’s website to provide information about social-anxiety disorder, and it’s affect on a human being. The NIMH defines social anxiety disorder as a “common type of anxiety disorder.”

“Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia) is a mental health condition. It is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and your other day-to-day activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends.”

Being a human also requires little to no symptoms of social-anxiety disorder, because of the affects it has on the life of those who have it. In this article, the signs of social-anxiety disorder are provided:

Blush, sweat, tremble, feel a rapid heart rate, or feel their “mind going blank”
Feel nauseous or sick to their stomach
Show a rigid body posture, make little eye contact, or speak with an overly soft voice
Find it scary and difficult to be with other people, especially those they don’t already know, and have a hard time talking to them even though they wish they could
Be very self-conscious in front of other people and feel embarrassed and awkward
Be very afraid that other people will judge them
Stay away from places where there are other people

Low Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety Disorder Depicted

We can look at the signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder in Rick and Iran, and Rachael, and demonstrate how that has an affect on each character and their feeling of being human.

In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Rick Deckard is a bounty-hunter who stayed on earth after the nuclear fallout. Throughout the book, he displays senses of unhappiness and depression, a product of his low self-esteem. Rick demonstrates the feelings of depression in a conversation with his wife, Iran, telling her that he got the goat because he’s never been so depressed, that he has reached the point of empathizing with androids (Dick 160-161). He blames it on depression, and explains that:

“when you get that depressed you don’t care. Apathy, because you’ve lost a sense of worth. It doesn’t matter whether you feel better because if you have no worth -” (Dick 161).

Along with his symptoms of low self-esteem, Rick demonstrates symptoms of social anxiety disorder. After buying his black, Nubian goat, Rick “found himself shaking” (Dick 156) and “his hands numb”(Dick 156). I believe that Rick felt this way, because he was so excited, but the goat is so fragile that he is nervous about any interaction with it, for it is a great investment.

Iran demonstrates the low self-esteem feelings of depression. One of her most relevant expressions of her depression is when she says ,”My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression.”(Dick 4). More concerning, she has a negative outlook on life when she states on a phone call to Rick,

“I’m so tired and I just have no hope left, of anything. Of our marriage and you possibly getting killed by one of those andys.” (Dick 87).

Another example of a negative outlook presented by Iran is when Rick bought the two of them a goat. At first Iran responded negatively, saying,

“You shouldn’t have gotten it without me,” Iran gasped. “I have a right to participate in the decision, the most important acquisition we’ll ever -” (Dick 157).

After Rick presents the goat as a surprise to her, Rick and Iran are temporarily cured of depression, being that their status has risen because of the purchase of the animal (Dick 158). The experience of having the goat, something to care for and be empathetic to seems surreal to them (Dick 159).

Rachael Rosen is a female that Rick encounters in the book. Although she is an android, she shows symptoms of low self-esteem. After sleeping with Rick, she thought that he would leave Iran for her, which does not happen. She figures that if he slept with her, he does not love Iran very much, but his new animal, his black, Nubian goat. As an act of jealousy of Ricks love for the goat, and his marriage with Iran, Rachael kills the goat and Iran sees it take place. Although Iran is clueless, Rick believes that “she had what seemed to her a reason.” (Dick 209); revenge.

Rick and Iran demonstrate symptoms of low self-esteem mentally, while Rachael demonstrates her low self-esteem verbally and physically with Rick, and what he loves the most. The absence of empathy, but the presence of emotion in Rachael’s response to Rick made her low self-esteem symptoms stand out from Iran’s low self-esteem symptoms, and Ricks social anxiety symptoms.

How does self-esteem and social anxiety disorder relate to empathy?

In order to discover the relation of self-esteem and social anxiety disorder with empathy, we must look at study that directly correlates them. In April of 2018, a study was published to NCBI, titled, “Burnout in Health Professionals According to Their Self-Esteem, Social Support, and Empathy Profile”. This study focuses on burnout, “a psychological and emotional affection associated with work which generates high distress and absenteeism in individuals” (NCBI), in health professionals. Health professionals were divided into four clusters, and measured by low, medium, and high self-esteem, “cognitive/affective empathy and perceived social support” (NCBI). Cluster 1 “characterized by 100% medium self-esteem and means slightly above those for the total sample in the empathy and social support variables” (NCBI), Cluster 2 characterized by high self-esteem or 100% self-esteem, “with scores on the cognitive empathy and social support variables above the mean for the total sample, and similar scores on affective empathy”(NCBI), and Clusters 3 and 4, containing professionals characterized by low self-esteem, produced scores different than the other two clusters, Cluster 4 scoring the lowest.

In the conclusion of this study, Cluster 1 scored the highest in empathy, Cluster 2 scored the highest in social support, and Cluster 3 “scored above the mean in affective empathy”(NCBI). Whereas empathy makes a difference in the study, self-esteem “is shown to be one of the explanatory variables making the main differences among” the clusters (NCBI).

A Post-Apocalyptic Solution

Although burnout, self-esteem, and social anxiety disorder differ in meaning and symptoms, in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, dialing into the Penfield mood organ can temporarily mask the symptoms of each. The mood organ created by Dick, is used to set a specific, programmed mood on demand. Although this seems like a great solution to feeling symptoms of low self-esteem and social anxiety disorder, Iran presents us with an interesting idea. Dialing into the mood organ is unhealthy because the user is generally “sensing the absence of life”(Dick 5). One could compare the mood organ to modern medicine. Taking a dose of a medication only takes a symptom away temporarily, similar to that of the Penfield mood organ.

An Earthly Solution

Unlike the apocalyptic world created by Dick, there is no Penfield mood organ, although our medication does the same temporary job. After researching mental health, the question “Can people recover from mental illness?” and “Is there a cure?” are common, but the same answers remain. Answers such as, suggesting medication, diet changes, exercise and sleep. There is no, one cure for mental disorders or any other symptoms affecting mental health. There are various types of treatment for mental health disorders and symptoms, although some seem less frightening and invasive, than others, including psychotherapy, support groups, self help plans, and peer support. It is important to note that these treatments are built for those who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder by a licensed physician, but they remain effective for humans with symptoms of each.

I suffer with majority of the symptoms of low self-esteem and social anxiety disorder. Although I have not been diagnosed, I find peer support and a self help plan the most helpful. My self help plan includes three steps to a better, and more effective day. 1) A routine of self-love, 2) Youtube inspiration and 3) Mirror practice routine. My routine of self-love includes waking up at 5 AM every morning, and having an hour of me-time each day. Me-time includes stretching, having a glass of water, and Pinterest browsing for different lifestyle inspiration, such as minimalism, and eco-friendly living. After me-time, I watch a few ASMR, or relaxation videos to clear my mind of any stress or worry, and then I meditate. Lastly, immediately after meditating, I pick any mirror in my home, and I stand in front of it, staring at myself for roughly five-to-ten minutes. I practice any conversations I may have that day, whether for a leadership event, or presentation for a class. This makes me feel more comfortable with my words, and the “vibe” I will give-off when speaking.

Why Does Empathy Make Us Human?

Looking back at the effects of empathy on self-esteem and social anxiety disorder, and the examples presented by each character in the book, it can be concluded that the main reason for their low self-esteem and social anxiety is the lack of empathy on earth, after the nuclear fallout.

Rick faces a lack of empathy because of his job; almost every character looks down upon his job, for his killing of androids for money. Iran faces a lack of empathy from Rick because she shows a face of depression, for almost the entire book. Rick cannot empathize with her, until he feels the depression that leads him to buy his goat. Rachael, on the other hand, is not empathized with because she is an android, and she has manipulated other bounty hunters into not retiring any more androids. (Dick 185) Rick soon regrets not killing Rachael after she kills his goat. In a conversation with Rick, Inspector Garland states that androids lack a “specific talent” that humans possess. He believes that “it’s called empathy.”(Dick 114).

In our world, empathy is something that varies from household-to-household, which creates instability within our society. Although it was depicted in the book by Dick, husbands are fighters and war-machines, wives are depressed and worriers, and mistresses are jealous and revengeful. I have taken into consideration two other articles “Empathizing 101” by Allie Grasgreen and “What Becomes of Empathy” by Tim Recuber. Recuber in supporting my solution to lessening low self-esteem and social anxiety. Recuber provides great points for a solution to unstable levels of empathy, by saying that he believes that “empathy is a virtue”(Recuber), and that “we need to keep working on ways to transform our empathy into action now, and in the months and years to come.”(Recuber). Along with this proposal for action, Grasgreen supports this by saying “empathy is so strongly believed to be a promoter of civility and understanding.” (Grasgreen). I believe that if we all learn to be more empathetic of those who do not fit within the ideal standards of society, low self-esteem and social anxiety disorder with not be so prevalent in our society. A little empathy, can bring a lot of change in society.

Works Cited:

“Mental Health Treatments” Mental Health America, http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/types-mental-health-treatments

“Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness” NIH, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness/index.shtml

Jurado, Maria del Mar Molero, et al.“Burnout in Health Professionals According to Their Self-Esteem, Social Support and Empathy Profile.” frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, no. 1, Apr. 2018. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00424.

Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Del Ray, an Imprint of Random House, a Division of Penguin Random House, 2017.

Recuber, Tim. “What Becomes of Empathy?” Cyborgology , 26 July 2016, thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2016/07/20/what-becomes-of-empathy/.

Grasgreen, Allie. “Empathizing 101” Inside Higher Ed, 24 November, 2010, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/24/empathizing-101

Cherry, Kendra. “What Exactly Is Self-Esteem?” verywellmind, 20 September, 2018, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868

“People Man Woman Holding” pixabay, pixabay, 31 July. 2018, https://pixabay.com/en/people-man-woman-holding-hands-2561053/

Youngston, Nick. “Self Esteem” PicPedia.Org, PicPedia.Org, http://www.picpedia.org/highway-signs/s/self-esteem.html

An Atmosphere of Love

In the twelfth chapter of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the idea that andy’s (or androids) cannot take care of animals is presented. The discussion between Phil Resch and Rick Deckard introduces this idea. Resch starts by asking him ” Did you ever hear of an andy having a pet of any sort?” (Dick 120), and Deckard answers by saying that has heard of it in “two cases” (Dick 121) and that it is “rare” for them to care for the animals they have, and keep them alive. The touching point of this discussion between Resch and Deckard is the mentioning of an “atmosphere of love” (Dick 121), and the statement that “animals require an environment of warmth to flourish.” (Dick 121). In the real world, some people also cannot take care of animals, leading to abuse and neglect. These issues lead to the absence of an “atmosphere of love” (Dick 121), and in my opinion, no creature should feel this absence. I “sprinkle” my cat, Ninja, with warmth and love, giving her a comfortable and loving environment, as should any pet owner.

Discussion Question #1: What are some ways to show animals, specifically pets, love and an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance? If you do not have a pet, what are some ways that you see others treat their animals, good or bad?

Discussion Question #2: How do you feel about andy’s treating their animals with a lack of love? Should they be aloud to have pets, why or why not? How does this relate to the lack of empathy andy’s have?