POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

PRINCIPLES OF SYSTEMS THINKING

INTE20049
Name: Gonzaga, Czaskizza D. Professor: Iluminada Vivien R. Domingo

Course/Section: BSBA MM 3-1N Date: May 4, 2022

ACTIVITY 5: IN THE MIDST OF THE PROBLEM

Purpose: To gain familiarity with the concepts of interconnectedness or

interdependency. To recognize the human tendency to assign blame.
Outcome: Insights about our role in the problems we experience

Type your answers here: Do not attach any pdf or word file.

Questions:
1. Briefly in 1 to 2 sentences, describe a situation in which you knew that
an individual or group having a problem was contributing to the
problem but wasn’t aware of their contribution.

Answer: There are a lot of parents who used to discipline their children
by taking away their gadgets and even destroying it in front of them to
make sure that the child will learn their lessons. They are doing this
type of disciplinary actions thinking that they are helping to improve
their child’s attitudes but the truth is, this only makes the child feel left
and they will feel like their parents do not understand that they are
reducing stress by using their gadgets, hence; the said disciplinary
action may backfire and worsen the behavior of the child.

2. Now in 1 to 2 sentences describe a situation in which you or your work

group turned out to be contributing to your own problem.
 Answer: There is one time when me and a member of a group doing
our thesis had quite a short argument because of them not submitting
the task to me on the due date I ask them. We had a conversation in
our group meeting that last longer than expected which caused for the
meeting to become something like a heated debate instead of
addressing the problem and continuing to work with our study.

3. Consider a persistent, recurrent, or chronic problem you are

experiencing now. Tell or record the story of the problem very briefly in
1 to 2 sentences:

Answer: I was in the middle of junior high school when I first

experience an anxiety attack that caused a serious problem with my
class participation and my relationship with my peers, but by the time I
entered senior high school, I learned how to cope up. I have been
smoothly handling my stressors and improving my emotional
intelligence bit by bit and is contented with my own coping
mechanisms, but then college happens and here I am now, back to
square one.

4. Answer the how and what respectively in 1 to 2 sentences.

A. Is there any way you or your group may be causing or contributing
to the problem? Justify.

Answer: Yes, because of all the deadlines we are running for, not only
for the thesis but on most of our subjects, our emotions are spiking up
and rush on stress hormones to meet our deadline. Everything is
suddenly happening at the same time which triggers my anxiety and, in
the end, it affects my performance and the emotional intelligence I’ve
built up over the years are slowly deteriorating.

B. Is there anything you did in the past that has generated an

unintended consequence? Justify.

Answer: I can proudly say no because I know that I have a good time
management skill that is part of the coping mechanism that I am talking
about. I want everything planned and organized which makes it clear to
me that the people around me are the reason of my ugly anxiety
 attacks for the past months of academic struggling.

C. What might happen if you were to focus on the short-term aspects

of the problem and ignore the longer term? Explain in 1 to 2
sentences.

Answer: Focusing on the short – term aspects of the problem may

actually help a person to stay motivated because the goal is easily
attainable and also minimize procrastination. It is actually good to
focus on the short – term aspects but we should never ignore the long
– term because we need this to achieve the plans to protect the future
and are significant to develop sustainability.

D. Sometimes feedback comes to you slowly or in roundabout ways.

What, if any, aspect of the problem might stem from delayed or
indirect feedback? Justify.

Answer: Delayed feedbacks can actually be a good thing because it

ensures that the receiver had it and is in the process of interpreting it in
a way that the sender wants it to be interpreted. In my opinion, delayed
feedbacks improve the communication between two persons because
it creates a strong anticipation of the answer and increases level of
attention but if it somehow caused the problem (like overdue or data
gathering) then this should be address immediately and make an
action so that it may not reoccur.

5. Do you now have any new insights into your problem? If so, what are
they in 1 to 2 sentences?

Answer: Yes, I do have new insights and those are to remember it's
college and it's not supposed to be a smooth ride because it’s a 4-year
school where I will most likely decide the next 40 years of my life. In
other words, I am bound to have times when I slip up, and when it all
comes crashing down, I have to make sure that I have a support
system in place to carry me over to a place where me can get back on
track.

6. What, if any, difference does it make to see the part you are playing in
a problem? Explain in 1 to 2 sentences.
Answer: Realizing and being able to accept the part I am playing in a
specific problem actually improves my self-awareness and gives me
time to reflect on what I should've done, if I overreacted, how they feel,
and go apologize. Being able to admit mistakes and ask forgiveness is
important for healthy relationships. To be that source of light for the
people around me, I have got to put other's before myself sometimes.