Behavioral Inhibition System

Personality temperament or affective styles refer to individual differences in the quality and intensity of dispositional mood, as well as emotional reactions to similar events. The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) are the two most researched scales of temperament, and are what I will focus on related to my personality. Having high BIS is to have higher punishment sensitivity, whereas having high BAS is to have higher reward sensitivity. My z-score of BAS was well below the mean, with a score of -2.77. On the other hand, my BIS z-score was above the mean, with a score of 2.21, as well as receiving the highest BIS score in the class. Using this information, it seems that my temperament falls more on

Social reproach does not have such a large effect anymore. I moved to a larger city where more walks of life were acceptable, and as I matured I realized that my parent’s views were not something negative to judge. However, some of that judgment I used to receive from others leaked into my own self-judgments and beliefs. Instead of being sensitive to others punishment, I really became sensitive to how I would punish myself for not performing at my best level. If I got lower than an A on a paper or an exam, I would put all the blame on myself, even though I did my best for the situation I was in. Another way this manifests is that I have always been anxious about talking to professors and have avoided it pretty heavily. I have definitely punished myself for not talking to professors, knowing it is something I must do in order to get into graduate schools and get recommendations. Although I am sensitive to this type of punishment, it does not necessarily motivate me to do better. Instead, it can be slightly self-sabotaging. I cannot blame this on having a BIS system completely, although I am sure it is one of the factors that contributes to

I am extremely sensitive to lights, sounds, pain, and even coffee. All these things especially affect me when I am already stressed out or have a lot going on. When taking exams, every single noise distracts and bothers me. If I drink coffee when I have a lot to do, which seems like something that would help, I fidget and my hands will shake the entire day. When I study, I like lights to be at a certain level, and I like to be somewhere completely silent. I often disliked this part of myself, feeling that I was that I was way too easily overwhelmed. However, it was actually really positive for me to see sensory-processing sensitivity put into words, as well as seeing all the characteristics that go along with it. For example, one of the characteristics of it is being highly empathetic, something that has really been my guiding light throughout my life. It is also correlated with being more philosophical, something else that has been of immense importance to me. Without these things, I would not be the same person or be on the trajectory I am currently on. It is pretty remarkable to know that these things go along with the more unpleasant feature of sometimes getting overstimulated, as it puts an immensely more positive spin on my more sensitive and reflective