This document contains a student's submission for a social psychology assignment. It discusses the student's experience with social facilitation when running in a 10km race with a friend. The student trained individually leading up to the race and was able to finish 33rd, receiving a certificate. The document also covers the student's experience with developing a positive self-concept through running, pilates, and improving nutrition, though it led to unhealthy weight loss before realizing a balanced approach was needed.

1. NAME: CRYSLYN TAN
STUDENT ID: 0324249
SUBJECT: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 30/11/2015

2. Social Facilitation 11/11/2105
Social facilitation is when one performs their well-learned performance is
enhanced when in the presence of other people. For me, I have personally experienced
this before and not only once. It all started with me losing weight and I started running.
I hated running at first but slowly I got better through consistently running everyday
until I was satisfied. I searched everywhere from the health and beauty section on
newspapers to television shows about how to improve my speed or my stride and all
that. I was practically obsessed.
I trained using the treadmill I had at home and not outside so that I could see
how far I ran at what speed and for how long. At first I could only do a mere 15minutes
at a 6km per hour pace and slowly I improved myself increasing my speed, distance and
time gradually. In the year 2013 when I was in Form 4 almost 6 months since I started
running, I signed up for a 10km run with my friend. I was so excited but nervous at the
same time so I went online and printed out a guide to run 10km. It showed how many
km I had to run each day with also strength exercises I had to do.
I did exactly what the guide told me to and finally tried a 10km race by myself
but on a treadmill. I ran non-stop at a ten km per hour pace and completed the 10km in
around 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was good enough for me because after the race I could
still train and be better at the next race. I rested for the next two days to get myself
ready for that big day, my first ever 10 km race. In every category, the first 50 winners
would get a certificate and I was really hoping I could get it.
The big day arrived and I went to meet up with my friend, Elvin, who is also a
runner like me but he was a good runner from the start. He made me feel pretty nervous
because he was naturally fit since he was young and definitely had more stamina than
me. I was scared I could not keep up with his pace and had to continue the run alone.
We did warm up like light jogging before the race and pinned up our race bib. The race
bib had an automatic stopwatch to time how long we took to complete the race once we
passed the finish line and we could check our results online.
We started off and it was okay I did not feel tired but slowly more than halfway
through the race was when I felt like I could not take it anymore. My legs hurt and chest
was burning. The feeling of running on actual road and a treadmill is totally different as
actual road is uneven and has hills here and there. Technically, just not a flat road
whereas a treadmill is totally flat and definitely easier. I wanted to stop so badly and
take a rest but I felt like I did not want to let Elvin down and I also did not want to pull
him down.
I told him I really couldn’t take it at the 9km mark and he slowed down the pace
for me but we did not stop moving our legs. Once we stopped, we would feel even more
tired. It was around 500 meters more and he cheered me on telling me we were almost
reaching and pushed me to go as fast as I could. We ran faster and faster and we could

3. see the finish line. He pushed me even harder and told me to beat all those girls in front
of me to get the top 50 and so I ran faster and caught up with him and finally we reached
and I was just filled with so much happiness I have no words to put it.
In the end, we finished the race in 1 hour and 7 minutes and I got the 33rd place! I
felt so proud of myself and also grateful that Elvin was there to help me. Another race
was during my school annual sports day and I had two events. One an individual run
and another where I was reserved. One girl said she was too tired so I had to replace
her. I was of course nervous because I never thought that I had to take her place. It was
the relay 4x400m relay event and I was the last runner.
The race started and we were in first place from the first to the second runner.
The third runner was up and a girl from another team outran her so we were now in
second place. I got the baton and started running as fast as I could. I could see the other
team’s member in front of me and all I could think of was that I had to make my team
proud. I ran faster and faster and I could see that girl getting closer towards me. I slowly
caught up to her and I did! I ran past her and could feel the exhilaration run through me.
I heard all my team members cheering me on and the crowd shouting. I made it to the
finish line exhausted but so proud of myself even more proud that the 10km race.
I seriously never felt that happy before even to this day. When I think back about
it I am so happy that I ended my high school with an achievement. Actually, with the
only achievement because I am just average in my academics.

4. Self Concept 15/11/2015
What is self concept? It is how I see myself and includes the various beliefs I have
about myself. I was always chubby since I was young but I never cared until I reached
the age of 15 and I started to notice about other people's appearances and how they
were tall or slim or flawless or basically just comparing myself to others. I looked
through all the pictures I took with my friends and thought why am I such an ugly
duckling compared to them? I started to hate my body but had the determination to do
something about it.
That was when I started running. I ran almost every day as some days I just felt
too tired after school to even do anything. I started slow at a 6km per hour pace for as
long as I could take it and even 15 minutes of my 'exercise' I felt happy and
accomplished. Slowly, I started getting better at running and I increased the speed and
duration of my run. I became better and better and soon I was addicted. I wanted to
beat my record every time I ran whether in speed or how long I could run. I started to
see a difference in my body. I lost fat and was slowly but surely making progress. I never
felt happier that I could actually do something if I put my mind to it.
However, I still was not satisfied. I googled day and night about keeping fit.
Anytime I was online, I would definitely be researching about fitness. At that time I did
not have a phone so my days were always unoccupied because I did not have anyone to
talk to or any social media such as Instagram or Twitter to keep up with. Anyway, that
was when I discovered pilates. I found Cassey Ho writer of blogilates.com also a
youtuber. She was a Pop Pilates queen and looked up to her strength. I did her videos
after my running session dilligently. At first I could barely do any moves as I had never
tried it or even heard about pilates but slowly I also improved and could keep up with
her videos and could do more reps than before.
I was so impressed with my progress I did not want to stop. Now, it was time for
nutrition. I googled and found out everything I had to know about carbs, fat, protein,
lean protein, hidden fats and etc. I was never bored because everyday I found out
something new and was always kept interested. I drank more water everyday, I cut
down on carbs and ate unprocessed ones such as rolled oats and brown rice. I learned
how to make simple yet healthy meals and started making my own breakfast before
school and for lunch where my mum would send it to me later on. I woke up at 5 every
morning just so that I could make sure I ate my own breakfast. Months passed and I
was filled with so much happiness looking at the difference of my body before and after.
I was so obsessed I just wanted more and more.
I started to cut out all processed carbs in my diet which included white bread,
white rice, biscuits, chips and so on. I stopped drinking any sweet drinks, anything that
was not naturally sweet I would not drink it. I lost more and more weight until one day
my mum saw me as too skinny. My siblings made fun of me and called me names. I
thought I could be happy but everyone around me said that I was too skinny and I just

5. looked like bones and skin. I felt so depressed. I didn't feel happy that I was chubby and
I let myself get too far and I did not feel happy about being skinny. I knew I had more
strength than before like how I could even beat the boys in my class during physical
educations classes and how I could run at 10 km per hour for more than an hour
without stop. Those little things made me keep going to try to be better but I did not
know how I was torturing my body. I did not know how I was not eating enough and
how I was pushing my body to the limits.
I was changing physically but also mentally and I did not know. I did not want to
listen to my mum or my siblings and I just went on. I started having very negative
thoughts about my body how I could not please anyone. I felt fat all the time and would
elongate my workout sessions. It was finally the end of the year and me and my
classmates had a little trip to Singapore. I felt out of place and I always made excuses
about how I was not hungry. I was only 39kg at that time and at 5'3, I was very
underweight. My mentality was messed up and I was scared to even eat a little dessert
or a piece of bread. I would not finish my food on purpose or just share it with a friend.
When I went home, my cousins and aunties and uncles all started commenting about my
body that I was just a stick. They would grab my arms and stare at me like I was just an
object.
Many nights I just laid awake wondering how I could feel better or just to be
happy about myself. I started with nutrition. It was better than exercise as I actually felt
happy after I broke a sweat. I started to introduce carbs back into my diet and slowly
went to eating white rice and bread. I stopped making my own lunches and ate the food
my mum brought me. My friends would make sure I ate my rice and did not throw it all
away. Slowly I got better but I still loved exercising. I planned out my runs but still
continued with my pilates. I got better and gained more weight and my mum was so
much happier and less concerned with me. Things were not easy but I started to learn
that my happiness had nothing to do with my body shape or my weight. I learned to love
myself and do things in a healthy way. I cannot deny that sometimes I am still struggling
with my self-concept but I am trying to better every day.

6. Stereotyping 18/11/2015
Stereotyping is when an assumption is made to a group of people without
knowing them first. There are many types of stereotypes such as cultural stereotyping,
racial stereotyping, gender stereotyping and more. I for one do not believe in
stereotyping because you need to know a person first hand before judging them by
what they look like or what they do.
My parents however do stereotype people and an example is how they think
smokers and people with tattoos are all bad influences. I do not think that it is true
because I have a few friends that smoke and others who also have tattoos. My parents
are against me having friends that smoke or have tattoos. They would always say ‘don’t
go out with those people! They are bad influences!’. I, of course, just nod my head but
they are my friends and my parents are wrong to judge them that way. They are still
human and smoking does not make them any different although I know it is bad for
health.
My friends that smoke are one of the nicest people I know. They respect me and
know what to do and what not to do. They only smoke at designated areas and also not
right in front of my face. They do not ask me if I want to smoke or not and respect my
decision of not doing so. When I bring my little siblings out with me, they do not smoke
in front of them but wait for later when we are not together or they would go to another
place to smoke. They know my parents are against smoking so if they knew they were
coming over to my place, they would not smoke so that there is no smell lingering
around.
About having tattoos, my parents would constantly tell me not to be so stupid to
get one. They only tell it to me out of us five children because in my family I am the one
that is ‘wild’ or do ‘crazy’ things. I always reassure them that I would not do anything
like that without their consent and I know they still do not trust me fully but still, I know
what I can and cannot do. I have a friend who has three tattoos but still he is also human
and a very nice one. He is friendly and treats his friends like family. All his tattoos tell a
different story and has he has a reason for getting each one.
He has a compass to show him the right direction in life, faith and hope to show
that there is always faith and hope in life and two roses, one to represent his father and
the other for his mother. He is a very down to earth person and has a great personality. I
also have a cousin and though she is living by herself in Singapore, successfully working
and financially independent, they call her silly for getting tattoos. She is like an
inspiration to me because she is living such a happy life financially (more than) stable
and also buys her own branded bags and also still has time to enjoy with vacations. A
tattoo does not define who a person is.
Now about me, I know I said I would not do anything crazy without my parent’s
consent and how my friends are not bad influences (they are not) but at one point of my

7. life when I thought everything was just too much to handle and I was just at my lowest
point, I went to drain my thoughts by smoking. It was not by my friend’s influence but
my own choice. I smoked once and then twice until my parents caught me, which I am
thankful for now, and my mum was so angry at me she said she wanted to disown me.
It was one night when I was in tuition and suddenly my mum called me and said
that I had to go home instantly. She made me guess what she found and at that time I
had no idea what she was talking about until she said she found my cigarettes. She hit
me and made me stay out of the house. That night still scares me because my mum is the
scariest person I know even all my friends agree with me. When I think about it, I
realized I was stupid for going to cigarettes and not just spilling all my problems to my
best friend or maybe even go to a counseling session at school. My mum was so
disappointed in me and said it was because of my friends that I smoked. She said if I did
it one more time she would definitely disown me or skin me alive..
She is so stereotypical about smokers that she just decided that I did it out of
influence and how I was a rebellious and bad person. She did not bother to ask me what
was wrong with me or if I needed help. My dad said it was bad I did it and he was also
disappointed but he is the kind that keeps his cool and does not get very angry. Even if
he does, he’s only mad for a maximum or ten minutes. My mum did not want to talk to
me for a few days but eventually things got better and everything went back to normal
but until today they constantly me remind me not to repeat my mistake.
My parents need to stop their thinking of smokers and also tattoos and give
people a chance. Some smoke because of a reason and not just because of influence and
maybe all they need is help to eventually stop. They need to learn to accept people no
matter what they do and know them at least a little better first.

8. Self- fulfilling prophecy 20/11/2015
The self-filfilling prophecy is when one without knowing makes a prediction
come true due to a simple fact that one believes that it will come true. I am a pretty shy
person and would not talk to anyone unless someone talks to me first. This is a major
disadvantage for me because it takes so much courage just for me to just say hi not to
mention having a conversation with someone.
Before foundation started I was having so many thoughts running through my
mind like ‘how do I start a conversation?’, ‘after I say hi what do I say?’, ‘would they
think I am rude or a snob?’. I was so afraid to meet new people and to step out of my
comfort zone. I was more than happy with the friends I already have from high school
and a few of them were studying here in Selangor just like me.
I did not want to try to make new friends because I thought I already had enough
and I could find them for meals or to hang out anytime we were free. Turns out we only
meet once in a while because we are all busy with school and live quite far from each
other. Anyway, college started and I was so scared I missed a few of my orientation
activities especially the ones that had to do with some team work or ice breaking such
as ‘The campus hunt’ and also the orientation party. I only went for some that did not
need talking such as the talks.
We had briefings for our course and that was when we had to meet our new
coursemates and also meet new friends. Many people already knew each other by then
because they went for the orientation activities so I was even more afraid. I did not
know how to start a conversation and even how to stay in one. I constantly looked at my
phone even when I had to nothing to do with it. I would just scroll through pages and
not make eye contact with anyone. I did look around though, trying to look for just
someone that seemed to have the same problem with me but I just went back to
aimlessly scrolling through my phone.
We had to introduce ourselves one by one and I did, with all my might, and we
had to know the people around us a little better. It was like an ice-breaking game. I met
a few people, shook hands, said hi, exchanged names and where we came from but that
was that. I did not try to continue the conversation and just sat quietly for the rest of the
time. When people did talk to me, I was so afraid that I would reply them with short
replies or just a laugh which I now think of it may actually make me seem so rude.
Regrets..
Orientation week was over and I still did not make any friends that I could talk to
in class or have meals with after. I wanted to try harder because I knew the course I was
taking included many group activities and I’d have to have some people in my group. I
smiled at people more hoping that they would say hi and start a conversation with me
but they all seemed so busy with their new clique. I felt like I didn’t belong in any of

9. those group of friends and I wished I had high school back. When class ended, I would
walk straight back to my unit and just stay there until my next class.
That was when I realized my fear of not having friends came true because of the
way I acted. I could have tried to make friends, have initiative to go for the orientation
activities to get to know people or stopped constantly looking at my phone. I restricted
myself and placed a bubble around me so that people could not come near me. I was
acting so rude and arrogant but in actual fact I was just shy and already thought to
myself that I could not make friends.
Even now, I am still shy to talk to people but I try harder and I start saying hi to
people. I made more friends and am more open to people around me. Group works
really helped me to talk to more people and get along better with my classmates.
Though I am still shy and probably would not dare to have meals with them, I am still
trying. Many people have told me that it was hard to talk to me during the first few
weeks of classes because I just looked so far away and also kept looking at my phone.
Things are much better now and I am slowly trying to get closer to people and maybe
one day I would have a group of friends I could talk to all the time and spend time with
before and after classes.

10. Observational learning 25/11/2015
Observational learning is when one observes an attitude or behavior from others
and develops the same attitude of behavior. This usually makes that person acquire
fears, opinions or specific behaviors. I get most of my behaviors from my family
members because they are the ones I see every day and learn most things from just by
their daily routine and how they respond during situations.
My mother is a very strict person and has many rules we children need to follow.
We always need to keep our room neat and tidy especially our toilets. She would check
our toilets once in a while and if it not up to her expectations, we would get scolded like
mad and the rest of my family members would also get scolded for other things. She
could bring up things that happened a week ago and scold us. We would have to keep
the sink dry at all times and made sure everything was cleaned up after we ate and do
many more other chores.
Obviously, she is a neat freak and her actions made me learn to also keep my
things tidy. I would constantly see her sweep the floor or clean kitchen or do the
laundry. She is always busy with something. Although she is a housewife, she is
constantly working around the house to make sure everything is in a tip top condition. I
would see how she cleaned the toilets or clean up after our dinner so that I could also
keep up to her expectations. That is mostly because I do not want to get a scolding from
her which would also cause the rest of my family to get in trouble.
As my mum is a very fierce person, she scolds about almost everything and
overreacts. She would get extremely mad and would sometimes hit us but that was last
time. She doesn’t result to hitting us anymore maybe because we are all grown up now.
She would now just scold and say things not pleasant to hear. I see how her words and
how she responds to situations affect us especially me. I learned not to overreact and
use my words against people because I know what it feels like. I make sure never to get
angry like that and I do not like to use foul words.
My dad is a totally different person. He keeps his cool in any situation and does
not get angry easily. He would get annoyed but he never scolds us or hits us. My dad
stays calm in any situation. For example, when my mum gets angry, he lets her say
anything she wants. He lets her scold and shout and rant and he would stay quiet until
she calms down and then make her laugh. Sometimes he would mock her and we would
all just break out in laughter and in the end my mum would hide a little smile.
From him, I learned that it is not always right to shout back or get angry just
because another person is. There is no point to start an argument when we could just
tolerate it and make the best out of the situation. I learned to stay calm and tolerate the
things that get me upset unless it is really unacceptable. My dad would always tell us to
ignore when my mum starts shouting and to just do what she tells us to without saying
anything. We listen of course and things get better every time.

11. I am most like my oldest sister. We always spend time with each other whenever
I am back in Kuching. We go to eat, we go shopping, I follow her to do her nails or hair
and other things. Whenever any of us get scolded, we would help each other out and
defend each other. Sometimes she takes the blame for me and vice versa. As we spend
so much time together, I get to see how she reacts during situations and look at her
daily routine and I also learn things from her.
She is the kind to always have the need to look pretty when she is out with
friends. She would use hair products and curl or straighten her hair and then put on
makeup. From looking at her, I learned how to draw my eyebrows and curl my hair. It
isn’t much but I am still learning from her whenever I am back. She would do her
makeup while I watch and I would look at what products she was using and for what.
She also takes good care of her face so she does not break out. Although I still do not see
the need to look pretty every time I am out, I still like watching her do her make-up and
hair and would follow when there are occasions.