GROUP PSYCHOLOGY
The success of ancient Kemet, the Mongols under Ghengis Khan, and the Black Panther Party were due to ______ Psychology. Following a collective identity and mission that was more important than the individual.
What is, GROUP PSYCHOLOGY !
The way people behave as adults is almost always a result of decisions they made during _______.
What is, CHILDHOOD !
_______ is the mother of all knowledge!
What is, REPETITION !
The brain primarily learns through repetition. This is true for learning a language, good or bad habits, and how to emotionally respond to situations. Be careful of the actions you repeat!
___________ is a term that expresses the brain's ability to change, adapt, and make new connections throughout life.
What is, NEUROPLASTICITY.
Your ability to change your brain is high during teenage years. This makes it an ideal time to create new habits, think new thoughts, and change things that cause harm like addiction or anti-social behavior.
________ often begins as a way to cope with stress, pain, or emotional struggles, not as a conscious choice to lose control. When someone feels anxious, lonely, or overwhelmed, activities or substances that bring quick relief—like drugs, caffeine, social media, or sugar—can temporarily numb those feelings by boosting dopamine and other “feel-good” chemicals in the brain.
What is, ADDICTION !
The cycle continues as the brain’s natural balance changes—dopamine receptors become less sensitive, making everyday pleasures feel dull while increasing cravings for the addictive behavior. Eventually, addictions no longer about feeling good, but chasing a buzz just to feel okay.
In the most powerful groups, every member knows their exact ____.
What is, ROLE !
In powerful groups, every member knows their exact role. Psychology calls this role clarity, and it’s a top predictor of team success.
________ mechanisms are ways the mind reduces emotional discomfort by attempting to protect itself from things that caused pain. These often help in the moment, but when left unchecked, become toxic later in life.
What are DEFENSE Mechanisms !
The issue with Defense Mechanisms are that the brain doesn’t automatically uninstall them. A defense that once provided temporary relief can later on sabotage your ability to live a full life.
_______ ________ are created by multiple neurons communicating instantly. The connections result in the physical lighting up of the brain.
What are, NEURAL PATHWAYS/NEURAL NETWORKS !
Pathways represent thought and behavioral patterns. Pathways used often become deeply ingrained in a person's character. The more you think something, the more you become that thought.
Many people get ran over due to their inability to set ________.
What are, BOUNDARIES!
Set boundaries once. Don't repeat yourself, don't argue. If someone pushes again, don’t repeat your boundary. Change your access. Distance, silence, or changing the environment carries more weight than repeating yourself.
When you do something rewarding, your brain releases _______, which feels good and makes you want to do it again.
What is DOPAMINE !
Dopamine isn’t just about pleasure; it is what literally motivates you. It tells your brain “this is important.” This brain chemical is why drugs hijack the brain, eventually becoming the most important thing in a person's life.
Shared ______, like what soldiers face on a battlefield, forms unbreakable bonds.
What is, DANGER !
Nothing unifies people like a common enemy. This is the foundation of the powerful civil rights movement.
Psychodynamics is the study of how ____ experiences, emotions, and unconscious processes influence a person’s current & future thoughts, behaviors, and relationships—often without their awareness.
What are, PAST Experiences !
The ________ is the part of the brain that detects threats and shapes emotional memories, especially fear.
What is, the AMYGDALA !
Confirmation _____ is the tendency to notice things that match what you already believe.
What is, CONFIRMATION BIAS !
If you believe “I’m bad at math,” your brain highlights mistakes. But if you shift to “I’m improving at math,” your brain starts noticing progress.
Addiction follows a well-documented _____ comprising three stages: the intoxication feel-good stage, withdrawal or feeling bad without it stage, then the craving stage making the drug hard to resist even when someone really wants to quit.
What is, CYCLE!
Give a powerful historical example of successful group psychology in Black American history.
What are, THE BLACK PANTHERS/THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE/THE NATION OF ISLAM/ETC !
Feeling and emotions that are not ______ will continue to drive and shape behavior, often without your awareness.
What are, LABELED/IDENTIFIED !
Research on emotional awareness shows that difficulty identifying feelings is linked to higher stress, poorer health, and conflict with others.
Be ACCOUNTABLE! Call yourself out on your behaviors and be honest with others about what is going on with you.
Energy goes where _______ flows!
What is, ATTENTION!
Whatever you focus on grows stronger in your life, and whatever is ignored dies off. Pay attention to things that build you, ignore things that bring you down.
Attention doesn’t just shape your grades or performance — what you pay attention to shapes who you become.
External Relations Patterns lead to a consistent _______ of how others will treat you.
What are, EXPECTATIONS.
Without awareness, these patterns feel external and inevitable. Like your exceptions keep happening to you.
With awareness, you realize that this is your perspective of things, not the reality.
Addiction is not only to drugs. The most common modern addiction is to ________.
What are, SMARTPHONES/SOCIAL MEDIA !
When you don’t check your phone, dopamine levels drop, which can make you feel bored, anxious, or restless—signs of mild withdrawal. Making you want to repeat the cycle again.
Having powerful ______ that share common goals and the passion to pursue them, is essential to truly power groups!
What are, ALLIES/TEAMMATES !
Form teams of likeminded individuals to obtain victory!
Psychoanalysis is a psychological approach that explores how unconscious conflicts, early life experiences, and internalized beliefs shape behavior, with the goal of bringing them into awareness so they can be understood and ______.
What is, CHANGED !
Psychologists use the term MENTAL _______. Your brain is constantly filtering information, and attention decides what gets through. Think about walking through a busy area. Your brain isn't paying attention to everything, only what you focus you attention on.
What is, Mental SPOTLIGHT!
Attention is like fuel — it powers whatever you point it at. If you put attention into studying, sports, or friendships, those areas improve. If you ignore them, they fade. It’s a reminder that focus is powerful.
________ patterns (how you connect and form bonds with others) form based on how our emotional needs were responded to early on.
What are, ATTACHMENT Patterns !
How we were treated when we are young leads to how much we trust the world and other people, whether we are willing to take risks or want to be in control.
Don't let decisions you made at an immature age affect how you live the rest of your life!
To ________ means starting to use again after a period of sobriety. It often happens because of stress, triggers in the environment, or unresolved emotions.
What is, RELAPSE .
Learning how addiction affects the brain helps people create stronger relapse prevention plans, making recovery more sustainable over time. Relapse is not a failure, it means you have to change your technique and address the underlying issue.