Time Orientation Theory: Philip Zmibardo's Time Orientation Theory

“Life is all about making decisions: some big, some little, some mundane, some vital to your existence.” (Zimabardo & Boyd Prologue) Philip Zimbardo’s Time Orientation Theory states that our choices are surrounded by many time zones, such as past-positive, past-negative, present-hedonistic, present-fatalism, and future. Many people acquire a prejudiced outlook on a situation based on something that happened in the past, present, or future although these bad outlooks can be changed and adapted to make better decisions and live a better life. Some characteristics of my personality can be defined by looking at the results of my Time Orientation Survey, which consists of having a high past-negative score, an equivalent present-fatalistic and hedonistic

Even though I can be negative at times, I do have some situations where I think about my future. For example when I decided to leave to independent studies because I was always late, I was having problems at school and at home and it was very hard for me to focus on school. I thought if I left from regular school it could help me become more responsible and it could help me figure out what I wanted to major in. It was in independent studies that I found out that I really wanted to pursue a career in health. Another example where I thought about the future was when I took the CNA class; that is, I took the Certified Nursing Assistant course. At the end of my junior year I decided that I wanted to take the class because I could have better opportunities after high school and in my future career. The instructor Ms. Estrada had a meeting to see how many people were interested; in addition, she gave the class requirements. She said class was from 1:19 to 4:30, we had at least one test every week, and if you fail more than 3 tests you get dropped. At the end of the meeting she gave everyone a packet with medical terms that she wanted us to memorize. On the very first day she was going to test us; moreover, if we failed it we would get dropped. I was chosen to be in the class and it was the longest, most stressful year ever. I was ready to

I feel this time zone makes me doubt my abilities and sets me back. According to Philip Zimbardo we can change our time perspective and become a better person as a whole. In the book, “Time Paradox”, Philip Zimabrdo gives us tips on how we can change. One of the things he mentions is transforming your negative time perspective to see the positive side in every negative situation; furthermore, exchange those harmful deep-rooted events for something positive that happened to you in recent time. Other points Zimbardo gives on how you can stop living in the past is saying no to temptations, abstaining from alcohol, practicing relaxation methods, creating stability in your life, and working towards long term goals. The main goal is to have a balanced time perspective that will improve your life. Some ways that these tips can help me is in my everyday relationship with my