Shyness Essay Example

Shyness Essay Some people feel forced to be shy. Even while they know that their best interests will be provided by speaking out, they cannot bring themselves to do so. Shyness is particularly prevalent in the adolescent and young-adult years, while individuals are learning to make alterations to new roles and new self-expectations. The majority people outgrow these earlier symptoms of shyness, mainly as they learn roles proper to adult status. There are various individuals, however, who are so easily panicked by anxiety and self-doubt that they are not capable to develop more mature forms of behavior. As they are shy, they fail to live up to their own prospect in a group setting. As they brood over the humiliation resultant from such failures, they feel even more worthless and inadequate. This in turn deepens their feelings of inferiority and aggravates their shyness. This circular type of relations is rather characteristic of the more anxious mechanisms. Although the individual employs the mechanism to evade or diminish anxiety, it succeeds only momentarily or partially. He then feels ashamed of his weakness in falling back on such a contemptible mechanism. The greater his guilt, the greater his anxiety, and the greater his anxiety, the greater the probability that he will use the mechanism. Shyness is not inevitably maladaptive. As a ephemeral fear of the unfamiliar, it may have a protecting function as it activates affection behavior. Shyness as retiring expressive behavior is not simply accepted as feminine, but might even assume flirtative qualities. Therefore, shyness might have quite diverse qualities in different social contexts, for different people (boys and girls in particular), and in different phases of development. In 1896, Harry Campbell, a British physician, delivered a comprehensive report on what he termed morbid shyness to the British Medical Society. With mythical flair, he described the shy person this way: His soul is full of love and song, but the world knows it not; the iron disguise of shyness is riveted before his face and the man beneath is never seen. Genial words and greetings are ever rising to his lips but they die away in unheard whispers before the steel clamps. (Campbell 1986) We will write a custom essay sample on Shyness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shyness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shyness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As full of understanding as this description appears to be, for many years the scientific community showed astonishingly little interest in shyness. Perhaps the shy and socially anxious were too thriving in their attempts to remain modest and nearly invisible. Even though over the years terms such as bashfulness, reticence, neuroticism, and withdrawal were used to explain social distress, little research literature focused on the roots or dynamics of shyness itself. conceivably, like the common cold, shyness has been mostly unobserved because it is so very common. But in the seventies, science began to look at this indefinable concept, and as the self-help movement rushed throughout that decade, a variety of books appeared that espoused to the shy diverse ways of coping with their social discomforts. The writer most extensively known for bringing shyness into the public light was Philip Zimbardo. In 1972, with colleagues, Zimbardo administered to more than ten thousand subjects the Stanford Shyness Survey. Forty percent of the subjects explained themselves as shy in some sense. while asked whether they had ever viewed themselves as shy, 80 percent reported they had, seventeen percent said they had never labeled themselves shy although felt they had had feelings of shyness in certain situations, and only one percent reported never having experienced shyness at all.(1982) Zimbardo and his colleagues also examined other cultures and countries. They found that, compared to Americans, the Japanese and Taiwanese had a larger percentage of shy people (60 percent of the total population); at 30 percent of the total, Israel had the lowest. And in no culture did more than 10 percent of the respondents explain themselves as never shy. In attempting to describe the vague subjective term shyness with some precision, Zimbardo and his colleagues provided a useful breakdown of its basic components in four realms of subjective experience: †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cognitionsthat is, thoughts, comprise perceptions of self-consciousness, concerns regarding impressions one is making on others, concerns about what others are thinking, and the persons own pessimistic self-evaluations. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affective states, or shy feelings, comprise the awareness of anxiety, feelings of distress, anxiety, embarrassment, and ineptness. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Physiological changes, such as increased pulse rate, blushing, perspiration, palpitations, trouble inhalation, and butterflies in the stomach. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Behavioral responses among males, comprise diminished talking and diminished eye contact, compared with nonshy males; and amongst females, high frequencies of head nodding and nervous smiling. (Zimbardo, 1977). Besides describing the skewed experience of shyness, Zimbardo and his group surveyed the adverse consequences of shyness as illustrated by their respondents. They reported that shyness forms social problems, making it hard to meet people, make friends, or enjoy potentially good experiences. It is linked with distasteful emotions such as depression, isolation, and loneliness. Shyness makes it firm to be forceful of or express personal opinions and values. It makes others view one pessimistically or fail to perceive ones personal assets. It causes a person to be judged wrongly as snooty, unfriendly, bored, or weak. It obstructs with clear thinking or communicating. And it reason one to be self-conscious and extremely concerned with others reactions. In a distressing summation of the subjective experience of shyness, Zimbardo quotes numerous of his respondents in their eighties as longing to have one non-shy day before they die. Zimbardo strongly believed that shyness was not a usual state that normal children grew out of but a considerable psychological phenomenon that can have profound effects upon numerous aspects of the shy persons life and a major personal problem of major proportions. Zimbardos careful recognition of the components of shyness and his description of its unfavorable consequences allow us to begin to see how shyness is related to social phobia and how to differentiate between them. Researchers have described the unfavorable consequences and disabling behaviors linked with the experience of shyness, no one has stabbed to measure the phenomenon. To shed light on this cloudy issue, it will assist to view shyness as a psychological continuum affecting between 25 and 40 percent of Americans. Within this continuum, we can recognize various levels of power and disability: †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The greatest percentage of those experiencing shyness fall into the normal range. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   About eight percent of those reporting shyness are what several researchers term borderline casesthat is, at times disabled by their shyness and sometimes not. Age has an impact too: over time shy people can become less so and nonshy people more so. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to epidemiological research, about 2 percent of our population are socially phobic that is, severe enough to cause social impairment. †¢   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One more psychiatric category, called avoidant personality disorder, might represent the most troubled extreme of the continuum. When we view the continuum all together, it is simple to see why the word shyness is often used chaotically by both lay and proficient people. To clarify, shyness is a type of social anxiety, while general social phobia is a more extreme form. As of the lack of precision about these terms, even much of the experiential research on shyness really focuses on social phobia. Comparative studies in this field have served two purposes. They permit us to study the development of emotions under controlled conditions, so that the animals previous history is fully known (and verbal learning, of course, is not a complication). They also give perspective, and draw our thought to considerable relations that otherwise might not be seen, partially because the phenomena are so familiar. Fear of strangers so called shyness is usually present in the 6-to-12 month infant; fear of darkness, or imaginary things in the darkness, occurs in a large part of children, who experience them at one time or another after the age of 3 years; fear of undisruptive as well as harmful snakes is very nearly collective after the age of 6 years or so; and this list could be significantly extended. But perhaps as they are so well known, singlywe do not put these facts mutually and ask whether man is after all as rational as we think him, or, when we are concerned concerning social hostilit ies, whether mans attitude toward those who have a diverse skin color or different beliefs might not be part of the similar broad picture of irrationality. But this is precisely what is suggested by a comparative approach to the problem. Bierman Furman ( 1984)) illustrate the differential meanings of shyness in boys and girls in a developmental perspective. Explicitly, they have found that shyness in girls is associated with optimistic aspects of the mother-child relationship, whereas shyness in boys is not; mothers of boys expressed some displeasure with the fact that their sons had not outgrown their childish shyness by 50 months. Similar findings have been reported by Asendorpf ( 1990b), who found that shyness in girls was linked with tender and affectionate mother daughter relationships whereas mothers of shy boys were less satisfied with and less accepting of their sons. consequently, it appears as if shyness in girls may be more satisfactory to parents than shyness in boys. Therefore, one must expect that shyness in boys would be aggressively discouraged while shyness in girls would not simply be accepted, but also completely rewarded by parents, thus leading to a greater sequential continuity of shy behavior in girls. Likewise, it seems probable that the family conditions linked with shyness may diverge for boys and girls. Communicative competence can concurrently be conceived of as a contributor to or source of shyness, as a means or progression by which shyness is maintained and even exacerbated, and as an result of shy behavior. The exact ways in which communication competence, affective factors such as anxiety, enthusiasm, and self-efficacy, and experience contribute to shyness is composite, and any model needs to be a dynamic one which takes into deliberation the developmental nature of the phenomena. As a source, poorer communicative competence handicaps the child in eagerly and effectively conversing with others. As a means, poorer communicative competence may raise the probability of negative feedback, negative self-perceptions, and anxiety, and limit opportunities to develop social skills, thereby retaining shyness. There is extensive research documenting higher frequency of lower self-esteem and self-perceptions of competence in shy adolescents and adults (Buss, 1984; Clark Arkowitz, 1975), and Asendorpf (1990b) has lately demonstrated the development of inhibition in familiar contexts throughout repeated social failure. Finally, poorer communicative competence may be an outcome of a ferocious cycle in which shy individuals have less experience through personal choice or the lack of opportunities given them to observe, try out, and practice interactional strategies. As Cazden ( 1972) has noted, communication skills as with other composite skills should be learned through practice to the point where performance is automatic (p. 236 ). The dynamic interaction between communication experiences, communicative competence, and influence with respect to shyness also suggests that efforts to widen communication skills must help alleviate shyness. Glass and Shea ( 1986) report that 10- to 20% of shy adults who volunteer for their therapeutic program seem not to recognize what to do in conversations and assist from social skills training. Likewise, training studies in which explicit communication skills have been coached have demonstrated valuable effects on the recipients of this training. Specifically, Bierman and Furman (1984) trained children who were both lacking in communication skills and low in peer reception on a explicit set of conversational skills linked to social competence self-expression or sharing information concerning oneself, questioning or asking other about themselves, and leadership bids such as proffering help, invitations, and advice. Follow-up six weeks after training signified improvements in chil drens conversational performance in dyadic and peer group contacts and higher rates of interaction with peers at lunchtime amongst the trained than untrained subjects. Videotapes of selected training sessions indicated that the use of these conversational skills was linked with positive peer responses throughout the treatment ( Bierman, 1986). However, we flatten individuality in seeking a solution to the shyness in our society. But we should recognize that shyness is but a symptom of the existence of cultural values and social practices that deprive the quality of human life. Those values can be modified without essentially adopting the political and economic orientations of the shyness averting societies we know. In forming social structures where people can live in harmony, we do not require to weaken the spirit of the individual rather, we can develop his or her own strength. But it is only by beginning to seriously examine our own cultural priorities that we can start the social insurrection needed to overcome shyness and prevent its manifestation in the next generation of children. In overcoming shyness, we celebrate life and find out in ourselves a capability to love and an energy for living that we dared not distinguish before. It is worth any attempt to make that discovery in ourselves, our children, our mates, and our friends. The time to begin is now, the place to begin is here, and the person to head the journey to overcome shyness is you.

Analysis of Truth †Communications Essay

Analysis of Truth – Communications Essay Free Online Research Papers Analysis of Truth Communications Essay Truth is that to which the community ultimately settles down (Charles Pierce). The concept of truth has been a subject of human fascination and philosophical investigation since the days of the early philosophers. The quotation above claims that truth is something that requires a consensus gentium an agreement of all the people. But does the fact that all agree on something makes it necessarily true? This mere question is in itself somewhat of a philosophical riddle, as not everyone can have the same opinion on such a complex matter. Human society is so diverse and so divided that it is virtually impossible to have all members of the community to agree on the same issue. The question of what is a community can also lead to a broad philosophical discussion, however for the purpose of the analysis the community spoken about will be the human society. The quotation above states that truth is what the community ultimately settles for, hence the statement can be subjected to several interpretations. The statement implies that it is only the conclusion that is accepted by the community as the truth, and therefore implies that truth is only a result of a process. Dialectics and Hegelian philosophy describe development as a struggle of the thesis against the antithesis, which come to a resulting conclusion of the synthesis. This reflects perfectly the idea of Charles Pierce that the truth is only an ultimate achievement. An example for this would be Galileos findings that earth is part of a heliocentric system. Galileo was in fact only one amongst many whom believed that the universe is geocentric, i.e. with planet Earth at its centre. The situation in the world depicts Galileo as the thesis, and common belief as the antithesis. Both situations existed and eventually the community settled down Galileos findings. Hence the synthesis. A strong implication the Hegelian philosophy is that truth can not exist without the false, for one would not know how to distinguish the truth if one does not have anything to compare it with. Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard said Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion, while the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion and who, therefore, in the next instant (when it is evident that the minority is the stronger) assume its opinion†¦while truth again reverts to a new minority. Kierkegaard supports the claim that finding truth is a continuing process, however he also claims that the resolution is not to be found, as truth can only be found with the minority. This is the minority for it does not represent the most common beliefs, and the most common beliefs are the ones attained by the community. Therefore Kierkegaard argues the opposite of Pierce, because he is stating that truth lies not with the community but with those who rebel against it! But Kierkegaards statement is a contradiction, for once the minoritys truth replaces the majoritys false truth, the new truth (now held by the majority) becomes false as well, and the only real truth is now held by a new minority. Friedrich Nietzche said once that the ability to enforce truths is a powerful privilege held only by policy makers. And therefore, what the majority accepts as truth is not necessarily because of righteousness, but because of the power held by those who create it! Nietzche here implies that having the truth is related to having control. How is control achieved then? Well, very simply: Truth is related to validity, validity is related to certainty, certainty can be made into knowledge, and knowledge is power! However in todays post-modernist society, with means such as the television and the Internet, knowledge is accessible to everyone. What is not accessible to everyone is certainty the certainty that in fact by acquiring knowledge one acquires truth. Hence truth can only be truth if it is a valid claim, and it can only be held by those who are certain of this claim. Therefore Nietzches statement is still valid, as the power of constituting truths rests in the hands of only a few privileged individuals and those are the ones who constitute the truths for the majority. Realising both claims by Nietzche and by Kierkegaard, one, in his mind, can picture society as it is. The picture one will get in his mind is of a rhombus. The people who constitute the truths for the majority are on top. Their truths are truths only if they are certain of their absolute opinion. Even if they are lying, as long as they know for certain that it is lying it is still the truth. On the bottom of the rhombus there are those who, according to Kierkegaard, have the truth for they are the ones with the integrity and passion. Between the two poles of the rhombus there is the majority, who do not have truth for they are merely fed by those who claim to have the truth, i.e. do not know if their truths are either certain or valid. With time, the rhombus will flip and those who are now at the bottom will become those at the top. This is the permanent struggle and evolution of the human race. This continuing struggle to find the truth is the motor force of our society For holdi ng the truth means holding the power. The desire for power enflames the desire for knowledge, for knowledge is to be absolutely certain, to prove that a claim is valid and to ultimately find the truth! Therefore the discussion of truth being what the community ultimately decides to be true is futile, for the rhombus is constantly turning, and the ultimate had not been attained yet. There exists an obvious fact that seems utterly moral; namely, that a man is always a prey to his truths. Once he had admitted them, he cannot free himself from them. This statement by Albert Camus affirms the fact that the majority of human beings are in fact trapped in the middle between the two poles of the rhombus, hence the right to try and flip it is even more justified. For example: The publication of Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species caused a chaos in the modern world, and in fact caused the flipping of the rhombus. The one at the top of the rhombus at the time was The Catholic Church, which constituted the truth for the majority those in the middle of the rhombus. Darwin and his disciples were at the bottom, and with time, the rhombus flipped and Darwins theories were now on top, making room for a new minority at the bottom. Hegel said that truth can only be obtained in rhetorical view, and therefore, perhaps in the future some new theory will evolve that will once again flip the rhombus upside down. John Locke probably would have objected to the entire argument that truth can be settled by the means of having an entire community agreeing, for he advocated that there is no world that exists outside the mind. George Berkeley extended Lockes ideas about doubting the world outside the mind by arguing that there is no evidence for such a world because the only things that one can observe are sensations, and these are all in the mind of the individual and not the community. Truth, is therefore not what the community ultimately settles down, because the community will never settle down! Each resolution obtained is only temporary, and truth is only a term relative to whoever constitutes it. However the community will always try and attain the truth, however futile this attempt is. As Pierre-Joseph Proudohn said, Centuries will pass before that ideal is attained, but our law is to go in that direction, to grow unceasingly nearer to that end†¦ Yiiiiiiftak, If you were a university student, year 1, you would have probably got a 70% mark for it! You have a clear argument, a reasonably coherent structure and supported by a good level of references. Most of my comments are technical and can easily be corrected or altered. They would not change your essay but will make it simpler to follow the argument. Just to make the argument work in your head a little more, think of the following opposites: Subjective – Objective Conviction – Knowledge Believing – Understanding Since you are now also comfortable in French, think of the language mode you would use for each of those terms (i.e. subjonctif; conditionnelle; etc.). much of the essay actually evolves around these issues. Amatsia Research Papers on Analysis of Truth - Communications EssayHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaHip-Hop is ArtWhere Wild and West MeetMind Travel

Choose one of the specifeic food u like, make an argument, and write Essay

Choose one of the specifeic food u like, make an argument, and write about it - Essay Example In that context, it may sound strange, but canned and frozen foods and vegetables are a veritable source of nutrition, which satisfy a range of consumer choices and expectations. Though canned and frozen foods and vegetables happen to be processed foods, yet the good thing is that they provide people with the much needed nutrition, in a safe, convenient and cost effective manner, while complying with the environmental norms and criteria. The one amazing thing about canned and frozen foods and vegetables is that they have a high nutrition value and content (Belasco 57). It is a fact that fresh foods like fruits and vegetables do lose much nutrition during transit to the stores. In contrast, the canned and frozen foods and vegetables are processed when the food items are still fresh and thereby have a high nutrition value. The processing of fruits and vegetables resorts to an array of traditional activities like peeling and cutting and the subsequent boiling or freezing of the available fresh foods. Thereby, once the fresh fruits and vegetables are canned or frozen, their nutrition potential gets preserved and remains intact for a long period of time. The consumers can consume these canned and frozen foods while benefiting from their high nutrition value. Going by the hectic schedules and scarcity of time that the contemporary consumers have to contend with, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are indeed convenient and save on time (Belasco 70). Canned and frozen foods do save on time in the sense that they are cut, peeled and cooked in advance, and can thereby be readily consumed without resorting to any elaborate processing or cooking procedure. The same cannot be said of the fresh foods, vegetables and fruits. Besides, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are also convenient as they allow the consumers an

Markteing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Markteing - Essay Example The company offers a wide range of products that are certainly unique and different from those offered by the other rival competitors. This company grew through different stages in its history to reach its present status. This study will attempt to analyse different strategies used by the company such as differentiation, its strategy in segmenting the market, competitive advantage as well as consumer behaviour. Recommendations will also be given in this study about what can be done by the company in order to remain a force to reckon with in terms of mobile computer technology. Apple was established in the 1976. On April 1st, Steve jobs agreed to sell only 50 Apple I personal computers to the Byte shop which was the first retail computer store chain in the America. Following this development, Apple was incorporated in 1977 when Wayne sold all his shares of the company to the Jobs and Wozniak and then the company was later renamed Apple Computer Inc. After a few years, Apple II revolutionized its operations to focus on manufacturing of personal computers. The Apple II mainly developed a personal computer market which created hundreds of millions dollars. Apple Inc was ranged to be among the Top 500 companies in America just 5 years after its establishment (Apple Inc). In the 1980’s, Apple launched two different kinds of computers namely Lisa and Macintosh. The Lisa was a commercial failure because of its software limitation and high price tag. The Macintosh was the next product to be launched and sold well at the beginning, but sales were weak in the days that later followed. The reason for failure of Macintosh was the same as Lisa which included high prices and limited software capabilities (Apple Inc). In the late 1980’s, Apple witnessed a significant decline in business as a result of wrong decisions that were made. During that time, Apple failed to satisfy at a lot of targeted customers

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Microeconomics - Essay Example Work submitted for assessment must be accompanied by a completed copy of the Faculty Cover Sheet (available on MUSO Blackboard ‘assignment’ link). Each student must attach their own signed cover sheet to the assignment. No assignment will be accepted or marked if it is not accompanied by a signed Cover Sheet by all students. Your name, I.D. number, the tutorial day/time, and the name of the tutor should be shown on the Cover Sheet. An electronic copy will not be accepted. You should retain a copy of the work submitted. 4. Faculty Style Guide - Work submitted for this assessment must follow the Faculty Style as outlined in the Faculty Q Manual. Copies of this Manual can be obtained at the bookshop or online at: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/publications/qmanual/. 5. Applications for extension of time - All applications for an extension of the time allocated to an assessment task must be made in writing to the Unit Leader (see special consideration for within the semester assessment on page 9 of the Unit Outline). Approval, if granted, will be in writing and will be recorded on the Faculty Assignment cover sheet accompanying the assessment task by the responsible lecturer/tutor. b) Choose one of the policies you describe in part (a) to be the focus of the rest of your analysis. Consider the European Union to be one country, and show graphically the demand, supply, and equilibrium in the sugar market. Before any trade is allowed, where would the domestic (European) price for sugar be located with respect to the world price? d) Now construct a new graph of the market for sugar in the EU that shows, in addition to the equilibrium with free trade, the equilibrium that would be reached under the trade protection policy you chose in part (b). Show clearly the areas of consumer surplus, producer surplus, and government revenue (where relevant) that result from this policy, and compare them to the corresponding areas under

The Problems Of Reintegration Criminology Essay

The Problems Of Reintegration Criminology Essay A large number of the people who are released from prison are incarcerated again within a short period of time. Ex-prisoners confront many problems in the effort to be reintegrated into society. These problems include a lack of social support, inability to gain access to vital resources and services, the resistance of the community, lack of education, and lack of adequate job preparation. These factors make it difficult for ex-prisoners to adjust to life in the community and thereby increase the risk that they will return to a life of crime. There are certain things that prison ministers can do to help prisoners make a successful transition to life on the outside. Prison ministers can be involved in programs that help prepare prisoners through education and training. Ministers can provide prisoners with support during the reentry process. In addition, they can build relationships in the community that serve as bridges for prisoners when they make the change from life in prison to lif e in the general population. Prison ministers can also help prisoners reintegrate by tending to their spiritual needs. Prison provides a place for offenders to pay their debt to society by being punished for the crimes they have committed. Ideally, prison will rehabilitate offenders so they can be reintegrated into society after being released. The alternative to reintegration is for prisoners to return to a life of crime. Ex-prisoners face many challenges in the effort to achieve successful reentry into society. Some of these challenges are related to the material things that people need in order to survive. Released prisoners often find it difficult to obtain jobs, housing and the other necessities of life. Other challenges are related to a lack of social support. In order to be effectively reintegrated into society, ex-prisoners need positive forms of support and encouragement from family members, friends or others in the community. This paper will examine the potential problems that might occur during reintegration after prison. The paper will emphasize the perspective of the prison minister. The re are several things that prison ministers can do to help prisoners make the transition to community life after their release. The Problems Associated with Reintegration In the United States, nearly 700,000 people are released from prison each year (Hesse, 2009). It has been estimated that as many as 75 percent of these people will be incarcerated again within four years after their release (Rabey, 1999). This is a problem known as recidivism. One reason for the high rate of recidivism is because many ex-prisoners lack social support. For example, during long prison terms, offenders often lose contact with family members. This is problematic because contact with family members is believed to facilitate reintegration into the community (Lynch Sabol, 2001, p. 2). If ex-prisoners do not have the caring support of family members, they need to be able to get social support from a different source, such as friends, a community-based support group, or a church fellowship. A lack of support often leads to ex-prisoners associating with their former friends in the criminal world. In the words of Hesse (2009), because many released inmates will not have solid attachments to family or community, they will most likely return to old neighborhoods where their very presence may threaten to disrupt their success (p. 64). Further difficulties are raised by feelings of fear and discrimination among the members of the community. Communities are often resistant to the presence of ex-prisoners because of their concerns for public safety (Lynch Sabol, 2001). When ex-prisoners arrive in the community, they do so with criminal labels that limit their ability to secure housing, treatment services, and employment (Pogorzelski, et al., 2005, p. 1718). Clearly, ex-prisoners will not be able to reintegrate into society unless they are able to obtain jobs that provide them with enough income to support themselves. In addition to the difficulty of obtaining a job because of the criminal label, there may be competition between returning prisoners and welfare leavers for jobs (Lynch Sabol, 2001, p. 19). Furthermore, ex-prisoners are often forced to take low-paying, low-skill jobs. As noted by Lynch Sabol (2001), the low pay of these jobs enhances the possibility that involvement in illegitimate, income-producing a ctivities will increase (p. 19). Former inmates face these kinds of challenges despite the passage of the federal law known as the Second Chance Act of 2005. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that ex-prisoners receive the services that they need when they reenter society. According to the findings in a study by Pogorzelski, et al. (2005), the Second Chance Act has done little to alleviate the challenges faced by former prisoners in the effort to gain access to housing, public assistance and other necessary resources. These researchers have found that there are invisible punishments built into the policies and programs that are supposed to help ex-prisoners reintegrate into society. For example, local laws often place limitations on the ability of former prisoners to fill out job applications, acquire housing or receive public assistance. As stated by Pogorzelski, et al. (2005), these laws are, in effect, exclusionary public policies that regulate reentry experiences and, in essence, perpetuate punishment after release by assigning special conditions or bans on people with felony convictions (p. 1718). As claimed by Hesse (2009), many will return to crime to support themselves because accessibility to social services and other supports may not be available (p. 64). Another reason why reintegration efforts often fail is because offenders do not receive the preparation that they need when they are still in prison. Many people in prison have problems involving such things as mental illness or substance abuse (Pogorzelski, et al., 2005). The prison system does not provide adequate treatment for these kinds of problems. In addition, prisoners do not generally receive the kind of job training that they need in order to be able to succeed in outside life. As noted by Lynch Sobel (2001), a large number of released prisoners reenter society not having participated in educational, vocational, or pre-release programs (p. 2). The lack of education and job training contributes to the high recidivism rate among ex-prisoners. There is evidence showing that prisoners tend to be far less educated than the general population (Hesse, 2009, p. 64). For ex-prisoners, a lack of education and training can mean a low-paying job or no job at all. This, in turn, increa ses the risk of released prisoners failing to achieve reintegration into the community and returning to a life of crime. Prison Ministry and Reintegration Prison ministers can play an important role in helping prisoners prepare for life after their release. For example, ministers can arrange for prisoners to receive job training or educational services. Ministers can also help prisoners make the transition to community life by being supportive and caring. However, prisoners need more than this in order to succeed in the reintegration process. Regarding the limits of prison ministry, McRoberts (2002) notes that spirituality may help people survive the hardships and absurdities of incarceration, but life on the outside poses a radically different existential challenge (p. 2). Rabey (1999) agrees that prison ministers need to place more emphasis on aftercare and the reintegration of prisoners into communities and churches after their release (p. 27). A problem is created by the fact that many church members are resistant to the idea of providing large amounts of assistance to former prisoners (McRoberts, 2002, p. 7). To address this probl em, prison ministers need to work at building relationships with community ministers and to thereby strengthen the bridge between prison life and community life. Prison ministers also have a vital role to play in helping prisoners adjust themselves spirituality to what life will be like after their release. As Rabey (1999) points out, prison ministries have shifted their attention from punishment to redemption, and from retributive justice to restorative justice' (p. 27). In order to achieve successful reintegration, prisoners need to experience a sense of healing and restoration. Conclusion As discussed in this paper, various factors create challenges for ex-prisoners in their effort to be reintegrated into society. These factors include a lack of social support, community resistance, the inability to get a decent job, lack of access to necessary services, and a low level of education. The challenges faced by ex-prisoners greatly increase the risk of recidivism. Prison ministries can play a role in helping ex-prisoners make a successful transition to community life. Prison ministers can help prepare prisoners for life on the outside while they are still in prison. They can work with community ministers to provide a bridge to life on the outside. They can make efforts to be sure that ex-prisoners will receive the resources and social support that they need to survive in the community. In addition, prison ministers can contribute to the reintegration process by tending to the spiritual needs of prisoners as they prepare for their reentry into society.

In Praise of Folly - Erasmus Dichotomy Essay -- In Praise of Folly Es

In Praise of Folly - Erasmus' Dichotomy      Ã‚   The Silenus box is a "case carved like an ugly Silenus" that can be "opened to reveal beautiful, precious objects" (Erasmus 43, footnote). This box appears in Erasmus' Praise of Folly as a metaphor for the central claim in the novel, which is that that which appears to be Folly (ugly) externally, is wise (precious) within. Erasmus reveals this dichotomy on three levels: in the image of the box itself, in his genuine praise of Folly, and in the structure of the novel as a whole. Erasmus, using the female voice of Folly, introduces his reader to the image of the Silenus box early in the text, thereby allowing his reader to carry the image with her for the rest of her time reading (and see its metaphoric nature when appropriate). Folly makes the introduction, saying, "All human affairs... have two aspects quite different from each other." She then goes on to explain that this means, according to Plato, that things that "appear 'at first blush'... to be death, will, if you examine [them] more closely, turn out to be life... in brief, you will find everything suddenly reversed if you open the Silenus" (43). In more direct terms, something which on its surface seems one way (the 'bad' way), has opposite ('good') guts. In The Praise of Folly, the pair of opposites that Erasmus focuses on is that of folly and wisdom. By including a passage dedicated to the description of the Silenus, Erasmus gives his readers a concrete picture to grasp onto that stands for the novel's link between this pair of opposites, which is that wisdom comes under the wrapping of folly. The passage allows the reader to understand this central concept more easily. The concept, in its many manifestations, c... ...this same literary tradition, Rabelais utilizes this peculiar narrative technique in Gargantua and Pantagruel, where he too hides the wisdom in his work behind the veil of foolish, and even vulgar, language. Erasmus' inclusion of the passage explaining the Selenus box allows it to be a metaphor for the central concept in the novel. Through its presence, Erasmus gives us, his readers, a tool with which to separate the layers of his text. Without it, we might be stranded (after reading) with the inaccurate belief that Erasmus was a babbling hypocrite, with contradictory ideas sprinkled throughout his work. But, I suppose, we could have just attributed that fault to Folly, who is always more than willing to accept such a title. Work Cited Erasmus, D. 1511. In Praise of Folly. (Translated by L. Dean and republished by Hendricks House Farrar Straus. 1946.)

Ethan Frome Questions

1. The symbolism of the light of Mattie’s candle and the darkness of the Fromes’ room is that the light represents hope and love that Ethan desires which Zeena does not have. The darkness of Zeena is what is in the way of Ethan’s love for Mattie. 2. Ethan feels a dread in Zeena’s silence on this particular morning because Ethan’s mind becomes preoccupied with Mattie. He regrets not kissing her the night before and his thinks about the relationship between Zeena and Mattie which has been weird lately. 3. Zeena’s sudden decision to see a new doctor on this particular morning is unusual.Ethan dreads her decision because of the cost of the medications she will get. He welcomes her decision because this is the first time Zeena will be away for the night and him and Mattie will be alone together. 4. Ethan’s excuse for not driving Zeena to the flats is that he needs to go collect the cash from Andrew Hale upon his delivery of a load of wood t hat afternoon. Chapter 4 1. Ethan’s fantasy about the kitchen was that him and Mattie would sit together, one on each side of the stove; he would be smoking his pipe and she would be laughing and talking in the funny way she did. 2.Zeena’s arrival affects Ethan because it made him feel less lonely. Fearing the return of his loneliness when his mother died, Ethan asked Zeena to marry him. 3. Ethan’s motives for remaining on the farm were that he wanted to sell the farm and saw-mill and try moving to a larger town because he had always wanted to be an engineer. He thought that with a smart wife like Zeena it would be easy for him to make a place for himself. 4. The situations on the farm life and home life affected Ethan because he was never able to sell his farm and his wife had become so sick that all his hopes were crushed and he could never live his dream. . Ruth and Ned contrast Ethan and Mattie because Ruth and Ned are engaged and can show their love for eac h other in public and they can share their happiness. On the other hand, Ethan and Mattie have â€Å"such a thirst for each other in their hearts† (Wharton 69). They cannot show their feelings to anyone. 6. As Ethan heads towards the farm, the atmosphere reflects his feelings because it is a thick fleecy sky threatening snow for the next day and Ethan is feeling down as well. 7.Ethan’s actions and Mattie’s appearance at the door contrast the events of the previous evening. In the previous evening, Zeena had stood with the lamp looking bony and unattractive. This time, Mattie had a lifted lamp in her hand and had a crimson ribbon in her hair. 8. Zeena’s cat is intrusive and very symbolic. The cat jumps up onto the table, breaking a pickle dish. Its actions symbolize Zeena’s invisible presence. It’s like a force that comes between Mattie and Ethan and reminds them of Zeena’s existence. 9.Mattie’s concern about the broken pickle d ish is caused by her remembering that Zeena told her to never use that dish because it was Zeena’s favorite wedding present. 10. Ethan feels a â€Å"thrilling sense of mastery† because he helped solve the problem for Mattie and made her feel better about causing the accident to happen. Chapter 5 1. Zeena’s cat and the rocking chair are further reminders of Zeena. When Mattie sits down on Zeena’s cat, Ethan sees the specter of Zeena’s face to have appeared in place of Mattie’s features.He begins to feel uneasy and Mattie leaves and goes back to where she was sitting before. Then the cat takes its spot on Zeena’s chair. 2. The reference to the elm foreshadows a later action. Ethan says that â€Å"there’s an ugly corner down by the big elm† (Wharton 80). He is scared because if you don’t keep your eyes open you would crash right into it while sledding. 3. Mattie says â€Å"Nobody can tell with Zeena†, she is r eferring to what Zeena thinks of her and how she wants Mattie to get married. Chapter 6 1. Ethan’s morning joy is contradicted by the frustrations of the day.He sends Jotham to pick up Zeena at the train station but one of the horses slips on the ice and cuts its knee, and the sleety rain makes loading the logs difficult. Ethan heads to the Eady store to look for glue to fix Zeena’s broken dish, but he can’t find any there. He then goes to widow Honan’s store and finds one last bottle of glue. 2. Ethan wonders â€Å"what happened in the drive to nerve Jotham to such stoicism†. He thinks that maybe Zeena wasn’t able to see the new doctor or didn’t like something about what the doctor did and she usually blames her grievances on the first person she meets.

Anatomy, Evolution, and Homologous Structures

Anatomy, Evolution, and Homologous Structures If youve ever wondered why a human hand and a monkeys paw look similar, then you already know something about homologous structures. People who study anatomy define these structures as a body part of one species that closely resembles that of another. But you dont need to be a scientist to understand that recognizing homologous structures can be useful not just for comparison, but for classifying and organizing the many different kinds of animal life on the planet. Scientists say these similarities are evidence that life on earth shares a common ancient ancestor from which many or all other species have evolved over time. Evidence of this common ancestry can be seen in the structure and development of these homologous structures, even if their functions are different. Examples of Organisms The more closely organisms are related, the more similar the homologous structures are. Many mammals, for example, have similar limb structures. The flipper of a whale, the wing of a bat, and the leg of a cat are all very similar to the human arm, with a large upper arm bone (the humerus in humans) and a lower part made of two bones, a larger bone on one side (the radius in humans) and a smaller bone on the other side (the ulna). These species also have a collection of smaller bones in the wrist area (called carpal bones in humans) that lead into the fingers or phalanges. Even though the bone structure may be very similar, function varies widely. Homologous limbs can be used for flying, swimming, walking, or everything humans do with their arms. These functions evolved through natural selection over millions of years. Homology and Evolution When Swedish botanist  Carolus Linnaeus was formulating his system of taxonomy to name and categorize organisms in the 1700s, how the species looked was the determining factor of the group in which the species was placed. As time passed and technology advanced, homologous structures became more important in deciding the final placement on the phylogenetic tree of life. Linnaeuss taxonomy system places species into broad categories. The major categories from general to specific are kingdom,  phylum,  class,  order,  family,  genus, and  species. As technology evolved, allowing scientists to study life at the genetic level, these categories have been updated to include domain, the broadest category  in the taxonomic  hierarchy. Organisms are grouped primarily according to differences in ribosomal  RNA  structure. Scientific Advances These changes in technology have altered the way scientists categorize species. For example, whales were once classified as fish because they live in the water and have flippers. After it was discovered that those flippers contained homologous structures to human legs and arms, they were moved to a part of the tree more closely related to humans. Further genetic research has demonstrated that whales may be closely related to hippos. Bats were originally thought to be closely related to birds and insects. Everything with wings was put into the same branch of the phylogenetic tree. After more research and the discovery of homologous structures, it became apparent that not all wings are the same. Even though they have the same function- to make the organism able to get airborne- they are structurally very different. While the bat wing resembles the human arm in structure, the bird wing is very different, as is the insect wing. Scientists realized that bats are more closely related to humans than to birds or insects and moved them to a corresponding branch on the phylogenetic tree of life. While the evidence of homologous structures has long been known, it has just recently been widely accepted as evidence of evolution. Not until the latter half of the 20th century, when it became possible to analyze and compare DNA, could researchers reaffirm the evolutionary relatedness of species with homologous structures.

Is altruism or helping behaviour decreasing as people live in larger and more dangerous cities Essays

Is altruism or helping behaviour decreasing as people live in larger and more dangerous cities Essays Is altruism or helping behaviour decreasing as people live in larger and more dangerous cities Essay Is altruism or helping behaviour decreasing as people live in larger and more dangerous cities Essay Essay Topic: Sociology Imagine a world where people give of themselves simply because they want to. Not out of a sense of debt. Or because they want something in return. No ulterior motives. No guilt feelings. Just a desire to give for the sake of giving. Imagine a world where people helping their fellow human beings in distress, and going out of the way to help those in need without expectation of personal gain. Well if youre living in a big and mean city such as Sydney, New York or to that matter in any cities of this present world, it would be really really difficult for you to imagine this kind of world, on the other hand if you were from a rural background or from any of the collectivist cultures, where people have a sense of belongingness toward their society and feel that its their duty to help others without any self gain and due to various other factors discussed in the following essay about why its easier to bear witness to altruistic behaviour in rural places than in cities, imagining this kind of world would not that be that hard, if you were actually from a rural background. Defining altruism: A special form of helping behaviour, sometimes costly, that shows concern for fellow human beings and is performed without expectations of personal gain (Vaughan and Hogg, 2002). Altruism is a subcategory of helping behaviour, and refers to an act that is motivated by the desire to benefit another rather than oneself (Batson and Coke, 1981; Macaulay and Berkowitz, 1970). The term altruism comes from an Italian word altrui it was coined by a French philosopher Auguste Comte that meant self-sacrifice for the benefit for others Researchers usually refer to acts that benefit another person as prosocial behaviour, helping behaviour or altruistic behaviour, all though people use these three terms as synonyms these three terms are quite different and distinct. Prosocial behaviour refers to acts that are positively valued by society, Helping behaviour can be defined as an intentional act that benefits another living being or group whereas Altruism refers to an act that is motivated by the desire to benefit another rather than oneself. If you are living in a big city, chances are that you may rarely or never bear witness to or be part of these acts. If you were looking at any city of the world the typical characteristics you would note in a city would be huge population, fast and stressful life, high cost of living, long distances to travel, pollution and the most important factor is loss of sense of belongingness, most of the people living in a city would be originally from rural background and in search of better job avenues would have shifted to city few decades back and these people who constitute the majority of the city population dont have this feeling of belongingness, they dont really feel that they are a part of the society and hence whenever a situation arises where others require their assistance they usually turn there back and behave as if nothing happened. Its only during the 1950s social psychologist started doing research into helping behaviour and in the past few decades they have learned a great deal about prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Altruism and prosocial behaviour generated great interest among psychologists and general public and some of the following events provided major impetus to this research, these incidents which shook the major cities of the world such as Kitty Genovese Murder, where a young woman named Catherine Genovese also came to be known as Kitty Genovese who lived in Kew Gardens in the boroughs of Queens in NYC, was sexually molested and murdered in the most gruesome manner by a maniac right outside her apartment, the most disturbing fact was that it in spite of Kitty putting up a struggle for almost half-hour nobody came to her rescue, it took the maniac three attempts to kill her, during the first attempt the murder all most took to heals after Kitty raised an alarm, but the maniac noticed that nobody came to her rescue, this encouraged the maniac to attempt again and again and finally succeeded in sexually molesting and killing her, in that horrible half hour none of the neighbours of Kitty G enovese came to her rescue, several people in her building heard her screams, tenants only peeped at what was happening from the safety of their apartments, the maniac had selected the victim purely at random. The whole event had lasted for around 32 minutes and after about 40 minutes a neighbour of Catherine, named Karl Ross, who lived on the same floor as Catherine called the police only after consulting one of his friends from Nassau County, the cops arrived in two minutes but it was too late, the quickly found Catherines body in the hallway on the first floor. She had been stabbed 17 times. The next day when the police interviewed the areas residents, 38 people openly admitted to hearing the screaming, the had all the time to do something but failed to act, If any one of the 38 witnesses had simply called the police at the first sign of trouble, the victim could have survived, this particular tragic and horrific event received national media attention in America, all asking why none of the neighbours had helped? To which one of the neighbour answered, These things happen every day all over the world,. Similar incidents occur regularly in metropolitan cities, recently a video cameraman captured scenes of apathy among fellow travelers after a train ranover Mahendra Sonawanes left leg when he slipped from an overcrowded train on to the tracks. The 27-year-old lay there for 15 minutes before police arrived to lift him up and take him to hospital. I kept shouting out to people standing on the platform. I pleaded with them to lift me up and put me on the platform but no one listened, Mr Sonawane told BBC News Online. They all kept staring but didnt come to my help. (bbcnews. com, accessed on 8/04) In an another dreadful incident young Jayabala Ashar a college student in a metropolitan city, took a train to go to her college and was travelling in a womens compartment, a drug addict who boarded the train the moment it pulled out of the station, accosted her. When Jayabala courageously refused to give in to the ruffians demand to hand over her bag, he threw Jayabala off the train. She fell on the tracks and the train ran over her lower limbs, changing her life forever. What struck Jayabala the most, as she revealed later, was the indifference of the three women who were in the compartment when she was thrown off the train. Not only did these women not come to her rescue when she was trying to ward off the drug addict, they did not even raise an alarm when she was thrown off the train. As a result, an injured Jayabala was lying on the tracks for about an hour and people were just throwing buckets of water at her from houses nearby the railways tracks and during that dreadful hour and only later few women living in buildings near the tracks came to her rescue. (The Times Of India, Accessed on 8/04). Beginning in April of 1964, New York newspapers printed a series of stories highlighting the apathy and callousness of citizens of New York City. One story, which appeared on June 8 in The Daily News, told of a distraught man who was perched on a 10-story ledge of a Broadway office building. As police tried to talk the man down, a large crowd gathered in the street and chanted, Jump! Jump! When the man was finally pulled off the ledge, the crowd loudly booed the cops (crime libraries, accessed 08/04) But were people in big cities more apathetic, colder and indifferent than others in more rural environments? Or was the Kitty Genovese Syndrome, as some psychologists characterized it, indicative of society as a whole? The answer to this question can be given in the following way as cities keep growing everyday in both area and population enormously there are very few models, in sense individuals who exhibit Altruistic behavior and from whom others can learn to act pro-socially as stated in Vaughan and Hogg(2002) that Modeling is a tendency for a person to reproduce the actions, attitudes and emotional responses exhibited by a real life or symbolic model and due to stress full and a hectic life in a city there are very few models available, apart from this Vaughan and Hogg(2002) explains us about the social learning theory in which it is stated that human social behavior is not innate but learned from appropriate models, this makes it clear that unless the large cities produces models who exhibit pro-social behavior in large numbers situations like Kitty Genovese murder will keep occurring at regular intervals due to absence of appropriate models in large cities. The cities also exhibit the phenomenon called Bystander Effect. This theory speculates that as the number of bystanders increases, the likelihood of any one bystander helping another decreases. As a result, additional time will pass before anyone seeks outside help for a person in distress. Social psychology research supports the notion that Catherine Genovese had a better chance of survival if she had been attacked in the presence of just one witness. Due to huge population in big cities there is better chance of Bystanders Effect taking place there than anywhere else. Another hypothesis is something called the Diffusion of Responsibility. This is simply a decrease in the feeling of personal responsibility one feels when in the presence of many other people. The greater the number of bystanders, the less responsibility the individual feels. In cases where there are many people present during an emergency, it becomes much more likely that any one individual will simply do nothing. This is a hypothesized cause of the bystander effect. Also in big growing cities people tend to be less pro-social due to the fear of social blunders as given in Vaughan and Hogg(2002) that people dread of acting inappropriately or of making a foolish mistake witnessed by others. The desire to avoid ridicule inhibits effective responses to an emergency by members of a group. Would a situation like the Kitty Genovese murder occur in more collectivist cultures such as Singapore or Hong Kong? In collectivist cultures such as Singapore, Hong Kong, India and others, cases such as the Kitty Genovese murder almost never or rarely occur, this is due to the presence of strong cultural norms and due the ideas imbibed into its people that individuals fate depends on the group, group is responsible for its members, dependency is supported and due to the presence of strong cultural and social norms, Vaughan and Hogg define norms as attitudinal and behavioral uniformities that define group membership and differentiate between group(Vaughan and Hogg,2002). These cultural norms set clear cut guidelines about what behavior is expected or normal and what behavior is abnormal and almost all collectivist cultures have a norm that states that concerns for others is good and that selfishness is bad. The collectivist cultures go against the Bystander calculus model where people of that collectivist cultures never calculate the perceived costs and benefits of providing help compared with those that accrue for not helping. In a collectivist cultures personal costs of not helping is usually very high, and the individuals who tend to just be viewers and dont help the victims in distress can be subjected to criticism and experience extreme blame. Hence due to all the above reasons there is a major rural/urban difference in altruistic behaviours and attitudes.

The role of the human resources Director in a multi-national company Essay

The role of the human resources Director in a multi-national company - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that organizations worldwide often strive for high performance through well-laid strategies. However, it is technology and wise decisions that often influence several factors which are essential in managing global virtual teams. Global virtual teams often operate through enhanced communication and enhanced technology. Team participation and conflict management equally form part of improving leadership in areas such as Asia and Europe. Demonstrating effective leadership as a Human Resources Director (HRD) when working for a multi-national company requires skill and competence in order to attain maximum success. It begins with a display of leadership steps that are suited for a corporate culture especially when operating in offices based Asia and Europe. Therefore, it is vital to understand the operation of global virtual teams in relation to the existing culture and different time zones in such markets. Second, mapping out ways of gaining a strategic advantage is critical because it enables the organization to use a combination of other factors that include the application of theories and principles of teamwork. Additionally, leveraging on international presence is essential because it increases the chances of attracting more customers. In other words, there is an increase of responsiveness toward transforming hyper-competitive markets that define the overall success.

European Union Creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

European Union Creation - Essay Example The European Union comprises of a majority of states in Europe. Starting from a membership of 6 nations it has grown to 27. The 1957 Treaty of Rome was the foundation for the European Union. Since then it has experienced many changes. The EU consists of common project and policies controlled by member nations. World War 2 was a watershed in the history of Europe. There had never been such a tremendous cost in human and economic which hit Europe so hard. There was a desire to avoid the horrors of war like the Holocaust, concentration camps, slave labour and the numerous other atrocities which were perpetrated in the war. There was also a yearning for an end to warfare since the horrors of modern warfare had been exposed in the conflict. The cold war was also developing between the Soviet Union and United States. The threat of annihilation from nuclear weapons remained. Charlemagne and The Holy Roman Empire were both historical examples of attempts to unite Europe. The Arab conquest of Spain, South France and Italy also led to the idea of a united Christendom against the Moors. There were also ideas about the peaceful unification of European following the threat from the Ottoman Turks. The end of the American Revolution also led to calls for a similar United States of Europe. The rise of nationalism and fascism in the 1930s would however destroy any dreams of United Europe.