The Rape Of Assault By Penetration - 2494 Words

The Sexual Offences Act was introduced in 2003 and came into force on the 1st May 2004. It aimed to improve and clarify the law of rape in England and Wales by introducing a definition of ‘consent’ . The 2003 Act also created the new offence of ‘assault by penetration’ , which we will be focusing on in this essay. The main purpose of the introduction of this new offence is the regulation of the conviction rate for rape. The first part of this essay will examine the differences and similarities between section 2 and section 1 of the act and explore the reasons why the creation of the offence of ‘assault by penetration’ occurred, it will then go on to look at the ‘Rape Myths’ and why the new offence under section 2 is not called ‘rape’.†¦show more content†¦(3) Sections 75 and 76 apply to an offence under this section. (4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life.† When comparing this section with section 1 of the SOA 2003, it is noticeable that both offences carry the same maximum penalty . The crucial difference between the two sections is that in subsection 1(a) of section 1 it is made clear that the main requirement for the offence is penile penetration as opposed to section 2 where the requirement for the offence is penetration with ‘a part of the body or anything else’ . Ultimately there is a clear overlap between the two offences because the penis is a ‘part of the body’. Moreover, section 1 does not precise that the penetration must be sexual ; however, there is probably no need to mention it because it can be assumed that penile penetration has sexual character. It can also be noted that for the offence of assault by penetration the mouth is not included. The requirements when it comes to consent are identical, sections 75 and 76 apply to both sections, and they both require no reasonable belief of consent from the defendant. This new offence of assault by penetration also covers cases where the defendant is not sure as to

Frederick Douglass Literary Analysis Essays - 1243 Words

â€Å"Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass: Literary Analysis† In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass explains, in great detail, how slave master would use a variety of methods to dehumanize slaves located on their plantation. These methods involved both severe physical and psychological trauma. Nevertheless, Douglass remains diligent and finds a way to resist the harsh reality of being a slave. Because of his immovable desire to acquire knowledge to his fighting encounter with Mr. Covey, these experiences help shape Douglass to be the archetype of what it means to go from slavery to freedom. This essay will highlight the physical and psychological tactics used on slaves. In addition, the aspect of how Douglass resists the†¦show more content†¦Another example of slave master’s methods to dehumanize slaves were the living conditions provided to slaves. Along with the lashings and severe punishment to which slaves were often subjected, they were also kept half-starved. As Douglass writes, â€Å"They [Henrietta and Mary] seldom knew what it was to eat a full meal.† Douglass adds, â€Å"I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street.† (pp. 411-412) This reveals how slave masters would not feed slaves adequate portions of food, which led to many slaves being extremely thin and malnourished. Knowledge of such despicable acts happening to ones family can only inspire feelings of despise, disgust and hatred. Douglass, however, used this as fuel to inspire his freedom. Next, the psychological trauma will be examined, in particular the valuation and division of slaves. Slaveholders deemed slaves as valuable assets such as clothes, furniture, pigs, and horses which was how slaves were sold and traded. By this method, slave masters would mentally engrain the message to slaves that they were not, indeed, human beings, but rather items of personal belongings. As a result, slaves did not know their self-worth. Another method of psychological distress would be to divide slaves from their families. In this effort, slaves were both stripped of both their morale and identity. The very first chapter of Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass proves this assertion.Show MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Frederick Douglass By Robert Hayden868 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"When it is finally ours this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful† (Line 1) is one of the many lines in Robert Haydens poem â€Å"Frederick Douglass†. One of many poems in which Hayden takes events or figures from African American history as his subject. This poem was written as a tribute to Frederick Douglas himself. One of the very well-known and praised African Americans in the nineteenth century. This is no ordinary poem for Hayden. It is written in an improper sonnet. By improper I mean, sonnetsRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesAnnotated Bibliography Boxill, Bernard. Frederick Douglass’s Patriotism. Journal of Ethics 13.4 (2009): 301-317. EBSCO. Web. 19 Oct 2015. Bernard argues that Frederick Douglass always was a patriot even throughout slavery. He states that most Americans are patriots even if they do not agree with the politics, but rather just a love for their country. It talks about Americans who give selfless amounts of time toward the improvement of America. Buccola, Nicholas. Each for All and All for Each:Read MoreRhetorical Analysis of Frederick Douglasss How I Learned to Read and Write1458 Words   |  6 Pages Rhetorical Analysis of Douglass In the excerpt â€Å"Learning to Read and Write†, Frederick Douglass talks about his experiences in slavery living in his masters house and his struggle to learn how to read and write. Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman. Some of his other writings include â€Å"The Heroic Slave†, â€Å"My Bondage and My Freedom†, and â€Å"Life and Times of Frederick Douglass†. In this excerpt, Frederick Douglass uses an empathicRead More Response of Fredrick Douglass to Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe964 Words   |  4 PagesFredrick Douglass Response to Uncle Toms Cabin      Ã‚   Frederick Douglass was arguably the most prominent African American abolitionist during the mid-19th century. He established his notoriety through his narrative entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave published in 1845. Frederick Douglass also produced an African American newspaper, Frederick Douglass Paper, which highlighted the reception and critiques of Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin. FrederickRead MoreAnalysis Of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1450 Words   |  6 PagesReid Champlin Mrs. Stack AP English, Period 7 14 August 2015 In His Own Words: Analysis of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass They say that one can never fully understand a situation until he/she is put into that scenario themselves. Too often, history is written by those who have only read and researched the issues, remaining distant and objective to get all the facts straight. While there is honor in this approach, one cannot experience the horror of war, the thrill of victory, orRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Writing in the favor of black people has always remained controversial from the very beginning. Critics regard such writing as â€Å"a highly conventionalized genre† indicating that â€Å"its status as literature was long disputed but the literary merits of its most famous example such as Frederick Douglass s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†¦are widely recognized today.† (Ryan:537) Despite of such severe resistance, writers like Douglass have penned down theirRead MoreEducation as a Reflection of Social Values in Langston Hughes One Friday Morning and Frederick Douglass Learning to Read and Write1632 Words   |  7 PagesThe Worst The conception of education as a reflection of social values is one of the predominant themes in both Langston Hughes short story, One Friday Morning, as well as Frederick Douglass Learning to Read and Write, the latter of which is actually the seventh chapter of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. A plethora of similarities exist between these works, both of which include the education of an African American protagonist, the aid of Irish benefactors,Read MoreSocial Classes Effecting Cruelty Douglass’s â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†2327 Words   |  10 PagesSOCIAL CLASSES EFFECTING CRUELTY DOUGLASS’S NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS A. Introduction To know about social classes in a prose (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass), it is a duty knowing about what sociological criticism is firstly. Sociological Criticism is one of the family literary criticisms that directed to analyze literary work in a larger social context. It codifies the literary strategies that are employed to reflect social constructs through a sociological methodologyRead MoreFrederick Douglass Essay817 Words   |  4 PagesNegro Analysis When the African-American man Frederick Douglass wrote his famous speech, â€Å"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro†, America was in a time of great distress. It was the year 1852, and the view of abolitionists was quickly spreading. It was the time of both provocative literatures such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as well as important resolutions, such as the Dredd Scott decision, showing the contrast between views at the time, both positive and negative towards slavery. Frederick DouglassRead MoreSlaves Narratives: Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano Essay1477 Words   |  6 PagesSojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Olaudah Equiano all have extremely interesting slave narratives. During their lives, they faced plenty of racist discrimination and troubling moments. They were all forced into slavery at an awfully young age and they all had to fight for their freedom. In 1797, Truth was born into slavery in New York with the name of Isabella Van Wagener. She was a slave for most of her life and eventually got emancipated. Truth was an immense women’s suffrage activist. She

The Wasp Factory and American Psycho Protagonist Comparison Free Essays

â€Å"The authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists Patrick Bateman and Frank Cauldhame to have very similar personalities. † How far do you agree? ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are two controversial dark novels in which the protagonist gets away with murder. They were published only seven years apart, ‘The Wasp Factory’ being the first. We will write a custom essay sample on The Wasp Factory and American Psycho Protagonist Comparison or any similar topic only for you Order Now ‘The Wasp Factory’ was Iain Banks first published novel, and was released into the conservative United Kingdom in 1984, which would have coolly accepted it. This era of the United Kingdom did not approve of horror, especially when the protagonist remained uncaught. However, the book gained a great deal of attention and publicity via its controversy, and has maintained popularity throughout the years. ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis was originally published in 1991. At this time there was great controversy over its extent of gore and pornographic scenes, so much so that Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail after its publication. Both protagonists narrate their author’s novel and each appears to mirror their author himself. However, the protagonists clash with each other when it comes to their settings, needs and reasons for behaviour. This demonstrates how the personalities of both Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame are presented differently by their authors. On the other hand, there are ways in which Bateman and Frank are presented to have similar personalities. For instance, they are both obsessive, misogynistic, have the desire to kill and have an abnormal mind set. These factors suggest a strong similarity between Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho’ and Frank from ‘The Wasp Factory’, even though their upbringing and personal characteristics more than often differ. Due to this, the true extent of similarity between their personalities is hard to distinguish. Through Bateman’s narration in ‘American Psycho’ the reader learns of his career on Wall Street and everyday life in great detail. For example, when describing to the reader his morning routine, the yuppie states how he uses â€Å"a deep pore cleanser lotion [†¦] a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub†. This shows the true extent of unnecessary detail that he will go into. As well as this, from the very start of the novel the reader is introduced to this rich and perfected lifestyle in New York of this â€Å"self-absorbed† character who thinks of himself to always â€Å"look great†, be superior to everyone else and constantly try to maintain his hierarchy within society. Ellis starts the novel with Bateman and his friends at a posh dinner party; this immediately demonstrates his wealthy lifestyle that Ellis is trying to portray. As well as this, Bateman showing off his â€Å"platinum American Express Card† demonstrates his feeling of superiority. This provides the reader with a strong rather negative impression of Bateman as a rich, selfish, predatory man living in New York. This lifestyle can relate to that of Ellis himself, a man who isn’t affected by the recent recession, in his late twenties and living in the city that never sleeps. As well as this, like Ellis, Bateman’s parents are divorced. Validating this, Ellis has even admitted in an interview that â€Å"Patrick Bateman was about me†. In contrast to Bateman’s lifestyle is Frank’s. Frank is half-educated and lives in an isolated unnamed island off the Scottish coast. Frank is only sixteen, unemployed and greatly controlled by his father. This can be said to relate to the life of Iain Banks, who lived in a small village on the Scottish coast and moved around due to his father’s work. As well as this, Banks was sixteen when he completed his first book, indicating why he might have chosen this age for Frank. He also spends most of his time with the wildlife torturing, killing, collecting and â€Å"sacrificing† animals. In addition to this Frank entertains himself with his imagination and talks to his wasp factory. When Frank plays games such as building the dams and chooses which of the imaginary people live or die. Here the reader sees his childish and dark side as well as how there is little for him to actually do on the island. This also relates to Banks as he must have been very imaginative at Frank’s age as he was writing. In relation to this, making him seem incapable of his own choices, Angus has a huge amount of control over Frank. For example he home-schooled him, limiting his contact with society; he constantly tests him on the measurements of the furniture in their house; and uses the story of their dog, Old Saul, to cover up Frank’s real identity. This shows the great contrast between Bateman’s busy city life and of Frank’s in the rural; as well as the contrast of their author’s lives. However, the protagonists Frank and Patrick do have things in common, such as obsessions and their love of control. Both Patrick and Frank have obsessions which are seen throughout through the novels. Ellis uses Patrick Bateman to demonstrate the obsessions which one might have. Most of Bateman’s obsessions are very artificial, such as his obsessions over designer brands and technology. Patrick’s obsession to keep up to date with the latest technology, such as VCR, CD’s and Walkman’s, reflects the lifestyle of many American’s living 1980s-1990s. This demonstrates Ellis using Patrick’s obsessions to connect with the readers of his novel. Patrick also obsesses over â€Å"taking care of [himself]†; which can be shown via his â€Å"balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine† and his detailed daily movements which link to his obsession of detail and routine. His comment stating how he only uses â€Å"an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older†, further validates his obsession over appearance and health. Ellis places the information of Patrick’s obsessions from the very start of the novel to increase their impact upon the reader and to truly reveal their importance to Patrick. Throughout the novel, Ellis also portrays Bateman’s true love and need for control. The reader sees this many times, for instance the control he can have over people’s lives. He is always control of a life. Even when he â€Å"can’t control [himself]†, (which often occurs when committing murder), he is still controlling the life of his victim. This idea of control is used by Ellis to demonstrate the power Bateman feels, and needs to feel, he has. Similarly to Patrick, Frank’s obsessions are frequently mentioned throughout ‘The Wasp Factory’; however some of Frank’s obsessions are different to Patrick’s. Frank appears to have an obsession with animals and torture. Throughout the book we see how Frank is fascinated by animals and collects their remains suggesting that Frank is obsessed with animals. In addition to this, Frank is shown to be obsessed with killing and torturing. For instance, within the novel he states how he once tied wasps to the â€Å"striking-surface of each of the copper-coloured bells† on his alarm clock â€Å"where the little hammer would hit them† when the alarm went off, and that he always woke up before his alarm went off, â€Å"so [he] got to watch. † This shows Frank’s dark mind consisting of thoughts about death, torture and the need for control over others, like Bateman. This shows the reader how even young minds can think this sadistically. Similarly to this, the reader learns of Frank’s need for control when he is placing signs around their â€Å"private property† to warn off â€Å"intruders†. This demonstrates a way in which Frank feels it’s essential to control people and his father’s property. Frank’s overly meticulous attention to detail also connects with Patrick’s obsessions. Like Bateman this can be seen in the description of his grooming routine which, like Patrick, is the same every time. These obsessions show a similarity between Patrick and Frank’s personalities, demonstrating how Ellis and Banks present their protagonists in a similar manner even though they have different lifestyles. In conjunction to this, both Ellis and Banks show their protagonist’s to have misogynistic attitudes; further presenting them to have similar personalities with one another. Frank states how his â€Å"greatest enemies are Women and the sea† and that Women â€Å"are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them†, expressing Frank’s misogynist view towards women. Showing Bateman’s views on women are his comments such as â€Å"you’re a fucking ugly bitch† and â€Å"you piece of bitch trash†. These comments are used by Ellis to portray Bateman to have an aggressive misogynistic view. This shows a way in which the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have similar personality traits as they are both sexist and have anger towards women. However, saying this both Bateman and Frank show misogynistic behaviour for different reasons. Frank’s hatred towards women has stemmed from his father who independently brought Frank and his brothers up. Angus dislikes women so much so that he changes Frank’s gender from female to male and leads him to state how he hates his mother â€Å"her name, the idea of her†. In contrast to this, Bateman’s misogynistic behaviour is based more on the idea of dominance, lust and control. This shows a way in which Ellis and Banks portray their protagonist’s to have contrasting personalities with each other, disagreeing with the statement. Although Bateman and Frank have contrasting lifestyles; a ten year age gap; different obsessions and versions of hate towards women; they both have one pastime in common: killing. Their murderous ways and attitudes towards it present Frank and Patrick to have mental disabilities like that of a sociopath and psychopath. For instance, Bateman and Frank both display symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, (which is a factor of both psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour). As well as this, they both display a high predisposition to violence, maybe Patrick more erratically, and a tendency to act impulsively when it comes to crime, which a psychopath can display. In addition to this, both protagonists find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy. This, and his psychopathic ways, can be shown when Frank states how he â€Å"must be lots of different people inside [his] brain†. Banks uses Frank’s psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour to show the importance of parenting, stability and connections within society that a child needs to be able to function adequately. Patrick’s confusion with reality is also shown to the reader. For instance, as said by Andrew Jacobsen, (a literacy critic), â€Å"the supposed ‘real’ world around him becomes as one with his insane imagination world.† As well as this the mystery of the bodies at the end of the novel can be said to demonstrate Bateman’s misperception of reality. Due to this, Ellis and Banks can be seen to portray their protagonist’s to have similar personalities. This is because they are presented to be mentally ill and confused with reality. In connection to this, both protagonists show a lack of empathy towards their victims, and are able to commit a crime and act as though it’s the norm and not really a crime at all. For example in ‘The Wasp Factory’ Frank states how he killed Esmerelda because she was â€Å"simply the easiest and most obvious target†. This simple view and minimal motive for murder displays Frank’s lack of empathy, and expresses his absence of perception that murder is abnormal or morally wrong. Iain Banks presents Frank in this way to illustrate how cold, cruel and absent-minded humans can be, even the young. In relation to this, Bateman sleeping with and killing girls whilst in a relationship with Evelyn as well as the homeless and young shows his lack of moral rights and care towards others. Furthermore, Patrick crimes are opportunistic with little or no motive, normally due to urges, lust or as a means of superiority. Bateman commits these crimes without hesitation, suggesting that to him it is just the norm. Also demonstrating Patrick’s dark personality, lack of empathy and morals he jokingly says how he is â€Å"into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly†. This comment and others similar to it demonstrate to the reader Patrick’s sinister view on his murders; thus, they are used by Ellis to cause the reader to despise Patrick yet be slightly amused by his satirical sense of humour. These similarities suggest that the personalities of the protagonist’s from ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are presented in the same way. To conclude, I believe that the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have personalities which are similar with each other as well as dissimilar. Aspects such as their lifestyles; having different obsessions; and reasons for being misogynistic present a complete contrast between Patrick’s and Frank’s life, and their personalities. This is because their lifestyles can lead them to desiring different effects. This links to obsessions, as for example, Frank obsesses over animals but Patrick doesn’t, as there are a lot less in the city. Also, Bateman, who unlike Frank has frequent contact with people, obsesses more over appearance and health. As well as this, there reasons for being misogynistic are due to their upbringing and the environment surrounding them. This shows how lifestyle and upbringing can affect ones personality traits such as their obsessions. Therefore, this demonstrates how lifestyle is a key subject which has been used by Ellis and Banks to present their protagonist’s personalities in different ways, which also results in other personality traits being different too. However, both the protagonists have similar obsessions with one another; have a desire to kill; personality traits suggesting they have mental issues; and misogynistic views resulting in them having similar personalities with each other. These are very strong personality traits which all connect Frank and Patrick closely together, even though there are some ways in which they are dissimilar. Therefore, I believe to a great extent that â€Å"the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonist’s Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame to have very similar personalities†. How to cite The Wasp Factory and American Psycho Protagonist Comparison, Papers

Isolation in a Rose for Emily-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Give one Paragraph Introduction and thesis statement on topic " Isolation in a Rose for Emily. Answer: Introduction: William Faulkner wrote the story A rose for Emily. The story has a central theme of isolation. The story begins with the funeral of Emily Grierson and the people present there had entered her house for the first time. As the story proceeds, it is seen that her father did not want her to go out and meet people. Isolation in her life is due to her fathers restrictions and the way she lived her life (Bausch). The whole story depicts the single theme of isolation in the life of Emily Grierson. The story sheds light on the social and physical change that Emily goes through with the span of time. This story also portrays how her life ended without any outcome. Throughout the story, Faulkner presents the theme of isolation. It darkens the world of Emily and leads her to isolation. The story portrays the last time of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century. Emily Griersons life is isolated due to the limitations that she has dwelled with throughout her life. Even after her fa thers her life did not change at all and it was still isolated and separated from others. The story has foreshadows and flashbacks throughout it (Johnson). Thesis statement: The central theme of this story is isolation. The story depicts the theme of isolation the reason of which is due to the male dominated society, in which Emily lived throughout her life. Her life was fully covered in isolation because she was not allowed to go out and meet people. References: Bausch, Richard, ed.The Norton anthology of short fiction. WW Norton Company, 2015. Johnson, S., 2017. Faulkner's Elderly Ladies.Journal of Creative Inquiry,1(1).

Coetzees Foe Essay Example

Coetzees Foe Paper Emory Wonham Professor Gogineni English 229C 25 October 2011 The Power of Language in Coetzee’s Foe: The Inevitable Power Struggle Between Character and Author for Narrative Control While directly questioning Western societys unfaltering acceptance of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe through the postcolonial themes of patriarchy, feminism, and racism, Coetzee’s Foe centers on the power of language as its primary theme. Issues of language and power arise out of the novels blurred relationship between literature and reality, which is vividly represented by the constant struggle between character and author to maintain control of the narrative. Susan Barton and Foe both take extreme measures in their attempts to gain control of the island story, demonstrating the novel’s emphasis on the power struggle of author and character, and society’s unfaltering belief in language that fails to distinguish between fact and fiction, inevitably leading to the creation of a mythological text. Manuel Jimenez, an English professor at the University of Seville, claims in his article, Father to My story; Writing Foe, De-Authorizing De(Foe), that Foe â€Å"presents us with a sort of investigation of a possibly silenced origin of Defoe’s text, in an exercise not of science-fiction but of literature-fiction† (8). He hints at the likelihood of Foe being a found manuscript of one of the original drafts of Robinson Crusoe. The absence of a female character in Robinson Crusoe can lead to the argument that Susan Barton’s fate as a character has been written in history since before she even reaches the island. We will write a custom essay sample on Coetzees Foe specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Coetzees Foe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Coetzees Foe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Although she is unaware at the time, Susan’s escape from the island is also her sacrifice of narrative control. The moment she sets foot in England, she unintentionally gives up her place in history, becoming an active member in Foe’s gradual process of erasing her from the story, manipulating her memory, and extinguishing her identity and substantiality as a human. Susan’s journey from the island to England symbolizes her transformation from a character to a real person, and foreshadows her battle with Foe to maintain narrative control and her ultimate destruction by means of literatures manipulation f reality into â€Å"mythological creation† (Jimenez 8). Susan remains oblivious to her dispensability as a character even after she returns to England and is convinced that her story is a unique example of the â€Å"good fortune we are always hoping for† (Coetzee 48). Barton’s inability to distinguish between fact and fiction is apparent from t he beginning of the novel when she has trouble identifying the â€Å"truth† in Cruso’s stories and admits she â€Å"did not know what was truth, what was lies, and what was mere rambling† (Coetzee 12). It is not until well after Cruso’s death and her return to England that Susan begins to understand Cruso’s â€Å"indifference to salvation† (Coetzee 13), and their inevitable fate as characters. Escape is Susan’s only desire when she resides on the island, and Cruso’s opposition towards rescue baffles her. Her unfaltering faith in the power of words sharply contrasts with Cruso’s, and she believes his life on the island is meaningless without a trace of written evidence to verify his experiences. She is convinced that â€Å"Cruso rescued will be a deep disappointment to the world† (Coetzee 34), and she deems it her moral responsibility to take his story with her across seas. Susan’s incomprehension of Cruso’s desire to silence his story leads her to conclude that isolation has caused him to forget the value of language as a form memory. During her time on the island, Susan is aware of the repetitive nature of the castaway novel and understands that â€Å"All shipwrecks become the same shipwreck, all castaways the same castaway† (Coetzee 18). Yet she still believes the power of language will make their story unique and immortalize them in history. Susan is conscious of the tedious and repetitive reality of their life on the island, and she is also conscious that, â€Å"The world expects stories from its adventurers† (Coetzee 34). It is with this knowledge that she confidently places the fate of their story in the hands of Foe, with the belief that he possesses the artistic ability to create the â€Å"liveliness [that] is lost in the writing down† (Coetzee 40). Foe’s unhesitant manipulation of Susan’s memoir drives her to question the true nature of this so-called â€Å"liveliness† and marks a turning point in the novel, as Susan looses her initial faith in the power of language and begins to doubt the validity of literature’s portrayal of reality. It is after Cruso’s death, and after her encounters with Foe in England, that Susan understands why Cruso had no desire to escape or to record his memories; he knew that with or without their memories, their history was already written, and their destiny as characters already determined by societys manipulation of reality through literature. The first time Susan is confronted with the possibility that her story will be altered to fit the needs of the author, not herself, the character, is through conversation with Captain Smith on her voyage back to England. He agrees that her story is remarkable enough to be a part of history, and he confirms her belief that an author would bring the story to life, adding a â€Å"dash of color here and there† (Coetzee 40). Despite being in agreement about the need of an author’s creative touch, their understanding of the extent to which an author should manipulate a story from its original form to please society is not congruent. Captain Smith explains to Susan that an author’s â€Å"trade is in books, not in truth (Coetzee 40)†. At this point in the novel Susan is still convinced that the truth of her story will be enough to receive fame and fortune, and there will be no need for it to be manipulated by her author. She claims she would â€Å"rather be the author of my own story than have lies told about me† (Coetzee 40). Susan’s awaited realization of Foe’s intentions to distort her narrative first appear when she attempts to recreate her life on the island in the form of a personal memoir. While originally intended to serve as an aid to Foe in his authorship of her narrative, her memoir ironically opens her eyes to the seemingly impossible task of telling the truth while pleasing readers. Susan begins to â€Å"understand why Mr. Foe pricked up his ears when he heard the world cannibal, why he longed for Cruso to have a Musket and a carpenter’s chest† (Coetzee 83). At this point in the novel, Susan and Friday are living in a desperate state, awaiting Foe’s publication of their story that will make â€Å"them famous throughout the land, and rich too† (Coetzee 58). As doubts of Foe’s intentions and completion of their story swim through Susan’s head, she tries to convince herself that the publication is the missing link between their current dismal life and a happy free life. â€Å"Is writing not a fine thing, Friday? Are you not filled with joy to know that you will live forever, after a manner† (Coetzee 58)? This rhetorically phrased question to the silent Friday demonstrates Susan’s denial of the reality that Foe has complete narrative control at this point in the novel. The already blurred line between literature and reality becomes even more undefined as the physical worlds of Foe and Susan collide. Susan’s resistance to Foe’s manipulation of her narrative shocks Foe and forces him to face his character in the real world, as she takes on the role as his Muse, trying to seduce him to live inside her story. Despite Susan’s unanswered letters to Foe, she still holds on to her belief that he would be nowhere â€Å"without the woman† (Coetzee 73). Just as Foe thinks he has successfully silenced the voice of Susan Barton and gained complete narrative control, she physically appears in his world, refusing to be a forgotten character. During their physical encounters, Foe attempts to convince Susan that the â€Å"island is not a story in itself. It is a waterlogged boat drifting day after day in an empty ocean† (Coetzee 117). He tries to persuade her to tell him of her life before the island, of her search for her beloved daughter, but Susan does not approve of the addition of these experiences into her story. Aware that she is losing her place in Foe’s story, she desperately attempts to defend herself to Foe as a person of substance, who deserves to be acknowledged. â€Å"I choose not to tell it because to no one, not even you, do I owe proof that I am a substantial being with a substantial history in the world† (Coetzee 131). Susan’s intentional silence can be directly compared to Cruso’s lack of motivation to escape or to record his memories. Susan finally understands that she has no control, as Cruso had no control, of the literature that will arise from their lives on the island. Foe responds to Susan’s resistance by forcing her to acknowledge his power over her fate as a character by sending a young girl to her, claiming to be her daughter. The persistent and rehearsed act this young girl performs is believable to any outsider, demonstrating the ease with which Foe can alter perception and reality. Although Susan knows this girl is not her biological daughter, her interactions with her still cause her to question the validity of her own memories. As the island becomes a fading memory, her initial confidence in the value of truth in her story staggers. Foe takes advantage of her insecurities and causes her to consider if â€Å"these are strange enough circumstances to make a story of† (Coetzee 67). Foe’s intentions with this fabricated daughter are to make Susan aware of her dispensability and lack of substance as a character. Susan is conscious of Foe’s intentions and understands that, from an outsider’s perspective, â€Å"we are as yet only a castaway and a dumb slave and now a madwoman† (Coetzee 77). When Susan continues to resist his manipulation of her narrative, Foe takes physical control over her by means of sex, dominating her physically and mentally. Jimenez views Foe’s total domination of Susan as the novel’s representation of how â€Å"the creation of the mythos can only be done at the expense of sacrificing, at least partly, fidelity to the original experience of material† (8). The creation of Robinson Crusoe was made possible by the silencing of Susan’s story, sacrificing her role in history to the mythological hero of Crusoe. The last section of the novel symbolizes Susan’s final eradication from Foe’s story, as he has at last achieved complete narrative control, leaving Susan and her story to â€Å"sink to settle among the bones of the dead† (Coetzee 141). With Susan’s character finally resting quietly at the bottom of the ocean, he takes advantage of the power of language, producing a novel that will forever breech the boundary of literature and reality. Perhaps either embarrassed by his difficulty dismissing Susan Barton as a character, or attempting to justify his manipulations of original content, Foe creates a new identity for himself, Defoe, from which he creates the famous Robinson Crusoe. The recreation of Susan’s original story supports Edward Said’s notion, found in his book Culture and Imperialism, that â€Å"how we formulate or represent the past shapes our understanding and views of the present (4). The ideal heroic figure that Robinson Crusoe still embodies in today’s society demonstrates literature’s unreliability as a source of history, and its tendency to create useful pasts that exclude unwanted elements, vestiges, and narratives (Said 15). Susan’s reflection on the events that transpired and led to the publication of Robinson Crusoe are best illustrated in the beginning of the novel, when she reflects on her own participation in the elimination of her character. After literally being erased from her own story, she realizes that she existed on the island â€Å"only as the one who came, the one who witnessed, the one who longed to be gone: a being without substance, a ghost beside the body of Cruso† (Coetzee 53). She finally understands that by leaving the fictional setting of her narrative, she consequently sacrificed her place in history, and by resisting Foe’s manipulation of her story, she was inevitably removed. She considers different hypothetical situations that could have prevented the publication of Robinson Crusoe, and thinks to herself, if only she had â€Å"said less about him, more about myself† (Coetzee 51). Her once intense desire to escape the island is forever haunted by her realization that when Cruso was forcefully removed from his island, â€Å"he was a prisoner, and I, despite myself, his gaoler† (Coetzee 43). Jimenez demonstrates how Foe addresses â€Å"the way in which language is used to generate a fabulation that can be offered and accepted as real, as an objective representation of an unquestionable reality† (8). At the end of the novel Susan comprehends Foe’s reasons for writing her out of the story, and she realizes that the relationship between literature and reality rests in the hands of authors alone, and that society is susceptible to believe anything and everything they write. She failed to see â€Å"what we can accept in life, we [society] cannot accept in history† (Coetzee 67), and in turn she becomes a victim to the power of the â€Å"tongue in which we jest and lie and seduce† (Coetzee 85). Works Cited Jimenez, M. â€Å"’Father to my story’: Writing Foe, De-Authorizing (De)Foe. † Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses. 8. 3 (2005): 7-24. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Knopf/Random House, 1993. Print.

Henri Fayol and the Relevance of His Ideas in the 21st Century

Henri Fayol and the Relevance of His Ideas in the 21st Century Introduction Henri Fayol has always been considered as an important pioneer of business administration theory. He is known for the formulation of the main management principles (Brunsson 2008, p. 34).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Henri Fayol and the Relevance of His Ideas in the 21st Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, he highlighted the main functions that managers were supposed to perform (Brunsson 2008, p. 34). However, modern scholars and practitioners often debate whether his ideas can be applicable to modern day organizations. This paper is aimed at discussing the main concepts and ideas introduced by Henri Fayol. In particular, it is necessary to evaluate them and determine the extent to which they are relevant to contemporary teaching and management practices. Overall, it is possible to argue that despite various limitations Henri Fayol’s theories continue to shape many modern busines ses; therefore they will influence education of managers. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that many people have a very simplified view of Henry Fayol, and his ideas may have more implications than it may seem at first glance. The concept of general management The ideas introduced by Henry Fayol have been both praised and criticized. In particular, one can speak about the concept of general management. Fayol believed that organizations could certainly differ in terms of their size or structure; however, there were specific tasks of a manager always had to do, namely, planning, coordinating, controlling, organizing, and commanding (Fayol, as cited in Brunsson 2008, p. 34).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To some extent, the notion of general management gave rise to a great number of theoretical works describing the functions of the management that are studied i n modern business schools. His idea of general management can be extended to the major activities of an organization. The thing is that Fayol singed out the main activities of a business, namely he spoke about the following processes: 1) commercial activities such as buying or selling; 2) accounting; 3) security activities or the protection of people and property; 4) technical activities or manufacturing; 5) financial activities or use of capital; and 6) managerial activities (McLean 2011, p. 32). He argued that to some degree, these activities were present in almost every organization (McLean 2011, p. 32). Therefore, one can say that Henri Fayol attempted to identify common patterns or features that are present in every company. In part, his theories are based on this premise. These ideas have been debated by many modern scholars. For instance, Karin Brunsson refers to empirical studies suggesting that managers do not always have to do the tasks outlined by Fayol (2008, p. 34). In this regard, one can mention some visionary leaders such as Steve Jobs or Bill Gates who are primarily responsible for planning or developing strategies of their companies. In turn, there are many managers who have to pay more attention to coordinating and organizing the work of employees. More importantly, the functions are often dependent on the type of organization, its structure or culture (Brunsson 2008, p. 34). This is one of the reasons why the theories of Henry Fayol have often been criticized by modern scholars.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Henri Fayol and the Relevance of His Ideas in the 21st Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, scholars point out that the main activities highlighted by Fayol are not always represented in modern companies. For example, Fayol identifies technical activities such as manufacturing. There are many cases that contradict this argument. In particular, technic al activities can hardly be found in financial services industry or hospitality industry. These are service organizations that are not engaged in manufacturing. Thus, these are exceptions to the theories of Henri Fayol. Nonetheless, they do not completely disprove his ideas. It should be taken into account that Fayol tried to apply his theories to French steel industry (Wren 2001, p. 478). He focused on organizations that were engaged in product development (Wren 2001, p. 478). His ideas proved to be applicable to those companies. More importantly, they remain relevant to contemporary companies, for example, those one representing automotive industry (McNiff Whitehead 2000, p. 146). Therefore, it is possible to say that the notion of general management may have its limitations, but it is still important for modern practitioners. The fourteen principles of management Secondly, one should mention that Henri Fayol is often credited for formulating the main principles of management. Th e most important principles that he stressed was the division of work, unity of command, authority, centralization of power, order, efficient retention of employees, and so forth (Pryor Taneja 2010, p. 499). These principles helped Fayol achieve success in steel and iron industry. These principles have been used in many organizations; yet, some scholars and practitioners may question them.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, we can refer to such a principle as the unity of command; it means that an employee must follow the commands of only one manager (Pryor Taneja 2010, p. 499). The main issue is that in modern companies an employee can work under the command of several managers. These are the so-called matrix organizations in which people can work on two different projects at the same time (Galbraith 2008, p 10). Moreover, these projects can be guided by different managers. Among such companies one can single out Boeing, IBM, or Proctor Gamble (Galbraith 2008, p 50). Thus, there are exceptions showing that the rules set by Fayol do not always have to be followed. Apart from that, Fayol attached much importance to the primacy of general interests over individual ones. Certainly, this idea is accepted by many business administrators. However, contemporary organizations tend to focus more on the needs of individuals. Some critics of Fayol’s theories even argue that his managerial pr inciples portray an organization as a mechanism in which every part can be substituted. More importantly, too little attention is paid to creativity, emotions, or desires of workers (Jex 2002, p. 377). This is why many scholars may object to Fayol’s theories. Researchers also point out that some of Fayol’s ideas are too general. For instance, he advocates such ideas as fair compensation of workers and promoting team spirit in the workplace. Nevertheless, he does not explain how these principles have to be implemented (Jex 2002, p. 377). This is another way to critique the ideas of Henri Fayol. Overall, these examples suggest that his views can be questioned for several reasons. First of all, they often contradict empirical findings, and his concept of general management is not applicable to every type of organization. Secondly, he does not attach too much importance on individual needs of workers. Finally, his principles lack specific details. This is one of the views on Henri Fayol’s theories. Nevertheless, some of these criticisms can be addressed. Many concepts related to management may seem subjective or too general. For instance, even nowadays it may be difficult to give an exact definition of such a notion as fair compensation. Secondly, it is not quite appropriate to argue that the theories of Fayol are inhumane. They are aimed at maximizing the overall wellbeing of different stakeholders, rather than a separate individual. This is one of the ways in which one can justify the views of this theorist. The complexity of Henri Fayol’s ideas and their practical applications Some scholars argue that the criticisms of Henri Fayol’s views can be partly explained by the fact that many people have a very simplified view of this writer, practitioner and theorist. For instance, Lee Parker and Phillip Ritson point out that Fayol can be viewed as a forerunner of modern contingency theories (2005, p. 184). The thing is that in his wo rks, Fayol often compared an organization to a biological organism that has to adjust to various external factors. To some degree, this argument implies that there is no universal principle that companies should always follow. He certainly believed that it was desirable for a manager to follow the 14 principles that he established. Nonetheless, Fayol also argued that â€Å"there is nothing rigid or absolute in management affairs, it is all a question of proportion† (Fayol as cited in Parker Ritson 2005, p. 185). In this way, he could suggest that the behavior of a manager or a leader is determined by particular circumstances, rather than a set of rigid rules. These examples suggest that Fayol was a more complex thinker than many people believe. Overall, he strived to create a learning organization that could be agile and flexible. As it has been noted before, Henri Fayol has often been blamed for not paying too much attention to the needs of workers, for example, their need for empowerment. Yet, close analysis of his writings suggests that he set very high standards for managers. On the one hand, they hand to ensure that organizational goals were achieved. Nevertheless, they had to put trust in the creative capacity of workers and their ability to take independent decisions (Parker Ritson 2005, p. 188). The recommendations of these people could not be disregarded because they could improve the process of production. One should assume that Fayol’s theories promote complete separation of managers and workers. Therefore, one can argue that some criticisms of Fayol’s theories are not quite justified, especially the belief that he viewed workers only as subordinates. Additionally, he continuously advocated workers’ right to autonomy (Parker Ritson 2005, p. 181). Thus, people should not blame Fayol for viewing employees only as cogs in a machine. In fact, he opposed to this point of view. He developed his theories at the time when too little attention was paid to the rights and needs of employees. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Fayol’s ideas were radical and unconventional. It is vital to show real-life examples of how Fayol’s ideas can be applied by modern organizations. For instance, he was one of the first theorists to point out that high turnover adversely affected the performance of a company (Pryor Taneja 2010, p. 497). He noticed that businesses in which people regularly came and went were less likely to produce very good results. This is one of the reasons why he advocated effective retention of employees. This idea appealed to many Japanese companies such as Toyota that tried to encourage life-long employment of their workers (Taniguchi 2006, p. 266). Later, this strategy was adopted by many other businesses and retention of employees is one of the top priorities for modern HR managers. Additionally, we can mention such concept as just-in-time production. To some degree, it ori ginates from Fayol’s principles of order; in other words, every peace of inventory has to be in the right place (Pryor Taneja 2010, p. 498). Fayol attempted to develop the methods in which one could optimize the process of production. Nowadays, these methods are studied in educational institutions; moreover, they have profoundly changed modern manufacturing companies. Furthermore, such a quality control method as quality circles stems from Fayol’s concept of employee empowerment (Pryor Taneja 2010, p. 498). Thus, Fayol’s ideas continue to influence modern companies. Conclusion Overall, despite various limitations and criticisms, Henri Fayol’s ideas have significant implications for the education of future managers and business practices. This analysis demonstrates that this theorist had very complex views of organizations, and his contribution cannot be reduced only to the functions and principles of management. He attempted to create a very flexible co mpany that could react to the changes in its environment. Its success had to be based on effective cooperation of both managers and workers. Moreover, the relevance of his ideas to modern companies can be best illustrated by the practical applications such as just-in-time-production or quality circles. Therefore, Henri Fayol’s ideas will be relevant to educators and practitioners. Yet, it is quite possible that these theories will be modified so that they could better fit the needs of changing workplace. References Brunsson, K 2008, ‘Some Effects of Fayolism’, International Studies of Management and Organizations, vol. 38 no 1, pp. 30-47. Galbraith, J 2008, Designing Matrix Organizations That Actually Work: How IBM, Proctor Gamble and Others Design for Success, John Wiley Sons, New York. Jex, S 2002, Organizational Psychology: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach, John Wiley Sons, New York. McLean, J 2011, ‘Fayol – standing the test of time’, British Journal of Administrative Management, vol. 10 no. 74, pp 32-33. McNiff, J Whitehead, J 2000, Action Research in Organisations, Routledge, London. Parker, L. Ritson, P 2005. ‘Revisiting Fayol: Anticipating Contemporary Management’, British Journal of Management, vol. 16 no. 10, pp. 175-194 Pryor, M Taneja, S 2010, ‘Henri Fayol, practitioner and theoretician revered and reviled’, Journal of Management History, vol. 16 no. 4, pp. 489-503. Taniguchi, M 2006, Careers in Japan, Emerald Group Publishing, London. Wren, D 2001, ‘Henri Fayol as strategist: a nineteenth century corporate turnaround’, Management Decision, vol. 39 no. 6, pp 475-487.

Evaluate a given assessment instrument for bias Essay

Evaluate a given assessment instrument for bias - Essay Example Mr. Alvarez is described as a "salesman" and so makes the role gender specific. This is a form of stereotyping. The equality of treatment of all members of society requires that occupations in which both genders are feasibly able to carry out the role, that the job description be gender inclusive. This is critical to the practice of fairness, and in being able to interact with others with impartiality to their religious affiliation, physical appearance or abilities, gender, age, ethnic group or sexual orientation. It is suggested that the introductory sentence be changed to: Mr. Alvarez works as a sales assistant at a furniture store. This would align with Guideline 4 of the ETS standards, for the use of appropriate terminology when referring to others. 2. Students in the Physics & Astronomy Club are buying telescopes to watch the upcoming lunar eclipse. They found comparable telescopes, at the following prices, each either on sale or with a special pricing offer: Firstly, there is no reason given for the four students being chosen from the club, as there are six members who went shopping. Secondly, there is only one female in the group, and this is a science class club, which reinforces the stereotype that women and girls do not like science. I would make Louis (a) and Bernie girls. Thirdly, t Thirdly, there is complex vocabulary in that not everyone is familiar with a lunar eclipse. This is a rare phenomenon that occurs in the evening, when most are asleep, and so can be considered an unfamiliar or specialized term. Rather, replace with: star gazing. 3. A teacher needs help carrying a class set of textbooks to the department office. The teacher asks five students to carry the 35 books. If each student carried the same number of books, how many books did each student carry A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8 Item Status: No Bias Comments and revision(s) (if necessary): The teacher's gender is not mentioned, neither that of the students, and is not necessary in order to ask the question. No complicated syntax or vocabulary is used either. Neither is the item religiously, ethnically, or physically specific (e.g., feasibly, one of the student's could have been in a wheelchair). 4. The Johnsons are considering hiring an au pair for their child. One very good applicant requests a stipend of $800 per month and health insurance, which will cost

The Law of Contract Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Law of Contract - Coursework Example The rule takes into account parol evidence in addition to other evidence as regards to a contract. Contractual capacity is the ability to understand and reason. What is the difference between someone who is crazy versus someone who has been previously declared insane by a judge? How does this affect the contract? Someone who is crazy is simply one who behaves weirdly, while someone who has been previously declared insane by a judge is one who does not have the mental capacity to make a reasonable decision on his/her own. This means that crazy persons can be capable of making reasonable decisions on their own, or they may not be capable depending on the magnitude and source of their crazy behavior. If a judge declares a person as insane, then it is assumed that such person does not have the capacity to comprehend their acts, therefore, any contract that is made by such person after being declared insane is not enforceable. Consideration is one of the requirements of an enforceable contract. Therefore, a simple contract must be supported by a consideration otherwise it is not enforceable as a contract. In other words, consideration is the negotiation aspect of a contract. It can be defined as â€Å"an act or promise offered by the one party and accepted by the other party as a price for that others promise.† (Collins 252). The following are examples of considerations: i. UCC  § 2-204(4): this section acknowledges the legal impact of the contract created through electronic instruments. It originates from means such as the communication between an individual and an electronic instrument or through the communication of electronic instruments of the involved parties.

Terrorism Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Terrorism Assignment - Essay Example Al Qaeda has, despite its being weakened through the efforts of the United States and its allies, still has the ability to target a diverse number of locations all over the world, and these mainly tend to be American interests. One of the reasons why al Qaeda has continued to survive and remain a threat to America is because of the sectarian divisions in the Middle East (Poole, 2010), which has made it easier for it to gain some political support from some prominent members of government who sympathize with them. This has ensured that members of the organization have safe places where they can operate without any interference from their respective government. It can be suggested that the presence of external forces in the Middle East, such as NATO’s military presence, have helped strengthen the organization because the former is seen as an invading force targeting Muslims instead of terrorists. Furthermore, the power vacuum left from the ousting of Saddam Hussein in Iraq ensur ed that the presence of Al Qaeda was expanded to this country. The fact that al Qaeda is still a threat to the United States has called to question its ability to protect its civilians from any potential attacks from this organization especially after the catastrophe in 2001. The security posture of the United States before the September 11 attacks is very different from the one which came after these attacks. Before these attacks, the federal government played an extremely restricted role in the internal security of the nation and most of the security matters were left in the hands of the state and local governments. Since the responsibility for internal security was left to the latter, one would surmise that they concentrated more on the domestic threat than on any potential one from outside the United States (Borch, 2003). In addition to this, most of the security agencies at the federal level were not on a high alert for any foreign attacks on the United States because such threats were considered to be non-existent. All these changed after the attacks as the United States moved to swiftly secure itself from the new external threat, al Qaeda (Chau, 2008). The activation of the American security apparatus has worked well towards ensuring that no furthe r attacks on the United States on the same scale as September 2001 have yet to occur again. The intelligence services, which once jealously guarded their jurisdictions from each other have seen an unprecedented level of cooperation between them, and these has been facilitated by the development of fusion centers as points through which they have come to share intelligence. The fact that these agencies are now sharing information, has ensured that they have become more effective in their fight against al Qaeda both at a local and international level and many potential strikes by this organization have been pre-empted (Sales, 2010). The American military has bases all over the world in allied countries and these have been put in place to protect American interests in these respective regions. Among the most prominent military bases can be found in the Middle East where they have been continuously used to fight terrorism in this region (Crook, 2006). The military has been an effective tool in dealing with the threat to the United States from al Qaeda. One of the most notable acts of the military was when Navy Seals attacked and killed the former al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, dealing a massive blow to the terrorist organization (Soherwordi et al, 2011). Furthermore, the military has used drones to strike at specific targets within al Qaeda who have been found to be a threat to the national security of the United States. Because of this drone strikes (Hudson, et al, 2012), many prominent al Qaeda leaders have been

Understanding Of Human Growth And Development Social Work Essay

Understanding Of Human Growth And Development Social Work Essay The field of psychology has vast areas of interest, and Human growth and development is one of the most popular topics being studied by social workers today. The purpose of this report is to show how essential it is for a trainee social worker to attain a firm understanding of human growth and development, and to ultimately achieve a foundation of knowledge in this area. This report will show that, with practice, preparation, assessment, reflection and finally application, this foundation of knowledge can be effectively used in positive intervention methods. (Crawford 2006) There have been many great theorists over the years, all of who had different ideas on human growth and development. This report will highlight and discuss 3 theories based on the work of Erikson, Bowlby and Bronfenbrenner. Furthermore, the report will also throw light on the pros and cons of these theories, identifying and discussing potential issues that may arise from failure to mature, as described in each theory. Finally, the report will identify the role of social workers in relation to their intervention with a client or family. The outcome of this report will be a sum-up of the key identifying points of each of the 3 theories. Using practical examples, the report will explore the effects of the theories and outcomes that may arise from failure to mature. The practical examples used will aid, guide and shape the discussion by highlighting the life span of the individual problems or issues, and will provide an underpinning reason for using each of the theories. Each theory chosen in this report is taken from a different discipline of social science; psychodynamic, sociological and psychosocial. These three disciplines all have a different emphasis, but structured in all of them is the core principle of determining what can potentially influence life course development. The first theory outlined in this report is Bowlbys attachment theory. This theory fundamentally sees the earliest bonds formed between children and their caregivers as a key factor in human growth and development, having an immense impact on progression and continuing throughout life. This theory will be examined, using social work examples with infants. There will be an explanation of how the theory is vastly important for attaining a firm understanding of the foundational relationships infants build for a healthy development. The second theory discussed in this report is Bronfenbrenners theory of ecological development. Bronfenbrenners theory describes the influences of further environmental factors on children, and their positive or negative development. For this theory, social work examples will be chosen from older adults in order to help attain an understanding of how environmental factors, at micro and macro levels, can influence social workers in relation to the stages of development. The final theory discussed in this report is Erik Eriksons model of life stage development. This theory addresses identity as an individual moves through the stages of life, and how they negotiate crisis points in a successful or unsuccessful progression, this effecting healthy development. For this theory, examples of middle-later stages of life will be discussed, and how progression through the life stages can successfully or unsuccessfully result in a healthy or unhealthy development of the individual. So, what can human growth and development be determined as? Before we discuss in depth the main theories, it would be appropriate to give a definition of human growth and development, and highlight why it is so fundamentally important for social workers to have a firm understanding of the various theories. According to Baltes cited in Crawford (date), human development is multi-dimensional; it is made up of biological, cognitive and social dimensions. Physically, from the moment we are conceived till the moment we die, we are developing biologically. Our bodies are consistently moving from one biological change to another. Subsequently, the growth of our intellectual and social development comes. This begins from very early stages in the course of life and continues across the span of each life. (Thompson) Both Freud and Erikson agree that every individual is born with a number of basic instincts, that development occurs through stages, and that the order of these stages is influenced by biological and sociological maturation (Sigelman, and Shaffer 1992). The Requirements for Social Work Training state that all social work programmes must: Ensure that the teaching of theoretical knowledge, skills and values is based on their application to practice. (Department of Health 2002) Theorists, such as Bowlby, Bronbenfrener and Erikson, have different perspectives on life span development stages and the individuals evolved behaviour as a consequence or a response to developmental milestones crises. These theories are rooted in the disciplines of sociology, biology and psychology. Each theory provides an explanation, in line with development, for arising issues and problems that individuals face and are all relevant to an understanding of the life course development. (Thompson) Social work practitioners need to have a wide range of knowledge from a span of theoretical disciplines to ensure that all aspects of an individuals make-up are considered and appreciated when working with them. (Crawford and walker) Using theory can give an explanation as to why an action resulted in a particular consequence. This can help us review and possibly change our practice in an attempt to make the consequences more effective. (Beckett) Developmental theory provides a framework for ordering the lifecycle and accounts. For factors that may shape development at specific stages. It discusses the multiple. Bio-psycho-social factors impacting development, explores the tasks to be accomplished. At each stage and considers successes and failures in light of other stages. Developmental theories also aim to recognise individual differences in development. Journal The course of life is different for each individual, and is influenced by the events and experiences that people go through throughout their lives. (Crawford and Walker, 2003) Understanding the impact of transitions within a persons course of life is important for social work practice, as it aids the social worker in attaining a firm understanding of other peoples lives, so they can effectively intervene with appropriate measures. Using theory can help justify actions and explain practice to service users, carers and society in general. The aim is for this to lead to social work becoming more widely accountable and ultimately more respected. (Beckett ) The use of theories in social work practice underpins how social workers approach their tasks. As social workers, we need to recognise the opportunities to work with people through transitions as an opportunity to grow. We need to try to enable people to use these events to trigger change, move on and develop. (Crawford) When a social worker works with an individual, utilising theories which may relate to a specific situation, will give us more direction in our work. It is clear then that theory is important in practice both for work with service users and for social work to be more valued in society. (Beckett) After the definition of human growth and development and the brief discussion of why a theory is important in social work practice, this report will now discuss the attachment theory and will explain why it can be positively used in approach and effectively in practice.4 So, what is the attachment theory? To start with, lets define the word attachment; it means a strong emotional bond between two people. Forming an attachment is based on a two-way interaction. The behaviours from an infant, such as crying, reaching, grasping and making eye contact, and the response of the caregiver both work as a reciprocal process to develop and strengthen attachment. (Woods) According to (Crawford), children use the people they are attached to as a safe base to explore, a source of comfort and a source of encouragement and guidance. According to (Fahlberg, 1991, cited in Howe), attachment aids children in attaining their full intellectual potential, sorts out what children perceives, assists them in logical thinking, helps them develop a conscience, teaches them to become more self-reliant, aids them in coping with stress and frustration, helps them handle fear and worry, assists them in developing future relationships and helps reduce jealousy.                  In 1953, a psychoanalyst named John Bowlby wrote the book Child Care and the Growth of Love. In this book, Bowlby put forward his theory that the relationship between a mother and her child, during the childs first year, is of vital importance and can greatly affect the development of the child in later life. This theory is known as the attachment theory, and it is still being used and discussed today, although it has been altered and adapted to suit the modern day economic environment and the change in the family unit over the past 50+ years. (Jeremy Holmes, 1993) Bowlby believes that attachment begins at infancy and develops throughout an individuals life, and that there are many distinctive behavioural control systems needed for continued existence and proliferation. The attachment and exploration systems are the main central points in Bowlbys attachment theory. (Elliot Reis, 2003) (Crawford) Bowlbys Maternal deprivation Hypostasis, the forerunner of the attachment theory, believes that if an infant was unable to develop a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with his or her mother or permanent mother substitute, then the child would have difficulty forming relationships with other people, and would be at the risk of behavioural disorders. Bowlby says: Mothers love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as vitamins and proteins are for physical health. (Cardwell) (Bowlby 1988) goes on to say that without a secure base of first attachment relationships, children will not be able to cope with separations of normal life. For Bowlby, the impact of prolonged separation on children is viewed as maternal deprivation. Bowlby describes this as being the temporary or permanent loss to children of their mothers care and attention. Bowlby believes that prolonged separation of children from their mothers, especially during the first five years of their lives, is a major cause of delinquent behaviours and mental health issues. (Crawford) Mary Ainsworth developed a method, whereby a childs behaviour is observed when reunited with his or her mother after a short separation.   This is known as the strange situation, and it has become widely used to determine whether the attachment was secure or insecure. Ainsworths strange situation is used to measure Bowlbys hypotheses that early relationship experiences affect later adult functioning. The strange situation procedure consists of eight three-minute episodes that have been arranged so as to create increasing levels of stress for a child that will activate attachment behaviours that researchers can then observe. The resulting behaviour was used to classify the child into one of three categories. These categories are insecure avoidant attachment, secure attachment and insecure resistant attachment. Securely attached children were able to balance their need to explore the environment with their need for comfort and support from their caregiver in relation to their feelings of stress.   Insecure avoidant attached children, when stressed, continued to explore the environment, showing minimal need for comfort and support.   The children who were classified as having insecure resistant attachments stop their exploration and return to their care giver show the maximum amount of attachment behaviours. Main (1991) has since identified a fourth category that of the disorganised/ disorientated child. (Cardwell) According to Bowlby a central tenet of attachment is that: People developmental representations, Or internal working models, that Consist of expectations about the self, significant Others and the relationship between the two. (Bowlby, 1969, 1973) The main criticism of Bowlbys attachment theory came from J.R. Harris. It is often assumed that hard working, kind, honest and well-respected parents will have children who will turn out to be like them. On the other hand, in the case of parents who are bad role models, rude, and disrespectful, the children will end up the same when they become adults. According to Harris, this may be far from the truth. Harris (2008), believes that a parent does not determine a childs personality or character, and that a childs external social factors have more influence than anything else. A good example of this taken from Harris is a child from an immigrant family. Although the parents may well pick up a new language, they will still have an accent from their native language. The child, on the other hand, will learn the new language, and will speak it without an accent. Children are more influenced by their peers than their parents. (Harris, 1998). Criticisms were also levelled at Bowlbys theories because of his ideas that he concluded from work he had undertaken with juvenile delinquents who had been separated early in their lives from their mothers. The criticism is that the theories are unrepresentative of the general population, and involved too small a sample. It was also argued that not all maternally deprived children became juvenile delinquents. But in agreement with Bowlby, Stroufe (1979) stated: We cannot assume that early experiences will somehow be cancelled out by later experiences. Lasting consequences of early inadequate experiences may be subtle and complex. (Cardwell) Research has shown that, contrary to Bowlbys idea of monotropy (one primary caregiver), children can form more than one significant attachment, and these need not be towards the biological parents, and can be of either sex, although there is often a definite hierarchy. An infants attachment to his or her father is as strong as the mothers in the first few days of life. Then the attachment changes because of the different amount of time available for the parents to interact with the infant, given the work commitments. Both the mother and the father are important attachment figures for their infants, but the circumstances that lead to selecting the mother or the father may differ. For example, the father is usually selected for playing. (Schaffer Emerson 1964) According to Parke (1981), Both the mother and the father are important attachment figures, the father is not just a poor substitute for the mother. (Cardwell) When looking at how attachment theory is applied to social work practice, Coulshed (1988) proposed that psychology has been useful in the degree to which you can apply some of the theories, if you are prepared to see theoretical contributions as ways of enriching your thinking and understanding. You will gain a broad framework of information through which you will recognise the complexities and possible causes of human suffering. The attachment theory provides a valuable model in understanding relationships of families in need and promoting new and healthy attachments (Daniel et al 1999).   The attachment theory has had an impact on many areas relating to how children are cared for, including the legal framework it operates under and how services for children have developed. Some of the areas, where clear links can be made to practice being underpinned by the attachment theory has effected changes, are; When negotiating contact between children and their families it is undertaken from a child centre perspective rather from the adults involved. This may include having closer links with grandparents, relatives and any other persons who the child considers significantly important to them. (Howe) Attachment theories underpin the policies that are relevant to the development of children in public care, and form the basis for assessing their needs, such as pre-placement and post-placement support systems. The effects of separation and loss that children have experienced can be taken into account when assessing their needs. (Oloughlin) Social Work as a profession can promote the needs of children through influencing policy and practice e.g. acknowledgement that delays in placing children may be detrimental to their wellbeing should ensure that the adoption and fostering processes can be as speedy and efficient as possible. Likewise, it is clear from research that children are adversely affected by the loss of familiar peers. Children who maintain friendships over time are seen to have greater social skills and better social adjustment. This should also be promoted. (Aldegate et al) The attachment theory has allowed optimism to develop towards caring for children, as a less distorted and confused picture of child development has emerged. It is now apparent that a healthy development can occur in many different family environments. There are many right ways of meeting childrens needs. (OLoughlin) The second theory discussed in this report is derived from the discipline of sociology. Sociological theoretical perspectives explain human development by examining the interactions between people and the society in which they live. Sociologist theorists research this by looking at influencing factors at different levels of society. (Crawford) Unlike other disciplines of human development theories in which service users problems are conceptualized on individual terms, sociological perspectives on human development seek to gain a full understanding by locating the persons problems within his or her experiences in a broader picture of social and historical circumstances. In other words, rather than directly focusing on the problem and the persons inability to cope, the problem would be assessed in terms of the impact of the economic and political conditions of the day. (Cunningham and Cunningham). One theorist whose theory has being particularly influential in the study of human development is Uri Bronfenbrenner 1917 2005. Bronfenbrenner developed a theory to explain how everything in a child and the childs environment affects how a child grows and develops. His theory is known as the ecological systems theory, and it approaches a childs development by looking at different levels of interaction, from family, local communities and schools to economic and political conditions that are all influential to the development of the individual in his or her course of life. He uses the terms Microsystems, exosystem and macrosystem. He suggests that there is a reciprocal process of interaction, in that the child is both influenced by and influences his or her environment at each of the levels. (Crawford) The ecological environment is thought of as: Nested structures encircled within and inside the other like a set of Russian dolls. Starting with the most inside to the outside, these networks are described as micro systems, meso systems and macro systems (Brunfenbrenner, 1994). The work of Bronfenbrenner has been particularly influential in social work practice and is the model that underpins the framework for the assessment of children in need and their families (department of health, 2000 cited in Crawford). The theory also encourages social workers to grasp the concept and understanding of the sociological imagination, and develop this in relation to service users own lives and practice. As social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments (NOSS), this approach, therefore, helps social workers to locate service users within an understanding of the bigger picture that underlies their lives. (NOSS) Applying an ecological approach can be best understood as looking at  persons, families, cultures, communities and policies, and identifying and intervening upon strengths and weaknesses in the transactional processes between these systems. A practical example of this in practice would be the use of the ecological perspective when carrying out assessment and for planning intervention for older adults in the community. Although it is theoretical, it is very practical, as it provides a kind of a map to guide us through very confusing terrain Stevenson 1998 cited in aldegate) The population of the UK is ageing. Over the last 25 years, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over increased from 15 per cent in 1984 to 16 per cent in 2009, an increase of 1.7 million people. (Gov statistics) Elderly individuals are vulnerable and in need of social services because they often live alone, and can be subject to numerous health difficulties, such as difficulties in functional ability. As senior adults experience an increased need for care, it is predicted that, in many cases, family caregivers will begin to have a higher level of physical, emotional and financial burden. All of these issues combined warrant an increase in research related to meeting the needs of the elderly and their families living in our communities (Crawford). EST is an ideal approach for assessing the needs of elderly adults living in communities. Given the rapidly increasing numbers of baby boomers reaching retirement age and beginning to require extended support, it is important for communities and families to address the best fit for the senior adult later in life. EST addresses the micro, meso and macro systems that are an extension of the individual, and works to obtain resources in order to improve support and expand networks necessary to maintain good quality of life for senior adults. (Journal) The ecological perspective analyzes how well the individual or family fits with their environment, and is based on the assumption that when a person or group is connected and engaged within a supportive environment, functioning improves. In order to determine the best fit, usually for an individual, there is an examination of the difference between the amount of social support needed by the person and the amount of social support available in the existing environment. Once this assessment has taken place, the social worker engages with the individual and works together with him or her to offer the support needed. One unique feature of the ecological model is its distinguished concept of human development within an environmental perspective. (Bekett) Social work practice has an overarching meta-paradigm that emphasizes the person in the environment. This meta-paradigm is linked with an ecological systems perspective as a focus of attention. EST is compatible with this belief system and helps support a theoretical approach for practice at the micro, meso and macro levels with individuals, families and communities. Social workers need to be aware of how the changing needs of families will affect psychosocial and emotional factors for the elderly individuals and their family caregivers. Examples of such issues include geographical location of family members when the senior adult is in need of care, role reversal when there is a shift in the family system and a parent becomes more dependent upon an adult child, and the anticipated grief and bereavement as spouses and adult children care for elderly family members over an extended period of time. The final theory of discussion is Erick Eriksons eight stages of man. Eriksons theory is an extension and modification to Freuds psychoanalytical theory on explaining the development of the personality through childhood stages of psychosexual development. Erikson, however, provides a more comprehensive framework for human lifespan through a series of genetically influenced sequence of psychosocial stages. The term psychosocial describes an approach that considers the impact of both the individual psychology and the social context of peoples lives on their individual development.(Crawford) Each stage involves a battle between contradictory resultant personalities, and each stage has either adaptive or maladaptive qualities. To develop into a healthy, mature adult, the adaptive must outweigh the maladaptive. (Richard Gross, 2005). In other words, he suggests that people confront a series of developmental challenges or conflicts, each occurring at particular and predictable times or sta ges in their lives. One of the main elements of Eriksons psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. According to Erikson, our ego identity is constantly changing owing to new experience and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. In addition to ego identity (Quote), Erikson believes that a sense of competence also motivates behaviours and actions. Each stage in Eriksons theory is concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the stage is handled well, the person will feel a sense of mastery, which he sometimes refers to as ego strength or ego quality. If the stage is managed poorly, the person will emerge with a sense of inadequacy. (Quote) In each stage, Erikson believes people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. In Eriksons view, these conflicts are centred on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure. Eriksons eight life stages: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basic trust versus mistrust 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-control versus shame and doubt 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initiative versus guilt 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Competence versus inferiority 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identity versus role confusion 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Intimacy versus isolation 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generativity versus stagnation 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ego-integrity versus despair Erikson suggests that whereas the outcome of moving through a life stage is unfavourable, the individual will find it more challenging to meet the trials of the next stage. Erikson further suggests that if individuals fail to develop through a stage, they may return to unsettled earlier points in their lives. (Crawford) Stage five is commonly associated with adolescence Erickson 1995 recognised this as the critical crisis of adolescence in the eight stages of development identity versus role confusion. He believes that a successful transition through childhood would lead to a progressive success to resolve this stage (Crawford). Erikson considers the fifth stage, that of adolescence, in the developmental process to be of particular importance.   He considers that by the end of this period of psychosocial moratorium, adolescents should have achieved ego identity,   that is the integration of their own self perceptions into their core identity which is both psychological and social. But he notes that some young people experience difficulty or find it impossible to commit themselves to adult roles, thus characterizing this as a period of identity crisis. When adolescents fail to achieve ego identity, it is considered to be identity role diffusion.   Applying Eriksons model to social work can help identify with individuals whether or not they have progressed successfully at previous life stages. It can also help individuals clarify and address their strengths, expectations and limitations, a duty expected of the social worker according to NOSS Key role 1(Crawford). The psychosocial perspective enables social workers to consider the influences of the relationship between the internal world of the service users and the social environment in which they live. (Howe 1987 cited in Crawford) However, Eriksons stages are criticised alongside other psychosocial stage approaches to human development because they do not incorporate difference and diversity. They are culturally specific and differences between sexuality and gender are not easily explained, because the theory was developed from a male perspective. Crawford Being too fixed and deterministic in real life, it is not possible to divide ones life into neat stages. The theory also does not consider the significance of social change in different societies and across different cultures. The model suggests there are universal experiences that all people encounter. Anthony Giddens 1991 cited in Crawford argues that modern society is continually changing, and that people pursue many different paths through their lives. Erikson describes the concept of a life cycle as implying some kind of self completion (Erikson, 1982 p. 9 cited in Crawford). This use of the word cycle can be criticised for implying a circular process whereby, in the later years of life, there is a return to the dependency of childhood. (Crawford) In conclusion this assignment has looked at Social workers need to develop an understanding of theories from a range of disciplines in order to take a holistic approach to their practice. (Crawford) Whilst it is important for social workers to have knowledge of these theories, none of the theories can be easily applied to explain a persons course of life. One theory may be relevant to a particular person at a particular moment in time. For example, one theory may be useful for child development, but not so useful in explaining the challenges of life events that influence growth and development in later life. (Crawford and Walker, 2003) All people are individuals and deserve the right to be treated as such. To do anything less would be seen as an act of oppressive practice. Social workers need to draw on many different resources and theories available to them in order to truly meet service users needs. (Beckett 2007)

Sanitation and Housing Conditions Alexandria, Virginia Essay -- Urban

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is recognized as one of the best places to live and do business on the east coast. The city’s urban planning showcases the city’s vibrant, diverse, historic, and unique neighborhoods. Urban planning began there in the 19th Century. Urban populations rose drastically, and a host of problems came with it: unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and corruption of government. Economic depressions promoted a climate of social unrest, violence, labor strikes, and disease (Rose, 1997). In the beginning of the 19th century, development of American cities often took a compact, mixed-use form, reminiscent of that found in places like old town Alexandria. By the early 20th century, the focus was on the geography of water supplies, sewage disposal, and urban transportation (Virginia Places, 2010). This paper will discuss the city’s historical and current sanitation program and housing accommodations for sewage disposal. Before the 19th Century, sewage disposal was virtually unknown until the first American cities were built around the 1700’s. Human waste was originally disposed of in the woods, but some wealthy Virginians built large houses and used chamber pots to "do their business" indoors, and the contents would be thrown into the back yard. Later, as towns developed, waste was tossed into the streets to decompose or be washed away in the rainstorms (Virginia Places, 2010). Privies or outhouses were also built in back yards and were commonly used to dispose of waste. Toilets, also known as â€Å"water closets,† were put into homes in the mid 19th Century in the United States. The water closet had indoor plumbing where piping was run through the roof, and a gravity ... ...thier ecology – making the city easier to sustain into the coming years. Works Cited Frederick Law Olmsted (2009). FrederickLawOlmsted.com . Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://www.fredericklawolmsted.com/Lifeframe.htm History (2010). Alexandria Sanitation Authority (ASA). Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://www.alexsan.com/ Levy, J.M. (2011). Contemporary Urban Planning (9th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ Rose, J. K. (1997, November 8). The city beautiful movement. University of Virginia. Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/citybeautiful/city.html Sewage treatment in Virginia (2010). Virginia Places. Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://www.virginiaplaces.org/waste/sewer.html Urban planning (2010). World Lingo Translation. Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Urban_planning

Case Study in Abnormal Psychology Essay

The study of any case in Abnormal Psychology views multiple aspects of self-concept and various behaviors and is the foundation of defining normal and abnormal behaviors. In the complex process of defining and exploring the vast concepts of behavior multi faceted information must be incorporated. Individual behaviors, perspectives, attitudes, and personal identity reveal the internal workings of how specific aspects of life coincide to determine ones concept of normal and abnormal behavior. Throughout history individuals have sought to find out the difference between normal and abnormal perspectives and the purpose for ones existence thus it is only through self realization that society and the people within can find this answer. The exploration of behavior and the many areas that humans search to find a deeper understanding of exactly what the concept of normal behavior leads to a profound investigation of internal and external aspect of life which shapes every angle of one’s self definition. As previous generations have sought to find the answers to this important life question it is the purpose of this paper to continue that great quest into the most definitive goal of society, which is the comprehension of the many, interlinked experiences that define self. The various aspects of behavior and attitudes such as personality traits, abilities, physical characteristics, beliefs, values, goals, and roles help psychologist define normal and abnormal behavior. During the early stages of life children develop an organized and multilevel perspective of information about themselves in the process of acquiring the ability to understand the relation between self and the behavior. Behavior is present in children and centered on many levels of concrete cognitive characteristics, such as physical characteristics and skills. While the focus and perspectives of behavior change from childhood  to middle childhood, behavioral concepts become more integrated and differ as the child engages in social comparison and more clearly perceives the self as consisting of internal, external, and psychological characteristics (Self Concept, 2010). The process of understanding behavior becomes more defined as individuals reach adolescence. It is during this developm ental stage of adolescence that individuals become increasingly aware of the presence and influence of the definition of behavioral characteristic through acquiring a broader perspective of new concepts such as abstract views of the world around them, new experiences with complex issues of cognitive mental representations or self-schemas, which direct the processing of self-relevant information. Social interaction is a key element of behavioral development in which individuals learn foundational skills that aid in the comprehension of self. Through interaction with peers individuals explore or investigate new aspects of self and social interaction by recognizing like interest with peers, social behaviors, emotional responses, and social learning and problem solving skills. These developmental building blocks teach individuals vital insights of self that can be incorporated throughout life such as the development of cooperation, social exchange, demonstrating and understanding empathy as well as experimenting with different roles with behavioral settings. Interaction with society is a defining factor in ones understanding of behavior and is the building block for future and present relationships and definition. Through these various interactions with society integral relationships shape the individuals connection to the world around them and in turn lead to stability within t he internal processes which determine the individual’s perspective of behavioral concept, self esteem, and self efficiency and aids the psychologist in treating an individual with behavioral problems. Definitive concepts that an individual must comprehend in addition to understanding in relation to the hierarchy of normal and abnormal behavior concept in order to understand the complexity of self and the role that individual plays within society. Behavior is by definition the positive or negative reactions to individuals’ society and towards oneself and is viewed as the internal evaluation of one’s self worth and value. It is clear that behavior is one of the fundamental aspects of development and self, a healthy perspective of one’s life must reflect positive values and  definitions of self in order for an individual to develop a healthy mental state. The totality of an individual’s comprehension regarding behavior is a valid developmental concept that must reflect all thoughts and feelings in relation to self and society (Paterson, 2010). Self efficiency describes an individual with confidence in his or her ability to think, understand information, self control, and a defined sense of self worth. It is an important aspect of development of perception to thoroughly understand the impact that these concepts of behavior have on an individual’s life and should be valued as priority (Paterson, 2010). Two distinct experiences that affect personal development are the values of personal beliefs and social factors. In a case study of children’s behavior parents instill values that have shaped the children’s’ perspective of many social and self perspectives. In this case the behaviors displayed by a child growing up in a lower middle class family in rural America was viewed by the parents as abnormal or normal, the child’s behavior in many factors are defined by what he or she has accomplish, and the belief or worth came from validation that he or she needed and that all other aspects of life were just reflections of what society viewed as normality. Over the years many the individuals’ behavior felt as if he or she did not really know that the displayed perspectives of behavior were being viewed as abnormal. Growing up the individual gained a new perspective of exactly what normality was and realized that many of the behaviors displayed were abnormal it was this behavioral awareness that lead to psychological help. When the individual entered high school more abnormal behaviors were displayed and societal definitions determined many of the treatments used by the psychologist. There is no other concept within psychology that shapes individuals as much as behavior. It is in understanding how one’s life is changed based on the situation and experiences, the behaviors and attitudes, and the internal sense of self worth that motivates individuals to step into a deep understanding of life. Reference Self Concept. (2010). Self Concept. Retrieved March, 2011 from: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/itf09socemodev.asp Paterson, C. (2010). Measuring Changes in Self-Concept. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/7