The positive and negative effects of the media on society Term Paper

The positive and negative effects of the media on society - Term Paper Example The media exists to educate people about the world around them. It is a tool of intelligence and education, and people that implement media into their daily routine find themselves gaining much insight about events and situations taking place all throughout the world. One of the greatest, positive perks of the media is how quickly the information and news are able to spread. If a terrorist attack against the United States were to be thwarted in another country, most Americans would know about it within minutes (Robinson 15). If a child were kidnapped in a small California town, the rest of California would be informed of it in the timeliest manner. Media has allowed people to be well-informed without letting time or distance get in the way of obtaining important knowledge. While media may be beneficial in keeping people filled in with up-to-date information, there are sides to media that are not as useful. Media has the ability to influence the way that people think and it has the ha bit of providing viewers, especially impressionable children and teenagers, with facts and images that are misleading and sometimes dangerous. People are presented with images of beauty and lifestyles that appear desirable, though they are really damaging.

Humanistic And Psychodynamic Perspectives Psychology Essay

Humanistic And Psychodynamic Perspectives Psychology Essay Psychology has been influenced by many schools and theorists it is always developing, growing and changing with society. In this essay I will identify, outline and compare two psychological theories. The theories I have chosen are humanistic theory founded by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow and psychoanalytic theory founded by Sigmund Freud and influenced by Carl Jung. I will be comparing these two theories, look at the conflicting differences between them and I will give my opinion in where I feel they sit in the Nature versus Nurture debate. I will discuss how both theories can be applied to social work as well as considering the cross cultural aspects and the implications of both theories in relation to indigenous peoples and gender. The humanistic school was founded later than the other two dominant schools of psychology, which are behaviour and psychoanalytic. Humanistic theory is often referred as the third force in psychology. (Humanism, n.d, para.2 and 3). Humanistic theorists felt that behaviourists focused too heavy on the behaviour of animals while the psychoanalytic theorists focused too heavily on the unconscious mind. The humanistic theory focuses on an individuals uniqueness. The humanistic perspective suggests that people are naturally good and strongly highlights self-actualisation with a majority of individuals choosing goal directed, adaptive and self-actualising behaviours. Theorists of humanistic perspective emphasise the idea that an individual has free will and is capable of choosing their own actions. (Approaches to Psychology, n.d., para. 1). It represents a positive view of human experience. Humanistic theory focuses on the element of the personality that are human based not animal or plant based. There are two well known theorists that have contributed to humanistic theory Carl Rodgers and Abraham Maslow. Carl Rogers (1902 1987) was an American Psychologist. He was considered one of the founding fathers of humanistic theory. He was well known for his person centred approach. He excelled in various areas such as student learning therapy and client centred therapy. In 1956 the American Psychological Association recognised his work and research and awarded him with the distinguished scientific contributions award and in 1972 he was given the award for distinguished professional contributions to psychology he was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Carl Rogers, n.d, para. 1 and 2). Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American Psychologist. He created a theory of self-actualisation called Maslows hierarchy of needs. Built up like a pyramid Maslow stated that when an individual has ascended to the top of the five levels he/she has reached self-actualisation. The five levels are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self actualisation. (Abraham Maslow, n.d, para. 1 and 10). Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was the founding father of psychoanalytic theory, he is regarded to be one of the most influential theorists of the 20th century but he was also the most controversial and criticised theorist especially his Psychosexual development theory which Freud believed to be the foundation of development he outline five stages, Oral stage, Anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage and genital stage. Some of the people who were critical of some of his theories were his fellow psychoanalytic theorists such as Carl Jung and Alfred Adler who stated that Freud had over emphasised sexual instincts. (Sigmund Freud, n.d, para. 1 and 2). The underlying principles of psychodynamic perspective is that an individuals behaviour is largely the result of unconscious processes, motivation and early experiences. (Weston, Burton Kowalski, 2005, p. 25). Psychoanalytic theorists emphasise that a childs early experiences with their parents largely shapes development, behaviour and personality. Freuds unconscious mind theory includes the famous iceberg metaphor. The tip of the iceberg being the conscious mind (what we are aware of) and the bottom of the iceberg which is largely hidden under the waters surface is what Freud believed to be the unconscious mind (deplorable urges, feelings and thoughts). (Weston, Burton Kowalski, 2005, p. 12). Freud believed that the human personality was split into three parts the id, the superego and the ego. The id sits in the unconscious and it operates under impulse and impatience. The super ego is unconscious and it is the part that controls guilt as well as our sense of right and wrong. The ego is conscious and is the balancing and rationalising part of the mind it has to balance impulses of the id and the guilt of the super ego. (Santrock, 2008, p. 40) In the Nature versus Nurture debate, humanistic theory is considered Nurture because a persons behaviour is learnt from the environment which surrounds them as well as choice and free will. Psychoanalytic theory is considered Nature because it focuses on the behaviour of conscious and the unconscious mind. Humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives are the complete opposite of each other. Humanistic theory is centred around behaviour and mental process they criticised psychoanalytic theorists of being too focussed on the unconscious mind. (Theoretical perspectives in psychology, n.d, para. 3). Humanistic theory focuses on the positive influences of behaviour such as uniqueness, choice, self actualisation and free will while psychodynamic focuses on the negative influences of behaviour such as unacceptable sexual urges and deplorable thoughts. Humanistic theory emphasises that people are born good and psychodynamic theory emphasises that people are born bad and that everything people do has a selfish motive. (Theoretical perspectives in psychology, n.d, para. 2). Humanistic theorists emphasise that an individual has free will and choice and that an individual is influenced by the environment in which surrounds them. Psychodynamic theory emphasises that an individual has very little free will and very little self control and reject the idea of free will. Psychodynamic t heory focuses on the individuals dark side, the unconscious mind. Psychodynamic theorists believe that it is the force of the unconscious mind that shapes personality. The humanistic perspective focuses on how human behaviour can be changed or modified through self actualisation. They emphasise the central role of consciousness in shaping our behaviours, assuming that personal experience is a powerful medium for people to become more self aware and self directed in life. (Westen, Burton Kowalski, 2006, p. 17). Whereas the psychodynamic approach is that adult personality cant be changed it is set from a young age. (Theoretical perspectives in psychology, n.d, para. 2). The approach humanistic therapist or clinicians take is through empathy, warmth and respect. It is very person centred. The approach psychodynamic clinician would take is to interpret meanings through verbalised thought and behaviour. They would observe posture, fantasies and dreams which could be referred to as the s tudy of the mind not the study of the person and their environment. The social work profession is largely influenced by the humanistic approach. As Carl Rogers famously stated It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried. (About.com, n.d, para. 3). As a social worker in Aotearoa we work with a range of cultures and practice in a non judgemental way. The humanistic approach could be used across a range of cultures and still be highly effective for the client. As a social worker it is our job to work with clients not be the experts and the humanistic approach allows the client to reflect on the situation to find the answers instead of us telling them what they should change. The humanistic approach would be for the social worker to find out how the client perceives themselves and work with the client to recognise their inner strengths and potential in order for the client to achieve self direction, responsibilities and growth. Another humanistic model can be applied to social work through Maslows hierarchy of needs. This model would be very effective not only for the client but for the social worker, as they can get a clear understanding of what is going on in the clients life for example financial stability, housing, safety, childrens well being, domestic violence and how the client maybe coping in general. (Humanistic theories, n.d, para. 2). The psychodynamic approach in the application to social work would be allowing the client to talk about the situation in depth and the social worker listening, making notes and asking open questions to explore the situation more in depth. The psychodynamic approach focuses on the unconscious that are shown through the client behaviour and the client understanding how past experiences influence their present behaviour. (Psychodynamic therapy, n.d, para. 1). The psychodynamic approach helps the client to realise and explore their feelings which have been repressed into the unconscious mind. (Good therapy, n.d, para. 1). Social workers in Aotearoa work with a range of cultures therefore as practitioners we need to be culturally aware and sensitive. Not all psychological theories will fit with every culture or gender, we as social workers must consider the barriers to the application of different theories to different cultures. For example Psychoanalytic is a male established and driven theory which feminists may see as offensive because in their view they may see it as degrading also a lot of indigenous cultures work as a collective whereas Western culture is centred around survival of the fittest, the individual and because psychoanalytic focuses on the individual not the family it could be seen as highly offensive so it would be inappropriate and offensive to apply this theory in these two situations. Humanistic theory can be applied to a large range of cultures easily because of person centred approach; this theory is more adaptable to the collective family approach as well as the individual appro ach but its down side is that this theory was designed, established and tested on white middle class males the practitioner would have to keep that in mind when applying this theory in practice with different cultures. In conclusion to this essay I have identified, outlined and compared two completely different theories, it has been established within this essay that humanistic and psychoanalytic are two very conflicting theories with very different ideas and methods but both are two very influential schools within psychology. The theorists I have mentioned Sigmund Freud, Carl Rodgers and Abraham Maslow without a doubt heavily shaped and influenced psychology in their own ways. Both theories have very different approaches but both emphasise the importance of how adult behaviour is established by early childhood environment and experiences. In the application of social work this essay explains how humanistic theory is a positive more empathetic approach, it is person centred with the person reflecting and searching for answers whereas psychoanalytic approach focuses on the negative, the deep unconscious thoughts and is expert orientated. I have also considered cross cultural aspects of both theories and explained the implications in relation to gender issues such as feminism and race issues such as indigenous people and how applying these theories to different culture or gender may influence ineffective intervention.

William Shakespeare :: English Literature Essays

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was a very successful man; he was an English dramatist and poet. (1) He is considered the greatest playwright who ever lived. His comedies, sonnets, (the solid fact, however, of Meres’s mention of the Sonnets, two of which (though the whole collection was not published till ten years later) appeared secret, it would seem, next year (1599), introduces another range of hypothetical exercise in biography, which has sometimes been followed in opposition to the former method, but has been more frequently combined with it so as to permit of even more fruitful and wilder expatiation.), tragedies, and poetry. He has been famous ever since all of his works. He wasn’t really recognized then, because people didn’t know or understand who he was, now people know what he has done. The table of Shakespeare's plays is uncertain, but a reasonable approximation of their order can be imply from dates of publication, references in contemporary writings, and resources in the plays to contemporary events, thematic relationships, and metrical and stylistic comparisons. One of his accomplishments was his famous tragedy; it was called â€Å"Romeo & Juliet†, written by Shakespeare at a somewhat connection in his literary career, most probably in 1594 or 1595. In Romeo and Juliet the main plot, in which the new love between Romeo and Juliet comes into conflict with the longstanding hatred between their families, is skillfully advanced, while the true development of minor characters supports and enriches it. The most complex of Shakespeare's early plays, Romeo and Juliet is far more than (2) â€Å"a play of young love† or â€Å"the world's typical love-tragedy.† Weaving together a large number of related impressions and judgments, it is as much about hate as love. It tells of a family and its home as well as a feud and a tragic marriage. The public life of Verona and the private lives of the Veronese make up the setting for the love of Juliet and Romeo and provide the background against which their love can be estimated. (1) The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 1994-2000, â€Å"William Shakespeare† (2) The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 1994- 2000, â€Å"William Shakespeare† It is not the deaths of the lovers that enclose the play but the public revelation of what has happened, with the admonitions of the Prince and the reconciliation of the two families. Another one of William’s works of art is Hamlet. Hamlet is a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Is Torture a Necessary Evil Essay

14th September 2013 Torture is a necessary evil. After reading this article and evaluating both sides of the argument, my opinion remains the same. I disagree that torture is necessary; it is a barbaric breach of human rights. After looking at statistics, only 8% of Guantanamo detainees were Al Qaeda fighters, this is a shockingly low percentage in proportion to the 517 Guantanamo that were detained. British laws have deemed torture illegal and yet at least 6 detainees alleged that British forces were involved in the torture. Torturing cannot go on; the pros do not outweigh the cons of torture. In exceptional circumstances, lives may be saved, but at what cost? Where does it end, as stated in the article, will family members become torture victims? As the initial suspect may not have value for their own life, they turn to his/her loved ones? If a suspect has been detained, regardless of what their crime may be, they still have the right to remain silent. Any forced extraction of information goes against the fundamental human rights , and even if information is gained, what assurance do we have that it will be correct information? In the heat of the moment, it may seem that the information is true, to end the pain that the victim is in, yet it may all be fiction. These are clearly not risks worth taking, and in my opinion, anyone who is willing to submit a fellow human being to that amount of pain and discomfort, does not fill me with confidence in the fact that they are in a position of power. In recent news, countries like the UK or the USA are undecided whether to involve themselves in the business of Syria; they claim that involvement, in the sense of morals, is the right thing to do. Yet there is still a debate on whether torture should be legal, does one not contradict the other? It seems extremely hypocritical that on one hand, the armed forces have a sense of human rights in one way, yet on the other hand, claims that torture is necessary, which completely abolishes human rights in another way. In conclusion, regardless of the arguments in favour of torture, I still disagree that torture is a necessary evil; it dehumanises victims, stripping them of their human rights, regardless of whether they may be Al Qaeda fighters, they still ha ve the basic human right to remain silent during questioning, any way of obtaining information by forced means is morally wrong.

Capital Punishment and Sensitive Societal Issue

Punishment Punishment, Witness, and dehumanization are common in the world today illustrated in poems such as, â€Å"Punishment† by Seamus Heaney and â€Å"Capital Punishment† by Sherman Alexie. The poems give the world a different perspectives based on the authors viewpoint, yet both authors seem to favor punishment. Therefore everyone in their life deserves to be punished based on the authors work or even a witness for one reason or another to speak for something they have done or witness. These authors wanted to show a strong feeling towards punishment whether or not the crime was minor or major. In â€Å"Punishment† the speaker was a witness to dehumanizing punishment of the bog women. In â€Å"Capital Punishment† the cook was a witness to a cruel punishment. Even though both authors focused on different types of punishment they both expressed how witnessing and dehumanization have a vital role in different situations. Can punishment and race have factors that can change one another? Can the ethnicity of a criminal effect the severity of the punishment bestowed upon them? The ethnicity of a criminal or witness can determine how cruel and usual a punishment can be towards the criminal or witness. Witnessing is seeing an event, crime, or even an accident take place. In the poem the author talks about witnessing a horrible event. Punishment begins with a person possible the speaker or even the poet hanging with a noose around her neck and seems to be dead. The speaker seems like he could have witness the entire death. He describes the bog woman as, â€Å"she was a barked sapling that is dug out oak- bone, brain firkin: her shaved head like a stubble of black corn, her blindfold a soiled bandage, her noose a ring to store the memories of love† (Heaney, 1157). Even though he describes her as a scapegoat why does the speaker not speak up for this cruel dehumanizing punishment. The punishment was so outrages that the audience felt her pain. However, the speaker first says â€Å"my poor scapegoat† (Heaney, 1157), and we feel as if he feels the sorrow the readers do, shortly after he says, â€Å"I almost love you† (Heaney, 1157). With his participation of the punishment it leaves the audience believing that the woman deserves the punishment because of her past. â€Å"Capital Punishment† is told in first person, a cook is preparing a last meal for an Indian man. He says â€Å"I sit here in the dark kitchen when they do it, meaning when they kill him, kill and add another definition of the word to dictionary† (Alexie, 1164). The line â€Å"I am not a witness† is repeated throughout the poem, it is said after Alexie addresses a sensitive societal issue. Topics such as capital punishment are very difficult for the cook to explain. The speaker of the poem is sympathetic with the condemned man and knows that the reason he is on death row is due to the color of his skin. After the narrator describes and tells the reader what he is thinking and observing, he uses a line saying, â€Å"I am not a witness† symbolizing that the narrator can only imagine but relate to what the Native American is going through. He changes from â€Å"I am not a witness† to â€Å"I am a witness† (Alexie, 1162) when the narrator tells the reader a story about how the society can hang two people but throw both people in one grave. The line symbolizes that two wrongs do not equal one right. The cook sympathies with the criminal because he knows that his punishment is only that sever because of his ethnicity. I am a witness† is Alexie's way of saying this type of punishment is happening and is something that cannot be ignored or overlooked. The author asks the question, who are we to judge? Who decides someone's life is over? Alexie says at the end of the poem, † †¦ If any of us stood for days on top of a barren hill during an electrical stor m then lightning would eventually strike us and we'd have no idea for which of our sins were reduced to headlines and ash. † (Alexie 1165). Alexie was trying to say no matter what, a sin is a sin, the terms in which the sins were committed are meaningless, and the bottom line is that a sin was committed. However, if we were killed for our actions how would we know if the condemned would make up for that sin or turn out for the worst? Both poems prove that the author's point of view of each punishment in the poem shows significance in the writer's everyday life. Seamus Heaney's â€Å"Punishment† shows bitter love and can somewhat symbolize the relationship of the love of his life. Sherman Alexie's â€Å"Capital Punishment† symbolizes the punishment people experience especially through racial discrimination. In addition, by Alexie being Native American too, that proves he was making a statement about bitter punishment towards his culture. The ethnicity of a criminal or witness can determine how cruel and usual a punishment can be towards the criminal or witness. Work Cited Alexie, Sherman. â€Å"Capital Punishment. † Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. By John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. N. page. Print. Heaney, Seamus. â€Å"Punishment. † Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. By John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 1156-157. Print.

Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. By Maeve Maddox Several years ago, when a reader said he refused to use â€Å"Dear So-and-So† to begin a business letter because dear is too intimate a word to use with a stranger, I assumed that he represented a minority of one. Who, I wondered, would interpret an established convention like â€Å"Dear Sir† literally? Little did I know! I’ve recently stumbled across numerous articles with titles like â€Å"Is ‘Dear’ Dead as a Salutation?† I was amazed to find comments like these: From an English professor Rarely would anyone use dear when writing a friend, but it might be appropriate when applying for a job or emailing a boss. From a teacher Several men admitted they couldn’t force themselves to use Dear to address a business acquaintance, especially one they didn’t like. From a business consultant Dear comes across as too formal–or simply plain creepy and overly intimate.  And between men, the use of it can appear a bit too effeminate. I was surprised to learn that â€Å"rarely would anyone use dear when writing a friend.† When I lived in England, I wrote a lot of letters: to my parents, my brother, grandmothers, my aunts, and friends. Every one of those letters began with â€Å"Dear So-and-So.† Mind you, they were also written by hand with a fountain pen. Even now, on the few occasions that I write a letter to a friend with the intention of putting it in an envelope and mailing it, I still begin with â€Å"Dear.† It’s a convention. It’s courteous. It’s respectful. Just as bizarre as saying that one rarely begins a letter to a friend with Dear is the idea that using Dear to address a business acquaintance is a source of stress in grown men. Certainly, email has changed the way people communicate in writing. Because of its memo format and ease of sending, email has developed relaxed conventions for informal exchanges between friends and colleagues. For this kind of writing, a formal salutation is out of place. But even with email, a distinction is to be drawn between informal and formal communication. â€Å"Hi, So-and-So† is not a suitable way to address an unknown recipient from whom you want something. â€Å"Hey, So-and-So† is worse. â€Å"Dear Mr. Jones† and â€Å"Dear Ms. Smith† are emotion-neutral writing conventions. What I find â€Å"simply plain creepy† is the notion that the salutation Dear can be construed as â€Å"intimate† or â€Å"effeminate† in the context of a business letter. As the professor says in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, â€Å"Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools!† Related posts: ‘Dear Sir’ and Other Business Conventions Dear Sir Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsWriting Styles (with Examples)

Analysis of Two Robert Frost Poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Analysis of Two Robert Frost Poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost takes our imaginations to a journey through wintertime with his twopoems 'Desert Places' and 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'. Frostcomes from a New England background and these two poems reflect the beautifulscenery that is present in that part of the country. Even though these poems bothhave winter settings they contain very different tones. One has a feeling ofdepressing loneliness and the other a feeling of welcome solitude. They showhow the same setting can have totally different impacts on a person depending ontheir mindset at the time. These poems are both made up of simple stanzas anddiction but they are not simple poems.In the poem 'Desert Places' the speaker is a man who is traveling throughthe countryside on a beautiful winter eventing. He is completely surrounded withfeelings of loneliness. The speaker views a snow covered field as a desertedEnglish: Handwritten version of 'Happiness makes u...place. 'A blanker whiteness of benighted snow/ With no expre ssion, nothing toexpress'. Whiteness and blankness are two key ideas in this poem. The whitesybolizes open and empty spaces. The snow is a white blanket that covers upeverything living. The blankness sybolizes the emptyness that the speaker feels.To him there is nothing else around except for the unfeeling snow and his lonelythoughts.The speaker in this poem is jealous of the woods. 'The woods around ithave it - it is theirs.' The woods symbolizes people and society. They havesomething that belongs to them, something to feel a part of. The woods has itsplace in nature and it is also a part of a bigger picture. The speaker is so aloneinside that he feels that he is not a part of anything. Nature has...