History of Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History of Western Civilization - Essay Example The description of the building of Nazi power is one of the main contributions of the book, specifically by showing how the Germans were interested in the desire for change. This began specifically with the post World War I mentality, specifically which came from the Versailles Treaty. From this treaty, most in Germany believed that they were losing a sense of Germany and the political rights that were needed for the country. Being able to regain the ruins of World War I and the battles that were still occurring from the treaty that was not desired was the main political justification that was noted. When the Nazi Regime began to establish, it was justified as a way to keep the patriotism of the country alive and to create a better initiative to rebuild the country in a way that would benefit all that were in Germany at the time. When the political regime began to take over, the attacks were on the movement against the Communist regime. This ideal was one in which most Germans didnâ €™t believe in and which found to be a way to lose freedom and rights. The attacks made politically were ones which initially most Germans opposed, which allowed them to gain an understanding and insight into the politics, while giving support to the Nazi power. After the political regime continued to grow, those that were involved with the movement recognized that there were also attacks on socialism; however, like the Communist approach, most didn’t oppose these beliefs. When the Nazi party came into full effect, the Nazis that supported the opposition to the other political regimes were in a position where they had to politically support the dictatorship which had arisen. â€Å"When the Nazis attacked the Communists, he was a little uneasy, but, after all, he was not a Communist, and so he did nothing; and then they attacked the socialists, and he was a little uneasier, but still, he was not a socialist, and he did nothing; and then the schools, the press, the Jews, a nd so on, and he was always uneasier, but still he did nothing† (Mayer, pg. 169). These quotes show how the Nazi regime initially didn’t have the connection in beliefs, making those involved in politics to continue to support what was occurring as a better alternative. By the time the attacks moved into the war, it was too late for the Nazis to go against the political power. If this was done, then the movement against the patriotic movement would have led to the individual being attacked or dead. The establishment of the Nazi power not only had the agenda of building the political system. There were also promises and beliefs that were based on rebuilding the cultural and economic status of the country. The treaty and the loss of World War I had led to downfalls within the country as well as with global relations. The suffering that Germany was going through led them to believe that grabbing onto a new order and way of working within politics would lead Germany back to a better system. The economic status, through this new order, could help to strengthen Germany. More important, the order worked culturally, specifically because it built national pride and the ability to be a part of Germany. The cultural and economic affiliations combined to create a rebuilding of Germany and to ensure that there was a different way in which Germany could begin to recount for the current losses. As the regime began to grow, Nazis began to

MOTOROLA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MOTOROLA - Essay Example Motorola Solutions is now generally accepted as the direct successor of the prior known Motorola, as the structuring lead to Motorola Mobility being spun off. (Boryana Georgieva, 2010) In 2007 when the reorganization took place, business was divided into three operating segments which included Home and Mobility Network, Enterprise Mobility Solutions and Mobile devices. Home and Mobility Network basically included products such as cable set top boxes, broadband cable modem etc; this contributed to almost to almost 32% of Motorola’s net sales in 2008. Enterprise Mobility Solutions deals with wireless broadband systems and it contributed to 27% of net sales. The Mobile devices compete in the wireless handset industry. (Boryana Georgieva, 2010) There are many factors in the external environment that directly as well as indirectly affects Motorola. First let us consider the competitors. Motorola used to own a high share of market in 2007, especially at the time of RAZR. However, th ey were not able to capitalize on the success with one major reason being the amount of competition in the technology market. Motorola faces fierce competition from Nokia, Apple, RIM, Samsung, LG and Mobile Internet Devices. Nokia possesses the highest market share in world right now followed by Samsung. They continue to produce high quality phones in great quantities for the customers. Lately, Apple and RIM have busted into the market with their unique characteristics with iPhone and Blackberry respectively. Because of their innovation, they were able to grab a huge market share and create brand loyalty amongst their customers. Apple were able to target, initially the youth which them spread out to a major chunk of the population, they also brought timely upgrades and additions to their iPhone which the consumers found all the more intriguing. Blackberry on the other hand went for formal and executive prospect, mainly targeting the executives. But due to their Blackberry services, which include Blackberry Messenger etc, they were able to gain high levels of customers throughout the world. (Aaron Christensen, 2009) Motorola has been going down the slope ever since. In fact, firm incurred a loss from cutting operations of $105 million which then resulted in $0.05 per diluted common share. The company which once dominated the mobile market has now been constricted to a lower market share. (Aaron Christensen, 2009) Even though revenues have decreased overtime, however, Motorola still has some strength as well. Motorola Company operates at operational efficiency, meaning their production and assembly line process operates in an efficient manner as to cut unnecessary costs and at the same time utilize maximum resources to maintain quality. Motorola’s products are high quality products, not only because they last a longer period as compared to some other phones, but their functionality is very efficient as well. Motorola has recently started producing the â⠂¬Å"Droid Family† which includes various products including Droid, Droid 2 & Global and Droid R2D2. The droid family was built by placing high value on importance on innovation. Motorola has also started segment targeting for the new Droid2 since consumers in the market place high value on trying out new things that appear onto the market. Now let us also consider some of Motorola’s weaknesses. Motorola management and shareholders are only worried about the sales and revenues, what is lacking is, vision. For any company to succeed in the market, they need to have a vision. For instance Steve Jobbs had a vision to bring innovation to the telecommunication technologies. Currently, Motorola is only concentrating on business and not focusing on the long

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS - Essay Example xt of the bumper sticker, and it makes its point plainly and well – the person owning that car clearly does not believe they should â€Å"have to press 1 for English.† It also succeeds in that it draws the viewers attention to a great number of connected ideas that this person probably also believes – things about language rights, (presumably this person does not believe any schools should teach entirely in Spanish, or that the Spanish pledge of allegiance or Spanish version of the Star Spangled banner are acceptable). It uses a small amount of text to clearly annunciate opinions on a variety of views. This bumper sticker also has its failings, however. Firstly, it does not actually make an argument of any sort, but merely states an opinion. A bumper sticker could also say â€Å"I don’t think I should have to stop at a red light† – a clearly ridiculous notion – and carry the same weight because neither provides proof or evidence. Likewise, this bumper sticker is not entertaining. The best bumper stickers provide humour or irony to grab the viewers attention and make them remember the point – this does not. It simply states a point of view with no evidence or

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War Essay

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War - Essay Example The intricate state of affairs in the Middle East has encouraged President Al-Assad to cling onto power and instigate a bloody onslaught against his populace. The Syrian citizenry has continuously demanded that been demanding that President Al-Assad steps down, in order to facilitate the setting up of a government with a solid democratic foundation. Even though President Al-Assad has lost a solid power base, it is apparent that he has exploited the intricate regional state of affairs which has destabilized the capacity of the United Nations (U.N) to firmly counter the Syrian crisis 2. In order to comprehend the complex state of affairs, it is appropriate to take a broader look at this region. This may help in understanding why the U.N seems incapable of being decisive against President Al-Assad. However, as the president of the world’s superpower, there is urge of considering whether to intervene or not and save the Syrian people. This crisis that started on 15th March 2011, h as claimed very many lives as protesters all over the country call for the resignation of president Bashar Al-Asad in favor of political rights and freedom. However, Bashar has consistently ignored the grievances of the people and continuously used violence to protesters as well the rebels with the urge of overthrowing the government 3. Therefore, the United States of America should not and cannot stay oblivious to the abominable mass killings in Syria. It is thus with this regard that the government needs a strong and firm decision on the Syrian crisis so as to restore peace and stability in a country where the two attributes have long been forgotten. Moreover, The Syrian regime’s violent reaction to protests since March 2011 has led to the death of approximately 5,400  people, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).  

The End of the Race Essay Example for Free

The End of the Race Essay Thinking about the outcome of mixing races, are Asians and Europeans distinguishable in the distant future? As intermarriage goes intense, there would be many minorities in race. In contrast, majorities’ attitudes toward minorities generate discrimination simultaneously; minorities are more likely to be exposed to prejudice. However, Steve Olson says that each mixed individuals are the key to weaken the barricade between races. Matthijis Kalmijin also supports the point that intermarriage decreases the conflicts between cultural groups and it weaken prejudice and stereotypes against other races. In the past decades, researchers have described patterns of marriage, and examined individual variations in intermarriage. In terms of making selection on partners, it seems race has had much influence on it. In the report written by Matthijis Kalmijin, he says â€Å"People have a tendency to marry within their social group or to marry a person who is close to them in status. Although many characteristics play a role in the choice of a spouse, sociologists have most often examined endogamy and homogamy with respect to race/ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status. † According to the research, in a sense that people have tendency to marry a person from the same race or close status, endogamy will still be practiced even if intermarriage go intense. Therefore, Asians and Europeans would be physically distinguishable in the future. Native Hawaiians are one of the good examples of â€Å"minorities† in race. How did they become minorities? On November 26, 1778, an European ship captained by James Cook first arrived at the Hawaiian island of Maui. Never seen Europeans before, yet Polynesians accepted them without hesitation; women from lower classes were willing to exchange their bodies in order to move up in social status. In 1852, 84 years later of his arrival, three hundred Chinese men arrived to work on plantations, and in the next century nearly half a million more workers followed, including China, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, Spain, Austria, Germany, Norway, and Russia. This is how so called hapa Haoles came out. What does this history bring in today’s Hawaiian society? According to Olson, Native Hawaiians have the lowest incomes and highest unemployment rates of any ethic group. They have the most health problems and the shortest life expectancy. They are the least likely to go to college and the most likely to be incarcerated. This is caused by a vicious circle; discrepancy in education and employment between native Hawaiians and majorities. Well-off haoles, Chinese, and Japanese send their children to private school, while the public schools are underfunded. Besides, the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Hawaii accelerates the already-worse situation today. Tourism produces mostly low-paying jobs in sale, and construction. Because the education and jobs that you can possibly acquire is closely connected, there has few opportunities for native Hawaiians to move up in career and improve their quality of lives. However, Olson says â€Å"Minority races are likely to be exposed to prejudice, but barriers between groups become more permeable when a substantial number of mixed individuals demonstrate choices are possible. † In other words, you can make a â€Å"choice† to look down minorities or to respect them. This is also supported by the Matthijis Kalmijin’s report saying that â€Å"intermarriage can thus be regarded as an intimate link between social groups† in a sense that marriage is usually an intimate and long-term relationship. Also, firstly, â€Å"intermarriage decreases the salience of cultural distinctions in future generations because the children of mixed marriages are less likely to identify with themselves with a single group†. Secondly, â€Å"by intermarrying, individuals may lose the negative attitudes they have toward other groups. † In other words, intermarriage may eventually weaken prejudice and stereotypes against other races in the way that it makes the very people and the future generations feel more amiable toward their races. Although it depends on how mixed individuals feel and think about their races, they are definitely the key to eliminate prejudice. As an mixed of Japanese and Chinese, I strongly agree to the Olson’s opinion saying that â€Å"the barrier become permeable† if we mixed individuals make choice. Being put in this situation, I sometimes feel ambivalent about my nationality and cannot put myself in either side because I know both societies’ good and bad aspects. The answer I found was to be an international person without fully belonging to one side. As previously mentioned in Kalmijin’s words, I am exactly â€Å"the children of mixed marriages† without identifying themselves with a single social group and I want to be â€Å"an intimate link between social groups†. I think cultures will survive as long as each race respects and practices their distinctive cultures. Mixed races including me tend to forget to learn deeply about one culture. Because mixed races will increase over time in general, however, I regard we are the one who need to keep these things in mind and make effort to understand multiple cultures which we are exposed.

Positive Psychology and the Effect of Colour on Mood

Positive Psychology and the Effect of Colour on Mood Positive of Psychology and How Color Affects Our Mood Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Positive Psychology Rationale Issues Addressed Positive Feelings Positive Individual Qualities Positive Organizations Understanding Positive Psychology Advantages Of Positive Thinking Colors And Psychology Red Blue Yellow Green Violet Orange Pink Grey Black White Effect On Human Minds Red Yellow Blue Black White Green Pink Purple Orange Conclusion Bibliography Introduction This report covers the significance of positive psychology and its impact on the nature of the human psychology. Moreover, the influence of colors on changing moods and psychological patterns of human are also discussed in detail. Positive Psychology Positive Psychology is the branch of Psychology that uses experimental understanding and viable mediation to support in the accomplishment of an attractive life instead of only treating emotional instability. This field brings consideration regarding the likelihood that concentrating just on disorder could bring about a fractional, and restricted, intellectual capacity of an individuals condition. Therefore to expand the circle of optimism, positive psychology throws lights on several aspects of human behavior (Smit Bohlmeijer, 2013). Subjects of eagerness to specialists in the field are: conditions of joy or stream, values, qualities, ideals, gifts, and also the ways that these can be advanced by social frameworks and institutions. Positive analysts are concerned with four points in positive psychology: positive encounters persisting mental characteristics positive connections positive organizations Rationale In positive psychology, the objective is to help individuals in changing negative styles of speculation as an approach to change how they feel. This methodology has been extremely effective, and changes how people consider other individuals, their future, and themselves in a positive way. The reasoning procedures that affect psychological states fluctuate extensively from individual to individual. For instance, a change in our initiative to time can drastically affect how we consider the way of satisfaction (Smit Bohlmeijer, 2013). The other conceivable objectives of positive psychology are: to encourage families and schools that permit kids to develop to flourish working environments that go for fulfillment and high benefit to show others about positive psychology Issues addressed (Averill Clements, 2007)Positive Psychology is concerned with three issues: Positive feelings are concerned with being substance with ones past, being content in the present and having trust for whats to come. Positive individual qualitiesconcentrate on ones qualities and ethics. Positive organizations are in view of qualities to better a group of people. Bliss envelops distinctive passionate and mental phenomena. Understanding Positive Psychology Positive intuition assists with anxiety administration and can even enhance wellbeing in the prevailing environment. Work on overcoming negative talk toward oneself with samples proof these effects. A few studies demonstrate that identity characteristics like idealism and negativity can influence numerous regions of your wellbeing and prosperity. In the event that have a tendency to be pessimistic, there is famous saying â€Å"dont give up†is followed which shows that people can learn positive inference abilities. Positive thinking doesnt imply that people keep their head in the sand and disregard lifes less charming circumstances. Positive thinking just implies that they approach offensiveness in a more positive and beneficial way. People think the best is going to happen, not the most exceedingly bad (Costello, 2012). Advantages of Positive Thinking There is an assumption that having a positive viewpoint empowers you to adapt better to unpleasant circumstances, which decreases the unsafe wellbeing impacts of weight on your body. Its likewise believed that constructive and idealistic individuals have a tendency to live healthier ways of life (Blackburn Wassenhove, 2012). Few advantages that positive intuition may give include: Expanded life compass Lower rates of misery Lower levels of pain More noteworthy imperviousness to the basic cool Better mental and physical prosperity Lessened danger of death from cardiovascular illness Better adapting aptitudes amid hardships and times of anxiety Colors and Psychology Colors highly relate to psychology and human moods are highly influenced byte shades of colors they experience in their life, surrounding and inner self. There are four mental essential hues red, blue, yellow and green. They relate separately to the body, the psyche, the feelings and the crucial harmony between these three (Teimouri, 2011). The mental properties of the eleven fundamental colors are as per the following: RED Characteristics Red has the property of seeming, by all accounts, to be closer than it is and thus it snatches our concentration first. Its impact is physical; it empowers us and raises the beat rate, giving the feeling that time is passing quicker than it is. It identifies with the manly rule and can initiate the battle or flight intuition. Red is solid, and extremely fundamental. Perfect red is the least complex shade. It is fortifying, enthusiastic and inviting. In the meantime, it can be seen as requesting and forceful. BLUE Characteristics Blue is the shade of the psyche and is basically relieving It influences us rationally, instead of the physical response we need to red. It reflects quiet and rationally smoothing nature. It is the shade of clear correspondence. Blue articles dont seem to be as near to us as red ones. Blue is the worlds most loved shade. Nonetheless, it can be seen as frosty, unemotional and threatening (Teimouri, 2011). YELLOW Characteristics The yellow wavelength is generally long and basically fortifying. Yellow is considered to be passionate physically and the strongest shade, mentally. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our respect toward oneself It is the shade of certainty and idealism. The wrong tone in connection to alternate tones in a shade pan can result in discomfort and uneasiness (Teimouri, 2011). GREEN Characteristics Green strikes the eye as the most relaxing sight. Being in the core of the shades’ range, Green is the shade of equalization. At the point when the world will contain a lot of green, it will reflect the availability of water and minimal risk of starvation, so green consoles our souls on a primitive level. Adversely, it can show stagnation and, inaccurately utilized, will be seen as being excessively tasteless (Teimouri, 2011). VIOLET Characteristics The briefest wavelength is violet, regularly depicted as purple. It takes attention to a more elevated amount of thought, even into the domains of otherworldly values. It is profoundly introvert and supports profound thought, or reflection. It has relationship with sovereignty and imparts the finest conceivable quality. It has relationship with time and space and the universe. the wrong tone of it imparts something modest and terrible (Teimouri, 2011) ORANGE Characteristics Since it is a mix of red and yellow, orange is animating and response to it is a mix of the physical and the passionate. It centers our psyches on issues of physical comfort, sustenance, warmth, cover and so forth. It is a fun shade. Adversely, it may concentrate on the definite inverse hardship. This is especially likely when warm orange is utilized with dark. Similarly, a lot of orange proposes pointlessness and an absence of genuine scholarly values (Teimouri, 2011). PINK Characteristics Being a tint of red, pink likewise influences us physically Pink is a capable color of influencing people mentally. It speaks to the female guideline, and survival of the species. It is supporting and physically qualifying. An excess of pink is physically depleting and can be to some degree purifying (Teimouri, 2011). GREY Characteristics Perfect Grey is the main shade that has no direct mental properties. It is, nonetheless, very suppressive. A virtual nonappearance of shade is discouraging and when the world turns greypeople are instinctually adapted to attract and get ready for hibernation. Overwhelming utilization of grey for the most part demonstrates an absence of certainty and fear of beginning (Teimouri, 2011). BLACK Characteristics The mental consequences of black are extensive. It makes defensive boundaries, as it retains all the vitality advancing towards you, and it conceals the identity. Black is basicallyabsence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, consequently be threatening. Absolutely, it conveys supreme clarity, with no defects. It reflects advancement and uncompromising nature and it lives up to expectations Black makes an impression of sincerity (Teimouri, 2011). WHITE Characteristics It makes boundaries, however in contrast to dark, and it is regularly a strain to take a glimpse at. It conveys, Touch me not! White is virtue and, in the same way as dark, uncompromising. It is clean, hygienic, and sterile. The idea of sterility can likewise be negative. Externally, white gives an uplifted impression of space. Another of white on warm colors is to make them look and feel flashy (Teimouri, 2011). Effect on human minds RED The shade Red is the most dynamic of all colors. It fortifies the mind, body and soul. This shade is perfect to wear for a walk or practice as it is an empowering shade. The shade red can also result in anxiety; it might likewise cause dissatisfaction as well. The shade red symbolizes love; it animates pulse and relaxing (Dabanloo, 2011). YELLOW Yellow serves to discharge a compound in the mind called Serotonin, which is vital for bringing about a content temperament. Yellowshade upgrades focus and gives the cerebrum and sensory system a â€Å"wake-up call. Excessive yellow shade can result in exhaustion. It is the most troublesome shade on the eye and individuals may lose temper all the more frequently in yellow rooms. It is additionally helpful for accelerating digestion system and is a typical sustenance shade (Dabanloo, 2011) BLUE It is accepted to have a mitigating impact on human personality as it serves to deliver some calming chemicals in the mind. Be that as it may, an excessive amount of this shade may cause sadness. Blue is utilized a ton as a part of chip in segment as it signifies dedication. It is additionally demonstrated that materials in blue shade seem to be light in weight; this is one of the reasons why weightlifters discover it simpler to handle substantial weights in exercise centers painted blue. The shade blue is a non-sustenanceshade as it gives a poisonous impact to edibles; in addition exploration has demonstrated that when individuals are presented with nourishment colored in blue they have a tendency to lose hunger. For weight watchers blue kitchen can be exceptionally useful, studies uncover that coffee shops eating in a blue room eat 3 times less calories than in rooms painted yellow and red (Dabanloo, 2011). Black Black implies force and power; it speaks to learning and judgment. It is the most conventional shade in the business design on account of its relationship with style and it makes individuals wearing it look delicate. A nourishment item stuffed in dark shade may get more benefits in light of the fact that it is seen to be higher in quality. Black is the most forceful shade, studies found that hockey groups wearing dark shirts were punished more for fouls (Costello, 2012). WHITE White is thought to be the most impartial shade. Child items come normally in white to symbolize honesty and cleanliness. White is utilized by specialists and medical attendants to show sterility. In garments, white is connected with refinement. Studies demonstrated that individuals having hand shivers didnt shake much in white rooms representing that the shade has a cooling impact (Blackburn Wassenhove, 2012). GREEN Green speaks to nature and presently it is the most prominent shade that is being utilized as a part of inside beautification. The reason is its calming impact on the eyes. Green gives a peace to the body and relieves stress. Analysts have demonstrated that the shade enhances vision. This could be the motivation behind why classroom sheets are in green shade. Moderately aged ladies wear green to mean fruitfulness. Green has a mending and hygienic impact and hence it is utilized a great deal as a part of doctors facilities. Individuals working in green workplaces have ended up being more fulfilled by their employments. Different reviews have likewise discovered that customers invest additional time shopping in shops painted green (Bradley, Pallas, Bashyal, Berman, Curry, 2010). PINK Pink shade is thought to be more sentimental of every shade in color palate. It is the softest shade and is connected with gentility. Regularly games groups’ utilization pink shade to paint the locker spaces for the restricting group. It has been discovered gainful in decreasing resentment and uneasiness (Costello, 2012). PURPLE Purple shade symbolizes sovereignty, extravagance and complexity. Individuals wearing purple shade are seen to be affluent. It creates deep sense of being and profound musings. Purple shade has likewise been discovered useful to strengthen intimacy (Costello, 2012) ORANGE It is determined by the mix of red and yellow shade hence it has consolidating impacts of the two. It invigorates mental capacities and is a perfect shade to wear for exams. It is additionally suspected for expanding greediness (Dabanloo, 2011). Conclusion The assessment of positive psychology and how to impacts the thoughts and nature of individuals has helped in concluding that positive thinking results in decreased pessimism and negativity which will help reducing the rate of crime, deaths and unethical and unlawful acts because positive psychology flourishes contentment. On the other side, the impact of colors studied in details concludes that every color plays a vital role in shaping the thoughts of human. For any kind of business in any sector regarding any target market, the colors are chosen accordingly which helps increasing the positive affect of that on individuals. Similarly, the impact of colors affects the thoughts of individuals significantly in dealing with their stress level, health concerns and for dealing with relationships. Bibliography Averill, J. B., Clements, P. T. (2007). Patterns of Knowing as a Foundation for Action-Sensitive pedagogy. Journal of Qualitative Health Research, 386-399. http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-13-119.pdf Blackburn, C., Wassenhove, v. (2012). Partnerships to improve supply chains. Sloan Managemnt Review, 71-82. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122271/ Bradley, E. H., Pallas, S., Bashyal, C., Berman, P., Curry, L. (2010). Developing Strategies For Improving Health Care Delivery. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3531570/ Costello, C. A. (2012). Positive Psychology and Self-Effi cacy: Potential Benefits for College Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities. ournal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 119-129. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ994281.pdf Dabanloo, N. J. (2011). Personality Psychology using Heart Responses to Color Stimulus. computing in cardialogy, 193-00. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831986/ Smit, F., Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13-19. http://www.ee.columbia.edu/ln/dvmm/publications/04/ICMEjune04_nelson.pdf Teimouri, S. (2011). Psychology of Colors and Architectural Faà §ade and Interior Color Selection. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 215-219. http://essay.utwente.nl/63446/1/Hulshof_Bart_-s_1128353_scriptie.pdf

Effect of Age on Self-Descriptions and Characteristics

Effect of Age on Self-Descriptions and Characteristics A small scale study involving two children aged 8 and 16 to recognise aspects of Rosenberg’s findings on how a child’s self-descriptions and characteristics change with age. Abstract This study examines the theory of Rosenberg (1989) that the characteristics of a child’s self-description changes with age. Namely, the researcher investigates how a child describes themselves changes with age as a result of experience, social interaction and knowledge. A primarily qualitative analysis with some quantitative analysis was carried out on two pre-existing semi structured interviews of two children a boy aged 16, and a girl aged 8. Using Rosenberg’s (1979) categorical analysis, in part the results showed that age does play a part in how a child’s self-description changes with age and an older child is more likely to focus on emotions and inner feelings when talking about themselves as opposed to a younger child who is more likely to focus of external behaviour and characteristics. Introduction This study aims to understand the relationship between how individual talks about themselves, and how these change with age thus creating their own identity. Identity is how a person views themselves and how others view that person. Initial work by Cooley and Mead ( 1902) found evidence that people build their own identity based on reactions of others towards them and that that children could not form a sense of self without feedback from others,† ( as cited in Meill Ding, p. 134 ) He referred to this as the â€Å"looking glass self†. Evidence was drawn from the â€Å"feral child case† whereby, a young boy was discovered living in the wild but had limited understanding of the world around him lacking in social skills due to minimal interaction with others. (Meill Ding, 2005) (Lewis, 1961) found evidence to support Cooley and Meads (1902) initial findings and theorised that a true sense of self happens over a period of time and changes dependant of a child’s age. The theories of Lewis (1961) consisted of two stages, the self as an object, (the categorical self) consisting of the characteristics that define an individual age, gender, name and the relationship that child has with others. The second stage (the existential self) refers to the self as a subject and this is gained as a result of personal development, experience and the social connections with others. (Maccoby, 1980) suggested that â€Å"building an identity and achieving self-awareness is a long term project† (as cited in Meill et al, p.131) and that children cannot form a true sense of oneself without feedback from others, therefore could not fully develop without the two aspects working together. Bannister and Agnew (1977) found that as children get older they become more accomplished at recognising themselves mentally from others, and additionally as they become older become better equipped at seeing themselves in a more distinctive way. Younger children have a tendency to depict and separate themselves by using physical characteristics and behaviours whereas older children rely more on mental characteristics and feelings. Following on from these ideas Rosenberg (1979) put forward his own theories. Rosenberg (1979) noted that as a child gets older they describe themselves with more internal qualities such as personal beliefs, feelings, emotions, attitudes, state of mind, wishes and insider facts and they were less likely to use character attributes to characterise themselves. The Younger children’s descriptions were more to do with interpersonal attributes such as external behaviours, descriptions and characteristic’s. Harter (1983) also found that the aspects that children talk about change with age. She reviewed interviews of children talking about themselves; she found that younger children tended to focus objective facts and external behaviour whereas, as the children got older the focus shifted to internal factors such as personal beliefs, feelings, emotions and attitudes. This study is aimed to demonstrate how a child perceives them self by self-description and how the characteristics they display change with age by using Rosenberg’s Categories of analysis. It is predicted that the differences between how Annie and Adam describe themselves should be significantly different with the younger child Annie, displaying more external characteristics and the older child Adam displaying more internal and personal characteristics within the meanings of the research question â€Å"who are you? (Meill et al 2005) Method Design The two children a boy aged 16 and a girl aged eight who were interviewed separately were asked to write up to 10 statements about themselves. One of the children, Annie the six year old girl was only able to write six so those six were just taken into account. The data was analysed for Rosenberg’s concept of Developmental Trend of Self Awareness and Rosenberg’s categories were applied to this data. Then the â€Å"Locus of Self Knowledge† was Considered and analysed and a theme on the â€Å"self† was identified using thematic analysis. Participants The participants (an eight year old girl and a sixteen year old boy) from Milton Keynes were provided by the Open University which obtained consent from the participants to use the interviews for research purposes. The study involved some quantitative analysis but it is primarily a qualitative study. The participants were interviewed separately by two different interviewers who were not previously known to the participants. Materials and apparatus The researcher an Open University psychology student, analysed the pre-existing material (the two semi structured interviews) comprising of a DVD. (The Open University, 2005 video band 3, self-concept interviews) and a transcript provided by the OU with the time taken with responses also recorded from beginning to end. The transcript provided the conversation between the interviewer and the child from start to end. Procedure Rosenberg’s categories were used in the analysis of the interviews referring to the DVD and transcripts noting the researchers own perception the themes of Rosenberg (1989) they were physical, the character, relationships and inner. These were identified on a category analysis form (see appendix 2 3) which were used to mark and record the different themes identified. The second part of the analysis involved the locus of knowledge and analysing the results separately then to conclude thematic analysis was applied to see if there were any reoccurring themes within the data. The interviewers examined the same subject theme of â€Å"who are you?† ( Miell et al, 2005) Ethical Issues The data collection complied with the BPS of code of ethics. Informed consent was obtained from the participant and their parents (for children under 16) The Interviewer made sure that the participants did not suffer from any physical or psychological harm as a result of their research. The children were fully briefed on the procedure and reminded of their right to withdraw at any time. The participants were debriefed at the end and thanked for their participation. No ethical issues were raised. Results Self-Description Table 1. A comparison of Annie and Adam‘s Categories of self-description (see appendix 1) The aim of this study was to see if the content of Annie (8) and Adam (16) interviews’ reflected a difference in the descriptions of one’s self (see table 1.) Adam as predicted, made 100 % more Inner statements compared to Annie, which supports Rosenberg’s theories that an older child would focus more on descriptions of Inner feelings than a younger child. It was also predicted that Annie (the younger child would have scored higher in the Physical category. 67% of her answers fell into the physical category compared to Adams 40 %. It was expected that as an older child the physical category would have had a lower score, but Adam enjoys the physical side of his life and is very active with sport etc. Surprisingly, Adam also scored 100 % higher than Annie in the Character category. According to Rosenberg’s theories, it was to be expected that the younger child Annie would have scored higher in this category. If the participant pool had been on a larger scale this may well have been the case. Locus of self-Knowledge Despite the difference in age and gender both children agreed, (when questioned who would know best, themselves or their respective mothers) that it would be their mothers who would know best. There was consistency in the way the questions were asked to both children but the answers were for different reasons. Adam showed displays of inner concepts in his answer that his mother probably would know best and gave emotional justifications for this â€Å"she always seemed to be in control of situations particularly his schooling.† He gave another example of this when he described his mother at parents evening and â€Å"how they could predict what the other was thinking.† (Theory of mind) Annie of the other hand laughs and gives a more simplistic explanation of her mother claiming she just â€Å"knows best† as if that is what was to be expected as she was the parent. However, how close a family is bonded or a sense of a more established sense of inner self could also explain both their reasoning in their answers. Themes Identified Two themes that were identified using thematic analysis were gender differences, although both sexes enjoyed football, it was viewed by both the participants as a traditionally male sport. The second theme that was identified was self-awareness of one’s self and both participants described how they thought they would be described by others. Discussion The aim of this study was to see if the content of Adam and Annie’s interviews reflected a difference in the descriptions of themselves, to identify the locus of knowledge and in addition any of themes. Adam said â€Å"when he’s older, he would like to be a leader, or something with power, and I’d been really strong as a leader.† (Referring to When he was football captain (25.33) which suggests that he still regards himself as developing and growing. This provides evidence for Harter (1983) theory that as a child gets older the focus shifts to more internal factors such as personal beliefs, feelings, emotions and attitudes. However Annie said â€Å"I love rabbits, guinea pigs and dogs† (3.36) which is a simple external statement and can be linked back to Rosenberg (1979) theory that Younger children were more likely to describe interpersonal attributes Although it appears that both children are able to express themselves Adam wrote ten â€Å"I am â€Å"statements whereas Annie only wrote six. This may suggest that a younger child may be more limited to expression of themselves. Both Annie and Adam acknowledge when asked â€Å"who would know best, themselves or their mothers? â€Å"That indeed, their mothers would probably know better than themselves and they both trust their respective parental judgement. This is referred to as the locus of knowledge. The two themes that were identified were gender and self-awareness. Adam refers to his passion about football (2.18) â€Å" if I am just walking with my friends and see a football match I will stop and watch it, if it’s on TV I’ll watch it, and I will stop what I am doing if someone asks me to play† He pinpoints when his passion started (2.57) when his† father first gave him his very own ball â€Å" There is a sense of pride in the way he speaks about his father giving him this ball , as if it is a male bonding between them. Annie has also identified that football is traditionally a male hobby. She refers to herself ( 11.24) As â€Å" being the same as Georgina because we are both tomboys and we love football â€Å" Even at six years old Annie has come to forma belief about the notion of masculiNIty and feminINity. Evidence from (Maccoby, 1980) suggested that â€Å"building an identity and achieving self-awareness is a long term project† (as cited in the early development of identity, p.131) and those children cannot form a true sense of oneself without feedback from others. The second theme that was identified was self-awareness. Annie identifies herself as being â€Å" a kind person, and if you got to know me you like me† ( 18.32) and Adam describes his interest in clothes and how his friends perceive him for working in the shop â€Å" they are always impressed with me â€Å" ( 8.53) These statements link to that of Lewis ( 1961) who found that â€Å" a true sense of self happens over a period of time and changes dependant of a child’s age Which consisted of two stages, the self as an object, (the categorical self) and the later second stage (the existential self) which was gained as a result of personal development. There are limitations when using discourse analysis as it is problematic when trying to evaluate the findings of research as the interpreter may not have correctly interpreted the meanings of the participants which raise the issue of intercoder reliability or another interpreter may have coded the answers differently. One of the problems that did arise within this study is validity as the comparison is it a not like for like comparison as Adam gave ten â€Å" I am â€Å" statements but Annie only gave six so there was a methodical flaw to begin. In order to improve on the methodology of this study, the participant number in each age group could be increased to take into consideration individual differences between children. Also it would be interesting to interview children from different cultures to see if that made a difference in the findings. This study shows partial support for Rosenberg (1979) findings as Adam (16) focussed on Inner feeling, Physical characteristics whereas Annie (6) focussed more on physical characteristics and relationships. It was to be expected that Adam would have scored higher than Annie in the relationship category although this study did not allow for individual and developmental differences, what had been learnt socially and the closeness of the individuals family unit. The younger child did use more self-descriptions than the older child in the relationship catagory which offers partial support Rosenberg’s findings. Conclusion To conclude, the findings show partial support for Rosenberg (1979) theories with evidence that self descriptions change in stages as a child matures with different aspects of identity being more significant at different ages and stages with the focus shifting from external characteristics of a younger child to the inner feelings and beliefs of an older child as a result of knowledge and experience. There is room for more research to be done in this area by using a larger participant pool and children from other cultures. References: Bannister, D. and Agnew, J. (1977) (as cited in The Open University, 2013, ED209, Tam 04 practical available from: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=345577section=1.2.1 (Accessed Feb 2014) Cooley, C.H Mead, G.H. (1902) as cited in Ding, S and Meill, D (2005) p.134. Ding, S Meill, D, (2005) â€Å" The early development of identity† in Ding, S and Littleton, K. (eds) Childrens Personal and Social Development, Oxford, Blackwell, The Open University. George, R., Oates, J. and Wood, C. (Eds) (2006) Methods and Skills Handbook, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Harter, S. (1983) as cited in Ding, S and Miell, D (2005) p.129 Lewis, M. (1961) as cited in Ding, S and Meill, D (2005) p.132. Maccoby, E. (1980) as cited in Ding, S and Meill, D (2005) p.130. Rosenberg (1979) (as cited in The Open University, 2013, ED209, Tma 04 practical available from: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=345577section=1.2.1 (Accessed Feb 2014) The Open University (2006) ED209 Child Development, Media Kit Part 2, Audio Band 3: Self Concept Interviews. Appendices: Appendix 1. A comparison of Annie and Adam’s categories of self-description. Appendix 2. Category Analysis form for Annie. Appendix 3 Category Analysis form for Adam.