Abraham Lincoln Did Not Free the Slaves

To this very day, many still believe that Abraham Lincoln, with his Emancipation Proclamation, serves as a revolutionary train that guided America in a forward direction to the abolishment of slavery. As dainty and â€Å"happily ever after† as such sounds, sadly this is not the case at all. Though Lincoln and many other Northerners opposed slavery, emancipation of the millions of enslaved blacks wasn’t always well accepted in the racist society of the North or the South. Northern blacks were typically more outspoken about the issues of slavery; however, this led to many being seen as merely stoking the fire that would lead to a civil war and secession of the South. Eventually secession did occur with the election of 1860 and Abraham Lincoln’s anti-slavery platform, but Lincoln didn’t immediately grant manumission of all the slaves. Instead, as years past and war weariness settled in, along with an already occurring self-liberating force by enslaved blacks, Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation. This historical document has been morphed into being accepted as Lincoln’s greatest achievement and the freeing of slaves. When actually analyzing the contents of this document and already occurring self-liberation movements of this time, it is evident that Abraham Lincoln didn’t free the slaves. 1. Self-Liberation Movements a. Motivation i. Declaration from God ii. Civil War 1. Allowed the already self-liberation black movement to grow. 2. Believed that if North Won = End of Slavery 3. Believed that if South Won = Slavery everywhere b. Ran towards Union Lines i. Pilgrim Armies ii. Camped in areas where Union Soldiers occupied 1. â€Å"Freedom Fort† 2. Union-held Fortress Monroe 3. Hundreds left slavery and went here. iii. Left from Virginia and the Carolinas to Richmond iv. Left Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Missouri to the North c. Self-made Emancipation proclamations i. Many slaves made their own. ii. Inspiration from slave songs. d. Became an unavoidable Military and Political Issue i. Many enlisted ii. Worked on Union encampments iii. Served as spies iv. Treated as Contraband v. Abraham Lincoln and other Generals didn’t recognize their freedom in most cases. . Emancipation Proclamation a. Purpose i. Proclamation was created to weaken Confederacy. ii. Lincoln’s goal was to repair the union. iii. Purpose was not to free slaves. b. Contents i. Proclamation freed only slaves in â€Å"Rebellious† States. ii. Lincoln preserved slavery in â€Å"loyal states† and parts of the confederacy in Union control. c. Effectiveness i. No authority over the â€Å"Rebellious† States ii. Slaves in the South were already liberating themselves iii. There wasn’t a way to enforce this Proclamation. d. Lincoln’s Views i. Didn’t believe in a black and white society. i. Was anti-slavery, different from abolitionist. iii. More focused on preserving the Union and halting expansion of slavery. iv. Why did he wait two years if he really wanted to emancipate the slaves? v. Lincoln’s Letter to Horace Greeley â€Å"my paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery, If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. â€Å"

Processes of globalization Essay

The current state of world politics nowadays has reached the stage wherein almost everyone from age 8 to 80 is already aware of the subjects of globalization and nationalism. If you put these two words in order, the topic of nationalism always comes first, having people grow with the idea. Globalization comes next and the very word was often perceived as a form of disrespecting the subject of nationalism. In the article that Kusumi (2004) wrote for the Association of Asian Research, he used nationalism and globalization and the al-Qaeda as his subjects which he compared from each other. In this article, he stated that â€Å"on the part of globalization, to make a mess in unintentional. On the part of al-Qaeda, to make a mess is the whole idea (Kusumi, 2004). † Nationalism, in a more general definition is the way in which a certain society decides to order its affairs. As children, we were taught that nations are also called territories that are governed by either civil or military authorities. For a more comprehensive meaning of nations, these are units of communities possessing their own policies and histories. One nation generally has its own unique policy system, economy, society, and cultures. Every nation is unique from each other in their own ways. Based from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the term nationalism can be described by two kinds of phenomena with the first referring to the attitude possessed by the members of a certain nation when it comes to the subject of their national identity. This definition raises questions about the subjects of nation or national identity which are often connected to the subjects of common origin, ethnicity, or the membership of a certain individual in a nation. The second definition moreover, deals with the attitude or actions of these members whenever they seek or fight to sustain their self-determination and carries along questions of whether the concept of self-determination should be viewed as something that involves having full statehood or complete authority over domestic and international affairs etc. For many years, nationalism has been ignored as a significant topic in the area of political philosophy and has only emerged as one of the consequences of nationalist clashes like the one between the former Yugoslavia and Soviet Republics. Either way, nationalism often presents a picture that is morally ambivalent in theme. The very concept of national awakenings and the struggles that come along with the fight for political independence are both seen as heroic in people’s eyes. Basically, the moral debates about nationalism shows a kind of deep moral tension between national groups that are oppressed and the repulsion that are effects of the crimes committed for nationalism itself. Simply put, the subject of nationalism refers to an area of problems mostly about the ethnic and cultural differences in a democratic policy. These, also are considered as one of the hardest dilemmas in contemporary political theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ). Nationalism is also connected to the term nation-state which refers to a â€Å"geographically bounded legal entity under a single recognized environment, the population of which psychologically considers them to be related, through historical, linguistic, racial, or other links (Kacowicz, 1998). † The forces connected to the subject of nationalism can be presented in many forms that are beyond the definition of the state itself. For example, the subject of nationalism can serve as an instrument in finding a homeland state for a certain existing nation that still does not own one. Moreover, it can also be used to organize a nation for a state that is not yet one through the collaboration of different elements within territorial boundaries to create a nation. Globalization, on the other hand, is viewed as the antithesis of nationalism. This concept negates what the nationalism promotes about the different identities of nations ad suggests that there are no boundaries existing, only one globe. There are many implications to this subject. For example, global transportation around the world is becoming far easier compared to the past times and communications technology is still improving and spreading globally. These kinds of changes sometimes make people have the feeling that they are all connected despite of the distances and boundaries. The word globalization implies the fact that the world is only a single market with goods and investments flowing freely across different national borders. The term refers to the changes in both the spatial and temporal contours of social existence. Here, geographical distance is now measured in terms of time and as time is needed to connect geographical locations is minimized, the subject of distances often undergo the subject of compression or even annihilation. And as changes in human activities also affect changes in space or territory, many theorists believe that these alterations in the experiences of humanity are in the process of undermining the significance of both local and national boundaries in the area of human endeavor (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006). There are three facets connected to globalization. The first among these is the association of the subject to the concept of deterritorialization, a concept which refers to the increasing kinds of social activities happening irrespective of the geographical location of the participants. These activities are promoted through telecommunication, audiovisual media, digital computers and even the World Wide Web itself. If you view globalization using the concept of deterritorialization, the former can be connected to the increased possibilities of the actions of people irrespective of their latitudinal and longitudinal location. As what the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2006) stated, â€Å"Territory in the sense of traditional sense of geographically identifiable location no longer constitutes the whole of ‘social space’ in which human activity takes place†¦. globalization refers to the spread of new forms of non-territorial social activity. † The second concept connected to globalization is that of social interconnectedness across geographical and political boundaries. In this aspect, globalization is connected to the different processes of change that causes significant transformations in the organization of human affairs though connecting and expanding the possibilities of human activities across borders. The third concept of globalization is social acceleration or speed or velocity of any social activity. The speed of the transportation, communication, and other technologies that link people now at present are very important factors in giving the sense of interconnectedness and blurring of territorial boundaries. The speed of technology, however, is not the only deal in this subject. The connecting and expansion of social activities across different borders are also defined by the very movements of people, information, and goods. The two other concepts mentioned above are directly connected with the speed or social life and the velocity and interchanges across different borders varies generally from their magnitude, impact, or regularity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006). Thus, globalization should be perceived as a multi-pronged process due to the fact that deterritorialization, social interconnectedness, and the acceleration of social activities affect many aspects of social activity like in economic, political, and cultural terms. Every manifestation of globalization also creates conflicts and dislocations in different area. An example of this is the evidence saying that cross-border flows and exchanges re already gaining prominence worldwide. The emergence of global financial markets serves as a big challenge to traditional attempts of liberal democratic nation-states. When it comes to the political realm, globalization takes a more distinct form through deterritorialization, interconnectedness, and acceleration of social activity elements. One form of political globalization is when activists use high-speed communication technologies to connect and form alliances across borders against dilemmas that are transnational in manner. Forms of supranational organizations exhibited for example by the European Union and North America Free Trade Association are also perceived as new manifestations of political globalization. Despite all of these though, critics still say that the local, regional and national forms of self-government are now being replaced by the democratic forms of global governance that are insufficient to ordinary citizens. The definition of nationalism and globalization clearly shows the differences between the two concepts. Nationalism promoted the establishing of a national identity and the strengthening of borders from one nation to another. Here, a nation is seen as something that has its own policies, economic flow, and culture that is somewhat unavailable from the members of other nations. Globalization, on the other hand, firmly says that there are no existing borders and that the world is one undivided network. As what Kusumi (2004) said, nationalism and globalization are like oil and water. You can only patronize one and not the other since the nature of the word â€Å"international† is equivalent to the fact of having nations defined by their respective boundaries, while the definition of the word â€Å"global† is parallel to the intellectual aggression of individuals to the boundaries that are drawn on the globe. Globalization and terrorism have common factors. Both aims to reach out across national borders and both are vessels that in a way disrespect nationalism. Nationalism advertises the subject of having a national identity while globalization simply threatens the identity of not only one nation but all others around the world. However, globalization is not at all negative because evidences, particularly in the world of trade, shows that this very subject helps a lot in the economy of several countries (Kusumi, 2004). Thus, it is all just a matter of perspective for these two subjects. For one, during the last few decades, the international flows of goods and financial capital from border to border has increased significantly and if it will be studied in a global perspective, it can be seen that the international trade of goods and services doubled in a span of four decades. Despite of the increase in the flow of goods, services, and financial capital, the term globalization also implies the fact that the world is considered as nearly a single market. In a fully globalized economy setting such as this, the goods and investments will be able to flow easily from border to border (Taylor, 2002). Despite of these, though, there are still numerous studies promoting the importance that national borders play in the trade market and how our world regardless of all advancements is still too far into being considered a single world market. One of the evidences to the significant role of national borders can be seen in the situation of Ontario, a province of Canada that has an equal distance from Washington State and the province of British Columbia. If a person will look at the situation using the perspective of a borderless state defined by globalization, he/she will expect Ontario’s level of trade as equal to that of Washington and British Columbia. However, this is not the case when it comes to real life even after adjusting the respective sizes of their economies. In studies conducted in the United States and Europe, it is found that the trades between regions within countries are actually 3 to ten times higher compared to the trade across national borders even after taking into account factors like the size of local economies and geographic distance (Taylor, 2002). Reasons of why national borders still play important roles in the limiting of international movements of goods and capital are easy to identify. For one, transportation and communications networks are commonly organized by national governments and concentrate more in connections within their own country than national borders. Thus, the economic transactions across a national border is burdened with additional costs that are connected with different legal systems, institutions, regulations, languages and many other factors. Also, the changes and flow in exchange rate also ass to the level of risk to economic transactions across borders (Taylor, 2002). Globalization is not the single and most viable ingredient in achieving economic growth. In fact there are a multitude of factors that can serve as a catalyst to the achievement of economic success like good education, available investment capital, good infrastructure and transportation, a proper financial sector, and many more. Thus, nations aren’t face with the tough choice of choosing economic improvement over their loyalty to their nation. The availability of a certain market to the international flows of goods and capital is also one of the most important factors in promoting improvement but there is always a risk that globalization can’t accomplish much and may even be harmful to the economy (Taylor, 2002). Basically, the very concept of nationalism directly opposes the processes of globalization since the concepts of disintegration, fragmentation, and localization deviate from the very trend of globalization. For example, a new sense of statehood may be a response to the forces of globalization in aiming to annihilate borders between nations. Thus, the persistence and survival of nationalism can be viewed as a kind of response to the forces of the global market through actions that will relocate and strengthen the legitimacy and sense of loyalties at national or subnational levels versus the transnational and supranational force of economic globalization (Kacowicz, 1998). Moreover, the promotion of nationalism as well as the organizing of new states is even encouraged by pressures of globalization. Through the processes involved in technological dissemination, globalization can even be considered as a catalyst in promoting nationalism so that these two concepts can even converge if a new global revolution of rising expectations will only be viewed. These forces can even encourage states and nations to be more active and managing the pressures that comes along with the subject of globalization. Here, an interesting paradox can be seen because even though the forces of globalization seem to be a giant next to the concept of state sovereignty, the technological changes brought by the former can even improve the material conditions needed to enhance and give birth to nationalistic trends. To put it simply, globalization opens doors for new strategies and roles for the nation-state and the resurgence of the sense of nationalism (Kacowicz, 1998). In conclusion, nationalism and globalization are two concepts that directly oppose each other’s purposes but in a way also complements the promotion of one. Just like what has already been mentioned earlier in this paper, â€Å"it is all just a matter or perspective. † References: Kacowicz, A. M. (1998). Regionalization, Globalization, and Nationalism: Convergent, Divergent, or Overlapping? Retrieved June 7, 2009 Web site: http://www. nd. edu/~kellogg/publications/workingpapers/WPS/262. pdf. Kusumi, J. (2004). Globalization versus nationalism versus al-Qaeda: These three things are important to understand as bad, good, and bad respectively. Retrieved June 7, 2009, from Association for Asia Research. Web site: http://www. asianresearch. org/articles/2261. html. Taylor, T. (2002). The Truth About Globalization. Public Interest, 24. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2006). Globalization. Retrieved June 7, 2009 from Stanford University: Official site Web site: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/globalization/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2005). Nationalism. Retrieved June 7, 2009 from Stanford University: Official site Web site: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/nationalism/

Airborne Express case study Essay

Airborne Express, an air express transportation company has succeeded to compete with a few big competitors such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service (UPS) even it does not have funding as much as its competitors. In 1996, it held third position in the industry with 9 percent of the market. Even Airborne is smaller size company compared to its main competitors, it still can survive with the competitive advantage through its resources and capabilities. With some unique resources and core competences, a company may have competitive advantage over its competitors, and this is the way small capital company able to compete with its competitors. Airborne Express is the first and only air express transportation company that owns an airport. Because of the limited control, Airborne has purchased an airline at Wilmington in 1980. Since then, the airport became the hub of the company, and all the operations of the company were conducted here. It is also the biggest privately owned airport in United States. With the ownership of the airport, Airborne is able to control the operations more easily. Besides that, Airborne does not need to pay for any landing or service fees to the airlines company like its competitors. Comparably, Federal Express and UPS own the planes but still need to lease the airport from other party. It helps Airborne to save a lot of costs. Apart from that, Wilmington airport is one of the strategic airports in United States. It means that the place is having a well weather record. For express air transportation industry, weather is a big factor that can affect the daily business operation. If the weather is bad, the shipments will not be sent to the final destination at the promised time. Time is the promise to the customers and it does affect the confidence of a company’s customers. Besides airlines, Airborne also has a complete system of ground transportation. With the establishment of trucking hubs in some places, Airborne able to deliver the shipment that near to the hub using the ground transport. Almost 25 percent of the company’s domestic volume is dealt with ground transport. However, the cost of service by ground transport is not transparent to the customers who assume that the packages are flown. Thus, the charge is same with the air-transported goods. Compare to air transport, ground transportation costs five times lower. From here, the profit margin  has been increased. In the other way, the company also can offer lower price for ground transportation packages. Instead of making more profit, the company can utilize the low cost benefit to compete with its competitors. In 1996, Airborne Express owned a fleet of 105 aircraft. To keep the capital expenditure down, Airborne has purchased only used planes. The planes will be modified to suit its specification for air express transportation. The cost of purchase and modification is $30million lower than purchasing a new plane. Compare to other companies, a big amount of money is being saved by Airborne. Further more, Airborne’s DC-9 and YS-11 aircraft require only two person cockpit crew compared to normal three person crews required in Federal Express and UPS. Labour cost has been saved again. Airborne also have its own maintenance facility in Wilmington. It is the only all-cargo carrier to do so. It can handle most if the maintenance works except major engine repairs. It was estimate that the labour costs of $16 per hour is $49 lesser than the subcontracted labour cost. It was a major source of annual cost savings. Instead of serving all kinds of customers, Airborne decided to focus on serving the needs of high volume corporate accounts. It is because the severe competition and the cost of serving small customers. The company is able to establish scheduled pickup routes and use it as ground capacity more efficiently. Due to this factor, the unit cost structure has been reduced. According to the Airborne executives, their unit cost is $3 lower than its main competitor, Federal Express. Besides that, because of the different consumer behaviors between different groups, the focusing of the service is one of the ways to win a part of market in severe competition. By matching the needs of the groups, the company will have a better chance to win the customers than its competitors. Another aspects that Airborne get competitive advantage is the creation of the only privately certified Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) in United States at its Wilmington hub. In a FTZ, merchandise is tax-free and no customs duty is paid until it leaves. It is a big attraction to the foreign companies. The companies can keep their inventories in Wilmington hub, and the inventories  will be delivered to the destination by Airborne when needed. The local companies that implement Just-In-Time policy will prefer the service very much. It is because the inventories cost will bear by the suppliers that keep inventories in Airborne hub. For foreign companies, not only can satisfy the needs of local customers, but also can save the cost of tax and duty paid. The FTZ is a good factor that will help Airborne to set foot into the international market. However, because of the capital constraint, Airborne still unable to compete with Federal Express and UPS in the international market. Normally, large sizes A-containers are used in the air cargo business. Around $1million per plane is required to install cargo doors to take A-containers. To solve the problem, Airborne has developed C-containers that are six times smaller, and can fit through the passenger doors of the aircraft. The equipment to load the C-containers also about 80 percent less expensive than the equipment needed for A-containers. The shape of C-containers also designed to allow maximum utilisation of the plane space. To prevent other competitors copy the design, Airborne has taken out the patent on the C-containers. Therefore, C-containers seem to be the speciality of Airborne Express. It helps the company to save a lot of costs. It is a long term cost savings because it involves in daily operation. Therefore, it also a long term competitive advantage over the other competitors. Apart from that, through its subsidiary company, Advanced Logistics Services Corp., Airborne is promoting a range of third-party logistics service. It provides customers with the ability to maintain inventories in a 1 million square foot â€Å"stock exchange† facility located in Wilmington hub. The customers can choose to manage the inventories themselves or subcontract to Airborne. In â€Å"stock exchange† service, third party will involve in the instruction for movement of the inventories. It easier the process of the movement of inventories, and also help the customers to minimise inventory holding costs. Airborne is the first and only air express transportation company that provide this unique service. It actually involves a complex system. Therefore, knowledge or human resource is very important in order to develop the system. Since it is the only company, customers who interested  with the â€Å"stock exchange† service will come to Airborne. The unique competence gives Airborne a competitive advantage. Science and technology is developing rapidly in the world. Information system becomes more and more important in the business world. The more developed system a company has, the more competitive advantage it gets. Airborne uses three information systems to help in its daily operation. LIBRA II system is a metering device and computer software that easier the transaction between Airborne and customers. It also lowers Airborne’s operating costs. FOCUS is the main system provided by Airborne and it benefits customers the most. It is a worldwide tracking system that help the customers to track the location their package through Internet link. It increases the company’s reliability and service quality. With the trust on the company, customers will be more confident to give the job. The third system is the Customer Linkage electronic data interchange program. It eliminates repetitive data entry and paperwork by the customers. It also a system that created purposely to benefit its customers. The company also benefits from lowering the costs by eliminating manual data entry. From all the resources and capabilities mentioned above, we could realise that most of the competitive advantages Airborne has over its competitors is through costs reduction. According to Porter’s Generic Strategies Model, Airborne is actually implemented a cost-focus strategy to get the competitive advantage. Because of the lesser capital, Airborne is unable to compete with the giant of the industry, such as Federal Express and UPS. If Airborne can be the cost leader in the industry, it can give a severe competition to the competitors. Besides that, the unique resources such as C-containers and Foreign Trade Zone are also giving core competences to the company. In conclusion, facing the competition from competitors that have powerful funding, Airborne not only can survive, but also get a strong position in the air express transportation industry. A correct and suitable strategy adopted by a company can change the company position. A company, which can fully and smartly utilise its resources and capabilities, it can have  competitive advantage over the other competitors and it really benefits the company a lot.

Two Old Women book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Old Women book review - Essay Example Wallis had written the book sensitive based on the aspect of womanhood and nature that had been presented to retain survival within the members. The book is vital to predict the events that lead to the seclusion of selected societal members in an attempt to adjust to the harsh environmental challenges faced within unstable societies. Wallis’ short book had been written to predict the events that had occurred following the decision by a tribe to abandon two elderly women, following a natural calamity that threatened the development of their society. The events had been followed by the decision of the tribe to witness their reduced participation towards healthy development in the tribe. Wallis explains that these women had been linked to complaining instead of providing positive ideology to assist in eliminating the challenges. The book explains the ability of a stable societal system to make the decision to protect sensitive members within the system and encourage hard work through harsh subjections. The elderly women had been alienated despite their condition due to the burden that they would present to the new society. The decision had been made due to the harsh famine that had plagued the land. Despite the decision to abandon the women due to their condition, the result is unexpected because they apply determination and friendship to overcome the challenges. The community had made the decision to abandon the women because they had been considered a setback to the development within the new land that the tribe sought to create. The decision had been made because they had been considered weak and would not last the extreme famine witnessed. However, the twist in the story is realized when the women manage to overcome these challenges and plough through the burden that had been subjected upon them. Ch ‘idzigyaak and Sa’ managed to articulate solutions to present survival measures. Through the help of the daughter and her grandson, Ch

Is It Justified for orporations to Promote Stakeholder Involvement and Essay

Is It Justified for orporations to Promote Stakeholder Involvement and Public Good Objectives - Essay Example CSR also involves the relationship of the organization with its key partners: place of work, supply chain, public policy, and community.1 Firstly, a three dimensional terminology has been used to aid in the definition of CSR. This definition involves three diversified concepts of CSR: altruistic CSR which entails the organizations having the responsibility of acting and living while observing the interest of other people. The second dimension reviews ethical CSR which embeds an organization avoiding social injuries and harm to others as it conducts its operations. The final dimension is strategic CSR which incorporates the actions an entity engages in that translate to its benefit and also the benefit of its stake holders. To a greater extent, the discussion in this paper will be more anchored to reviewing the strategic dimension since the paper aims at reviewing to what extent a corporation should engage in maintaining public good though this move is against the interest of the stak eholders.2 Evidence reveals that CSR has its origins and can be traced back to the United Kingdom with reference to factors that make the UK acquire a leadership role. To begin with, UK has a colonial past especially in the African countries and has a viable international position necessitating its anchor in CSR activities. Consequently, UK serves as the headquarters for a great number of accountancy firms especially those bestowed with CSR embedded in the extensive journalistic expansion in the country. Subsequently, UK felt the prime impact of industrial revolution in the eighteenth century and thus experienced the first privatization of industries thus necessitating the need for early involvement in CSR. In addition, UK has spearheaded majority of the non-governmental community projects and aided in the shape of Shell and Unilever with the aid of Anglo-Dutch drivers. All these factors have worked in unison to give the UK a comparative advantage as far as CSR is concerned.3 CSR ha s also been defined as incorporating financial reporting of organizations to the relevant stakeholders. 4 The history of disclosing information currently being referred to as CSR has been documented to have existed in the UK since 1900s with reference to Hardfield’s Limited.5 The disclosures in these company included issues dealing with government policy, commercial responsibility, armaments, and professional responsibility to relevant stakeholders. However, the difference was in the quality of information disclosed with the current information being disclosed in the CSR being of a higher quality. This has led to the documentation of the importance and motivations of companies in the UK to engage in disclosures not only with the aim of informing their stakeholders. Disclosure informs the public of the activities of the organization, organizations also derive CSR positive public relations from disclosing and also to meet the disclosure requirements as stipulated by the stakeho lders. Also, disclosure illustrates if employees are tailored to meeting the company’s target and to show that organizations abide by the regulations of CSR. Disclosure also reveals to stakeholders the importance of other non-financial activities that an organization engages and thus a

How do you define success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How do you define success - Essay Example The most successful people were clearly those who had all the parties, had attractive boyfriends and girlfriends, and sat at the right lunch tables. Today I look back at this adolescent phase and consider that while my understanding of success was widely shared, I can’t help but feel it was rooted in an illusionary understanding of reality and what is important in life. Today I define success much differently. Rather than viewing success in terms of other people, I understand success as a matter of personal meaning and social contribution. I think that it’s important that human beings live their lives with purpose. Too often people are caught seeking acceptance from others and personal wealth as they believe these things constitute success and personal happiness, when in actuality they are a mirage. True success is living life to one’s full potential in ways that contribute to the world in positive ways. For me, this means seeking out and sharing new and interesting ideas, living with a social conscience, and a sense of morality. I’m not a stoic, and I believe life is full of enjoyment, but if we are to achieve a lasting sense of accomplishment it must come from a personally defined sense of meaning and purpose. This is the true definition of

Domestic violence against immigrant and refugee women in canada Research Proposal

Domestic violence against immigrant and refugee women in canada - Research Proposal Example Domestic violence is a broad subject and encompasses a wide variety of issues including physical abuse, sexual abuse of children and femicide. (Burns, K. 2008). In simple words, the term â€Å"Domestic Violence† is defined as the violence inflicted on an individual by someone from within their families. This research proposal for an explanatory research attempts to draw attention to the issue of rape and sexual abuse of refugee and immigrant women in Canada. The research will attempt to test the validity of relationship between sexual abuse and childhood domestic violence. (Denmark, F. 2006). Sexual abuse is defined as coerced sex or forced sex and is often accompanied by physical abuse during sexual activities. (Vine, C., & Alaggia, R. 2006) The explanatory research on sexual abuse and rape among refugee and immigrant women will help answer questions which would enable us to understand the deep rooted problem of domestic violence. We need to analyze different issues included in domestic violence and to identify the reasons which lead to violence being inflicted upon refugee and immigrant women in Canada. On the other hand, the research will open doors to issues which have not been extensively studied. One such issue is the determination of the existence of correlation between exposures to domestic violence during childhood and subjection to sexual abuse later on in life. In addition, we will also determine the rate of public satisfaction with government services provided to victims of rape and sexual abuse. Therefore, the main subject area of this explanatory research would be the identification of correlation between early exposure to domestic violence and increased vulnerability to sexual abuse and rape in future intimate relationships. The research will also address two of the most important sub areas of the issue of domestic violence which are emotional repercussions of sexual abuse and public satisfaction with the provision of government services to

Self - Directed Learning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self - Directed Learning - Assignment Example I get along well with people and make friends quickly where ever I go. It is very good to know that there many different ways for a person to be intelligent, and I would like to honor these strengths about myself and use them to my advantage in school The ideal self-directed learner has a few qualities that I am not very good at yet. Motivating myself to get work done is sometimes hard because I have many things going on in my life. Setting priorities is very important to succeeding in school and getting my work done on time should be my priority. I already take the lead in many areas of my life and I am getting better at assessing my progress in things, although I want to be less hard on myself and not get caught up in always having to do things exactly right. Just getting the work done is an accomplishment if I do a good job. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Taking control of my own learning is made much easier when the teacher lets me know in advance what work needs to be done and when the work is due. It is actually helpful to me to have the teacher expect everyone in the class to get work done on time and not give too many breaks on due dates unless it is really needed. Teachers who give a lot of feedback on work, whether the answers are right or wrong, also help me to learn what I need to do differently or encourage about myself. On the BITES list, I have pretty good brains, I’m interested in my schoolwork and in succeeding, I have to prioritize my time better, and I have to put in a lot of effort in everything I do. The Spendables category is a little harder for me to define because I know I have to trade doing fun things in order to get my school work finished. I will definitely need to ask for help when I need it instead of thinking I can solve all problems on my own. I plan to ask for a lot of help so I can succeed in my classes and get good

How to Prevent and Reduce Stress at Cleeve Link Essay

How to Prevent and Reduce Stress at Cleeve Link - Essay Example The main findings of the research are that in Cleeve Hill staffs have been identified five categories of substantive factors that can be identified as potential cause of work-related stress: quantitative and qualitative demands, autonomy and Control, employee involvement in organisational changes, relations at work (including support from colleagues and line managements), role of the employee. This paper declares that notably in some organizations, many tasks are added to a single job description making it barely for any employee to perform without being stressed. In such circumstances, the employees find themselves with heavy workloads, infrequent work breaks, long working hours and or little shift turnover. According to Friedman, a philosopher who investigated the optimum conditions that a human being would be most productive in performing some tasks advocated that human beings perform more efficiently under less duress. Different organizations have different forms of leadership depending on their nature or objectives. However, the major management can be categorised into two main categories namely democratic and autocratic. Democratic leaders employ a bureaucratic approach to leadership ensuring that organizational decisions are made in line with the opinion of all employees. On the contrary, autocratic leaders act on their own; any decision affecting an organization is left in the hands of the top management. In line with this, the manner in which decisions are made in organizations affect employees directly.

Fed Ex Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fed Ex - Case Study Example The key to the success of these policies is that FedEx focuses upon qualities such as speed, teamwork, and precision to expand the company’s global appeal. FedEx management encourages innovative thoughts from its everyday employees because it understands the value that they have to offer. This shows how FedEx is such a good example of management who lead their staff in the right way. FedEx also understands the importance of rewarding employees so that their motivation levels will stay high. This is a sign of good leadership because it rewards good behavior through extra incentives. Some of FedEx’s rewards and recognitions programs are the Humanitarian Award, Five Star Award, and the HR Award of Excellence. Instead of being a reactionary company, FedEx is a proactive company that is always looking for ways to improve working conditions for its employees. This is probably why FedEx is an industry leader, because it is always coming up with creative ways to motivate staff to perform to the best of their

He media present news differently depending on the ideology of each Term Paper

He media present news differently depending on the ideology of each company - Term Paper Example is a hint of consistently presenting news stories in a certain way, or favorable to a particular viewpoint, or how the news is slanted to fit a political agenda or the wishes of the owners but often never to give the news straight to the viewers, readers, and the consuming public the news as it is. The general perception is that most journalists hold left-of-center views on a number of social issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun rights, affirmative action, race issues, and environmental issues, to name just a few. Even the selection and exclusion of news stories can reflect this bias. Media outlets and news organizations are composed of people; it is the perception most journalists generally hold liberal or progressive (leftist) views on a good number of social issues as mentioned above, but are more conservative when it comes to economic issues, and with a majority of them holding the centrist position when it comes to political orientations. In other words, majority of media organizations have left-of-center leanings not mainly because of any or conscious intention of being left on the political spectrum but it just happened by a coincidence most like-minded individuals ended up choosing the same profession which is in the news room. Whatever, the attitudes of journalists are reflected in their news coverage to a liberal direction. The way a media organization presents the news can be illustrated by its coverage of big news events. An example of this was the just-recently concluded Asian tour of President Obama which took him to four countries, namely Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is a revealing way by which a news media outlet presents this particular news coverage and its own interpretation of its significance to American global supremacy, especially on foreign policies. A careful reading of the news story in a particular media outlet and the background of that outlet will show how its coverage, opinion, and presentation of that

Book Report & Stephen R. Essay Example for Free

Book Report Stephen R. Essay Stephen R. Covey is a well-known writer of many self-help books. He is one of the leading writers in this genre of writing. His book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,’ was published over twenty years ago. Its fifteenth anniversary edition was released in the year 2004 to mark its amazing success. Apart from being a writer, Stephen R. Covey is also a humanist, an academician and a renowned speaker. His clarity of thought and his ability to convey the same to his readers is seen in this book too. This ability if his has also made him a highly influential guru in the field of business management. He has a flair for writing in a style that helps the readers not only understand the intensity and gravity of his ideologies and thought processes, but also helps them apply the same principles and logic to their own lives, sooner or later. This goal of truly helping people attain what they want and need is perfectly achieved in Stephen R. Covey’s books. Stephen R. Covey’s book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ begins with a quote by David Starr Jordan’ There is no real excellence in all this world which can be separated from right living. ’ One of the main reasons the world has loved this book all these years is that Stephen R. Covey has written about the key elements like integrity, honesty and self-management in a very simple, clear and precise manner. A few key points that will remain memorable forever include the fifth habit of highly effective people where he writes the need for people to first develop the ability to understand others before wanting to be understood. According to Covey (1989), â€Å"You dont have much confidence in someone who doesnt diagnose before he or she prescribes. But how often do we diagnose before we prescribe in communication? † (p. 120). Stephen R. Covey touches a different chord with the readers because in this book he also gives a lot of examples from his own life, be it the problems with his son that he was concerned about and the methodology he sought to adopt to help his son out as a devoted father or the fact that his marriage has reached a dead end. Not because his wife and he had fights or difference of opinion. But, due to the reason that they couldn’t love each other anymore and they felt they would never be able t rekindle that same kind of love and affection they felt for each other earlier. When an author of his stature chooses to tell the readers stories of his life to use it effectively as point of reference to better their own, it translates itself into a genuine self-help book. Before introducing the readers to the seven habits, he prepares them mentally by helping them understand that the bottom line is we need to understand our own paradigms and how to make a A Paradigm Shift TM. According to Covey (1998),† A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step. † (p. 18). Stephen R. Covey has seamlessly integrated all the seven habits as highly essential and necessary elements. Not a single word seems repetitive or out of place as Stephen C. Covey has given this book a very practical and pragmatic outlook. The book is a beautiful amalgamation of the basic instincts and reaction patterns humans have to every situation in their life and what needs to be done in order to receive the most suitable results either at home or at the workplace. A few principles that I have been able to introduce successfully into my life are Stephen R. Covey’s very first habit of being proactive, the third habit that clearly lists how to prioritize objectives in a given time frame and the sixth habit that refers to synergy. My ability to be more proactive has helped me at my work place and has also allowed better and more optimal utilization of my hours at work. I’ve understood the best way to prioritize my meeting at works and my tasks at home, so I never feel stressed out and at the same time I get a lot more time with my family, friends, my loved ones and myself. Stephen R. Covey’s concept of synergy aids the process of developing and establishing better human rapport and interaction. When you think about a particular situation from another person’s or party’s point of view, you in turn, gain a lot insight to turn it into a win-win situation. Stephen R. Covey’s fourth habit is tough as he asks us to think like a winner to ultimately be a winner. He clearly explains the six paradigms of human interaction and stresses on the importance of integrity, honesty, maturity and special term coined by him called ‘Abundance Mentality. ’ According to Stephen R. Covey (1989)† It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity. † (p. 110). References Covey, R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Simon Schuster

Brief History Of Positive Psychology Psychology Essay

Brief History Of Positive Psychology Psychology Essay The advent of positive psychology as we know it today can be traced back to Martin E. P. Seligmans 1998 Presidential Address to the American Psychological Association (Seligman, 1999). Following a serendipitous holiday meeting between Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi in winter 1997 (Csikszentmihalyi, 2003), and an epiphanic moment when gardening with his daughter Nikki (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), Seligman realized that psychology had largely neglected the latter two of its three pre-World War II missions: curing mental illness, helping all people to lead more productive and fulfilling lives, and identifying and nurturing high talent. The advent of the Veterans Administration (in 1946) and the National Institute of Mental Health (in 1947) had largely rendered psychology a healing discipline based upon a disease model and illness ideology (Maddux, 2002; Maddux, Snyder, Lopez, 2004). With this realization, Seligman resolved to use his APA presidency to initiate a shift in psycholo gys focus toward a more positive psychology (Seligman, 1999). Seligmans presidential initiative was catalyzed by a series of meetings in Akumal, Mexico, of scholars who could inform the conceptualization and early development of positive psychology, and the establishment of the Positive Psychology Steering Committee (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ed Diener, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Chris Peterson, and George Vaillant). From this followed the Positive Psychology Network, later to become the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the first Positive Psychology Summit in Washington, DC, and a special issue of the American psychologist on positive psychology to mark the new millennium. Further, in the 7 years since Seligmans presidential address, there have been numerous positive psychology books, journal special issues, and the establishment of regional positive psychology networks that span the globe (Seligman, 2005). Now, in 2006, we have the first dedicated positive psychology journal, The Journal of Positive Psychology. These are remarkable achievements for any psychology movement in such a short space of time. Many readers may well be wondering why, and below we offer some thoughts in response to this question. As the leading advocate of positive psychology, Seligman has been exceptionally successful at catalyzing and uniting the efforts of the many distinguished scientists who have become some of the key players in the positive psychology movement. These include the Positive Psychology Steering Committee (Csikszentmihalyi, Diener, Jamieson, Peterson, and Vaillant) and the leaders of numerous positive psychology research centres, research pods, and grant holders (Seligman, 2005). Other notable figures include C. R. (Rick) Snyder, who edited the special issue of the Journal of social and clinical psychology (2000) and the influential Handbook of positive psychology (2002); Chris Peterson, who headed up the Values-in-Action project that led to the VIA classification of strengths and virtues (Peterson Seligman, 2004); and the winners of the prestigious Templeton Positive Psychology Prizes: Barbara Fredrickson (2000) for her work on positive emotions; Jon Haidt (2001) for his work on the posit ive moral emotion of elevation; and Suzanne Segerstrom (2002) for her work on the beneficial effects of optimism on physical health. A further critical factor in the success of many of these initiatives was the financial support that made them possible, provided by such donors as the Templeton Foundation, The Gallup Organization, the Mayerson Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, and the Atlantic Philanthropies, among others. And given the research imbalance between psychopathology and disease, relative to human strengths and well-being, positive psychology also offered excellent opportunities for rapid scientific advances, simply because many topics had been largely ignored (Gable Haidt, 2005). Thus, the development of positive psychology was clearly shaped and energized by the considerable efforts of Seligman and the other major players in the field. Their deliberate sociology of science approach, recognizing and building on the structural forces that shape the discipline of psychology, cemented positive psychologys place through bringing in major research funding, providing considerable research leadership, engaging the wider public media, and attracting some of the brightest early career scientists through the provision of training institutes, research collaborations with senior scientists, and funding support for their work. However, it is also eminently clear from a cursory examination of the research literature that positive psychology did not begin in 1997, or 1998, or 1999, or 2000 (McCullough Snyder, 2000). In fact, positive psychology has always been with us, but as a holistic and integrated body of knowledge, it has passed unrecognized and uncelebrated, and one of the major achievements of the positive psychology movement to date has been to consolidate, lift up, and celebrate what we do know about what makes life worth living, as well as carefully delineating the areas where we need to do more. Research into positive psychology topics has gone on for decades, and might even be traced back to the origins of psychology itself, for example, in William James writings on healthy mindedness (James, 1902). In broad terms, positive psychology has common interests with parts of humanistic psychology, and its emphasis on the fully functioning person (Rogers, 1961), and self-actualization and the study of healthy individuals (Maslow, 1968). Indeed, we note that more than 50 years ago, Maslow lamented psychologys preoccupation with disorder and dysfunction: The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It has revealed to us much about mans shortcomings, his illness, his sins, but little about his potentialities, his virtues, his achievable aspirations, or his full psychological height. It is as if psychology has voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, and that, the darker, meaner half (Maslow, 1954, p. 354). Initially at least, positive psychology may not have paid sufficient tribute to its historical antecedents, leading to some criticisms (Taylor, 2001; Tennen Affleck, 2003). However, there is now a growing recognition that positive psychology can learn useful lessons from earlier research and theorizing, and we hope that the animosity that has sometimes characterized previous exchanges will be replaced with increasing respect and collaboration (Joseph Worsley, 2005), not least so that positive psychology can prosper through integration, rather than whither through isolation. WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY? In asking this question, one is faced with the inherent danger that 10 positive psychologists would provide 10 different answers. Should this be taken to suggest that nobody really knows, exactly, what positive psychology is? We would argue that this is actually far from the case, yet equally we have a very real sense that positive psychology might often be interpreted as being all things to all people. Indeed, in the course of numerous presentations to hosts of different audiences, psychologist and non-psychologist, academics and practitioners, we have the consistent experiences of eyes lighting up and people saying Ah, positive psychology, thats what we need. And when we ask what they understand by positive psychology, we receive different answers every time. In this sense, positive psychology is perceived of as a panacea for many modern ills. It is not. But, by providing a different interpretative lens, it offers a different worldview and thereby novel answers to some questions th at have been around for a long time, and shines the light of scientific inquiry into previously dark and neglected corners. Consider, for example, the following definitions of positive psychology, all taken from authoritative positive psychological sources: The field of positive psychology at the subjective level is about valued subjective experiences: well-being, contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in the present). At the individual level, it is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethic (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). What is positive psychology? It is nothing more than the scientific study of ordinary human strengths and virtues. Positive psychology revisits the average person, with an interest in finding out what works, what is right, and what is improving . . . positive psychology is simply psychology (Sheldon King, 2001). Positive psychology is the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions (Gable Haidt, 2005). Positive psychology is about scientifically informed perspectives on what makes life worth living. It focuses on aspects of the human condition that lead to happiness, fulfilment, and flourishing (The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2005). There are certainly core themes and consistencies, but also differences in emphasis and interpretation. In thinking about how best to represent positive psychology, and how best to position its understanding in the first issue of The Journal of Positive Psychology, we believe it would be helpful to provide what we see as a definition of positive psychology that identifies and delineates the different things that it might mean to different people. We also specify what positive psychology is not, in the hope that we can lay to rest some of the ghosts of criticism that have haunted positive psychology (sometimes with justification, often with misunderstanding) since its inception. Further, as will become clear later in the article, this definition and understanding of positive psychology helps to inform and develop the potential future pathways and applications of positive psychology that we map out below (Linley et al. 2006). PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING INTRODUCTION Historic Introduction to Positive Psychological Functioning Throughout history, psychologists have offered different descriptions of positive psychological functioning, or well-being, in the context of the different branches of psychology, such as developmental or clinical psychology. From the perspective of developmental psychology, Erikson [1950] presented the concept of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ healthy personality in the context of Freudian theory. Erikson perceives development of the personality as a process in which each personality factor is related with the others, in such a way that the personality as a whole depends on the correct development of each of its components. In his analysis of the growth process, this author talks about how the components of mental health develop over the following series of sequential stages: a sense of basic trust, a sense of autonomy, a sense of initiative, a sense of industry, a sense of ego identity, geniality, generativity and integrity. During each of these stages a conflict takes place, and the persons development will be more or less healthy, depending on how this conflict is resolved. According to Eriksons vision, development of the ego is a continuous growth process, which progresses, throughout a persons lifespan, towards a superior capacity. This same perspective of continuous growth throughout the lifespan can be found in Bà ¼hlers theory [1935], which speaks of the so-called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢curve of life. Buhler concluded that, in spite of individual differences, there is a regular sequence in which events, experiences and achievements appear in peopleslives, and that improvement or deterioration in psychological well-being does not necessarily occur at the same rate as changes in physical well-being. From the perspective of clinical psychology, authors such as Maslow, Allport and Rogers have offered other descriptions of well-being. In his well-known pyramid, Maslow [1958] includes 5 basic needs that a person must fulfill to become fully-functioning. A person begins by satisfying the most basic needs and after fulfilling the first one, then moves on to the next, on the level immediately above. Firstly, the most basic needs for an organism are considered to be physiological ones. These are, undoubtedly, the most important in the pyramid, in that when a person loses everything in life, his strongest desire is to satisfy this type of need. The most important goal in a person without food, love or safety, will most certainly be to find food before anything else. When none of the needs are satisfied and the organism is dominated by physiological requirements, the other needs cease to exist or become less important. In second place, when the physiological needs are satisfied the need for safety takes over. When a person is in this stage, safety becomes more important than anything else, even than the physiological needs that are already covered. Maslows third need concerns the requirement to belong to a group, and for affection and love, which comes into play when the previous two needs have been satisfied. The person is now interested in forming relationships with others and becoming part of a group, and will work hard to achieve this. The person is now more interested in doing this than in anything else and forgets the little importance he attributed to this when he was hungry. Maslows fourth need corresponds to a persons self-esteem. This author considers that everyone (with the exception of some mental illnesses) needs a positive opinion of himself, self-respect and self-esteem and also to be valued by others. These needs can be classified into two sub-groups: on the one hand, a desire for fortitude, achievements, independence and freedom and, on the other hand, a desire to earn a good reputation or prestige, defined as having gained the respect or esteem of others. Finally, we come to the need for self-actualization, defined as a person realizing his full potential, which comes into play when all the other needs are satisfied. According to Maslow à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ what a man can be, he must be, and he calls this need, self-actualization. If a person has the talent to do something, he will be unsatisfied or unhappy if he cannot fully develop this part of himself, in other words, a musician must make music and a poet must write poems. This need refers to the desire for a person to develop his full potential, to seek personal growth and to become everything he is capable of being. Clearly, these desires vary greatly from one person to the next. Some people may feel self-fulfilled by becoming top sportsmen, while others will acquire a feeling of self-fulfillment by being good parents. MULTIDIMENSIONAL MODEL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING In relation to the concept of psychological well-being, Ryff [1989a] proposes a multidimensional model composed of 6 different dimensions: Self-acceptance, Positive relations with others, Autonomy, Environmental mastery, Purpose in life and Personal growth. These 6 dimensions of psychological well-being can be defined as follows: Self-acceptance: This is a key part of well-being and concerns the positive opinion a person has of himself. It does not refer to narcissistic self love or superficial self-esteem, but instead to a constructed self-regard that includes both positive and negative aspects [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Other authors spoke about this previously, [Jung 1933; Von Franz, 1964] emphasizing that only a fully-individuated person can accept his own failures. The concept of ego integrity introduced by Erikson [1959], also refers to a person coming to terms with his own triumphs and failures in past life. This acceptance of self is constructed with an honest self-assessment; the person is aware of his personal failings and limitations, but has the love to accept and embrace himself as he is. High scores in this factor are indicators of people with a positive attitude, who recognize and accept the multiple aspect of the self, including their good and bad qualities, and can look at the past with positive feelings [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores in this factor appear in people who are largely unsatisfied with themselves; they are uncomfortable with what has happened in their past life, are concerned about some of their personal qualities and want to change [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Positive relationships with others: These include the fortitude, pleasures and human delights that come from close contact with others, from intimacy and love [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Theories about the stages of adult development also emphasize close relationships with others (intimacy) and the guidance and care of others (generativity). The importance of having positive relationships with other people is repeatedly emphasized in definitions of psychological well-being [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores appear in people who have warm, satisfactory and trusting relationships with others, who are concerned about the well-being of others and have the capacity to feel empathy, affect and intimacy and understand the give and take in human relationships [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate that a person has few close and trusting relationships with other people, finds it difficult to be warm, open and to feel concern for the wellbeing of others. They feel isolated and frustrated with social relationships. These people do not want an important commitment with others [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Autonomy: This refers to a persons ability to march to his own drum and to pursue personal convictions and beliefs, even if these go against accepted dogma or conventional wisdom. It also refers to the ability to be alone if necessary and to live autonomously [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Also, in theories about self-actualization, the self-actualizers are described as functioning autonomously and as being resistant to enculturation. In studies into the concept of a fully functioning person, this person is someone with an internal frame of assessment, who is mainly uninterested in what others think of him, but will evaluate himself according to his own personal standards [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor show people who are self-determined and independent, capable of resisting social pressure and of acting by regulating their behavior from an internal frame of assessment. These people self-evaluate according to personal standards [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate people who are concerned about the expectations of others, they depend on other peoplesjudgments before making important decisions, and their thoughts and actions are influenced by social pressures [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Environmental mastery: This is another essential factor in well-being and concerns the challenge of a person mastering the environment around him. This ability requires the skills of creating and sustaining environments that are beneficial to a person [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. The ability of an individual to choose or to create environments appropriate for his mental state is defined as a characteristic of mental health. According to life-span developmental theories, for a person to adequately master his environment, he needs the ability to manage and to control complex surroundings, emphasizing from this perspective the need to move forwards in the world and to change it creatively with physical and mental activities [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor are obtained by people with a sense of mastery and competence of their surroundings, who can make effective use of opportunities that arise and can choose or create contexts appropriate for their needs and personal values [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate a difficulty in managing daily affairs, or changing or improving their environment and making the most of opportunities that arise, and a lack of control about the world around them [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Purpose in life: This is a persons ability to find a meaning and a direction in his own experiences, and to propose and set goals in his life [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. The definition of maturity also clearly emphasizes an understanding of the purpose of life and the presence of a sense of direction and intentionality. A positively functioning person has goals, intentions and a sense of direction, and all of this helps to give a meaning to life [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor appear in people who have goals in life and a sense of direction; they feel that both the past and the present of their lives has a meaning, they hold beliefs that give their lives a purpose and have goals and reasons to live [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores appear in people who feel their life has no meaning and have no goals or sense of direction; they cant see any point in their past experiences [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Personal growth: This factor concerns a persons ability to realize his own potential and talent and to develop new resources. It also frequently involves encounters with adversity that require one to dig deeply to find ones inner strength [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. It is associated with being open to new experiences, which is a key characteristic of the fully functioning person. Life-span theories also explicitly emphasize the importance of continuing to grow and to tackle new tasks or challenges in the different stages of ones life [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores indicate people who want to continue to develop. They regard themselves as growing and expanding, are open to new experiences, feel they are fulfilling their potential, they can see improvements in the self and in their behavior over time, and change towards ways that improve their self-knowledge and effectiveness [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores appear in people with a sense of personal stagnation, with no improvement or growth over a period of time, they feel bored and lack interest in life. They feel incapable of developing new attitudes or behaviors [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. This model was studied in a representative sample of 1108 adults over 25 years old. In the confirmatory analysis of the factors, it was found that the results supported the multidimensional model proposed, and was the model which best fitted the six factors combined together to form a factor of higher order, called psychological well-being [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. In this same study, it was found that the factors self-acceptance and environmental mastery were highly correlated, so it was proposed to combine these factors to obtain a model with 5 factors. In any case, the authors concluded that well-being is more than simply feeling happy or satisfied with life; nor is it merely an absence of negative emotions or experiences which define the well-lived. Instead it entails having a rich perception of these experiences and successfully managing the challenges and difficulties that may arise [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING Bradburn Affect Balance Scale One of the first scales that could be used to measure psychological well-being, which later served as a reference to validate subsequent scales is the BABS (Bradburn Affect Balance Scale) [Bradburn, 1969]. This is a ten-item scale divided into two subscales, one that evaluates positive affect and the other that evaluates negative affect. Each of these subscales has 5 items. These items refer to pleasant or unpleasant experiences over the past few weeks which are intentionally treated with a degree of ambiguity [Bartlett and Coles, 1998]. The score is obtained by adding one point for every yes answer and summarizing separately the responses to the positive and negative subscales, respectively. After this, the difference between the scores is calculated and a constant is added to eliminate possible negative results. The test-retest reliability was evaluated by Bradburn [1969], and in a sample of 200 people with an interval of 3 days the reliability calculated for positive affect, negative affect and the affect balance were 0.83, 0.81 and 0.76, respectively. The Short Form 36 The Short Form 36 (SF-36) was developed to measure the services provided by different health departments in the United States [Ware, Snow, Kosinski et al. 1993]. It is a self-administered scale comprised of 8 different subscales that contain Likert-type items. The 8 different concepts are each evaluated by their own scale: Physical functioning. Role limitations because of physical health problems. Bodily pain. Social functioning. General mental health (psychological distress and psychological well-being). Role limitations because of emotional problems. Vitality (energy/fatigue). General health perceptions. Both the General mental health and the Vitality subscales have psychological implications. The authors of the SF-36 scale understand mental health (measured by the General mental health scale) as part of a construct of psychological well-being with a positive pole and another negative pole [Bartlett and Coles, 1998]. This scale has received some criticism, such as that from Hunt and McKenna [1993] who question the design of the scale, both in the selection of its items and also its objective. For example, Hunt asks how many British people could answer the question à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Does your health limit you in your ability to do vigorous activities, such as sports, running, lifting heavy objects? when most of them dont even do this kind of activity. Hunt uses another example with the question Does your health limit you in your ability to walk a mile?. He considers this question is complicated with the factor of necessity. He explains that some people wont walk a mile even if they are in good health, while others, from necessity, because they live in the outskirts or for other reasons, will walk the mile in spite of having poor health. McHorney, Ware and Razcek [1993] provided evidence to support the validity of SF-36, showing that the mental health scale can discriminate between groups by using the mean scores. A group with minor medical conditions has a mean score of 83, a group with a serious medical condition would have a mean score of 78 and a group with a serious medical condition with psychiatric comorbidity would obtain a mean score of around 53. Satisfaction with Life Scale (Swls) This is a self-administered scale with 5 items relating to level of satisfaction with life. The possible responses are 1 to 7, where 1 indicates that the person strongly disagrees with the statement and 7 that they strongly agree [Diener, Emmons, Sem et al. 1985]. The score is the total of the responses to these 5 items and can be used to classify the person into one of the following categories: 30-35: extremely satisfied, well above average. 25-29: very satisfied, above average. 20-24: quite satisfied, average for adult United States citizens. 15-19: slightly dissatisfied, a little less than average. 10-14: dissatisfied, clearly below the average. 5-9: extremely dissatisfied, far below the average. The test-retest correlation was carried out with 2 months difference and gave a result of 0.82. The alpha coefficient of the scale is 0.87 [Diener, Emmons, Sem et al. 1985]. This is a scale to measure subjective well-being and in its original validation the authors calculate the correlation existing between SWLS and other scales to measure subjective wellbeing, including the Bradburn scale (BABS) described previously. The coefficient of correlation for Bradburns positive affect subscale is 0.5 and that for the negative affect subscale is -0.37. Psychological General Well-Being Index Short (PGWB-S) The PGWBI scale is a 22-item scale that evaluates self-perceived psychological wellbeing, each item is evaluated on a 6 point scale. The scale assesses 6 dimensions of quality of life relating to health: anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality [Grossi, Groth, Mosconi et al. 2006]. There is a considerable amount of information about the original scale since it was used widely in studies in the United States and worldwide, and has been translated and validated in several languages, for example to Spanish by Badia, Gutierrez, Wiklund et al. [1996]. The short version of the PGWBI aims to reduce the number of items but to maintain the validity and reliability of the scale. In its final version, the PGWB-S has only 6 items that reflect 5 of the 6 items assessed in the original version (except for general health) and reproduces 90% of the variation in the result of the PGWBI. The high Cronbach alpha value (between 0.8 and 0.92) indicates a good reliability when compared with the original scale. Psychological Well-Being Scales (PGWB) One of the most widely used scales to measure psychological well-being is Ryffs scale [1989a]. This scale breaks down the construct into 6 different dimensions [Ryff, 1989b] that are analyzed separately, each with their own subscale. The dimensions analyzed are: Self-acceptance, Positive relations with others, Autonomy, Environmental mastery, Purpose in life and Personal growth. Each of these subscales has 20 likert-type items in which the patient self-assesses himself by choosing from the six possible responses, from strongly agree to strongly disagree. This test has high test-retest reliability and a high internal consistency. Moreover, its convergent and discriminate validity with other measures have also been studied. The test-retest coefficients per subscale (with a retest of 6 weeks) were self-acceptance 0.85, relations with others 0.83, autonomy 0.88, environmental mastery 0.81, purpose in life 0.82 and personal growth 0.81. The alpha coefficients for the subscales were: self-acceptance 0.93, relations with others 0.91, autonomy 0.86, environmental mastery 0.90, purpose in life 0.90 and personal growth 0.87. Ryffs article gives an in-depth explanation of convergent validity [1989a]. Here, we indicate the convergent validity values for the different dimensions with Bradburns Affect Balance Scale: self-acceptance 0.55, relations with others 0.30, autonomy 0.36, environmental mastery 0.62, purpose in life 0.42 and personal growth 0.25. The fact that this covers 6 scales (120 items), combined with its good psychometric qualities have given rise to the development of shorter versions, which still maintain good fits and consistency. These versions include the one by Van Dierendonck [2004] which, with only 39 items, obtains a goodness of fit indicator (GFI) of 0.88 and Cronbachs alpha between 0.84 and 0.70 (depending on the subscale). CONCLUSION Overall, Positive Psychologys goal, as by Seligman (2002), is to develop the individual strengths of our young people so they may realize their personal potential and fulfill the second goal, that of creating a thriving community of civically responsible and productive members. Psychological well-being has been reviewed immensely. Moreover, the take-home message is that positive emotions are worth cultivatin

Hamlets Revenge Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Revenge of Hamlet Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy is full of irony, philosophy, and with the familiar subject of revenge. It reflects themes of the entire play, and it helped further my understanding of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet. The main character, in his second-to-last monologue reflects Claudius’ regret which is an obstacle to revenge. This barrier creates frustration for Hamlet, but also is a reason for further procrastination, which is usually Hamlet’s way out of a situation. The subject of the soliloquy is essentially that if Claudius is killed by Hamlet while praying, he will go to heaven. This situation is ironic because of Claudius’ secret inability to pray, and the irony is unknowingly reflected throughout Hamlet’s viewpoint of the situation. Hamlet’s philosophy is educated, but very ironic, as are many of the words and images that Hamlet uses. The characteristics of this soliloquy, the subject, irony, Hamlet’s procrastination and his philosophy are true reflections of the entire play, and that is why my understanding of the play developed and improved by examining the sixth soliloquy. The subject of Hamlet’s sixth aside is very similar to his other six because of his inability to act upon his conviction. Hamlet is told to avenge his father’s unnatural murder knowing fully that this is his duty.â€Å" †Revenge tragedy has long been recognized, on the one hand, for the speed with which it becomes virtually synonymous with stage misogyny and, on the other, for its generic and sometimes profound investment in recognizably Renaissance process of mourning- revenge, after all, is the private response to socially unaccommodated grief- but typically mourning and misogyny have been considered in isolation from one another, in separate studies and only insofar as the duplicate Renaissance habits of thought articulated elsewhere in medical or philosophical discourse.†(Mullaney) However, throughout the play we discover his soft heart and often his inability to act. By this he is betraying his father’s command. This betrayal is more than evident in this soliloquy. His mind is tainted by the thought that if he were to avenge while Claudius is â€Å"praying†, Claudius would go to heaven. Essentially in this soliloquy, William Shakespeare reveals the moral problems associated with committing revenge in a corrupt world. Again, Hamlet finds a way to excuse himself fro... ... not to be’ speech. Each of the characteristics of Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy reflected the principle elements of Hamlet and because of that my understanding of the play improved. I was pushed to read more closely into the play and in doing so found many similarities between this particular speech and the thoughts and actions of Hamlet. My understanding of Shakespeare’s individual craft was also improved. Many characteristics of his writings shone through in Hamlet, particularly his creativity and questioning philosophies, his use of the procrastinating lead character, and his interesting use of irony. The basic principles of Hamlet were also revealed in the sixth soliloquy. The nature of revenge in a corrupt world and my understanding of these were improved through closer examination of the play. Works Cited DiYanni, Robert. â€Å"Literature: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark/ William Shakespeare.† 5th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2002. Gottschalk, Paul. â€Å"Shakespeare Quarterly: Hamlet and the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scanning of Revenge.† Vol. 24 No. 2. p.155-170 Mullaney, Steven. â€Å"Shakespeare Quarterly: Mourning an   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Misogyny.† Vol. 45. No. 2.(Summer, 1994) p. 139-164

Lloyds TSB - Employment :: Business and Management Studies

Lloyds TSB - Employment The employees of a business are extremely important to their success. If a company's workforce is functioning efficiently then costs can be cut, customer complaints will be reduced or handled with better answers. If someone is enjoying his work, that they feel they are going somewhere within the company. Things such as incentives will improve the quality of the staffs' service. Quality is always needed, if a company gets well known for it's excellent quality then it is on the road to success. As long as the company is able to at least break even. Lloyds TSB is a bank where they are trying to revolutionise banking. In recent years ATM machines have been brought in to most major streets in England. People rarely need to go into the banks these days, so the need for employees in the banks has been reduced. However, Lloyds TSB still has a large amount of employees and stakeholders in Britain. Social Marketing It is now widely agreed that companies need to have a more active approach towards their relationships with the parts of the community they serve. This is known as corporate social responsibility and centres on trying to show a positive commitment to its stakeholders and society. Social marketing is a new version of the traditional marketing systems and concentrates on:  · producing the right products  · producing at the right time  · producing in the right place  · producing at the right price But to these it adds a social dimension. It means that corporate investment will not only promote business objectives - it will also support the community within which these objectives are aimed. The golden rules of social marketing: 1. Reflect the core values of your brands. So any causes the product is related to must be obvious to consumers and must have a visible truth factor attached. 2. Consumers must see a balance between commercial and social benefits. Customers accept the profit motive but also like to see a community benefit coming from an enterprise. 3. Keep to a single, frequently expressed, theme/image. By sticking to one socially responsible image the consumers will begin to relate the company with that issue. 4. Integrate the social theme into every part of the corporation. 5. Involve customers and employees. A successful social marketing strategy connects the employees with the customers by developing common themes. Frequent questioning of both parts of the target audience is essential. Success in handling the above will assist in the;

growaw Edna Pontellier’s Identity in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Identity in The Awakening Kate Chopin's The Awakening is about a woman's growing sense of identity. The novel takes place on an island south of New Orleans and in New Orleans. Edna Pontellier is 28 years old when she "wakes up". Her husband Leonce Pontellier is much older than she - forty years old. The Awakening opens when Mr. Pontellier - a businessman- is disturbed by the noise some parrots are doing. They repeat "Allez vous-en!" which means go away. It sounds such as an invitation to Edna to leave her cage of marriage. This is what she is doing in steps throughout the novel. The "parrot" image is very interesting because parrots can be trained to talk, and they repeat only what someone taught them. Edna refuses more and more to follow the rules women are trained in. She starts to look for a self-determined life. In Chapter VI Chopin writes "Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being." She realizes this after going to the beach with Robert for a bath in the sea. The sea and swimming play an important role in this novel. The sea is an archetype of death and rebirth. In the beginning Edna experiences "the touch of the sea" as sensuous, and she seems to feel renewed. At the end she enters the water of the Gulf naked and feels "like som e newborn creature." When she dies, it seems that death and rebirth have met and the circle has closed. ( Teachers comment: Something is very wrong with the grammar here). To underline that Edna is different from the typical women at Grand Isle and New OrleansChopin creates the character of Adele Ratignolle. She is described as the embodiment of the "mother- woman." She seems to accept and enjoy her role as a wife and mother. She knows her duties and (in XIV) leaves Edna alone because Monsieur Ratignolle is alone at home and "he detested above all things to be left alone." When Edna tells Adele "that she would never sacrifice herself for her children," Adele does not understand. She fulfills her role as a mother and wife, whereas Edna wants to define her role new. She asks in Chapter XIII "How many years have I slept?" and Robert mentions later "All but the hundred years when you were sleeping.

Calorimetry Lab

Which foods have the most calories? Hypothesis: If we burn the food then the heating released will be measured as calories because the energy stored Inside Is released as heat and light. Parts of the experiment Control Group-water Experimental Group- different foods Independent variable- Type of food Dependent Variable- temperature of water Controlled variables- water temperature of unheated water Materials Stirring Rod, Beaker, ring clamp, evaporating disk, matches, crackers, marshmallows Analysis Questions 1 . Which foods gave off the most calories/gram?Marshmallows 2. Which foods gave off the least calories/gram? The chips give off the least, when they were burned we realized they had the least. 3. How do these results compare with your prediction? The result are somewhat like my prediction, I predicted that when the food is burned it will release heat and light.I liked this lab because it's a way to figure UT certain things within food substances. I probably would not take the ti me out to try it out at home, but I did like the lab. Despite us being very careful with trying to make everything accurate I don't think everything was so accurate. However scientists do this all the time to fugue out the calories of foods, so it is still a legit experiment. The temperatures did not change drastically it was mostly around 4 or 4. 5 degrees Celsius. Citation Mar. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. Http://www. Chem†¦ Davidson. Deed/vice/calorimeter/ heatcapacityofcalorimeter. HTML

Gender Representations in Pride and Prejudice

08 F both 08 Fall debate the ways in which gender has been stand for in the text The conventional position gentle world is typically copn as a strong symbol of masculinity and elegance, its hard to non fall for their mold with the English female world the dominated ho exercisewife with utter beauty, nevertheless never her avouch opinion. In self-esteem and harm written by Jane Austen, this is certainly non the case. starting line promulgated in 1813, the story is rough the ro domaince between the young heroine Elizabeth white avens, the prejudice middle fork daughter and the proud, blotto eligible bachelor Fitz go awayiam Darcy as they some(prenominal) overcome their judge manpowerts and fall in fill out. though English gentle men were viewed as the stronger race with a high regard indoors ordering and strong social graces and economises the head of the family with the final examination exam decision, the main male characters in the clean be pictured as th e challenges these characteristics.Austen uses the impudents strong female protagonist, Elizabeth white avens to challenge to idea of women of that era creation weak and passive, whereas the eligible bachelor of the town, Fitzwilliam Darcy, lacks in the social expectations as he is portrayed as juvenile, especially when it comes to love and courtship. Mr bennet, the bewilder of the strong female heroine, is portrayed as withdrawn and passive compared to the erratic character of his wife, Mrs white avens.Through characterisation, Austen intelligently challenges the traditional mannish and distaff affairs of the Regency Era. The novel was archetypical submitted for publication in November 1719 under the alternative title First Impressions between October 1796 and August 1797. During this quantify, the aftermath of the french Revolution was a time of strong ethical debate about basal ideas and convert about politics and sex equality. Austens novel does not gossipmonger o n the events of war in her time, but quite a on the imminent change of ethics with regards to gender equality.Equality between men and women in that era was fairly non-existent as women were deemed the weaker race as a fair sex was expected to remain passive end-to-end her liveness, marrying early and supporting her save when con rampr be, bearing children and living a honour social life. Men, however, being the head of the family and the husbands having high quality within marriage, were deemed fit to defend their surface area and cede high regard within society with strong social graces and a hardworking attitude in the home.Young women in the Regency purpose were traditionally seen as plaza of their fathers, and when married off, they were past deemed the possession of their husband and forever loyal to the men in their lives. The feisty heroine of Elizabeth white avens challenges this expectation by being maintaining her independence in a time of feminine weakness b eing told you speak your opinion very unimpeachably for a cleaning womanhood of your age. In her first marriage proposal from the odd Mr collins, Elizabeth maintains her aptitude as rather than marrying for wealth, she refuses his proposal.Ignoring the expectations of her family, as intumesce as society, Elizabeth maintains her hope in marrying for love in saying do you not consider me now as an delightful female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature public speaking the truth from her heart as she implores Mr Collins to understand her motives in maintaining her independence, as she refuses to absolve for what she wants thus showing her personnel and repugn the idea of women being submissive with the society.Similarly, when Elizabeth journeys across the countryside to Netherfield to tend to her ill sister, Jane, as she does so with the bravado and independence not kinda readily present within the amphetamine class society. though others were un impress by E lizabeths independent behaviour, Darcy was quite impressed by her audacity as he says the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion as it gives women lectors of that era an example of how women jackpot buoy be independent and not have to conform to the societys expectations, that they can rise above and become more(prenominal)(prenominal) than just the property of man.In the Regency period, upper-class men were deemed the epitome of social grace and confidence. With a facade of social standing, Fitzwilliam Darcy challenges this social stereotype. Though seemingly confident in himself, Darcys pride gets the better of him as he is characterised as unvaned for a man of his time. When discussing his past with Elizabeth, Darcy blames his parents for his lack of social skills as they allowed, encouraged and almost taught him to be selfish and overbearing. This shows Darcys willingness to fault his parents for his lack of confidence, and for a man of his time is slightly childish. At the first ball he attends, Darcys snobbish behaviour is seen as immature as he blatantly insults Elizabeth Bennet, to whom he first met. To his friends, Mr Bingley, suggestion of leaping with Elizabeth, Darcy replies She is tolerable but not crowing enough to tempt me revealing him as a prejudiced man that is as well proud to dance with that of the lower class portraying the upper class man as snobbish and conceited.The character of Darcy contrasts with the refined range that has the upmost social graces within society, his awkward record created by Austen shows the weaker side of man. Born into a reasonably squiffy family, Mr Bennet, though meant to be the head of the household, is characterised as passive and reluctant to be knotty in his familys schemes. Described as so odd a mix of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and imagination Mr Bennet does not epitomise the societys expectations of the fatherly figure.During conversations with his family, particu larly his wife, Mr Bennet would rather withdraw from the dispute to his tipple room or submissively imitate to the commands of his wife, especially in the opening of the novel. By marrying his wife based on looks alone, Mr Bennet believes that the respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished for ever and all his views of house servant happiness were overthrown challenging the idea that husbands had the final say in the kind, and that marrying based on looks was appreciated within the society.In the opening, preoccupied by the newly arrived bachelor Mr Bingley, Mrs Bennet has many an(prenominal) ideas and demands her husband take part for then he replies depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all showing his willingness to make her happy rather than societys expectation of the woman keeping the man pleased. In a society preoccupied with the importance of marriage, Mr Bennet defends his daughters decision in rejecting Mr Collins proposal, telling he r Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins nd I will never see you again if you do showing his involuntariness to conform to the societys expectations of women marrying for wealth rather than love. The wife in the Regency period was seen as the exact opposite of the husband, a weak passive woman who did in general domestic work and cared for her family whilst obeying her husbands orders. Mrs Bennet, however, certainly does not conform to these traditional roles. Described as a woman of mean understanding, little information and changeable temper, Mrs Bennet is Austens mark on the equality of marriage.In the opening of the text, the reader is shown the erratic and overpowering personality of Mrs Bennet in contrast to the passive nature of her husband. Concentrated on marrying her daughters off to a suitable bachelor, Mrs Bennet overpowers the opinion of her husband in ordering him that you must go, for it would be impossible for us to visit him, if you d o not showing her as boss around towards her husband portraying the wife figure in the novel to be more coercive compared to the husband.The use of the ultimatum type subscribe from wife to husband, as this is at the offshoot of the novel, foreshadows the theme of female authority end-to-end the text and in a time of oppression within a relationship as Mrs Bennet challenges the traditional role of the Regency eras housewife. Through Austens use of clever characterisation, she defies the traditional masculine and feminine roles of the Regency Era.The challenging of the societys values gave an alternative view of life for those living in the era. Though not portraying men in a good light, the novels feminist ideas gave women empowerment to speak up for their own beliefs and independence. Through strong characters such as Elizabeth and Mrs Bennet, women were given heroines to aspire to, and through the use of the submissive male characters of Mr Bennet and Darcy the strength of t he women contrasts against the weakness of the male characters.Jane Austens comments on gender equality was a powerful motion in her era, and still mend readers now in todays modern society. Bibliography Ashley Gardner, The Regency Era, 2005, viewed on the fifth May http//www. gardnermysteries. com/index-regency. html Heat and Dust, sexual practice Roles in the Victorian Times, April 7, 2008, viewed 7th May, Pride and injury by Jane Austen, first published 1813, published in Penguin Classics 1996, updated Further translation and 1972 Penguin Classics Introduction by Tony Tanner 2003. The res publica of Pemberly, Jane Austen Information, 2004, viewed on the 10th May, Scribd, Pride and Prejudice Class and Gender, 2012, viewed on the 9th May,