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,