Social Thought and Social Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Thought and Social Change - Essay Example Several theorists have contributed to the comprehensive view of social change, not confining the understanding of social change as associated with globalization alone. Of these theorists come three of the pillars of sociology, whose thoughts have been applied even today. These theorists include Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim. Their concepts might have some strands of divergence, yet these concepts were converged to forming a single praxis for academic integration. According to Daniel Bell (1999 cited in Kalantzis & Kope, 2008), a sociologist from Harvard University, â€Å"post-industrial society† is a term coined to refer to â€Å"new principles of innovations, new modes of social organization, and [the emergence of the] new classes in society†¦ [highly featuring] the codification of theoretical knowledge and the new relation of science to technology.† In addition, the post-industrial society is also characterized by a rapid-growing service sector with a focus on information dissemination and modern technological drives that utilize extensively human knowledge and not human muscles (Bell, 1973, p.127). During Marx’s time, the dominating classes involved in the production system are the proletariats and the bourgeoisie, with the latter own the means of production. In the post-industrial society, a large and a growing number of workers are working not in factories of goods production but in service industries, all of wh ich are using their intellects and technical capabilities instead of physical strength. This class of workers, most are professionals, are what Bell calls the new class.

Examine the character of Sir Gawain as shown in the romance Sir Gawain Essay

Examine the character of Sir Gawain as shown in the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Essay Example seem to contain elements that are anti-Arthurian, ultimately the story should be probably best be taken as a stepping stone toward parody; that is, the story of Gawain exists in relation between the traditional tales and the contemporary retellings as a method for humanizing the impossible ideal of chivalric knighthood while at the same time retaining the heroic qualities inherent in them. The stories of King Arthur and his knights have been around so long, and been burned so insistently into human consciousness that even today a movie called King Arthur can be advertised with the tagline â€Å"The Untold True Story That Inspired The Legend† (Internet Movie Database) and nobody bats an eye. While legend is generally thought to be based upon a long forgotten fact, the specifics of the legend rarely correspond to any actual fact. In a sense, Gawain may be representative of this split between the fact and the fiction. The story seems more infused with supernatural qualities than most stories of the Arthurian legend and are also clearly meant to be read with an eye toward Christian allegory, such as the beginning of the story taking place around Christmas, Gawain’s solitary trek into the wilderness to face evil, and other aspects (Andrade). If the story is meant to be taken as Christian allegory, then Gawain’s reduction toward simple humanity rather t han chivalric ideal makes perfect sense. The Christian religion does not allow for perfection among humanity; that right is reserved solely for God. Yet, we are all inspired to reach for perfection and that is what Gawain tries to do throughout the story. In his celibacy and in his sacrifice of himself for the honor of the court, Gawain is very much trying to attain a Christ-like position. That he fails by yielding to minor temptations makes him all the more human, yet also delivers him from the fate of parody. and the Destruction of Ideals† Koster compares the story of Gawain to the film Monty Python and

Counseling Session Essay Example for Free

Counseling Session Essay Counseling can facilitate the process of overcoming or working through personal issues from everyday hardship as well as potentially life threatening situations. This reflective paper will explore the three 50 minute counseling sessions that I attended with a professional counselor and therapist, named Cassy Johnson-Hodge. By attending these counseling session and reflecting on Ms. Johnson-Hodges counseling process I have begun to understand the specific skills a counselor may use in session to help clients. Counseling requires the counselors to reach sensitively into their clients world and help them become aware of their strengths and hidden beauty (Michael S. Nystul, p 49). . The invaluable skills of open-ended questioning, paraphrasing, and reflection the counselor used had previously seemed insignificant to me, when it reality it can determine the difference between a helpful or a non helpful session. I was unsure of what to expect, prior to our first session as I have never received any professional counseling. I was nervous and anxious on the way to the session as I was unsure of where to start or how in depth the session would be. I had planned what I was going to say during the session, but I was still not feeling confident about it. I analyzed in my head what personal issues I could discuss as a student trying to learn the counseling processes, of course this was all based on my assumptions of what the counselor would ask. My nervousness and anxiety were immediately put to rest when I walked in the room where Cassy Johnson-Hodge gave me a warm welcome. Our first session began with an introduction, and I quickly explained to her that Im a student, and Im not sure what Im supposed to be at this point. Ms. Johnson-Hodges response to me was so caring and understanding, that I immediately felt comfortable enough with her to start having, what I would consider, a normal conversation. I still felt a little nervous , but I knew  she was providing me a safe judgment free environment to talk. Ms. Johnson-Hodge kept the conversation going for the duration of the session by affirming how I felt about my personal life goals, I also felt like she really understood what I was talking about, which inadvertently encouraged me to keep talking. By the end of the first session I was really amazed at how much I had talked. I really started to feel the counselor-client relationship developing when she helped me map our sessions. The style and technique, the counselor used throughout our sessions provided an appropriate solution for me and satisfy the goal we both agree to work on. I felt like Ms. Johnson-Hodge listened to what I was saying and directed the conversation in a positive way by asking open-ended questions to facilitate our conversation, paraphrasing what I was saying, and allowing me to reflect on what I had said. There were also other times when the counselor would reflect through silence. During such a period, I had noticed Ms. Johnson-Hodge study me and the information that I had given to her. At the end of the session, the counselor allowed me to ask her about how I feel by summarizing what I said to her. I think Ms. Johnson-Hodge did really good job as a result of pulling together a number of elements that I had offered her and reflected back was helping me to explore more. Works Cited Nystul, M. S. (2011). Introduction To Counseling. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Representation Of The American Dream Film Studies Essay

Representation Of The American Dream Film Studies Essay Independence Day is a film directed by Roland Emmerich WHAT HAPPENED RELEASED in 1996, which shows the planet under an alien attack, where the U.S. is the center of the problem and the country that saves the world. In relation to this film several elements can be analyzed belonging to the American culture. One of the most significant is The American Dream. An ideal of American culture that is based on democracy and equality and aims to maintain the welfare of society, in order to achieve the fulfillment of the dreams of its members. Based on this, the question that this paper attempts to answer is: To what extent the movie Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich reflects the American dream? In this paper is exposed how there is a relationship between The American Dream as a cultural element that represents an American ideal and the script of the film, where elements, the film presents such as leadership, equality in terms of race, gender and social context, and the image of a perfect democracy REPRESENT THIS FEATURE. So we can see IN THIS WAY that the film represents to a great extent and very clearly the American Dream, because it reaffirms the central role of American culture on a global context by exposing the values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of the American Dream as the country defends the planet from the Alien attack, it also brings these values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹to a global context as it takes the independence Day as a celebration of global importance, and showing America as a country where the dreams of an entire nation and its members are fulfilled. Word count: 262 INTRODUCTION Nowadays The United States is one of the most influential countries in the global context, taking into account its economic and military power. However its importance worldwide is also due to their culture, a culture that has strongly expanded in the Western Hemisphere by spreading a set of customs, traditions and ideals. Among the strongest and representative ideals of American culture is what is known as The American Dream, a concept that has transcended through history and has strongly consolidated American culture by showing that in this country people can achieve an ideal lifestyle where all of its members fulfill their dreams in a country that enforces their rights and welfare. Taking this into account it is important to analyze how these ideals are represented and displayed as part of American culture by focusing on a specific cultural artifact, in this case the film Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich released on 1996. Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter and producer known by his science fiction productions which usually show humanity under catastrophic and risky situations. That is why on Independence Day a catastrophic context can be seen a context in which Planet Earth is under an Alien attack and places The United States in the center of the tragedy and as a country that puts all of its efforts to save the planet. The aim of this paper is to show: To what extent the film Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich reflects the American Dream. For this IT IS NECESSARY TO analyze the concept of The American Dream as part of their culture in relation to the elements that the film shows, an analysis of the script by showing the different situations and characters, and an analysis of the symbols used throughout the film. THE AMERICAN DREAM AS REPRESENTATION OF THEIR CULTURE The concept of the American Dream was introduced by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic America, where he talks about this concept as a social ideal representative of American culture, which seeks equality in terms of opportunities and a comfortable lifestyle for everyone, based on a proper use of democracy to achieve it. The American dream is the cultural expression of North American identity and, even if it was occasionally transformed into the American nightmare, it remains one of the most motivating forces of American civilization and a still viable token of American exceptionalism. (Stiuliuc, 2011). According to this, Diana Stiuliuc in her text The American Dream as the Cultural Expression of North American Identity claims that the American Dream despite the different interpretations that may have, will always refer to the American culture as a unique factor that represents the American national identity. Taking these definitions into account we can see how this concepts fi t the American culture, because it is based on democracy and equality, concepts that were consolidated as part of that culture since they were mentioned in the American constitution and the declaration of Independence. On the other hand, referring to Ferdinand Lasalle who said on his book On the essence of constitutions (YEAR) that culture is related with public consciousness, we can consider a relationship between the Constitution and culture. It means that the constitution has to reflect the aspects of society that are determined by their customs, their morality, their ideas about good and evil and in general all kind of aspects that represent the members of a society, in order to make people identify with the constitution and actually obey the laws. According to this and focusing in the movie, it is significant to stand out some concepts that clearly reflect The American Dream because they are based on democracy and equality, the concept of The United States as a country with a perfect democracy, a multicultural country and a global leader. ANALYSIS OF THE SCRIPT Throughout the film America is depicted in many ways as a model of democracy. Several ideas present in the classic documents mentioned appear as concepts in the films plot, there are mainly four ideas represented in the film, they are: America depicted as a progressive country, America depicted as a land in which goals can be fulfilled with enough effort, America as a country in which peace and the due processes are a priority, and America as a country which authority comes from the consent of the governed. America is shown as a progressive country in terms of its political structure, as the movie shows how the country is worried about social progress and welfare. One of the main characters in the film is the President who takes on many roles depending on the situations he faces throughout the film; one of these roles is that of a young yet wise politician. In the film America is shown as a land in which youth is not a hindrance in terms of wisdom. This is shown at the beginning of the film when the Presidents communication director Constance Halbrook, another important character, shows the news to the President arguing that people are attacking not his policies but his age. Other types of progressive thinking are shown throughout the movie such as the presence of debate and protest among the citizens. The President is shown as a human being despite his role as a hero, if he is not defeated at the end of the film, it is due to his prowess as a politician and soldier instead of a set of special abilities inherent to himself. Protestors are shown when US police and military forces take place close to the Alien ships. And debate is implied in occasional TV broadcasts shown as secondary plot devices. America is depicted as a land in which dreams can be fulfilled throughout the entire film. Almost each character starts his or her journey with a certain frustration, David failed as a scientist, Constance failed in her previous relationship with David, Steven could not get a job in NASA and Jasmine struggles with keeping her family together. At the end of the film after each character is forced to grow and has to put huge efforts in developing their skills or going through great risk, is able to accomplish his or her goals, David and Steve succeed in their attack to the alien ship, Constance and Jasmine are able to put their families together. America is also shown as a peaceful country that wont attack unless it is attacked first. After Alien ships are positioned over each major city in the United States the President gives the order to approach them in a peaceful way by having a group of helicopters get close to one of the space ships and broadcast a welcome message. Following an offensive by the Aliens the President gives the order of a counterattack. Also it is implied at several moments that America is a country that respects the supremacy of others, it is only after the United States supremacy is threatened that open war begins. This is closely related to the idea mentioned before that America is a country in which authority comes from the consent of the governed. Most scenes in the movie show scenarios of political life, TV debates, the Oval Office, the White House and so on, democracy is a central theme to the movie. A very representative moment of this idea is when the President decides to prepare a nuclear attack just after receiving a message from the Aliens that describes their method; Aliens are compared to locusts, their essence is that of the exact opposite to the freedom of a democratic government. Some of the mentioned ideas have a parallel in classic documents. The fifth amendment of the United States constitution mentions due process as one of the main components of justice in the United States; this thinking is re-enacted several times during the film. Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. (U.S constitution. Amendment. 5). The Declaration Of Independence states that the source of authority of each country should be the consent of the governed and not the authoritarian rule of a monarch, and that idea is reflected in the movie as it shows the concerns of the president anytime he is making a decision that may or may not benefit people. Another notorious idea is the representation of America as a multicultural country. Different genders and ethnicities are shown in the movie occupying different important roles, as it is an idea of equality that reaffirms The American Dream. Scientists are shown as people from Caucasian, Asian and African-American descent as well as one of the main characters, David, who is clearly of Jewish descent. Women have important roles during the film too, Constance and Margaret, the First Lady, are shown as brave and dedicated women among the world of politics, and Jasmine is shown as a strong woman and mother willing to do what it takes in order to survive and protect her family. It is important to mention about this element of the film what Hanson said on her work American Dream in the 21st Century an idea that shows a close relationship between the film and the American Dream. The American Dream represents a state of mind that is an enduring optimism given to a people who might be tempted to succumb to the travails of adversity, but who, instead, repeatedly rise from the ashes to continue to build a great nation. (Hanson, White, 2011). Soldiers that are one of the main components of the plot are also from different ethnic backgrounds. There is representation of Caucasians, African-Americans and Latinos, each person is compelled to fight for the independence of the United States regardless of their ethnic background or occupation as is mainly shown with Russell a farmer who is considered crazy and drunk during most of the film but turns into a hero by the end. Both the 15th and 19th amendments to the United States constitution defend gender and race diversity by protecting the right to vote of people from all genders and ethnicities. This idea is an essential part of The American Dream and their culture, and is therefore represented in the film repeatedly. Aside from that, it is important to mention how the military forces of the United States of America are shown throughout the film. Military forces are important since they are the first institution of the American government to appear in the film after the aliens have appeared and have been identified, they are the first group to face the threat and set research and analysis into motion. They are also the first ones to establish a defensive stance towards the invaders. This is shown in the movie since a Pentagon official who discovers the Aliens presence takes as first measure the action of summoning the Secretary of Defense. A very prominent idea shown in the film is the American position in regards of conflict against enemies. It is very important to stand out their role as negotiators and a peaceful society at the beginning of the film, they initially will not attack unless they are attacked. In the film, the first approach to the aliens by the American government is a peaceful one. After this peaceful attempt goes terribly wrong and the aliens attack, the army is given the green light to retaliate. This response as we mentioned before was of course more than ready. This peaceful feature of the American society has as well parallels in the official documents. In the Declaration Of Independence, it is stated that the King of England had attacked first by placing troops in American territory even in times of peace. It also says that America will stay in peace with all its allies and friends but will be in war with any enemy. Doing an analysis of the main characters points of view we can see that they always keep an attitude of braveness and enthusiasm. First of all we can see how the President always keeps a brave image and is never afraid or intimidated by the Aliens; he is always present at every moment, refusing any invitation to a shelter and doing everything possible for his country. This idea is reinforced when he decides to be a member of the final offensive fighting like any other soldier. Another element depicted in the film that reinforces this idea of America as a peaceful and caring country yet ready to battle, is how solidarity is an essential characteristic of all characters personality. This idea is prominently shown once again in the President. He is constantly shown as a loving family man. He appears for the first time during the film while receiving a call from his wife and being with his daughter. He stays with his daughter throughout the entire film and has his wife in mind. On the other hand, David is shown as a character attached to moral integrity, an environmentalist always concerned about taking care of the planet and the greater good. He is because of that the first one to go against the decision of launching a nuclear assault. Another recurrent theme in the film is the characterization of the United States as a technological super power. Scientists are during the story more than support characters, they are heroes. Since the beginning of the film scientific facilities are shown. In fact the first character to appear in the film is a scientist. The film goes back and forth between political and scientific scenarios in which all characters interact. America displays power in the film through politics, the army and technology. All these three scenarios are closely intertwined and together form what makes the United States a super power in the film. As mentioned, science appears in the film very early. The first image is a shot of the American flag placed on the moon showing one of the biggest achievements of humanity in terms of space exploration. Then it continues by depicting a scene of a Hi-tech facility in which scientists discover for the first time the presence of the Alien invaders. The importance of science in the movie not only as a tool of survival but as an icon of American pride is reinforced every time that characters face an obstacle in terms of technology. Very early in the film a member of the military is aggravated when an employee of the Pentagon admits that they are confused about what is going on. Another feature of the film related to the depiction of technology is the way that other countries technology is represented. Iraq and Russia are shown as countries in ruins after the alien attack, the Russian satellite is shown as old and is immediately destroyed, it is implied that the only network the Aliens use is the American one. David is therefore the most important character in the film in terms of technology. His personal journey goes from being a scientist who failed professionally despite his studies and intelligence to being the one who discovers the alien communication system and the one who learns how to destroy their defenses. David is the genius who represents the true power of America which is not the brute display of force but the use of knowledge, technology and progress. It is because of him that the world has to follow Americas lead during battle. Another very prominent representation of America in the film is that of the country being shown as a brave and resilient nation. Americans are shown as heroes who overcome adversity no matter how strong their opponents may be, always willing to defend themselves and their people, American scientists, politicians and soldiers seem to be utterly resilient and indestructible. That characteristic though is not shown as the starting point of the film, in fact, Americas most powerful cities are destroyed and all of their military efforts are rendered useless before the attack is successful displaying a story of heroes who had to sacrifice everything in order to win and who to be able to defend their freedom had to rely on their braveness only. Indeed America is shown as the Land of The Free and the Home of The Brave many times during the movie. The figures of the President and the First Lady are examples of courage, unwilling to hide, both decide to stay with the people of America during the alien attacks even after they are offered protection. The First Ladys sacrifice is therefore the ultimate display of braveness and will to resist against the oppressors. Even right before her death she is shown as a warrior who has set her mind on the only goal of defending her country even at the point of surrendering her life, she says she trusts her husbands capabilities in winning the battle turning her death into the moving force of the Presidents determination to win. The President is then the most important figure of braveness and resilience. Not only he is challenged in terms of his job he is also personally attacked and has his family destroyed before he can stand against the aliens. This mixture of professional and personal obligation comes together in his role as a soldier. The President is also a soldier with special abilities in the fields of air combat, he personally leads the final battle against the aliens, because of this reason he is fundamental to Americas victory, he embodies the might of the State, the braveness of Americans and the peoples will to resist and thrive through great efforts. Other main characters are symbols of courage and resilience. Russell is the everyman who even after being described as a bad father and mediocre man saves the day by showing that nothing else is more important than serving his country and fulfilling his duties as an American soldier, the President grants him the status of hero, because of this reason Russell receives the approval of his family and in spite of his previous failure he turns into a hero because of his braveness and willing to sacrifice. Steven is also the soldier who is willing to lose everything if it is for his country and his loved ones. His motivations are fulfilling his dream of being an astronaut, serving his country and protecting the family he wants to form with Jasmine. He puts himself at great risk by being a part of the stealth mission to destroy the enemy defense and does it without any hesitation. The same goes for David who as a member of this mission risks everything in name of the things he believes in, he is shown as an environmentalist who would do anything in order to save his country. Jasmine on the other hand shows another type of resistance. She is the one that as a main character represents the people of America. The everyday fighter, the passionate mother, she can only resist by doing what every civilian can do, being brave and trusting her state leaders. This is another prominent feature of the film. People are shown as hopeless yet brave citizens, they dont have the strength to fight against the aliens but do so by putting their trust in their government. The American civilians have anyway a common characteristic with the military and government their weakness that turns into braveness and finally victory. Then war is not between two equally powerful opponents, humans are obviously outnumbered and overpowered. Their machines and weapons are shown as tiny next to the huge weaponry of the aliens, even the final weapon against their defenses is tiny, a computer virus, showing that intelligence, courage and sacrifice are worth more than raw force. USE OF SYMBOLS One of the most prominent symbols shown in the movie is the speech given by the President to the soldiers prior to the battle against the aliens, where not only are displayed patriotic ideals but also America is depicted as a country that fully represents the promises of the American dream. One of the main symbolic references is the declaration of the 4th of July as a worldwide celebration extending the idea of The United States national independence to the entire world declaring that way that the ideals of the American revolution and its independence values are applicable to the entire world and should therefore be celebrated by all nations since they represent what is good for every nation. This reference to the 4th of July, which is of course a main idea in the film considering its relevance in relation to the title, places America as the leader of the world. The United States government and its military institutions are the ones to begin and lead the attack against the alien threat; the mentioned speech keeps a strong moral and military rhetoric style. The response from the listeners of the speech is highly emotional as they are all willing to defend these universal values in a clear reference to The American Dream. On the other hand we can talk about the symbols displayed visually. Throughout the film different places are shown and many are representative of American culture. Mainly, government buildings like the Pentagon or the White House and national monuments like the Statue of Liberty are shown, also the skylines of New York City and the city of Los Angeles are repeatedly featured. These symbols are a representation of the main aspects of American culture in relation to The American Dream; government buildings represent the power of the United States, its importance in keeping peace and order, as they show the importance of democracy. Cities like New York or Los Angeles are not only the main economic centers of the country but the most renowned touristic destinations in America. CONCLUSIONS Finally it can be seen how the concept of the American Dream has a very important role in everything related to the American culture, from it, the bases for a great amount of social ideals that represent and promote American culture and identity have been formed. The American Dream attempts to fulfill all ideals of equality and common well-being a nation where the dreams of all its members can become a reality depending on the extent to which they belong to the American society. It is very interesting also to analyze how these concepts go back to classic texts like the Declaration Of Independence and the Constitution of the United States since the importance of creating a global country had already been stated. Taking this into account, it can be seen how this film includes clear references reaffirming the cultural importance of the American Dream in a global context by showing how this nation has the capacity of being a world leader and keeping a society together. In the film, the concepts that depict the United States as a country with a perfect government system can be seen. America achieves through democracy a society that has equal rights for everyone regardless of ethnicity, gender and social differences but most of the film depicts America as a country able to keep a society in harmony where collective objectives and individual dreams are fulfilled. Finally, in terms of the inquiry that guides this paper, it can be seen that the film greatly represents the American Dream. Even from the title which refers to an American holiday but places it on a global context we can see how this film shows American values as the answer the world needs to be able to survive the invasion. We can see in the film how the United States is tested and destroyed just so it can reaffirm itself as a powerful nation in all its aspects, mainly culturally, showing the importance of the American Dream at a national and international level. Word count: 3974

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She Essay -- Sign She

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She In life, it doesn't matter where you start, nor necessarily how you live, because in the end, fate will triumph over all obstacles and place you where you were destined to be.   Every individual has had some type of experience with an unexplainable force; on a larger scale, for instance, living through a physical disability or coping with the death of a loved one, but many times, on a smaller scale, fate mysteriously operates in everyday activities and situations.   The way in which fate functions in both extremes is undoubtedly unexplainable; however, the path in which fate designs for every person is predetermined and unavoidable.   It matters not if you are an all-time champion marathon runner or a poor, homeless vagabond, because fate has a charted course that is set in stone and impossible to alter.   For instance, the champion runner suddenly has a massive heart attack while on the homestretch of an important race and dies right on the spot, on the other han d, the homeless person haphazardly finds a winning lottery ticket on the ground and ultimately transforms his life.   These hypothetical instances are not chance, nor are they good or bad luck, they happen for a reason, a reason which cannot be understood, and one in which cannot be escaped. The idea of fate was covertly woven within the fabric of The Sign of the Four and She.   From Jonathan Small's wooden leg, the "solid iron chest of Indian workmanship" (221) containing the Agra treasure, to Ayesha's undying love (literally) for Kallikrates. Each situation vividly represents how the foundation of fate can inevitably shake up and change existence of being.   The character, Jonathan Small, in The Sign of t... ...cept what is handed to us on fates plate and learn to cope with it instead of avoiding the inevitable like the people in England when Queen Victoria ruled.   Throughout the ages, we have come a long way in understanding the dynamics of life: the progression of health and sciences, technology, and the uniting of diverse cultures and classes.   Time has revealed the hidden doubts of our predecessors, and with that, we have concluded that the future is wide open and bound to change at any given moment in time.   Nothing in life is fixed, but it is ever-changing, both on mental and physical levels.   We can attempt to improve the conditions in which we live, but when all is said and done, the final outcome is always what it is intended to be.   Our destiny is always intact and one, whether real or fictional characters, cannot escape the divine map of life.  Ã‚  

What is Culture? Essay -- Sociology, Subcultures

Question One What is culture? Culture can be interpreted in multiple ways and have many different meanings to different individuals. Consequently, it is because of those facts that a definition is so hard to create. To some, culture results from consumed meanings by a social group (Lewis, 2008). Others view culture as something based on economics and servitude (Marx, as cited by Lewis, 2008). Hebdige ambiguous concept As I attempt to tease out a personal definition of culture based on my own experiences and various readings this semester, I select a few common themes that bare significance in my conceptualization of culture. Beliefs, values, social constructs, are some of the concepts used in many of the definitions of culture. These terms will serve as the basic principles on which I will base my own definition. To me, culture is an ideology, a relationship between social constructions and individuals. Culture results from created sets of beliefs, values, and goals from which individuals make meaning through interpretation and use to guide interactions amongst themselves and their environment. My definition of culture stems from two major concepts: ideologies and social constructions. Ideology itself is a very complex concept with multiple definitions. For clarity, I am referring to Althusser’s concept of ideology. Althusser (as cited by Lewis, 2008) believed ideology was a â€Å"representation of the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence†. This applies to my personal definition of culture because these imagined conditions are what make up the beliefs, values, and goals that cultures abide by. This imaginary relationship then transitions into another major part of my definition ... ...tudent affairs professionals, we always talk about the power of a single story. Each student is special and has their own experiences that they have that have affected their development. These experiences influence each student both interpersonally, as well as intrapersonally. One habit student affairs professionals have to take into consideration when studying student cultures is to never generalize a student and pay close attention to assumptions made when studying a student culture or subculture. Studying student cultures and subcultures from a macro level will help professionals understand the experiences of a large number of students. But as practitioners, we must be wary of over generalizing and bringing our own biases into our research. As clearly shown above, culture is a very complex topic. It means many different things to various people.

A Beautiful Mind: The Case of John Nash Essay

John Nash was a Princeton University graduate student that begins to loose touch with reality. The movie begins with John’s days in college as a bright mathematical student focusing on creating a thesis. Upon this journey he is he develops schizophrenia and it begins to worsen. He is able to acquire a job at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is here where he meets his future wife Alicia. Alicia is not aware of John’s condition at the time but soon learns. John is admitted into treatment for help and is eventually released. He then continues his life, partially recovering from the disease and is honored the Nobel Memorial Prize. John Nash is a young college student in his adult years. He is in his mid to late twenties he begins to develop schizophrenia. Information about immediate was not given, though he later marries his student, a MIT graduate student, Alicia Larde and has a son. As John ages his symptoms begin to worsen. He starts off by hearing voices and then eventually progresses to hallucinations and delusions. He often created friends and event scene by actions in his head that he believed was happening. According to the DSM, Schizophrenia is a mental illness of the mind. Its sub-types include paranoid, catatonic, hebephrenic and simple. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and bizarre behavior. Patients also commonly hear voices. Though the voices may vary there are many categories. They can comment on present actions and well as previous thoughts. Another feature is a â€Å"command hallucination† which can tell the patient what to do. In these scenarios the patient must obey the voice. While in college John Nash began to hear voices. He then begins creates friends of them. Those included Charles, whom he believed was his roommate and William Parcher an agent for the United States Department of Defense. Charles would be an example of a voice (or person) that comments of present actions, and Parcher is a command voice because he displays authority and directs John on what to do. While teaching at MIT, John believes he is on a mission to solve Soviet codes to assist the United States in stopping Soviet plots. While giving a lecture he believes Soviet spies captured him. He also endured in incident where he left this young son in the bathtub while running water. He claims he has a friend that was going to turn the water off. He almost drowns his son. These occurrences clearly identify John as a schizophrenic. He displays the symptoms needed to be considered a schizophrenic. There are no specific causes of schizophrenia. However schizophrenia can be affected by genetics and environmental causes. Medically a cause of schizophrenia is higher levels of dopamine receptors in the brain. There are also abnormal behaviors that occur in the frontal cortex, amygdala, and thalamus. Younger patients with this disease tend to lose me brain tissue compared to those that do not have the disease. Another factor that could potentially lead to the development of schizophrenia is the contraction of any viral infection of the mother while the fetus is still inside of her. Improper nutrition and a lack of oxygen to the brain while in the fetus state can play a part in leading to this disease. Other factors may include the birth month (winter v. summer), the birth place- rural areas compared to urban areas, maternal depression, as well as family history. Though the movie did not give information about John’s childhood nor family history, his schizophrenia could have possible developed from many of the factors previously mentioned. Schizophrenia is a disease that cannot be fully cured but can be treated. When a patient is treated for schizophrenia it is not removed from their brain but the symptoms associated with the disease are treated. For example a patient may still have schizophrenia but the common everyday signs such as hallucinations or delusions may be cured for an amount of time. In the film, John was admitted to a mental facility in which he was treated. He left on medication that treated his delusions. However once he decided to discontinue his medications the symptoms reappeared. He was then treated with insulin shock therapy. During this therapy patients are treated with insulin for about eight days to two weeks. Observations have recorded that it speeds up the reduction of the intensity of the disease. Most patients have recorded no relapses after this treatment. Other treatments are psychotherapy and regular medicine are offered. Psychotherapy is a great choice to get individuals assimilated back into â€Å"normal society†. However I would not recommend this for John because he did not isolate himself of loose social skills, he simply had to deal with the balancing of what was actually happening versus what was occurring in his mind. I also would not offer regular medicine because as seen in the movie, patients can simply stop taking it for what ever person reason they have, which defeats the purpose. As done in the movie, I would prefer the insulin treatment for John. Because he is such an intelligent man I believe it would be possible for him to almost return to a normal lifestyle if this medicine is going to decrease his symptoms. He will eventually learn to ignore and small and non-significant reoccurrences of his symptoms. Works Cited A Beautiful Mind. Dir. Ron Howard. Perf. Russel Crowe. Dreamworks , 2001. DVD. Donahue, Time. Psychological Disorders [PDF document]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://blackboard.vcu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fattachment%3Dtrue%26navItem%3Dcontent%26content_id%3D_3130818_1%26course_id%3D_88979_1%26displayName%3DDisorders%2BVCU%2BSpring%2B2011%2Bstudent%2Bcopy.pdf%26href%3D%2F%2540%2540%2FA351CAB57C41453726BD6BBA28AA5DBA%2Fcourses%2F1%2FPSYC-101-901-2011Fall%2Fcontent%2F_3130818_1%2FDisorders%252520VCU%252520Spring%2525202011%252520student%252520copy.pdf Grohol, John M., and Psy.D.. â€Å"Psych Central: Schizophrenia Treatment.† Psych Central – Trusted mental health, depression, bipolar, ADHD and psychology information .. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. . â€Å"Insulin shock therapy – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2011..