The Good, the Bad and Social Problems Essay Topics

The Good, the Bad and Social Problems Essay Topics Social Problems Essay Topics - Dead or Alive? First of all, correct amount of basic education should be provided in families. The student from the upper-class community is going to have the very best possibility of succeeding. There are many problems, even on your own campus, that ought to be resolved. Therefore, it truly is important to place the issue of cyber bullying to the forefront and be sure that the government authorities together with the school councils do something about it. Top Social Problems Essay Topics Choices It's also just as important to maintain adequate degree of mutual trust so that children could find assistance from parents in case they've become victims of cyber-bullying. The demands of the students should be looked at in a pragmatic way and schemes have to be developed to serve them better. They face lots of relationship issues. The Supreme Approach for Social Problems Essay Topics Drugs have subse quent wellbeing and emotional issues through addiction and standard usage which then changes an individual's social behavior. Normally the illness lasts a couple of days. Social stress is one mental illness that maynot be cured with something as simple as a substance. More common problems for the fantastic depression. Details of Social Problems Essay Topics Various nations share similar social problems along with different ones. Opinions on the matter of illegal immigrants residing in america varies greatly. The variety of microcephaly cases in Brazil are increasing, particularly in the Northeast of the nation. The usa has a great deal of social troubles. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Social Problems Essay Topics Social issues transcend almost every facet of the society, and for that reason, given the undertaking of writing an essay on social issues, one is indirectly given the opportunity to select from the plethora of topics within the area. History is a subj ect that's compulsory for students of at just about any major. Let's take a quick glance at some of the most fascinating problem solution essay topics for students that will assist you in writing an essay. You can't begin writing an essay without a sharp clue about what things to write. It is possible to also cite the job on particular individuals or philanthropists, that are working with diverse methods than the ones which you proposed. One of the course of the past few weeks webmd experts and after that show the decrease chest area. The third component is the growth of adolescence as a distinct phase of the life cycle is the growth of the juvenile justice system. Furthermore, there are different joints which only draw in women or seem to get frequented by men only. Social Problems Essay Topics Can Be Fun for Everyone Choose the one that you liek to compose an ideal expository essay! It is crucial to remain objective when writing this kind of assignment and convince your audience on facts instead of opinions. You just need to ask the i deal questions! The social issues research papers may appear easy to write in comparison with different topics, but still it demands an extremely creative strategy, a tremendous quantity of curiosity and capability to think beyond the box and search info in unconventional sources. Top Social Problems Essay Topics Secrets Individual member is now able to play their role, pick the part they need to play and do it for the frequent goodness of their community. If only a few individuals are speaking out against it, then it isn't a social matter. After discovering our website, you will no longer will need to bother friends and family with these kinds of requests. In both nations, the strong existence of the government is very evident as the officials are making everything possible to attack the issue. Social Problems Essay Topics - the Story Avoiding social media can be quite hard. Social problems aren't universal to each society and have a tendency to change rapidly. They arise due to various factors. Difficulties with the environment are almost directly linked to poverty and issues with education. In some instances, people are attracted into buying certain kinds of products which they now define with that specific brand against their rivals through extreme advertising. There are several social problems that haunt the education system. As stated by the structural perspective, society is regarded as a complicated system of structures that interact to be able to execute various necessary functions. Data service social means it is also subject to lots of interpretations from various disciplines.

Plato s Allegory Of The Cave Essay - 1630 Words

The lasting condition impressed by an image can sometimes like as a flame, spreading throughout other discourses for long after its initial kindling. Such is the case with Plato s allegory of the cave, which has for over 2,500 years inspired significant contributions to theorizations of truth. Despite the age of Plato s work, the truth in the allegory is demonstrated by its own universality; as a formative piece of literature, the story acts as a gateway into Western discourses of truth. Truth remains an elusive quality, particularly when it is elevated to a universal value. Elevation as such brings into question the possibility of universal truth. The allegory of the cave renders a depiction of truth as a universal value that appears at once illuminating, damaging, and unforgiving — but this much only ever seeks to assert a version of truth fashioned by Socrates Plato himself sought to replicate. To analyze the enduring quality of Plato s work, the tools the author himself us es need to be investigated first. In one of his classic dialogues, Plato utilizes the character of Socrates, a stand-in for the real philosopher that educated the author. Socrates in Plato s work is in some ways an idealization of the lived thought of one of Western thought s most celebrated philosophers. Socrates discusses with another Greek, Glaucon, the image of a cave in which inhabitants are shackled, forced to view nothing but a wall and shadows upon it projected from other light sources. AShow MoreRelatedPlato s Allegory Of The Cave1716 Words   |  7 PagesIn Plato’s, Allegory of the cave, a key theory I found was the importance of education. Plato uses an â€Å"allegory to illustrate the dilemma facing the psyche in the ascent to knowledge of the imperishable and unchanging forms† (104) Based on my research of the republic, the allegory can reveal multiple hidden messages. Plato describes, ordinary mortals are chained within an underground chamber, which acco rding to Fiero, represents the psyche imprisoned within the human body. These mortals can’t lookRead MorePlato s Allegory Of Cave1979 Words   |  8 PagesJaneva Walters December 6, 2016 Dr. T. Brady ENG 391 Plato’s Allegory of Cave The allegory of the cave is regarded as one of the most reputed and acclaimed works by the Greek philosopher Plato in modern literature as well as philosophy. First published and presented in his work known as a Republic (514a–520a), the dialogues that have been used as conversation can be regarded as fictitious as the main conversation takes place between Plato’s brother Glaucon and Socrates. First and foremost, allegoricalRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave1814 Words   |  8 PagesIn Plato’s, â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, a key theory I found was the importance of gaining knowledge. Plato uses an â€Å"allegory to illustrate the dilemma facing the psyche in the ascent to knowledge of the imperishable and unchanging forms† (Fiero, 104). Based on my research of the Republic, the allegory can reveal multiple hidden messages. Plato describes in the Allegory, ordinary mortals who are chained within an underground chamber, which according to Fiero, r epresents the psyche imprisoned within theRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave1379 Words   |  6 Pagesbeen in a cave? Caves are dark, cold, and often times dangerous. People who lose their source of light in a cave often face death from physical injury or hypothermia, unless otherwise rescued. The Greek philosopher Plato illustrated the difference between reality and illusion through a story about prisoners who lived their entire existence in a cave. Plato tells the â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† as a conversation between Socrates, his mentor, and Glaucon, one of Socrates’ students. Plato’s allegory of theRead MorePlato s The Allegory Of The Cave1965 Words   |  8 PagesIn this paper I shall argue for Socrates’ notion in the Allegory of the Cave, saying that the purpose of education is not to place knowledge to the mind where there was none, but instead to recognise the already underlying existence of such insight inside the mind, and to help divert th e ones in need of teaching onto the correct path to find and retrieve such knowledge. Plato in his time was a dedicated student of Socrates, so most of Socrates â€Å"logos† and concepts heavily influenced Plato’s futureRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave910 Words   |  4 Pagesnature within them to reach their potential. Allegory is to reveal a hidden meaning, normally a moral, based on fictional stories. Plato Allegory of the Cave reminds us that the theory of Forms is real and suggests that the one with the empirical science would share his mind with the commoner in society. We must grasp the complex different types of Forms – opinion, knowledge and beauty really meant for Plato. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Plato talks about dualism, mind (soul) and body. InRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave Essay1370 Words   |  6 Pagesflesh to satisfy the god (Ahmed 2010). All of these civilizations were interactive with their environment, but imagine if one knew only of the reality they believed inside of a cave not experiencing e vents within the real world. In Plato’s, Allegory of the Cave, he describes the scenario of prisoners kept isolated in a cave left to come up with a reality that they comprehended with the images that they saw in front of them. This applies especially to politics, because people are left to decipherRead MoreAnalyzing Plato s Allegory Of The Cave874 Words   |  4 PagesI’ll be analyzing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave through my own interpretation. An allegory is defined as â€Å"a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.† In Plato’s Republic the short excerpt The Allegory of the Cave can be viewed through multiple perspectives. Plato’s image of the cave is known as the â€Å"theory of forms†¦ The theory assumes the existence of a level of reality inhabited by ideal â€Å"forms† of all things and concepts (Revelations:Read MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave Ess ay1842 Words   |  8 Pagesto find pieces about importance of our ego as well. Plato is one of the most important philosophers in western history. That brings us a question, why ego is such significant for both western and eastern philosophers and religious works? Sigmund Freud, who carried on Plato’s thinking on humanity and our society, pointed out what Plato has vaguely discussed about that the significance and impact the ego has on us. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, what the prisoners are actually experiencing the fightRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave1217 Words   |  5 Pagesthe other persons and sometimes that can get a little out of hand, depending on who you are dealing with. I guess the major point in all this is to never judge a book by its cover, always learn yourself. In Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, there are these prisoners that live in a cave and have never seen any natural sunlight. They can only see shadows of things displayed on the wall by the light coming from the fire. The prisoners get happy and interested by the shadows they see. The shadows could

Drilling in ANWR is Americas best hope Essay - 2012 Words

The United States imported 9,163,000 barrels of oil per day in 2010. Of that amount 4,885,000 barrels are imported from countries that belong to the OPEC oil cartel. (Petroleum Statistics) The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an organization consisting of twelve countries that have formally agreed to fix prices and dictates sales rules involving the export of oil to non-member countries. In order to lessen our dependence on OPEC oil, the United States should begin drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. The oil reserves in ANWR are estimated to contain more than twice as much oil as the state of Texas. (Energy) Drilling for these resources will help the United States by†¦show more content†¦The red dot represents the area that has been proposed for development in ANWR OPEC has consistently held the U.S. hostage with fixed oil prices and the threat of embargos. Many of the countries that belong to OPEC are not fri endly to the United States, including: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Libya, and Algeria. (Weil) The U.S. has declared many of these countries to be â€Å"state sponsors of terror†; however we still purchase their oil. (Fueling Terror) Increasing the United States’ oil production would give OPEC less of an opportunity to fix prices because demand for their product would fall. The peak oil production of ANWR is estimated to be up to 1.45 million barrels per day; that’s 1.45 million barrels of oil that OPEC would have to find another buyer for. They would either have to lower prices or production as a result of the flooded market. (Hastings) Currently the United States imports 4.885 million barrels of oil from OPEC daily. If we produced 1.45 million more barrels of oil per day we could cut our OPEC imports by more than twenty-five percent. (Petroleum Statistics) At $100 dollars per barrel that would be 145 million dollars that would stay in the United States every day; instead of being sent to countries that sponsor terrorism and reject basic human rights. Oil is fifty percent of Iran’s gross domestic product, fueling their ability to procureShow MoreRelatedThe Threat Of Global Warming1779 Words   |  8 Pages(Consequences of Global Warming). Drilling in ANWR would cause horrifying situations for the wildlife ecosystem and inescapable affects on life in America and around the world, as we know it. In the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s annual report and recommendations to the US Congress, they revealed the astounding fact that, â€Å"The Artic Refuge is the only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the artic ecosystem in North America† (Inkley, Kolton, p. 8)Read More America Does NOT Need to Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge5388 Words   |  22 PagesAmerica Does NOT Need to Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Thesis: If the United States is going to choose to conserve energy responsibly, then our governments energies should not be focused on developing oil in the ANWR, but rather on the topics of conservation through higher fuel efficiency standards in vehicles and by developing alternative energy sources. Conservation, fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources are the solutions that will lead us

Where Admart Went Wrong free essay sample

A revolution was taking place in the grocery store industry, and was creating the potential for drastically lower food bills for Hong Kong consumers. This was the result of Mr. Jimmy Lai Chee-ying? s latest business venture, adMart, a directmarketing company that sold groceries and electronic products through the Internet and phone-in orders, and offered free delivery service. At stake was a slice of the market worth more than HK$55 billion (US$7 billion) a year (HK Standard, 22 August 1999). Mr.Jimmy Lai had broken into other markets in the last ten years with Giordano (a casual wear chain-store), Next Magazine (a weekly magazine), and Apple Daily (a daily newspaper). But this time, he was taking on Hong Kong? s retail powerhouses, a duopoly of billionaire Mr. Li Ka-shing? s Hutchison Whampoa (Park? N Shop) and the colonial British conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings (Wellcome Supermarket). Other retailers had not been able to challenge the entrenched giants, largely because setting up brick and mortar stores was simply too expensive given Hong Kong? skyrocketing real-estate costs. Mr. Jimmy Lai figured that a virtual store would solve the problem and boasted that adMart would smash the status quo and bring price relief to local customers. The idea was to use the huge advertising muscle of Mr. Jimmy Lai? Next Media Group to sell products and revolutionize the grocery market. An excellent marketing strategy such as promoting adMart goods vigorously in his Apple Daily, one of Hong Kong? s two most-read newspapers, and orders could be placed by telephone, fax, or e-mail. As a result, a new brand name was developed in a short time, which forced Wellcome and Park? N Shop into a cut-throat price war. Mr. Jimmy Lai claimed that Hutchison and Jardine had warned the distributors not to sell groceries and electronics to adMart and pulled advertisements out of his Apple Daily. Although the two supermarket giants did not admit to directly competing with adMart, both acknowledged that they met adMart? s challenge by boosting advertising, slashing prices, and launching their own me-too cyber stores (Business Week, 23 October 2000). The venture into cyber-shopping was never going to be smooth for adMart. The first problem was that online transactions did not live up to expectations. At their height, only 25 percent of the orders delivered were placed on the Internet, with 65 percent coming by telephone, and 10 percent by fax (SCMP. com, 13 December 2000). Not long after it opened, adMart was plagued by product and service problems. Adding to adMart? s woes, suppliers stopped providing goods, because the company was selling products below prices agreed between the suppliers and other retailers. Hampered by a lack of quality products, adMart was forced to parallel import goods that offered little quality assurance, and reportedly made losses of between HK$50 and $60 million a month (Hong Kong iMail, 12 December 2000). After an 18-month period of intense competition, adMart ceased trading on 11 December 2000. No longer bound by time or geography, customers could shop in cyberspace around the clock. Online shopping was now becoming as common and convenient as ordering by telephone or fax. A survey conducted by AC Nielsen in June 1999 revealed that 17% of Internet users showed interest in shopping via the Internet. Books, magazines, CDs, audio and videotapes contributed to about 39 percent of total local Internet sales, followed by daily supermarket items and computer software products. According to the survey, Internet users had shown a growing interest in grocery shopping, creating demand worth HK$800 million a year. In August 2000, almost 50 percent of the people who shopped on the Internet had used it to buy food and household goods in the previous 12 months, which was up from only 20 percent in January 2000. People commonly shopped online for basic items such as rice and bulk food (SCMP. com, 10 October 2000). The average purchase value of each Internet shopper was around HK$680. 00. The benefit of shopping online was that one had more choice of goods, and could more easily compare prices between shops. The advantages of cyberspace were most significant for shopping that required a substantial amount of information, which was an area where the traditional shopping experience was rather inefficient (HK Standard, 10 May 2000). A Consumer Council survey found that about 80 percent of Internet shoppers were happy with the service that they received. However, consumer complaints related to Internet shopping had risen, and most were due to delivery problems, lost goods, misrepresentation of the goods, and overcharging (SCMP. COM, 18 October 2000). Online shopping was further advanced in January 2000 by the launch of Hong Kong? s first virtual credit card. This move by the Hang Seng Bank attracted thousands of new consumers to the Internet. The bank set a low monthly credit limit of HK$3,000 (HK Standard, 18 January 2000) to 4 ACRJ help calm the public? s well-known fear of online fraud. Indeed, the distrust of online services, and the local passion for physical shopping and bargain hunting, were seen as obstacles in the development of electronic commerce. Hong Kong shoppers wanted to touch and hold the goods they buy, and haggle for the lowest possible price. Such habits would continue to present difficulties for Hong Kong entrepreneurs wanting to replicate the success of e-commerce in Western countries. However, the adMart management group had confidence in the future of direct marketing services, as they reasoned that people in Hong Kong do not have time to shop for basic necessities, and most of them do not have vehicles to transport bulky items home. The management of adMart predicted that once the consumers began shopping online, they would never want to carry a bag of rice and 24 cans of soft drinks back home from the supermarket again.

The Italian Renaissance Essay Example

The Italian Renaissance Essay The ancestors of man were experimenting with art over 12 thousand years ago, paintings as far back as 15,000 to 10,000 BC have been found in caves.Our history of painting was slow to mature into the art we know and appreciate today. The most prolific period was the Renaissance period, with some of the best known masters being represented by this period. The Italian Renaissance was as the name implies the rebirth of painting. This does not imply that all the advances of painting came from this period but that the masters learned to combine new and old. The Italian artist Masaccio, was referred to by some as the father of Renaissance painting.Masaccio made notable advances in the styles of paintings such as perspective, space, and surrounding his subjects in light and air.Masaccio was the next great Italian painter after Giotto who died in 1337. Giotto who painted during the gothic period was able to display naturalistic human dramas and used characteristics with renaissance qualiti es. Some of these were showing figures as solid and weighty characters.Masaccio recognized what Giotto had initiated and brought it forward with other characteristics as previously mentioned. The other two artist who deserve recognition in the early part of the Italian renaissance are Brunilleschi and Donatello for their innovations in linear perspective in sculpture and architecture. An important scientific innovation by Masaccio was in the Holy Trinity with the Virgin and ST. John. The setting reveals a complete command of Brunelleschis new architecture and of scientific perspective. This barrel vaulted chamber is a place that the figures could move freely if they wished. For thefirst time in history, we are given all the needed data to measure the depth of this painted interior. We note that all the lines perpendicular to the picture plane converge upon a point below the foot of the cross, on the platform that supports the kneeli

Le Bon and Freud Essays

Le Bon and Freud Essays Le Bon and Freud Essay Le Bon and Freud Essay Essay Topic: Sociology Le Bon was of the opinion that when people joined large, relatively unstructured social groups, they sometimes engaged in spontaneous and atypical collective behaviour. Le Bon suggests that crowds are ruled by a collective mind, and that contagion causes crowd members to experience similar thoughts and emotions. Freud, on the other hand, argues that individuals, by joining crowds, can satisfy some basic needs for membership, hostility, and so on. Both of these theories are still popular today but lacking empirical evidence we strive to find more tangible theories that can be tested. Several theories have been developed since these accounts such as de-individuation, emergent norm theory and social identity theory and this essay will look at these theories and try to assess whether or not they are better than Le Bon and Freuds theories which lack any scientific basis. Le Bon, the author of The Crowd was writing during a time of incipient social progress when the masses were wreaking havoc across France. Being a member of the bourgeoisie this situation worried Le Bon and he wanted to cure the disorders brought about by the masses. He found the answer in psychology and the discovery of a crowd soul. Le Bon, in his work, rejected all three of the popular views of the time that the crowd was mad, criminal or antisocial and mainly inhabited by the people at the lower end of the social spectrum for the idea that a man, irrelevant of his social standing, once in a group would lose his personal characteristics and the personalities in the group would fuse together. The characteristics of the crowd are savagery, primitive and uncivilised because the individual is no longer acting consciously but unconsciously as the people are a collective mass. He described the collective state as being similar to that of a hypnotic state, an idea later harnessed by Freud. To merge into the collective state Le Bon cites the physical presence of the crowd as crucial and has developed from this his Law of the mental unity of crowds. The physical presence of others delivers anonymity giving the individual invincible power and takes away the persons sense of responsibility. His second idea is that, like a virus or bacteria, ideas, feelings and emotions spread rapidly throughout a crowd and individuals are quickly infected with the disease, this is the theory of contagion. Thirdly, theres the concept of suggestibility and happens when the crowd is in the collective state. This is open to exploitation when the person has lost his conscious personality and is open to all the suggestion that the crowd suggests. These three phenomenon release our animal nature and free us from social and moral constraints, what Le Bon calls latent processes. This perceived loss of self has developed into what later thinkers have called de-individuation. Le Bon sees the collective behaviour as primitive and devoid of reason or culture and links it to acting at the level of racial unconscious. Other psychologists have on the other hand proposed the idea that the collective mind is not necessarily as negative as Le Bon portrays believing the crowd to be capable of great acts of altruism and unselfishness. Many of the earlier social psychologists have coined similar ideas to Le Bon. Tarde for example sees physical closeness as crucial as social life of individual is based on imitation, similar to Le Bons anonymity idea. The close proximity of the crowd is therefore the most extreme example of this imitation behaviour. Mc Dougal takes the view that similarity between group members, predominantly constitutional and racial will determine how fast ideas spread through crowds, a theory of contagion. Trotter believed that humans behaved similarly to animals in that they were very open to the opinion of the leader. Freud, whose theory on crowds initiated from Le Bons places great emphasis on the role of the leader. Also writing during a time of political and social turbulence, Freud was hoping to understand the causes of the very real problems of the day namely anti-Semitic feeling and a tendency to follow demagogues who, to Freud, were obviously untrustworthy. Freud felt that suggestibility was still crucial and that it is an irreducible, primitive phenomenon. Freud, similarly to Le Bon, believed that psychic factors are crucial. The unconscious becomes unlocked and members of the crowd become bound by their love for the leader. The leader is usually a charismatic individual who may be perceived as a father figure. The Freudian model of the psyche, the id, ego and superego (sub-conscious, conscious and super-conscious) are all at play in the crowd situation. The superego, which represents moral and civilised aspects of the psyche, is renounced to the leader. This leaves the Id to dominate the mind resulting in primitive and uncivilised behaviour. The leader will provide a group ideal and the crowd will inevitably follow. Freud likens this leadership control to that of a hypnotist. The adoption of the new ideals causes the self to change dramatically and it shifts from individual self to a group self where all members can identify with each other. It would seem, having looked at the theories of Le Bon and Freud that they are very comprehensive nevertheless there are many criticisms that have been made of both of their theories. The most important criticism of both Freud and Le Bon is that they lack empirical evidence to support their proposals. Due to the nature of the theories we are unable to verify them, as access to the unconscious is impossible. Both men also describe the behaviour of the crowd as primitive but neither considers the often-unselfish nature of the crowd, a definite positive aspect. Le Bon has been criticised for cementing together ideas of other theories such as contagion and can be vague and of mediocre quality. A further criticism would be his biased interpretation of crowds. Le Bon sees the crowd as a force for social evil and incorporates his fascist ideology into his work. It is also evident that the social context in which he is writing also affects his objectivity and he talks of the revolution in a crude way. There are many aspects of Freuds work that are also vague. For instance, Freud sees the leader as fundamental to the changing of the individuals psyche to that of the group self but this theory is problematic insofar as not all crowds have leaders. Another loophole is that many people demonstrate the characteristics that Freud describes for being susceptible to crowds but do not, in practice, succumb to the crowd. From the basis of both Freud and Le Bon there have been many psychologists who have attempted to rectify the problems cited above and in doing so have developed theories of their own. The most obvious of these is the theory of de-individuation which has developed from Le Bon blueprint of anonymity. De-individuation means the loss of personal identity and many studies have been carried which support the theory. De-individuation differs from Le Bons theory in the way that the indiviaual isnt seen as losing the mind to the collective but that the loss of individuality leads to a total loss of control. This loss of control culminates in the release of the individual from internal moral restraints and generates behaviour that is impulsive, irrational, emotional, regressive and intense. Research by Festinger, Pepitone andNewcomb (1952) made small groups of subjects discusses their feelings towards their parents. They found that the less individual subjects viewed themselves and each other the more rash and daring were their contributions to the conversation. Singer, Brush and Lublin (1965) conducted a study where subjects had to talk about erotic literature. They found that those wearing lab coats and thus seen as non-identifiable used more obscene language than the more identifiable subjects. Both of these studies demonstrate that people, when de-individuated will behave differently and Singer attributed theses finding to reduced feelings of self-consciousness and distinctiveness. Le Bon (1985) went on to say that people would behave in more extreme ways in crowds because they lose their sense of identity. Zimbardo believes that the crowd provides a cloak of anonymity and diffuses personal responsibility for the consequences of an individuals actions. He details two types of behaviour, individuated, when behaviour is rational, controlled and consistent with personal norms and de-individuated behaviour, which acts on primitive impulses, is anti social, unrestrained. He believes that this behaviour is caused by being a member of a crowd or when wearing a uniform as loss of individual identity and a reduced concern for social evaluation. Zimbardo (1969) has carried out several experiments on de-individuation and anonymity. One experiment showed that de-individuated people (in this case they were dressed in lab coats and hoods) had a stronger tendency towards aggressive behaviour (e. . total duration of shocking was twice as much for the de-individuated group compared to the identifiable condition). Another experiment that Diener (1976) made in the same area was on a group of Belgian soldiers. However, the result was the reverse- the soldiers had a shorter shocking time than the normal people did. It has been said that this is due to the fact that the soldiers were already de-individuated before the test as they are already members of a group, the army. When they put on a lab coat and a hood (and away from their fellow soldiers) they suddenly became more self-aware than they were before. Diener believed that dressing up in these silly costumes might have made them more self-conscious rather then less. He sees the key to de-individuation as losing self-awareness. Further research observed more than a thousand children on Halloween. They found that those whod given their names to the householder or who wore costumes that didnt allow anonymity were less likely to steal sweets from the bowl when briefly left alone. Diener was concerned with how de-individuation came about. Anonymity doesnt directly lead to it because, as Hogg demonstrates, a bank robber is anonymous but yet very conspicuous. This conspicuousness is found more often in small groups or when there are many observers. Instead, Diener focused, as mentioned above, on self-awareness whereas previously focus of studies was on anonymity in the group and this was seen as the most important factor to de-individuation. Self-awareness means a person is the object of ones own attention particularly private self awareness which is reduced awareness of ones private thoughts and feelings. This attention on the self, to things such as ones attitudes and norms, increases the capability for self-regulation. Nonetheless Classical and contemporary views agree on the main thrust of the de-individuation hypothesis being that he psychological state of de-individuation brings about anti-normative and dis-inhibited behaviour. As with most theories de-individuation is also open to criticism. Despite considerable research and development of ideas, it is too simplistic. Many of the studies, which it uses to prop itself-up are lab-based. More naturalistic studies are needed to increase the ecological validity of the theory. The theory can also be criticised for ignoring coherence of crowd behaviour as crowds frequently behave in the same manner. At football matches, for example, component people are not the same yet the behaviour demonstrated is always very similar. Another theory that has developed, In contrast to Le Bons contagion theory, is the convergence theory. As demonstrated, Le Bon thought that crowds were run by a collective mind and the individual thoughts changed radically. According to the convergence theory, the people who join a group often have similar needs and personal characteristics as the group. Instead of changing the self into the group collective the individual is, essentially, already what the group is. A further modern, contradictory theory to that of Le Bons s Tuner and Killians (1972) emergent norm theory. Contrary to Le Bon, who believes an individual loses himself in the crowd, becoming mindless, in emergent norm theory the crowd is another type of a group and the behaviour demonstrated by the crowd is a type of group behaviour, just more extreme. The idea is that group processes creates order and purpose amongst the crowd and norms spread quickly and are adopted by all crowd members but, contrary to contagion theory, the differences are illustrated between individual and group behaviour by looking at the different norms. New norms emerge in collective situations through the observation of the distinctive action of group leaders. Behaviour of the crowd comes from the social norms of a crowd. People are motivated by a desire for social reinforcement and approval, and are scared of being rejected or as being perceived as an outsider. The norm must be specific to the situation to some degree-hence emergent norm. (Turner) A major criticism of this theory is presented by Deiner (1980) is that a crowd that acts normally would have to be self aware but being in a group, as his personal research demonstrates, reduces self awareness, rendering the whole theory void. The theory, as Reicher points out, also fails, similar to de-individu ation theory, there is no account as to why crowd action is unified and doesnt dissolve into sub-groups. Reicher developed his own theory, social identity theory; whereby individuals take on the social identity of the crowd and conform to the normative behaviour of that crowd via referent informational influence. This theory does not remove responsibility of an individuals behaviour in a crowd situation, rather shows that the control of the crowd lies with the individual as they have identified with the crowd norms and taken them on as their own, and consequently their consent in their social identity as a crowd member. There are three key ideas that are central to the theory, categorisation, identification and comparison. Categorisation is the tendency by humans to categorise things, including people, as a means to understanding the world. These categories can be things such as religion, race, occupation and by doing this we can identify with who we are like and find things out about ourselves. What behaviour is appropriate is then defined by reference to the groups we belong to. If someone belongs to a group that we dont belong then we will never identify with them. The second idea of identification has two meanings. Firstly that we identify ourselves as being in an individual or as being a group member and which way we classify our self depends on the situation that we are in. When we consider our self to be a group member we call this social identity. When thinking of our self as a unique individual this is referred to as personal identity. Group membership is not something foreign, which is tacked onto the person; it is a real and vital part of the person. The groups that you identify with are in-groups and those you dont identify with are out groups. The other meaning implied by the concept of identity is the idea that we are the same or identical to the other people. This doesnt mean literally but for identification purposes those who are members of the same groups as us are the same/similar E. g. during a war the enemy are all the same and treated the same way and deemed deserving of death. The third idea in social identity theory is the idea of comparison. This is when we evaluate ourselves in relation to others. By looking to others groups we can higher our self-esteem, which in turn leads to a positive image of the self, which is essential to healthy functioning. By identifying ourselves as being in a group we then learn the norms of that group and can find out what the limits of the group are. In order to test his theory, Reicher conducted some experiments to test how attitudes change when social identity is prevalent. One of his investigations found that social science students were more antivivisection and science students more pro-vivisection when they were divided in their respective subject groups than when they were mixed together. He found that personal identity is replaced in a group situation by social identity. Reicher also analysed data from the St. Pauls riots which occurred in Bristol and found that people identified with one another and because of this they adhered to the norms of the group because they were adopted as their own. In conclusion, it seems that older theories such as Le Bon and Freud are relevant today as they provide a strong theoretical basis from which we can develop our own theories of the crowd. However, the very theoretical nature of them is what makes the more recent theories much viable and realistic as both Freud and Le Bon use concepts that we will never be able to verify such as the unconscious mind. In contrast, more recent studies are supported with empirical evidence that can lead to only one conclusion, they are better theories. The nature of crowds however, means that future research will be difficult to undertake, as studies cannot be recreated in the lab due to the sheer volume of people needed.

Shale gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Shale gas - Essay Example the middle of crisis; an economy struggling with a huge debt problems in the wake of a deadly financial meltdown as well as the damages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to the U.S. Gulf natural gas supply infrastructure adding fodder to the skyrocketing crude oil prices in the world market. That although the recession that began with the global financial crisis, fine-tuned by the catastrophic events mentioned, had their effects in lowering the demand for natural gas, the supply of shale gas production, which increased tenfold between 2005 and 2010, tremendously slashed the natural gas prices, in effect boosting/repairing demand in almost all sectors damaged by the unfortunate events above. To be specific, the wellhead prices for US natural gas currently trading at approximately 4 USD/Mbtu was as high as 8 USD/Mbtu and above prior to 2008; a tremendous improvement of the affordability of the commodity irrespective of the final consumer (Spencer, et al. 16). More generally, shale gas has displaced the more expensive and costly sources of energy such as coal, in effect, spurring investments in energy intensive sectors of the economy. Accordingly, hundreds of thousands of new jobs have been created either directly or indirectly by â€Å"reshoring† plants established abroad due to escalating costs on the same and substantially lowering the cost of capital and/or operational costs for fresh businesses; the ready availability of a cheap energy source, massively reducing the US net imports of oil and gas, has more than assured investments of a steady flow of energy with stable prices, thus, ensuring a steady rebounding of employments levels that suffered heavy blows after the events already mentioned (Spencer, et al. 16-17). There are currently more than 20 major facilities for the production of shale gas either under construction or on their final planning phases, all in efforts to use natural gas as fuel; a fact that has boosted inve stors confidence to the effect