American Government College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Government College - Essay Example In the years since, the new battle has been fought on the front lines of Afghanistan and Iraq in the quest to rid the world of evil, but it has also been fought in the halls of Congress and the hallowed walls of the White House. Only there it was to ferociously argue about what the best course of action would be in the US-led battle on terror, but this time it would be to battle about who was 'right' and who was 'wrong'. Historically, the legislative body on Capitol Hill has been delegated the erroneous task of hashing through hour upon hour of complex debate on national and international policy. Afterwards, the Executive Branch is left with the task of executing their constitutional authority to either approve, or deny the efforts of the hill by means that have often been interpreted as not being devoid of self service in their own right. In the months after the 9/11 attacks, the next option for the US Government, as seen b

High school graduation speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

High school graduation speech - Essay Example Unfortunately, in this kind of war, every warrior is often rewarded differently based on individual effort. How would learning be if we all knew that the end result would be the same? If only we knew that we would all be given a certain grade during graduation. Sincerely, I would recall all those cold nights and dawns I spent on books and I know some of us are already allergic to the term â€Å"books† at least for sometime before embarking on college journey. If your heart is not thumping as hard as mine right now, then you must be of the most unique types in the history of education. As we spend our last chapter of high school together, we must acknowledge that we are all different. This morning as I was brushing my teeth, I looked at my hand and was trying to imagine why my fingers have varying lengths. Even though I could not establish a very good answer, I realized that we are like our fingers. Every one of us has a distinct capacity and talent. We are all achievers in our own ways. However, do not forget that education is a single train that does not care about other strengths, but what you can show academically. And today, your performance in examination will determine if you are to proceed to the next level or not. I hope I will be among those who get into the next train for I have grown too huge to continue ridding on this one. However, for those who will not make it, this is not the end of the road. All you need is to review your path and rectify where things went wrong. The next time you are in a math class and something does not seem to sink deep into that head, do not think twice: just ask. What harm will it do you if people think you are dumb? It is true people will laugh at you and even mock you, but in the long-run, the mockery shall have died and you will be holding on to what you learnt. Perhaps, this is why you failed, you never asked for fear of people making fun of you! Failure is not the end of life, but should be embraced as a

Habits Of Highly Effective People Philosophy Essay

Habits Of Highly Effective People Philosophy Essay Reading this inspiring book I have discovered that to achieve the highest level of self-discipline we need to have 7 habits. By saying habits it means these 7 behaviours pattern must form our everyday pattern of behaviour no exception. This book has opened my eyes on some fundamental facts or habits that shall make me a successful person and achieve high personal achievement. Be more confident on taking decisions and reflect on my strength and weaknesses. The book talks about habits that most effective have them and that made them successful. He said that we make habits and then habits make. We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle) Ashe is talking about leadership he mentioned that leadership precedes management. The difference between management and leadership is that management is formal authority while leadership is Moral Authority. Overall the book was interesting and I would like to comment on the main topics covered in the book. The Maturity Continuum is in three steps Dependence This is personal achievement Habits 1, 2, 3 Interdependence This is public achievement-Habits 4, 5, 6 Interdependence-Habit 7 In maturity continuum at dependence stage it is YOU, in independence stage it is I and in interdependence stage it is WE. These are the stages of perfection and optimization that a successful leader should achieve. Habit1. Be Proactive In habit 1 the author is suggesting that one shall be proactive and not reactive. He introduced 3 values in life: the experiential which comes through experiments, creative which come by our creation attitudinal which reflects our response to different situations. By being proactive I can read the surroundings and react upon things by facing the facts but with our own power and control we can response positively. I liked the way he talks about using our energy and power of influence in the right circle. He calls it the circle of influence and the circle of interest. In the circle of influence we have the power to change things but in the circle of interest we may not have the power of change, by concentrating on circle of interest we are just losing our power without we can make any changes; this is not the case if we concentrate on our circle of influence. In proactive approach we make mistakes, acknowledge and correct them. Being in our influence circle is all about proactive. Human Endowments Exercise human endowments imagination and conscience keep promise start small start with yourself never promise too big and deliver too low strong independent will is much inner power swim upstream Become transitional Stop transmitting negative actions of others Be true proactive , not reactive Influence others by my behaviour Make a space between Stimulant and Response so there is a gap for thinking Have principles We have the freedom of choice so we are responsible on our actions Paradigms I take responsibility of my action and choice I am capable of expanding my freedom and influence by proactive behaviour Having the above traits, the process Any reactive tendency I have , I change it to proactive I increase my circle of influence To become transition person so I benefit and others Exercise human endowments mentioned up Habit2. Begin With the End in Mind Focussing on goals is what we always need to do. Our personality has 3 different leadership qualities leadership management productivity Covey quotation in his book from Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, management is doing things right, Leadership is doing the right things (1).This statement was so powerful and straight to the point which tells all about leadership in very simple and profound words. With the goal in mind we can design the start and focus on our goal and get the results we imagined. He suggests that we visualize things and focus on them so they interweave with our life experience. Things can go as we imagined because we put energy and focus on them and make things happen. I liked the author words mental creation precedes physical creation Effective people shape their own future Use whole brain (left and right) Have a personal mission statement, do incremental changes to the goal but dont change the core. Personal mission statement should answer the questions: What I am about? What do I leave behind? What characters Id like to emulate? What are the important I want? How I can use the right brain? And so on the list goes on. Benefits By doing this it encourages you to think deeply about your life, discover our inside thinking, expands perspective, visualise our goals desires and being the auto pilot to be on the right track. Refining By studying the lives of people we admire we can refine our mission statement Read poetry and inspiring literature Keep a list of trait s characters you like to develop Visualise what u want to be in 10, 20, 30 yrs. List the important things Testing mission values Timeless proven Represent the best inside me Inspire me the right direction Security and comfort to me approach and integrate the 4 basic human needs For example we should reflect upon Mahatma Ghandi mission of every day: I shall not fear any one on earth I shall fear only god I shall not bear ill toward any one I shall not submit to injustice from anyone I shall conquer untruth by truth And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering Process Create and apply daily living personal and organisational mission statement Envision the desired results and important values to guide activities. Anyone cannot do the right thing in one part of life while he is doing wrong things in any other parts, because life is one invisible whole (Ghandi) Summary of this part is: Choose a life centre Personal mission statement Habit3. Put First Things First So when you want to do something, plan, design and do it. By using calendar and notes list diaries we organise things and put priority on them .we cannot control time but we can manage our or organise ourselves to do tasks. The tasks can be classified in 3 different priorities: Urgent, Important, Not important. I Important and urgent II Important and not urgent III Urgent and not important IV Not urgent and not important We will make things bigger and bigger till it will dominate us and absorb our power by only focusing on Quadrant IQI in the table because it is urgent. The most important one is QII. Effective people are more interested in QII. They do not act in III and IV which are not important and stay in I and II but give more time to II and make I smaller Effective people do their time management by focusing on activities in QII because they are important and those activities have big impact in our life, so we must focus on them. Effective managers focus on results and not on methods so subordinates can choose the method and by this approach best results can be achieved because the subordinate have come up with their own visions or means to do it; it is their visions and not somebody elses. Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and he will become as he can and should be (1) We only need time management to organise ourselves to do tasks. Time management can be looked at from three different angles -we believe that we need more timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..but you have all the time is there -we believe that we can save timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..time is equally given to all and we have to spend it -we believe that we can manage timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. We can manage ourselves not time This simple comparison show how thinking has changed Old generation new generation Efficiency effectiveness Practices principles Management Leadership Schedule Relationship Urgent things First Things In control Illusion In Alignment I liked the way the author talked about building emotion bank account. It is a brilliant idea to gauge our account statement and see where the pluses and minuses, i.e. the deposit and withdrawal. He said that to build emotion account we basically have six major deposits, when we do negative things we withdraw from the account and when we do positive things we deposit the account. These deposits and withdrawal are our actions. Examples of deposits that we can make are by: 1. I see what is important for the other person and make it important to me also 2. I attend to small things that are seeing big things to the other to strengthen the relations 3. I keep promise, by not committing to fulfil; it is a big withdraw 4. I must clarify expectations. The author says this is the most damaging part of relations. Explain the role, term and goal. By clearing this upfront, it will save much of time and effort later. 5. I show personal humour and integrity. Be consistent when dealing with groups or individuals. The author says that you must remember how you treat one is how you treat the all others because all is the sum of ones 6. I should apologize when do mistake sincerely and it will be deposit. Priorities The most important things should come first before the less important Improve product/product capacity balance within my circle of influence I fulfil my mission by acting on important Goals in my key roles. Process Focus on important things and NO to unimportant things. Focus on QII activities and gradually Q1 activities will be covered or merged in QII, QIII and QIV will go away. Habit4. Think Win-Win Human relations based on one of these transactions: Win-Win both mutual benefit Win-Lose it is competition if I win you must lose and the relation is authoritarian Lose-Win the leadership is permissive Lose-lose when people try to make others lose even if they lose Win Win-Win or No Deal Win-Win both parties are winners or no deal and no loser. This is the beginning of relations and if no benefit then not a deal once in relation after some time the parties move to Win-Win if they have built the trust. Four dimension of Win-Win: Character: integrity, maturity, abundance mentality Relationships: demonstrate honesty, loyalty Believe in the best of others, clear expectation, accurate in time and honest in communications, treat others with respect and respond to their needs, focus on positive and use feedback for improvements. Agreements: desire results, guidelines, resources, accountability , consequences- achieve win-win or not Systems Processes Persist on looking for win-win results despite the past win-lose condition. Principles Effective long term relationship require mutual benefit I seek the benefit of others as well as my own I get better results by cooperating interdependently that by competing independently Win-Win relations should be focused on win-win with trust. Performance agreement will define the relation and it will be from vertical to horizontal where partnership or team work. the agreement set standards where people measure their performance: define the results, parameters Resources-human, financial, organisation support Accountability the time and standards Consequences what will happen Reward is very important system in Win-Win. If reward is used in win-lose, the system will have negative effect. If rewarded few in the Win-Win system, others are losers .Best is to set individual goals within the overall win goals so all can get rewarded. In competitive market win-win situation should be existed to make win-win to all participants but lack of confidence and trust is the main culprit. Win-Win is a third alternative, it is not my not your way but it is a better way. Habit5. First Understand, then be understood The beauty of this part lies in the art of listening. Which is very important element in gaining the hearts of the others and I believe it is on the top list of communications skills. We tend to prescribe things before listening deeply to the problem and diagnose what is needed. Be a good listener is a key to success. We listen not just for listening but to deeply understand the other party frame of reference and feelings. Listen with ears eyes and heart. Diagnose before prescribe things is not a professional approach. Understand what the customer needs is and give solutions. Amateur salesperson sells product BUT professional salesperson sales SOLUTIONS. Listen not by mouth. Listen to give answer. Listen with ears eyes heart In 75% of waking life, we learn reading, writing, speaking and listening.40% is listening alone. Every hour of understanding save 10/20/50 hours of problem solving arise from not understanding. Empathy listening is the key to the art of listening. Words we say represent 7%, nonverbal body language is 38%, the way we say words (emphasis) and sounds we make is 55% of the speech. So communication is seeing and feelings. It is mainly attitude and partly skills. The one who listens does most of the work not the one who speaks. Everyone is single and unique who will listen then? It is said that walls have ears. However some ears have walls. These words were very powerful on me and I have reflected upon them for a while. They are so true and profound and full of wisdom. Habit6. Synergise Simply it means all or total is greater than the sum of the parts or ones. Its value comes from valuing each other competencies and differences respect them and try to complement each other hence we get the complete picture which individually cannot be completed because o these differences and weaknesses. Cooperation builds trust and needs to interweave with each other. By having synergy mission it will be part of every body mind and heart and not individual concern when it is made by others. Ground rules for synergy try to adopt win-win way of thinking and mentality keep your heart, mind open to new alternatives and possibilities appreciate and respect value others opinions, views, and solutions The third alternative Negotiate and communicate till find a solution that we all feel good about It is not my way nor your way it sis the a better way We both can be right but we dont agree I must listen and if I dont agree I say: this is how I see it, not you are wrong Humility-I have my own experience though a life trials and errors. Take the others experience that took them a lifetime of understanding as a gift given to you for free. The main drive for synergetic approach is answering the question: Would you be willing to explore a solution which might be better than what we suggest? The principles of synergy are: Valuing differences of others and looking for a third alternative Doing work together takes time but produce better long term results Human problems can be solved by using habits 4, 5, 6, Habit7. Sharpen the Saw The principles of balance self-renewal You should work in a proactive way as mentioned before in the QII quadrant to refresh the dimension of ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. Live-Physical, basic wealth Lovesocial LearnMental Leave a legacyspiritual These when integrated they produce Fire Within Four dimensions of renewal Physical This is concerned about physical wellbeing by good eating and having good sleep and relaxation with exercise, stress management, sleep and rest, regular medical check-ups healthy habits and lifestyle. Spiritual Is inside us and it is a self-monitoring commitment to our values and it drives us by giving inspiration and uplifting to deal with human beings Create mission, review and refine Watch nature and reflect Study literature of great people Appreciate music and art Religious worship, yoga and meditation Mental dimension Keep the mind always fresh and sharp- with all the knowledge by reading writing planning and open mind to others to get new ideas. Read and read and read he says 12 books a year. Most professions have half-life of 4 years. Solve puzzles, play mental games, continue education, listen to music, be aware of TV it can be an open sewer into your home. These are the suggestions of the author and I completely agree with him. Social/emotional It is showing by our interactions with others and how we focus on them. Keep family relations, keep old friendship and find new friends, keep good relations and repair damage, value differences and look for synergy, take holiday and celebrate, take each family member in a date, write letters to family and friends. The four dimensions have to be refreshed and renewed together and if one is not looked after then the whole is affected. The process of synergising Apply Win-Win way of thinking-habit 4 Listen with empathy-habit 5 Seek synergic outcome- habit 6 Then use the synergy rules to find the third alternative Life changes continuously, keep core intact and deal with changes. Your centre is a source of security, guidance, wisdom and power. The real improvement is by renewal of all the four dimensions, physical, social. Set goals and work to achieve those dimensions renewal goals. The process is achieved by constantly developing and renewing of these personal dimensions (resources) to achieve better personal (product) and balance. Some quotes; Strength lies in differences, not in similarities The key of objectivity is to accept subjectivity I dont see the worlds as it is, I see is as I am The enemy of the Best is the good unknown. 7. Sharpen the Saw Be proactive and accepts risk to take new challenge Begin with the end in mind share team vision and mission First things are the things that are most important, they come first Think win-win increase group momentum and bring effective solutions to conflicts Seek understand first so u be understood and successfully resolve problems Synergy by engaging everybody can get better results and complement each other Renew and refresh your four personal dimensions continuously to protect them from burn-out Final Quotes: Become my leader although I a m your boss Production is golden egg, capability is goose

The Character Achilles in Homers The Iliad Essay -- Iliad essays

The Character Achilles in Homer's The Iliad "The first book of The Iliad, appropriately titled the "Rage of Achilles," sets the scene for the remainder of the epic" (selu.edu/Academics/Depts/WritingCenter/The_Growth_of_Achilles.htm). "This rage is invoked by pride, a theme of pivotal importance for the Greeks. Pride is the source of the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon in Book 1. The incident that provoked Achilles rage took place in the tenth and final year of the Achaean attack on Troy. The king is angered by what he sees as a challenge to his authority. He is furious at Calchas for indicting Agamemnon as the cause of the plague. Rather than graciously admit his mistake, the king becomes monstrous and demands compensation for what should not have been his in the first place. He knows what he must do for the sake of the army, but he demands recognition of his privileged status as king" (gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/iliad/summ1.htm). "Agamemnon seizes Achilles' prize, the beautiful Briseis, to sooth his own wounded pride" (selu.edu/Academics/Depts/WritingCenter/The_Growth_of_Achilles.htm). "Achilles, in turn, demands recognition of his status as the greatest warrior among the Achaeans. The loss of Briseis is not humiliating because he has any kind of romantic attachment to her. It is humiliating because she was a prize given to Achilles by Agamemnon for valor"(gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/iliad/summ1.htm). "When Agamemnon takes her away as is technically his right to do, although it clearly violates rules of respect and honorable conduct he dishonors Achilles horribly and devalues Achilles' contributions as a warrior" (Approaches of Teaching Homer's Iliad, p37). 'Even though Achilles is correct to sugges... ... 51 Copyright (c) 2003 Fagles, Robert The Iliad Penguin Classics June 2001 Rouse, W.H. D. Homer The Iliad The Story of Achilles published by the New York American Library New York and Toronto First Published 1938 Lawall, Sarah The Norton Anthology World Masterpieces Seventh Edition Volume 1 W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. Copyright 1984 Myrsiades, Kostas Approaches to Teaching Homer's Iliad and Odyssey The Modern Language Association of America New York Fourth Printing 1993 http://www.selu.edu/Academics/Depts/WritingCenter/The_Growth_of_Achilles.htm http://classics.allinfoabout.com/articles/homer.htm http://www.thinkquest.org/library/site_sum.html?tname=23057&url=23057/iliad4.htl http://astro.temple.edu/~rguay/iliad3.pdf www.gutenberg.net/1/0/7/1/10716/10716-h/10716-h.html www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~bmaatuk/achilles.html

It is difficult for the reader Essay

This Boy’s Life, set in America in the 1950’s, is a compelling memoir by Tobias Wolff, whom recreates the frustrations and cruelties faced throughout his adolescence, as he fights for identity and self-respect. During this period of time, America underwent major changes in the political and economic spheres, which in turn were responsible for its social makeover. Society in this time was geared toward family; marriage and children being part of the national agenda. The 1950’s was also an age of male dominance, where even if women worked, their assumed proper place was at home. Throughout the memoir, the protagonist, young Jack Wolff, makes it difficult for the reader to feel much affection towards him, as his actions prove to be troublesome and unruly. However, as the memoir progresses, Jacks struggle reveal the reasons for his actions which sequentially shape his character, providing the readers with understanding and sympathy towards his inexorable situation. The fraudulent lies and deceitful ways of Jack can be frustrating upon the reader; though we come to realise that he does this in order to be accepted by the people around him. Jack also engages in fights  and unfaithfully betrays his best friend Arthur, although it becomes evident that he only does this in order to gain Dwight’s approval of him. The lack of a real father figure in Jack’s life has a profound impact on him and his desperate attempt to develop his identity, which further supports the readers’ emotions of sympathy towards him. Jack lies relentlessly in order to escape the grim circumstances of his childhood. His life is fuelled with emotional neglect and verbal abuse; Dwight, his indignant step father, being the foremost cause. He desires of transforming himself into the person that he truly  wants to be; an image he believes will help him to belong and to be happy. The lies he tells are a constant source of comfort for him, as he relies on them to provide stability and hope in his otherwise unstable life. â€Å"I couldn’t help but try to introduce new versions of myself as my interests changed, and as other versions failed to persuade†, demonstrates an essential part of Jack’s character, as he lies in order to fit in. His identity would change with the different people he met, in order to meet their expectations of him and to obtain their acceptance. This  greatly contributes to the sympathy felt for Jack, as he renders the reality that he finds so difficult to accept as a young boy. Among many other lies throughout the memoir, Jack has the intention of creating a new identity for himself. â€Å"It was truth known only to me, but I believed in it more than I believed in the facts arrayed against it. I believed that in some sense not factually verifiable I was a straight-A student†. At this point, Jack takes his re-creation of identity to a new level. Jack is completely aware of what he is doing, although he does not stop. His incessant lies and then believing that they are the actual truth continuously reoccur throughout the memoir. This serves to show his insecurity of who he was, and his imprudent belief that he had the ability to become something better than what he was. Jacks fabricated attempts to re-create â€Å"new versions† of himself, reveal his instinctive lying nature, thus contributing to the annoyance the readers occasionally feel towards him. However, it becomes clear that Jack is confused; he wants to belong. This misperception, and yearn to fit in explicates why feelings of sympathy by the readers towards Jack are inevitable. Jack is forced to live with his violent stepfather Dwight. Dwight cruelly exercises authority over Jack, in order to create a sense of dominance over him â€Å"Dwight would dump a pile of nuts on the floor of the utility room and put me to work with a knife and pair of pliers until he judged that I’d done enough for the night†. Because of this, Jack is determined to prove to Dwight, himself and the reader that he is not the person Dwight defines him as. Jack is not hurt by Dwight’s accusations that he is a thief and liar because â€Å"I did not see myself that way†. However, when Dwight calls Jack a sissy, Jack thinks of Arthur, who is his best  friend and the biggest â€Å"sissy† in school, and remembers how the word sparked the fight between him and Arthur. Dwight treated Jack differently for a few days; with certain deference – â€Å"Dwight took the calls and explained that the papers had been ruined in a fight, adding that his boy Jack hung a real shiner on the Gayle kid. † This was the only time he expressed a genuine interest in Jack that bordered on admiration, rather than disgust. Dwight was always associated with hatred and negativity, but because of this certain deference after he fought, Jack felt a certain connection to him as a father figure. He felt as though he finally impressed Dwight, and even felt loved because of Dwight’s respect towards him. This discloses that Dwight’s actions had significant influence over Jack, as he continued to engage in these violent fights, in order to demonstrate his masculinity to Dwight. Jacks violent nature is driven by his belief that he has to prove his masculinity to Dwight. This attests annoyance within the reader; as Jack claims he â€Å"defined myself in opposition to him†, he ironically shares the traits of Dwight, such as violence and his desire to be regarded as powerful and masculine. However, Dwight’s deference towards Jack after he fought contrastingly draws sympathy for Jack from the readers, as it reveals his desire to belong; his desire to be loved. Jack’s friendship with Arthur plays a significant role in the re-creation of his identity. Arthur was recognised as a â€Å"notorious sissy†, and because of this Jack worried of the social implications it would consequently have on him by being friends with Arthur. â€Å"To put myself in the clear I habitually mocked Arthur, always behind his back, imitating his speech and way of walking, even betraying his secrets†, demonstrates Jacks desperation to acquire acceptance  from others, even if it meant denying a part of himself- a friendship- that actually made him happy at times â€Å"but I had withheld my friendship, because I was afraid of what it would cost me†. Jacks betrayal of Arthur imparts anger in the reader, as he attempts to impress people who are not his real friends. However his confused identity and lack of self-confidence justify his disloyal actions, particularly because of the circumstances he was faced with at such a young age. Parental neglect plays an important role throughout the memoir. This is first evident in  the text when Jack says â€Å"after all, he was in Connecticut and we were in Utah†, signifying the substantial physical and emotional distance between his birth father and himself. Fathers play an important role in their child’s upbringing and development. Due to this lacking in Jacks life, the responsibilities of growing up prove to be difficult for him, evident through his confused identity and troublesome ways. Furthermore, Rosemary’s ex-husband Roy plays a significant role in shaping the way Jack thinks and reasons, particularly from such a young and susceptible age. â€Å"I thought Roy was what a man should be†, reveals Jack’s naivety at  such a young age; as Roy, abusive and indignant, was in fact the complete opposite of â€Å"what a man should be†. Wolff is once again faced with a man, Dwight, who abuses him and sets a terrible example for him. His violent nature plays a major part in Jack’s development, which ultimately forms his identity. Dwight’s actions have such an influence that â€Å"Jack† writes about Dwight’s voice being ever-present in his head and own voice, even as an adult; even as a father. â€Å"I hear his voice in my own when I speak to my children in anger†. The sympathy felt by the readers for Jack is inevitable, as his brutal childhood is left with him for the rest of  his life. Although Jack makes it difficult for the reader to feel much affection towards him on some occasions, the abusive, neglectful and violent experiences he is confronted with at such a young and vulnerable age conveys a sense of understanding, which in turn rouse feelings of sympathy towards young Wolff. Jack lies constantly; whenever he is presented with the opportunity to. This frustrates the reader is some instances. Generally though, reasons for this are understandable, such as his confused identity due to the violent and emotionally unstable life he lives. The violent fights he associates himself with, and the betrayal of his  Ã¢â‚¬Å"best-friend† Arthur, leave the readers in a position to question whether his motives can be justifiable. However, these fights and betrayal are a reflection of his desire to be accepted by others, and the masculine, powerful man Dwight’s expects him to be. The lack of a real father figure largely affects Jack and all aspects of his character, from his deceitful ways, to his violent involvement in fights. Because of this, compassion and sympathy prevails over the occasional frustration felt towards Jack by the readers. In supposition, Jack is a helpless child seeking a happy life; an identity he is truly happy with.

Psychology of Personality Essay

Psychology of personality is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study of personality and the individual differences. The main areas of focus are usually looking at individual’s psychological processes, the individual differences and studying how human behavior is similar. Personality is usually defined as well organized and dynamic set of characteristics possessed by a person that distinctively influence the cognitions, behavior in various situations and motivations. Since personality is complex and dynamic, various psychologists have come up with different theories to explain the different personality types. For the purpose of this paper, Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and Jung’s theory of personality shall be used to analyze the personality of a lady friend by the name Ann. Since most people have various personality disorders, Ann’s personality disorder shall also be analyzed. Freud’s Theory of Personality The Freud’s theory of personality illustrates that personality of a human being is made up of three structures namely; the ego, superego and id. The id contains instincts and it is usually unconscious. The ego develops after the id and is considered to be the executive branch of personality since it uses reasoning to make decisions. Both the ego and id have no morality but the superego is the structure that contains morality as it takes into account whether something is right or wrong. The superego is also referred as the conscience since it has the ability to judge whether something is right or wrong. According to Freud’s theory of personality, personality is established at around five years of age. Studies suggest that the early childhood experience influence human behavior and continue to do so through out the whole life (Mitterer & Coon 2008). Further studies illustrate that behavior of a person develops through a series of childhood stages and the driving force during the stages is usually the psychosexual energy. Incase all the stages are completed successfully, healthy personality develops and if not, fixation occurs which leads to a personality disorder. These stages of development include the anal, oral, phallic, latent, and genital stage. Some of these stages shall be discussed comprehensively while analyzing Ann’s personality. Jung’s Theory of Personality Jung is psychologist who accomplished much but his personality theory of introversion and extroversion gained a lot of recognition and overshadowed the rest of his work. His theory suggests that introversion and extroversion are opposing attitude types that make a person to behave in a particular way. According to this theory of personality, human behavior is controlled by the introversion and extroversion attitudes. He defines an introvert as someone who is quite aware of the inner world and does not give much thought to the external world. An introvert attitude is usually more concerned with the subjective appraisal and considers dreams and fantasies more. On the other hand, an extrovert is usually characterized by the outside movement of the psyche energy. An extrovert attitude places more importance on the objectivity and at the same time gains a lot of influence from the outer environment than the inner cognitive processes. Nonetheless, the theory suggests that it is still possible for one person to have both attitudes though more often than not one must be overshadowed by another. The four functions of the personality theory namely, thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition were combined so as to come up with the eight personality types. Discussion Ann is a twenty five year old lady who currently works as a research scientist. She is very competent and productive, and since she was employed two years ago, she has received a number of awards due to her competency. She happens to be the first born in the family of four and has been brought up by very strict parents. Though she loves people, she mostly prefers to be alone and in social functions she prefers to remain calm and only talks with people close to her. She spends most of her leisure time reading or watching television when she is not studying. She can make a very good friend but once angered she reacts aggressively and she can put up a fight very first. In addition, she is quite independent and barely shares her things with other people. However, many people usually complain of her reserved and cold nature but she is quite orderly and maintains high level of cleanliness. In application of the Jung’s theory of personality, Ann displays more of an introvert attitude than that of an extrovert. While making decisions, Ann takes her time analyzing the available options and is not easily influenced by the outside factors which display an introvert attitude as illustrated by Jung’s theory of personality. She often makes a decision which suits her best, without giving much consideration to what others may think of her. Moreover she works best while alone and does not prefer social functions unless when it is very necessary. A person with such behavior is classified as an introvert by the Jung’s theory of personality (Gelpi 1993). While applying the Freud’s theory of personality, some of the behavior that characterizes Ann’s personality can be attributed to the experiences she passed through during the early childhood stages. The fact that she holds a lot of mistrust toward people illustrates that the care takers did not feed her on demand during the oral stage. However, during the anal stage, she received the appropriate toilet training hence the reason why she is quite competent, productive and orderly (Dumont, Wedding & Corsini 2007). Personality Disorder A personality disorder is often described as an enduring pattern of inner experiences and behavior that seems to deviates from individual’s culture and sets in during early adulthood or adolescence stage (Dobbert 2007). Since most of these behaviors are pervasive and also chronic they usually cause impairment in the daily life. A study of Ann’s life shows that she most probably suffers from a paranoid personality disorder. It is a disorder that is characterized by agoraphobia, depression and substance abuse as illustrated by the studies of (Dobbert, 2007). Ann displays most of the symptoms associate with paranoid disorder because she does not trust people, gets angry quickly especially if she thinks that she is being deceived, thinks that people are untrustworthy, she is always serious and secretive, and always analyzes every gesture and conversation to look for the hidden meaning. The above mentioned Ann’s personality traits illustrate that she suffers from paranoid personality disorder since the same symptoms characterize the disorder are part of the diagnostic criteria of the disorder. Conclusion and Recommendation Psychology of personality is very important since it helps in understanding different personalities as illustrated by the different behaviors. In psychology, there are many theories that have been established to explain different personalities. Despite the fact that all have the same goals some contain controversial ideas. However, they are still very helpful. In this study, the Freud’s theory of personality which illustrates that early childhood experiences shape the behavior of a person has helped in understanding the personality of Ann. It was possible to deduce that her mistrust originates from her oral stage as her caretakers did not feed her on demand. Such an experience makes an infant to lose trust on people. Jung’s theory of personality helps in understanding that the reserved nature of Ann is a result of an introverted attitude. In addition, the study has been of great help since it was possible to realize that Ann’s pervasive behavior of excessive mistrust is as a result of a paranoid personality disorder. References Dobbert, L. D. , (2007). Understanding personality disorders: an introduction. Westport, Greenwood Publishing Group. Dumont, F. , Wedding, D. & Corsini, J. , (2007). Current Psychotherapies. Stamford, Cengage Learning. Gelpi, D. L. , (1993). Committed Worship: Adult Conversion and Initiation. Collegeville, Liturgical Press Mitterer, J. O. & Coon, D. , (2008). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Stamford, Cengage Learning.