Educational Psychology study Essay Example for Free

Educational Psychology study Essay The study was done by Penny Clunies-Ross, Emma Little and Mandy Kienhuis, (2008). It is titled ‘Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior’. The study was done with primary school teachers in Australia and examined the teachers’ self-report on the behavior management strategies that they use in the classroom and how these affect their stress level and the students’ behavior. The literature reviewed for this study discussed research done in four areas which were used as the theoretical base for the study. One is the level of disruptive behavior in schools. The second is the teacher stress and its causes. Third is the relationship between the two. And fourth is the type of classroom strategies that teachers use which are categorized as proactive and reactive. The proactive strategies have been described as a more positive approach that is preventive. The reactive strategies are more negative and remedial. The proactive strategies have been found to be more effective. This study therefore aims to â€Å"investigate the relationship between primary school teachers’ self-reported and actual use of management strategies, and to identify how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behavior†. The hypothesis was that using reactive strategies would result in higher levels of teacher stress and lower on-task behavior of the students. Also that using proactive strategies would result in lower levels of teacher stress and higher on-task behavior of the students. The sample was obtained by contacting principals of the schools. First convenience sampling was used, and then random phone calls to ensure that five schools from each district in Melbourne were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires to all teachers and observations of those who volunteered to participate. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS. In general the results showed that hypothesis one was supported while hypothesis two was not supported. The study was generally well done. The literature review was comprehensive and discussed a wide range of studies from as early as 1986 to 2003, showing the range of research on the topic over the period of time. It was also well organized into sections. The sampling technique was straightforward. Persisting until each district was represented by five schools was good. However the final sample was ninety seven participants from twenty one schools. This means an average of less than five teachers from each school. It may have been better to have surveyed fewer schools but more teachers from each school. The culture of the school often affects teacher stress so that the small number of teachers from a large number of schools may not be reflective of the levels and causes of stress in any one of the schools. The effect of the classroom management strategies used in one school may not completely relate to the teacher stress at that school. The results were analyzed as one sample, rather than analysis by school. Therefore there is no examination of whether the difference in school culture, (if in fact any differences exist) affected the study. However, the study did an analysis of the multivariate effects of gender, level of qualifications and years of teaching experience and found that they were not predictors of teacher stress. These are important variables to include as possible effectors of teacher stress. The study presented a lot of detail on the sample and the materials. However there should have been more detail on the procedure- how exactly were the observations set up and carried out. The report only says â€Å"After the 30-minute observation had been conducted in the teacher’s classroom, observation and questionnaire data were matched using the four-digit code†. The analysis of data was another section that was well presented. This section was again well organized into sub- sections which made reading and following the results much easier. All the data were represented by well-laid out and well- labeled tables which were easy to read. This structure was repeated even in the discussion so that the reader was able to follow the analysis of the results and the discussion for each research question or issue. That was in fact one of the key aspects that made this study encouraging to read- that the subsections were repeated in each part of the study- literature review, data analysis and discussion. An important aspect of this study was the use of both questionnaires (self-report) for teacher behavior and observations. It was significant to educational research on the whole to examine the relationship between the two, since generally self-reports alone cannot be relied upon for accurate measures of behavior. The significant positive correlation between the teachers’ reported use of strategies, both proactive and reactive, and what the researchers observed helps to make self-reports a more reliable tool in educational research. The study ends with two important sections- methodological limitations and suggestions for further research. Discussions in these two sections show the researchers’ awareness of the limitations of the study despite the fact that it is a good piece of research and it helps the reader to understand why certain things were not done in a particular way. One example is this study is the mention that the sampling though it seemed random in fact was not completely random as the teachers who volunteered for the study may be teachers who are not particularly stressed, or that the stressed teachers may not have been so willing to participate. Secondly the number of teachers volunteering to be observed was quite small. The study does not mention the actual number. A section that I would have liked to see included in this study was one on ethical considerations. In general the study was a useful one, well conducted and reported. It investigated the effect of proactive and reactive strategies as classroom management techniques on teachers’ stress levels. The study did in fact find that the use of proactive strategies had less effect on teachers’ stress. This would be the most important benefit to teachers to help them to keep the stress of teaching to a minimum. They could be encouraged by these results to focus on implementing activities in the classroom that would prevent classroom disruptions, rather than having to use their attention and energy intervening in classroom disruptions and losing teaching time. The study also looked at the effect of these strategies on students’ on-task behavior, and again found that the proactive strategies fostered more on-task behavior. This is also useful to the teachers to keep students focused on their work and lessen the disruptions in the classroom. Reference Clunies-Ross, P. , Little, E. and Kienhuis, M. (2008) Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior, Educational Psychology, 28:6,693 — 710

Types of Personal Selling

Types of Personal Selling It is used as visualized, when you see a printed or sound based advertisement, you can remember those advertisement for long in your mind. E.g.: Print advertisements, advertisements in Television, Radio, Billboard, Broachers and Catalogues, In-store display, motion pictures, banner ads, web pages, posters are some of the examples of advertising The more you advertise, you can develop the brand Whenever you see the advertisement , you remember the product or service so, the product has long term image Slide 06 Sales promotion Examples: Contests, product samples, Coupons, trade shows and exhibitions. Slide 07 Popular sales promotion Buy one get one free when you buy one product you get the same product as free Customer relationship management incentive such as bonus points or money off coupons. Customer relationship management is from banks to super markets E.g.: Apico provides privilege card to the customers Nolimit provides Arampaima Card to the customers Nexus Card provide more benefit for the customers New Media website and mobile phones that support a sales promotion E.g.: in UK nestle printed individual codes on KIT-KAT packaging, whereby a consumer would enter the code into a dynamic website to see if they had won prize. Consumers could also text codes via mobile phone to the same effect. Free gift Buy one product and get one product free as a gift. Joint promotions buy one product of one brand and you get another brand product as free Free samples Tasting of food and drinks at sampling points in supermarkets E.g. Red Bull was given away to potential consumer at supermarkets, in high streets and at petrol stations (by a promotion team) Vouchers coupons often seen in newspaper and magazine, on pack. Slide 10 Direct marketing Roles Influential tool for building customer relationship- when you communicate with the customer directly, the relationship between both with be build. Enable Company to interact with the customer directly- company can directly move with the customers. Company can get regular feedback from customer Company can get regular feedback from the customers E.g. Nestlà ©s baby food records a database of new parents and post them personalized parcels of gift and give them guidance at key phase in babys life. As they get in touch with more concerned consumer at the best times. Slide 13 Understanding buyer Behavior If you want your business to be successful you have to understand their buying behavior. Especially in todays competitive world. Unless you understand it is very hard to gain them as customers and keep them loyal. Buying behavior is one of the elements you need for a customer profile. Slide 14 Environmental Affects Multiple methods used to find environmental forces exist. One such method is called the PEST analysis because it lists the political, economic, socio cultural and technological factors that can influence the business environment. Examples of such factors that can influence personal selling include legislation on fraud and on content in marketing, the average income of potential customers, local etiquette and the technologies potential customers tend to use. Economic, socio cultural and technological factors are particularly important in personal selling because understanding these factors lets management figure out what products to sell and the best sales methods. For example, a business might choose to use an advertising-driven pull approach rather than the more aggressive push approach in a culture in which approaching strangers is frowned upon. In this example, salespeople would be used more as sources of information to confirm the purchase decisions of customers already pulled in by advertising campaigns. Slide 15 Managerial Affects E.g. management might choose a push approach to selling in which salespeople are expected to seek out potential customers and attempt to sell to them directly rather than relying on advertising to pull them in. In this example, management would plan out the processes needed to support a push selling campaign, hire and train salespeople suited to the aggressive push mindset, direct them in their day-to-day selling and use this experience to improve on their initial plans. Slide 16 Main types of personal selling Delivery people E.g. Milkman, Fisherman and nowadays bakery staffs are brought through three wheels. Salespeople E.g. people who try to sell the company product at supermarkets. Door to door Selling salespeople who visits house by house and sell the product. This is all about the role of personal selling. Hope u guys understood the lectures. Thanks for listening to my lectures. Task 02 2.1 There are difference in the nature of sales tasks and skills in variety of contexts Agree or Disagree I agree this statement because,  the general duties expected of any sales person, the duties and responsibilities hand over to a sales person depend mainly on the nature of business.  The job description is evident in multiple industries including  Pharmaceutical  Sales,  Insurance  Sales, Retail Sales and Internet Sales.  Therefore, the role of a sales person in the  Pharmaceutical  industry may not be the same with a sales person in  the Insurance  Sales or in the Internet Sales. While a sales person in the Retail Sales may be in a store attending to customers, an  Insurance  Sales person  is required to be out in the field and sell the insurance to the customers. Sales Representatives play a major role in the success of their individual companies. They are the reason clients, customers or buyers may either be satisfied or not. And they are required to make the best of this opportunity by offering quality service to customers. They are supposed to know the ins and outs of their companys products and services so they can educate clients on how these products and services can be used to reduce costs or increase revenue. More often than not, a sales person  is required  to spend much time travelling and visiting prospective buyers and current clients to remind them how committed the company  is to satisfying their personal and business needs. 2.2 Sales staff members who are operating in an international environment should play a different role compared with sales staff member from local environment Sales staffs in an international environment and local environment both are similar, both sales persons will be having a good knowledge about the product or service, competitors, buyer behavior and thy directly communicate to the customers and receive the feedback. All these are done by both the salesperson but the different are the sales person in an international environment will be using the language which is understood by the customers and as He/she is in an international environment they knows the customer expectations on the product or service. So, he /she will react according to the customers willingness. 2.3 there is a possibility to explain the purpose of participating for the trade fairs Trade fair is an event dedicated to a particular industry and acts as a platform for bringing together buyers and sellers in different regions, under one roof. The product manufacturers, dealers, resellers, importers and exporters are the main participants in a trade fair. The first consideration for organizing a trade fair is its feasibility. A market analysis needs to be done to get an idea of the response that a trade fair will get, once it starts. The interest shown by the potential visitors and exhibitors decides the success or failure of a trade fair. Just like a well-organized trade fair can benefit the entire industry, similarly fair trading can prove very important for the reputation of companies. Trade fairs are the meeting point of people from different geographical areas. These people can have different motives for attending a trade show. Some might come to the fairs strictly for business purposes; people like businessman and student who are doing the higher education and others might only be interested in grabbing new friends on the same age. Whatever may be the reason for their visit, visitors are always on the lookout for something interesting and worth remembering. Even though a boring trade fair may still do good business, but it will never be able to reach high heights in popularity. By conducting trade fairs the companies get opportunities of getting new customers, new market, new competitors, new distributors, new agents and new partners for the company. Trade fair helps the company in promotion, marketing and publicity all these happens from participating in trade fairs. For example trade fair of Sri Lanka Expo 2012 organized by the Sri Lankan Export Development Board at BMICH. The Exhibition provided an ideal opportunity of Sri Lankan exporters to showcase their quality export products and services, traditional and non-traditional at a single platform with over 300 stalls to an international audience. Edex Expro 2012 trade fair. Task 03 Role and objectives of sales management Sales Management  was in the beginning meant for sales personnel. It had a narrow point of view of directing the sales personnel of an organization. Sales Management has gained a broader perspective, which includes management and implementation of all marketing activities via advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, distribution,  pricing and others. Appropriate recruitment and selection procedures are made by several ways those are Job advertising through newspapers, websites, mass medias and VCT professional magazines Campus recruitment Hayleys, dialog these types of organizations go to universities and do workshops and get people. Employee agencies- they give the JS to the job agencies and get employees Getting data base from the organizations e.g.: NDB bank and Aviva is doing this. There are internal and external methods of recruitment, advantages of internal recruitment are Internal Employees are most familiar to the organization and its culture, The cost of recruiting internal employees is less, Motivates the existing staffs, Strengthens the employee relation, Banks recruiting employees internally. The disadvantages of external recruitment are Wide selection big pool, Infusion of fresh blood people with new ideas and thinks, Element of competition we can competitive and get people from outside, Can get the employer brand advantage, Can spot the best talent from the competitors, Development cost is less. The appropriate selection made is made by interviewing the candidates. There are three methods of interview they are; one- one interviews interview one and make comfort for the candidate. Broad interviews, Stress interviews when recruiting military people it is better, Group interview. The two techniques used to co-ordinate and control sales output are, appraisal and performance and budget and profitability. Appraisal and performance is used to provide an assessment of current performance against which future improvements can be measured and training needs established. We can evaluate the employees and get feedbacks to achieve the target of the organization. Budget and profitability will be used to achieve the sales targets and to increase the sales output. An organizational structure is an internal representation of how persons are positioned in an organization and further can be used to identify the level of power and responsibility given to each person within the organization. It is better to have the matrix structure, where each department has each manager. If there is a problem in one department, that department manager can make the decisions. By motivating and training the employees we can enhance sales performance at the organization. By motivating the employees they work for the organization, by that we can achieve the goals of the organization. Training for the sales staffs are necessary, they should be trained as on the job training. Where they will be supervised by the top management, by workshops and by conducting lectures, where they will explain how to communicate with the customers and the knowledge of product and about the company. All theses will make a sales staff to start the sales. The Roles and objective of a Sales management is to identify a sales staff and motivate him/her then train him/her will the necessary skills and connect him/her to the organization structure and used the appropriate technique to enhance the sales output.

Contrasting Adam and Eve and Old Man and Old Woman Essay -- Comparison

Contrasting Adam and Eve and Old Man and Old Woman  Ã‚        Ã‚   Chewing Blackbones’ Indian myth entitled "Old Man and Old Woman" is so similar to the well-known creation story of "Adam and Eve" from the Christian Bible that some readers see them as essentially the same. I do not, and a close examination reveals that the two stories differ in very important ways. The Indian myth "Old Man and Old Woman" begins, "Long, long ago, there were only two persons in the world: Old Man and Old Woman" (538). In the beginning of Christian creation story, the two characters, Adam and Eve, are also the only two people in the world. The characteristic that I found that shows a difference between the openings of the stories is the presence of God in "Adam and Eve." I noticed that in Chewing Blackbones’ Indian version there is no third party. The Indian myth does not explain how Old Man and Old Woman were created; it just states there were two people in the world, Old Man and Old Woman. The actual creation processes in both stories seem similar, yet they are actually very different from each ...

The Reflection of Victorian Britain in Literature Essay -- The Tell Ta

The Reflection of Victorian Britain in Literature Queen Victoria reigned in Britain between 1937-1901. During this time in British history a large degree of change occurred. The writers of the time often reflected these substantial changes in their literature focusing on the interests of society. I have studied a variety of literature from the Victorian period and have chosen to write about three particular pieces; 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens (a short story), the novel 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley and another short story called 'The Tell Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe. At the point when these stories were written, there were a wide range of issues touching society. However, for the benefit of this essay I am only going to focus on three of these; the role of God, the increasing advances in science and technology, the supernatural and insanity. The point which I am going to focus on first is about the role God played in many people's lives and how this is reflected in the literature of the Victorian period. In 'Frankenstein' Mary Shelley's point of view about the advances occurring in the progress of medicine and technology can be seen. She also explains the dangerous issues connected with man trying to copy the role of God. The central characters in 'Frankenstein' are Dr Frankenstein and his creation, the monster. Dr Frankenstein tells the story. At the beginning of 'Frankenstein', Dr Frankenstein becomes over confident with new advantageous technology. He intends to make the 'perfect human' in order to save lives and becomes somewhat obsessed with this idea. He surgically attaches many different body parts together from deceased people. He believes from his previous research tha... ... raved- I swore!' His sudden change in behaviour is what convinces the reader and the police, the murderer is mad. 'I admit the deed! - tear up the planks! - here, here! - It is the beating of his hideous heart!' The murderer admits he committed the murder. In conclusion it is clear that the literature I have studied, 'The Signalman', 'The Tell Tale Heart' and 'Frankenstein' all directly reflect the interests of Victorian Britain. The curiosities in the role of God, the increasing developments in science and technology, the supernatural and insanity were all reflected in these books, as was the work of Psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud. There was better transport than ever before and psychiatrists found out how the mind worked and were then capable of looking inside it. The literature had to reflect the interests of the time in order to be successful.

Viper Fish :: essays research papers fc

The viperfish is one of the fiercest predators of the deep. It’s scientific name is Chauliodus sloani. The viperfish’s name comes from its fang resemblance to the Viper Snake. The viperfish, which typically grows to at least a foot long, has a very large mouth, which opens very widely but is not big enough to contain the fish's long teeth. The viperfish is also bioluminescent, with photophores light-emitting organs on its dorsal fin and along its body to lure its prey to it. The fish has been observed hovering in place in the water with its dorsal fin curved around so that its photophore is waving near its mouth, as a means of drawing prey. Because the viperfish's body is dark blue or black in color, it is thought that other fish can see no part of it other than its lights. The viperfish uses swimming for locomotion. It has been known to impale its victims on its teeth by swimming toward them, while using its first vertebra as a shock absorber. The viperfish’s diet consists of shrimp, squid, and little fishes. The viperfish is found at depths of 500-2500 meters during the day in the part of the ocean sometimes called the "twilight zone," because very little light penetrates to that depth. When it goes in search of the crustaceans and small fish that are its main sources of food at night; it rises as close as to the surface as 80 meters where food is more plentiful. The Viperfish occurs in tropical and temperate marine waters world-wide. In Australia, specimens have been collected from south-western Western Australia, around the north of the country and south to Tasmania. An adaptation that the viperfish has made is the dorsal fin has photophores that are believed to attract prey. Little is known of the reproduction of this species, but it is believed to spawn externally. This means that the males and females release sperm and eggs into the water where fertilization occurs. Chauliodus sloani inhabit depths that make them very difficult to study. Viper Fish :: essays research papers fc The viperfish is one of the fiercest predators of the deep. It’s scientific name is Chauliodus sloani. The viperfish’s name comes from its fang resemblance to the Viper Snake. The viperfish, which typically grows to at least a foot long, has a very large mouth, which opens very widely but is not big enough to contain the fish's long teeth. The viperfish is also bioluminescent, with photophores light-emitting organs on its dorsal fin and along its body to lure its prey to it. The fish has been observed hovering in place in the water with its dorsal fin curved around so that its photophore is waving near its mouth, as a means of drawing prey. Because the viperfish's body is dark blue or black in color, it is thought that other fish can see no part of it other than its lights. The viperfish uses swimming for locomotion. It has been known to impale its victims on its teeth by swimming toward them, while using its first vertebra as a shock absorber. The viperfish’s diet consists of shrimp, squid, and little fishes. The viperfish is found at depths of 500-2500 meters during the day in the part of the ocean sometimes called the "twilight zone," because very little light penetrates to that depth. When it goes in search of the crustaceans and small fish that are its main sources of food at night; it rises as close as to the surface as 80 meters where food is more plentiful. The Viperfish occurs in tropical and temperate marine waters world-wide. In Australia, specimens have been collected from south-western Western Australia, around the north of the country and south to Tasmania. An adaptation that the viperfish has made is the dorsal fin has photophores that are believed to attract prey. Little is known of the reproduction of this species, but it is believed to spawn externally. This means that the males and females release sperm and eggs into the water where fertilization occurs. Chauliodus sloani inhabit depths that make them very difficult to study.

Albert Camus The Stranger: Existentialism and Absurdism Essay

Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. This philosophy is essentially the crux of the novel The Stranger and not only serves as one of the themes but probably the main reason Albert Camus wrote the book altogether. Presented in first person narration through the eyes of Meursault, the indifferent and apathetic main character, the novel serves to evoke the creed of existentialism through the embodiment of the philosophy in a person. Meursault’s speech, thought, and actions are what Camus believed a person who innately possessed the tenets of existentialism would have. Existentialism, what it represents, the results of its embodiment in a person, and the validity of the doctrine altogether are all important aspects explored in The Stranger by A lbert Camus. â€Å"Maman died today or yesterday maybe, I don’t know†. These opening lines of the novel serve not only to introduce the novel but to summarize it as well. Rather than focusing on what is important-his mother’s death-Meursault is focused on when exactly she died; whether it was yesterday or today, since the telegraph only stated the funeral would be tomorrow. Right away, within the very first sentence, the reader is introduced to existentialism incarnate. Meursault exhibits a complete and utter indifference to life manifested by a profound lack of emotion. He doesn’t care when his mother died, in fact the fact that he has to attend the funeral altogether is the most troubling part of this whole ordeal to him. When he finally gets to the funeral, he couldn’t care less about his mother-as he rejects the offer to open the casket-but is utterly consumed by the days heat. Camus does a great job in the first part of the novel of demonstrating to the rea der not only the philosophy of existentialism, but a corporal representation of it as well. This corporal representation of existentialism is what makes The Stranger the unique book it is. As opposed to the multitude of books and manifestos approaching existentialism from an academic perspective, The Stranger approaches the philosophy by detailing a character with the belief innately  in him and showing how someone like this might behave. Neither the external world in which Meursault lives nor the internal world of his thoughts and attitudes possesses any rational order. Meursault has no discernable reason for his actions, such as his decision to marry Marie and his decision to kill the Arab. The book, narrated by Meursault, is basically life detailed superficially by him. He talks about the weather, the food he’s eating, about the things he did that day rather than how he feels or thinks of other people, places and things. This is how a person consumed with existentialism would behave and think-indifferently and apathetically. Meursault passes no judgment on people and is ultimate executed for killing an Arab for no apparent reason. The philosophy or theory of Existentialism is somewhat controversial, but nonetheless in many respects it has some notable and legitimate points. If one were to truly take a look at the universe, it would seem purposeless. And humans do in fact possess the innate desire, or rather compulsion, to explain things and have things figured out-thus explaining their need to associate a purpose with the universe, even when it doesn’t necessarily exist. But what made this theory come about in the 19th century when it could have been realized centuries before? The reason is the tragedy and devastation the world saw at this time-several world wars in specific. If we take a look at the life of Albert Camus himself, it’s hard to deny the fact that there is a connection between the existentialism’s inception and personal tragedy. In 1914, Camus’ Father was drafted into WWI and killed in France. In 1934 he Married Simone Hià ©, but divorced her two years later. In 1939 he volunteered for service in WWII, but was rejected due to illness. In 1940 he wrote an essay on the state of Muslims in Algeria causing him to lose his job and move to Paris. In 1941 he joined the French resistance against the Nazis and became an editor of Combat, an underground newspaper. These, as well as many other incidents and events in Camus’ life influenced him in the sense that they formed in him a bleak, pessimistic view of life. This perspective undoubtedly set the foundation for his adoption of the theory of existentialism. â€Å"If there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in  despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.† The point illuminated in this quote by Camus is that although some consider viewing life with despair to be wrong, or sinful, in reality hoping for an after life, â€Å"another life†, or living a life of implacable grandeur is the real sin. Camus held strong to the belief of Absurdism, or the belief that humanity’s effort to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail-thus it is absurd to try to find meaning or to live as though there is a meaning because no such meaning exists. While Absurdism might seem like a synonym for Existentialism, the two are slightly different. Existentialism makes the point that there is no purpose or meaning in the universe. Absurdism goes a step further to say that not only is life purposeless, but any attempt at finding meaning is utterly absurd. Albe rt Camus, being the polarized man that he was, held more firmly to the belief of Absurdism than existentialism. In writing The Stranger, Albert Camus championed the idea of existentialism, a philosophy he truly believed in it. But the philosophy of existentialism is not free of criticism. Herbert Marcuse criticized existentialism, especially in Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, for projecting certain features of living in a modern, oppressive society, such as anxiety and meaninglessness, onto the nature of existence itself: â€Å"In so far as Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine, it remains an idealistic doctrine: it hypothesizes specific historical conditions of human existence into ontological and metaphysical characteristics. Existentialism thus becomes part of the very ideology which it attacks, and its radicalism is illusory† What Marcuse is saying here is that existentialism makes the mistake of thinking that just because human conditions are tragic and seem to lack a purpose, that they in fact do. Whether or not there is purpose to the universe is an ontological and me taphysical subject, not one that can be realized through historical events. Existentialism and its brother philosophy Absurdism are philosophies that emphasize the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile and indifferent world, and stress the fact the universe has no discernable purpose. This philosophy is essentially the crux of the novel The Stranger  as Meursault, the indifferent and apathetic main character, embodies the tenets of existentialism intrinsically. Existentialism, what it represents, the results of its embodiment in a person, and the validity of the doctrine altogether are all important aspects explored in The Stranger by Albert Camus. Bibliography 1.†Existentialism.† The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 28 Mar. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/existentialism2.Marcuse, Herbert. â€Å"Sartre’s Existentialism†. Printed in Studies in Critical Philosophy. Translated by Joris De Bres. London: NLB, 1972. p. 1613.Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Middlesex: UK Penguin Classics, 1943. 4.Sartre, Jean P. Existentialism is a Humanism. World Company, 1956. 5.†Albert Camus.† 28 Mar. 2007 . 6.White, Ray. â€Å"The Meaning of Life.† 2004. 29 Mar. 2007 .

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice: The dictionary defines prejudice as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. This means that a person may form an opinion on a person or a particular group of people without having any facts or knowledge about that person or group. Prejudice is normally perceived as being bad but there are some instances where prejudice is an aid to survival for example if you see several scruffy men parked in a van in a dark alley, you will form a pre judgment that they must be up to no good so you choose to not walk down the alley. They could simply be movers, but healthy prejudice tells you not to take the chance. Discrimination Direct discrimination is defined as treating one particular group of people less favourably than others because of their race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. There is also positive discrimination in which an individual is allowed to advance themselves because of their gender, race, sexually orientation, age etc. Example if an Asian person is hired simply because they are Asian due to the stereotype that Asians are smart and good students that’s a positive discrimination. Indirect discrimination is defined as an apparently neutral specification, criteria or practice that would disadvantage people on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation unless the practice can be objectively justified. For example a department store prohibits its employees from wearing hats when serving customers. This rule means that people whose religious beliefs require them to cover their heads, such as Muslim women, are discriminated against and cannot carry out their job. The store is indirectly discriminating against this group of people unless it can demonstrate that there is valid reason. Stereotyping Stereotyping is a generalisation of people, which is usually negative, untrue, and unjustifiable. The term labelling is used when we take look at a person and place a label on them and then place them in a category for example we could label someone gay because they seem camp even though they may not be gay. People stereotype as it helps people to deal with individuals who are different from themselves. It makes people feel safe and in their own mind stereotypes allow them to justify their actions towards people. Stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies if the stereotype is re-enforced enough. For example, girls maybe stereotyped as failing more math’s exams than boys this will lead to girls failing to try in exams, as they believe that they are expected to fail. Scapegoating Scapegoating is the practice of singling out an individual or group for unmerited negative treatment or blame. The word â€Å"scapegoat† actually originates from Leviticus 16 in the bible. A goat had all the sins of man placed upon it and it was sent into the wilderness to perish. An example of scapegoating is the Salem Witch Trials. Women were used as scapegoats when the crops were bad or there was a famine and then tried as witches. This was especially the case with midwives, as they would be accused of being in league with Satan if the baby died during birth, which happened frequently due to poor standards of hygiene etc. Part Two Case Study 1 During the first part of the 20th century, deaf people were directly discriminated against due to them being labeled as deaf and dumb. They were prevented from entering mainstream education and were not considered for any high paying jobs. Most deaf children were sent away to deaf schools and some were sent to asylums, even though they were not mentally ill. However, by sending a sane child to an asylum the stereotype of deaf children being mentally ill became a self-fulfilling prophecy as most the children within the asylum did eventually develop some sort of mental illness to help them cope with their surroundings. Children and adults were not separated in asylums and most of the children were sexually abused or witness to sexual acts from a very young age. Society was not kind to deaf children, there was no compassion or understanding and most children did not realize they were deaf because no one took the time to explain to them. Families felt embarrassed and ashamed of their deaf offspring, some families even decided not to have any more children for fear that they too would be deaf. Deaf men were also discriminated against during the First World War as they were deemed unfit for service, however, deaf soldiers would have had a distinct advantage over the soldiers who could hear as they would not get shellshock or distracted as easily by the surrounding noises. Some doctors believed that deafness was cause by a blockage in the ear and others believed it to be a brain dysfunction either way deaf people in asylums were subjected to horrific procedures such as needles being pushed into their eardrums and lobotomies. Deaf children often became strangers within their own families and were often rejected and abandoned this led to low self worth and extreme depression in some cases. As deaf children had no knowledge of language, as it was rarely taught in deaf schools, they developed their own ‘sign language’, which differed from school to school. This sign language was not universal and was normally only understood by the children at that particular school. Sexual predators also targeted many deaf people, as they were easy targets due to being sexually ignorant. Some countries saw being deaf as a disease that could be eradicated through means such as selective breeding, deaf girls were systematically sterilised and deaf marriage was not allowed. This made the deaf community feel as if they were outcasts and it denied them their rights to have a normal social or sexual relationship with another individual. However, refuge from the cruel world of the hearing was soon found in what were called ‘Deaf Clubs’. By 1930, every town had its own deaf club, which hosted regular events and outings for the deaf community. These clubs were normally overseen by powerful clergymen and were charities run by hearing people. While the deaf community saw deaf clubs as a lifeline, they also sought to reinforce the segregation of deaf people from the rest of the world. Silent movies were a place where deaf and hearing could share a common love for theatre, deaf people were made to feel like part of society. However, exclusion would soon become part of the deaf community again with the invention of telephones, radios and televisions. Today there are many acts in place to help deaf people live normal, fulfilling lives within their communities without fear of being ridiculed or committed. 1 Case Study 2 Many men are afraid to tell friends and family that they want to enter nursing as it leads to them being stereotyped as gay because nursing is seen primarily as a female profession. In June 2006, Andrew Moyhing won a landmark case against the NHS for sex discrimination. Mr Moyhing, 29 said, â€Å"I abandoned nursing because I was not allowed to do the job properly in a female-dominated profession. † 2 The NHS hospital that Mr Moyhing worked for as a student nurse refused to let him perform intimate medical procedures on women unless accompanied by a female chaperone. An article on nursingtimes. net states that currently male nurses only make up 11% of the female dominated sector and are four times more likely to be sanctioned or face discrimination by the NMC. Chaperone policies are in place in many NHS hospitals but they only relate to male nurses, a female nurse does not require a male chaperone to carry out an intimate procedure on a male patient but a male nurse requires a female chaperone. London NHS Trust did admit that the difference in treatment between male and female nurses was direct discrimination. Mr Moyhing claimed he felt he was being regarded as untrustworthy and a potential abuser of females or that the patient was likely to lie and make false accusations. Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said, â€Å"The Employment Appeal Tribunal was right to find that it was not acceptable to have a chaperoning policy based on lazy stereotyping about the risks to patients and assumptions that all men are sexual predators. † 4 The EOC said its research showed that one in four schoolboys were interested in caring work but only one in ten nurses were male. 5 Many organisations and websites are now appearing to offer a support system to male nurses whom maybe facing discrimination from their female work colleagues or bosses. Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice: The dictionary defines prejudice as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. This means that a person may form an opinion on a person or a particular group of people without having any facts or knowledge about that person or group. Prejudice is normally perceived as being bad but there are some instances where prejudice is an aid to survival for example if you see several scruffy men parked in a van in a dark alley, you will form a pre judgment that they must be up to no good so you choose to not walk down the alley. They could simply be movers, but healthy prejudice tells you not to take the chance. Discrimination Direct discrimination is defined as treating one particular group of people less favourably than others because of their race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. There is also positive discrimination in which an individual is allowed to advance themselves because of their gender, race, sexually orientation, age etc. Example if an Asian person is hired simply because they are Asian due to the stereotype that Asians are smart and good students that’s a positive discrimination. Indirect discrimination is defined as an apparently neutral specification, criteria or practice that would disadvantage people on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation unless the practice can be objectively justified. For example a department store prohibits its employees from wearing hats when serving customers. This rule means that people whose religious beliefs require them to cover their heads, such as Muslim women, are discriminated against and cannot carry out their job. The store is indirectly discriminating against this group of people unless it can demonstrate that there is valid reason. Stereotyping Stereotyping is a generalisation of people, which is usually negative, untrue, and unjustifiable. The term labelling is used when we take look at a person and place a label on them and then place them in a category for example we could label someone gay because they seem camp even though they may not be gay. People stereotype as it helps people to deal with individuals who are different from themselves. It makes people feel safe and in their own mind stereotypes allow them to justify their actions towards people. Stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies if the stereotype is re-enforced enough. For example, girls maybe stereotyped as failing more math’s exams than boys this will lead to girls failing to try in exams, as they believe that they are expected to fail. Scapegoating Scapegoating is the practice of singling out an individual or group for unmerited negative treatment or blame. The word â€Å"scapegoat† actually originates from Leviticus 16 in the bible. A goat had all the sins of man placed upon it and it was sent into the wilderness to perish. An example of scapegoating is the Salem Witch Trials. Women were used as scapegoats when the crops were bad or there was a famine and then tried as witches. This was especially the case with midwives, as they would be accused of being in league with Satan if the baby died during birth, which happened frequently due to poor standards of hygiene etc. Part Two Case Study 1 During the first part of the 20th century, deaf people were directly discriminated against due to them being labeled as deaf and dumb. They were prevented from entering mainstream education and were not considered for any high paying jobs. Most deaf children were sent away to deaf schools and some were sent to asylums, even though they were not mentally ill. However, by sending a sane child to an asylum the stereotype of deaf children being mentally ill became a self-fulfilling prophecy as most the children within the asylum did eventually develop some sort of mental illness to help them cope with their surroundings. Children and adults were not separated in asylums and most of the children were sexually abused or witness to sexual acts from a very young age. Society was not kind to deaf children, there was no compassion or understanding and most children did not realize they were deaf because no one took the time to explain to them. Families felt embarrassed and ashamed of their deaf offspring, some families even decided not to have any more children for fear that they too would be deaf. Deaf men were also discriminated against during the First World War as they were deemed unfit for service, however, deaf soldiers would have had a distinct advantage over the soldiers who could hear as they would not get shellshock or distracted as easily by the surrounding noises. Some doctors believed that deafness was cause by a blockage in the ear and others believed it to be a brain dysfunction either way deaf people in asylums were subjected to horrific procedures such as needles being pushed into their eardrums and lobotomies. Deaf children often became strangers within their own families and were often rejected and abandoned this led to low self worth and extreme depression in some cases. As deaf children had no knowledge of language, as it was rarely taught in deaf schools, they developed their own ‘sign language’, which differed from school to school. This sign language was not universal and was normally only understood by the children at that particular school. Sexual predators also targeted many deaf people, as they were easy targets due to being sexually ignorant. Some countries saw being deaf as a disease that could be eradicated through means such as selective breeding, deaf girls were systematically sterilised and deaf marriage was not allowed. This made the deaf community feel as if they were outcasts and it denied them their rights to have a normal social or sexual relationship with another individual. However, refuge from the cruel world of the hearing was soon found in what were called ‘Deaf Clubs’. By 1930, every town had its own deaf club, which hosted regular events and outings for the deaf community. These clubs were normally overseen by powerful clergymen and were charities run by hearing people. While the deaf community saw deaf clubs as a lifeline, they also sought to reinforce the segregation of deaf people from the rest of the world. Silent movies were a place where deaf and hearing could share a common love for theatre, deaf people were made to feel like part of society. However, exclusion would soon become part of the deaf community again with the invention of telephones, radios and televisions. Today there are many acts in place to help deaf people live normal, fulfilling lives within their communities without fear of being ridiculed or committed. 1 Case Study 2 Many men are afraid to tell friends and family that they want to enter nursing as it leads to them being stereotyped as gay because nursing is seen primarily as a female profession. In June 2006, Andrew Moyhing won a landmark case against the NHS for sex discrimination. Mr Moyhing, 29 said, â€Å"I abandoned nursing because I was not allowed to do the job properly in a female-dominated profession. † 2 The NHS hospital that Mr Moyhing worked for as a student nurse refused to let him perform intimate medical procedures on women unless accompanied by a female chaperone. An article on nursingtimes. net states that currently male nurses only make up 11% of the female dominated sector and are four times more likely to be sanctioned or face discrimination by the NMC. Chaperone policies are in place in many NHS hospitals but they only relate to male nurses, a female nurse does not require a male chaperone to carry out an intimate procedure on a male patient but a male nurse requires a female chaperone. London NHS Trust did admit that the difference in treatment between male and female nurses was direct discrimination. Mr Moyhing claimed he felt he was being regarded as untrustworthy and a potential abuser of females or that the patient was likely to lie and make false accusations. Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said, â€Å"The Employment Appeal Tribunal was right to find that it was not acceptable to have a chaperoning policy based on lazy stereotyping about the risks to patients and assumptions that all men are sexual predators. † 4 The EOC said its research showed that one in four schoolboys were interested in caring work but only one in ten nurses were male. 5 Many organisations and websites are now appearing to offer a support system to male nurses whom maybe facing discrimination from their female work colleagues or bosses.