Social Norms :: Sociology

Lately the concept of social norms, common rules of behaviors, has engaged the interest of a numerous philosophers, who are concerned with understanding the rational actors’ behavior. Kennedy and Brown addresses the concern from different aspects, they are mutually disturbed by the same social norm questions, specifically in the theory of human behavior development that is significant to the construction of legal institutions. In their endeavor to account for social norms they both argue that Human Rights pose challenges for politics. This is far from absolute, Human Rights in a way, present difficulties to politics but it is in fact social norms which pose the most critical problem for politics. At the same time social norms seem to decipher the complications of human rights; they construct a particular problem for politics because they appear to manipulate laws that govern social norms for their own personal use. Theorist challenge the thinking of these such norm compliances to explain a principle that people always act in their own self-interest, to maximize the greediness of their social power. Moreover, Human Rights in this situation are described at presents as a mutual exploited problem. Such as â€Å"institutional practice of human rights promotion propagates an unduly abstract idea about people, politics and society (Kennedy p111).† Because of these general expectations, politics can simply construct this space of lawlessness to circumvent and established social norm traditions. The avoiding of certain taboo like deploying nuclear weapons or tripping the waiters falls into this complicity that society follows. This brings up the rational choice of individualâ €™s actions. Which is why social norms would sanction governments or people for violating this paradigm of â€Å"language may well establish our legitimacy within a legal framework (Butler p25)† and the â€Å"particular vocabulary (Kennedy p111),† something we know occurs regularly in Human Rights language to be used to create this lawlessness that pose problems for politics. The eruption of criticism to politics that violation Human Rights language is rapidly eclipsed by potential threats of counsel to â€Å"problems of intellectual dishonesty (Brown p461)† which invokes norms instinctively to questions that transpires. In this context of challenging the expectations of rational political institution’s choice bring forth how social norm constrict and occasionally govern or deceive individuals. For example in the War on Terrorism and Guantanamo Bay, President Bush pushes for a preemptive strike as a legitimize sanction of Human Rights and social norms reactions for security.

Significant Event

One of these events stands out in particular to me and had he greatest impact in my life. Physically disciplining a child has a dramatic impact on both the child as well as the parent. As a child I remember that for any little misbehaver resulted in a physical punishment as well as getting yelled at, as time went by my mind was set that I already knew when the â€Å"beating† was going to come. My family continue to be very big on respect and discipline, but at the time little did they know that by hitting us they weren't just punishing us for a little while, they were in fact pushing us away and causing frustration, at times even hatred.I also researched that in result of physically harming children increases their risk of mental illness, in which resulted when I came upon this article which states that â€Å"It's pretty well established that physically harming children has a negative impact on mental health, but this is showing the same effect even when you look at milder fo rms of physical force. This is saying that physical punishment should not be used on children of any age. † Each perspective has its strengths and weaknesses, which brings difference to our understanding of the human behavior.In my situation am going to go with the behavioral perspective, as well as the psychodrama perspective. By looking at the physical punishment from a behaviorism perspective, conditioning by pain requires that the consequence always occurs immediately after every incident. The psychodrama perspective states that in childhood certain incidents may occur that produce behaviors in their adulthood. Many different conflicts throughout childhood development shape overall personality. Observational learning refers to learning that occurs as a function of observing, and placating behavior observed in which is particular during childhood.I later figured out that the way my mother and aunts were physically punishing me, resulted in the fact that they learned from my grandmother, they completely mimicked the way my grandmother punished them. As I grew older I began to express myself to them in a matter that I felt curious I began to question why would they always physically harm my cousins as well as myself, their excuse still remains the exact same in which they say † That it is simply something they grew up seeing on a daily basis†. SST memories are not always accurate which can result in a blur, but do believe that it depends on how intense was the situation. There are many memories do vividly remember from my childhood but they are also plenty which don't necessarily remember everything, at times will looking at certain photos and remember exactly what I did that particular day, so I do think that it all just depends on the importance of the situation. Although do in fact accurately remember many different situations in which was hit, many of which I now think back ND know that could have been easily solved with just a simple co nversation.

Of Mice and Men Essay

Two Itinerant migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, are best friends, they have a unique relationship, almost one of father and son opposed to two adults, George looks after and cares for Lennie due to his limited metal abilities, which is often getting them into trouble, hence the reason they were chased out of town from their previous employment, They find work in a ranch in Northern California where they hope to save enough money to settle down and own a piece of land to attain the ‘American Dream’, which suggests that America is the land of prosperity and opportunity but as easy as dreams are made these dreams can also be easily shattered. At the ranch the atmosphere appears to be dangerous, when they are confronted with the bosses’ son Curley whom takes an instant disliking to Lennie, as he feels inferior to larger men, Curley’s Wife also opposes a problem, as she is very flirtatious. As they begin to settle in the ranch, their dream begin to take shape, when two other ranch hands are enticed and would like to be a part of it, the pair are overwhelmed that their dream is slowly turning into a reality. But the story turns when Lennie is left alone, and his love to stroke things ends up with him killing Curley’s Wife, the story then takes an emotional twist, when George is then faced with the dilemma to take his friends life, to save him from the lynch mob sent by Curley. Setting In the opening of the book during the first two pages it describes the tranquil peaceful surrounding of Northern California, â€Å"hillside bank runs deep and green† (pg18) this portrays the beautiful surrounding which is the disturbed by the arrival of two characters. The writer, John Steinbeck shows this by â€Å"rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover† (pg19) suggests the arrival of these two characters has disturbed the tranquil setting; this gives the reader the message that these characters bring trouble. At the end of the book, when both characters George and Lennie are sitting by the river bank, Steinbeck gives the reader the sense of panic by the quotations he uses, as Curley’s mob draw nearer, the writer first describes the atmosphere as â€Å"Shadow in the valley, blue and soft†(pg 144), this suggests that there is a calm before the storm. As more time passes the atmosphere around these two characters gets intense, â€Å"evening breeze blew over the clearing†, (pg 145), the atmosphere is changing around them, Steinbeck is creating a build up, causing a suspense that something is going to happen. When George shoots Lennie the atmosphere then is described as â€Å"the brush seemed filled with cries†, (pg 148) which symbolizes the loss of George, As this is such a great loss for him, losing his best friend, shows the love of their friendship was so strong that George could not let Lennie, die at the hands of Curley’s mob, You get the feel of their friendship, when both men are having a conversation about the dream, before Lennie is shot, â€Å"For the rabbit George†,(pg146), this suggests that George put Lennie is a false sense of security, so that he was in a happy place before he died, this shows how strong their friendship is. Characters George and Lennie George and Lennie are the two main characters, George is described as a small intelligent but uneducated man, George is ambitious who has big dreams in life. Lennie is a large man of statue with great strength and a big heart but his limited mental abilities, means he relies on George for his survival, he is a calm character and like a child he likes to hear stories from George, he doesn’t understand the consequences of his strength, resulting with him often getting the pair in serious trouble. George and Lennie have a unique relationship, you get a contrast of the love hate relationship between the two, There are quotes in the book where George suggests that he could get along better without Lennie, â€Å"I could get along easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail†(pg24), this suggests that George feels that Lennie holds him back in life, but then in another quote when George is speaking to another character, he becomes defensive this shows that he cares about what people think of Lennie †what’s funny about it† and â€Å"He ain’t no cuckoo†(pg67) , this shows the contrast that on the one hand George believes Lennie slows him down in life, but then he feels that he has to care and protect Lennie. Narrative There is the use of slang and non Standard English throughout the book, the dialect used, is that of the slang used by an Itinerant workers at that time, this is effective because it helps to add to the realism of the story and creates a strong impact upon the readers. In book the narrative changes from third person to first person requently this is effective because you get both views and makes the story seem more believable and for the reader to sympathize with the characters. The use of figurative language in ‘Of Mice and Men’ creates the atmosphere of reality. In the beginning of the book the Narrative is in third person style, Lennie is described as â€Å"Sloping shoulders†(pg19) And George is described as â€Å"Strong features†,(pg19) this is effective because, it makes the reader visualize what these characters look like, instead of having a bias view from a first person account. The first person accounts are effective because, In a first person account you can believe the passion of that person for example† He’s dumb as hell†, (pg 65) this is more genuine as it makes the reader believe what the characters views are.

Becoming a Family

The family is still considered by sociologists as the nuclear component of any society regardless of cultural norms, traditions and beliefs. In the United States, the average American family has undergone dramatic changes in terms of its function and structures. Of these changes, the most apparent is the fact that most average American families are now what many considered as blended families.Blended families are considered to be extremely complex in terms of its structure and as such, the interpersonal relationship between the members of these blended families becomes complex as well. It is for this reason that numerous research studies have been conducted with regards to the adaptation and interpersonal relationships that occur between family members. This paper would provide a summary of the findings of one particular research study conducted with regards to the relationship among members of blended families.The paper would also provide a critical evaluation on the findings that h ave been presented by the researchers in the article provided by comparing this with four other journal articles on the topic. Summary of Article The journal article selected for the critical evaluation to be conducted in this paper is a study conducted by Braithwaite, Olson, Golish, Soukup and Turman entitled â€Å"Becoming a Family†: Developmental Processes Represented in Blended Family Discourse.In this article, the researchers found the need to investigate and develop a deeper understanding on the different processes that occur within blended families in order to become a solid, nuclear family sociologists have long recognized as the foundation of any society. The need was brought about by statistics showing an increase in the number of blended families now present within modern-day American societies (Braithwaite, Olson, Golish, Soukuip & Turman 2000). The study conducted by the researchers involved a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies centering on a process-focus approach.A total of 980 members of blended families were interviewed by the researchers, with the questionnaire based on the findings of previous research studies conducted on the subject matter. Based on the data gathered by the researchers, they had determined that the major issues blended families had to cope with in order to become a strong nuclear family are the management of boundaries between members of the family, solidarity and adaptation to the concept of being a blended family.The researchers determined that although the negotiation processes that occurred among members of blended families differs there remains some common factors which, in turn, help determine whether or not the blended family would be able to adapt or otherwise (Braithwaite et al 2000). According to the analysis of the data gathered by the researchers with regards to the methods of negotiation that occurs within blended families, they determined that those that have experienced what the y considered to be constructive trajectories are more able to adapt to the situation a lot better, regardless of the issues at hand.In the case of overcoming the issue with regards to boundary management, the researchers determined that successful blended families are those that through the proper use of interpersonal communication skills, the members of the blended family are more able to have a smooth transition for the new members of the family to become incorporated in the blended family. On the other hand, the lack of such negotiating skills can result for the addressing of boundary management to become stagnant within the first four years of being a blended family or even cause friction and turmoil to arise.The same holds true with regards to addressing the issues of solidarity and adaptation among blended families. Based on this, the researchers concluded that manner on how interpersonal relationship and communication occurs between members of the blended family is a key fact or in determining the success – or lack thereof – in the solidifying of the blended family (Braithwaite et al 2000). Critical EvaluationIn order to provide an ample critical evaluation with regards to the article summarized, the concept of â€Å"blended families† must first be determined. According to Shalay and Brownlee (2007), blended families are those families that occur as a result of a remarriage made on the part of the parents. In many cases, sociologists define blended families as those separated families that have been united with each other by marriage. In the United States, blended families have now become a common part of society.In a country, where almost half of the marriages end in divorce, it has been estimated that 79% of divorced men and 75% divorced women would remarry, with 60% of this population having children from the previously dissolved marriage (Darden & Zimmerman 1992). While the commonly used terminology in society to refer to the par ent-child relationship and sibling relationship resulting from the remarriage process as step families, sociologists prefer to use the term blended families to recognize the merging of these two families into one solid unit (Shalay & Brownlee 2007).The focus of the article â€Å"Becoming a Family†: Developmental Processes Represented in Blended Family Discourse is centered on the understanding of the different pathways that blended families undergo as they slowly merge and become one solid family unit. During this process, the researchers have determined that the main issues faced by blended families are boundary management, solidarity and adaptation.Through the initial literature review conducted by the researchers for the study, they have determined that stage-based models initially used by sociologists have been extremely limited primarily due to its over-simplification of the stages presented and the assumption that blended families must attain a specific objective in ord er to reach the next level. The complexity of the structure of blended families have led the researchers to adopt a process approach to understand the different patterns and processes that blended families undergo in their quest in becoming a solid family unit (Braithwaite et al 2000).These conclusions were also found by Wood in her book entitled Relational Communication: Continuity and Change in Personal Relationships. In her chapter which looks into the development of intimacy in interpersonal relationships, Wood (2000) stipulated that earlier models depicting stages within interpersonal relationships, such as that experienced in blended families, have been initially misinterpreted as a stage or a state where in fact, the development of intimacy is an ongoing process.By viewing the development of intimacy in interpersonal relationships, one can assume that the moment the stage is completed, those involved in the interpersonal relationship would be able to progress to the next stag e and would no longer experience the conflicts and issues that have already been addressed in the previous stage. In reality, interpersonal relationships is an ongoing process depicted by the solving and resolving conflicts and issues throughout the length of the relationship, making the process approach more applicable in the understanding of blended families.The premise presented by Wood in her book can also be found in the article of Ginther and Pollak entitled Family Structure and Children’s Educational Outcomes: Blended Families, Stylized Facts, and Descriptive Regressions where they looked into the difference between the performance of children coming from â€Å"intact† families and those coming from blended families. Here, Ginther and Pollack (2004) stated that in the understanding of how being a part of a blended family would influence the educational performance of a child.Based on the initial research they conducted, they determined that many of the literatur e that they reviewed approach the study of blended families through what they termed as stylized facts, which are simple correlations between parents and children in terms of the relationships that they foster within a blended family. Ginther and Pollack discovered that those that have utilized the stylized fact approach would often be a result of the inconsistent parenting styles experienced by the children in the presence of both the biological parent and the stepparent.While this may partly be responsible for any form of conflict arising within blended families and thus, making the process of becoming a family unit more difficult, the study that they have conducted have found that this is brought about by the stress continuously experienced within the relationship between parents and children in blended families. As such, they stipulated in their study that a change in the approach to focus more on the relationship between parents and children in blended families are more importa nt in understanding the process undertaken by blended families into becoming solid family units.In the article â€Å"Becoming a Family†: Developmental Processes Represented in Blended Family Discourse, the use of negotiation has been considered extremely vital in the addressing of issues commonly faced by blended families in their quest to become a solid family unit. This premise has been supported in other studies that have been conducted by other researchers. In a study conducted by Darden and Zimmerman (1992), they looked into the various issues faced by blended families in the United States over the last decade from a theoretical, clinical and research perspective.It was their understanding that much of the previous approaches and methods utilized in the understanding of blended families in the United States have been inadequate due to the fact that they were based on previous studies conducted on â€Å"intact† families as well as single-parent families. The resear chers have determined that the primary conflict rising within blended families are rooted from the roles that each member plays. The children still regard their biological, or natural, parents to be the only ones that have authority over their growth and development as individuals.As a result, the stepparents would often find themselves feeling excluded from their role as being a parent to these children since negotiations are commonly made between biological parents instead between the biological parent and the stepparent. The importance of such negotiation between biological parents was comprehensively explained in a study conducted by Kathleen Rodgers and Hilary Rose. In their study, which focused on the understanding factors that contribute further in the psychological and behavioral changes observed among adolescents in blended families.This was done through the use of the risk and resiliency framework. Because of the loss of a recognized parent from the household, the adolesce nt in a blended family may perceive the infrequent presence of the recognized parent to be a loss of parental support. The resiliency framework is used to measure the level of adaptation that the adolescent experiences as a result of a challenging situation, in this case, the shift from an â€Å"intact† family to a blended family.Based on their findings, they had determined that one method for the proper and successful adaptation of the children in blended families is through the constant negotiation between biological parents as well as between the biological parent and stepparent would be able to resolve any feelings of resistance on the part of the children, which would, in turn, lead to the progress of the blended family in terms of addressing the three issues presented by Braithwaite and her colleagues which are boundary management, solidarity and adaptation (Rodgers & Rose 2002).The negotiation process presented in the article â€Å"Becoming a Family†: Developmen tal Processes Represented in Blended Family Discourse has been used as a tool used by many family therapists during counseling sessions, particularly with blended families who are having difficulties in becoming a solid family unit. In the article, much of the conflict arise as a result of the awareness of the fact that the initial expectations that had once been held by members of the blended family are shattered as they realize the reality of the situation that they find themselves in.One method utilized in family counseling sessions is the use of narrative therapy. In their article Narrative Family Therapy with Blended Families, Shalay and Brownlee (2007), determined through the study that they have conducted that through the use of a process approach, the narrative therapy proved to be beneficial in helping blended families become solid family units since through this method, they are able to discuss not just their expectations.The narrative therapy also allows members of the fa mily to relate any form of disappointments that they have experienced as a result of not being able to meet their initial expectations as well as social myths that they have heard with regards to blended families and influences of previous histories in their respective lives. Through this, members of the blended family are then able to reach a comprise resulting from negotiation processes carefully assisted by the therapist in order to ensure that the blended family becomes a solid family unit.Conclusion With more and more families now becoming blended as a result of different social factors, particularly divorce and remarriage, harmony and unity within the family has now become extremely more complicated to achieve. Although this phenomenon is common, this nevertheless brings about new conflicts that have not been observed among traditional nuclear families. This includes the rise of the issues regarding boundary management, adaptation and solidarity.It is for this reason that the use of negotiation skills has become more important among blended families in order to eradicate any fears and inhibitions felt by the members of the blended family in order to achieve harmony and unity, thus exhibiting the same traits found among traditional families. References Baithwaite, D. O. , Olson, L. N. , Golish, T. D. , Soukup, C. & Turman, P. (2002). â€Å"Becoming a family†: developmental processes represented in blended family discourse.In S. A. Friedley (Ed. ), Interpersonal Communication Theory: A Reader (pp. 181-207). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Darden, E. C. & Zimmerman, T. S. (1992). Blended families: a decade review, from 1979 to 1990. Family Therapy, 19(1), 25-30. Ginther, D. K. & Pollak, R. A. (2004). Family structure and children’s educational outcomes: blended families, stylized facts, and descriptive regressions. Demography, 41(4), 671- 96.Rodgers, K. B. & Rose, H. A. (2002). Risk and resiliency factors among adolescents who exper ience marital transitions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 1024-37. Shalay, N. & Brownlee, K. (2007). Narrative family therapy with blended families. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 18(2), 17-30. Wood, J. T. (2000). Relational Communication: Continuity and Change in Personal Relationships (2nd ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Effects of Addition of Nitrogen on Ph and Availability of Soil Assignment

Effects of Addition of Nitrogen on Ph and Availability of Soil Nutrients - Assignment Example If biomass is divided into root components and the ones above the ground, we find the significant effect to be root biomass of the last generation composed of high N. These effects account for less than 0.1% of variance of root and dry biomass. As 50% of biomass above the ground and root materials are returned as litter to the system, the high N’s soil deposition get greater inputs of nitrogen and organic C. Therefore, a large quantity of N and C accumulate in the soil at the top of the deposition of high N microcosms, compared to deposition of low N microcosms. However, there are no effects in the composition of high N. If soil C is increased in the deposition of high N, it reflects significantly larger NEP. Varied measures reflects decomposer activity: invertase, b-xylosidase and collembolan density activity are significantly larger in deposition of high N microcosms: furthermore, there is no effect in the composition of high nitrogen on the measures. Rates of nitrogen miner alization do not differ in the combinations across, composition and though N leaching rates are a times greater in the deposition of high N. This effect is inconsistent and leaching rates are low. Storage of carbons in the POM fraction is greater under deposition of high nitrogen and is not affected by composition of high N. ... l percentage P value P value P value P value P value Above ground biomass(g/m sq) + 82.5

History of the Symphony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of the Symphony - Essay Example The origins of symphony date way back to the early 19th century, continuing through the 20th century, and on to the 21st century. Haydn was one of the foremost composers of the symphony in the 1800’s. Mozart expanded on the symphony by composing short tone poems. Sonata form was popular in this period. Beethoven made similar pieces to Mozart—however, Beethoven was much more orderly, fond of expanded form, and liked to write symphony pieces that were more reserved, in a sense. Also in the late 1820’s, Robert Schumann attempted his first symphony, entitled â€Å"Spring.† Berlioz was fond of using expanded instrumentation and programmatic symphony. Mahler used altered symphonic form. Strauss later became a conductor. Aaron Copland was well-known for his symphonies as well, ushering in the 20th century—championing serialism, or twelve-tone music. Schoenberg ushered in the 21st century of American symphony. â€Å"[Schoenberg’s] early works, which were reminiscent of Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss, are still disliked because they were written by his infamous hand. His twelve-tone technique is the first attempts at atonality during his era and would be never developed and explored by later composers...† William Schuman wrote eight symphonies.

Marketing professional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing professional - Essay Example The revenue base of the industry has increased at a constant rate of 3.5% and only decreased in 2008-2009 after the business donors cut-back. NFP organisations offer a wide array of services including operating hospitals, schools, and churches, as well as participating in community causes and fundraising events. The products offered a range from a sausage snack to Doctor of Philosophy degree. The prominent factor leading to the growth of NFP in Australia is the government support. This occurs in the form of direct funding, indirect funding e.g. concessions, and providence of a regulatory environment. The government offers financial services to these organisations as recognition for the value of their services in upholding the community welfare. Commercial enterprises have also contributed in the growth of NFPs through philanthropy support. Competition for government contracts and members services has enabled the NFPs to adopt efficient and superior strategies necessary for improvemen t of their competitive orientation. The NFPs associate with commercial entities on many occasions to improve social outcomes of some of their activities. The services offered by NFPs are superior to the ones offered by profit organisations in terms of the fields in which they operate and the basic character. They offer services of higher quality compared to commercial enterprises because they are non-profit oriented. NFP organisations competition with commercial enterprises in Australian is high. Amid this, they command wider acceptability among the society as people oppose the idea of commercialising community services. NFP organisations are inclined to serve people with the greatest need, thus, ensuring equity. Lack of extra charges for their services as required for profit generation makes their services cheaper than those of the commercial organisations. This attracts clientele as well as broadening the customer base leading to widening of service providence. Their focus on one community or group of people at a time cultivates loyalty and attracts preference among the service recipients. NFP organisations have rapidly expanded due to their characteristic property of potential flexibility and adaptability as they are not profit-oriented. This implies that they are capable of taking risks related to the creation of new business opportunities. NFP organisations have widely been accepted in Australia because of their advocacy role. They push for societal advancement as well as the change in government role as they are not market beholden. They are better placed to act as pioneers in various fields through identifying and solve the unaddressed societal problems (Salamon, Hems and Chinnock, 2000). NFP organisations serve as vehicles through which individuals and groups can express their opinions on various issues. This contributes into community building and democratisation through encouraging social interaction that creates the attitudes of trust and reciprocit y. Organisational growth has also been realised by the ability of these organisations to overcome the constraints related to their daily operations. Regulatory constraints are minimised through transforming their legal structures and processes to conform in line with the Australian federal requirements. Their growth has also been sustained through formulation of strategies necessary for overcoming