Monday, August 26, 2019
CURRENT ISSUES IN HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS Essay
CURRENT ISSUES IN HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS - Essay Example entions of the participants to seek health intervention, different methods used in primary care, the changes in the incidences of the disease under investigation, and the form of diagnosis. The study results showed that social marketing made most patients change their attitude through affirming that they would visit a practitioner and receive an X-ray process. The study registered a 20% increase in the rates of X-rays among the cancer patients. The results of the study showed that people would change their attitude towards evolving trends with the increase in the level of awareness or promotion. This is an affirmation that early awareness strategies and recognition initiatives facilitates health improvement. However, the study did not follow up to confirm the sincerity of the study participants to confirm whether they really visited the practitioners or they were just agreeing verbally. Additionally, the study was not fully inclusive because it only focused on areas with high cancer rates. The study asserts that two-thirds of the deaths caused by diseases to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases such as cancers. Most of the deaths are registered in developing countries. This calls for urgent preventive strategies that reduces the rate of spread or positively changes the peopleââ¬â¢s attitudes towards medication. Some of the strategies suggested by the study include control of tobacco and alcohol use through increasing taxes, regulating sales and most importantly, banning advertisements related to tobacco or alcohol promotion. Increased prices of alcohol and tobacco products resulting from increase in taxation as well as regulations discourage users. This promotes the impact of health related strategies. The study posits that increase in negative promotion leads to subsequent rise in the consumption of the product being advertised. Ezzati and Riboli suggest that advertisements should only focus on the strategies geared towards educating the public on the
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Problems At Softy Furnishings Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Problems At Softy Furnishings - Case Study Example For that reason, Roz can bring an unfair dismissal to be heard before the tribunal as it subject to appeals on point of law to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) and then the court of Appeal and the House of Lords. According to, the EAT is the best house to deal with. At common law, Dennis could have provided a straightforward requisite notice to notify on his power. However, ignorance of Roz managerial power attracts questions. Roz needs to be assured that Employment Rights Act UK is a statutory, meaning that the courts are able to use section 3 of the HRA and exercise their interpretive functions to produce indirect horizontal effects which have already been done in different cases (Hockman and Miliband, 2015). As well, Brodie (2010, p. 43) believes that it is common law duty of trust and confidence that is implied into all employment contracts given that the interaction of duties and conventional rights are yet to be explored. Convincingly, Roz should understand that private emp loyment law is primarily contained in the legislation, and these basic statutory provisions are continually interpreted (Carey, 2009, p. 49, and Cabrelli, 2014). The legislation is subject to the interpretative obligation under section 3 of the HRA to ensure its compatibility with convention rights. Moreover, Roz should be assured that employment contracts are governed by some key common law principles that are susceptible to the arguments that the courts should give effects to the convention right when applying them.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Building Capacity for Marketing Innovation Essay
Building Capacity for Marketing Innovation - Essay Example It is an established phenomenon that marketers should only concentrate on what is expressively demanded by consumers so as to enhance the firm's profitability. However, the marketing concept does not only require the marketers to evaluate and satisfy the expressed demands of individuals but also dig into the needs that are rarely expressed. The capability for marketing innovation depends upon several internal and external attributes of an organisation. In Chinese society, the willingness and capability of firms to innovate in more difficult because of the differences in external economic and social environment as compared to those of market economies. This paper provides an insight into the notion of innovation in the context of marketing concept. It presents a study into the capability building for marketing innovation in the companies. The paper also sheds light on the concept of capability building for marketing innovation in the context of Chinese market. Innovation is a concept highly misconceived in the context of marketing. Innovation is said to be the most crucial responsibility of companies operating in the competitive environment of 21st century. The concept of innovation encompasses the notion of doing something for the first time or introducing a product into the market that is outright new to the firm as well as the consumers. In the context of marketing, it refers to the marketers' ability to envision new ideas, give it a form of strategy, introduce it to the market and make consumers love it. Innovation is strictly important in the age of global competition where firms are continuously striving to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. A firm does not necessarily have to bring about a drastic change in the organization in order to be 'innovative.' According to Weerawardena, "innovativeness refers to a corporate environment that promotes and supports novel ideas, experimentation and creative processes that may lead to ne w products, techniques or technologies." (2003, p. 18) It all lies in the culture of an organization to encourage people to bring new ideas and promote the willingness for innovation. Innovation is something evidently related with the internal and external environment of any firm. A firm in order to be successful and be able to compete in the market needs to adapt with the environment and any changes taking place in the market. Carrying out new ideas successfully in the business either of manufacturing or services concern shows the innovation. One must know about the trends and changes that have come into the market during the period to innovate accordingly as they both go parallel to each other. (Calantone, Cavusgil and. Zhao, 2002). Innovation is about encouraging new ideas that are to be implemented to the business to compete in the market i.e. innovation of product, business structure, services etc. In the context of marketing concept, innovation primarily lies in coming up with offerings that have never been introduced before to consumer markers. It is about an offering which bears the capacity to stimulate the unexpressed demands of consumers. The core concept of marketing is highly misunderstood to be against the notion of innovation. Marketing does not create barriers in the way of innovation;
Friday, August 23, 2019
The Effects of the Rise of Regional Languages and Solution Essay
The Effects of the Rise of Regional Languages and Solution - Essay Example For instance, the worldwide use of English in business, political and diplomatic transactions has seen its gradual rise to an international status and thereby guaranteed its existence and survival in the coming years; it is projected that by the year 2050, over a half of the worldââ¬â¢s population will be adept in it. Unlike the English language and other regional languages, native languages are limited to and within particular societies, with limited usage among small groups of people in those societies. The imminent threat of extinction of native languages has caused many adverse effects to societies and the speakers of these languages all over the world. As the basis of civilization, native languages are the cornerstones of cultures; they have a massive impact on civilization in societies. For example, ancient Muslim scholars developed some of the ancient Greek science after translating the knowledge written in Greek into the Arabica. As a result, the translated knowledge helped other civilizations to develop and spread the knowledge; therefore, language provides the road map for cultures, tracing the origins of people and guiding them into the future. However, some languages have died; some are about to die, or will die due to social, economic, political and technological reasons. Inferences can thus be drawn that, the death of a languageà equals toà the death of civilization because language is the first stage of civilization (Grimes, 2002). It is undeniably true that not a single language in the world is autonomously sufficient in itself to capture and adequately express all ideas and information effectively and efficiently; this brings us to the importance of having many languagesà in the world (Ostler, 2000), which is because of the existence of native languages. These native languages have amassed volumes of information and knowledge about all the subjects in the world; for instance, every native language has developed its
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Zimbabwe Taxation Essay Example for Free
Zimbabwe Taxation Essay The tax system currently enforced in Zimbabwe under the authority of the Income tax Act Chap 23. 06 with Acts like the Capital Gains Act Chap 23. 01, Finance Act Chap 23. 04 and the Excise duties Act as complimentary. The system evolved from traditional ideologies perpetuated from pre pre-colonial era up to now. The incidence of tax from a traditional perspective occurred from as far as the Rozvi State who was allowed to maintain their power and control by the Portuguese Traders which resulted in the development of the tributary system. In which tribute was to be paid in form of farm produce, animal skins, fish and various goods. Every person under the protection of the kingdom and within the chiefââ¬â¢s jurisdiction was to pay tribute from their occupational activity. This tributary system was mainly instigated by military control and any person revoking this tradition was punished. This traditional view is reflected in the modern tax system as there are some synonymous traits which have of course been duly developed over time. The presence of the British settlers saw the tax system being inclined towards politics and social classes or race in other words. In 1894 Hut Tax was introduced and was set at 10 shillings per hut and this tax was imposed on each adult male. The tax was paid to the British South Africa company which was the agent of the colonial government in the area even though it was initially authorised by the Colonial Office in London. Hut Tax was paid in the form of money, labour, grain or livestock and the colonial Authorities in this case the British were the beneficiaries. This tax benefited the white minority as they raised money, enhanced their economyââ¬â¢s liquidity (cash wise, thus supporting the currency), facilitating further development of the white minority. The whole purpose of a tax system to benefit the people at large through the services provided by the government was rather defeated as the greater proportion of tax was paid by the black majority for the benefit of the white minority. Poll tax was also another type of tax introduced by the colonial authorities again aimed at the male adult. It was set at 1 pound per male adult; 10 shilling tax on each excess wife was also introduced. Administering of tax policies was mainly set to compel the African to surrender his labour power to the settler economy so as to depend on them for the money with which they could meet their tax obligation. Initially Blacks owned the most cattle, sheep, had a bigger population thus consumed more meaning more sales tax was expected to be paid. Under the bid to frustrate black expectations of prospering and to reduce the chance of them gaining economic advantage over the whites a host of other taxes were recommended by the Southern Rhodesia Native Affairs Committee (these were later approved). The recommendations were made up of a plot to: * Introduce Dog tax * Implementing the taxation of all cattle * The continuation of poll tax * Progressive taxation of polygamous wives * A marriage fee of 5 pounds was to be set to be paid by the husband with an allowable remittance of 5 shillings for every month worked for a European Employer. (African Heritage,pg 65) At face value without any need for a comprehensive analysis it is quite evident that accumulating more of anything from cattle, increase in consumption, children and even another wife meant more tax due to be paid to the colonial authorities. Cattle tax was to be paid on the cattle owned by the people and dog tax likewise had to be paid for every dog kept. Penalties were applied through acts of confistication of cattle on most cases. The Southern Rhodesian Tax Ordinance of 1918 was not very different from the tax policies which were implemented in South Africa and the United Kingdom, though the income tax rates were not very high. Deductions were allowable for the contributions that were made to the pension funds and also generous primary abatements for dependants and as well as the secondary abatements for dependants. Insurance premiums and medical expenses were also allowed as a deduction The Pay as You Earn (P. A. Y. E) system of collecting Tax income was also adopted and it mainly operated with reference to an employed person. The definition of person in this regard mainly focuses on the natural person as it is the natural person and not the Juristic (for example Companies) that earn the employment income on which P. A. Y. E will be charged. Companies were also taxed in their own capacity and were required to pay a standard rate of 7s. 3d. n the ?. Special incentives for investment and exports were also given to benefit international trade and encourage investments in the companies established in the Zimbabwean Economy. Personal tax obligations were payable by individuals on a sliding scale ranging from à £2 per annum to à £12 per annum, this range was dependant on the income Death duties were relatively low by world standards, and were payable on a sliding scale rising to a maximum of 2s. 6d. in the pound currency, which is reached on a taxable amount of approximately à £42,000. Stamp duties were set on numerous documents recording transactions between persons and on services provided at various registries. These included a transfer duty at the rate of à £1 per cent, for the first à £4,000 of the value of property transferred and à £2 per cent, on the excess over à £4,000. Customs duties were imposed in a single column tariff on the bulk of the goods that were imported into Rhodesia. The customs duties covered protective duties for Rhodesian industries and revenue duties over a wide range of consumer goods. Almost all raw materials for industry had a 0 % duty (that is they were free of duty), as were the variety of capital goods. Excise duties were imposed on all wines, spirits, beer, cigarettes, manufactured tobacco, and motor spirit produced in Rhodesia. The consumption based sales tax, was mainly levied at the retail stage, and was the buying and selling actually occurred. The tax rate charged was 8d. Some goods were exempted from tax and thus immune to tax, these include basic food stuff, raw materials for production and capital goods for use by the industry Motor vehicle tax ranged from à £12 per annum for ordinary passenger vehicles to à £72 per annum for the heaviest public service vehicle with a charge of à £144 for diesel-powered vehicles. The Motor Vehicle tax could be paid in three instalments at the beginning of each licensing term of four months. Tax was also imposed on minor duties like trading activities, betting, and television and wireless receivers. The local government of the colonial authority attested that the tax will be confined to the field rates on the property. The accumulation of the tax payable by blacks on everything and every income that accrued to them led to an uprising (among other causative factors) resulting in the Chimurenga war which ended in 1980 the year in which Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. The tax system applied by the new regime and government was not very different from the one administered in the colonial era except that it was altered to shift the benefit to the black majority at large. Taxation cannot be divorced from economic conditions and indicators and to some extent politics. The post independence period was highly characterised with many developmental projects implemented by the Zimbabwean government through provision of social services, drought reliefs, subsidies for companies owned by the government. However this government expenditure engineered a budget deficit which had a negative impact on the tax as higher taxes were now required to meet the expenditures. Tax rates in the 1980s additions The tax system evolved gradually being influenced by economic conditions that occurred like the hyper inflationary era in 2007, 2008. The evolvement of Zimbabweââ¬â¢s Tax system has seen the emergence of the Department of Taxes and the Department of Customs and Excise to form the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) in Jan 2001 but which started operating in September 2001. ZIMRA was established to enhance revenue collection and trade facilitation. (FORE 2006, pg 3) Currently, the Ministry of Finance is directly responsible for the fiscal management and thus have a direct impact on the tax system. In reference to the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Sec 102 and 201) all fees and other public revenues are paid to the Consolidated Reserve fund. The proceeds from this fund enable the government to meet its expenditure, provide services to the people. The legal framework, the administration of tax policies and the collection of taxes has been placed under the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) in the authority of the Commissioner General. The tax system under the provisions of the Income tax Act stipulates that tax is not levied on profits as in some countries but it is levied on taxable income. Zimbabwean Tax system use a source based approach in which tax is levied from income whose source is deemed to be from Zimbabwe. Not every income of every person is taxable; income from Local Authorities or institutions like POSB, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is exempt from tax this is according to sec14 of the Income Tax Act. Dividends from a company incorporated in Zimbabwe are also exempt from tax. The government has implemented reactive approaches towards taxation rather than a proactive one this is seen y the Fiscalisation of cash registers in order to reduce the losses in Value added tax (VAT) Collection as VAT is the major contributor of tax revenue mainly because it is consumption based, and orrowing from principles of micro economics it can be proven that people consume whether they have income or not from the marginal propensity to consume concept . The fiscalisation of cash registers can increase the amount VAT collected from businesses as the transactions incurred can be monitored through a memory card placed in the registers which are linked to the revenue authorities. The Value Added Tax Act [Chap 23. 11] is the main authority which governs the collection of VAT Tax bands are used on individual income in countries like South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. The use of tax bands makes PAYE a progressive tax which is redistributive. This leads to the reasoning that the proportion of tax revenue from PAYE should be higher than that from the non progressive taxes such as VAT and customs duty. In Zimbabwe tax is classified under proportional tax, progressive tax, regressive tax and direct tax. Individualsââ¬â¢ income from employment is taxed using tax bands, while income from trade or investment has been taxed at the same rate as that for corporate tax which was a flat rate 30% in 2009 and has gone down to 25% in 2010. The tax free band for income from employment was set at US$150 a month when the economy was dollarized in 2009 and was increased marginally to US$160 a month The advent of the Inclusive Government in 2009 in the post inflationary period where the tax and revenue base were dwindling resulted in the implementation of tax reforms to revive the tax system. This was difficult especially in the collection of corporate tax as most companies were operating below capacity. Corporate tax currently charged at 25% . Since tax is highly linked to development, tax incentive to foreign companies willing to invest in the country have been made so as to alleviate development. Tax concessions under special mining licences are also given, windfall gain tax is also charged in the mining sector. The holderââ¬â¢s of special mining rights are charged at a lower rate of 15% and are subject to Windfall Gain Tax which is levied on the additional profits. This profit is not attributable to production but occurs when the price of a certain commodity rises above a certain level (AFRODAD 2011, pg19). This tax charge is currently set at 31. 176%. The government once made an attempt to exempt ZIMPLATS from paying tax on additional profit tax but ZIMRA never implemented this action and still went on to collect tax from it. The Income Tax Act is revised and reformed from time to time this is the responsibility of the Tax Steering Committee which was set up soon after the Inclusive Government was established. This Committee comprises of the minister of Finance Mr. T Biti, some representatives from the private sector and ZIMRA itself. The committee aims to solve the challenge faced by tax authorities in Zimbabwe of trying to broaden tax base and at the same time simplify tax collection and easing the debt burden. The Final Deduction system is also a notable development of Zimbabweââ¬â¢s tax system. It is a system in which the employer is required to deduct P.à A. Y. E from the employeeââ¬â¢s income in a way that it becomes the final tax. The final deduction system (FDS) was implemented in 2000 but it was initially introduced in 1997/98 (AFRODAD 2011, pg 18). The directive governing the deduction of P. A. Y. E under the F. D. S system is taken from the 13th schedule of the Income Tax Act. There is then no need for the employees to submit tax returns at the end of the tax year.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The Pianist Essay Example for Free
The Pianist Essay The film The Pianist is about a man, Szpilman, living in Poland during the war. It tells his story as one of the themes in the film is clearly the holocaust. The film presents the horrors of the holocaust in the experience of one man, Wladysaw Szpilman as he hides from the Nazis. The film makes an honest approach to the condition of holocaust. It presents the shades of humanity in between the good and the bad. It shows how the war gave people a chance to triumph over the holocaust and their humanity while others to succumb to it and humanity. Circumstances force people to do strange things. The war genre requires a lot of sensitivity to enable the audience to put themselves in the shoes of a character as he interacts with his environment. The point of view is quite important to achieve this. In my analysis I intend to find out if the point of view of Szpilman helps the movie achieve the desired outcome. The film begins with music as Szpilman plays a piano for Polish radio. Even though the scene is interrupted by a bomb, Szpilman remains momentarily caught up in his music. His devotion to music becomes the strength he needs to survive because despite the horrific circumstances, he does not give up playing for the radio again. As he tells the SS officer who helps him, he wants to play for the polish radio. By virtue of his dreams, he believes the war will end even when an SS officer asked him what he wanted to do after the war. Music and all art thus come out in the film as worthy weapons against the struggle. In terms of leading actor the film has Adrien Brody play Szpilman. The actor as the film opens is caught up in fulfilling his dreams of music. He seems a little preoccupied and absorbed. He is a regular guy. The lead actor gives the film its perspective. We see the war through his eyes and his experiences. In the span of the film, contrary to what one would expect from a war film, he remains more alone and does not rise to become an astonishing person who saves the day and lots of human life. Instead his main achievement is that he manages to remain concealed and survives the invasion of the Nazis. The lead actor is not a conventional hero. He is mostly passive trying to understand what is going on in the world around him. As we accompany him in the movie, we get locked up with him in hiding places and watch him ravaged by the war as he loses weight, confused and fall to pieces. Adrien performs his role by being totally immersed in his character. How he moves and talks and acts reveals the transformation he is undergoing including losing weight as his character gets starved and severe malnutrition. He is striking in that he represents the humanity of many and the story of survival is the survival of humanity against ravages of war. The leading actor is not about being a super good character but embodiment of bare human circumstance and the amazing journey of survival during terrible circumstances. The film does not give in to the cultural assumptions that all the Jews were good people and all the Germans bad people. The leading actor as well as other suffering victims are not all of humanity. They too are problematic and are not represented as saints. The suffering they underwent is horrific by virtue of being human despite what kind of people they are. The film represents in addition the reality that some Nazis had humanity too. An SS officer took care of Szpilman for the last stretch of his survival. The mise-en-scene of the film displays great aspects of setting, costumes and make-up and staging. Portions of the film are set and shot in Germany using the old building and barracks that were actually used during the war. Much of the film was filmed in Praga district while some was filmed in Germanyââ¬â¢s Babelsberg film studios. Here a recreation of the ghetto was made. The ruins of the ghetto were also filmed inside an army base in the former Soviet. That effectively creates a real feeling to the film. The set creates a backdrop to the life of the prisoners. The costumes clearly identify the time period of changes that were occurring as people lost more and more. In addition the costumes and make-up help set the stage for action character. The point of view used in the film is that of Szpilman the leading actor. While the story begins there are many characters but quickly the point of view of the leading actor takes over. After his escape, Szpilman eyes become what we see the world through. The film unrolls with scenes of Szpilman interacting with his confined world. We see him trying to keep from the Nazis and basically try to survive. In the meantime, the world inside his head comes on and off as he hears music in his head. The director , Roman Polanski, gives a true and brilliant film by being true to the autobiography story of the real life Szphilman. He brings to the film his own past. In his childhood, Roman Polanksi underwent a similar situation. During the war, he escaped Krakow Ghetto. This was after his mother died. He hid for the duration of the war in a Polish farmerââ¬â¢s barn. He survived the war along with his father. He therefore draws from his personal experience as well as his experience with other film that have similar themes. In addition Polanski has had experience with films that deal with confinement and its disturbing effects on people. This is in his movies The Tenant, Repulsion and Bitter Moon. Long shots characterize the movie. In several scenes Szphilman looks at the outside world as we look at him. Through the shots the audience gets to see him processing the world. He stares at people being hunted down and killed. He gets little glimpses of the world and his numbness easily comes out through the long shots. Aspects of technical elements in the film are used to highlight the themes. Low lighting and shadows create a feeling of limited vision. When Szpilman is in hiding, we see him covered in darkness. The indignity of living in subhuman condition underscore the humiliation many holocaust victims were exposed to. As he moves from hiding place and scavenges for food the flooding of light highlight how deserted he is. It is all bright and empty around him and no matter which way he looks he is met with emptiness. Dialogue in the film especially as Szpilman interacts with others show the effect of the long suffering on the victims. Forced to be quiet for long periods of time and unable to fully understand what is happening, dialogue is kept at minimal and no revealing. The characters can not express the depth of their experiences and they preserve themselves though direct dialogue. The sound in the film is kept at bare and music at minimal. There are no swelling scores allowing for the audience to stay with their bare emotions. The piano even when ââ¬Ësilentââ¬â¢ is a beautiful addition to the film. When Szpilman comes across a piano in his hiding place he finds he can not play lest he will be discovered. However, he moves him fingers over the keys and the audience hears the music he is playing in his mind. The nostalgia and hope that Szpilman harbors comes through. The audience glimpses the source of strength for Szpilmanââ¬â¢s survival. In comparing this film to others in the same genre some differences can be seen. One of the differences with another movie in the genre, Schindlerââ¬â¢s List, is that the pianist is a film that is based on one person. Schindlerââ¬â¢s List is broader in dealing with the holocaust in terms of the point of view. The pianist narrows down the holocaust by concentration on one manââ¬â¢s story. From him the audience can understand the holocaust and not the other way round. Schindlerââ¬â¢s list has the story of two people; Schindler and Goeth. The cast in The Pianist is also heavily European while Schindlerââ¬â¢s List is not. Another difference in that while the hero clearly comes out in Schindlerââ¬â¢s List The Pianist does not give to the leading actor the usual hero traits. While Schindler is clearly a hero Szpilman is not a hero by overt means. He is a hero in choosing to survive and simply not giving up despite the difficulties. In addition, The Pianist does not draw clear lines between the good and the bad or assign blame. While it is clear there are bad people killing and hurting others, the film is largely non judgmental. Having watched the film, I feel that The Pianist is a great film. It lives up to its potential because one is completely caught up in Szpilmanââ¬â¢s story and begins to understand the holocaust in that light. While other movies show the great suffering and heroes of the war, this film shows the quiet heroism that might go unnoticed by many, yet it is this sort of heroism that was more rampant than the celebrated one. The film is also capturing in the use of elements. The shooting and the delivery come together and the audience gets lost in the film without getting caught up in the ââ¬Ëvehicleââ¬â¢ that is the technicalities of the film. The film deeply touched me and made me realize that war is terrible not just in what it physically does to people but also because of the psychological and traumatic effects. One of its effects is that it created a disturbance in me. I did not feel that someone came and rescued the day because for many holocaust victims their day was not saved. The realism of the film was quite refreshing. At the same time the film restores hope in humanity. Despite all the horrific events during the war, there were ample cases of people risking life to protect others. Many people helped Szpilman including the SS officer who was taking a great risk. Just as some people can stoop low beyond belief, so can others rise above expectations. In the end, the human spirit rises up against its adversity and that is the best effect of the film considering its genre. Szpilmanââ¬â¢s point of view enables the audience to see the holocaust keenly without getting carried away by too much information or characters. References. Bordwell David and Thomson Kristin, Film Art: An introduction. 8 ed. (New York: McGraw- Hill Higher education, 2006). ââ¬ËSchindlerââ¬â¢s Listââ¬â¢: Internet Movie Data Base. 1990-2010. Web. 16 July 2010. ââ¬ËThe Pianistââ¬â¢: Internet Movie Data base. 1990-2010. Web. 17 July 2010.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Importance of understanding personality in psychology
Importance of understanding personality in psychology In the field of psychology it is most important to understand the personality of an individual. Personality helps sum up the values, actions, perceptions and behaviour, these can differ from person to person. There are a number of theories that are being used to understand people and have been around for many years, the five Psychological concepts used are Behaviourist, Humanistic, Cognitive, Psychodynamic and the Biological psychology. This assignment will cover two of the five approaches; they are the Behaviourist and Humanistic approach. Behaviourists primarily focus on peoples observable behaviour, experiences and their learning process to understand individuals. According to behaviourists ones behaviour does not depend on what goes on inside the mind and also believe if asked about their feelings it is very likely they could be providing misleading information. They also trust that behaviour is learnt either by imitation of others or repeating behaviour that has brought an award or a punishment; peoples interaction with the environment. Operant and Classical conditioning is two theories within the behaviourist theory. Operant conditioning according B.F Skinner (1936) is a learning method that arises through rewarding or punishing one for their behaviour. Classical conditioning which was discovered by Ivan Pavlov (1903) is said to be a learning procedure that is raised by a natural stimulus and an environmental stimulus. Watson and Rayner (1920) did a controlled experiment and recorded on videotapes. Watson wanted to take Pavlovs research from animals and test it on humans. This experiment was called Little Albert. Albert was 9 months old when he was tested for reactions towards various stimulis that were presented to him. Albert was shown white rat, a rabbit, a dog, a monkey, with masks, cotton wool, and burning newspapers. It was said he showed no fear towards the three animals. What Albert did respond negatively to was the loud noise that came from the hammer being struck against a steel bar, Albert cried when he heard it. When Albert was a little over 11months he was tested again in another controlled experiment, he was presented with a white rat and the steel bar was stuck by a hammer, this experiment was carried out 7 times over 7 weeks. When Albert was presented with a white rat, he would burst into tears not only that but Albert only had to see the white rat and he would show every sign of fear towards the white rat. Albert grew to fear the white rat, he also grew a fear for all fury things and the hammer was no longer needed to get Albert crying. (Watson, John B. Rayner, Rosalie. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14). This classically conditioned experiment was a great success as it proved to be right. Some may agree believe that the behaviourist approach is more accurate than the Humanistic approach as it is considered scientific, and there is data that is collected by the researchers that prove to be a success. This approach being classed as scientific tells us that many experiments have been carried out to prove the accuracy of the approach and it has a backbone and isnt just assumptions of what might be going on in the mind and how if influences our everyday behaviour. Pavlov showed existence of the behaviourist approach when he by accidently discovered that the dog produced more saliva when he saw the lab assistant because he had learnt to associate the lab assistant with food. Watson approved of Pavlovs observations and wanted to connect it to human psychology and did so by performing the Little Albert experiment (1920). This experiment being done successfully, may be classed as double confirmation to some as they may believe that human and animals are alike in some sense because they adapt to their environment and learn to behave according to that environment. The behaviourist theory could be classed as biased. For example Watson and Pavlov conducted their experiment in laboratory conditions which means the Independent variable (IV) was controlled and manipulated by the experimenter to measure the dependent variable (DV). The dependent variable may be accurately measured but its sense of realism has been taken away and very little free will is left. Humanistic psychology could also be referred to as the third force in psychology, its theories that conflict the Behaviourist theories. The humanistic perspectives are more concerned and are interested in how peoples behaviours can be influenced by a persons emotions and thoughts. How one feels and how others see an individual is what they believe shapes peoples behaviour, interested in what goes on internally rather than the external factors. Humanistic approach believes that personality is what shapes human behaviour and comparing it to animals is dehumanising as each individual is unique and does not go by animalistic urges. Each social interaction helps develop ones personality. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow are the main theorists who portray the Humanistic approach. Carl Rogers (1959) has claimed that the meaning of behaviour basically, is personal. One needs to feel appreciated and accepted by their environment and not only that but needs to be surround by people who they can talk to and would listen and understand them, he believed that if people arent surrounded by these social factors then relationships and healthy personalities will not develop. Satisfying yourself by achieving your personal goals, personal wishes and personal desires in life is where self-actualization takes place. He believes that a person can only do this when their ideal self and self imagine is congruent; the humanistic term for this is a fully functioning person. Abraham Maslow (1970) created a Hierarchy of needs pyramid which starts off with one needing to satisfy the lower needs before being able to achieve self actualization. The pyramid starts off with the basic needs such as physiological needs, safety needs, love and belongingness, Esteem needs, then goes on to the growth needs such as cognitive needs, aesthetic needs. Once these needs are seen to a person is able to realise the full potential and become everyone one can become. Behaviourist and humanist approach both recognise that humans nature to respond to whatever the situation whether it is internally or externally. Another similarity with the two approaches is they both take note of other individuals and ones experience and relation with them. They have more difference than similarities On one hand the Behaviourist approach does not see peoples ability to think but believe they have the ability to react, just like an animal. On the other hand, for the humanistic, peoples behaviour is believed to relay on being able to fulfil their needs and responsibilities, development of ones self and their self awareness. The behaviourists believe what shapes behaviour is ones response to natural stimulis and behaviour can be reshaped using Operant and Classical conditioning. As for the Humanistic beliefs ones behaviour is developed by their social interactions (Family, friends, environment and etc) Humanistic see an individual as unique, every person is unique and have their internal reasons for the behaviour, and do not believe that all behaviour is shaped by external factors; comes from within the mind.
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