Conformity Case Essay

INTRODUCTION: Ever since the first experiment on conformity was conducted by Jenness in 1932, psychologists have tried to measure conformity under various situations. Historically, conformity has been measured in numerous ways, though the most widely used methods have been behavioural observations and self reports (Scher and Thompson, 2007). While Asch’s Experiment (1951) remains the most popular work on conformity, Zimbardo (1971) and Milgrams’ (1974) work are noteworthy. AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: We wanted to find out whether undergraduate students conform to social norms or not? Also, what are the likely reasons for their behaviour? For this, we created our own experiment. However, let us define conformity and other key variables first. Kalat (2008) defines conformity as changing one’s behaviour to match other people’s behaviour or expectations. It is the dependant variable (DV) in our experiment and we gave it an operational definition. We measured DV by the subject’s correct gender identification and subsequent action of walking through the door assigned for their respective gender. This is further elaborated under the Research Method section. The independent variable (IV) in our experiment was self-monitoring attitude. We chose IV as our group believed that it is primarily high self-monitoring people are more conscious about their social image and are thus more likely to conform in general than low-self monitoring people and vice versa. The operational definition for self monitoring attitude was the score on Self-Monitoring (SM) Scale created by Mark Synder in the early 1970’s. Frayer believes that the personality test measures how much an individual would change his behaviour to suit situational cues. It has 25 questions in total and has been attached in APPENDIX 1 for your reference. The results were interpreted as high, intermediate or low score depending on how many questions the subject got corr ect using the answer key provided by lckes and Barnes (1977) attached in APPENDIX 2 for your reference. Our goal was to examine therelationship between self-monitoring attitude (IV) and   conformity (DV). We expected a positive co-relation due to our group belief mentioned above. Besides, Scher and Thompson’s (2007) experiment, which was our inspiration, had found a significant positive correlation relationship between self-monitoring and behavioural conformity. Our target population was the undergraduate students at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). However, our sample consisted of only forty HKU students composing of twenty female and twenty male students. RESEARCH METHOD: Let us elaborate on how we went about conducting our experiment. Firstly, we chose to conduct the experiment at Chi Wah composite building since many undergraduate students go there to study. Secondly, we replicated Sarah Lisbene experiment on gender conformity. Lisbene had pasted gender signs on an entrance of a building to observe whether people would conform to the gender symbols on the doors. We duplicated her gender conformity situation at the main entrance on the first floor of Chi Wah as it has precisely two doors. We stuck gender symbols on each door at the eye level right besides the door handles ‒ a male only sign on right door and a female only sign on the left door. Then, we shut both the doors at the entrance. Anyone who wanted to enter the building from this entrance was bound to read the gender sign before opening the door and thus would have to make a decision to conform, observable by his/her action of walking through the appropriate gender-marked door. Thirdly, we used simple systematic sampling method to choose our subjects. Every 10th person was invited to participate in our experiment by filling in a two paged survey. The survey was actually the SM Scale mentioned in AIM AND HYPOTHESIS section. We calculated their scores on the SM Scale by their marked responses to measure the IV and its relationship with DV. Lastly, we tried to observe participants in their natural setting. To remain unnoticeable, we dressed up in casuals and stood far away from the entrance, trying to avoid giving any additional situational cues to the participants. We wanted to prevent any bias adversely affecting our study and carefully observed the behaviour of the subjects reading the signs, recording their decision of walking through either door and then approached them, requesting to fill in the survey. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS: Though the response and the reactions from the subjects varied, a common trend in our experiment emerged. The participant would read the sign on the door when he/she approached to open the door and get confused. Then, he/she would take a step back and try to locate the other gender sign on the other door and finding one would relieve him/her and change their emotion. Then they would make a decision to walk through either door. The mean score on the SM scale was 12.1, an â€Å"Intermediate Sco re† as it falls in the band width of 9-14. It suggests that HKU undergraduates self-monitor themselves to a moderate degree on average and would be conscious of their social image. Our hypothesis would suggest that undergraduates are likely to conform to their respective gender roles. The statistics obtained from our sample were consistent with our expectations in general. In fact, 28 out of the 40 or 70% participants conformed to their respective gender role. We found a modest positive co-relation of .4049 between SM Scale and conformity. It suggests that self-monitoring attitude may lead to gender conformity. We observed two major group differences based on the data collected. The first group was divided on basis of gender while the second on their score on SM Scale. Firstly, the SM Score mean for females was slightly higher (12.2) than for men (12). The standard deviation for females (3.578) was lower compared to men (4.193) and the range for females was 4-21 and 3-18 for men. The data and statistics obtained are indicative of females conforming marginally more than males. Out of the 28 subjects that did conform, 16 or 57.1% were females and only 12 or 42.9% were males. Secondly, a score of 15-22 is high and 0-8 is low on the SM scale. Out of the 7 subjects who scored low on SM scale, only 3 or 42.9% conformed. Out of the 23 subjects who scored intermediate on SM scale, only 16 or 69.6% conformed and out of the 10 subjects who scored high on SM Scale, 9 or 90% conformed. This suggest that people who score high on the SM Scale are more likely to conform than people who score lower on the SM Scale. A third group difference, which is based on our observation of arrival of participant in a party or not can be suggested. In a group of two females and three males, a male pointed out the discrepancy at the entrance which surprised the whole group. They talked among themselves and even had a laugh, pointing at the symbols. Nonetheless, the group split up and members walked through respective doors and then rejoined once inside the building. This may suggests that people are more likely to conform if they arrive in a party consisting of both the genders. CONCLUSION From our data and observations in the experiment, we can make a few conclusions. Firstly, though HKU undergraduates are likely to conform to gender roles, females are more likely to do so. Secondly, there is a modest correlation between self-monitoring attitude and conformity, though we could not establish a direct causal relationship between the two variables. Thirdly, it seems that people who are scored higher on the SM Scale are more likely to conform to gender roles than those who scored lower on the SM Scale. Lastly, subjects are more likely to conform to gender roles when they arrive in a party consisting of both the genders. CRITICAL EVALUATION: Booker (2012) says that behavioural conformity is linked with youth happiness. Conforming behaviour enables us to create a strong social world and experience belongingness to a group, thereby facilitating social identification and security, leading to equilibrium of contentment. This suggests the importance of conforming in order to ac hieve happiness. Secondly, conforming behaviour is actually a â€Å"self-defining act† and people conform to keep their â€Å"state of peace† (Santee and Jackson, 1982). This too may explain why people conform in general. Furthermore, there is a difference in the view of conformity between both the genders ‒ men regard non-conforming behaviour as â€Å"self-image enhancing† while women regard conformity as â€Å"positive† and â€Å"self defining†. This helps explain why women are more likely than men to conform. Another plausible explanation for gender differences in conformity is given by Maslach, Santee and Wade (1987), who believe conformity is based on personality traits of men and women. Men are supposed to be â€Å"assertive† and â€Å"independent† while women are supposed to be â€Å"sensitive†. Recently, researchers from University of London (2011) have even found a mild genetic influence explaining gender conforming traits (31%) in women. According to Fraser, most people would like to maintain a positive public image and are perceptive to what people think about them. This may explain why high self-monitors who actively apply impression managem ent are more likely to conform than low self-monitors. The fear of distorting their public image or even dampening their social popularity would be a powerful incentive for high self monitors to conform. Lastly, individuals composing a group face a stronger effect of normative social influence than a collection of individuals who do not form a group (Deutsch and Gerard, 1954). This may explain why the conformity increases when subjects arrive in a party consisting of both genders. I would now like to talk about potential flaws in our experiment and some methods to improve our model. Firstly, conformity is not completely dependent on a single variable and we should have used a multi-variable regression model to estimate it instead. In our experiment, one of the omitted variables is lack of social pressure or incentive to conform. The subjects may not have sufficient incentive to walk through their gender assigned door as there was no reward or penalty in terms of social acceptance or rejection. Also, as many as 9 subjects reported that they did not notice any gender symbol and walked in using random door. None of them was suffering from any eyesight problem like colour blindness. Furthermore, Livingstone brings to light a potential confounding variable ‒ civility. Civility primarily depends on disposition of the subject, which in turn depends on parenting, school education and cultural background. We could have included all these variables in our model. Another potential flaw in experiment is not having a control group. Maybe the female lavatory near the left door favoured the female participants to walk through the left door, increasing their conforming number. Either a control group or interchanging the symbols on the doors after the first 20 subjects had filled in the survey would have removed this bias. To improve our model, we could have used better operational definitions too. The SM Scale is controversial and walking through a door marked by a sign may not be a relevant gender issue. Secondly, we could have used a larger budget and more time to improve our model. For instance, it took us four days to get permission to conduct the experiment at Chi Wah. If we had more time, we would have conducted the experiment in the Main Library and Medical Campus to get a representative sample. Increasing our sample size would have enabled us to detect micro trends and be more accurate. We could have offered subjects who refused to fill in the survey monetary compensation. Our study may have been subject to experimenter bias in spite our full effort to minimise the bias as we were expecting a positive correlation. Blinding was too expensive an option for us. PERSONAL REFLECTION: Though this experiment answered some questions, it has left me wondering about many more. If given the opportunity, I would like to conduct a few follow up experiments to seek some answers. Firstly, I would like to find out if there is any link between stress levels and gender conformity. This relationship arises from my observation that some subjects in our experiment who walked through the wrong door and also refused to fill in the survey seemed to be impatient and rude. Though there may be some other reasons behind their gender non-conformity behaviour and mood like being short on time, we cannot say for sure and will have to find out for ourselves. Also, I would like to find out if there is any threshold level for conformity? For instance, participants may refuse to conform by walking through a door in our experiment but they would probably conform while using a lavatory. If non-conformers conform if they know they would be severely rebuked for their actions, what precisely is that threshold level? The experiment also cleared my misconceptions of conducting experiments. I thought that it would be very easy to design and conduct an experiment. However, given our goal, there were so many ways of going about it that was very hard to select the best method given our resources and time constraint. Carrying out the experiment has its own fair share of struggles. I would also like to mention my experience with experimenter bias. While drafting the experiment, I was very confident that I could not be susceptible to experimenter bias. However, when we started the experiment, it was very hard not to hand out the survey to our friends and acquaintances who happened to come in through the doors but were not the 10th subject as per our systematic sampling rule. Finally, after having finished the experiment, I think it was painstakingly work involving a lot of planning and careful evaluation. Nonetheless, I had fun conducting the experiment. REFERENCES 1. Scher, N., & Thompson, T. (2007). Self-Monitoring and Conformity: A Comparison of Self-Report and Behavioral Measures. UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research X (2007) Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/PDF/2007/scher&thompson.pdf 2. Kalat, James W. (2008). Introduction to Psychology, Ninth (International) Edition. Wadsworth: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 3. Fraser, M. â€Å"Mhaire†. Self Monitoring Notes and Resources. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from De Anza College Website: http://faculty.deanza.edu/frasermary/stories/storyReader$157 4. Montclair SocioBlog. Livingston, J. (2009). Civility or Mindless Compliance? Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://montclairsoci.blogspot.hk/2009/07/civility-or-mindless-compliance.html 5. Booker, Karene. (2012). Youths’ well-being linked to how well they conform to gender norms Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/news/youths-well-being-linked-how-well-they-conform-gender-norms 6. Santee, R.T., & Jackson, S.E. (1882). Identity Implications of Conformity: Sex Differences in Normative and Attributional Judgements. Social Psychology Quarterly, 45(2), 121-125. Retrieved from December 7, 2012, http://faculty.rhodes.edu/wetzel/223webproj/conformity%20and%20gender/ 7. Maslach, C., Santee, R. T., & Wade, C. (1987). Individuation, Gender Role, and Dissent: Personality Mediators of Situational Forces. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1088-1093. Retrieved December 7, 2012,from http://faculty.rhodes.edu/wetzel/223webproj/conformity%20and%20gender/ 8. Science Daily. Jul 9, 2011. Sexual Orientation and Gender Conforming Traits in Women Are Genetic, Study Finds Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707173319.htm 9. Morton, Deutsch and Gerard, B. Harold. (1954). A Study of Normative and Informational Social Influences upon Individual Judgement. Research Center for Human Relations, New York University Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://web.comhem.se/u68426711/8/deutsch55.pdf

Alving in Search for Freedom Essay

Henrik Ibsen’s works are dealing with the well kept secrets and dogmas in society. His plays strip away the defending layers of the established ethical and moral virtues of social life and therefore create a great commotion and distress among the general public. Ibsen’s radical exposure of highly tabooed themes such as sexually transmitted diseases, euthanasia, incest, dysfunctional marriages, and the â€Å"angel of the house† role of women causes the painful response of the spectators facing the brightness of the truth. Prof. Bjorn Hemmer in his â€Å"The Dramatist Henrik Ibsen† laconically summarizes the magnitude of Ibsen’s impact on modern theatre and social conventions: â€Å"However, drama was the focus of his real lyrical spirit. For a period of many hard years, he faced bitter opposition. But he finally triumphed over the conservatism and aesthetic prejudices of the contemporary critics and audiences. More than anyone, he gave theatrical art a new vitality by bringing into European bourgeois drama an ethical gravity, a psychological depth, and a social significance which the theatre had lacked since the days of Shakespeare. In this manner, Ibsen strongly contributed to giving European drama a vitality and artistic quality comparable to the ancient Greek tragedies.† â€Å"Hedda Gabler† and â€Å"Ghosts† are the two plays this essay will focus on and especially on the importance for the two protagonists-Hedda Gabler and Mrs. Alving- to defeat social constraints according to which they have structured their lives. The great dramatist Ibsen masterfully reveals the disastrous consequences on his heroines’ psyches and souls this social canon of conformity inflicts. Through the subtle play of light, language and stage position, Ibsen reinforces the tragic circumstance in which Hedda and Mrs. Alving exist, the mundane lamp and living-room furniture encapsulate the deep tragedy of human beings and simultaneously show Ibsen’s naturalistic talent in portraying life. In â€Å"Hedda Gabler† the movement of the protagonist’s own pieces of furniture in the front and back room are emphasizing and helping even the spectator to anticipate her following action. Hedda Gabler is the daughter of General Gabler, who bequeathed her no financial independence, but a pair of dueling pistols and anachronistic, severely strict military aristocratic code of behaviour and is newly married to the historian George Tesman, whom she neither loves nor respect. She is conscious of her total dependency on the very reliable Tesman and this acknowledgement tears apart her being with rage and helplessness. In order to be able to continue living under these circumstances Hedda viciously emphasizes her intellectual and rank superiority over Tesman and his ever-sacrificing Aunt Julia and hurts them through her highly sarcastic language. She denies in her mind falling into the frame of the assigned female societal role and therefore slips fully into the indulgence of nothingness and boredom. This state could have remained for ever unchanged until the abrupt reintroduction of her former platonic lover Lovborg who becomes what before seemed to Hedda â€Å"impossible†, i.e. â€Å"†¦some goal in life to work toward.†2 Ibsen confronts her with the reformed alcoholic and genius Eilert Lovborg and throws her back in the idyllic past of General Gabler reading a newspaper and her experiencing the â€Å"forbidden world† through the wild and seductive stories of young routhen Lovborg on the sofa behind him. Lovborg is back on his feet fighting for a clean starting in life and writing books that are a tremendous success. But Hedda is not the inspiring power at Lovborg’s site anymore and that makes her extremely jealous of the woman who has such a positive power on him at the moment Mrs. Thea Elvsted and who is ironically a former flame of her husband. Hedda Gabler’s personality is a very complex mixture of the severely installed in her being notions of correct behaviour in social aspect of rank and class belonging and the fully suppressed personal creative potential. Hedda is lamed with fear; her whole existence is driven not by the positive force of creating, but the devastating nihilistic grip of fear and conventions of society. In order to contradict this haunting power of correctness and properness Hedda searches through Lovborg life experiences to live out her inborn human desires for creative fulfillment. But Hedda is a woman of good standing, she cannot do as she pleases, she can do as she pleases solely within the framework of the norms prescribed by public opinion. Lovborg is only a feeble opportunity for her to show her creativity, because the fear of a scandal creeps in and Hedda’s creative potential and suppressed sexuality are distorted into a storm of malevolence.

Question

Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion As our society progressed, people are placing more emphasis on education. This is because many feel that education is the key for higher standard of living. With such belief in mind, many dependent on school to give their children best education and expect children to be more rounded people.Thus, many blamed schools and our ducational system when a educated person turns to be harmful and destructive to society. Whereas, others hold the view that parents should be responsible for such cases. In my view, both family and schools are important in enforcing the right moral concept in children. There is no doubt that schools should be a place where to teach children moral concepts while naturing talents. Ideally, schools have the responsibility to guide children what is right and wrong.Thi s is because children are usually too young to understand the consequences of being wrong, they always go according to their curiosity. Hence, schools should play a role as guidance or supervisor to constantly remind them what to do and not to do. Moreover, the fundamental and original purpose of school is establishing a constitution to guide and teach youths not only to be more knowledgeable, but more importantly to be a better man who is useful and responsible to society. Therefore, schools have the responsibility to guide children and pull them back if they are on the wrong track.However, with increasing competitiveness among all the schools, more and more schools only emphasis on academic achievement of children in nowadays. This led to lack of moral education for children. Hence, schools should have the responsibility to instill moral senses in children, but it is increasingly neglected by our educators in nowadays. However, we should not fully blame schools for the responsibil ity of not teaching children the right moral senses, parents is equally important factor in developing one's character and moral.As a famous saying goes, parents are children's first teacher. It is true that parents' influences are much more powerful than schools. According to a report, two third of the criminals are from broken or brutal family. From psychological point of view, it is also more likely for a child to become a violent person if his parents are brutal. It is also possible for this child to hatred or resent towards society. Hence, it is clearly demonstrated that parents should hold the responsibility to teach children how to be good member of the society.Thus, it is undeniable that parents play a significant role in developing one's moral concept. Question: nowadays the way people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships people make? Has this become a positive or negative development? Wi th the invention of communication technology, our daily life has been greatly reshaped in many aspects. People seem to be more dependent on communication technology such as telephones, internet.Many was then questioned that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. However, the supporters of technology development defend that technology has benefited us in many ways. In my view, technology has enabled us to have a closer relationship than before. Critics often argue that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. It is observed there s less face to face interaction between people. This is because people see little needs for them to communicate face to face with the presence of communication technology.Communication technology allows us to send our messages instantaneously and conveniently. Thus, many people, especially the youths are afraid of communicate with strangers or speak up in public. Therefore, it seems that people become less friendly towards their nei ghbour. Hence, communication technology indeed changed our relationship among neighbors. The communication technology does not only changed our neighborhood relationship, but also our family elationship. It is not uncommon for one to heard complains that children are less engaging in family interaction from parents.Many parents complained that children always play computer game instead of spending time with them. Many youths like to express their feelings or tell their secrets to online strangers rather than their family members. Hence, it appears that the relationship between family members is weakening. This can be further supported by a new report which conveyed a Japanese mother left her 5 moths old child starve to death as she was so indulged in computer games. This clearly demonstrated how technology has indeed affect the relationship we have now.However, it is undeniable that communication technology does improve our social relationship in one way or another. Communication te chnology such as internet enables us to keep in touch with our family and friends even from far distant. Web camera enables us to meet with our friends oversea and which in turn strengthens our friendships. Moreover, with presence of social networks such as Facebook and Twitters, we are now able to find more new friends within our social groups like schoolmates. It also allows us to find old friends whom e have previously lost contact.Thus, technology provide a platform for us to make more friends and widen our social cycles. Therefore, communication technology strengths and provide new opportunity for our relationships. In conclusion, without and the friends we make. Technology is like a coin which has two sides. However, it is merely a tool for us communicate. Hence, we should not blamed technology for changing our social life, but , in fact, it is the way we use it which changes our lifestyle. Question In an essay I read titled â€Å"To What End Military Power?† by Robert J. Art he looks at how and when force should be used. He suggests that there are four purposes of using forces: defensive, deterrent, compellent, and swaggering. Considering their usefulness today. What do you think Art means by his final quote that `The best way to keep the peace is first to prepare for war`? Military power or military assistance is not relevant to America’s policy. Rather military action is secondary even third to military assistance policy. This is due to internal administrative problems such as demilitarization or the commercialization of the military, political subversion, and not direct military attack is not in the official agenda of American military after its experience during Korean War. Globalization, in turn, opens up the door for the American to become vulnerable toward attacks from the global nations. Hence, our defense must be powerful. America is being put into a containment policy and is elevated to its commitment to defend other countries. It is compelling the military use in foreign policy. This policy increases the defense budget because it requires, besides military or defense equipment and accessories, administrative strategic and alliances in the forms of military commitments and military intervention. Question#2 (145 words) What is redundancy and why is it necessary when looking at transformation of the military. Redundancy is to simulate the military administrative structure and functional concepts which was established early in the previous American warfare but with some modification. Some of the redundancies, with a transformation strategy, may include forcible entry of mounted forces, establishment and enhancement of battle command, enhancement of soldiers, platforms, and forces protection capabilities, enhancement of theatre support capabilities, deployment and support infrastructure. In addition, the key functional concepts of the military are the creation of modularity, tailored and multifunction forces that can be rapidly deployed; increasing special operation forces; enhancing explosive ordinance disposal capabilities; enhancing security and protection capabilities; enhancing comprehensive medical diagnostic, prevention and treatment capabilities to the soldiers; increasing effort of counter-terrorism; and deploying support infrastructure as just-in-time soldiers inventory. As part of joint functional concepts, the redundancies require inter-dependencies in terms such as joint battle command, joint fires and effects, joint air and missile defense, joint force projection, and joint containment. Question In an essay I read titled â€Å"To What End Military Power?† by Robert J. Art he looks at how and when force should be used. He suggests that there are four purposes of using forces: defensive, deterrent, compellent, and swaggering. Considering their usefulness today. What do you think Art means by his final quote that `The best way to keep the peace is first to prepare for war`? Military power or military assistance is not relevant to America’s policy. Rather military action is secondary even third to military assistance policy. This is due to internal administrative problems such as demilitarization or the commercialization of the military, political subversion, and not direct military attack is not in the official agenda of American military after its experience during Korean War. Globalization, in turn, opens up the door for the American to become vulnerable toward attacks from the global nations. Hence, our defense must be powerful. America is being put into a containment policy and is elevated to its commitment to defend other countries. It is compelling the military use in foreign policy. This policy increases the defense budget because it requires, besides military or defense equipment and accessories, administrative strategic and alliances in the forms of military commitments and military intervention. Question#2 (145 words) What is redundancy and why is it necessary when looking at transformation of the military. Redundancy is to simulate the military administrative structure and functional concepts which was established early in the previous American warfare but with some modification. Some of the redundancies, with a transformation strategy, may include forcible entry of mounted forces, establishment and enhancement of battle command, enhancement of soldiers, platforms, and forces protection capabilities, enhancement of theatre support capabilities, deployment and support infrastructure. In addition, the key functional concepts of the military are the creation of modularity, tailored and multifunction forces that can be rapidly deployed; increasing special operation forces; enhancing explosive ordinance disposal capabilities; enhancing security and protection capabilities; enhancing comprehensive medical diagnostic, prevention and treatment capabilities to the soldiers; increasing effort of counter-terrorism; and deploying support infrastructure as just-in-time soldiers inventory. As part of joint functional concepts, the redundancies require inter-dependencies in terms such as joint battle command, joint fires and effects, joint air and missile defense, joint force projection, and joint containment. Question Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion As our society progressed, people are placing more emphasis on education. This is because many feel that education is the key for higher standard of living. With such belief in mind, many dependent on school to give their children best education and expect children to be more rounded people.Thus, many blamed schools and our ducational system when a educated person turns to be harmful and destructive to society. Whereas, others hold the view that parents should be responsible for such cases. In my view, both family and schools are important in enforcing the right moral concept in children. There is no doubt that schools should be a place where to teach children moral concepts while naturing talents. Ideally, schools have the responsibility to guide children what is right and wrong.Thi s is because children are usually too young to understand the consequences of being wrong, they always go according to their curiosity. Hence, schools should play a role as guidance or supervisor to constantly remind them what to do and not to do. Moreover, the fundamental and original purpose of school is establishing a constitution to guide and teach youths not only to be more knowledgeable, but more importantly to be a better man who is useful and responsible to society. Therefore, schools have the responsibility to guide children and pull them back if they are on the wrong track.However, with increasing competitiveness among all the schools, more and more schools only emphasis on academic achievement of children in nowadays. This led to lack of moral education for children. Hence, schools should have the responsibility to instill moral senses in children, but it is increasingly neglected by our educators in nowadays. However, we should not fully blame schools for the responsibil ity of not teaching children the right moral senses, parents is equally important factor in developing one's character and moral.As a famous saying goes, parents are children's first teacher. It is true that parents' influences are much more powerful than schools. According to a report, two third of the criminals are from broken or brutal family. From psychological point of view, it is also more likely for a child to become a violent person if his parents are brutal. It is also possible for this child to hatred or resent towards society. Hence, it is clearly demonstrated that parents should hold the responsibility to teach children how to be good member of the society.Thus, it is undeniable that parents play a significant role in developing one's moral concept. Question: nowadays the way people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships people make? Has this become a positive or negative development? Wi th the invention of communication technology, our daily life has been greatly reshaped in many aspects. People seem to be more dependent on communication technology such as telephones, internet.Many was then questioned that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. However, the supporters of technology development defend that technology has benefited us in many ways. In my view, technology has enabled us to have a closer relationship than before. Critics often argue that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. It is observed there s less face to face interaction between people. This is because people see little needs for them to communicate face to face with the presence of communication technology.Communication technology allows us to send our messages instantaneously and conveniently. Thus, many people, especially the youths are afraid of communicate with strangers or speak up in public. Therefore, it seems that people become less friendly towards their nei ghbour. Hence, communication technology indeed changed our relationship among neighbors. The communication technology does not only changed our neighborhood relationship, but also our family elationship. It is not uncommon for one to heard complains that children are less engaging in family interaction from parents.Many parents complained that children always play computer game instead of spending time with them. Many youths like to express their feelings or tell their secrets to online strangers rather than their family members. Hence, it appears that the relationship between family members is weakening. This can be further supported by a new report which conveyed a Japanese mother left her 5 moths old child starve to death as she was so indulged in computer games. This clearly demonstrated how technology has indeed affect the relationship we have now.However, it is undeniable that communication technology does improve our social relationship in one way or another. Communication te chnology such as internet enables us to keep in touch with our family and friends even from far distant. Web camera enables us to meet with our friends oversea and which in turn strengthens our friendships. Moreover, with presence of social networks such as Facebook and Twitters, we are now able to find more new friends within our social groups like schoolmates. It also allows us to find old friends whom e have previously lost contact.Thus, technology provide a platform for us to make more friends and widen our social cycles. Therefore, communication technology strengths and provide new opportunity for our relationships. In conclusion, without and the friends we make. Technology is like a coin which has two sides. However, it is merely a tool for us communicate. Hence, we should not blamed technology for changing our social life, but , in fact, it is the way we use it which changes our lifestyle. Question Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion As our society progressed, people are placing more emphasis on education. This is because many feel that education is the key for higher standard of living. With such belief in mind, many dependent on school to give their children best education and expect children to be more rounded people.Thus, many blamed schools and our ducational system when a educated person turns to be harmful and destructive to society. Whereas, others hold the view that parents should be responsible for such cases. In my view, both family and schools are important in enforcing the right moral concept in children. There is no doubt that schools should be a place where to teach children moral concepts while naturing talents. Ideally, schools have the responsibility to guide children what is right and wrong.Thi s is because children are usually too young to understand the consequences of being wrong, they always go according to their curiosity. Hence, schools should play a role as guidance or supervisor to constantly remind them what to do and not to do. Moreover, the fundamental and original purpose of school is establishing a constitution to guide and teach youths not only to be more knowledgeable, but more importantly to be a better man who is useful and responsible to society. Therefore, schools have the responsibility to guide children and pull them back if they are on the wrong track.However, with increasing competitiveness among all the schools, more and more schools only emphasis on academic achievement of children in nowadays. This led to lack of moral education for children. Hence, schools should have the responsibility to instill moral senses in children, but it is increasingly neglected by our educators in nowadays. However, we should not fully blame schools for the responsibil ity of not teaching children the right moral senses, parents is equally important factor in developing one's character and moral.As a famous saying goes, parents are children's first teacher. It is true that parents' influences are much more powerful than schools. According to a report, two third of the criminals are from broken or brutal family. From psychological point of view, it is also more likely for a child to become a violent person if his parents are brutal. It is also possible for this child to hatred or resent towards society. Hence, it is clearly demonstrated that parents should hold the responsibility to teach children how to be good member of the society.Thus, it is undeniable that parents play a significant role in developing one's moral concept. Question: nowadays the way people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships people make? Has this become a positive or negative development? Wi th the invention of communication technology, our daily life has been greatly reshaped in many aspects. People seem to be more dependent on communication technology such as telephones, internet.Many was then questioned that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. However, the supporters of technology development defend that technology has benefited us in many ways. In my view, technology has enabled us to have a closer relationship than before. Critics often argue that technology has made us to be stranger to each other. It is observed there s less face to face interaction between people. This is because people see little needs for them to communicate face to face with the presence of communication technology.Communication technology allows us to send our messages instantaneously and conveniently. Thus, many people, especially the youths are afraid of communicate with strangers or speak up in public. Therefore, it seems that people become less friendly towards their nei ghbour. Hence, communication technology indeed changed our relationship among neighbors. The communication technology does not only changed our neighborhood relationship, but also our family elationship. It is not uncommon for one to heard complains that children are less engaging in family interaction from parents.Many parents complained that children always play computer game instead of spending time with them. Many youths like to express their feelings or tell their secrets to online strangers rather than their family members. Hence, it appears that the relationship between family members is weakening. This can be further supported by a new report which conveyed a Japanese mother left her 5 moths old child starve to death as she was so indulged in computer games. This clearly demonstrated how technology has indeed affect the relationship we have now.However, it is undeniable that communication technology does improve our social relationship in one way or another. Communication te chnology such as internet enables us to keep in touch with our family and friends even from far distant. Web camera enables us to meet with our friends oversea and which in turn strengthens our friendships. Moreover, with presence of social networks such as Facebook and Twitters, we are now able to find more new friends within our social groups like schoolmates. It also allows us to find old friends whom e have previously lost contact.Thus, technology provide a platform for us to make more friends and widen our social cycles. Therefore, communication technology strengths and provide new opportunity for our relationships. In conclusion, without and the friends we make. Technology is like a coin which has two sides. However, it is merely a tool for us communicate. Hence, we should not blamed technology for changing our social life, but , in fact, it is the way we use it which changes our lifestyle.

Why don't people commit crime Refer to the theories of left and right Essay

Why don't people commit crime Refer to the theories of left and right realism in your answer - Essay Example The word crime basically refers to any action that contravenes the law. Again, Burke expresses discontentment with this approach because the word criminal alienates some law breakages and also because there are some crimes that appear more â€Å"real† than others such as murder, rape and theft. Due to the evolving nature of criminal laws, it is therefore correct to state that the definition of crime is a social construction which is determined by ongoing political processes2. Many theories have been propagated in relation to crime causality, motivation and deterrence. One of the core aims of criminology is to understand why offenders commit crime and how this can be controlled. In order to understand the reasons that deter crime commission, it is important to understand the drivers of crime commission or the concept of criminal behavior. Many scholars and theorists have offered vast explanations and theories regarding crime and criminal behavior. Criminology research has traversed academic and professional fields and some of the main contributors in this discourse include; psychologists, biologists, sociologists, legal philosophers and political scientists3. According to Burke, criminology theories have evolved with time due to social, economic and political changes in the world4. Over the years, a vast number of theories have been spurned and this paper cannot address or even define all of them. However, in a bid to evaluate and reflect on why people av oid crime, this paper will focus on two theories; right realism theory and left realism theory. On a general level these theories contrast although they offer similar insights in a subtle way. It is important to note that both theories address crime and criminal behavior thereby offering invaluable insight regarding our thesis; why people do not commit crime? Criminology theories have evolved over time due to various social, economic and political changes in the society. The right realism theory is an

Globalization and Local Cultures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and Local Cultures - Research Paper Example Globalization has led to loss of cultural identity in the traditional society. Globalization has considerably threatened the local heritage because of westernization. The detached cultures are under threat in the contemporary society because of emerging issues of modernization. This is because modernization has fostered the decline of costs. The declining costs alter the experience of societies into a greater incorporation of varied cultural values. For instance, the information flow, increased advancement in technology and reduced communication cost has contributed to a global community. Wilson (2006) argues that the identity developed through the interaction process has become problematic because of ethnicity. The identity constructed in most cases to those people who travel beyond borders or interact through digital technologies contributes to conflicting issues among diverse cultures. The language expansion generates interaction plethora among varied nations in terms of variation s in policymaking, and it manipulates cultural identity.Globalization threatens the feasibility of locally manufactured products. The increased advancement in technology has contributed to cheap labor and high production of commodities that are competitive in the global market. This has threatened the locally manufactured products because globalization offers a welcoming entrance for many customers to access easily products that customers could not otherwise have. For instance, the new foreign products in the market are sold at cheaper prices.

A Child at the Playground Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Child at the Playground - Essay Example The researcher states that one day, while he was waiting at his bus-stop to catch his homeward bound bus, the author’s attention was arrested by a shrill ringing of a bell. The researcher looked around him and noticed a daycare center just behind his bus-stop. A noisy stream of children was released into the outdoors for their play time. The author saw at a glance that the playground was filled with equipment. They looked as if they were self-assembled items from Marston's book. The children lost no time in reaching for their favorite playthings. There was general pandemonium as they rushed to be the first to use their favorites. They looked as happy as larks, screaming and shouting in their excitement. Their teacher stood at attentive observation at her post just in front of the front gate. She was facing the children and had her back to the author. The researcher could stare as long as he liked without fear of any reprisals from the adult. The children did not mind me lookin g at them. They were too busy at play to notice a stranger at the bus-stop staring at them. One child particularly caught the author’s attention. She was a small, fair-haired girl. She stood patiently by the swing and was waiting her turn. However, the bigger boy who was using the sole swing gave no sign of indication that he was ready to share the swing and vacate his hold over it. The little girl grew tired of waiting and simply walked away. She did not proceed to the other playthings but had squatted down to the grassy ground and was plucking selected grass to gather in a bunch. She was as patient as an experienced gardener, seemingly intent on her task. Although she was alone, she did not look forlorn. She looked as if she was enjoying herself in her preoccupation. She did not interact nor play along with the crowd. The researcher was puzzled as to why she behaved as she did. Soon, the author’s doubts vaporized. The little girl walked over to the rabbit hutch and d eposited her offerings for the rabbit. She looked delighted, enjoying the sight of the fruits of her labor. Pretty soon, another girl joined her at the hutch. Then another child and yet another. It was evident that the children were now fascinated with the rabbit. The children made a commotion in their excitement to feed the rabbit. There was a frenzy of grass plucking. The researcher lost sight of the little girl as her friends crowded around her. The author saw a sea of excited children giving tribute to a new found leader. The author knew that she must be feeling pleased to have initiated such an interest in the rabbit.

The effects of TV Advertising on older consumer behaviour over 50 Essay

The effects of TV Advertising on older consumer behaviour over 50 years in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The findings of the research suggest that the segmentation of the group under question leaves somewhat to be desired given that this group are given little relevance and on the whole underrepresented within the media. In addition, it was found that it is not so much the underrepresentation that is an issue with this group, rather it is the portrayal; it is felt that older consumers are portrayed in a disparaging and derogatory manner of being ill and feeble or alternatively unrealistically attractive. This lack of synergy between the advertisers and the third agers is somewhat dangerous given their growing spending power within society and it is one which cannot be ignored if companies wish to be lucrative. The advertisers and the marketers have been exploiting the vulnerable minds of the children as they recognize the increasing influence that children have in family purchase decision making. The study also finds that organisations engage in CSR activities basically with a profit-dr iven motive while trying to project an image of being socially conscious and responsible organisation. All efforts towards this is aimed at enhancing the brand image, the brand identity and the corporate image. The marketing mix elements in advertising for older consumers have not been appropriately addressed. The study concludes that television advertising has not been able to make any significant impact on the older consumers. The limitations to the study have been highlighted and areas for further research have been recommended. Table of Contents Chapter One: Introductory Chapter 1.0 Background 1 1.1 Rationale for research 3 1.2 Aims and Objectives 4 1.3 Research questions 4 1.4 Dissertation Structure 5 1.6 Chapter Summary 6 Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.0 Chapter Overview 7 2.1 The older consumers 7 2.1.1 The concept of ‘older consumers’ 7 2.1.2 Lifestyle of the older consumers 8 2.1.3 Segmentation for the older consumers 10 2.2 The advertising medium 11 2.2.1 Pr inciples of Advertising 11 2.2.2 Advertising as a means of persuasion 13 2.2.3 Television as an advertising medium 14 2.3 CSR and advertising 16 2.4 Consumer behaviour 18 2.5 Consumer buying process 19 2.6 Summary of the chapter 21 Chapter Three: Research Methodology 3.0 Chapter Overview 22 3.1 Academic Research 22 3.2 Purpose of the research and phenomenon 23 3.3 Epistemology 23 3.4 Research Approach 24 3.6 Data Collection 25 3.7 Justification: Secondary Research 25 3.8 Sources of secondary data 28 3.9 Ethical concerns 29 3.10 Chapter Summary 29 Chapter Four: FINDINGS 4.0 Chapter Overview 30 4.1 Television advertising and the older consumers 30 4.2 The impact of television advertising on the children 37 4.3 CSR in television advertising 39 4.3 Chapter Summary 43 Chapter Five: Discussion and Analysis 5.0 Discussion 44 5.1

On the road Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On the road - Essay Example At the time of of its premiere, many critics called it fascinating or indecent while some branded it as a noble piece of work. The road being a metaphor for the eternal is unchanging in the whole play. In fact, while discussing in a philosophical mood the two men exchanged jokes, laughs and tragic comments that reflected the eternal truth only. During the conversation, Vladimir says, â€Å"In an instant all will vanish and well be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness!† As they just keep on passing time, while waiting aimlessly. The road appears to be an unknown landscape to them. They just do not recognize anything on it The comments and jokes that are the part of the rare conversation between the two brings forth the helplessness and compulsion of aimless waiting for the one who never appears. The following phrases partly summarize their irony and daydreams, while they apparently remark on their surrounding space –The road. Estrogen asks â€Å"Well, shall we go?† and Vladimir replies â€Å"Yes, let us go†. However, they never move away from the road. They keep on passing their time while uttering remarks like â€Å"we are in hell† or â€Å"look at this muckheap† and â€Å"nothing happens.. no body comes.. no body goes.. it is awful† , on their surroundings, which is supposed to be a road. They crack jokes and do funny things at times like both men trying to hang themselves by the tree that simply is a shrub only. While this shows the tragic irony, it certainly describes the utter despair and depressive state of their mind. There is hardly any action on the road. However, the only real action in the play is when the two characters Pozzo and Lucky appear on the road. While Lucky is half dead with the load he carries for Pozzo and the rope around his neck so tight that he is not able to breath properly, Pozzo keeps on driving him on the road with the whip. This seems to be the most interesting part

Philosophy and Psychiatry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Philosophy and Psychiatry - Essay Example For every argument that "personal reactive attitude" puts forward, there is a counter-argument used by "objective attitude." The whole idea seems to be rotating in circles and ending up in a blind alley. Strawson is, however, diplomatic in his stand. While he is willing to side one, he is not prepared to sidestep or antagonize the other. He voices his opinion in favour of the first group, the group which simply dismisses the thesis of determinism as something it does not know anything about. However, he sympathizes with the other group or sub-groups. Could it be hypocrisy on his part No, says Strawson. He favours reconciliation because he believes that there is some light in what the group of pessimists, optimists and sceptics say. The Arguments Now, coming to the main issue, the optimists feel that the thesis of determinism cannot be ruled out as false for the simple reason that the "facts as we know them do not show determinism to be false." [2] That is to say, the optimists feel, there are enough facts to corroborate the existence and relevance of determinism. However, they submit that the facts are not strong enough to convince the pessimists. Or else, they are not in a position to present the facts in a convincing manner. Therefore, the optimists are willing to 2 The Determinism and Freedom Philosophy Website -- of http://www.ucl.ac.uk/uctytho/dfwstrawson1.htm, page 2 concede a "vital part" of their facts which they find difficult to produce, in exchange for the pessimists' willingness to "go beyond the facts" and thus allow some kind of a status quo, so that whatever is "beyond the facts" may still hold out some ray of hope for the pessimists. The status quo is necessary because the pessimists cannot prove that the optimists are...The status quo is necessary because the pessimists cannot prove that the optimists are totally wrong for being unable to adequately represent the facts. (page 2) Going a step further, Strawson elaborates, â€Å"Some optimists about determinism point to the efficacy of the practices of punishment, and of moral condemnation and approval, in regulating behaviour in socially desirable ways. The fact of their efficacy, they suggest, is an adequate basis for these practices; and this fact certainly does not show determinism to be false.† To this the pessimists counter that, â€Å"just punishment and moral condemnation imply moral guilt and guilt implies moral responsibility and moral responsibility implies freedom and freedom implies the falsity of determinism.† The optimists persist, â€Å"it is true that these practices require freedom in a sense, and the existence of freedom in this sense is one of the facts as we know them. But what ‘freedom’ means here is nothing but the absence of certain conditions the presence of which would make moral condemnation or punishment inappropriate.† [3] How one wishes the buck stopped here! But it does not! The pessimists too persist, â€Å"You turn towards me first the negative, and then the positive, faces of a freedom which nobody challenges. But the only reason you have given for the practices of moral condemnation and punishment in cases where this freedom is present.

Sustainable Management Futures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sustainable Management Futures - Essay Example The Body Shop’s business is not only concerned for profit generation motive but are also concerned about society and environment and belief in sustainable growth. The Body Shop has their community suppliers. There are around 31 community trade related suppliers in 24 countries. Their commitment is towards trading fairly and purchasing ingredients through Community Trade Programs. They provide preference to rural areas to become the member of the community trade for the growth of economy. The motive of community trading is to provide occupation and to build their livelihood (The Body Shop, 2006). The Body Shop International Plc is a natural, original and ethical cosmetic brand. All the products of The Body Shop are vegetarian. The company is against animal testing and is recognized as the first international cosmetics brand that was ‘Against Animal Testing’ policy. The Body Shop Foundation was launched in the year 1990 with a registered charity number. It is the co mpany’s own charitable foundation which specially focuses to help those who believe in development of the society (The Body Shop, 2011). . PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analysis enables to identify macro environmental aspects that generally are seen as prime drivers for change. The Body Shop has a global presence in number of countries throughout the world. In this context, the situational analysis of The Body Shop will be conducted with respect to the UK scenario. In the UK, the organisations that operate in the cosmetic industry have to abide by the ISO 22716 safety related standards which had been published on February 2010. The organisation such as The Body Shop has to select the specification that they come under from this certificate. In the UK, organisations have to abide by international trade policy to import and export their products. In recent times there has been an increase in the demand for online products. The government as well as the industry of the UK has supported the scheme related to trust mark, which has significantly helped in increasing the demand for online purchases. The exchange rates in the UK have been fluctuating with respect to Pound and also in the various countries from which the company acquires its raw materials. It has impacted in raising the import cost of raw materials as well as finish products. There has been an increase in VAT (Value Added Tax) to 20% in 2010, which has prompted an increase in daily commodity prices and would reduce the consumers from purchasing cosmetics related products. In the UK, high labour cost has been a concern in recent times which obstructed the company from fully exploring their global strategies. In the UK, the percentage of people in the age group of 65 to 85 is increasing, which would provide an opportunity of increasing sales regarding the anti-aging cosmetics. In the year 2012, the London Olympic Games will provide an option to create increased awareness of the products of the company am ong the huge number of visitors in the UK. The growing trend of natural products that are environment friendly will provide The Body Shop a massive growth prospect as the

Choosing a song that meets the requirements below on the discription Assignment

Choosing a song that meets the requirements below on the discription box - Assignment Example One inarguable fact is that many individuals have a high disregard and skepticism of the hip-hop music without having the knowledge of the music’s content. Usually, this disregard of the hip-hop music links to the hip-hop’s abrupt bass line intensity and the manner of presenting the music genre’s content. Many people have an opinionated argument that the content presentation style is unappealing and un-soothing to listen. Conversely, there are those who deeply love the music genre (Olshansky 266). The question that, therefore, pegs is that, is hip-hop valuable? In contradiction to my personal preference of hip-hop music, the research herein rationally and justifiably discusses the reasons for the valuation of the song. People should erase the negative view, disregard, and overlook towards hip-hop music to derive the variety of positive messages their content present particularly the Forever Young song (Olshansky 268). We shall never know whether hip-hop music is valuable or not unless we allow ourselves to adopt a new positive way of viewing the music. The positive view of the hip-hop will consequently enable us to take the time to listen to the content presented by the music genre. Many people fail to see the value of the hip-hop music only because they disregard it. However, in reality, hip-hop music is highly valuable. Hip-hop music always, if not in all occasions, provides a reflection of the real happenings occurring in our daily lives and the society. In this regard, therefore, hip-hop music is a mirror of the real issues, problems, and factors virtually affecting all undertakings of the human life. Hip-Hop music is valuable in the sense that it continually serves as a means of expression to represent our identity and the real happenings in nature. For instance, the song’s lyric Hoping for the best but expecting the worst is a real reflection of life’s nature. It is an open fact that indeed every individual is living a life where no one has

Rights of Enemy Combatants Essay Example for Free

Rights of Enemy Combatants Essay The September 11 2001 US bombing was followed by a US declaration of war against terrorism. The reason the US government cited for the war declaration was the intention to rid the world of all international terrorism groups that posed a formidable danger to the civilian life which is obviously innocent. True to its promise of war against terrorism, the US government has been seen to make progress. By 2003, the US government was holding about 762 terrorism suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Stanton, 2003). The war against terrorism, according to the US government is still on and the government is not going to stop until it apprehends the capital terrorist and the head of Al- Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden. In the process of this war against terrorism, a number of tools and policies have been put in place by the US government to make the war successful. The tools at one point or another have often contradicted the very laws and regulations enshrined in the constitution of the US. One such contradiction is the concern of American Legislature of whether or not such terror suspects attract the legal rights enjoyed by the American citizens. The debate goes on. Introduction The meaning of the word Enemy Combatant is context specific. Taking the American fight against terrorism as the context, then the word may be taken to refer to an armed member belonging to an army of an enemy state with which America is at war. For instance, if America is at war with Iraq, then any member of the Iraq armed force qualifies to be called an enemy combatant (Detention of Enemy Combatants Act, 2005). It should be noted that the definition of enemy combatant has evolved over time. Prior to 2008 and according to the Geneva Conventions Article 3, an enemy combatant was described as any individual in an armed war or conflict and who attracts detention subject to the laws and customs of war (Geneva Conventions Article 3, 1949). In America today, the word enemy combatant may be taken to refer to any individual who is, allegedly, a member of the major terrorist groups; Al-Qaeda and Taliban (or member of any other group engaged in terrorism activities) who is being held or detained by the US government. Such individuals are termed as Unlawful combatants who do not in any case attract the protection of Geneva Convention entitled to War Prisoners. Therefore, enemy combatant has three definitions and we need to choose the one we will use in this paper. The last definition of enemy combatant i. e. an individual who is, allegedly, a member of the major terrorist groups of Al-Qaeda and Taliban being in custody of US authorities under the status of unlawful combatant. This paper seeks to highlight the legality of the â€Å"Unlawful Combatant† title given to these individuals by the US government. Further, the paper assesses the presence or absence of legal rights for the unlawful combatant subject to the constitution of the United States of America. Part three of the Geneva conventions defines the prisoners of war as military forces members or militia of such a force belonging to an enemy state at war with America, regular armed forces members showing allegiance to the government, Civilians supporting in non-combat roles and carries an ID issued by armed forces they owe allegiance, Inhabitants of a region uninhabited and who carry arms and reiterate on the enemies approach i. e. they follow the rules of war. Sometimes, an individual may fail to lie in any one of the specifications outlined in the Geneva Convention defining a war prisoner. In such a situation, the Geneva Convention article 3 specified further that such individuals should be treated to belong to any of the classes specified until their true status is determined by a competent tribunal. Treatment of unlawful combatants, who are supposed to be treated as war prisoners but are not, is a contentious issue in the Bush administration. The alleged suspects of Al Qaeda are supposed to be treated as war prisoners but have been called unlawful combatants, which is still within the confines of the convention. Now where the argument comes in is the closing clause in the Geneva Convention Part 3which spells out the fact that whether an individual is a lawful or unlawful combatant, he is supposed to be treated in a humane way (Geneva Conventions Article 3, 1949). The rationale behind the particular treatment of the â€Å"unlawful combatants† in Guantanamo Bay is enshrined in the Enemy Combatants Act, 2005 which has since received a considerable resistance from the judiciary and civilians alike. This 2005 Act not only managed to block the detainee’s access to lawyers and courts but also gave the government authority to play out of the dictates of the US constitution. The Act too denies the detainees the habeas corpus which is the legal feat through which detainees can ask for reprieve from illegal detention or imprisonment. The American Bar Association (ABA) is one such organization that has lifted up hands in protest against the detaining of individuals termed as unlawful combatants without giving them their right to habeas corpus. In 2003, ABA released a resolution besieging the congress to set standards to guide the detaining. They further urged the congress to allow the detainee full access to lawyers and courts in a bid to prevent netting of innocent individuals because some of the individuals held may have been found in the wrong places at the wrong times (Holland, 2008). The unlawful combatants should have access to courts and attorneys entitlement as specified by Geneva Convention Part 3 Section 5 which calls for a tribunal to determine if detainees are unlawful combatants or not. The tribunal needs to be competent. The Geneva Convention dictates are standards that should be followed internationally. In fact it is an international legal system. The Supreme Court attested to the detainee’s rights and that is why it ruled that the detainees could use U. S. courts to seek reprieve from detention (Senne, 2006). If among the detains there happens to be American citizens, such as Jose’ Padilla and Yaser Hamdi, then they have a right to an attorney, access to court and an hearing subject to American constitution. They are also entitled to a speedy trial; to determine whether or not they are guilty. They are entitled to these rights because they are American citizens. (CRS Report, 2005). The Military Trials Bill which got approval from the congress gave legislative support to the military to carry out practices unfamiliar with the Criminal Justice system of the US. The practices include prosecution, interrogation and detention denies the detainees their right of self representation (by forcing the detainees to accept lawyers from the military) and their right to a speedy trial (Smith, 2008). This infringement if detainee’s rights have also been witnessed by the Director for Human Rights, Washington Office, Tom Malinowski when he talks about how bush has managed to deny the detainees their rights. This view was affirmed by the Supreme Court when it issued an order for the 6 Algerian men who had been detained for seven years to be released. The court claimed that the detaining was illegal and it had gone against the rights of those detainees. This was seen as a setback on the US government’s war against terrorism. (Glaberson, 2008) Illegal Rights of Enemy Combatants Despite the civilians, human rights activists and some part of the judicial system maintaining that the Unlawful Enemy Combatants have legal rights that the government has only chosen to ignore, the government on its part denies this claim saying the response and treatment of detainees is within the confines of the constitution. The Enemy Combatants Act, 2005 and The Military Trials Bill set the pace for the treatment that the detained Enemy Combatants receive. The two Acts/ Bills make the treatment legal and they were passed due to anticipation by the executive that court challenges were imminent. Thus, the executive entrenched in the bills/ Acts some provisions strong enough to bar the courts interference and at the same time limit the application of international conventions that govern the treatment war prisoners or is it Enemy Combatants. These provisions also went further to bar habeas corpus leaving the detainees without any basis to seek reprieve from detention or to challenge the detention. Reacting to The Military Trials Bill, Neal Katyal, a law professor at Georgetown University said that the formation of the bill basically created two-system justice. The first justice system being the military commissions to deal with foreigners termed as Enemy Combatants and the normal or regular criminal justice system to take care of the US citizens. The emerging two systems of justice, he said, violated the14th Amendment which embraces the equal protection for all provided they are under the US jurisdiction (Austin, 2003). The fact that these detainees are called Enemy Combatants means that unlike war prisoners, they are open to detention for as long as it takes the war on terrorism without access to an attorney or any judicial intervention. The designation of Enemy Combatant traces its origin in the 1942 American Case Law where the supreme law was able to recognize the Law of War and its distinction between the War Prisoner (Lawful Combatant) and the Enemy Combatant (Unlawful Combatant). The distinction further that the Enemy Combatants were not subject to the â€Å"War prisoner† status that attracts the protection 1949 Geneva Convention pronouncements. The Enemy Combatant designation has . been used by the Supreme Court earlier in history and this has given the government precedent to use this term and treat the Enemy combatants as it does (Austin, 2003).

Difference Between Ground Level And Stratospheric Ozone Environmental Sciences Essay

Difference Between Ground Level And Stratospheric Ozone Environmental Sciences Essay Why has one a beneficial and the other a detrimental role in the atmosphere? This essay is going to explain the difference between ground-level and stratospheric ozone; why has one a beneficial and the other a detrimental role in the atmosphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer of the earths atmosphere (Figure 1). It starts at the earths surface extending to a height between 7 and 20km above sea level. The troposphere is the thickest part of the atmosphere in which around 75-80% of atmospheric mass is located. As altitude increases through the troposphere, temperature, air pressure and density of the air decrease. The troposphere is heated from the earths surface; sunlight warms the ground or ocean and in turn, heats the air around which rises into the troposphere. On average the temperature drops around 6.5 degrees Celsius per km as altitude increases. At the top of the stratosphere, temperatures can reach a low of -55 degrees Celsius. As shown in figure 1 there is a layer between the troposphere and the stratosphere this is called the Tropopause, a boundary between the two layers. The altitude of the Tropopause varies with latitude, season, weather and time of day. At mid level latitudes the typical height of the Tropop ause is around 11km whilst near the poles it can drop to a low of 7km. The lowest part of the troposphere is known as the atmospheric boundary layer which is affected by the earths surface, an example of this can be the wind being affected by hitting a mountain. In the polar regions just below the Tropopause is a jet stream which is defined as a belt of powerful upper-level winds that sits atop the polar front (Britannica 2010) (Figure 1 ACCU Weather 2009)http://global-warming.accuweather.com/stratosphere_diagram_sm-thumb.jpg Ozone (O3) is a form of oxygen containing 3 molecules, usually found in the stratosphere, and responsible for filtering the suns ultraviolet radiation (Null, J 2003). Figure 2 shows the levels on ozone present in the earths atmosphere. (Figure 2 NASA 1999) File:Atmospheric ozone.svg According to NASA 10% of ozone (O3) in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Ozone in the troposphere is unwanted. Ozone can be found in low concentrations at ground-level. Ground level ozone and stratospheric ozone are two key sources of natural ozone. Ground level ozone are hydrocarbons which are released by soil and plants, whereas stratospheric ozone which rarely migrates downwards to the earths surface. These two natural sources do not give enough ozone to be thought of as a threat to life and the environment. With growing populations, increased transport and high industry has increased the ozone levels in the lower atmosphere. Ozone cannot be traced by coming directly from one source as it is formed by contact between the suns UV rays and hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides which can be traced back to transport, fossil fuels, power plants and other industries. It can be referred to as ozone pollution or Smog. In urban areas its known as photochemical smog (Figure 3 Environmental Science 2010) http://apesnature.homestead.com/files/fg22_04b.jpg Ozone is a key element traced in smog and as a powerful greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are a part of the atmosphere; they are both natural and created from human activity. These gases emit radiation within range thermal infrared radiation which is emitted from the earths surface, the atmosphere and clouds. This causes the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when sunlight reaches the earths surface and is reflected back into the atmosphere, but it is prevented from escaping by the layer of greenhouse gasses, this in turn heats the atmosphere causing a rise in the earths surface temperature. The rise in temperature causes ice caps to melt, raising sea levels. The four major gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and their percentage contribution are: Water Vapour, 36-70%, Carbon Dioxide, 9-26%, Methane, 4-9% and Ozone, 3-7%. (Kiehl J, 2003) Ozone levels are found at its peak during the summer months and are usually highest in built up areas. Concentrations are at its highest during the afternoon as the UV rays have had time to react. This causes ozone pollution. Ozone pollution has many negative effects on human life, vegetation and the environment. It can cause health problems such as chest infections, breathing problems, headaches, eye irritation and aggravate pre existing conditions such as asthma, heart disease, bronchitis and emphysema. Ozone pollution according to SEQL damages leaves and crops, which reduce crop production and quality, The United Nations Environment programme estimated a loss of $8.56 billion worth in crops in the European Union in 2000(UNEP 2007) Buildings and decorating materials can be weakened or damaged and paint can fade faster than anticipated. The stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere from the earths surface (Figure 1). The stratosphere rises to around 50km above sea level. The lowest part of the stratosphere varies depending on the latitude and the season. It differs at around 8 16km near the equator, around 10km at the mid latitudes and 8km near the poles. The air within the stratosphere is dry and contains small amounts of water vapour. The air within the stratosphere is around a thousand times thinner than that at sea level. Due the lack of vertical convection within the stratosphere, compounds can stay for long periods of time which breaks down the ozone layer. About 90% of the ozone in the earths atmosphere is located in the stratosphere, which is between 15 and 50km above the earths surface. The ozone in the stratosphere forms a layer called the Ozone Layer. This is where oxygen (O2) and Ozone (O3) molecules absorb UV light from the sun protecting the earths surface from UV radiation. Both oxygen and ozone combined absorb between 95 99.9% of the suns UV radiation. Without them UV radiation such as UV-C and UV-B can cause skin cancer and damage eye and plant tissue. The Ozone Layer is being destroyed by chemicals released by humans. An example of this is Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the Green House Gases which break down the ozone in the stratosphere. Figure 4 that the level that the ozone is having on the stratosphere and the troposphere. It shows that the levels of ozone have been reduced in the stratosphere and the levels of ozone have increased. (Figure 4 Institute for Chemistry) seperated ozone trends To conclude, this essay shows that ground level ozone has a detrimental effect of the earths atmosphere as it causes health problems or aggravates pre-existing problems, damage to natural vegetation, crops and buildings and the environment. It is not ozone itself that damages the earths atmosphere but the interactions between the suns UV rays and hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides within the troposphere. Whereas stratospheric ozone has a beneficial role to play in the atmosphere. Stratospheric ozone is beneficial to the earths atmosphere as it absorbs UV radiation which prevents health problems such as skin cancer. Bibliography Guy, P, John J, Geoffrey, S. (1999). Tropospheric Ozone. In Birks, W Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press 465-486 Guy, P, John J, Geoffrey, S. (1999). Middle Atmospheric Ozone. In Birks, W Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 487-513 NAS. (2001).  Ozone Layer.  Available: http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/ozonelayer.html. Last accessed 02/03/2010 RSPB. (2001) The Greenhouse Effect. Available: www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/teaching/resources/science/greenhouse_effect.asp Last accessed 3/03/2010

Sychoanalytic Theory And Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho Film Studies Essay

Sychoanalytic Theory And Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho Film Studies Essay The main concept of this essay is to point out how psychoanalytic theory could be used as a method of understanding and analyzing cultural products. The most valid approach for this is to observe how the cinema integrates psychoanalytical theories into specific film concepts. For this reason a Hitchcock film is used as an example, for it a common fact that there are many Freudian aspects in his movies. Specifically, Psycho is regarded by many film theorists and historians as the first psychoanalytic thriller (Kaganski as cited in Boulton, 2010). As implied by the title of the film, it is a movie whose plot is based on the Freudian Oedipus complex theory. First of all, it is noteworthy how the cinema developed a strong connection to psychoanalytic theories over the years. What is also interesting is the way in which a movie could be interpreted as a desire or a dreaming process. Moreover, in the second part of the essay, the correlation which Psycho has with psychoanalytical procedure is explored, in an effort to discover its kind and if it is actually the first psychoanalytic movie. Following a short presentation of the main plot, it is necessary to examine the nature of the Oedipus complex and how it is applied to the movie. Despite the fact that it remains the central psychoanalytic idea in the film, is not the only Freudian reference; the movie could also be interpreted through ego, superego and id psychoanalytic aspect. Finally, it is imperative to dissect the two protagonist characters and the famous murder scenes under the psychoanalytic perspective. CINEMA AND PSYCHOANALYSIS Cinema is considered to be among the most important institutions of the post modern society, one which serves numerous sociological purposes, through the use of art. The sociological perspective of cinema is but one side of the coin; the other side represents a more personal, more intimate psychoanalytical procedure. It is true that Freudian psychoanalysis is not a process concerned only with psychological models and consciousness. In modern society, psychoanalysis also constitutes a means of understanding works of great artistic and cultural values, such as cinematic films (Mertz, 1976). A movie could be experienced through the psychoanalytical lens in variety of diverse ways, such as the Freudian dream interpretation or as an object of our fantasy-desire (Lacan) or even as our identification through voyeurism (ibid). Freud characterizes the dream as the expression of a wish fulfilled; a movie could, conceivably, be seen as a dream, because on the screen we witness some of our desires being visualized. Spellbound and Marnie are two of Hitchcocks films that could be approached through the method of dream interpretation (Sandis, 2009). The history of the relation between psychoanalysis and cinema is divided into three periods. During the 30s, psychoanalysis became a familiar point of interest for the movie industry, although it was still somewhat superficial and had little to do with actual human behavior. After the Second World War, the references to psychoanalysis became even more apparent, because of the appearance of psychological problems. The Wars cinematic demonstration followed this optimistic evolution (Gale Dictionary of Psychoanalysis). Hitchcocks movies had a great impact in this certain period, mainly due to their deep connection with psychoanalytic concepts. Psycho (1960), North by Northwest (1959) or The birds (1963) are cultural works with oedipal themes in them. More recently psychoanalysis has been integrated in certain cinematic aspects as an objective cognitive method or even ridiculed method (for example in Woody Allens movie characters) (Gale Dictionary of Psychoanalysis). PSYCHO AND PSYCHOANALYSIS The movie is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and scripted by Joseph Stefano, who adapted the screenplay from the homonymous novel written by Robert Bloch. Blochs 1959 novel was based on the true story of a notorious psychotic serial killer, named Edward Gein. His murderous character has inspired many other serial killers such as Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in the Silence of the Lambs (1991) (Dirks). The movie had a great impact in the 60s and since then Hitchcock is considered as the original creator of suspense. Psycho is so multilayered and complex a movie, that it reveals more and more of its essence with each viewing. This explains why there is such a controversy about what genre of movie it is. The main theme is mystery and Hitchcock promotes it with his unique direction technique. When the film was aired in theaters, he insisted that no one would have a seat after the film had started. Thus, the audiences speculated that something terrible was happening in the first few minutes (Dirks). Psycho is considered a film noir because it shares some common characteristics with those films but, at the same time, remains very peculiar. Through the perspective that a film noir conjures a universe where human desire fails to be fulfilled, Psycho could be regarded as one of those films (Palmer, 1986). Lacans object petite a theory is referred to an unattainable desire, such as Normans desire for Marion (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). There is also another theory which makes Psycho the first psychoanalytical movie (Kaganski as cited in Boulton). Specifically, it starts as a whodunit, then it is transformed into a horror film and then into a suspense film with elements of very dark, black comedy. However, if one digs deeper, it inevitably becomes apparent that the film is undoubtedly psychological with specific Freudian interpretations. Francois Truffaut has said: If Psycho had been intended as a serious picture, it would have been shown as a clinical case with no mystery or suspense. The material would have been used as a documentation of a case history (Truffaut as cited in Sandis, 2009:69). In addition to this aspect, Hitchcock has mentioned Probably the real Psycho story wouldnt have been emotional at all; it wouldve been terribly clinical (Hitchcock as cited in Sandis, 2009:70). He was referring to the real incident of mother obsessed Ed Gein, who used to dress up like his dead mother and had murdered about a dozen women (Sandis, 2009). The psychoanalytical view of the movie is illustrated as a parallel between Lila Cranes exploration of the gothic mothers house and the exploration of Bates divided mind. The Freudian element, which explains the construction of Normans personality, defines the concept of the story. First of all, there is a traumatic incident (matricide) causing a transfer of guilt (translated on this occasion into the Oedipus complex). This, in turn, causes a partial loss of the self and a deep identification with the victim (ibid). The story unfolds from this Freudian perspective. Thus, it is evident that Psycho is structured according to the psychoanalytic procedure. THE STORY Marion Crane is a Phoenix office worker, whose life falls short of her expectations. She cant get married with her boyfriend, Sam because he has to provide most of his money in alimony. One Friday her employer confided to her to deposit $40,000. Thinking that this is a good opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town, headed towards Sams store in California. A heavy rainstorm forces her to spend the night at Bates motel. The motel is managed by Norman Bates, a young man who has a very domineering mother. During the night Marion decides to return the money the next morning. Unfortunately, while she is taking a shower, an anonymous figure enters and stabs her to death. After extensive research, it is revealed that Norman has kept his mother to life through his split personality. Dominated by his mothers personality, Norman kills anyone he feels attracted to. In the final scene, we find Norman in prison, haunted by his mothers persona, thinking of how to prove her/his innocence. OEDIPUS COMPLEX Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta, who was exiled from his homeland by his father because of a prophecy. The prophecy foretold that Oedipus would murder his own father. After many years Oedipus decided to discover his origins and returned to Thebes, where he met his father and, unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy, killed him. Then he was made king of the Thebans and was rewarded with the hand of Jocasta, who was his mother. When Oedipus realized that he had fulfilled the prophecy by killing his own father and having children with his mother, he blinded himself (Willner, 1982). Oedipus Rex is a famous Sophocles ancient Greek tragedy, which has been interpreted by Freud as nothing more or less than a wish fulfillment- the fulfillment of the wish of our childhood (Freud as cited in Willner, 1982). Specifically, Freud believes that boys are all destined to direct their first sexual impulse toward their mothers and their violent impulses toward their father. Under the, so called, positive form the complex is appeared as Oedipus story: death wish for the opponent who is the person of the same sex, the father and sexual desire for the person of the opposite sex, the mother. The Oedipus complex is experienced from 3 to 5 years old and is revived during the adolescent period. The liberation from this complex has to do with the healthy structuring of the personality (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). If the boy does not repress his sexual desire toward the Mother and does not identify himself with the Father, he cannot develop a normal personality. It is considered that the Oedipus complex is the main psychoanalytic idea of the movie and Norman Bates is its modern atypical version (Boulton, 2010). According to the films ending psychiatric speech: Now he was already dangerously disturbed, had been ever since his father died. His mother was a clinging, demanding woman, and for years the two of them lived as if there was no one else in the world. Then she met a manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and it seemed to Norman that she threw him over. Now that pushed him over the line and he killed them both (Boulton, 2010). Norman Bates did not manage to overcome his unconscious sexual desire toward his mother and acted out his also unconscious drive of killing the Father. That explains why the mother half of Normans mind has won (Boulton, 2010: 2). Psychiatrist Dr. Richmond illustrates that Norman has sexual desires for an attractive woman as normal men have, but his split personality does not allow him to develop a normal sexual intercourse. He explains to Lila (Marions sister) that When he (Norman) met your sister, he was touched by herà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aroused by her. He wanted her. That set off the jealous mother and mother killed the girl! Now after the murder, Norman returned as if from a deep sleep. And like a dutiful son, covered up all traces of the crime he was convinced his mother had committed! (ibid: 2) Norman, driven by envy, killed his mother and her lover. In other words, he committed the crime of matricide, which is considered the most heinous and unpardonable crime and is especially unbearable for the son who commits it (Dirks). Trying to erase the crime in his own mind, he developed a split personality. As a result, he created an illusion that his mother was still alive. To make this illusion a physical reality, he stole her dead body and preserved it, using his taxidermist skills. In his delusional mind he played-acted and imagined that he was his mother and that she was as pathologically jealous of him as he was of her (ibid). In this way, he was acting as his mother and committed murders due to her jealousy. It is evident that he chose this horrific way to redeem himself from the matricide. EGO, SUPEREGO, ID Freud divided the human mind into three conflicting parts: the ego, the superego and the id. The ego rests between the id and the superego and provides us with a sense of self. It has to build a balanced relationship of dependency between the demands of the id and the imperatives of the superego (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). The id is comprised of innate biological drives, emotional impulses, instincts and dispositions. On the contrary, the ego is made up of those mental phenomena related to whatever environmental considerations constrain the id (Freud calls these the reality principle). For example, the basic id drive is hunger and it is constrained by ego beliefs about what food is available where (Sandis, 2009). Finally, the superego plays a role similar to that of a judge. Freud considers the moral consciousness, self-observation and the development of moral values and ideals as expressions of the superego. The superego is defined as the heir of the Oedipus complex in terms of par ental demands and prohibitions (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). Observing Norman Bates character through this theory, it is evident that he does not develop a strong enough ego in order to keep under control the powerful urges of both the id and the superego. Subsequently, the id and the superego manifest themselves as completely different personalities (Boulton, 2010). His sexual desire for Marion represents his id and her murder (murder of the sexual desire for Marion) represents an extreme expression of his superego. Norman Bates never detached himself from his mother and identified himself with the Father. Therefore he did not assimilate into what Lacan terms the symbolic order, the interconnected system of signs that every society constructs meaning and order around (Zizek as cited in Boulton 2010:2). Normans symbolic level is psychotic, so the superego acts in different ways. As Zizek (cited in Boulton, 2010:2) emphasized, it is the maternal superego that acts and dominates his mind. At times he can become both personalities. But most of the times the mother half put his mind under control. Freud compared the human mind to an iceberg. The tiny part of the iceberg, which appears above the water surface possibly, represents human perception. Below the surface lies a much darker, larger part of the iceberg representing the unconscious. There is no evidence if Hitchcock has ever come across the iceberg metaphor but he would have found it inspiring. Like Freud Hitchcock present us a certain familiar and ordinary picture that we are prepared to see (like the pick of the iceberg- conscious) but whose precise shape is always novel (the other part of the iceberg-unconscious). He also chose for his movies, ladies that appear cold as ice in order to reveal their oppressed thoughts and desires (Sandis, 2009). It is charming in terms of cinema suspense, for secret or repressed thoughts to rise to the surface. (Sandis, 2009) Furthermore, Slavoj Zizek (2005) compares the old, gothic house to the segmented personality of Norman Bates. The ground floor represents the ego and there he behaves as a normal son. The first flour represents the superego, where Norman is governed by the moral constrains of his mother. Finally the basement represents the id, the reservoir of the illicit drives of the psyche thats why his mothers skeleton is transferred there. The transfer of his mothers dead body from the first flour to the basement illustrates the deep connection of the id and the superego in Normans split personality. The exploration of the house is like a psychoanalytic process. Lila entered Normans bedroom and observed his personal items, which were a combination of childrens (boys and girls items) and adults things (signifying his disturbed personality) (Dirks). CHARACTERS Marion symbolizes the repressed woman of the modern America of the 60s, who tries to be emancipated. Judging from her sexual intercourses with her lover during lunch times in secret hotel rooms, one could say that she appears as an independent woman. On the other hand, she gets the money and leaves town, which means that she wants a different life, maybe more conventional, having a successful marriage. Normans character is the mirror-negative of Marion. She operates in the Name of the Father; Norman on the other hand, has not submitted to this paternal law and is entrapped in the desire of the mother' (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). This theory is supported in terms of direction. As they stand together on the porch, the camera photographs the scene as if they were the two sides of the same coin, but Norman is also reflected in the glass window behind him (symbolizes his split personality) (Dirks). Norman Bates could be considered as a good looking, boyishly version of Sam (Marions boyfriend). As their encounter develops, however, this possibility is eradicated because it becomes obvious that he is not capable of adult sexuality, being held in sexual bondage with his mother (Palmer, 1986). As he mentions: -Norman: Do you know what I think? I think that were all in our private traps. Clamped in them. And none of us can ever get out. We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other. And for all of it we never budge an inch. -Marion: Sometimes we deliberately step into those traps. (Psycho, 1960) Each of them gives different meaning to the word trap. Trap for Marion is the theft of the money or maybe her relationship with Sam. For a moment Norman seems that he speaks frankly, being conscious of his fragmented psyche. Unfortunately, after the discourse only Marion is capable of being subject to moral self-examination, deciding to return the money next morning. MURDER SCENES The shower murder scene is among the most famous in the history of cinema. The major film star-Marion- is stabbed to death after the first 47 minutes of the movies start. Even if someone has not seen the movie, he has undoubtedly seen this specific scene. It took a fully week to complete, using 70 cameras, fast cut editing of 78 film pieces and a naked stand in model (Marli Renfo) (Dirks). Despite the fact that it is one of the most jargonistic and violent scenes there is only implied violence because at no time does the knife penetrate into her body. In only instant one the knife touches her belly (ibid). However, it is the scene that made females, including Janet Leigh (Marion) not being able to take a shower for a very long time (Sullivan, 2006). Murdering Marion while she was taking a shower with a knife is not a coincidental choice. On the contrary it has a deeper meaning in terms of direction and psychoanalysis. Until that moment, Marion was the main protagonist of the film and the epicenter of the plot was her feeling guilty for thieving the money. Taking a shower, the water washes away her guilt and rejuvenates her (Dirks). There is an irony here, at the moment she was relieved someone entered and took her life violently. Moreover, the knife in Freudian terms is a phallic symbol. In this weird and abnormal way, Norman satisfied both his desires: the jealousy of his mother and his own desire, penetrating into the female body, using his knife. Marions dead body is standing on the cold floor, mixed with ejaculatory spurts of blood dripping down her legs from various gashes, which symbolizes a violent and deadly rape (ibid). Zizek with his documentary The Perverts Guide to Cinema (2005) underlines that after Marions murder the spectator identifies with Norman Bates persona. Suddenly the spectator is anxious of cleaning up Marions blood from the bathroom and of getting rid of her car in the swamp, relating to our satisfaction with a job well done. Suspense is generated when, whilst Norman Bates is disposing of Marions car (containing her body) in a nearby swamp, the car momentarily stops sinking, an anxiety arises in the viewer (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). The suspense here deals with the spectators unconscious identification with Bates. This identification has to do with Hitchcocks use of gaze, the Hippolytuss gaze. This gaze is not a seen gaze, but a gaze visualized by the Self in the field of the Others idiosyncrasy. Everything is not observed just through the others eyes but through the others personal feelings. The gaze is not the Others glance as such, but the way this glance concerns me, the way the subject sees him/herself affected by it as to his/her desire (Zizek,1992:214). The second murder scene, the murder of detective Arbogast is more predictable. The fascination of the first murder diverts our attention from the second murder. Everything that happens before the murder act seems to announce it. When Arbogast enters the mothers house and stands at the staircase, the audience immediately feel that something terrible is going to happen. However, the suspense here has to do again with this weird immoral identification of the audience with Norman. The spectator desires Arbogast to be killed (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). There is a noticeable aesthetic differentiation between the two murders, which is related to the symbolic split of the movies narrative (ibid). Marions murder still being in the Name-of-the father symbolic realm, it takes place in a motel room, which highlights the aesthetic of an anonymous modern America. On the other hand, Arbogasts death takes place in mothers house which represents American tradition, in the desire of the mother symbolic space (ibid). CONCLUSIONS It is evident that psychoanalytic theory is strongly related to the cinema. Specifically, in Hitchcocks films the Freudian theoretical models are considered as a main pattern of his movies structure. Hitchcock himself has admitted when he was interviewed by Francois Truffaut: -F.T.: I saw Spellbound again recently and I must admit that I didnt care very much for the scenario. -A.H.: Well, its just another manhunt story wrapped up in pseudo-psychoanalysisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Sandis, 2009:65) He might not have taken the subconscious too seriously and in his personal life he avoided doctors of the mind, as he had admitted, however, it is known that the famous director was not unfamiliar with psychoanalytic Freudian theories (Sandis, 2009). Nowadays the use of psychoanalytic theoretical models in cinema is the norm. It is not just a specialized knowledge that concerns a particular audience anymore; it is also used as a method of creating artistic, cultural products. On the other hand, not only cinema uses psychoanalytical procedure as a tool of creativity, but also cinema could be used through psychoanalytical process as a method of manipulation and control (Tania, 1968). There is a strong interaction between cinema and psychoanalysis. Members of the Frankfurt School believe that cinema is used through psychoanalysis in order to create various forms of easy, false pleasure as a way to keep the audience unaware of the real major social existing problems (ibid). This argument has some truth to a limited extent but there are also many examples which underline that cinema, using the psychoanalytical process, emphasizes serious sociological problems. However, whatever the purpose of using the psychoanalysis, the point is tha t psychoanalytical theories have a strong connection with the creation of literary or cinematic products.