Self

Table of Contents Purpose of the Study Methodology Results of the Study Conclusion References There is a lack of information regarding the importance of motivation in self-regulation theories. Thus, the proponents of this study attempts to understand the role of motivation in the context of â€Å"strength, or limited-resource, model of self-control in several domains† (Baumeister Vohs, 2007, p.1).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Self-Regulation, Depletion, and Motivation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The proponents of this research discovered that a reduction in resources can be overcome by motivation even if ego depletion is not the direct consequence of a lack of motivation. Interestingly, the study also discovered that self-regulation is linked to physical fuel specifically glucose-rich foods. Previous research has indicated that self-regulation is affected by at least three factors: a) standard; b) monitoring; c) self-regulatory strength (Baumeister Vohs, 2007). Self-regulation must be linked to a particular standard because self-regulation at its core is altering behavioral response on account of a particular need or goal. Thus, a person desiring food must satisfy that need and there is no inner-conflict that prevents the individual from seeking and consuming viable food resources. However, if eating food at a particular time and particular quantities can endanger the person’s health, then, self-regulation is needed. Purpose of the Study The ability to self-regulate becomes weaker over time as the need to satisfy a particular urge grows stronger. This is countered by a monitoring scheme. For example, an accountability group helps a sex addict cope with his/her addiction knowing that there is a group of people monitoring his/her progress and interested in his/her success. On the other hand all of these things are useless to the individual if he/she has no self-regulatory strength. Previous research has uncovered that â€Å"after making many choices, the chooser is less able to engage in good self-control, suggesting that making choices exhausts the self over time† (Baumeister Vohs, 2007, p.9). This phenomenon is also known as ego depletion. Previous research also pointed out that â€Å"physically tired people generally perform worse than others at strenuous tasks, but if the incentive is high enough, they can perform well despite their tiredness† (Baumeister Vohs, 2007, p.10).Advertising Looking for critical writing on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is also the added revelation that â€Å"effective self-regulation seems to involve utilizing the glucose in the bloodstream to achieve what is a psychologically difficult and biologically costly task, such as stifling one’s behavioral impulses or making difficult choices †¦ when glu cose – the primary source of fuel for all brain processes – has been depleted, the person is temporarily less able to function at optimal levels† (Baumeister Vohs, 2007, p.11). It has been made clear that a person must not allow the self to reach a point of ego depletion and this means that the body must have continuous access to glucose-rich foods. The proponents of this study wanted to add another factor to the self-regulation process and they asserted that motivation plays a vital role in helping the individual self-regulate. However, they were unable to develop an empirical study that would clearly explain the connection between motivation and self-regulation. The proponent of the study spent a great deal of time explaining the significance of access to glucose-rich foods to help a person self-regulate rather than the ability of motivation to counteract the negative impact of ego depletion or fatigue. Methodology The weakness of the argument can be seen in t he experiment that they had cited to support their claim. It has to be pointed out that the proponents of this study did not bother to develop their own empirical research and instead used the research results of studies made by Muraven, Shmueli and Burkley. Even so, the chosen studies did not seem to demonstrate the ability of motivation to significantly affect self-regulation. In one particular study the participants were asked to perform a depleting task. Afterwards they were asked to perform a second task with the added information that they would perform a third task. The study showed that the participants performed poorly on the second task. Baumeister and Vohs (2007) interpreted the depleted state of the participants as the effect of a conservation process – they were conserving their energy while performing the second task in anticipation of the third task. Baumeister and Vohs (2007) went on to conclude that the participants were motivated to perform the third task an d thus explaining the significant change in their efforts for the second task.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Self-Regulation, Depletion, and Motivation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Results of the Study Baumeister and Vohs (2007) concluded that motivation plays a key role in self-regulation arguing that if the second task was deemed more important, then, the participants would have expended more resources. This is based on the assumption that the participants were highly motivated to perform the third task but there was no information given to support that view. The argument made in the beginning of the study was that motivation should be an important factor in self-regulation. This may be true but Baumeister and Vohs did not perform a well-designed empirical research that would have proven their point. Instead, they tried to use the results of another study made by different group of researchers to fit their own assumptions. For instance, Baumeister and Vohs could not establish the fact that the participants in their cited study were motivated to perform the third task. There was also no measurement made with regards to the degree of motivation whether the participants were simply motivated or highly-motivated to complete the tasks given them. Baumeister and Vohs had a clear understanding of the problem but they were unable to show evidence that would support their hypothesis. The weakness of the research is its overreliance on previous experiments without going through the process of conducting a valid empirical study to validate their hypothesis. There is a need to clearly define what motivation means and how it can be measured. Baumeister and Vohs must develop a control group and they must isolate the effect of physical strength and access to food as the main source of self-regulation. Nevertheless, the value of this study is in the realization that not much is known re garding the impact of motivation to self-regulation. Conclusion Baumeister and Vohs were unable to show evidence to support their argument that motivation is an important factor when it comes to self-regulation. Nevertheless, their study has provided excellent background information regarding self and personality. The most important information that can be gleaned from the study is the impact of three factors: standard; monitoring; and self-regulatory strength, to achieve effective self-regulation. Another important piece of information is the linkage between energy from glucose-rich foods and the ability of the person to self-regulate.Advertising Looking for critical writing on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Baumeister and Vohs have laid the foundation for an interesting research; they simply have to develop their own empirical research to clearly demonstrate that motivation can help boost a person’s ability to self-regulate in conjunction with the other three important factors mentioned earlier. References Baumeister, R. K. Vohs. (2007). Self-regulation, ego depletion, and motivation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1. Retrieved from http://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/90559.pdf This critical writing on Self-Regulation, Depletion, and Motivation was written and submitted by user Zion Roth to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self Introduction What is self-injury? Self-injury is defined as an act of causing injury to ones own body with the use of an object like knife and laser, arrows and panga among others. Self-injury is in other words referred to as self-abuse, self-mutilation, self-inflicted violence and Para suicide.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-Injury Discussion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Self-injury behavior include burning, cutting, hair pulling, scratching, biting, hitting, self-poisoning, wound interference and branding.. Self-harm is a global issue because its incidences have grown with a blistering pace. Many people all over the world indulge in activities that result to self-harm. Psychologists have evidence that self-harm is many individuals in the society do not diagnose a relational disorder thought it. It has been evident that self-injury forms 40% of every suicide. 80% of the youth are victims of se lf-injury disorder and it is common in developing nations. People have raised concerns about whether self-harm is a disorder or a habit. Scientists say a habit is next to nature. Therefore, for those considering self-harm as habit, it should have originated from the nature or their ways of living (Eagen, 2010). Theories of self-injury There are two theories that are considered critical because they explain the causes of self-injury among the individuals and there implication in the society. These theories include the psychodynamic and behavioral theories. Psychodynamic theory This theory perceives self-injury as an attempt to distinguish between ego boundaries. According to this theory, many people embark into the use of self-injury as a mechanism of defense. Victims of self-injury consider it as a rational disorder that plays a key role in their lives because it acts as a source of relief. They consider cutting, hair pulling, burning branding and scratching among others as viable a venues through which they could relief from pain that has been caused by painful memories or stressful situations in their lives. In this regard, psychodynamic theory argues that people who self-mutilate do it in the notion that they are overcoming sexual conflicts.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus why psychodynamic theorists describe self-mutilation as a resourceful mechanism mainly made to deal with sexual conflicts in people lives (Eagen, 2010). Behavioral theory Its purpose is to focus on the maintenance of self-injury rather than its cause or origin. Under behavioral theory, there are two types of theories associated with self-injury. For instance, the positive reinforcement theory that suggests that self-injury is maintained by social reinforcements that are positive. For example if a person is faced by painful situation, he or she must develop means through which he or she could cope with the situation rather than indulging into self-injury activities. Negative reinforcement theory which is a crucial theory suggests that people self-injurer them in order to avoid stressful situations in their lives. For instance, a police officer may hit his or her eye to avoid being allocated duty. Child may decide to hit his or her head against the crib wall in order to avoid sleeping in the crib. Child’s head banging behavior in this case will play key role in child’s live since it allow him or her from sleeping in the crib. Behavioral theory argues that self-injury disorder is learnt by the individual but not inherent because it is not linked to individual genetic make-up. Is self-injury a rational disorder? Victims of self-injury may argue that it is a rational disorder but this is not the case. It is quite unreasonable to practice self-injury as a way to avoid stressful situations in life. People should learn how to adapt to whichever sit uation in their lives. There is no reason why some people should indulge into the practice of self-injury. Those people who fall victims of self-injury are therefore considered unable to regulate their feelings or emotions. Normal person should learn how to overcome such weird situations by taking control of their emotions and this states why self-injury is not a rational disorder because it interferes with individuals’ well being (Babiker Arnold, 1997). Several studies are evident that self-injury emanates from individuals belief system. Victims of self-harm consider it as a viable means through which they could express their deep distress and adapt with the painful memories in their lives. Some examples of self-harm include cutting one’s self, taking poison, committing suicide such as jumping from top buildings among others.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-Injury Discussion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People believes that, when they harm themselves they will open new avenues into which they could mouth out or express their deep distress hence are being able to cope with painful memories prevailing in their lives. Is self-injury addiction? Self-harm is addictive because those people who have attempted it before would later fall victims. The implication is that those people who have attempted self-harm are more prone to it compared to those who never practiced it. The fact with self-injury is that many people die of self-injury although intention of self-harmers is not directed at death. The society considers self-injury as an accident in the general sense but professionals have gone further to perceive self-injury as a disorder. Psychiatrics argue that every individual is prone to self-injury because they can experience harsh or tough situations that may lead to trauma among other (Gratz Chapman, 2009). According to Gratz Chapman (2009), psychiatrics be lieve that although self-injury is a disorder, it is very different from a mental disorder meaning that those people who indulge in self-harm are not mentally disabled. The point is people with trauma are said to be the victims of self-injury. Who is it that lives with self-injury? Psychological trauma has been regarded as the fertile ground for self-injury disorder mostly evident among the youth. Any psychological or emotional injury emanating from a life situation that is more threatening or extremely stressful is considered to give rise to self-injury among individuals in the society. For instance, accident, external attacks, failures to achieve ones goals in life among others are some of the factors that contributes to self-injury. Youth as mentioned are more prone to self-injury because they lack the aspect of patience in their lives. They are too emotional compared to the elderly and thus why they find it difficult to cope with stressful situations in their lives (Gratz Chapm an, 2009). Terminal illness such as Aids has been considered resourceful in the emergence of self-injury disorder to many people in the society. HIV/Aids are one of the painful moments an individual can experience in life. Many individuals who are HIV positive believe that their lives have no value hence self-injury would bring meaning their life.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is quite difficult to detect self-injurers because they tend to hide their shames and guilt by keeping their injuries secret. Scars from bruises, cigarette burns and cuts on the chest, wrists, thighs and arms can simply portray an act of self-injury among individuals. Form several researchers conducted based on self-injury issue it has been evident that many drunkards are more prone to self-injury because the drugs alter their emotions. They can act out of emotions hence resulting to the practice of self-injuries (D’Onofrio, 2007). Why do people turn to self-injury? There are different ways through which people could injure themselves. One of such ways include when people are unable of managing their emotions. Another way is when a person found it difficult to cope with the painful moments using healthier means. People turn into self-injury because they are incapable of figuring out the role of function served by the self-injury. People who live with self-injurers found it difficult to accommodate them because they do not actually understand what motivates self-injurers to harm themselves. It is a merciful incidence to witness someone harming him or her in your presence. It is quite ambiguous to seduce a person to change his or her ways of reactions to certain situations because u cannot trace in fully what accompanies his or her reactions and thus why self-injurers are neglected or ignored in the society. Only psychologists would play key role in saving the lives of self-injurers. There are different ways through which self-injury disorder can be treated. Some people thought that it is impossible to get out of self-injury cycle but there couple of ways though which an individual can stop from being a victim of self-harming (Walsh, 2008). Home treatment/ personal treatment The road to recovery can sometimes be perceived as being bumpy but with one’s reflections and assistance from friends, relatives and professionals, an individual can overcom e the disorder. The first step involves one’s decision to stop self-injury. An individual in this case is responsible for his or her own health by deciding to change his or her life. A person should ask him/herself why he/she wants to stop self-injury. This would be made easier by examining one’s motivations for quitting self-injury. By so doing an individual will be able to understand the importance of stopping self-injury through the healing process. A person should set time for quitting such behavior because this will help him or her prepare the mind prior to the actual treatment. The other thing involves confiding in someone about your problem although it will not sound better to many people who have kept the injuries for long. It is so much haunting to mouth to others what ones have been hiding for quiet long period. One should find out a trust worth person who can never spread the information to others people because it is more personal than public. It is importa nt for self-injurers to recognize their problems because this is the only way they can fight it to the end. The problem with self-injurers is that they have the mentality that other people are against their actions or behavior. Through such beliefs, it has become extremely difficult to save dear friends from self-injury disorder. Studies have showed that the best way to approach self-injury disorder is by regulation of emotions. Some people are emotionally challenged, an act that makes them victims of self-injury. They are too emotional hence being unable to regulate them emotions when faced by painful moments or stressful situations in their minds (Hyman, 1999). Professional treatment of self-injury Professional treatment of self-injury involves the intervention of trained therapists who are responsible in enabling the victims to get to the root of why they self-injure. Other treatments include family therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, hypnosis and group therapy. Counseling psych ologists are very critical professionals when it comes to the treatment of traumas (Hyman, 1999). The self-injurers will be counseled and advise on how to deal with stressful situations rather than turning into self-injury as means to cope with such situations. Psychologists’ counselors introduce the victim into other viable means of fighting trauma. Some people thought that psychologists’ counselors use medicine to treat self-injury disorder. There are steps involved in fighting self-injury disorder by psychologists’ counselors. The first step involves examining the origin of the disorder, second the frequency of the disorder to the victim, thirdly what motivates the victim to indulge into self-injury, what triggers the memory of the incidence. For instance, an accident survivor screeching of breaks by a vehicle would trigger the memory and remind him or her of the accident then he or she would embark on cutting him or her as a way to cope with the accident sce ne. Conclusion Self-injury as discussed within the context of the study is not a mental disorder but a disorder by itself. Many people became victims of self-injury disorder because they cannot regulate their emotions. They are too emotional such that when something weird occurred in their lives they cannot bear the pain hence the developed other awkward behavior that include self-injury. This disorder does not require a medicine to cure it because it emanates from psychological trauma. People themselves can be professional doctors in curing the disorder. It only depends on ones decision to stop it or to continue practicing it. Psychologists’ counselors are the only professionals known in the treatment of self-injury disorders. They counsel self-injurers thus changing their ways of life (D’Onofrio 2007). References Babiker, G. Arnold, L. (1997). The Language of Injury: Comprehending Self-Mutilation. London: Wiley-Blackwell. D’Onofrio, A. (2007). Adolescent self -injury: a comprehensive guide for counselors and health care professionals. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Eagen, R. (2010). Cutting and Self-injury, Volume 4. Washington. Dc: Crabtree Publishing Company. Gratz, K. Chapman, A. (2009). Freedom from Self-Harm: Overcoming Self-Injury with Skills from DBT and Other Treatments. Mary land: New Harbinger Publications. Hyman, J. (1999). Women living with self-injury. United Kingdom: PublisherTemple University Press Walsh, W.B. (2008). Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide. London: Guilford Press. This research paper on Self-Injury Discussion was written and submitted by user Gloria F. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self Self-Help Group A self-help group consists of people with similar problems, who wish to provide mutual support for each other. Self-help groups share a common problem in the sense that they suffer from a psychological or physical condition. The condition might be a result of a disease or a human condition. The main aim of the self-help group is to achieve common goals.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Self-help Groups and Treatment Groups Comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the main aim of an addicted group is to recover fully from drug addiction whereas the aim of a group suffering from a disease is to heal. Self-help groups emerged in the modern society to replace the nature of cooperation witnessed in the traditional society. In other words, traditional societies cared for the sick and the physically challenged in society. However, the case is different in the modern society. Se lf-help groups have replaced the traditional care provided to the disabled and other special groups in the modern society. Social change and mobility are two aspects that have disrupted the family unit in the modern society. It is not surprising to find a family member being taken to a care home yet family members are available. In the care homes, those with similar problems join hands to air their views (Miquez, Vazquez, Becona, 2002). Treatment Group On the other hand, treatment groups are clinical in nature meaning that they are used as control groups in experiments. Those suffering from a particular problem are taken to a safe place whereby they can access basic needs such as food, medication, water, housing, and care. They are very different from self-help groups because they have no control over policy formulation. They simply follow the laid down regulations and rules. In the society, some groups are vulnerable than others implying that social institutions have the responsib ility of ensuring that they protect the weak. For instance, those suffering from serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS might be isolated because of their health conditions. Such a group might not access basic needs because their families discriminate against them. The researcher might be interested in knowing their plight. In this regard, the facilitator may want to establish some of the reasons why they are discriminated. Moreover, the facilitator might be interested in identifying the consequences of discrimination on minorities. In this case, the treatment group is used as a sample because the researcher will be interested in testing some variables.Advertising Looking for critical writing on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through the research, the affected stand to benefit because their solutions to their problems would be provided. However, they do not have any power and authority over their own groups. Since problems are ever increasing in the modern society, the researcher is always faced with the challenge of ensuring that he or she comes up with valid results, which could be tested empirically. In this sense, the researcher decides to use some individuals as specimens in the laboratory. Those under laboratory test are referred to as the control group or the treatment group. The treatment group is not much different from the self-help group because members of both groups suffer from certain problems. The major difference is that self-help groups have authority over their groups yet treatment groups have no power over their own lives (Biscof, 2002). Comparison There are various differences between self-help groups and treatment groups. However, the two groups share several aspects. In the treatment group, the researcher or the facilitator has a great responsibility over the behavior of the individual members. The person who took the group member to a group determines the social welfar e of the individual group member. Therefore, the individual cannot claim to be independent meaning that his or her decision is not considered whenever the project is over. The results of the group or the goals of the group do not benefit individual members, but instead they benefit all individuals with similar conditions or problems. In the contrary, self-help groups come up with policies that aim at benefiting individual members. This means that the group member is responsible for his or her own welfare in society. In some instances, the group might be too large to an extent that it does not benefit the individual member. Under such scenarios, the individual group member has the right to seek external treatment. This is not the case in the treatment group because group members have no rights to make their own decisions. Another difference is that treatment groups do not provide much help to individual group members as compared to self-help groups. Under treatment groups, members ca n only expect help through active participation and constructive contribution. However, members are allowed to go through the information provided by other group members.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Self-help Groups and Treatment Groups Comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through this, they are in position to identify the causes of their conditions or problems. In this case, communication among group members plays a critical role in enhancing participation. In the self-help support groups, members benefit a lot because they can access information and participate in policy formulation. Moreover, they can take part in strategy application. In other words, each member has a role to play in the self-help support groups. Members are encouraged to come up with strategies that would enhance awareness among other members. Peer support is guaranteed in self-help groups, unlike in the treatment grou ps whereby support depends on the willingness of the facilitator to cooperate (Nims, 1998). The main aim of the self-help support groups is to convene the needs of members through consultation and participation. Treatment groups have different aims because people who do not have similar problems as those of the group members control them. This implies that the main aim of treatment groups is to come up with general solutions to problems affecting members. For instance, the group might focus on eradicating stigmatization among people living with aids yet it does not have the aim of improving their standards of living. This means that their aim is narrow focused, unlike the self-help groups, which have the aim of solving all problems affecting group members. The self-help groups are not limited to particular themes. Furthermore, information obtained by the facilitator or the researcher under the treatment groups is sacred and confidential. The facilitator rarely conveys the informatio n to individual members. The case is different in the self-help group because information sharing is highly encouraged. Systems Theory Systems theory is one of the theories that explain the formation of groups in counseling. Tubbs, who noted that groups develop in four major stages, created the systems theory. Tubbs noted that the first stage is orientation, which is a critical stage in development of groups. At this stage, the scholar noted that members know each other and they start negotiating as regards to the common problem affecting them. Before they proceed to the next stage, members conduct a SWOT analysis to establish their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Each group in society has strengths, as well as opportunities. In case the group is to develop well, it must identify the available opportunities before proceeding to figure out the threats. The second stage is referred to as the conflict stage.Advertising Looking for critical writing on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At this stage, members are conflicts because of conflicting interests. Scholars note that conflicts play a critical role in the development of the group. Through conflicts, a group is able to evaluate each other’s ideas and viewpoints. Members will argue until they come up with priorities. Without conflicts, members cannot differentiate between conformity and behavior regulation. Conflicts allow members to keep off from groupthink (Cohen, Levite, 2012). The third stage pertains to consensus whereby members agree to end conflicts and come up with strategies that will help them to achieve their goals in society. It is a stage whereby members are encouraged to compromise in order to benefit the group. In this regard, members will be forced to select ideas and agree on some of the contentious issues. Arriving at a consensus is the most difficult part of any group development process because some members might be unwilling to back down their views. Group members are encouraged to seek the services of experts whenever they experience a problem at this stage. Finally, systems theory suggests that the last stage of group development is the closure stage. At the closure stage, the final decision is announced to all members. Group members are expected to show their support by confirming that they support the resolutions. References Biscof, G. (2002). Remission from alcohol dependence without help: How restrictive should our definition of treatment be? Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63(2), 229-236. Cohen, O., Levite, Z. (2012). High-conflict divorced couples: combining systemic and psychodynamic perspectives. Journal of Family Therapy, 34(4), 387-402. Miquez, M. C., Vazquez, F. L., Becona, E. (2002). Effectiveness of telephone contact as an adjunct to a self-help program for smoking cessation: A randomized controlled trial in Spanish smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), 139-144. Nims, D. R. (1998). Searching for self: A theoretical model for applying family sys tems to adolescent group work. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 23(2), 133-144. This critical writing on Self-help Groups and Treatment Groups Comparison was written and submitted by user Kiera Christensen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self The ability to forgive one’s own faults has never been valued on par with forgiveness towards the others’ failures, which is rather unfortunate, as the recent research shows.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Self-Forgiveness as the Path to Learning to Forgive the Others specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to the article titled â€Å"Self-Forgiveness: The Stepchild of Forgiveness Research† conducted by Julie H. Hall and Frank D. Fincham, people’s attitude towards the others is in most cases defined by their standards for their own behavior and personality. In their paper, the authors explain the link between forgiveness and self-forgiveness, as well as define various offence-related factors. It is important to stress that the researches of that kind have never been undertaken on a scholarly scale before, since the issue in question has never been considered worthy of a scholarly r esearch. However, Hall and Fincham have successfully proved the opposite. The key issues that the given research responds to or, at least, attempts to solve, are the definition of self-forgiveness, the relation between self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness, and the means to differentiate between self-forgiveness and pseudo self-forgiveness. As for the results of the research, it must be admitted that the latter proved rather unexpected. It turned out that the forgiveness of others is closely related to self-forgiveness; moreover, the latter often predetermines the former. In addition, the authors have come up with a model of self-forgiveness that encompasses the stages of the forgiveness process, explaining the specifics of human behavior in the process of forgiving. According to the authors, self-forgiving people tend to compromise in the process of conflict solving, as well as admit that they are guilty, in most cases. Hence, it can Ð ¸ concluded that self-forgiveness de fines forgiveness.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The issue seems to be beyond exciting. Even though the idea that forgiveness stems from the ability to forgive one’s own faults is not quite new, the research offers a new vision of the problem. Hence, it seems that the paper by Hall and Fincham provides a foil for the further research. In addition, the paper raises a number of questions that are yet to be answered. For instance, Hall and Fincham claim that at present, there are no measures for forgiveness, which makes the assessment process rather complicated according to the results of Hall and Fincham’s research (Hall Fincham, 2005, 635). Moreover, the paper by Hall and Fincham raises a number of questions concerning people’s standards and the necessity to follow them. For example, the fact that forgiveness stems from self-forgiveness presupposes that one sho uld have certain standards to evaluate his/her own behavior. Projecting these standards on others, people often forget that not only the rest of the humankind, but they as well cannot live up to high standards all the time; hence stem a number of misunderstandings and misconceptions. The research results also give a lot of food for thoughts. It was more than obvious that the way in which people assess the others’ actions and decide whether the other people deserve being forgiven are much more complicated than the idea of relationship between forgiveness and self-forgiveness. Hence, the fact that Hall and Fincham came with the description of relationship-level factors and personality-level factors is quite important. In addition, the two aforementioned factors remind of the gap between an individual and the society. Hence, it can be considered that self-forgiveness and, therefore, forgiveness is predetermined not only by the specifics of one’s temper, but also by the mo ods and morals of the society that an individual lives in.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Self-Forgiveness as the Path to Learning to Forgive the Others specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Like any other idea, the theory concerning forgiveness and self-forgiveness needs a thorough practical testing. To consider Hall and Fincham’s assumptions closer, it will be a good idea to use the theories suggested by the authors in the counseling setting. For instance, the following case can be a good example of how Hall and Fincham’s ideas of forgiveness and self-forgiveness should be applied. Supposing, in counseling setting, a client has asked me as a clinician for help. After a short session, it has turned out that the client, Mr. Brown, has issues with forgiving. However, he has not considered the given feature a flaw until recently. To be more particular, Mr. Brown has constant conflicts with his stepson, w hom he is still blaming for failing at the tests and not going for higher education. In the course of the therapy session, it became obvious that Mr. Brown has very high standards, and not everyone in the neighborhood can live up to them. To make the situation even more complicated, Mr. Brown confessed that even he could not live up to these standards all the time, which makes him feel extremely guilty. As a result, not only he, but also the people who live with him suffer. To solve the given situation, it will be necessary to make Mr. Brown realize the inevitability of making mistakes, as well as the importance of being able to admit that he has the right to make these mistakes. Reference List Hall, J. Fincham, F. (2005). Self-forgiveness: The stepchild of forgiveness  research. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(5), 621-637. This essay on Self-Forgiveness as the Path to Learning to Forgive the Others was written and submitted by user Abb1ga1l to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self Can it be too late to see and understand the real nature or real value of definite things and relations? Different people can experience a kind of awakening or catharsis as a result of the external factors’ impact or as a result of the long spiritual journey toward the self-awareness.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-Awareness and Awakening in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† and Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The narrator of Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† published in 1983 is a self-centered man who is inclined to see the world in a way which is convenient for him that is why his world is limited and framed because of his lack of sensitiveness and ability to feel and learn. Thus, the story’s narrator is focused on himself, he does not understand his wife and her feelings , and he does not want to see the wife’s blind friend in his house because this man is associated with the wife’s past life, however, this blind man helps the main character ‘see’ and understand himself or to awake. Carver’s character receives the chance to awake in time, when something can be changed. However, Connie as the main character of Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† (1966) seems to receive the chance to understand the values in the life too late, while facing the threat of being abused by the cruel men. Although both Raymond Carver and Joyce Carol Oates focus on the topic of self-awareness and awakening in their stories, the authors choose different approaches to emphasize the significance of these actions; Carver demonstrates the possibilities to awake through the understanding and learning when Oates shows the negative effects of not being awakened in time. In his short story â€Å"Cathed ral†, Raymond Carver uses the first person narrative point of view in order to represent the situations and events through the eyes of the main character who interacts with his wife and the blind man. The important role of this approach is in the fact that the reader receives the opportunity to understand that the narrator lacks self-awareness, and he is rather ‘blind’ while discussing himself and other people with the focus on the narrator’s own words and descriptions. From this point, the narrator’s narrow-mindedness and impossibility to see the deeper meaning is emphasized with references to his thoughts about the blind man’s visit. Thus, the narrator states, â€Å"I wasn’t enthusiastic about his [the blind man’s] visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies.Advertising Looking for research paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your firs t paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed† (Carver 1). Thinking over the visit, the narrator is focused only on his own feelings and negative associations related to the ‘idea of blindness’, without paying much attention to the wife’s expectations, although the wife discusses this blind man as the closest friend, thus, the first person narrative point of view serves successfully to accentuate the narrator’s true emotions. According to Clark, â€Å"Carver’s laconic speakers often narrate in a reportorial, self-effacing manner. They objectively document subjective sensory experiences, requiring a heightened degree of interpretive synthesis† (Clark 106). To demonstrate his perception of the situation, the narrator describes his emotions in short abrupt sentences, using words with negative connotation. However, in spite of the worst expectations, the narrator’s meeting with the b lind man provides the main character with the opportunity to experience the self-awareness and become awakened in order to understand himself, the other persons, and the real sense of life. Being unable to see beyond the surface, the narrator does not want to learn how to grow spiritually and how to awake. From this perspective, Carver refers to contrasting the narrator who does not want to act to understand himself and his wife and the blind man for whom â€Å"learning never ends† because he â€Å"got ears† (Carver 9). Although the narrator can use eyes and ears, he cannot use them appropriately in order to examine the external world and his inner world of feelings. Clark explains Carver’s approach to depict the main character while stating that â€Å"the narrator is emotionally close to the actions he describes, yet maintains a detached stance†, thus, the suggestion about the author’s intention is that â€Å"he wants his audience to form their o wn conclusion† (Clark 108). The narrator is even detached from the life he lives because he cannot open his eyes and learn the deeper meanings or examine the hidden emotions and feelings expressed by his wife. Nevertheless, the main difference of Carver’s story from Oates’s one is in the fact that the main character receives the chance to learn the truth, to experience catharsis, and to awake with the help of the blind man’s words. Trying to describe a cathedral, the narrator follows the blind man’s words and closes his eyes in order to draw the cathedral and to feel it. Following the blind man’s advice, the narrator experiences the true awakening, and he says, â€Å"I was in my house †¦ But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything. â€Å"It’s really something,† I said† (Carver 13).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-Awareness and Awakening in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Ca thedral† and Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Carver ends his story with these words, and the reader can assume that the life of the narrator can change significantly because of the experience and these new feelings. It is possible to refer to Clark’s discussion of this ending because the researcher states that for the first time, the narrator â€Å"has wrestled with matters of â€Å"truth and illusion† and become more aware of a world outside of himself† (Clark 110). Self-awareness becomes the result of the interactions with the blind man, and it is possible to expect that the narrator can use his chance to learn how to see beyond the surface, while changing his arrogance and ignorance directed toward his wife and the blind man because of the spiritual awakening. If Carver provides the main character with the opportunity to e xperience self-awareness and to learn the importance of awakening in order to change the life, Oates demonstrates the significance of self-awareness and awakening though presenting the possible outcomes of not following the right path. Connie, a 15-year-old main character of Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?†, is described as a person who intends to present herself as a mature woman while being a teenager who ignores the parents’ rules. Describing Connie, Oates states that â€Å"she was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right† (Oates 1). The author accentuates the girl’s lack of self-awareness while emphasizing Connie’s extreme focus on herself, on her appearance, and on the other people’s vision of the girl. To give the readers an opportunity to conclude about Connie’s actions and the story’s ending independently, Oates uses the third person narrative point of view in contrast to the first person narrative used by Carver. That is why, Connie’s considerations and thoughts are presented in a rather ironical manner. The girl is described as rejecting to follow the right path from the teenager’s maximalist visions and naà ¯ve discussion of the world around to the spiritual awakening. Thus, for instance, Oates draws the reader’s attention to the fact that â€Å"her [Connie’s] mother was so simple, Connie thought† (Oates 2). Connie is inclined to judge the people round her as ‘simple’ without understanding that she lacks the real vision of the mature life. While discussing Connie’s abilities in understanding herself and the real world, Cruise states that â€Å"Connie lacks interest in what either lies outside her orbit or does not bear directly upon the urgencies of her life† (Cruise 97). Tha t is why, Connie needs to experience the awakening from her illusory reality in which she is the mature woman who can have the sexual relations with men or act as women who have the significant background.Advertising Looking for research paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Describing Connie’s thoughts and ideas in detail and developing a lot of dialogues, Oates focuses on the fact that Connie used to live in the world of her fantasy. Nevertheless, the author does not provide the young girl with the real chance to change her life and attitude to it with the help of awakening because Connie’s way to self-awareness is too long in spite of her young age, and the author makes the reader assume that, finally, Connie experiences awakening, but there is no time to change something in her life. The approaches used by Oates and Carver to discuss the topic of awakening and the necessity of self-awareness are similar in relation to the fact that both authors provide the hints to understand the main characters’ significant experience in the final words of the stories. Thus, following the cruel men, Connie focuses on much land which is observed everywhere, â€Å"so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to kno w that she was going to it† (Oates 9). In this case, Connie develops â€Å"the capacity to define herself actively or consciously† (Cruise 102). Although these final words can be discussed as the culmination of Connie’s spiritual awakening, the reader can assume that this experience cannot provide Connie with a chance to change the life for better. In their short stories, Carver and Oates discuss the topic of self-awareness and awakening while using similar methods of presenting the important experience of awakening in the final words of the stories. However, the authors’ approaches to the presentation of the topic are different because Carver and Oates are inclined to use to contrasting variants to demonstrate the importance of the discussed experience. Thus, if Carver’s narrator receives the chance to change his life and to grow spiritually, Oates’s Connie has few chances to change any thing in her life because it is too late to analyze the weaknesses in her attitudes and behaviours. From this perspective, in spite of the fact that the authors focus on the same topic of self-awareness, Carver and Oates’s approaches to discussing the topic are quite opposite and rather intriguing. Works Cited Carver, Raymond. Cathedral. n.d. Web. Clark, Robert. â€Å"Keeping the Reader in the House: American Minimalism, Literary Impressionism, and Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†. Journal of Modern Literature36.1 (2012): 104-118. Print. Cruise, James. â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† and Cold War Hermeneutics†. South Central Review 22.2 (2005): 95-109. Print. Oates, Joyce Carol. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 2003. Web. This research paper on Self-Awareness and Awakening in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† and Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† was written and submitted by user Reuben Frazier to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self Introduction According to Gitman and McDaniel (2009), organizations work well when employees form functional teams. These scholars say that it is important to make people work as a group. Human being by nature needs constant motivation and a reminder of the aim that should be achieved after a specified period.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-managed Teams vs. Cross-functional Teams specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The top management may not be able to maintain a constant presence within the firm that would help ensure that employees remain motivated. For this reason, it is important to ensure that another way of maintaining this motivation is found. These scholars say that the best way of doing this is to ensure that employees are in a position to motivate themselves. This can only be possible if these employees are made to work as a team. Employees should be allowed to form small manageable teams f ocused on achieving specific objectives within the firm. Plunkett, Attner and Allen (2008) say that a number of teams can be formed within an organization. The most common form of teams in a firm comprises the cross-functional teams and self-managed teams (Parker, 2003). Other forms of teams that may exist within an organization include virtual teams, functional teams, and problem solving teams. All these teams are defined based on the reason for their development, the way they operate, and their management structure. Cross-functional teams and self-managed teams share a number of factors. For instance, both teams mainly focus on knowledge and skill sharing, teamwork and increased commitment towards tasks within the organization. The scholars also acknowledge that these two types of teams have a number of differences. Cross-functional teams According to Parker (2003), cross-functional teams within an organization are important, and their relevance in motivating employees should not be ignored. According to this scholar, cross-functional teams are formed when members from different departments within an organization come together to achieve a specific goal.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These members may come from marketing department, production unit, finance department, customer care, or any other unit within an organization. The main aim of these individuals to come together is to share knowledge and skills from their departments that would make them perform better in their respective departments. According to Parker (2003), cross-functional groups work in unidirectional manner when compared to self-managed groups. Team members in this group come together with the focus of obtaining general success of the organization other than specific objective. The team members will be aiming at finding the best ways in which they can share information from their various departments to make operations of other members from other departments better (Plunkett, Attner Allen, 2008). Based on its definition, two to twenty team members can form Cross-functional teams. However, the optimal number of members in such a group should be eight or nine members. This is the right number that is easily manageable and able to share skills and information for the betterment of the organization. Self-managed teams Plunkett, Attner, and Allen (2008) talk about self-managed teams and how they are important in an organization. These scholars appreciate the fact that in an organizational setting, it is important to have people work in teams. Working as a team does not only improve morale of employees, but also help in making employees understand each other. Some employees take long before they can socialize with their workmates. Other employees may take longer than normal to socialize with workmates. People work well when in a team of people they und erstand well (Plunkett, Attner Allen, 2008). It is not possible for the management to wait for the time new employees will get to socialize with others. This process can be sped up by making employees form teams tasked with a specific project. This forces employees to come together as a unit in order to realize the intended goals. In such a scenario, the involved team members will have no choice but to get to know each other better.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Self-managed Teams vs. Cross-functional Teams specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When dealing with employees who are skilled in their area of duties, it is best when they form self-managed teams (Denhardt, Aristigueta Denhardt, 2002). For instance, when the group consists of engineers or architects, it is important to allow them to run their groups without direct interference from the top management. This will help avoid cases where the team i s stopped from undertaking tasks that can transform the firm positively. The management would be briefed occasionally on the progress of the firm. This is how self-managed teams work. Importance of teams within an organization According to Denhardt, Aristigueta and Denhardt (2002), business world has become increasingly competitive, and firms must come up with ways through which they can manage this competition. The scholars say that in any organization, employees are the most important asset that can help a firm to achieve its intended objectives. When the top management set goals and objectives that should be achieved after a given period of time, the employees will be responsible for the implementation of strategies. The employees will work together in order to realize the goals through by following the set goals and objectives. The employees must have good management in order to be able to work appropriately to achieve the intended goals. In managing employees, it is important t o ensure that they work in teams. This applies to both the profit and nonprofit making organizations. According to Parker (2003), employees always work best when they are in teams. They feel that they are supported, and that their effort plays a role in ensuring the general success of a firm. When organized into small teams, employees feel that they are kept away from the watchful eyes of their superiors. This creates an environment of creativity among employees. However, these scholars say that it is important to specify the type of teams formed in the organization. The way a self-managed team will operate within an organization is different from the way cross-functional team will be run. Each of the groups has different approaches of undertaking duties that may be assigned to them (Denhardt, Aristigueta Denhardt, 2002). The management should be able to understand the needs of the firm at a particular time. The needs and condition of a firm will determine whether self-managed team s or cross-functional teams are necessary.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When dealing with highly skilled labor assigned to undertake a given project, the team should be considered as self-managed. This is because the involved team members have the right skills and expertise and are trusted to make the right decision. On the other hand, cross-functional teams would be needed in cases where departments need to share information in order to achieve specific objectives. Comparing leadership structure in cross-functional teams and self-managed teams According to Lussier and Achua (2010), one of the main difference between self-managed teams and cross-functional teams is their management structure. As the name suggests, self-managed teams work more independently without any form of direct interference from the top management unit of an organization. On the other hand, the top management unit of a firm always monitors cross-functional teams closely. This is because of the difference in composition of the two teams. Cross-functional teams can consist of any mem ber of different departments irrespective of their skills or experience in their fields. They come together to achieve an overall goal of the organization. On the other hand, self-managed teams involve members who are highly skilled and experienced in their various fields. Self-managed teams can be formed under two contexts. The management can either decide to bring together skilled labor in one line of expertise such as engineers or architectures to undertake a specific task. This is common when a firm is dealing with an issue within that particular area where these team members have the needed skills. Alternatively, self-managed teams can also be formed when skilled and experienced employees are drawn from various departments to deal with an issue that affects the firm from various departments. This would involve bringing lawyers, marketers, accountants, engineers, and architectures to address an issue concerning the overall management of the firm (Lussier Achua, 2010). The diffe rence between the self-managed team from cross-functional teams is that the top management closely manages cross-functional teams while the self-managed teams work with minimal supervision. It is therefore; clear that, although self-managed and cross-functional teams share a number of factors, a number of factors that make them different. References Denhardt, R. B., Aristigueta, M. P., Denhardt, J. V. (2002). Managing human behavior in public nonprofit organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Gitman, L. J., McDaniel, C. D. (2009). The future of business: The essentials. Mason: South-Western Cenage Learning. Lussier, R. N., Achua, C. F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development. Australia: SouthWestern Cengage Learning. Parker, G. M. (2003). Cross-functional teams: Working with allies, enemies, and other strangers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Plunkett, W. R., Attner, R. F., Allen, G. (2008). Management: Meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Australia: Thomson S outh-Western. This research paper on Self-managed Teams vs. Cross-functional Teams was written and submitted by user Coen Carrillo to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Self Self

Contemporary Integrated Marketing Communications The WritePass Journal

Contemporary Integrated Marketing Communications Introduction Contemporary Integrated Marketing Communications ). The users tend to share their location details and their statuses on the social network websites. The majority of users have started to access the social networking websites via mobile devices contrary to the previous utilization of Broadband-enabled PCs and laptops (Humphrey and Laverie, 2011). In fact, the number of users, who access the Internet via Smartphones, has doubled over the recent years (New Market Trend Watch, 2012). With this in mind, the companies have started to benefit from the location based advertising via mobile access. Location based advertising is not a new concept, however the innovation attributed to this concept suggests mobile advertising tailoring on the basis of locations (Bruner and Kumar, 2007). Given the fact that the mobile phones are always with the individual, it makes it quite easy to generate interest among the consumers. There are two approaches to Location Based advertising, namely push and pull approach (Bruner and Kumar, 2007; Unni and Harmo n, 2007). The push approach suggests that the companies send out adverts either to specific consumers and/or to all the consumers.   The pull approach implies that the customer request the adverts themselves. Location based strategies and tactics are regarded to be part of the customer management strategy, which imply the delivery of the proactive individualized attention to the customers in the form of customized advertising. Humphrey and Laverie, (2011) suggest that the social media network has   gone further and has   started to introduce the incentives that are aimed at the development of willingness to share the location via social networking website. It is especially visible in the example of Foursquare (Humphrey and Laverie, 2011). This company provides the badges for a certain number of location sharing events. Therefore, there is a great potential for this type of mobile advertising to grow , if the opportunity is seized by the company on time (Dao and Jeong, 2012). For instance, Facebook has reported a decline in its profits, since the management was late on the adoption of mobile advertising on the rise of popularity in mobile access (Bloomberg, 2012). Application of Theory to the Case Study Location-based advertising is regarded to be quite efficient, especially for the small-sized companies (Mashable, 2012). This is especially beneficial for the studied company, namely Get Fit Now! Gym Company. As a result, the location based advertising may be triggered by the location of this company and its branches. It has been estimated that it might be quite profitable for the small sized businesses. It has been estimated in the consumer survey in 2010 that 49 % would utilize the location based advertising, if the information that they would receive via advertisements would be more relevant (Internet Advertising Bureau, 2010). Given the fact, that a consumer is located in the region as the gym, namely Get Fit Now!, the location based advertising might trigger the consumer’s interest, and therefore the behavioural intentions to visit the gym or at least to ask for   information about the services. Yoo, Donthu and Lee, (2000) have estimated that advertising positively affects the increase in the positive brand associations and therefore the increase in the brand equity. This implies that the frequency of the viewed advertising directly affects the increase in the cognitive processes of the consumers. This, in turn, drives the memorization of the certain advertisements (Yoo, Donthu and Lee, 2000). Therefore, the frequency of being located in the certain area directly affects the frequency of the viewed advertising. As a result, this is regarded to be a valuable advertisement, since it targets the individuals, who would be interested in visiting the Gym, due to the certain current location. It would b e, however, more valuable and useful, to integrate more of consumer data in the location-based advertising. This implies that simple location might be a limited data for generation of consumer interest in the particular product or service (Xu, Oh and Teo, 2009). This research also implies that the mobile devices are still limited for the receipt of rich multimedia content, which may affect the quality of advertising. Therefore, even though, the consumer might receive the adverts, due to this limitation, they might lack interest in the content of advertising (Xu, Oh, Teo, 2009). As a result, this implies that location-based advertising is a relatively new area, which needs further development in the task of consumer demand’s escalation. Discussion The main challenges that are attributed to   location based advertising imply that it is still new to the customers,so the consumers may be reluctant to utilize this kind of technology. This is mainly associated with privacy and security concerns. Kim et al., (2004) have estimated that for the new users of the innovative technology,   privacy and security are the key issues for concern. However, it is stated that if there is valuable information, which is provided in exchange to the location–related data, the concerns about   privacy and security are diminished (Mobile Marketer, 2012). The main problem lies in the ability to provide the products for the attributed target market, rather than for everyone. Therefore, the technology should be advanced enough in order to provide valuable information to the customers, based on the segmentation data, beyond the simple location. The main role in location based advertising is played by the actual mobile device. However some mobile companies are reluctant to promote  Ã‚   location based advertising (Mobile Marketer, 2012). For instance, it has been estimated that recently, along with the new iOS6 platform, Apple has integrated its own branded maps, instead of Google maps. As a result, a number of glitches were reported within this system that has affected location based advertising in a very negative way (Mobile Marketer, 2012). Conclusion This report was designed in order to demonstrate the role of location based advertising in the modern marketing communication mix. It has been estimated that location based advertising is still in the first stages of development and promotion. This implies that for consumers, this is still regarded as innovative technology. This drives the development of concerns for privacy and security, related to this type of technology. Furthermore, it has been estimated that there is a large potential for location based advertising. However there is supposed to be some advanced technology integrated in order to be able to base the advertising on the segmentation variables, beyond the location. However, it has been estimated that for the small-sized businesses, location based advertising is regarded to be beneficial. Therefore, this type of advertising will be quite advantageous fro Get It Fit Now! Gyms. The main challenges are attributed to the innovative feature of this type of advertising and the inability to target the right customer segments. As a result, the customers do not have the ability to receive really valuable information in exchange for their location data. Another problem relates to the mobile companies that restrict the location based advertising on their devices. References: Bloomberg. (2012). Facebook Working on Location-Based Mobile-Ad Product. Available: bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/facebook-readying-location-based-mobile-ad-product.html (Accessed on 9/1/2013) BusinessWeek. (2012). Facebook: The Making of 1 Billion Users. Available: businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-04/facebook-the-making-of-1-billion-users (Accessed on 9/1/2013) Dao T., Jeong S., Ahn H. (2012). A novel recommendation model of location-based advertising: Context-Aware Collaborative Filtering using GA approach. Expert Systems with Applications, Vol. 39, pp. 3731-3739 Evans D. (2008). The Economics of the Online Advertising Industry. Review of Network Economics. Vol. 7, Iss.3, pp. 1446-9022 Humphrey W., Laverie D. (2011). Driving Frequency with Mobile Social Networks and the Mediating Effects of Price and Quota Promotions. IJMM, Winter, Vol.6, Iss.2, pp. 46-60 Internet Advertising Bureau. (2010). Location Based Advertising on mobile. Available: iabuk.net/sites/default/files/white-paper-docs/Location%20Based%20Advertising%20-%20Whitepaper.pdf (Accessed on 9/1/2013) Kim S.S., Malhotra K.N., Agarwal J. (2004). Internet Users’ Information Privacy Concerns (IUIPC): The Construct, the Scale, and a Causal Model. Information Systems Research, Vol.15, Iss. 4, pp. 336 -355 Kotler P., Armstrong G. (2010). Principles of Marketing. 13th ed., Pearson: USA Mashable. (2012). How to Leverage Location Data for Better Mobile Ads. Available: http://mashable.com/2012/07/09/mobile-advertising-location-data/ (Accessed on 9/1/2013) Mobile Marketer. (2012). Location-based advertising still searching for its place. Available: mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/13009.html (Accessed on 9/1/2013) Mobile Marketer. (2012). Is Apple screwing up location-based advertising opportunities? Available: mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/13899.html (Accessed on 9/1/2013) Unni R., Harmon R. (2007). Perceived Effectiveness of Push vs Pull Mobile Location Based Advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising. Vol.7, Iss.2, pp. 28-40 Xu H., Oh L., Teo H. (2009). Perceived effectiveness of text vs. multimedia Location-Based Advertising messaging. International Journal of Mobile Communications. Vol.7., Iss. 2., pp. 154-177 Yoo, B., Donthu N., and Lee S. (2000). An Examination of Selected Marketing Mix Elements and Brand Equity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Vol. 28, pp. 195-211

Biography of Sigmund Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biography of Sigmund Freud - Essay Example Freud’s father was a merchant and had a textile business in Freiberg. This business had supported Jacob and his wife Amelia till the birth of Sigmund. However, the business started to fall when baby Sigmund was just four years. Prejudice against the Jews had increased in Austria. However, legal restrictions against them had loosened. In other words, the Jewish doctors, academics, businessmen, and lawyers were gaining important positions in the society of Austria. In fact, the failure of Jacob Freud’s business together with the loosened restrictions was the main reasons why the family moved to Leipzig in the year 1859. They then moved to Vienna, Austria in the year 1860 where they lived in Leopold Stadt which was an area of the Jews (Hergenhahn, 2009).Young Freud was already an uncle at the time of birth. This is because his father had two other sons from a different marriage which existed before he met Amalie Freud. The two half-brothers were Emmanuel and Philip. John, one of his half-brother’s son, was young Freud’s favorite playmate when they were living in Freiberg. Amalie gave birth to another son called Julius one and a half years after Sigmund was born. Studies show that Sigmund was very jealous of Julius. This jealousness perhaps prompted Sigmund to develop sibling rivalry theory later in his career.Sigmund and his siblings were brought up with a non-religious background despite the fact that his parents had been raised as followers of the Orthodox Jews.

Auto world case study- Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Auto world case study- Service Marketing - Essay Example Empathy- personalized attention to loyal and regular customers. Separate database maintenance will be established for regular customers who come for routine check up of their cars and no need for them to stand in a queue. Assuming that manual service writing has been replaced with computerized system of entering service orders and creation of database of regular customers with oil and maintenance routine has been put in place at Auto World, the service blueprint will be worked out as follows: (Appendix 2) (Bitner, Ostrom and Morgan 2008) The new service strategy for enhancing service would be to segregate the routine and emergency service customers on the basis of maintained database. As a result, routine customers will be asked to fill a form and let go after taking their cars. Emergency customers would have to detail the service writer about the problem and then place the order. As stated already, cars and their servicing are marked by greater intangibility and thus, bettering this component of the business will definitely bring benefits to Carol. Recovering from service failure will encompass timely deliveries, increased attention to customer expectations and deciding upon who should be involved at which stage and in which process of service delivery (Boshoff 1997). As obvious from case facts, annoying behavior of employees has been a key factor in the failure and bad experience of service in Auto World (Lovelock, Wirtz & Chew 2009). As such, tangible offering will have to be coupled with more of intangible aspects to deliver an optimum service and product mix. One bad service experience in car servicing is error in delivering the worked upon car. For instance, whether manual or computerized entry system, a car was to be delivered to the customer on a specific date but when the customer asked the service agent to confirm the date, it was told incorrect by error. As a result, the customer had to wait

Dualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dualism - Essay Example In Metaphysics, it holds that there are two realities: material and immaterial whereas, in the Philosophy of the Mind, it holds that the body and soul are categorically two completely different substances. In addition, the Minds’ Philosophy adjoins that the mental fact comprises of a small number of aspects that are by nature non-physical (â€Å"Dualism – Mind/Brain†). This concept is justified because we have a conscious state since we are able to have thoughts, emotions, desires, sensations and beliefs. In addition, that if the mind was merely a material substance comprising only of physical aspects, we would not be able to classify actions as intelligent or otherwise. Fundamentally, this concept opposes that of materialism, as the mind does not operate on a pre-set manner (Mastin). Scientifically, dualism can be explained using the fact that if one wanted to read our thoughts, they would not merely do so by looking at the brain waves; they would have to ask us. From a religious viewpoint, dualism is explained by the fact that people have faith in a Supreme Being; therefore, ascribe themselves to various religions, which consequently determine their actions in certain situations (Mastin). Property Dualism- this classification argues that the brain is an indistinct substance constituting of independent attributes that arise from the brain; hence, mental attributes come up because of the manner in which living human beings are made up. Predicate Dualism- this classification maintains that the psychological occurrences we have cannot be reduced to physical predicates in our innate languages; thus, we cannot explain the reality of the world through mere predicates i.e. description of the subject of a proposition. Initiated by Immanuel Kant in the 17th century, categorical imperative is the core principal behind moral evaluation. It proposes that every action we take when in a particular situation

Process for Passing Legislation

Process for Passing Legislation Tim Mulligan Energizing California’s Legislature How to Inspire Legislative and Electorate Action about an Electric Vehicle I have recently invented a solar-electric hybrid vehicle that could have immensely positive effects on drivers of California, and it could also facilitate a significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels in the state. In order for my invention to gain more prevalence throughout the state and to begin making these changes, I will need to have a piece of legislation passed. I believe that individuals who purchase one of my hybrid vehicles should be entitled to a $4,000 tax credit because of the positive impact they are having on the environment. There are several ways to go about this. Legislative Process In order for this appropriations bill to be passed by the California legislature, several things need to happen. I first need to contact my congressman and inform him about my product and the idea that I have for a piece of legislature. This is my primary involvement in the legislative process as I have the chance to speak with my congressman on the merits of my product and the legislation that I would like passed. The legislative process begins when either my state senator or my state assemblyman decides to author the bill for me. After my congressman has authored my bill, it is sent to the Legislative Counsel to be officially drafted into a bill. The newly drafted bill will be sent back to my congressman so that it can be introduced to his or her congressional house, the Senate, or the Assembly. My congressman will read the proposed bill to his/her congressional house and the bill will be sent to the Office of State Printing not to be dealt with for 30 days. Next are the committee hearings. The bill is sent to the Rules Committee where it will be reviewed to see which policy committees in which it needs to be seen. For this specific bill, I believe that it would be sent to committees such as the Appropriations Committee, Environmental Safety and Toxins Committee, Natural Resources Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee. This is because the bill deals with a $4,000 tax credit for individuals and also because my product has an impact on the environment and our use of natural resources. These committees can pass the bill as it is out forth by my congressman, pass it with amendment, or they can defeat the bill. If the bill survives the committee process it is then read a second and third time, followed by a roll call vote within the congressman’s congressional house. As an appropriations bill, it would need 27 votes in the senate and 54 votes in the state assembly to be passed. If the bill passes after undergoing this whole process in one of the congressional houses, the process is then repeated in the other house. If both housed approve the bill, it is then sent to the governor where he can either sign it, allow it to become law without his signature, or he can veto it. Use of Lobbyists, Interest Groups and Campaign Contributions The most significant way that I can help my legislation get passed is through the use of lobbyists and interest groups. Lobbyists and interest groups often have very close relationships with members of congress and their influence in the legislative process is invaluable. I would need to employ lobbyists from environmental groups to help communicate with my congressman the advantages that my hybrid vehicle would bring to the state of California. Interest groups can mobilize my idea within the population and lobbyists can promote my idea face to face with my congressman. Campaign contributions are also incredibly influential in the legislative process because there are many interest groups, lobbyists and corperations that can influence congressmen by either contributing to their campaign funds in return for legislative action, or they can withdraw their often massive contributions if the congressman does not support legislature that caters to their best interests. Using Direct Democracy I could also take the route of direct democracy in order to get my legislation passed. This would occur through the initiative process. I would need to make a request for a title and summary for my proposal. Because this process is so expensive I would most likely need to have the help of lobbyists or interest groups. I would also need to hire attourney’s so that my proposal can be drafted in proper legal text. Once the attourney general has prepared a title and summary for my initiative, it is on to the signature process. I would need to acquire a number of signatures in support for the initiative that is equal to the full number of votes that were casted for any governor candidate in the last gubernational election. If I indeed allocate this many signatures, the Secretary of State will include the initiative in the next general election and any special elections subsequent to the intitiatives qualifying. Waging a Successful Direct Democracy Campaign After I have successfully brought my initiative to the ballot, I will need to campaign for it so that I can see that it is passed in the next election. At this point there is no doubt that I will need the aid of interest groups, not only for their public influence but for their campaign funds. I will need to select a sponsor that not only has funds but also has the ability to reach the voters. Research will need to be funded not only to analyze the potential benefits of my hybrid vehicle and the tax credit that it would bring individuals, but to analyze the public opinion and how voters can best be reached. Focus groups will help me to develop my strongest arguments for why my bill should be passed and these ideas will be put forth in advertisements. Television advertisements, radio advertisements and hired interest group lobbyists will be my primary means of campaigning for people to pass my legislation. Pros and Cons of Legislative Process/ Direct Democracy I believe that direct democracy would be the strongest means of getting my hybrid car tax credit passed into legislation. I believe that bills that are proposed to the legislation are often impeded by the partisanship of the members of Congress. This is true not only on a federal level but at the state level. I think that lobbyists can only propel a bill so far into the legislature before partisanship will defeat it, or amend it beyond its primary purpose. The legislative process is a good safeguard for mitigating the number of laws that are passed as well as intensely analyzing their contents before they are passed. But, I do not believe that the legislative process would serve my bill well. Direct democracy would be a good means of getting my legislation passed because I believe that it would be easy to mobilize voters on a bill that could potentially credit them $4,000 for purchasing an already money saving car. The preservation of natural resources is an issue that more and more people are agreeing upon today and I do not believe that anybody would be opposed to a tax credit. I think that my only problem with the direct democracy route would be actually mobilizing people to vote. Because this bill really only effects those who are purchasing my vehicle, the number of people that would feel the need to vote for it would be very small. People do not often vote on things that they feel do not have an effect on them and that could be problem when it comes to mobilizing the electorate to consider my car that effects a small group of people.

Winston Churchill Essay -- essays research papers

Winston Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, at Blenheim Palace, the famous palace near Oxford that was built by the nation for John Churchill, the first duke of Marlborough. Blenheim meant a lot to Winston Churchill. It was there that he became engaged to his wife, Clementine Ogilvy Hozier. He later wrote his historical masterpiece, The Life and Times of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. With English on his father's side and American on his mother's, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill expressed the national qualities of both his parents. His name proves the richness of his historic background: Winston, after the Royalist family, who the Churchill’s married before the English Civil War; Leonard, after his remarkable grandfather, Leonard Jerome of New York; Spencer, the married name of a daughter of the first duke of Marlborough, from who the family descended; Churchill, the family name of the first duke, which his descendants maintained after the Battle of Waterloo. All these strands come together in a career that had no resemblance in British history for richness, length, and achievement. Churchill took a leading part in laying the foundations of the welfare state in Britain, in preparing the Royal Navy for World War I, and in settling the political boundaries in the Middle East after the war. In World War II he began as the leader of the United British Nation and Commonwealth to resist the German domination of Europe, as an inspirer of the resistance among free people, and as a prime architect of victory. In this, and in the struggle against communism later, he made himself an essential link between the British and American people, for he saw that the best defense for the free world was for the English-speaking people to come together. (Down 133). Strongly historically minded, he also had predictive foresight: British-American unity was the message of his last great book, A History of the English-speaking Peoples. He was a combination of a soldier, writer, artist, and statesman. He was not so good as a party politician. He stands out not only as a great man of action, but as a writer of it too. He was a genius; as a man he was charming, happy, and enthusiastic. As for personal faults, he was bound to be a great egoist; so strong a personality was likely to be overbearing. He was something of a gambler, always too willing to take risks. In his ... ...ed across the Atlantic with a supply of weapons that made a beginning. On Oct. 26, 1951, at the age of 77, he again became prime minister, as well as minister of defense. As the Conservatives held a very small majority and Britain faced very difficult economic circumstances, only the old man's willpower enabled his government to survive. He held on to see the young Queen Elizabeth II crowned at Westminster in June 1953, attending as a Knight of the Garter, an honor he had received a few weeks earlier. In 1953, also, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. On April 5, 1955, in his 80th year, he resigned as prime minister, but he continued to sit in Commons until July 1964. Churchill's later years were relatively calm. In 1958 the Royal Academy devoted its galleries to a retrospective one-man show of his work. On April 9, 1963, he received, by special act of the U.S. Congress, the unique honor of being made an honorary American citizen. When he died in London on Jan. 24, 1965, at the age of 90, he was acclaimed as a citizen of the world, and on January 30 he was given the funeral of a hero. He was buried at Bladon, in the little churchyard near Blenheim Palace, his birthplace.

Critical Analysis Top Dog Under Dog

While booth is n awkward person, he tends to try to take the easy way out by doing illegal stunts such as robbery which causes a turning point in the play. In this analysis I Am mainly arguing whether this story was a reenactment of the death of Abraham Lincoln; when he was killed by John Wilkes Booth in an assassination. My main argument is whether it was a racial thing to reenact the assassination but using African Americans in poverty to contribute the roles of one of the biggest assassinations in U.S Offence 2 history. Both brothers going through rough times and Lincoln getting fired and being out of a job. They both have nothing to rely on but Booth thinks getting his brother Lincoln back into the game will change their financial stance significantly. The use of â€Å"Lincoln† and â€Å"Booth† provides a means of rewriting history in terms of an ironic textually and a parodied reversal. This becomes a case of laughter in which Parks' ironic use of the names works t o undermine the social history of the US and slavery.This irony is the fact that Lincoln arcade job is an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, assassinated daily by paying customers. This figure of the black man playing as a white man. As the figures of the white assassin can be made black, these become roles which any individual can take up in his or her own celebration. Yet, what this shows is that such imagery is not merely a formal of history, but rather that it encodes a deeper logic. That is, beneath the play of names and the reversal of black and white, Top dog/Underdog plays on the logic of chance and inevitability.On the one hand, the characters' narrative fate is preordained by their names; on the other hand, they have a choice, a chance to rewrite the historical narrative f Booth killing Lincoln. That the black Booth kills the black Lincoln in the end is explained through the logic that blacks Offence 3 have no one to blame but themselves for black on black violence; it is a mat ter of â€Å"individual† responsibility. Context: Topped/Underdog is in time era of about roughly 1 ass's. These late summer nights puts two grown brothers in a tiny boardinghouse room to work through their past, present, and possible futures.The room is rented by the younger of the two, Booth, a petty thief and wannabe threaded Monte street cutlers; the rent is paid by the elder brother, Lincoln, an arcade performer and former card hustler who has sworn off the cards. Characters: Booth (cards) is a black male who is little brother to Lincoln. He is a daily thief who steals everything he desires. Booth is a guy who thinks he is a know it all but in reality is just a crazy bipolar idiot who thinks he has a plan for everything. Booth tries to learn the hustle game 3 card Monte by pressuring his brother Lincoln into teaching his the cheats and skills of the game.Drop out in school and tells everyone lies o get what he wants such as making Links wife have an affair. He is the mur derer because he kills his brother Lincoln in an Offence 4 altercation where Booth felt as if his brother Link robbed him of his entire inheritance Lincoln (Link) is a Black male in his ass's. He is big brother to Booth. Lincoln is a relaxed chilled character who keeps small. He went to school and worked at an arcade imposing as honest Abe to make a living at a low pay salary. He used to hustle people for their money in a game called card Monte. Ft the gang and hustler life to save his life and get on the eight track because he seen his partner get murdered. Link is very unconfined in his motives and feels that whatever he wants to do is not the right way such as when he is goanna lose his job; he overreacts and is not confident that he will not get his job back. Link is smart; he learns from his mistakes when his friend was murdered. Grace is a Smart intelligent woman who is studying cosmetology. She dates Booth and is supposedly in love with Booth since she was a little girl so sa ys Booth. She is beautiful; she knows how to have a lot of fun and knows what she wants in life.

Memory is deceptive because it is coloured by todays events Essays

Memory is deceptive because it is coloured by todays events Essays Memory is deceptive because it is coloured by todays events Essay Memory is deceptive because it is coloured by todays events Essay Essay Topic: Literature Woman of Colour Novel Literature is a constantly contested and revised term coined to separate the literary world into works of superior or lasting artistic merit and the ‘other’. This elitist nature used by literary ‘scholars’ created the foundation for all the teachings and ideals of the social, cultural and political thoughts of their times. The worth of literature and the means of classification have stemmed from a culmination of varying critique, seen by the changes in phase of perspective from Modernism; valuing the ‘grand narratives of truth’; to New Criticism; the objective evaluation of the ‘text’; and Post-modernism; the movement away from the hierarchy of literature. Thematics, messages, tropes, contexts and the social, cultural and political hierarchy of the time all contribute to the literary ‘worth’ of a text. This agglomeration of features develops texts consisting of the utmost textual integrity; the flow and connection between all the facets of texts. Gail Jones, ‘Sixty Lights’, set in Australia, India and England in the 19th Century, follows the multi-faceted life of the capricious and palimpsest Lucy Strange as she develops and uncovers her modernistic view of light and the world, through the tragedies that befall her and the opportunities that arise. Jones develops a highly intricate and polysensual novel enveloping multiple theories on light, exploring and presenting ideas around photography, memory, light, darkness, ghostliness and the non-linearity of time, through her ambiguity, lyrical lexicon, pre-emption, construction, content, language, binaries, intertextuality and manipulation of the forms and modes of narratives. This abundance of noted facets allow for the multiple interpretations and over-arching worth of ‘Sixty Lights’ as a beautifully composed and worthy text supporting its inclusion in the HSC Prescriptions List. What remade her world: The capture of light. ’(Pg. 139). ‘Sixty Lights’ is set in the 19th Century Victorian society, where the rise of photography becomes apparent and expands to become the ubiquitous form of memory in the 21st Century. Photography; ‘light writing’ is the central theme in the novel, it is ambiguous in the sense that not only does Lucy develop her love and appreciation of this ‘light writing’ but also Gail Jones lexicon choice is a form of ‘light writing’, creating whimsical images captured through her lexicon of image-laden words and light embedded words. Conical’ is repeated throughout the novel in order to both represent the act of photography, the flooding of light into a single image, and the co-working of photography and memory, ‘silver and conical; as seen in the opening scene. This ‘light writing’ is evident throughout, as each sentence; each paragraph can stand alone as an image, as a beacon of light. Photography has without doubt made her a seer; she is a woman of the future, someone leaning into time, beyond others, precarious, unafraid to fall’, there is constant reference to her ‘falling’ and ‘stepping’ into the future, instead of dwelling on the past, she moves on to the prospects of the future. This futuristic and unconventional thought process is in its essence modernist. Lucy, although from the Victorian era, is a modernist character, unhindered or swayed by the conventions of her social construct, searching, discovering and capturing the truths that are imbedded in the world. She travels the streets un-chaperoned at night; she tastes ‘pan-wallah’ in India and moves from the ‘science’ of photography into the aesthetic and omnipresent nature of the image. ‘Sixty Lights’ primarily mimics the action of memory, recurring and redoubling as a series of hallucinated images which re-member the Victorian period. With its sixty chapters that read as sixty snapshots, some apparently unrelated to the others, ‘Sixty Lights’ is equivalent to an album of photographs; a collection of memories, offering images that are partly shrouded by shadow, ‘flecked with time’, coloured by loss, following along with Lucy’s personal philosophy. The implication of the novels’ depiction of reading as the drawing off of other experiences is that ‘Sixty Lights’ offers the Victorian era as the seance of another experience, another time, into ourselves. Indeed, through the notion of embodied and inherited memory, they offer the Victorian era as part of our heritage, and inheritance; the Victorian period is written into our cultural memory. Thus, the Victorian past is offered to us, through a series of references to popular Victorian novels, photographs, fashion, events and landmarks, as an afterimage, a picture that we continue to see in ‘ghosted’ form. ‘Sixty Light’ is a repetition of the Victorian period, medium for its haunting presence. The exploration of Victorian photography and reading foregrounds memory’s discourse, both its loss and retrieval writing the Victorian period into our cultural memory, and suggesting that it has left myriad traces embodied in texts, images and other material, if transient, forms. Rather than focus upon the problematisation of historical representation, ‘Sixty Lights’ utilises the spectrality of the photograph as a means to explore the uncanny repetition of the Victorian past in the present, and to focus upon the possibility of recovery, the attempt at repayment, even if that which is restored amounts only to the aberrant presence of the ghost. Each posits the historical novel as one means through which the Victorian past can be remembered, if not restored, through the power of language. Thus, in ‘Sixty Lights’ literary text is depicted as an important medium for materialising the past and makes it a culturally worthy text to study. Her use of these theories of lights also intertwines with another exceptional feat she managed to engineer, the intertextualisation of numerous, novels, essays, myths etc. into her novel. Prominent throughout her novel is the Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes, a book with prolific ideas on the effect of photography and objects on memory. He explores two fundamental themes of photography, the studium; the desired message, and the punctum; that accident that disturbs the harmony of the studium. The contrast of Victor and Lucy as photographers: Lucy whom favours the ‘Maculare: stained, spotted, blemished’, the punctum as Barthes would say, whilst Victor favours the ‘immaculare: like the Holy Virgin’ or the studium. Not only does she use theoretical books to instil in the readers a broader sense of understanding to her purpose of the novel, to capture in itself the significance of lights, its effects on ‘seeing’ and its interstitial lucidity, but also adapts narratives and children’s stories in order to give a deeper insight into Lucy. The Princess and the Pea is used to reveal, almost overtly, the sensitivity of Lucy to the light and the world. ‘Lucy was enchanted by the magically sensitivity of princess†¦the felt the tiniest impressions’ (Pg. 27) this ‘enchantment’ of Lucy to some figure, or idea, is symbolic of a shift, or a revelation, of Lucy as she discovers this deep-settled facet of her own self, as her mother says ‘My princess’ (Pg. 31). This ‘sensitivity’ to the lucidity, the ‘subtle beyond’, carries with her throughout the novel. This intertextualisation of not only theoretical and subjective texts, but also the mythical and imaginative, makes a superiorly prepared and thought out novel, worthy of critical analysis. This broadly Bildungsroman text, following the birth to death development of Lucy, is not all that it seems, nor does it try to conceal it. Lucy in the present is in a ‘phantasmic dialogue with the past’, personifying this folding of the past into the present, synchronous with her viewing and ‘stepping into the future’. This folding and pleating of time, is portrayed through many forms in the text, photography, at its base, Lucy’s pre-emption of the future, the links between chapters and the recurring theme of ghostliness. ‘Sixty Lights’ raises the possibility of spectral visitations through both Thomas and the spiritualist Madam Esperance, the notion of the past as revenant is largely elaborated through the ghostliness of photography. Rather than the actual ‘ghost’, it is the ghostliness of photography that becomes a metaphor for this revenant past. In Sixty Lights Neville greets the spiritualist’s luminous image, supposedly the ghost of Honoria, with the whispered word ‘ectoplasm’ (Pg. 94). He believes ‘it is ectoplasm ghosts are composed of’ (Pg. 92), and which Madame Esperance can summon. Barthes deploys the same language to describe photography. This word, ectoplasm, entwines the ghostly image and the photograph as images of an abnormal, or haunting presence. In Sixty Lights the desire to make dead voices speak transforms into the desire to cheat the obliterating action of time and death by creating permanent images, through words and writing, as defences against forgetting. Thus, one of the period’s important technological inventions, the photograph, is proclaimed as ‘the future’ but is, paradoxically, entangled to the past through its yearning for memory-made-permanent. Lucy is wholly anachronistic, she ‘saw both the past and the future’, as ‘Photographs cracked open time’ (pg. 235). This is synonymous with the construction of the novel, connecting chapters to following and preceding chapters; the opening ‘Lucy’ takes us to page 157 where her and Isaac share a bed and he calls her name, the development of Honoria and James, pre-Honoria’s death, are juxtaposed to the development of Lucy and Thomas, post-death, and the seeming misplaced images from her own novel, ‘Special Things Seen’, all act as a metaphor and a medium for a past cyclic, both lost and, paradoxically, perpetuated, continuously repeated in the present. These ‘ruptures’ of time, are utilized by Jones to canvass the non-linearity of time ‘the false liveliness of clocks’, and especially the affect grief and mourning have on the pleating of time. Archetypal of this ‘multitemporal’ construction of ‘Sixty Lights’ is Micheal Serres ‘Conservations of Science, Culture and Time’, ‘the handkerchief represents†¦concept of time which distance and proximity are stable and clearly define; but crumpled in the pocket the handkerchief evokes a ‘topological’ concept of time in which previously distant points ‘become close or even superimposed’†¦ Modernity, can be imagine as pleated or crumpled time, drawing together the past, present and future. In essence, Lucy is symbolic of the anachronistic nature time, a handkerchief crumpled bringing together the lives of her mother, and the future of her child and all the light in-between. This intricate weaving of time, transforms the traditionally conservative and despotic Bildungsroman into a modernist text, it can be seen that this straying away from the mainstream of forms is unconventional and overwhelming, placing the reader in a state of confusion and ‘jump’ state, where time is juggled, but this not only deepens and supports the themes of the novel, but adds another layer, creating the ‘maculate’. Although the novel is based on a Bildungsroman structure, it is written in a post-modernist perspective. Post-modernism, fundamentally, is a move against modernism, its stems from a recognition that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality. For this reason, postmodernism is highly skeptical of explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person. In the postmodern understanding, interpretation is everything; reality only comes into being through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually. Postmodernism relies on concrete experience over abstract principles, knowing always that the outcome of ones own experience will necessarily be fallible and relative, rather than certain and universal. ‘Sixty Lights’ is a highly ambiguous title. The sixty chapters of the novel, sixty lights that resonate in her mind and the festival of lights, the birth of Emma, are all interpretable from the title. It is evident that this novel encompasses all things light. Thus, it is uncanny that the novel, so surrounded and encapsulated in light, begins the novel in darkness. This dark introduces two binary themes in the novel, light and dark, and life and death, which shall be explored furthermore. Light is constantly referred to, constructed and resonated throughout the novel. Lucy uses it to form her passion for photography and her sensitivity to the world. The opening scene opens in the darkness, broken first by sound, followed by a string of sensual chains. Insects struck at the mosquito net, which fell silver and conical, like a bridal garment around them’ introduces light to the novel and also light to Lucy ‘a small flare of light’. This light follows Lucy throughout her life, till her death bed, where she was ‘anticipating, more than anything, and abyss of light†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ It is metaphorical of her ability to ignite like a ‘magnesium ribbon’ through the hardships that befall her, whilst being symbolic of the importance of ‘seeing’ in the world of the reader; it is as much an opening to the world of Lucy as it is to the personal lives of the readers. Alternatively, and equally as justifiable, Lucy is seen as a lighthouse, the light beneath the dark, ‘But the desert light’, she said, ‘is scintillating’†¦ Thomas too thought about it many years later†¦ [when he tried] To recover his dead sister’s face, drifting over the surface of the desert. ’ Although light fills novel, darkness fills the empty spaces creating a full-hearted, well-rounded novel. This opposing shade acts as a medium through which grief and mourning manifest and are expressed. In contrast to Lucy followed and enshrouded by light, Thomas is her reversal. This darkness encompasses Thomas from early in the novel, it is when his sleep-walking is betoken, and in has a pinnacle and lasting impression on him, ‘The impersonation of himself was more fearsome than his father’s face appearing on the hallway mirror. The dark around him was welling, as though it would swallow and cover him. Darkness in bucketsful†¦[it] was the hypnotic confirmation of a solitude that he would carry throughout his life’ (pg. 38-39). This epitomizes the grief that he ‘carries throughout life’ and is created by this ‘welling’ of the darkness around him. This dichotomy is not only used to be symbolic of the grief and mourning, but it also ties into her ‘light writing’ and helps to develop ‘snapshots in prose’, images layered into the construction of her sentences. This layering of light and darkness fashions the characters within the novel and adds another interesting layer to this tiered novel, although it can be seen as a highly cliche use of light and dark as forms of representing the inner aura of characters, it is sophistically executed and allows for the discovery of that extra inkling of light after multiple reads, making it worthy of critical study. Sixty Lights’ is everlastingly imprinted by life and death, juxtaposed to each other and evident as two of the only things certain in life; people will live and people will die. These two concepts are recurring in all her works and play a key role in each. The poignant fact of Lucy’s short life, presented to us at the beginning, ‘her own death – in a few years time, at the age of twenty-two. ’ (Pg. 42), is an introduction to the novel and to the steadfast nature of death. There are two key juxtapositions that occur in the book, in terms of life and death. The opening introduces us to Lucy, and the growing life within her, the ‘tiny baby hand in the darkness’, which is then juxtaposed to the revealing of her death at the ‘age of twenty-two’. Secondly and more strongly presented is through the death of Honoria as she harbours new life. This cogent juxtaposition forms the foundation of the novel, the unescapable nature of life and death. In many ways, Lucy and Thomas are binary oppositions; they oppose each other in terms of the era they reflect. Firstly, their rituals are unanimous but their sense and reaction to grief are in stark contrast, ‘bereavement settled as an abstract quality of distortion’. Lucy’s reaction to grief stems to that of distraction in the form of destruction, converting any bereavement into a form of relinquishing her humanity and inflicting damage, becoming in a sense the cause of death. Thomas, on the other hand, follows the endemic form of grieving and ‘burst into tears†¦[and] disappeared for a whole day. These contrasting forms of grief swathe, which Jones values, the multiple ways in which ‘bereavement settles’. This broader understanding and acceptance of life and death create a sense of consciousness within the novel, one, which speaks to the reader in ways of the personal and social, moulding this novel to that beyond the norm, making it of superior worth, a novel worthy of inclusion of the HSC Prescriptions List. Stand alone, each of these layers in t he novel work as ultimately simplistic and used themes, although they do stand out as original in their representation. The success of ‘Sixty Lights’ as a worthy text does not simply come down to the quantity and quality of the themes, these are all in great quality and numerous quantities, but as many argue, for quantity, more is less, if the quality is superior. But one cannot simply say, the novel is not worthy of text due to the vast amounts of knowledge it holds, due to the fact that it is so intricately, delicately and sophistically interwoven and interconnected that it is of supreme worth, its punctum does not disturb the harmony of its studium, but give it the greatest level of exposure, falling together with the utmost textual integrity. Sixty Lights’ is a modernist text, of a Victorian lady, from a post-modernist perspective. The only way such a feat, such a mesh of the three vastly differing literary forms, could only have been achieved by the textual integrity of Lucy, the conduit between the three. She is a woman, living in the present, viewing the past and future simultaneously through the lens of her perspective, motivated by the light beneath the lampshade (Lampshade: a hoop around an untellable story), a palimpsest unveiled.