Abstract This paper offers an explanation of Erik Erikson's work, titled "Identity and the Life Cycle". The paper outlines the ways in which the human ego develops in the context of social and cultural realities and is divided into three major sections. "Identity and the Life Cycle" explains ego development and historical change as a function of the specific space and time in which an individual is born.
From the Paper "At the outset of "Identity and the Life Cycle", Erikson distances himself from Sigmund Freud. On page 18, the author criticizes specifically the "artificial differentiation" between the individual within the family and the individual within the mass of society. While Freud overly focused on familial issues and influences on the budding child ego, Erikson takes this one step further and claims that the individual's perception of socio-cultural realities are equally as significant. It is impossible, according to Erikson, to differentiate between familial and cultural or historical influences; individuals and families do not exist in isolation from the group in which they are formed."
Abstract This paper critiques and analyzes Mary Douglas's major work, "Natural Symbols: Explorations in Cosmology", and looks at the main thesis of the book, which revolves around the idea that rules of physical body turn into natural symbols for decoding the norms of the society.
From the Paper "Douglas believes natural symbols play an important role in determining the nature of various social and religious rituals and practices. How we perceive a norm is connected with how we view bodily functions and vice versa. In this book, the author gives us an explanation of how our perception of human bodily functions is an extension of different social experiences."
Abstract This paper explores Marx's and Weber's writings on estranged labor to determine if the labor theories both men used to analyze capitalism and the plight of workers in the 19th century can also be applied to 21st century capitalism. The first part of this paper discusses Marx's theory of estranged labor, as written in "The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844". In the next part, the paper then examines Max Weber's dissatisfaction with the Marx's reliance on economic theory to explain the corrupting forces of capitalism. The next section then applies Marx's and Weber's theories to modern capitalism. Weber's writings on rationalization and the bureaucracy are then used to analyze various examples of ?corporate greed.? In the conclusion, this paper argues that the examples discussed show how advanced capitalism continues to foster the growth of alienated labor, rationalization, and the bureaucracy.
From the Paper "In the 19th century, leading social theorists such as Karl Marx and Max Weber believed that because its many inherent contradictions, the capitalist system would inevitably fall into a decline. More than a century later, however, the capitalist system is far from dead. Rather, it appears to be further entrenched, encircling the world in the stranglehold of globalization."
Abstract Discusses the increase in number of grandparents taking on the roles of primary caregivers for grandchildren. Examines the reasons for this trend and the physical, emotional, mental, and economic affects on grandparents.
From the Paper "Grandparents resuming the role of parents of young children is a growing phenomenon today, with grandparents raising their grandchildren in the absence of the biological parents. Although many grandparents have always informally cared for their grandchild..."
Abstract Every twelve to fifteen seconds, on average, a woman in America is battered by her partner. This paper takes a general look at why this happens, focusing on the three accepted theories: psychological, external, and gender and development approaches. It then examines the steps taken by society and government to fight against this type of abuse, including the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). The author concludes with her personal opinion on the subject.
From the Paper "Even sponsors of the VAWA have acknowledged that the civil rights provision was a largely symbolic gesture to women (Taylor 102). So, if the most important piece of legislature passed so far to protect women's rights against violence really hasn"t had any effect, when is a policy that is actually intended to help going to be passed""
Abstract This essay examines how the functionalist perspective can be applied to the social institution of education and discusses the social functions that play a positive role in society and the means by which this is achieved. The paper looks at the functions of education for society as a whole and the functional relationship between the education system and the social system as a whole.
From the Paper "Education is important in society; the structure and processes of education systems are related to the general process of socialisation (Van Krieken et al. 2000, p.191). Many sociologists may agree with this statement, but different sociologists have many views about how societies are structured and they have different views about the role of education in society. In all perspectives, schools are seen as social institutions, but these perspectives all have different ideas on how they socialise people and for what reasons. At first glance Marxist and Functionalist views seem very similar, this is because they are both social structuralist views, but Marxism is a conflict theory, and functionalism bases itself upon consensus, paying particular attention to the positive contribution that education makes to the overall maintenance of functioning of the social system. These very crucial differences mean that the two perspectives take on two different branches of the same tree."
Abstract This paper discusses how car accidents can be deadlier or equally damaging as gang violence, suicide, or drugs and alcohol and how, every year, thousands of teens die all over the world from motor vehicle crashes alone. It looks at how teenage drivers today are responsible for about five times as many fatal crashes per license holder as are drivers between the ages of thirty-five and sixty-four, and how, in many cases, carelessness, lack of experience, and poor decision making are the most likely contributing factors. It examines how teenagers are more at risk because of delinquency, irresponsibility, and peer pressure, and attempts to identify what measures can be taken to prevent these fatal accidents from occurring.
From the Paper "There appear to be several reasons or factors that can help explain the high teen crash rate: exposure, immaturity and risk taking behaviors, and lack of driving experience. Exposure, in this case, pertains to the time of day teens are on the roadways. (Mayhew DR, Simpson HM. New to the road: young drivers and novice drivers: similar problems and solutions? Ottawa (ON): Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Canada; 1990.) Teenage drivers do a greater proportion of their driving at night and on the weekends when the risks of crashing are the highest. Forty-five percent of all teenage motor vehicle deaths occur on weekends and 43% of all teenage motor vehicle deaths occur between 9 PM and 6 AM. Immaturity and risk taking behaviors of young drivers are also key factors in their involvement in motor vehicle crashes."
Abstract This paper provides a detailed examination of the decision making process. The writer goes through the six steps of the decision making process and how it applies to everyday life needs.
From the Paper "Everything in life is tied to a decision in one way or another. Whether it is about what to eat, what to wear, who to date, where to work or what to buy, decisions are a part of every aspect of life and society. While it is one of the most used processes in life, it is also one that is taken for granted many times. The decision making process itself has often been ignored when its full value would be valuable to the person making the decisions. When a person makes a decision they often by pass several of the steps that could help them choose the best outcome, and instead do the first thing that comes to mind. The actual decision making process has been studied for a long time and it has evolved into six steps that can be replicated in any decision that needs to be made. If a person is careful to take their time and use all six of the decision making steps they will find that they have made the best choices in almost all instances of their life."
Abstract The first part of the paper examines the arguments of the pro-legalization side, focusing on those who argue that the drug can have medicinal purposes. The next part then examines the potential dangers of legalized marijuana use, both to the individual and to public health, in general. In the conclusion, the paper argues that marijuana use is not a "victimless" crime. The potential dangers that marijuana presents to individual and public health are best upheld by keeping marijuana illegal.
From the Paper "Recent ballot initiatives in states like California and Oregon asking for the decriminalization of marijuana use reveals a growing public acceptance of marijuana. The perception that marijuana is not dangerous has made drug enforcement even more difficult. Indeed, the debate over marijuana goes beyond health concerns, and touches issues such as crime and privacy as well."
Abstract This paper explains that the theories of the causality of alcoholism have changed dramatically over the last fifty years from being a learned behavior to being genetic. But now, the pendulum is slowly swinging back to viewing alcoholism as a learned behavior, with some element of genetic predisposition to the condition. The author points out that, if alcoholism is a learned behavior, it would, in fact, influence the way in which social workers treat alcoholics and their families. The paper concludes that research insists on addressing the issue of alcoholism as a complex one that, in all likelihood, includes genetic, behavioral, social, and psychological elements.
From the Paper "A number of researchers have investigated the question of whether or not alcoholism has a genetic component and, if so, how powerful that component is. This literature review summarizes some of the most recent research in this area. In general, researchers have found that there is a genetic element to alcoholism but that this element is not as important as the learned-behavior element of alcoholism. Research, such as that performed by Dawes et.al. (1999), reinforces the fact that even highly dysfunctional behavior can be learned."
Abstract This paper debates whether interracial relationships and, ultimately, marriages, erode cultural traditions and whether they cause a breakdown in racial solidarity. It looks at how interracial dating and marrying continues to increase as more and more individuals of once homogeneous communities are turning to an integrated way of life and accepting the idea that it is inside what counts. It also explores the reasons why family and friends tend to oppose interracial dating and discusses whether an interracial home life is harmful to a child.
From the Paper "Keeping black men and white women apart was the main purpose of Jim Crow. Gunnar Myrdal's landmark 1944 study found that Southern whites generally grasped that keeping blacks down also retarded their own economic progress, but whites felt that was the price they had to pay to make black men less attractive to white women. To the extent that white racism persists, it should limit the proportion of black-man/white-woman couples. Since these inequalities in interracial marriage are so
contrary to conventional expectations, what causes them? The mass media has preferred to ignore husband - wife disproportions entirely."
Abstract This paper discusses the value of a legal obligation as opposed to a moral one. The paper makes references to two documents, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King. Both Thoreau and King address the issue of moral obligation versus legal obligation, in which an individual experiences conflict with the government and society as s/he tries to follow his/her free will as a member of the society and the rules and laws imposed by the government at the same time.
From the Paper "In his discourse, Thoreau asserts, ?That government is best which governs least,? which means to say that the least government intervention in the society results to a better state of civil society. This is because he thinks that the government is susceptible to manipulation by people with vested interests, who consider the government as an institution that can be used to provide greater privileges to other people and not the society in general. Thoreau contends, ?But a government in which the majority rule in all cases can not be based on justice, even as far as men understand it."
Abstract This paper begins with an explanation of the Social Darwinism theory advocated by Herbert Spencer and derived from Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The paper defines Social Darwinism as a social theory that promotes a society that allows natural selection of the fittest and suggests setting up a social system that extends no benefits to the weak or the ill. The paper points out what is wrong with this theory, examines why Spencer believed it would lead to the attainment of human perfection, and addresses the question of whether Spencer's views were scientific or the result of a social ideology.
From the Paper "Herbert Spencer intended to use Social Darwinism in order to propagate human perfection. An interference with the natural process of selection will alter the course of a perfect society. It is important to identify what interference is. In a society that tends to achieve perfection, any efforts made by any entity to better the state or prolong the existence of the imperfect will be considered as interference. Hence, the poor are one of the weak entities in a society when viewed under the lens of Social Darwinism. The government is the entity that may support/aid the poor to prolong and propagate its survival in the society. Herbert Spencer suggested that the government support or interference by providing aid to the poor will alter the course of a perfect human society by allowing the poverty to propagate. Spencer viewed this intervention as threat to a perfect society, hence opposed all government aid to the poor. In fact, Spence supported the laissez-faire system political and economic system in order to remove all support from the state to the weak and incompetent."
Abstract This paper discusses what body image is, what exactly is being viewed by women in women's magazines and then why these images have the effect that they do. It then discusses women's reactions, how they make them feel and how viewing women's magazines can affect their self-image. It then goes into detail of what could be done to fix this.
From the Paper "Flip absent-mindedly through any young women's magazine and in between the titles and pages of ?4 Hot New Makeup Looks? and "Little Signs He's The One", you"ll see dozens and dozens of women who all look the same. Women advertising one thing or another, all with the exact same incredible makeup, all with skin highlighted with professional lighting and computer touch-ups, all pouting in that sexy manner and leaning in the same seductive poses" all perfectly sweet, sexy, and skinny. All with perfect bodies."
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between reading acquisition and reading skills and the degree of parental involvement in a child's education. This includes participation in homework assignments, attendance at school functions, beliefs about their children's abilities, and how parents emphasize different aspects of a problem in their instruction, depending on their perceptions of the nature of the task and of their children's competencies in reading acquisition and reading skills. The paper includes relevant tables and figures.
From the Paper "Although it is well established that parents play a critical role in both their children's academic achievement and their children's socioemotional development, the most basic reason to involve parents in education is student success (Greenfield & Hecht, 2001). According to Sherlie A. Anderson (2000), parental involvement is "any interaction between a parent and child that may contribute to the child's development or direct parent participation with a child's school in the interest of the child" (p. 61). Anderson notes that there are two types of parental involvement in the reading acquisition process. The first type she describes as "surface involvement"; this level involves one or both parents going to the child's school to volunteer with administrative tasks or supervising children; the second type of involvement consists of the parents working directly with children (under a teacher's supervision) in reinforcing important reading skills. "Parents are a resource that must be tapped to the fullest. They do not replace teachers, but they help fill in the gaps created by staff cutbacks. Parents can be used in a variety of meaningful ways in reading programs" (Anderson, 2000, p. 63). Further, parents stand to gain economically by helping their children learn how to read and succeed academically. According to Nabil Ibrahim, Rose-Marie Weber, and Joann Yaworski (2000), when students arrive at college ill-prepared for the rigors of higher education, it frequently results in remedial classes, lower grades, frustrated students (and parents) and consequentially higher drop-out rates. "It is certainly a concern for those parents who shoulder the high costs of tuition, room and board, and transportation for four years. In addition to students and parents, student success impacts professors and administrators at tuition driven institutions because of its potential effects on retention" (Ibrahim, Weber &Yaworski, 2000, p. 196)."
