Abstract This research paper addresses the question of whether the first onset of sexual intercourse can be foreseen by observing anti-social behavior, drug abuse, or other factors.
From the Paper "There are two working hypotheses for this study: 1. The authors hypothesize that ?one of the strongest predictors of early onset of sexual activity is that antisocial behavior develops in childhood and continues into adolescence,? and 2. Those initiating intercourse in early, mid-, and late adolescence, or not initiating during the study period, would show differing trajectories for the predictor variables...? "
Abstract This paper examines the role of priming on several social psychology behaviors including attitudes, judgements and conformity. The paper provides a description of priming and of each of the social behaviors discussed in the paper. The paper then focuses on describing past research that shows the ways in which priming affects these behaviors.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Priming Attitudes/Judgments
Priming Social Conformity
From the Paper "Schemas are cognitive representations of nonsocial and social objects that are stored in memory in associative networks. Activation of a schema increases its accessibility in the present and in the future. One way to activate a schema is through priming. Priming is any experience or mental activity that occurs prior to an event or situation and which increases the likelihood that relevant schema will be made more accessible. Such experiences or activities are referred to as primes and primes vary in the level of activation or accessibility they create. The minimum prime required to activate a schema is called the response threshold (Moskowitz, 2005). This can then affect a perception, judgment, and/or behavior by associative processes in memory. In this paper I will examine priming effects on judgments and social conformity by describing several relevant studies and their results."
Abstract Recent studies reveal the significance of parenting in the cross-generational transmission of aggressive or problem behavior up to three continuous generations. Stable evidence has long recognized and documented the negative effects of aggressive or harsh and inconsistent parenting and identified the need for interventions that would foster better parenting skills. These findings provide the direct link between the incidence of child abuse and the emergence of problem behavior later in life. This paper shows that, while child abuse occurs in all social, ethnic, and income groups, it is most common among poor, under-educated, and dysfunctional families and committed mostly by parents themselves who are young, unmarried or separated, lonely, and coping with life's stresses. This paper inquires into and understands the details that link child abuse with the development of problem behavior and what approaches can be made in addressing this reality.
Paper Outline
Abstract
Findings
Discussion
References
From the Paper "Another study offered evidence of this intergenerational continuity (Conger 2003) wherein aggression in youth is often followed by aggressive parenting and that kind of parenting, in turn, appears to contribute to aggression in children. This particular study expounded on the utter significance of parenting in the intergenerational transmission of antisocial or problem behavior, as previous findings already documented, and how normative approval of aggression, aggressive fantasies and verbal aggression maintain aggressive behavior through time."
Abstract This paper explains the social identity theory, the identity theory, the self-determination theory, the human needs theory and especially focuses on the social movement analysis theory in the context of the socialattitudes and the conflict in Northern Ireland. The author points out that this conflict exists because the people in the majority, the Protestants, have implemented a policy of sectarianism by oppressing the Catholic minority thus attempting to place this policy under the cloak of religion. The paper concludes that there will be lasting change in Northern Ireland; however, this change can only occur if all or most of the community is determined to create a society that is harmonious and abhors violence.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Social Identity Theory and Identity Theory
Self-Determination Theory
Human Needs Theory
Social Movement Analysis in Context of Northern Ireland SocialAttitudes and Conflict
Conflict Resolution
Reconciliation
Liberation Education
Transformational Politics
Personal Participation in Politics
Transformational Conflict Resolution
Imagining a Shared Future
Integrating Potential of Middle-Range Leaders
Develop People and Promote Growth and Change
Spiritual Transformation
Recognizing the Transformational Process
Indications Northern Ireland is Changing
A Changed Government
An Agenda that embraces Equality
Advancement of Human Rights
New Targeting Social Need initiative
The Policing of Northern Ireland Bill
Discussion and Conclusion
From the Paper "In the case of Northern Ireland, many attempts have been to resolve the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. The international community has attempted on several occasions to reduce the amount of violence occurring in the region. According to Crotty (2000), there has been a joint effort with the aid of the United States to resolve the dilemma facing Northern Ireland. The desire to help those living in the region has become more concerted in recent years. Much of this is due to the declining infrastructure of Northern Ireland. Crotty (2000) asserts that Northern Ireland has suffered greatly in the wake of the violence and social conflict that has occurred. The author explains that Northern Ireland was once a beautiful place that was the envy of the region, however in recent years the economy has suffered and southern Ireland is now sounder economically than Northern Ireland."
This paper discusses the anti-American attitude of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez toward the United States and suggests alternatives for resolving this problem.
Abstract This paper explains that corruption and dissatisfaction with the Venezuela democratic government brought Hugo Chavez to power. The author underscores that, because of Chavez's hostility towards the United States and the dependency of the U.S. on Venezuelan oil, an alternative to the current state of affairs between the US and Venezuela must be developed. The paper explores several possible alternatives to the current state of affairs between Venezuela and the United States, all carry differing costs and benefits the United States. These include using an oil embargo against Venezuela, which would severely affect the popularity of Chavez's government by cutting the funding for several of his popular social programs, developing anti-Chavez, pro-U.S. sentiment in the region of Latin America in an effort to use multilateral cooperation to control Chavez and his foreign policy agendam, and ignoring Chavez's anti-U.S. rhetoric and developing bilateral relations dealing with several issues of mutual concern. The paper concludes that the best alternative is using multilateral support to control Chavez, which has both the greatest benefit and the lowest cost and could help U.S. and Latin American relations in the future.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History
Development of Alternative Approaches
Cost Benefit Analysis of Alternatives
Recommendation and Justification
Executive Summary
From the Paper "Costs to developing this alternative are relatively few and would only significantly affect American policy in the Latin American region with relatively little impact on domestic issues. While the turbulent history of U.S.-Latin American relations have led to a large amount of hostility and suspicion on the part of Latin American governments towards any American involvement in the region, such a low opinion of the United States must change in order to develop the regional support necessary to control Chavez."
Tags: dependency oil anti-american rhetoric, multilateral support
This paper compares two anti-war authors: German playwright Bertolt Brecht in "Mother Courage and Her Children" and English poet Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
Abstract This paper explains that German playwright Bertolt Brecht and English poet Wilfred Owen were both deeply personally impacted by war and both felt the need to express their anti-war sentiments and beliefs in their work. The author points out that, in Owen's anti-war poetry, war has destroyed an age of innocence; he express frustration about (1) innocent soldiers hardened by war and eventually killed in many cases, (2) the attitudes of civilians back home and (3) the way many simply ignored the tragic nightmare of the war. The paper relates that Brecht's perspective on war is similar to Owen's in that he is very anti-war; however, his perspective differs because he does not view civilians as ignorant but rather as interested in prolonging the war for their profit.
From the Paper "Owen's poem appears to be inspired by the many deaths of soldiers he saw each day in the trenches of war. He starts the poem off, describing innocent young men being sent to war like cattle are sent to slaughter. He abandons his original views of war as heroic and glorious, and describes it as one large funeral where young soldiers are not given a proper goodbye. Instead of the typical church bells that are sounded when someone dies under ordinary circumstances, there are only the sounds of gunshots when a soldier dies, he writes."
Abstract This paper compares these two works and examines what was the source of these two writers' anti-religion feelings, if a specific source can truly be found. The paper speculates that even though these writers are from different periods, they have the same view of religion in both their time period and that of the Arthurian legend. It questions whether or not the works by the same two authors share this religious theme, or whether this is limited to books that are written in a setting very near the Arthurian time period. The paper also considers whether or not mark Twain was speaking entirely for himself when he wrote Connecticut Yankee, or whether he had been influenced somewhat by Sir Walter Scott's works, and Scott's opinion of religion. Whether or not mark Twain was considering revising his attitude toward the Church before he died is also speculated. This paper also attempts to get into the heads of these authors, and examines where their anti-Church attitudes came from and why it was put into their novels. Whether they were trying to make a specific point about the human condition, or whether they were just revealing their own upset about the Church and their personal beliefs. Criticisms relating to these authors, both recent criticisms and criticisms from the authors contemporaries, are also tracked down and evaluated, as they are important indicators in examining what others thought of the views that the authors expressed. Biographical sources on the authors are also examined in order to determine whether specific events that happened in their lives led them to their opinions on religion.
Introduction
Sir Walter Scott: His Hatred of the Church
Mark Twain: His Hatred of the Church, and More
Conclusion
From the Paper "It is clear from the works of both Sir Walter Scott and Mark Twain that they barely managed to conceal a deep-seated hatred for the Church. The purpose of this paper will be to examine the reasons behind this hatred, and whether or not it spreads into other works that they have created. By examining the available literature on both Scott and Twain, it will not likely be difficult to determine what situations in the pasts of these two writers caused their intense dislike for the medieval church.
Sir Walter Scott was regarded at one time as the greatest English novelist (Wright, 1996). This was largely due to the success of the Waverly novels that he wrote, but some of his other work in joy to success as well. Ivanhoe came along later on, and by then Sir Walter Scott was already quite famous. His book did well, but critics of his day complained that it seem to be more of a children's novel, and was quite poorly and somewhat hastily written in spots (Works, 1963)."
Abstract This paper explains that while the Romantic period was known for its intense appreciation of nature, it also exhibited a heightened interest in the occult, the gothic and the strange phenomena as reflected in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". The author points out the most striking similarity between Victor Frankenstein and the monster, both of which were created as Byronic figures, is, that like his creator, the monster also shuns society but simply because of society's repulsion of him. The paper relates that Frankenstein, a social misfit, is driven by an intense desire to do something outrageously different in order to earn high social status and immense fame and recognition, which shows his deep yearning for social superiority.
From the Paper "The heroes and central characters that emerged during the literature of this period were thus usually viewed as the anti-social specie with some dark attributes and deep capacity for analysis and observation of human nature. In this novel too, we notice that both Victor and the monster share some common traits such as deep intellectual tendency to analyze and study human nature. Both are dark heroes with negative characteristics who are often instigated against the society due to the cruel behavior of the people around him. Their anti-social attitude emerged from mistreatment of society and they both in their own unique way rebelled against the fixed social rules and norms. When the society shunned them, both began displaying a negative streak, which shows that unlike the traditional hero, there is no redeeming quality or "heroic virtue" that could help them emerge as a real hero in the end."
This paper discusses a movement that is redefining popular music, social consciousness, and the work of artists such as Eminem, Christina Aguilera and Pink.
Abstract This paper discusses that what is new about the social consciousness movement is who is doing it and the methodology. The paper explains that the most atypical, controversial and seemingly antisocial performers, Eminem, Christina Aguilera and Pink, are reaching out to the young people and bringing a positive messages about real life, real feelings, and real hope. The paper discusses the music of these performers and their evolution to social conscious music.
From the Paper "There may be no more controversial performer in popular music today than Marshall Mathers, AKA Eminem. Eminem has been portrayed as a misogynist, homophobic, foul-mouthed punk, but surprisingly he is at the forefront of the new music movement. This change is not going unnoticed. ?Eminem's recent trend is to put out tracks with more of a meaning.? In accordance with the new, more constructive musical philosophy, the song "Lose Yourself", from the 8 Mile soundtrack, is a brilliant anthem to believing in yourself."
Abstract Anti-social personality disorder is defined as ?a psychiatric condition characterized by chronic behavior that manipulates, exploits, or violates the rights of others. This behavior is often criminal.? (A.D.A.M., 2003). Another source describes adds that individuals with anti-social personality disorder violate the rights of others "without remorse or loyalty to anyone" (Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2004). The causes of anti-social personality disorder are not known, though many sources have provided theories that can be used to explain the development of the disorder. Two of these theories are considered in this paper. It begins with a consideration of Sigmund Freud's theory and then looks at the theory of Albert Skinner. In each case, the theory is first described. This is followed by a consideration of how an individual would develop anti-social personality disorder based on the theory.
From the Paper "In Freud's theory, the focus is on the subconscious mind. Freud's theory describes how every individual is born with a basic set of desires, which he calls the id. These are essentially selfish drives. Individuals then develops an ego, which works to control the id. As one source explains, the ego's function involves ?seeking optimal compromises between the demands of biology and those of the real world" (Seamon & Kenrick, 1994, p. 421). The next stage of development is the superego, which is described as being developed at around age five. One source describes both the superego and its development saying, "young children form a superego, or conscience, by identifying with the same-sex parent, whose moral standards they adopt" (Berk, 2004, p. 253). These three parts of the subconscious then combine and interact with the outside environment. This means that an individual determines their behavior based on both the subconscious and the demands of the outside world."
Abstract The following assignment is for a third year sociology course. The topic discussed is collective social behaviour. The collective social behavior examined in this assignment is anti-war demonstrations. The writer uses social contagion theory and emergent norm theory in order to examine the nature of anti-war demonstrations.
From the Paper "Collective behavior is a very broad area of study. For example, in Collective Behavior Erich Goode states, 'Rumors and legends, fads, and collective protest- these and other social phenomena make up the subject matter of the field of collective Behavior'. Collective behavior is the relatively spontaneous, unstructured, extra institutional behavior of a fairly large number of individuals. The fact that collective behavior is such a diverse area of study means that many activities can be used to examine it. For this paper, demonstrations against the war in Iraq or anti-war demonstrations as they are commonly called will be used to examine many of the theories about collective behavior."
Abstract This paper discusses how in terms of ideologies, actions, and goals that exist, or should exist in order for the anti-globalization movement to develop into a successful global social movement, there is general agreement that there must be a greater emphasis on social and political issues such as gender equality, and economic issues such as product music and entertainment product copyright protection. The paper further discusses that these are only two of a multitude of important issues that need to be addressed, but they reflect the anti-globalization movement's fundamental goal of protecting the social, political, and economic rights of individuals, groups, and societies as globalization expands. For example, globalization has presented many challenges and opportunities for the transnational women's movement.
Abstract This paper looks at a particular case set in Australia and dealing with an Australian Aboriginal. It describes the problem, and offers some suggestions as to what can be done for the client, and discusses the use of anti-oppressive theory in this case.
Tags:anti-oppressive theory, social work, Australia
Abstract This paper shows how the powers of social movements are derived primarily from injustice in society. The paper looks at the civil rights, feminist and anti-war movements in the nineteen-sixties that demonstrated how once a social movement gains momentum it can produce wider public dissatisfaction with the status quo and compel elected officials to take action against injustice. The paper points out, however, that the power to affect social change in society tends to be fluid, for once a social movement achieves a certain degree of social change, it meets increasing resistance, which reduces its power.
From the Paper "The Civil Rights Movement of the nineteen-sixties began because of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott in 1955, which inspired African-Americans to increase their efforts to win equality. Parks (1999) notes that a few years later, when Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent the FBI into the South in 1962 to enforce laws, prevent violence, and protect civil rights activists, it sent a strong message that the time for racial justice had arrived and that racial segregation must be ended."
Abstract This paper explains that summated ratings or Likert scales are one methodology used by academics, students, politicians and marketing researchers to determine the attitude of individuals towards a particular issue. The author relates that the use of summated ratings is a survey method that presents a set of attitude statements which the subject must express agreement or disagreement on a continuous scale of five to nine points. The author believes that summated ratings can be used to measure emotional attitudes regarding issues particular to criminal justice, such as punishment and enforcement of crime.
From the Paper "The relevance of the quantification of attitude may be found in the idea that the psychological "stimulus" designed to provoke an attitude does not necessarily have to be physical. This is reflected in the work of the psychologist Thurstone, who is considered the father of attitude measurement. He addressed the issue of how favorable an individual is with regard to a given issue in his own work. He developed an attitude continuum to determine the position of measuring favorable and unfavorable attitudes on issues. This was refined in 1932, by his prot?g? Likert, the most famous father of the attitudinal scale."
