Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Play Julius Caesar Is An Eclectic Mix Of Wise And Ignorant, Cunnin

The play Julius Caesar is an eclectic mix of wise and ignorant, cunning and na?ve, heroes and cowards. The pageantry set forth in the play exemplifies the formality of everyday Roman life and the gravity of the official duties. Each main character in Julius Caesar has a positive quality that embraces the reader and a negative quality that leads to their tragic downfall. Although the characters possess more than two qualities, their strongest, most aggressive points shine through. At the end of the play two characters are forced to penetrate each other's minds and evaluate the good and evil. One is a domineering, egotistical, selfish conspirator. He lacks the power and appraisal that his enemy, Julius Caesar has, and, therefore, uses his envy and jealousy as a drive to convert others to challenge Caesar. His opposing force is a reserved, mediocre man who's only love his the country he stands upon. The powerhouse of confidence versus the dollhouse of reservation ends in an explosion of destruction. Marcus Brutus is the most admirable character in Julius Caesar. He is the only person involved in the conspiracy against Caesar for his country. He truly believes that Caesar's ambition will ruin the fortitude of his beloved Rome. Brutus uses his hidden inner strength to survive the brutality of the conspiracy and the harsh reality of the aftermath. In the beginning of the play, Brutus appears as a quiet lamb. He follows the herd, lives by example, and keeps his thoughts and opinions disclosed from the public masses. Although he is reserved, his undying desire for a better Rome shines through like light flowing from a stained-glass window. When Cassius first confronts Brutus to become a member of the conspiracy, his lacking confidence is evident. Brutus says, "Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, / that you would have me seek into myself/ for that which is not in me?" (1.2.45-47). However, his self-assurance grows as the play continues and by the end he stands up for his beliefs and backs them with power. Brutus is admirable for his love and devotion to Rome. He was born Roman and died Roman. His affection for justice and honor is one of the most evident characteristics about him. The opposite of Marcus Brutus is Gaius Cassius. He is a strong-willed, cunning, jealous villain who only wants Julius Caesar dead for his own, selfish reasons. He sees Caesar as an ambitious man who is after more power and control. What Cassius forgets to do is to evaluate his own image and realize his race for personal betterment. Throughout the play, Cassius, like a cat, uses his mind controlling skills to climb his way to the top, not caring whom he pounces on in the end. He converts Brutus to his mere puppet. Cassius dreams of the thoughts and actions and has Brutus carry the negative plans out. Cassius is the most villainous character because he is actually a coward. He is too afraid to go for his goals himself, to work hard and achieve the right to be a leader. Instead, he underhandedly commits other Romans to kill an adored leader for his own selfish merit and his proclaimed "justice." Cassius is even afraid to overcome a challenge with Brutus. Even during a devilish argument in act IV, Cassius gives in to Brutus' desires (4.228-30). He is too afraid of losing his workman and too much of a coward to become the leader. Brutus and Cassius are two opposite characters. Brutus is a compassionate, reserved, humane individual. He knows his goals and desires and goes after them quietly and respectively. He does everything for the good of Rome, even when it comes to sacrificing his life. Cassius, however, is a vile, envious coward, whose mind is like a tempest, longing to thrust danger upon those more powerful than he. Although both die gruesome deaths, Brutus dies an honorable, patriotic soul and Cassius dies a disgraceful, mischievous man. Bibliography N/A

Sunday, November 24, 2019

lincoln essays

lincoln essays In March 1861, when Abraham Lincoln took the oath as the sixteenth president of the United States, the country had been struggling with the question of slavery for years. Kansas was bleeding from it, laws had been broken over it and in early February, seven southern states had finally seceded because of it and formed the Confederate States of America. In Kansas, pro-slavery and anti-slavery partisans engaged in a bloody war for control of the territorial government. Prior to these events, the voters who supported Lincoln in 1860 preferred preserving the Union rather than abolishing slavery; however they both became major issues of his presidency following his election. Contrary to many beliefs, the election of Lincoln was not the result of his followers, the majority of them being Republicans, wanting to completely remove slavery. He was known as the  gGreat Emancipator h and yet he did not publicly call for emancipation throughout his entire life. Actually, Lincoln denied continuously that he was an abolitionist. In two separate debates, he refused to believe that blacks should enjoy the privileges of American citizenship. Secondly, much as he hated slavery, he accepted it fs the law of the land, which he held sacred,  gas if the Almighty had written it in golden letters a yard high h. Throughout his inaugural address in March of 1861, Lincoln gave additional evidence suggesting that as President he really had no intention of advocating emancipation. Lincoln insisted he had  gno purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the states where it already exists h. He continued by stating he had neither the lawful right nor the inclination to do so. His speech plainly states without doubt that Lincoln fs primary motive was not to abolish slavery. Instead, during the election campaign of 1860, Lincoln fs highest priority had been to keep the country united. He felt that any decision he would make as president wou...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Buddhism Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Buddhism Reflection - Essay Example It is because of this evolution and varying schools of thought that causes confusion when it comes to better understanding the underlying factors connected with the quest of man to achieve self-salvation. To begin with, most of the schools of thought are united in the idea that there are 4 Noble Truths that can guide the way of life of a person who is hoping to achieve Nirvana or a Buddha like status of self-salvation. These four truths include (â€Å"Buddhas Four Noble Truths†) : Acknowledging the above mentioned truths of Buddha is the beginning of enlightenment of a person. Through meditation, self-examination, and self-reflection, one can discover at what point of life he is at in relation to the four truths and in the process, help him analyze how he might move forward from his current point of being. Only by growing as a person, through the achievement of the four truths can a person claim to have achieved self-salvation. Regardless of which school of thought you subscribe to in Buddhism, be it the India or Chinese based school of proselytyzing, the goal of each school is the same, personal salvation. A sense of salvation that comes from within a person who, through the altering of his way of life, has finally managed to free himself from the constraints of the material world in order to achieve a higher sense of intellectual and spiritual achievement. This particular sense of salvation can only be reached by the person once he accepts that our world is not permanent and hence, should not be clung to. This will then allow a person to clean his thoughts and actions in an effort to achieve a Zen like status in life. The Four Noble Truths that guide the path of a Buddhist is what also helps him decipher how he can improve himself in order to benefit others. Buddhism, in my opinion, once viewed from the point of view of a symbiotic, sentient relationship between human beings, leads us to

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 7

Research Proposal - Essay Example Two middle managers, a labour union leader and thirteen low-level permanent employees were selected using two-stage random sampling technique. Two standardize and validated instruments (questionnaires and interview guides) were used to generate background information and data for analysis. The result of the survey indicates 68.5% believe informal mechanism is more effective in improving individual performance while 54.3% believe it is most appropriate for teamwork. In contrast, 51% low-level employees believe formal mechanisms improve individual performance while 30.1% believe it improves teamwork. Both middle managers and low-level employees believe that a combination of informal and formal control mechanisms is most effective in enhancing employee performance and productivity. However, 79.5% of the middle managers believe a combination that emphasizes formal mechanism is more effective. This is in contrast to low-level employees’ perception (93.4%) that a combination of info rmal and formal strategies that gives prominence to informal interactions among employees is more effective in enhancing employee performance. This contradictory perception of the combination of mechanisms suggests the need for further research into the relations between different combinations of mechanisms and employee performance at individual and team levels. The environment organizations operate is fast changing politically, economically, socially and technologically. These changes are impacting on the way organizations are designed to accommodate resultant changes in relationships among employees. It is the responsibility of management of organizations to continuously respond to these changes in environment and relationship among employees. Traditional rigid methods of dealing with employee relations vis-Ã  -vis performance and productivity are giving way for newer flexible methods. The

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Military leaders role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Military leaders role - Essay Example For Clausewitz, by the time he was writing his book "On War," his thoughts on war had evolved towards notions like "War is a continuation of politics with an admixture of other means" and that there could be different ways and means of warfare. Here the concern is particularly towards his views on the practical uses of military history to and his "critical analysis" where he distinguished carefully between the historian and the military critic, despite his admission that both roles were often complementary.According to Clausewitz for a military historian, there had to be a use of the critical analysis which would involve the tracing of effects back to their causes which would be essentially an investigation into what military steps were taken and whether they were effective at a tactical, operational, strategic and political level. Before I revisit Clausewitz on his notions of a military leader it would be fair to discuss what Machiavelli and Sun Tzu have to say about the military le ader's role in defining national interests and military objectives in war. Machiavelli Machiavelli is much known for his book "The Prince" in which he has described how a prince or in other terms a military leader can keep his control on his jurisdiction.For him, control is particularly a difficult matter for a new prince whose status is not established by lineage or popular consent amongst the masses. The new prince or military leader would have a hard time creating a stabilized framework of power. Many times the prince will have to do carry out unpleasant, perhaps evil things to carry out his task. Machiavelli has refrained from discussing the ideal price or leader.Instead, he gives examples as to which of the military leaders/princes were successful in establishing their rule and most of these examples are drawn from his own analysis of history. As a renaissance writer, he uses an amount of classical historical examples. At first sight, his ideas seem  to hard to swallow as he seems to endorse any evil act by such rulers to gain power and control. A more profound understanding of his views,  however, indicates that he has actually qualified such measures with restrictions like the  philosophical view that any evil action can be justified if it is done for a good purpose. The work faced much negative criticism even in its time and was banned by the Catholic church. For Machiavelli, a good military leader would know how to use good and evil as instruments of power. Essentially he was trying to promote a more practical approach lined with pragmatism. However, realism is a bitter medicine and many people including myself find the idea of an undemocratically elected military leader abhorrent and dysfunctional. Such a military leader would invariably not be able to strike any balance between good or evil and keep tilting towards evil whenever his survival is threatened. An example is the current military crisis in South Asia particularly Bangladesh and Paki stan.  

Friday, November 15, 2019

Strategies to Motivate Employees

Strategies to Motivate Employees INTRODUCTION Motivation of employees in the workplace is one of the fundamental responsibilities of a manager, in order to achieve high levels of productivity, to satisfy the ever changing customer needs, and to withstand the increasing global competition. Management motivates the organizational members to make the most of the scarce resources by distributing awards to outstanding employees and perhaps punishing those showing unacceptable performance. Steers (1987) stated that â€Å"A comprehensive theory of motivation at work must address itself to at least three important sets of variables which constitute the work situation, i.e. the characteristics of the individual, the characteristics of the job and the characteristics of the work environment†. (Blue†¦) Motivation is a tool, often used by the managers to catalyze the avidness of the employees to work without pressure. Various motivational theories have been used since decades to stimulate the workforce in achieving extraordinary results in all fields of work. To motivate the employees, the managers should understand that different people have different set of needs and understanding, and therefore, should be able to use the right mix of motivational theories depending on different individuals, different societies, and different organizational levels. Use of analogous motivation methods may lead to frustration, resentment and a perception of inequity for employees from a diverse culture. (cited from CULTURAL VALUES IN RELATION TO EQUITY SENSTIVITY WITHIN AND ACROSS CULTURES, KENNETH G. WHEELER) Taking this into consideration the managers should apply their knowledge of the various motivational theories to improve the workplace performance. It would depend on different societies, different individuals, and different organizational or job levels. There is not probably a universal motivator for all mankind, nor is there a single motivating force for any one individual. It is a problem of what mixture of needs for what kind of people in what kind of society. In Hong Kong, for example, there is no doubt that money is a predominant motivator with regard to both the lower level need satisfaction and the fulfilment of status and achievement goals. Employee motivation or motivation of organizational members is one of the critical functions of a manager, because there is a persistently increasing pressure for increased productivity in order to meet competition, to best utilize the scarce resources, and to provide goods and services to more and more people at less and less cost Organizations motivate their workforce to perform effectively by offering them rewards for satisfactory performance and perhaps punishing them for unsatisfactory performance. Motivation is the catalyst that spurns employees eagerness to work without pressure. To motivate is to provide employees with a motive to do some tasks. It is to cause or provoke somebody to act either positively or negatively. Motivation has been used by effective managers to prompt ordinary people to achieve uncommon results in all fields of endeavours People work because they have goals to achieve which surpass financial gains from their employment. Maslow (1943) said that people work to survive and live through financial compensation, to make new friends, to have job security, for a sense of achievement and to feel important in the society, to have a sense of identity, and most especially to have job satisfaction. All employees that have job satisfaction are high performers in their respective workplaces. Theories of Motivation Motivational theories are broadly segregated based on two grounds. The one dealing with the scientific approach such as Equity and Expectancy theory are called process theories and those showcasing the inner drive of an employee that motivates them to work such as Maslows (1954) hierarchy of needs and Herzbergs (1959) two factor theory are called content theories. The below mentioned section will highlight more about these theories. MOTIVATION THEORIES Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow (1954) presented the hierarchy of needs and divided them into two groups; deficiency and incremental needs. The deficiency needs includes the biological, safety, belongingness and social needs whereas the incremental needs comprises of the esteem and self actualization needs (Citation: Huitt, W. (2004). Maslows hierarchy of needs. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date] from, http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html. Return to:). Maslow proposed that as an individual develops they work towards achieving these needs, arranged in a certain hierarchy and unless the deficiency needs are satisfied the growth needs will have less or no relevance (http://home.ubalt.edu/tmitch/642/Articles%20syllabus/steers%20et%20al%20future%20of%20wk%20mot%20Ac%20Mgt%20rev%202004.pdf). According to Maslows â€Å"Needs Hierarchy Theory†, â€Å"as the person satisfies a lower-level need, the next higher need in the h ierarchy becomes the primary motivator and remains so even if never satisfied† (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 140). An urge to satisfy these needs motivates an employee to bring out the best performance in all endeavor of work. Although Maslow theory of Motivation received a lot of attention , however most of Maslows work has been criticized by people who applied the theory practically for work motivation( hall and nougaim 1968, cited in The Individual In The Economy: A Text Book Of Economic psychology by S.E.G. Lea, Roger M. Tarpy, Paul Webley). Also there is lack of evidence that the level of hierarchy precedes each other and will increase the importance of the next one if the latter is satisfied (wabha and Bridwell , 1974 cited in The Individual In The Economy: A Text Book Of Economic psychology by S.E.G. Lea, Roger M. Tarpy, Paul Webley). Finally there is an increasing evidence that Maslows â€Å"Hierarchy† of â€Å" Needs† are quiet unique and they cannot be applied universally because an individuals need will vary with location, values and beliefs (Haslam, Powell, and Turner, 2000, p. 319 339, Locke, 2000, p. 408-429 cited in McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 141). Davis and Filly comme nt, â€Å"†¦the exact order of priority may vary somewhat between persons†¦.† (Davis and Filly, 1963, cited in Dye, Mills, and Weatherbee, 2005, p. 1377).an example is required EQUITY THEORY Adams (1963, 1965) developed a motivation model based on to the comparison of oneself with others in context to the output input ratio at work. Equity is achieved when the input and output ratio is the same for different individuals. The employees of a firm try to compare their own ratio with that of others (Adams, 1963, p. 422-436, cited in McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 154). Thus get either get motivated if they think that the results are rational or else they get de motivated if they think that there is a lack of fairness in the work outcome. The major challenge lies with the managers to allocate a right mix of input and output considering a diverse global workforce so as to maintain equity in the organization. For instance, Dutch researchers found that pay inequity leads to negative behavior and frustration (Van Dierendonck et al, 1994; Van Y Peren et al, 1992) whereas Australian studies show that the situation results in lower job satisfaction (Carr et al., 1996). EXPECTANCY THEORY Expectancy theory suggests that an individual acts through self interest and adopts a pathway of actions which he perceives will maximize the chances of desirable results for themselves (Isaac, Wilfred, and Pitt, 2001, p. 212). The theory is based on three components; valence, expectancy and instrumentality. Vroom (1964, p. 15) defined valence as an â€Å"affective orientations toward particular outcomes†. Expectancy refers to a momentary belief of an individual that a stated level of performance will follow a particular outcome. Finally, instrumentality is related to an individuals expectations that â€Å"if she or he behaves in a certain way, he or she will get certain things† (Nadler and Lawler, 1997, p. 218). Expectancy theory is thus grounded on the fact that the work performance is directed towards individual behaviors that people perceive, will lead them to the desired outcomes (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 146). HERZBERGS â€Å"TWO FACTOR THEORY† Herzberg ‘s (1959) Motivation- Hygiene or two factor theory suggest that the intrinsic and the extrinsic aspects of a job are different from each other. The theory breaks job satisfaction into two factors: Motivation and Hygiene factors. Motivators relates to the intrinsic factors such as responsibility, recognition, achievement and the work profile. On the other hand hygiene factors are associated with the extrinsic factors such as remuneration, working environment, policies of the organization and position ((Manolopoulos, 2008, p. 66). Herzberg(1959) suggest that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are two different independent variables. According to the theory job dissatisfaction is an outcome followed by lack of hygiene factors. However, even their presence dosent motivates or satisfies the work force. On the other hand motivation factors acted as elements to enrich an individuals job. Motivation factors had long term positive effects on the workforce performance whereas hygiene factors had a short term impact on the attitude and performance of the employees (Gawel Joseph E. (1997). Herzbergs theory of motivation and Maslows hierarchy of needs. Practical Assessment, Research Evaluation, 5(11). Retrieved August 18, 2009 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=5n=11 . This paper has been viewed 290,800 times since 11/13/1999..)eg is required. However, questions have been raised about the application of Herzbergs theory on diverse workforce. A few of the motivation factors may lead to dissatisfaction and a few of hygiene factor may result in satisfaction (Gardner, 1977, p. 197). It is totally based on individuals or groups requirement. Implementation of Motivational Theories It is an important aspect of a managers job profile to keep the employees motivated towards the organizational goals. A manager should understand the needs of both the organization and the employees and should try to align them so as to get favorable results. Despite having a lot of Motivation theories , managers still face a lot of problem in motivating their employees and one major factor behind this is the global workforce having altogether different values and beliefs

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Lysistrata Of Aristophanes Essays -- essays research papers fc

The Lysistrata of Aristophanes Aristophanes was a satirist who produced Lysistrata around 413 BC when the news of Athen’s warships had been destroyed near Sicily. For twenty-one years, while Athens was engaged in war, he relentlessly and wittliy attacked the war, the ideals of the war, the war party and the war spirit. This risked his acceptance and his Athenian citizenship. Lysistrata is probably the oldest comedy which has retained a place in modern theatre. It primarily deals with two themes, war and the power of sexuality.. Lysistrata (an invented name meaning, She Who Puts an End to War) has summoned the women of Athens to meet her at the foot of Acropolis. She puts before them the easy invitation that they must never lie again with their husbands until the war is ended. At first, they shudder and withdraw and refuse until, with the help of the women from Sparta and Thebes, they are impelled to agree. The women seize the Acropolis from which Athens is funding the war. Aft er days of sexually depriving their men in order to bring peace to there communities. They defeat back in an attack from the old men who had remained in Athens while the younger men are on their crusade. When their husbands return from battle, the women reject sex and stand guard at Acropolis. The sex strike, portrayed in risqué episodes, finally pressure the men of Athens and Sparta to consent to a peace treaty. Ancient Greece in 431 BC was not a nation. It was a collection of rival city-states that were allies with each other or with leading military powers. Athens was a great naval power, while Sparta relied mainly on its army for superiority. In 431 BC, these alliances went to war against each other in a conflict called the Peleponnesian War. The war, which went on for 27 years, is named for the Peloponnesus, the peninsula on which Sparta is located. As the war began, Sparta and Athens each took advantage of their military strengths. Sparta ravaged Attica, the territory a round Athens, while the Athenian navy raided cities in Peloponnesus. This strategy lasted for two years. Meanwhile, Pericles’ death in 429 BC left the democracy open for hostile factions and reckless leaders who pursued their own advantages. Chief among these leaders was Alcibiades, who was as irresponsible as brilliant. By 425 BC, Sparta’s hopes for victory were bleak, and its leaders were ready to ask... ... to succeed. Ending the war would be so easy that women could complete the task. Aristophanes is not one of the most profound or exalted of Greek poets, but he is the most creative. Others deal with the world as it is, glorifying it or justifying its flaws, discovering hidden values in it and suggesting how they may be realized. Aristophanes erases the present and constructs another. He rids history and its constraints. If war has become tiresome he makes a private treaty and fetches the goddess of Peace. If Athens has become tiresome, he builds a new one in the sky. As Lysistrata shows, he is more moved by sympathy for the innocent sufferers of war than anger against the warmongers. Although caustic and good-humored, he intended to show the power lust and civil war amongst the Greeks. Works Cited Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. 18 September 2000. *http://www1.cc.va.us/hurst/eng251cr/* Arkins, Brian. Classics Ireland. "Sexuality in Fifth-Century". 15 September 2000. *h ttp://www.ucd.ie/classics/94/Arkins94.html/* Hadas, Moses. Lysistrata. The Complete Plays of Aristophanes. New York, 1962. 287-328 Peleponnesian War. 16 September 2000. *http:/www.library.thinkquest.org/*

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Poems from E.J. Pratt’s The Titanic Essay

  The Canadian poet E.J. Pratt’s lyrical documentation and divulgings on life aboard a ship and by the sea can easily be categorized and confined under the label of â€Å"maritime poetry,†Ã‚   but the sentiments evoked in his poems appear to consitute more than the said label, the following is an overview and interpretation of Pratt’s poems taken from The Titanic. Harland and Wolff Works, Belfast, May 31, 1911   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem begins, â€Å"The hammers silent and the derricks still, / And high tide in the harbour! Mind and will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  setting the tone of calmness at bay, which begins to shift as it progresses towards the middle and end. The first two lines is continued further by seemingly rudimentary coupling rhymes until the end of the poem. The content however, relates the instance of a ship – the Titanic – in its completion, and the celebration of its first launch. Pratt relates the beauty and grandeur of the ship without over embellishing, and sounding-off the luxuries it possesses which others allude to. And without the title implying that the poem is about the iconic unsinkable ship, one can easily mistake the ship being described in the poem as one of any commonplace ships in existence. The seeming inane and banal instance of a ship doing what it is supposed to do in the first place is transformed and elevated in E.J. Pratt’s poetry, when relating to the ship he writes, â€Å"Before another year was over, she, / Poised for the launching signal, had surpassed / The dreams of builder or navigator†¦ Glass crashed against the plates; a wine cascade, / Netting the sunlight in a shower of pearls, / Baptized the bow and gave the ship her name; A slight push of the rams as a switch set free.† Of course, Pratt isn’t just talking about any other ship, but the poem nevertheless romanticizes the idea of it, from construction, to its completion, to its launch, which were aptly articulated in the previously quoted lines, and further concluded by, â€Å"†¦for whatever fears stalked with her down the tallow of slips / Were smothered under by the harbour cheers, / By flags strung halyards of the ships.† March 3. 1912   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second poem in the compilation retreats to the instance of the Titanic upon its creation, the first line cries out, â€Å"Completed! Waiting for her trial spin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It then relates the myth which the ship is ascribed of being, massive and grand, and therefore, impenetrable and unsinkable. The said mythology is affirmed faithfully in the following lines, â€Å"An ocean lifeboat in herself†¦ No wave could sweep those upper decks – unthinkable! No storm could hurt that hull – the papers said so. The perfect ship at last – the first unsinkable.† The poem continues to elucidate on the marvelous piece of work the ship that Titanic is by enumerating on the qualities of its every part, from its upper decks, to its watertight compartments, bulhead doors and bouyancy. Despite the naivety and evident falseness of the said claims, Pratt is able to effectively deliver the sentiment and ideas of the people at the time, and the poem encapsulates the extent of this naà ¯ve ideology. The Iceberg   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The force of nature which challenges the pronounced invincibility of the Titanic is laid evident in the title and extent of this particular poem. It describes the ship’s initial encounter with the glacier, the details of which is reserved to the succeeding poem, and revolves instead on the massive structure which led the ship to its demise. The iceberg being described as, â€Å"†¦the brute and palaeolithic outline of a face fronted the transatlantic shipping route. A sloping spur that tapered to a claw / And lying twenty feet below†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was especially entertaining how the crash of the ship with the glacier was attributed as the iceberg’s fault, or to fate perhaps, but at any rate, because nature took a different course, instead of the iceberg keeping to where it was, floated closer to the ship, as referred to in the following lines, â€Å"But with an impulse governed by the raw mechanics of its birth, it drifted where ambushed, fog-grey, it stumbled on its lair,† and the rest of the world knows what happens then. Southhampton, Wednesday, April 10, 1912   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The part of the poem which picks up after the instance of the iceberg, when the seemingly unsinkable and invincible ship engages the massive glacier, and all that is left to be articulated is â€Å"An omen struck the thousands to shore – A double accident!† The Titanic proved to be less than what it was mythically ascribed of being, and the extent of the poem goes into lyrical details over the tragedy that is the sinking of the Titanic. How it threw sailors and countless individuals to the mercy of the sea. But the chaos and destruction that is to be attributed to the instance of a ship clashing with an iceberg is subdued, or muted by describing not the havoc being wreaked on the ship, or the people aboard it, but the state of the rest of the world at that particular point in time, as the ship was sinking, as articulated in the latter part of the poem, in which the poet contemplates, â€Å"When water flowed from the inverted tips / Of a waning moon, of sun-hounds, of the shrieks / Of whirling shags around the mizzen peaks. / And was there not this morning’s augury / For the big one now heading for the sea?† It’s a valid inquiry, and a refreshing take on the apparent tragedy. Wednesday Evening   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shifting towards a different context and setting, and describing a seeming sumptious feast consituted by â€Å"cauldrons of stock, purees and consommes, simmered with peppercorns and marjoram.† as well as crabs, clams, fricassees, lambs, veals, halibut, bechamel, truffles, and a myriad of food bound to whet anybody’s appetite, and which would bring people to believe that everything was fine, in the comfort and luxury afforded by the said array of food.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The said sentiment was aptly articulated as such, â€Å"The dinner gave the sense that all was well: That touch of ballast in the tanks; the feel of peace from ramparts unassailable, Which, added to her seven decks of steel, had constituted the Titanic less.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It culminates ironically, in the event of people partaking of the food, engaging in elitist nonsense, and forgetting the senseless tragedy that was Titanic, and resorting to issues of greater importance, as articulated in the last part of the poem, â€Å"The crowd poured through the sumptuous rooms and hall†¦ tapped at the tables of the Regency; Smirked at the caryatids on the walls; Talked Jacobean-wise†¦ Swallowed liqueurs and coffee as they sat under the Georgian carved mahogany, dictating wireless hieroglyphics that would on the opening of the board rooms rock the pillared dollars of a railroad stock.†

Friday, November 8, 2019

Social influence and anti social behaviour

Social influence and anti social behaviour Introduction Experiments on social influence help to determine whether a person behaves in accordance to one’s social context or one’s personality. They emphasise the importance of the implied, real or envisaged existence of others. Individuals spend most of their time in social gatherings and they can exert an influence on group members or the reverse may occur.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social influence and anti social behaviour specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Indeed, most people’s attitudes reflect the belief systems of their respective groups. To effectively understand human behaviour, one must fully appreciate the role that social context plays in influencing it. Experiments on social context can demystify antisocial behaviour because they provide a theoretical basis for deviations from the norm. How research helps in the understanding of social behaviour One classic piece of social i nfluence research is the Asch conformity as carried out by Solomon Asch. He was one of the most important contributors of the antisocial behavioural discipline because he demystified the concept of group conformance (Turner 1991). In his analysis, the experimenter used two types of cards for all the participants. One card had a standard line while the other card had three different lines. Subjects were supposed to match the lines on the second card with the standard line. This was a relatively simply test that had a clear answer. However, the subjects were placed in the company of others and answered after all the confederates (5, 6 or seven in number) had responded. It was found that twelve out of the eighteen subjects changed their minds when the perceived members of the team did the same. When these participants were asked to identify the correct line privately, they gave the right answer. This experiment illustrated that members of a group will be under pressure to conform to ot her’s people’s opinions even when they know that the opinions they hold are wrong. Ash’s study was critical in illustrating the importance of normative social influence. His subjects deliberately gave a wrong answer because they wanted to adhere to group norms. At the time of the experiment, it was necessary to follow the instructions of members of the group. Their feelings and expectations were imperative in bringing out these outcomes. In fact, conformance was so important to the subjects that they were willing to support an answer that they knew was obviously wrong (Bond Smith 1996). Similarly, one may apply this information to groups that engage in antisocial behaviour. A young man may participate in a violent activity, group rape or robbery owing to the type of social influence found in Ash’s experiment.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He m ay know that the activity is immoral, but may choose to engage in it simply to conform to group expectations. Such subjects seek group rewards or want to evade social punishment. This public conformity may explain why certain people act appropriately in private and inappropriately in a group especially when the action they are doing is undoubtedly wrong/ immoral. Asch’s work also provides useful insights on self categorisation. This theory posits that sometimes people may justify their antisocial behaviour in groups by depersonalizing themselves from the situation (Koelen Van den Ban 2010). They may claim that their behaviour was in tandem with the group, and this was the right thing to do. Participants may hold the expectation that when in a group, one is expected to hold the same attitudes or beliefs as the group. They depend upon the choices of others to gauge whether their own actions are correct. The Milgram experiment was yet another classic piece of work on social inf luence and can also provide tremendous insights on antisocial behaviour. It was carried out amongst a group of volunteers who were made to believe that they were playing the role of a teacher. A confederate was placed in an adjacent room, and was expected to learn a series of words from the teacher. For every wrong response, the teacher was to administer an electric shock to the learner. However, confederates did not receive actual shocks. The experimenter simulated sounds and noises that sounded like electric shocks. The confederates also pretended to be in pain by screaming and banging on the wall after a certain voltage level. They were supposed to tell the teacher about a heart condition that they had. If the subjects wanted to stop at a certain time, the experimenter would urge them to continue using a succession of four sentences, which stressed the critical importance of continuing. If the ‘teacher’ felt that he still wanted to stop after the four sentences, then the experiment would end (Wu 2003). However, others who asked about the confederates were assured that the shocks would not cause permanent harm to the ‘learners’. The results revealed that 65% of the subjects were willing to reach the maximum voltage even though they appeared to be uncomfortable doing so. Some questioned the ethics of the experiment and even refused payment.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social influence and anti social behaviour specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Unlike Asch’s trials, which simply dwelt on group influence, this research was crucial in understanding the role that authority plays in affecting people’s behaviour. Asch’s work compared moral values with social beliefs or opinions. However, Milgram contrasted authority with one’s moral beliefs. His study was critical in illustrating how authority can undermine moral principles and thus lead to a ntisocial behaviour. Therefore, the concept of obedience to authority was under analysis here. More than half of the participants in the study were willing to forfeit their personal principles in order to obey authority. These findings illustrate how antisocial behaviour can occur among seemingly normal or ordinary people. Participants of this study believed that they were not expected to question authority. Similarly subordinates in other settings may commit immoral or antisocial crimes simply because they respect authority. They may be aware of the destructiveness or immorality of their situations, but may willingly participate in those wrongs because of submission to authority. The Milgram experiment also shows that individuals sometimes do not reflect on their beliefs when acting on behalf of an authority. This is reflective of the agentic state theory. In this school of thought, Milgram asserted that when people subject themselves to the authority of others, they may regard the mselves as mere instruments’ of their superior’s wishes rather than individual entities (Milgram 1974). As such, most people will not feel responsible for any actions when they engage in antisocial behaviour. In addition, this experiment is also a continuation of the theory of conformism that was started by Asch. Engaging in antisocial behaviour may sometimes be a form of reference to a group. In this case, the group is the authority figure. Conformity often occurs when the concerned person feels that he or she is not capable enough to make a certain decision. In such cases, the person will depend upon the group as a reference for behaviour (Hayes 2000). This especially occurs when an individual is in a crisis situation like the one in the concerned experiment. Such an analysis is especially relevant in understanding how some people may be prompted to behave in a manner similar to the one viewed in the Nazi concentration camps. The persons carrying out those actions re vealed that social influence can be dominant enough to lead to sadistic or inhumane acts as seen in the genocide.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Milgram proved that more often than not, people agree to belong to a system. When in that system, they have the choice of either sticking to their moral judgements or submitting to the rules of the system, which are represented by figures of authority. Loyalty may be regarded as a moral standard that shapes people’s behaviour. Therefore, when one makes a choice between these divided allegiances then one may or may not act in a deviant manner. The subjects in the experiment were more loyal to the rules of the system, which was the experiment, than their own belief systems and this perpetuated aggressive or violent behaviour. This experiment is highly useful in illustrating that the agentic state of an individual can lead to antisocial behaviour. One may belong to a corporation, and may be persuaded to carry out criminal/ unethical behaviour after receiving instructions from one’s supervisor. This study is useful in identifying the situations that cause obedience to unet hical instructions, and can thus allow stakeholders to either minimise those conditions or eradicate them completely. Phillip Zimbardo also carried out another famous study known as the Stanford Prison Experiment. His major aim was to find out how situational factors lead to deviant behaviour. The researcher created a fake prison at the basement of Stanford University and took 24 students into the setup. The experiment was supposed to last for a period of 2 weeks. Unlike Milgram, Zimbardo did not use confederates or actors as prisoners. All the participants were assigned roles as guards or prisoners. No prisoner was allowed to leave the premises while the guards could do so after an eight-hour shift. The experiment never went up to the intended two weeks as the prisoners were immensely stressed while the guards became sadistic and abusive. Zimbardo found that regardless of having two choices; being hostile or civil towards the prisoners, the guards chose to be hostile. Most of the p risoners took on a position of submission and depression. Some of them seemed to be highly anxious and even began crying. The researcher himself participated in the study; played the role of a prison warden. However, he stopped being objective in the analysis when he allowed the guards to act so brutally. It was Zimbardo’s girlfriend who warned him about the dangers of the experiment, and urged him to stop. After the experiment, it was found that certain situations can prompt seemingly passive individuals to act in a deviant or antisocial manner. When people are given positions of power, they yield to its influence and forget about the importance of their own moral values. The subjects who played the role of guards started to behave in a manner that was not typical of them. Many of them transformed from being passive to aggressive and even violent. Conversely, the subjects who played the role of guards became silent and passive. This analysis was important in understanding th e importance of social conformity. Most people will behave in a certain way owing to their understanding or society’s definition of the position. Police officers, teachers, parents, waitresses, prisoners or prison guards all fulfil certain social roles. Persons in these roles are expected to exhibit certain kinds of behaviour. The guards in the mock prison embraced their social roles and disregarded the fact that they might hurt their fellow participants. This was particularly surprising when Zimbardo himself acted inappropriately. Furthermore, the participants had not shown any signs of psychological malfunctions prior to the survey. Besides, none of the participants volunteered for the role as this would have denoted that certain elements of their personality came into effect. All were randomly assigned those positions without prior consultations. He acknowledged that he had gotten so carried away by his social role, as a warden, that he lost all objectivity of the analysis . Unlike Milgram’s study; this experiment had no specific authority. However, it did prove some of the findings in Asch’s study; that group expectations can replace an individual’s moral imperatives. In this case, no one voiced their expectations about what the prison guards or prisoners should do or say. This behaviour was deduced from expectations on those social roles. No form of coercion or force was exerted upon the participants, yet they found it within themselves to act so sadistically. This study shows that social influence can occur in non immediate settings. The persons concerned in the Zimbardo experiment did not seek immediate social rewards or refrain from immediate punishment. They were allured by the temptations of the powerful positions they were in (Zimbardo 2007). All the experiments discussed above on social influence also prove that conformity can be manipulated. Once a dissenting opinion is voiced by even one member, then that is sufficient enough to cause doubt about a certain act. Variations of the Asch and Milgram experiments have shown that people will be willing to abide by their own moral standards if they realise that other persons in their own position would be willing to do the same. Additionally, if a person heard about certain opinions from an in-group member, then he or she would be more likely to adhere to those same opinions than if the view came from a perceived outsider. Social influence can be moderated and this may minimise antisocial behaviour in subjects. Zimbardo, Asch and Milgram also demonstrate that social forces play a vital role in one’s deeds. Antisocial behaviour may arise out of the need to conform to societal expectations, direct group expectations or even a member of authority. These researches point out that sometimes, one’s personality or value systems can be overridden by certain social forces. Therefore, psychologists or other stakeholders may prevent or treat antisocial behaviour by minimising the occurrence of these group influences. It is particularly interesting to note that most of the deviant behaviour took place regardless of the anonymity of the participants. The subjects had no particular relationship with the researchers in all three social influence studies yet they still engaged in antisocial behaviour. One might conclude that peer influence among known associates and friends may exert an even heavier social influence on the deviant person. Social influence is a concept that can affect people in various capacities. It is so powerful because it has a two-way function. It offers rewards to the person engaging in the antisocial behaviour because it facilitates acceptance. It also offers rewards to the group because it elicits fewer negative sentiments from them. Social influence can thus impede or heighten antisocial behaviour based on these understandings (Guetzkow 2000) Conclusion The studies carried out on social influence illustrate th at it highly affects individual behaviour. These researches show that a person’s behaviour is firmly rooted in one’s social context. Sometimes this may come in the form of one’s peers, group, roles or authority figures. References Bond, R Smith, P 1996, ‘Culture and conformity: a meta analysis of studies using Asch’s line judgment task’ Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 119, pp. 11-137 Guetzkow, H 2000, Groups, leadership and men, Carnegie press, Pittsburgh Hayes, N 2000, Foundations of psychology, Thomson, London Koelen, M Van den Ban, A 2010, Health education and health promotion, Wageningen Academic Publishers, Melbourne Milgram, 1974, Obedience to authority: an experimental view, HarperCollins, London Turner, J 1991, Social influence, Open University Press, NY Wu, W 2003, ‘Compliance: the Milgram Experiment’ Practical psychology, June, pp. 23 Zimbardo, P 2007, ‘When good people do evil’ Yale Alumni magazine, Februar y, pp. 8

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Personal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Personal Experience with Teen Pregnancy Free Online Research Papers For my senior project I chose to do it on something I had personal experience in, such as teen pregnancy, which in this paper I have to have 7 different sources, and many facts. As for many teens having sexually intercourse is a scary thing, but ever scarier than that is finding out that you might be pregnant. This has never been an uncommon thing, but as I found out on womenshealthchannel.com/teenpregnancy there has been a decrease in it from the year 1991 through the year 2005. Studies showed that in 1991 60 out of 1000 teenagers became pregnant, and in the year 2005 40.5 out of 1000 became pregnant.They also showed that approximately 1/3 become pregnant in their teen age years, but it also states that more than 80% of those pregnancies are unintended and unintentional. Using different races for example Hispanic women had the highest birth rates in 2006, which showed 83 out of 100 became pregnant, but African Americans had the most dramatic reduction in that year only 23% became pr egnant. A different study showed that 25% of teen girls who give birth become pregnant and have another child within two years. As I found on pregnantteenhelp.org there are different options for these pregnant, when they find out that they are in fact pregnant. The first option would be to keep the baby and raise it themselves, which is the option I myself chose. Another option for the teens would be to carry the baby full term, and give it up for adoption. Even then the teen has the choice of having an open adoption which mean that they would receive pictures and letters knowing how the child is, and what they look like. or the have the choice of having a normal closed adoption which means they would have no contact what so ever with the child, or with its adoptive parents. The other option is to have have an abortion, which means to fully terminate the pregnancy. A recent study on abortion showed that more than 25% of women when they find out they are pregnant have and abortion, but that is just for the percentage of the world, as for when it comes to the United States nearly 40% of women have abortions. Mo re than 52% of abortions are obtained by women who are under the age of 25. Another study showed that teenagers are more apt to have a late abortion. Although in my own opinion I believe that abortion is wrong, and that it should be all together banned, because there are too many people in this world who cant have children, and would love to have one, even if it would mean that they would have to adopt someone elses. According to the Washington Post the teen birth rate nationally feel 30% from the year 1991 all the way to 2002. They stated that if it had not dropped during that decade, 1.2 million more children would have been born to teenage mothers in the United States. Another good reason that it dropped would be that 460,000 would have been living in poverty due to being born to a teenage mother, and 700,000 would have been born into a single parent home, most likely only have a mother and no father. Adolescents who become pregnant at an early age, if they decide to keep the baby, are more likely to drop out of school, which in return leads to lower paying jobs for the parent, which in most cases drives them into trying to find other ways to provide for their children, even if it would mean doing it illegally. Also young mothers are less likely to marry which would mean that their children would be raised in a home with only one income, and probably no support from the other parent. Even if t he to teens decide not to stay together, the mother is offered the right to collect what is called child support from the father, but in order to do that they have to have proof the child does in fact belong to them. Which in most cases a court will order a DNA Test to ensure that it is true. During my research I found in People Magazine that almost 750,000 girls ages ranging from 15-19 years old get pregnant each year. Although most people look down upon teen parents most dont really understand about all the pressures that we face today. Even though most schools say they want a sex free zone for their students it never really happens, because no one ever actually enforces the policy. As in my case I can remember walking down the hallways in school, and on a regular basis I could see people kissing and groping each other like its nothing, and some teachers just stand by like its nothing. Even after a historic 14 year decline in teen pregnancy in the year 2006 the birth rate increased by 3%, which is not good at all. More than half pregnant teens today choose to take the responsibility, and keep their babies. Roughly only 1/3 decide to terminate their pregnancy, 2% choose adoption, and about 14% miscarry. Studies have also shown that only 1/3 of teen mothers finish high sc hool, and get their diploma. As for myself Im going to graduate, and then take college courses online, so that I can be with my son. Family Corner stated that teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries. The Unites States are twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and are nine times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan. Which is really saying something, due to the fact that they are all fairly large countries, and are very high populated countries. They also said that 8% of 14 year olds, 18% of 15-17 year olds, and 22% of 18-19 year olds become pregnant each year. I myself am in the 18% of girls, considering that im 17 years old, and Im nearly 5 months pregnant. 20% of those who have sexual intercourse become pregnant, although there are ways to prevent it, they dont always work, for example a comdom can bust, or may even have a pin hole, and you would never know that it was there. Most girls get put on birth control, but even then they still arent fully safe from getting pregnant, even though they may think that there in a .1% chance of them gettin g pregnant it could still happen, that is why they should still use a condom, and make sure they dont skip any doses of their birth control, also they should use a spermicide that night and the next day as well. Many people think that pregnancy is wonderful, but ther are so many bad symptoms and complaints such as the following: preeclampsia, spotting, sleep problems, varicose veins, vaginal pain, vaginal discharge, yeast infections, urinary frequency, umbilical hernia, acne, chloasma, stretch marks, shortness of breath, sciatica, hip pain, pounding heart, pelvic pain, carpel tunnel syndrome, nose bleeds, bleeding gums, morning sickness, leg cramps,hemorrhoids, heart burn, indigestion, headaches, dizziness, gestational diabetes, fatigue, exhaustion, constipation, breast pain, breast leakage, braxton hicks contractions, blurry vision, back pain, diastasis, and anemia. These are all things that I found thanks to Parents which is a magazine for parents, and expectant parents. Although Im sure I will feel these symptoms and complaints sometime during my pregnancy so far I have only had the following: morning sickness, dizziness, braxton hick contractions, leg cramps, back pain, and breast pain. I must say that I havent really enjoyed being pregnant, its not because of the baby, its just that constantly feeling sick or dizzy just isnt fun at all. One thing that I have definitely enjoyed about being pregnant is feeling the baby move for the first time, it is such a weird, but wonderful feeling all at the same time. I found my last facts from Baby Center which gives you all sorts of different fact on pregnancy and babies. Some people believe that having a baby is easy, well it may have been 50 years ago, but now there are so many things they need, and so much you have to do before they get here. Here are just a few of the things you do while pregnant: go to a O.B. doctor to make sure everything is good with the baby during your pregnancy, have ultrasounds to to let you see how your baby is developing during your pregnancy, pick out names, have a baby shower, make the baby a room of its own that has only the things for the baby, pick a theme for its room, choose a hospital to go to when you go into labor, pack you and the baby a bag for when you go to the hospital, and wash everything you get for the baby so that nothing will break it out or irritate its sensitive skin. When you go into labor, there are some complications that all women should be aware of such as these: breech birth, cesarean sec tion, inducing labor, labor augumentation, macrosomia, preterm labor and birth, uterine rupture, and vaginal birth after cesarean. So these are all the facts that i found on teen pregnancy. 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Sunday, November 3, 2019

Analysis of a historic document, using a what, when,where, who why Essay

Analysis of a historic document, using a what, when,where, who why approach - Essay Example To illustrate how this approach functions to reveal a great deal of information about a document and/or a period, these five questions will be applied to a historical document, identified merely as an emigrant letter. The document presented is a pseudo-private document sent from an emigrant to the people he left back home. This can be determined as the letter is at first addressed to an individual â€Å"Dear Sir†, but immediately the letter is expanded to include anyone else who might be hungry for news of those who left their mother country for adventure and fortune in a new land. In addition, the writer indicates he is â€Å"very glad to hear that you are all in the injoyment (sic) of of (sic) good health when it left†1 indicating that he is writing to more than one person, but he also mentions personal issues such as his joy to hear â€Å"that my old parents were still alive but I am very sure they must be very frail indeed at their stage of life.†2 The letter continues to detail the business of the various individuals who are a part of their colony or settlement who might be known to those back home, again reaching out to touch more than simply the individual to whom the letter is addressed as it is clear that others back home will be eager for news. At the same time, the author provides detailed personal information about his own fortunes in the new land, which suggests to many in the modern age a greater degree of privacy than a community letter might provide. Thus, while it is a private communication, it nevertheless is recognized by the author that it will probably become public property upon its arrival as friends and family glean it for news of their loved ones. The document is dated as being written on August 23, 1862.3 It seems clear from its contents that this is a time during which families from England and Ireland were moving to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Serial Killers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Serial Killers - Research Paper Example Convicted serial killers have aided in the investigation for the motives of their actions as well as those who develop the vice. Introduction There are many vices that are portrayed by human beings who suffer from psychological disorders. Such vice include engaging in very heinous and inhumane acts. Such acts include domestic violence, child abuse, rape and stalking. People who engage in these acts do so in the search for psychological gratification. The main motivator to these vices is the urge to satisfy one’s pathological interests to experience power over the other humans. Serial killing is one of the most disturbing acts that people engage in. multiple murders that are very gruesome. Serial killers are known to be very cunning and heartless. A serial murderer can kill quite a big number of people before being cornered. This is mainly because the serial killers commit perfect crimes whereby they leave very insignificant or no evidence behind. Murder detectives can take mon ths trying to follow the steps of a serial killer. The most tasking part of hunting for a serial killer is trying to predict their killing pattern. Once a serial killer becomes predictable, it gets easier to corner them. Serial killers can also be caught in the act or identified by witnesses or even forward themselves to the authorities and confess. This paper focuses on a research conducted on serial killers. The reason for studying on serial killers is to try and shed some light on why serial killers engage in such inhumane deviant behavior. The information in this research paper has been gathered from various studies and reports on serial killers. Literature review Numerous studies have been undertaken on serial killers in the past. These are in an attempt to give the causes and the motivators of the deviant behavior. According to previous research, majority of the serial killers in the U.S are white males. Majority of the killers are usually in their late 20s. Black Americans ma ke up for 16% of the serial killer cases reported by the media. Researchers have established the basic characteristics of a serial killer. These include being generally intelligent, some may be from unstable relationships, most of the m are victims of abuse from their past, they have fetishes that they have obsessions for, they are sadists and in most cases they have been involved in crimes before. It is difficult to predict who is a killer or who is not in a society where many people portray one or several of the characteristics (Vronsky, 2004). Serial killers can also be very intelligent and successful people in the society who do not show any of the characters associated with serial killers. For instance in the reported case of Harold Shipman, who was very respectable man and a professional working with NHS, he was discovered to be a serial killer by the authorities. The man was a public figure in the community and he was well known for his award in the charity work supporting ch ildren with asthma. The community was shocked to know the true character of the psychopath in him. Similar cases have been reported in the past about respectable people turning out to be psychopathic serial killers (Vronsky, 2004). According to many theorists, for one to become a serial killer, they have to have some motivational factors. Many psychologists believe that serial killers