Similarities between Christianity and Shinotoism

Similarities between Christianity and Shinotoism Undoubtedly, a person craving to comprehend the spiritual and the religious has served as the drive for the sustained expansion and progression of religious communication. Consequently, when a person reflects on the amount and range of the worlds religions, it is not shocking to discover that there are overabundances of religious principles that have been formed. Bearing this in mind, this analysis reflects on the capacities of religious inquisition that has been fashioned. Particularly, this analysis evaluates Christianity and Shintoism. Through a close reflection of what has been written regarding these religions, and through a personal interview that was conducted, it will be feasible to present an explanation of the backgrounds and similarities and differences of the religions. In order to start this analysis, it is first accommodating to think about the essential background of both religions. First, examining the basic doctrines and evolution of Christianity, it becomes apparent that this religion developed from the Jewish tradition as depicted in the Old Testament. The difference is, however that Christianity firmly believes in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity concerns the capacity of God to resurrect the dead, just like He did for Jesus. Through finding faith in Christ, the followers are given the ability to guarantee that they could live a life that would give them eternal salvation (New Advent, 2009). The New Testament offers detailed depictions of how Jesus lived and insights into his resurrection. When examining Christianity, it becomes very clear that the magnitude of the resurrection is momentous to the development of the religion. In general, the resurrection is the most significant characteristic that expresses Christianity. Through the resurrection, a person is given salvation from God an eternal life. Even though the precise circumstance of the resurrection is what separates Christianity Judaism, there is a drive to recognize why Christianity has become so dominant to its followers. One of the reasons why it has become so dominant is the result of many of its followers believing that through faith, God will guard and supply. It is now obvious why Christianity is such a distinguished religion; it is because of the assurances that it gives its followers. Every person goes into a covenant with God when s/he accepts the teachings of Christ (New Advent, 2009). Through this procedure, a person is assured to be given eternal deliverance for his or her labors in living a life that is based on the principles of Christ. Despite the consequences of how tricky life is, a person must constantly stick to the larger agenda of his teachings. By doing this, they will basically be resurrected in the afterlife (New Advent, 2009). The assurance of this resurrection gives the followers a belief that life goes on after a person dies. In order to conduct my interview and obtain information about Shintoism, I decided to perform an Internet search to see where the closest Shino center was. It turned out the closes center was located at 300 W. 55th St, 20B, New York, NY which wasnt terribly difficult for me to go to. It is called the International Shinto Foundation (New York Center). It was, however, very difficult for me to get in touch with a representative, so I decided to simply make an unannounced trip there in expectation that I would be able to speak to someone who had a strong grasp on Shintoism. My efforts were certainly rewarded; I was able to connect with an English-speaking man who was responsible for maintaining the tea ceremony room. He gave me a great deal of valuable information, and it is with this information that I am able to offer a summary of the religion, in addition to being able to compare and contrast it to Christianity and draw up a conclusion. Shintoism is a very old Chinese religion which advanced around 500 BC (Personal Interview, 2009). Exact details of Shintoisms origins is very difficult to receive because of the fact that that there are no official texts or leaders within this movement. As a result, Shintoism is defined as a set of values and principles that developed in the larger framework of Japanese society (Personal Interview, 2009). This belief system has grown in conjunction with Buddhism. Actually, many scholars believe that in early Japanese history, both Shintoism and Buddhism could not be distinguished from each another. Even though Shintoism expanded from a Buddhism framework, it has been recognized as a separate religion and spiritual way of living. The fundamental element of Shintoism concerns deities or Kami, who are accountable for the construction of Japan and the expansion of a variety of tribes that reside in the region (Handbook of Todays Religions, 2009). In general, the Kami that exist in Shintoism are benevolent gods that play a constructive role in the growth of humanity. Accordingly, Shintoism does not dwell on the framework of divine intervention as it pertains to day-to-day living. Instead, Shintoism centers on the growth of life that is lived in search of additional supercilious social standards (Personal Interview, 2009). In many situations, Shintoism uses a large amount of its basic principles from the Confucian tradition. Even though Shintoism is extremely interlaced with both Confucian and Buddhist ideologies, it has been noted that there are dissimilar components of the practices which undoubtedly distinguish them. For example, Shintoism believes that ancestors are extremely respected and even worshipped. Also, all people are thought of as Kamis child (Personal Interview, 2009). In addition, there are four assertions that are significant in Shintoism, and include elements of tradition, love, hygiene, and worship (Personal Interview, 2009). Shintoism was established through these values. All of components of Shintoism center on the growth and founding of an optimistic relationship between a person and his or her environment. Shintoism looks to smooth the progress of the progress of man as it pertains to nature in a harmonious association. This harmony has the potential to be attained through intense worship; however, it can also be attained through ceremonial offerings of both money and food. A large amount of followers are occupied in the offer a meal movement, which is basically when a person skips a meal on a monthly basis and instead donates his or her money to their religious institution for worldwide liberation and analogous activity (Personal Interview, 2009). After evaluating the general attraction of Shintoism to an individual disciple, it is an all-purpose way of life that authorizes that the follower to follow a life that is Godly in nature. Even though the term Shinto is not easy to convert into English, the elementary translations that have been accepted entail that the follower lives a life that follows the ways of the Gods. Because of this, Shintoism is a spiritual element that encompasses the day-to-day life of an individual follower. It supplies the foundation for the progression of action and requires that all followers take on actions and ideologies that are proportionate with how the Gods would act in a comparable situation. Therefore, Shintoism is not necessary tempting to indulge in because of what it guarantees the follower in the afterlife; instead, Shintoism is tempting to be part of because it gives its followers numerous methods to connect with God in multiple ways. When the fundamental structures of both Christianity and Shintoism are evaluated against one another, it seems, at least initially, that there are definitely more noteworthy variations between the two religions than there are similarities. For example, Christianity is based upon the wisdom and labors of Christ, as outlined in the New Testament. However, Shintoism in actuality has no real texts, or even a religious set of guidelines that are to be followed by its followers. In addition, Christianity primarily focuses on devotion to God through living a meaningful life that is supported by the teachings of Christ. Shintoism, on the other hand, does not have a fundamental leader that has served as the foundation for the general growth and expansion of the religion (Shintoism, 2009). Actually, as alluded to above, Shintoism was founded on an extended practice of harmonizing spiritual values that have been sustained in the framework of other religions such as Confucianism and Buddhism. Even though there are obviously distinguishable variations between the two religions, there actually appears to be one prominent resemblance that really should be taken into account for when evaluating these two religions. In spite of of the texts, in regards to the principles and leaders that are both living or not living within the framework of the religion, both Christianity and Shintoism call for paving a pathway of existence that will ultimately show the way for a better life. When it comes to Christianity, a person could successfully dispute that this religion primary deals with the teachings of Christ as an essential method of bringing a person closer to God. Christ guaranteed his followers that if they lived a life that pursued his teachings, they would, in turn, become closer to God and the Gods Kingdom. If a person closely examines the teachings of Christ as depicted in the New Testament, it is obvious that Christ desired for his followers to be in love with and take pleasu re in all of humanity. This message is obvious, as Jesus promotes that followers feel affection for God and their neighbors in the same capacity. In regards to Shintoism, it is obvious that the conduit that followers are supposed to attribute to is one that also cultivates a conduit that will ultimately show the way to God. Even though it seems as though Shintoism deals more with a persons connection with nature, the bond that is fashioned is comparable: man needs to live in agreement withÂÂ  the environment that is around him in order to achieve an advanced existence and successfully come nearer to God. In Christianity, the corridor that a person is supposed to follow is essentially written in the scripture; however, in Shintoism, the corridor that a person needs to follow is sustained through practice and admiration for the magnificence and majesty of nature. In both of the religions, however, the objective is to make certain that a person follows a corridor that ultimately brings them to God. This fundamental principle is one that is the foundation for the growth and foundation of both of these religions. Even though both Christianity and Shintoism primarily emphasize on following a conduit that will in due course lead to connecting with God, as time has progressed, Christianity seems to have taken on an exclusive element that particularly separates it from the fundamental foundation of Shintoism. The principles of Shintoism, when properly implemented by the follower, become an essential component of every-day life. Shintoism is not a religious order that can be taken control of or divided from a person (Shintoism, 2009). As such, Shintoism has been distinguished to have a spiritual aspect that establishes it as a crucial element in the day-to-day life of a person. Even though Christianity seems to convey a comparable message-that a person needs to undertake on a daily basis in the same way in which Christ would-the development of modern Christianity has gotten rid of the day-to-day impact of Christ on the individual person. Christianity seems to have become an observance that happens outside of the non-spiritual life of the person. A person attends church on a weekly basis in order to worship in Christs name. Even though Christ is considered to be an essential element of a persons life, this appropriation of the spiritual makes it very hard for the person to maintain Jesus as an encouraging element that encourages certain behaviors on a daily basis. Even though both Christianity and Shintoism present themselves as a tool for the spiritual progression of a person, the transformation of Christianity seems to have had an unconstructive effect on separating religion from the daily activities of a person. Notwithstanding, Christianity seems to have remained among the most well-known worldly religions. Consequently, even though some amount of transformation has taken place, Christianity still remains appealing to a majority of people. When the fundamental principles of both Christianity and Shintoism are look at in detail, the general petition of each of the religions seems to come from a more widespread plan of action for an individual. Under the principles of both Christianity and Shintoism, the individual follower is provided with a pathway to pursue. In most occasions, this pathway gives the follower a way for them to live a godly existence that will ultimately bring them closer to Him. This important element is what makes both of the religions so interesting for their followers.

The Third Ways Ideology In Britain

The Third Ways Ideology In Britain In this essay I would be discussing how The Third Ways ideologies have affected the development of Social Policy within Britain. I will be concentrating on their success and failure by comparing it policies with other the political ideology of The New Right and The Old Left. I will be focusing on three of the Third Way policies which are Social, Welfare State and Health Policy The Third Way is an ideology strongly supported by Tony Blair and the then America president Bill Clinton. Soon after the presidential election in America, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown travelled to America to meet Bill Clinton. They all realise that the share a lot of things in common especially the philosophy of John Macmurray and this was how The Third Way came into existence. In the 1997 Labour manifesto Tony Blair claimed that new approach needs to be given to all area of each policy which would be different from both The Social Democratic and The New Right. (Labour Party 1997a). The Third Way was meant to be a form of renewal for Social Democracy but the other parties view it as non-ideological theory without much fact to stand on. Tony Blair describes The Third Way as means of updating the welfare state to fit in into the 21st century by given the state and the community a chance to make a different. In my view, I believe that The Third Way is all about empowerment and given opportunities and way out to the poor especially the less privileged groups which includes lone parents families, unemployed, disables and pensioners by supporting them into getting jobs and developing their independent skills. The Third Way focused mainly on ending poverty by making it clear to the society that work is the quickest way out of poverty. From my research I can argue that The Third Way is a bit different from both The New Right and The Old Left, for instance The Old Left put more focus on the delivery of means but putting less emphasis on how it would be delivered and not measuring outcome while The New Right are more into cutting public services which leads to increase in poverty level and making it difficult for people to find a way out. The Third Way can also be described as a means of modernising the approach to politics whilst holding on to its major elementary values. One of the aims of The Third Way is to create awareness to the society on how to overcome poverty by providing access to education for all ages and providing training and apprenticeship. This is an example of Giddens view of The Third Way as I quote investing in human capital wherever possible rather than the direct provision of economic maintenance. In place of welfare state we should put the social investment state, operating in the context of a positive welfare society. (Giddens, 1998 p177). Tony Blair was very famous for this quote a hand up rather than a hand out (Tony Blair) leads me to explain the four main values of The Third Way: The four key values of The Third way The value of a community Unlike Margaret Thatcher who doesnt think that there is a society as I quote There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families. The New Labour was not in support of this and they believe that it was very important to provide a service that reflects the needs of the community. Commitment to equal opportunity Deprivation needs to be addressed and it must not be seen as an excuse for failing to provide opportunities. For example, whether it is the absence of a GPs surgery on a council estate or uncontrolled crime or poor housing or failing schools the theory is that the cycle of deprivation can be broken by the community. Emphasis on responsibility It is very important that an individual takes adequate responsibility for their actions especially the socially excluded group. For example, the government will support those who want to give up smoking but they also need to do their own part by participating in the service provided. Accountability More effort needs to put into measuring outcome as it plays a major role in finding out if a policy is working and how it can be improved. Services needs to be provided in the best way possible and monitored and service provided needs to be held accountable for the success and failure of their service. In the next pages I would be evaluating the policies of The Third Way by comparing them to the other parties policies and focusing on which on what works and what could have been done differently. Policies Housing Policy At the time of Margaret Thatcher under the Conservative government, welfare state went through a lot of transformation especially in the area of housing policy which makes it very important for the other parties coming into power to acknowledge the changes. Going back to the beginning of the 19th century around 1918 to be precise, the war just ended and the main needs that was identified was housing due to soldiers returning home from war into extreme housing conditions. The government then decided to set up programmes of building new properties. By the end of 1919 government used part of the income tax to fund projects managed by the councils and making sure that rents are made affordable and within reason. From the conservatives manifesto of 1979, emphasis was laid into helping families own their homes. They identified that a lot of families would like the idea of owning their own home but they finds it difficult to raise the deposit for a mortgage or prevented from doing so under the local authority and the Labour government. The Conservatives decided that it was the right time to remove all these restrictions by given council tenants the Right to Buy their homes. The right to buy came into effect on 3rd October 1980. Council tenants were allowed to buy their homes. The New Right manifesto made an obligation to introduce Right to Buy this gives secured council tenants of more than 3 years the right to buy their homes at a heavily discounted price. The policy entitled tenants to buy their homes at a minimum discount of 33% of market value of the house and 44% for flats. But there is a clause to the policy that emphasised that if the property is resold within 3 years, some of the discount should/must be repaid to the local authority. This idea became very popular and it was one of the ideas that were identified with the conservatives. At the beginning the Labour party was not in support of the right to buy due to the fact that there will be financial consequences and the effect it would have on the remaining tenants. But by 1985 the sale of property has increased tremendously as shown in the table below: This table shows Public sector new housing completions and Right to Buy sales in Britain (1980-95) Housing completions (000s) Right to Buy sales (000s) 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 86 66 37 35 34 27 23 20 20 18 17 10 5 3 2 2 1 82 200 142 103 94 91 106 164 186 129 75 65 61 67 51 Source: Wilcox (1997) By the time the labour party comes into power in 1997, the right to buy scheme has slow down and they decided to reduce the discount. Labour sees this as a failure because two thirds of the families that bought their property under the Right to Buy within the last ten years have accumulated huge mortgage arrears, negative equity and a huge numbers of homes have been repossessed because families were unable to make payment. During the term of Mrs Thatcher the number of homeless household increased tremendously and it also leads to the economic recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Labour party stated in their 1997 manifesto as I quote .the Conservatives lack of housing strategy has led to the virtual abandonment of social housing, the growth of homelessness... The Labour Party made it their priority to address what causes the housing market to collapse. They decided that the council should use the money they received from the sale of property should be used to build new properties and keeping the old ones up to the level of decent homes. The local authorities would be asked to give priority to families of individuals who are homeless but not by their own fault. In my view The New Right are more in support of quick solution but dont always consider the long time effect the housing policy would have on the welfare state while Labours Third Way focused on outcome and prevention. Labour also lays a lot of emphasis on what was the cause and how best to tackle the situation. In regards to the Right to Buy in my opinion it was used by the Conservatives as a way of controlling people i.e. if you have a mortgage you will think twice before going on strike or walking out of a job due to the responsibility and mortgage commitment while Labour looks at how to help people keep up their repayment and laying out prevention if things goes wrong. I believe that the Right to Buy was a good idea initially but the way it was implemented may be a bit wrong however during the term of Mrs Thatcher the housing market improved a lot. Social Welfare Policy The new Labour focused on issues faced by the poor i.e. lone parent families, disables, unemployed and pensioners. The Conservatives focused on the idea that individuals performs better when market forces are unleashed (Martin Hewitt). The introduction of the New Deal as part of Labours welfare reform programme is seen as a positive outcome than Conservatives achievement on the workfare welfare. Tony Blair implies that there has been no truly comprehensive review of the welfare state in all its elements since the Beveridge (DSS, 1918a, p iii). The New Deal was introduced in January 1998 and it main focus was to provide support for the poor and less privileged people in the society. At the time there was a rise in people claiming incapacity benefit (1.85 millions) and unemployment has also rise especially in young people (80000). When the New Deal was first introduced many politicians opposed to it and some up till now because they believes that people out of work should be neglected. But since the introduction of the New deal more than 1.8 million people have benefited and got into employment and training. Over the last 10 years 300000 lone parents are back in work and this is a great way of reducing child poverty. As of now, the New Deal is going through reformation in other to be able to continue to tackle the problems of employment by helping people to develop their skills. The New Deal runs programmes for young people ages 18-25 claiming jobseekers allowance (JSA) for more than 6 months. The programme will help them develop skills which would increase their chance of getting into work. In July 1998 the New Deal introduces another programme for people aged 25 and above concentrating mainly on people claiming JSA for over 2 years. Each claimant would be given a personal adviser that helps them to identify their strength and weakness. It helps them develop and recognise the skills and experience they may already have and empower them to build on it to create opportunities for jobs. New Deal works in partnership voluntary and private sector to delivering it services and according to research the New Deal programme has been the most successful innovation of the Labour party. Due to the current recession, unemployment figures have risen again. The Conservatives government inherited a welfare state that minimised fraud rather than maximised work (Peck, Workfare 273). There focus was to restrict eligibility and reduce replacement ratio from 43% in 1972 to 16% (Peck, Workfare 284). Health Policy The National Health Service (NHS) was created by the Labour Party more than 60 years ago. When Labour came out of power in May 1979, the NHS was in a good and stable place with good performance outcome on financial structure. The Conservatives were not in support of the idea at the beginning. There was an expectation that it would be dissolved when Margaret Thatcher came into power in 1979 but this failed to happen as stated in her 1979 manifesto I have no intention of dismantling the health service than in dismantling Britains defence (Margaret Thatcher 1979). However the government aims to bring in competence and competition into healthcare market. By allowing hospitals and GPs to compete for funding. They informed health authorities to use private companies where possible i.e. private companies would compete on who could be responsible for the hospital laundry or catering. Others ways hospitals can raise funds under the Conservatives includes renting out space to florist, sweet sh ops, charging foreign patients for their health care and many more. The New Right were all about privatisation and commercialisation while The Third way is in favour of modernising and providing quality service that would be accountable to the community. Labour plans to stop the privatisation of the NHS in their 1992 manifesto but the lost to the Conservatives during the election. In my view it is very difficult to conclude which government policy on the NHS has actually works, the quality of care have improved under both governments especially around the waiting time for patients however issues surrounding increase in funding and performance target plus lack of good performance outcome can be challenged. I believe that both parties lays good legacy for the NHS and whether their policy work or not they all share the same ideas on some levels. The Third Way, The New Right and The Old Left all have policies focusing on the quasi market. Law and Order Policy One of the biggest challenge the Labour party faced law and order. The conservative party were seen as a Party of law and order (Sarah Charman and Stephen P. Savage). On the day that the Conservatives worn the general election in 1979 Margaret Thatcher stated: What the country needs is less tax and more law and order (Savage, 1990). The Tories believes that tougher approach needs to be taken and they made a commitment to increase police numbers and power to put an end to crime by waging war against it. New sentences were introduced to the court targeting young offenders; new prisons were built to deal with the problem of prison shortages. James Callaghan stated that the roots of crime are still social deprivation, broken homes and all the rest (Labour Home Secretary, 1970). The Labour party manifesto elaborate their main concern for future action this includes quick sentence for young continual offenders, clean-up on petty crimes and neighbourhood disorder, reform the Crown Prosecution Service, crime prevention and more police patrolling the streets. The Labour party realised that in other to tackle crime they needs to look into It is hard to establish the success or failure of law and order policy in Britain, Labour appears to be tough on crime and the cause of crime while the Conservatives acknowledged that dramatic short-term improvement is needed. I can only come to one conclusion that Tony Blairs government was more focused on been tougher on crime that both The New Right and The Old Left.

irony :: essays research papers

Abstract My paper deals with responses to conversational irony in two different contexts. As an interaction analyst I am interested in how interlocutors co-construct the whole conversational sequence, in what they do with the ironic act in reacting to it. I combine data analytic methods from interactional sociolinguistics with questions from cognition theory. I shall point out how the interaction analysis of different response types contributes to the development of irony theory. A look at two data sets (informal conversations among friends and pro- and con-TV- discussions) provides interesting differences in responses to irony in these contexts. One important difference in responding appears to depend on whether the irony is framed and understood as critical or as friendly. From the format of the responses we can often access the processing of the ironic (though not always). If there are responses to the literal meaning and to the implicatum, we can take this as evidence that principally both the implicated and the literal message is processed. We find five response types: Responses to the literal, to the implicated, mixed types, just laughter and ambiguous types which do not allow us to assign a meaning. The data further confirm that the different types of responses to irony create different activity types: Responses to the literal develop a humorous discourse type of joint teasing. These are highly frequent during the dinners among friends. In the context of pro and con debates responses within the group differ in connection to the line of arguing. Responses to the implicatum are much more frequent here. They recontextualize the Page 2 serious debate. Very often, those who share the general opinion of the ironist, laugh - those who do not reject the implication of the ironic act. 1. Introduction This paper is contributing to a neglected area of irony research, the reception of irony in contexts of face-to-face interaction. I would like to show that the reception of irony in different conversational contexts can give us insights into the way irony is processed. I cast a critical glance at cognition-oriented irony research which works with data from lab settings. The greatest differences between lab situations and natural conversations are: (a) in the first type of situation the irony recipients are not affected by the ironic act and (b) have no opportunity to continue the interaction and thus to shape and co-construct it. I have reason to think that the way an addressee is

Violence against Women :: Sociology Essays Research Papers

Violence against Women Gender-based violence has been recognized as a large public health problem as well as a violation of human rights worldwide. One out of three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in another way at least once in her life (www.infoforhealth.org). The abuser is usually a member of the family, introducing the difficult problem in that the abuse usually happens behind closed doors, and is often viewed by cultural norms and legal systems as a family matter rather than a crime. The statistics available on violence against women are startling. Domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for European women ages 16 to 44 and accounts for more deaths and injuries than automobile accidents and cancer. The Russian government estimates that over 14,000 women were killed by family members in 1999, but there is still no legislation that specifically addresses domestic violence. In South Africa, more women are shot in the home by relatives than are shot on the streets or by intruders (web.amnesty.org). Two of the most common forms of abuse in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are intimate partner abuse and coerced sex. Intimate partner abuse is almost always accompanied by serious psychological abuse and in one quarter to one half of cases is also accompanied by forced sex. Most women that are abused numerous times often become terrified of their partners. Many are scared to speak to someone about the abuse due to the fear that the abuse will get worse if reported (www.infoforhealth.org). In some countries, women are discriminated against by laws that do not protect from violence in the home. Police and persecutors sometimes refuse to help women abused in the home because of the false assumption that these women bring on the abuse themselves. Women that attempt to testify against their husbands may lose custody of their children. For women of these nations, there is no way out and nobody to listen (web.amnesty.org). The effects of abuse may be detrimental to a woman’s reproductive health, as well as to other aspects of her physical health and psychological state. Along with increasing injury, physical abuse can cause an array of other problems such as increased risk of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, adverse pregnancy complications, chronic pain, physical disability, depression, and drug and alcohol use. Health care providers often miss opportunities to detect if a woman has been abused by either being unaware, indifferent, or judgmental.

Generation Gap Essay

How many times have you felt that your parents don’t understand you, that they have no respect for you as an individual? How often do you shake your head in frustration and blame it on the ‘generation gap’? Parents! They are like aliens from another planet altogether! You and they are in different camps; strangers forced to live under the same roof Right? Wrong! There is a way of bridging what appears to be a yawning chasm. If you genuinely want to improve your relationship with your parents (and give them a big shock in the bargain! ) try listening to them, treating them just like you would listen to a valued friend. Instead of always whining, ‘You don’t understand me†, stop and think. Do we ever try and understand them? Parents are under a lot of stress, too. When we are worrying about our upcoming Math exam, they are worrying about the boss in the office, and just how they are going to pay for our braces. Like us, they have days when someone humiliates them at work. Sometimes, they don’t know where the money for all the applications you send to foreign universities is going to come from. Your mom may seldom have a chance to go out and enjoy herself. Your dad’s colleagues may deride him because he cannot afford membership to a club. Yes, weird though it may sound, parents are human too. They may have dreams they’ve sacrificed because they want you to realize yours. Once you step into their shoes and try to look at things from their point of view, two wonderful things happen; one, you feel a new respect for them, and two, you will find that you can actually get your own way without heated arguments. Today, when you come back from school or college, ask your mom or dad, â€Å"How did your day go today? † or â€Å"Tell me a little more about your job. † or â€Å"Is there anything I can do to help you around in the house? You’ll see the visible difference it makes to the atmosphere at home. And each day, try to keep your promises – to do your homework, to clean your room and to write letters or telephone if you are living away from home. Seventy five per cent of the youngsters claimed that the teenage years were a time of stress and anxiety for them – anxiety about exams, jobs, parental expectations, peer pressure, love lives, the need to look good and dress smartly, and well, even the state of the nation. Generation gap means difference in attitude, or lack of understanding between younger and older generation. This generation gap has always been there but these days it has reached to an explosive stage. The values and patterns of life have changed to a great extent. Today, everybody likes to live and behave in his own way. This attitude has widened the generation gap, which can never be filled. It is now destroying family life completely. The elders look after the children and make all sorts of sacrifices to bring them up. Naturally, they feel they have a right over them. They want their children to follow their instructions as they have certain expectations from them. But the children, when they grow up, want a complete freedom in their thoughts and actions and unfortunately their thoughts and actions are just opposite to those expected by the elders. They revolt when any kind of restrictions are imposed on them. Consequently, the family breaks up and everything gets ruined. In India, we are yet in the initial stages, but the gap has appeared and it is going to grow bigger day by day. So it is not only the responsibility of the younger but also of the elders to fill this gap with their love, affection and trust. The problem, in fact, has grown and intensified due to the rise in complexities of life. These complexities have arisen in the wake of modernism where everything allied to tradition, custom and the world was to be turned upside down. The problem arises mainly when parents forget how did they behave, what problems did they encounter and what feeling did they feel when they were children, especially teenagers. When the children enter the stormy teens the problem of generation gap comes out with greater intensity then ever. Children too fail to see their parents’ point of view and blindly stick to breaking rules. For them, at this age, their friends suddenly become important dislodging the parents from the vantage point. This causes great anxiety to parents and the friction increases between the children and the parents. At this time, grandparents can play a constructive role in order to bridge the gap of thought, attitude, and way of life and approaches to it. Generation gap is not that serious a problem if families can learn to sit over dinner and talk or sit in the living rooms over a cup of hot comforting coffee and talk the things out, ironing the difference and sharing the experiences. When this communication barrier is transcended and the ice broken, the problem does not remain that serious anymore. Talking it out calmly and coolly, with the idea of sorting things out, changing for each other and changing for better can be the most helpful instrument in bridging the generation gap. Family outings, vacations, tours, to picnic-outings, often with the family etc can be effective ways to initiate intimacy between parents and children. Watching movie and discussing them, putting forth the different viewpoints can be a beginning to inculcate the habit of a healthy dialogue between members of the family. Such small things and steps can do wonders in initiating a healthy family atmosphere and reducing friction between two generations that are right in their own respects. Their only fault is that they are viewing the same object from opposite directions. Age, time and experience or the lack of it, forces them to do so. Generation Gap Summary: It is a fact of life that the generation gap or â€Å"clash† is something that has existed and will continue to exist as long as man exists on this earth. It is not restricted to certain parts of the world, to certain times of human history or to certain cultures. That is why this â€Å"clash† is a fact of a life accepted by all generations, all over the world and through all time. Generation gap is a more modern term for the difference between generations, or milder than the extreme definition which calls this difference as the â€Å"clash† between the opinions, the attitudes and the behaviors of the younger and the older generations. The inevitable progress of time and technologies makes the introduction of new ideas, new believes, and new values unavoidable. As a result this difference in the general outlook at life arises which is manifest in the difference of opinions and social values, in addition to the difference mannerism and behavior between young people and older people within the family as well as within the social contexts. Perhaps, the gap generation that exists now between the younger and older generation can best be indicated by the difference of ideas between the young people and the older people in the family, namely the grand parents and the aunts or uncles who might be much older than their nieces and nephews, as is the case in â€Å"such† societies. Where bigamy is legal. The technological advances play a great rule in enlarging the gap as the younger generations are quicker to accept and adopt these technologies so that they consider the conservative and technologically suspicious elders of their families very old fashioned in their, tastes, opinions and out looks toward life. On the other hand, the older people despise the modern values which they call the† internet† and â€Å"globalization† values. They consider the young generation shallow, lacking knowledge and moral depth. This difference can best be seen in the difference of interests and hobbies. The young people of today get their knowledge from the â€Å"internet†, and they hardly read other than light magazines, while the elders of their hard-earned, profound book based knowledge. The difference includes the moral and social values, as the different generations see notions such as marriage, love, happiness, decency, and decorum from different perspectives.

Personality psychology Essay

Carl Gustav Jung was born on July 26, 1875 to a Swiss Pastor and his wife, in Kesswil, Switzerland. He was raised in Basel and attended school in Klein-Huningen. As a young boy Carl was fascinated by language, literature and archeology but was not really interested in school. He eventually enrolled and continued his education at the Humanistisches Gymnasium in Basel, and excelled at Latin. Because of his father’s faith, Jung developed a keen interest in religious history, but settled on the study of medicine at the University of Basel. He earned his medical degree in 1902 from the University of Zurich and went Paris to study psychology. Jung entered the field of psychiatry as an intern to Eugen Bleuler at the University of Zurich where he explored the unconscious mind and its related complexes. Jung was drafted into World War I and served as an army doctor for the British. In 1903, Jung married Emma Rauschenbach, with whom he had five children. Jung traveled throughout the world to teach and influence others with his psychoanalytical theories. He published many books relating to psychology, and others that seemed outside the realm science, including Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies, which examined and dissected the psychological significance of UFO sightings. Jung’s work embodied his belief that each person has a life purpose that is based in their spiritual self. Through his eastern, western and mythological studies, Jung developed a theory of transformation which he called individuation. He explained individualism as being the personal development of one’s connection between the ego and self, which was based on Freud’s three part theory of personality. He further pursued and explored the idea of individuation in Psychology and Alchemy, a book in which he detailed the relationship of alchemies in the psychoanalytical process. Jung developed the idea of introversion and extroversion type of personality. He outlined the theory of the four fundamental psychological functions of thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. His most difficult concept deals with archetypes which are inherited predispositions to respond to the world in a certain way. Jung’s relationship with Sigmund Freud began with his Studies in Word Association, a book that he published in 1906 and sent to Freud. In 1907 Jung met with Freud and their first discussions lasted 13 hours. In 1909 Jung opened his own practice and travelled to the United States with Freud. Their friendship lasted until 1913, at which time they parted ways due to a difference in academic opinion. Jung somewhat agreed with Freud’s theory of the unconscious, but believed further in the existence of a much deeper collective unconscious and representative archetypes. He disagreed with the idea that the unconscious is motivated by sexuality. This fundamental difference caused their friendship and professional opinions to be in conflict. Carl Jung is recognized as one of the most influential psychiatrists of all time. He founded Analytical Psychology and was among the first experts in his field to explore the religious nature behind human psychology. He developed the concept of the complex and identified the parallel roles of extraversion and introversion. He deepened the meaning of the unconscious by stating the existence of the collective unconscious and all of its archetypes. Additionally, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were in part inspired by Jung’s belief in an evangelic cure for alcoholism. His works, theories, and schools of thought are still widely discussed in universities and psychology curriculums around the world.

Doll’s House Essay

Victorian England was marked by rapid industrial growth, resulted in changes in the society, organization and attitude of the people. It is the custom of a society to bring into play, its own rules and values, to satisfy their interests. The literary works of the Victorian Era were pictures of the contemporary society drawn by eminent writers of the time. Henrik Ibsen was one among them. The adverse aspects of the society were unraveled harshly by the author, in the play ‘Doll’s House’. Women were expected to surrender their life for the comfort of the family. This is well explicated in the play through the life of Nora, the principal female character. A thrash about maintaining their own self can be identified in the characters both male and female. The society of the era seemed to have coherent notions and concepts about masculinity and femininity. Deviation from such preconceived notions was not well accepted. Nora, the ‘doll wife’ of Torvald was confined in the comforts of her own home. She was denied the status of a wife. This was the fate of most of the woman characters of the period that appeared in the current literatures of the time. They had to struggle for the approval of the society they live in. What Ibsen wanted was to liberate woman from the conventional roles of bearer’s of children and their moral guides. The materialistic mentality of male characters of the time was revealed through Torvald,  Ã‚   an unsuccessful barrister who refused to take ‘unsavory cases’. This materialism was exhibited by his attitude towards his wife, that he considered her as an ‘asset’, not as his ‘partner’. The economic and social changes during nineteenth century made the people work for a place in the society based on money. The over powering morality is another major theme of the play. The heroic action of Nora to save her husband by forgery was a crime in the eyes of the society. Mrs. Linde betrayed her real lover and married another man only for money. All the characters of the play appear to be misleading and unreliable during their walks of life. This instability was true temperament of the period. Ibsen succeeded in gradually bringing out the real personality of the major characters of the play. Thus through a middle class family story, the author depicted the existing society and common life with power and precision. Reference Ibsen, Henrik. (1879). A Doll’s House. Capenhagen: Denmark.