What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That Essay Example

What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That Essay The information that I have learned about diversity in the United States of America has helped me better understand and relate to others in many ways. The United States of America is a giant melting pot of several different races, ethnicities, and cultures. What I have learned is that each group has their differences and similarities. With these differences in culture they have taught me how to be tolerant and accepting of them no matter how different from me they appear. By accepting the differences in our diverse society I have learned new thoughts and ideas of living, different perspectives of thinking, and have been introduced to a variety of foods that I have never tried before. All in all, it seems in the end that many racial and ethnic groups are different, but they share one common interest which is to love one another and be happy. The most beneficial thing to our society would be the focus on the main interest of all, instead of focusing on how different we are when compared to one another. Focusing on the differences between one another and judging others based on them was something that was done in the past. However, I had come to realize that focusing on the differences and closing the opportunity to learn about other cultures, races, and ethnicities was hindering me in life. What I have learned about my Irish ethnicity has been quite an experience for me. I have learned that the Irish were put through many years of suffering when they immigrated to the United States of America. The Irish immigrants were considered uneducated and unworthy. We will write a custom essay sample on What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In many ways the Irish were perceived to be on the same level as African Americans. Irish immigrants were put into slavery, given jobs that nobody else would take, weren’t paid well, and were forced to live in unfit conditions and only with other Irish. The United States population will change in many ways by the year 2050. Since the beginning of the United States, whites have been a clear majority of the country. However, according to the United States Census Bureau projections by the year 2050, minority groups are predicted to account for 49. percent of the United States population. Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans will experience the most dramatic increases between now and 2050. This will happen when the United States population has grown close to 50 percent to reach 420 million. Racial and ethnic changes are happening faster than expected, due to the higher than predicted immigration rates for Asian and Hispanic Americans. Historically, the United States of America h as been a â€Å"white and black† country, but that’s not true any longer and even less true for the future. The reason why I believe this is true is because it is factual information derived from data trends recorded by the United States Census Bureau. A challenge that the United Sates of America faces due to the diversity of its people would be cultural pluralism. In reality cultural pluralism tends to promote anger from the indigenous culture towards the new coming culture. The United States of America needs to get rid of the entire label of hyphen Americans; we are one country and should be one as individuals. Having different ethnic or racial groups segregating themselves creates a â€Å"salad bowl† rather than a â€Å"melting pot†. This leads to animosity and not acceptance. This nation will not foster a climate of acceptance until people shed themselves of the old mantras of the under class or victim class and start seeing themselves as equals. The benefits of a diverse society in the United States are many. For example, diversity in society helps us to grow as individuals and open our minds to different ways of life. When you become exposed to different ways to live, and see how other cultures carry on then you are no longer closed to the idea that we are all different in some way, and those differences can be meaningful in our lives. When it comes to diversity it also promotes more tolerance. In terms of being tolerant that means diversity can help us accept other culture, and even adapt some of their ways into our society. The point is, we are all different. Yet the differences that we have between us can be used to strengthen society as we know it. Diversity enables us to have the opportunity to learn, develop, and understand different ways of living, and experience our lives to the fullest. Without diversity, we are closed or boarded off in our own worlds. But with it, we expand our knowledge and we are no longer ignorant. When you are aware of the differences and embrace them, then you have taken the blind fold off to living differently and you are a better person for it. The key is exposure and using what you learned to increase more tolerance and decrease things such as racism. To foster a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States of America we must be accepting of other cultures, identities, and nationalities, we must embrace differences, rather than expecting others to conform to our American, English-speaking culture. One way to embrace cultural or language differences is to offer more alternative-language support in public places, such as grocery stores (for example, on price labels or packaging), in public transportation (for example, on buses and trains), and on street signs. To create a climate of acceptance, we must create ways for other cultures to exist in America without having to learn the â€Å"American† way. We can also host cultural-related activities such as parades, festivals, etc. , where both people of other cultures and American can go to express their culture or learn about other cultures. The best way to foster cultural acceptance, however, is to start at the primary level which are teaching our children, in schools, about different cultures, without making suggestions that one culture is better than the other. We must respect and accommodate other cultures in order to create cultural pluralism, rather than the cultural â€Å"melting pot† that we currently have. Stereotyping and prejudice in the media are unavoidable. This is especially true when it comes to advertising, entertainment, and news industries because they need a wide range of audiences to effectively and quickly understand information. Stereotypes used by the media are like codes for the audience to give them a quick and common understanding of a group of individuals usually relating to race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, or occupation. For example, the joke that was made by the KTVU news station about the names of crew members who were on the Asiana airline flight that crashed. Some of these names broadcasted by the news channel were â€Å"Wi Tu Lo† and Captain Sum Ting Wong. Another example of how the media perpetuates stereotyping and prejudice in the media is by always noting the race of an individual who has committed a crime especially if they are from a minority group. I think the media first encourages tolerance of diversity, by introducing us to types of people we may not normally encounter, and then we are later led to a greater appreciation of said diversity. Also, by learning about diverse cultures such as their cuisine, land, customs, or beliefs we may find a common ground or a point which we may find fascinating, leading to our appreciation of that culture. For example, there are many television shows such as Food Network cooking shows like Top Chef that give insight on the diverse foods of various culture, ethnicities, and races. The only way individuals can work together with the United States to reduce prejudice and increase appreciation for diversity is by awareness. Only with an acknowledgment of prejudicial learning can the false or inaccurate information be dealt with in a manner which is likely to bring about change. It’s obvious that if we can’t discuss it, we surely can’t attempt or try to change. To be more inclusive and pluralistic, one could always make a point of thinking things through from other people’s viewpoint before speaking or acting out of impulsion. In particular, trying or attempting to see things from the eyes of people who are from very different backgrounds to your own. Institution and behavior does not change overnight. The process by which successful countries have achieved inclusive and pluralistic institutions has been a long one. The English started in the seventeenth century by allowing representation of only 10 percent of the male population, with laws far from where they are today. This is an evolutionary and revolutionary process. Still, banks can advocate for inclusivity and pluralism and can move beyond business as usual in our programs as we the people deal with the outcome of poorly performing institutions such as weak educational and health care systems. References† Keita P. Gwendolyn (2007) U. S. diversity breakthroughs and challenges. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/monitor/apr07/itpi. aspx CNN (2008) Minorities expected to be majority in 2050. CNN. Retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/2008/US/08/13/census. minorities/ Miller C. William (1976) Fostering a Commitment to Cultural Pluralism. ASCD. Retrieved from http://ascd. org/Default. aspx Jiwani Yasmin (2013) Racism and the Media. Stop Racism and Hate Collective. Retrieved from http://www. stopracism. a/content/racism-and-media Chaves Linda (1997) Fostering Appreciation for Cultural Diversity: Recognizing America’s Changing Complexion. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved from http://www. preservationnation. org/forum/library/public-articles/fostering-appreciation-for-cultural-diversity. html Hawley Willis (2013) Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Prejudice: Essential Principles for Program Design. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from http://www. tolerance. org/supplement/strategies-reducing-racial-and-ethnic-prejudice-essential-pr

Essay on Slaves, Convicts, and Free Settlers Essays

Essay on Slaves, Convicts, and Free Settlers Essays Essay on Slaves, Convicts, and Free Settlers Paper Essay on Slaves, Convicts, and Free Settlers Paper Slaves, Convicts and Free Settlers I agree that slaves, convicts, and free settlers differed greatly, although there are still some similarities about their lives. The comparison of freedom was very different with slaves, convicts and free settlers, while travel by boat was not very different, except for wealthy free settlers who paid for high-class travel. Experiences after the travel on boat also differed. Life for a slave was extremely terrible. African slaves were unwillingly captured, and transported by ship to America, from Africa, to work. Africans that were captured were separated from their families and friends, but the Europeans and Americans did not care. Africans were unable to fight back as the capturers were armed. While the Africans were transported towards America by ship, travelling conditions for them were very unpleasant. Slaves were tightly packed with each other and had no privacy. They had no control over the food that they ate. They were normally given beans, rice and corn. They had very limited supplies of water, and diseases were common. This experience was extremely unhygienic. Slaves hated it so much that they attempted to kill themselves. Some of them refused food, and some gathered to rebel against the crew, trying to get past the guards and jump into the ocean, drowning themselves. Approximately a quarter of slaves died during each journey. After reaching Am erica, slaves were auctioned. Crowds of people would appear for auctions. The Africans were examined, and then sold to the highest bidder. They were forced to work, and those who did not work hard enough were physically punished. Thousands of slaves were worked, starved, or beaten to death. Africans were obviously treated unfairly. While on ships, the experience of a slave was similar to those of a convict, but the working periods on land highly differed. Compared to a free settler, slaves had a very unpleasant life. Convicts were people who committed crimes and were punished. Many poor people had to steal as a living, since lots of them had lost their jobs. People were heavily punished if they were found guilty for very little crimes. Things like pickpocketing and petty theft would get you hanged to death, or locked up for many years. Crowds of people surrounding public hanging areas was normal, even parents brought their young kids there. Since there were so many poor people, places where people were hanged quickly became overloaded. Prisons also became overloaded. The government then came up to the idea of turning old naval ships into cramped, stinking, rat infested prisons on water. They were called ‘Hulks’. However, this only stalled the situation; the ships also eventually became overloaded. The government then sent convicts to Britain’s American colonies, but they also became overwhelmed with convicts. They then planned to send convicts to New South Wales. Conditions on ships for a convict was similar to a slave’s. They were cramped, unhealthy, and ate peas, bread, salted beef or pork, oatmeal, butter and cheese. Illnesses were easily passed on. Stormy weather was especially harsh for convicts because they constantly leaned into others and were only able to stabilize themselves with the bars above them. On the first fleet of convicts, about 30 people died, meaning that slaves had a worse environment. After arriving on land, they were forced to work very hard. The hot and dry land made it especially hard for the convicts. Convicts who did not work hard enough were sent to punishment areas where they had to work out of their exhaustion. Further punishments were done with beatings and floggings, which were achieved with things like whips, lashes and cat o’ nine tails. Convicts that had served their sentence became free settlers or travelled back home. While travelling by ship, convicts had a better experience compared to slaves. Slaves needed to work for their entire lives while convicts only needed to work until their sentence was completed. Free settlers were not forced to work at all. Free settlers were people who travelled to another country to start a new life. A majority of them were wealthy, and they usually travelled to Australia to look for a job and start a new life. While travelling across seas, free settlers who paid for the minimum fee had an experience that was close to a convict’s, but the environment was cleaner and they had hammocks to sleep on. Rich people who paid for a high-class experience had their own private cabins with soft beds and pillows, well-prepared food, and servants. After reaching shore, the rich people often bought large amounts of land and convicts to work for them. Free settlers often became farmers, but some became doctors. Living conditions for free settlers was still harsh, even for the rich. They needed to wait for the right time to harvest the crops. Some supply ships came to New South Wales to deliver food. During droughts and floods, farmers had a difficult time because they needed to protect their crops. As years pa ssed, food supply increased and life became easier. The life of a free settler was definitely better than a slave’s or a convict’s since they had freedom and weren’t unwillingly forced to work. To conclude, convicts, slaves and free settlers differed, but there were a few concepts of their lives that were similar. They all travelled to a different country by boat, and travel was very unpleasant for them all, besides rich free settlers. Convicts and slaves were forced to work very hard, and were beaten if they did not.

Misuse of DNA Evidence in Homicide Cases Research Paper - 1

Misuse of DNA Evidence in Homicide Cases - Research Paper Example Several barriers exist that limit the contribution of DNA technology to homicide investigations. They include failure by law enforcement to effectively analyze DNA evidence, lack of appropriate communication between law enforcement and crime laboratory, insufficient resources that may not justify the use of DNA technology and use of incompatible DNA analysis systems. There are inherent problems with DNA technology that could lead to wrong convictions. These include cross-contamination, mislabeling of samples, and intentional planting of DNA and misinterpretation of test results. The government’s initiative to create DNA databases also violates privacy laws and therefore calling for the need for transparency on the use of personal information held in DNA laboratories. Given the challenges in the use of DNA evidence in homicide cases, it thus makes sense for prosecutors and investigators to work carefully, using accessible resources most competently. This will mean that DNA stud y should presently be carried out only when compulsory and required to establish an element of the crime. Primarily, it is for identification and also to prove presence or contact of a suspect at the scene of crime, when it is has been denied by the suspect (Butterfield, 1996). DNA is a fundamental building block of the genetic makeup of an individual. It is contained in almost every single cell of the entire human body and is unique to every human being including identical twins. DNA samples collected from the scene of crime can be used like a fingerprint to exclude or include a suspect in a given case. Since its discovery, DNA technology has proved to be a powerful tool in the provision of evidence to homicide investigators and other law enforcement agents. DNA can be found in a number of sources such as saliva, blood, hair, teeth, semen and bones. As early as 1980s, states began to enact laws that required the collection and analysis of DNA samples. In 1994, the

Globalization and Its Impact on Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Globalization and Its Impact on Business - Essay Example The purpose of the project was meant to inform company B on the need to implement the best practices for communicating in a multicultural environment. The objectives of the project were implemented and this included the best practices and recommendations vital to achieving success in a multicultural environment. The conclusion was also included, which summed up the research report for practices and recommendations vital to achieving success when dealing with diverse cultures. I submit herewith a report on recommendations and the best practices for intercultural communication that Company B will employ. This will help the company to solve communication barriers; thus conducting business effectively in the internal markets. The main purpose of this report is to offer recommendations and best practices that Company B should employ in order to communicate effectively across diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the company should employ effective practices for intercultural communication in China markets. Questions or any further information relating to any recommendation or practices raised in the project should be directed to me. However, questions of administrative nature may be directed to the managerial leaders of the company. The globalization era has altered the way companies carry out business and also communicates across diverse cultures. The Internet and current technology have paved way to new marketplaces, which enables companies to promote their business in the international or new geographic areas and cultures. The world demands marketing experts who are capable of recognizing the rising communication complexities across cultural borders. The intercultural communications are radically becoming significant in the current globalized world. This is especially to companies going global or those companies carrying out international business, as well as, handling customers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Case study: Relational Aggression

Case study: Relational Aggression Adolescents today face many challenges with regard to both academics and peer groups. Unfortunately, one aspect of peer relations is aggression, and many times we often only think of physical aggression. However, relational aggression can also characterize the peer interactions of adolescents, and thus it has gained more attention in research. Relational aggression can be defined as a purposeful act that an individual carries out intentionally in order to inflict harm upon another individual through a social relationship (Bowie, 2007). The present literature review will discuss some of the research that has demonstrated how relational aggression contributes uniquely and negatively to social-psychological adjustment problems in youth (Crick, Ostrov, Werner, 2006; Prinstein, Boergers, Vernberg, 2001; Reynolds Repetti, 2010; Rose Swenson, 2009). The protective factors identified by research that appear to mitigate the negative effects of relational aggression will also be discussed. Being popular (Rose Swenson, 2009), having a close friend (Prinstein et al., 2001), and having a positive academic self-concept (Taylor, Davis-Kean, Malanchuk, 2007) have all been found to act as protective factors in the face of relational aggression. Lastly, relational aggression in the context of school will be examined. Given that relational aggression makes unique contributions to social-psychological adjustment problems in the absence of such protective factors, it would be valuable to explore whether or not relational aggression also has unique negative effects on academic engagement and achievement. This could have important implications for prevention and intervention efforts, as well as educational policy and classroom management strategies. Since the conception of research on relational aggression, researchers have found that engaging in relational aggression can have negative effects on various social-psychological adjustment outcomes for adolescents. A study by Crick et al. (2006) targeted a sample of 224 children, who were part of a larger longitudinal study, as they progressed from third to fourth grade in order to examine how relationally aggressive behavior affected childrens social-psychological adjustment over time. The authors hypothesized that relationally and physically aggressive children would exhibit increased levels of both internalizing and externalizing difficulties. They also expected that relational aggression would create distinct psychopathological symptoms from those that are associated with physical aggression. Participants completed a self-report measure about physical and relational aggression, as well as prosocial behavior. Participants teachers filled out a survey to assess childrens social-ps ychological adjustment. Results indicated that relational aggression is indeed a significant indicator of childrens risk for future social-psychological adjustment problems, and that the outcomes of relational aggression are unique compared to those of physical aggression. The authors call for additional, similar studies to improve prevention and intervention programs that address both physical and relational aggression in boys and girls. Similarly, a study by Prinstein et al. (2001) examined the association among relational and overt forms of aggression and adolescents internalizing and externalizing symptoms and behavior in a sample of 566 adolescents in a New England high school. The authors hypothesized that relational aggression would be distinctively associated with depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, and externalizing behavior. Another significant hypothesis was that having a close friendship would buffer adolescents from the negative social-psychological adjustment outcomes that are associated with relational aggression victimization. Several self-report questionnaires were administered to the participants that respectively measured overt and relational aggression and victimization, depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, externalizing symptoms, and close friend social support. Results demonstrated that adolescents make a distinction between overt and relational forms of aggression and victimiz ation. Relational aggression was found to have its own unique effects on victims, including higher levels of depressive symptoms, higher levels of loneliness, and lower global self-worth. The hypothesis was supported that having a close friend did act as a buffer against negative psychological adjustment problems associated with relational aggression. A study by Reynolds and Repetti (2010) gathered descriptive information from 114 girls in a Los Angeles public high school about the forms, frequency, perceived motives and functions, and types of emotions felt when relationally aggressing or when being victimized. An online survey was utilized that elicited scale ratings and descriptive responses from the participants about their experiences as both perpetrators and victims of relational aggression. The results showed that every participant reported being involved as both a perpetrator and a victim in each form of relational aggression at least once in the past year. The most frequent form reported was talking behind another girls back, while the next most frequent behaviors were spreading rumors about a girl and intentionally ignoring her. The most frequently reported function was trying to get back at someone. Additionally, the participants reported that ignoring, as compared to rumors and exclusion, was related to the strongest n egative feelings experienced at the time of the incident, like sadness. Ignoring emerged as a unique form of relational aggression in this study, which merits further investigation. Implications of this and similar studies demonstrate that intervention and prevention efforts should focus on the most frequently reported behaviors by adolescents. Due to the evidence suggesting that relational aggression has unique, negative effects on social-psychological adjustment in children and adolescents, it is important to look at what protective factors might exist for children and adolescents that buffer these negative effects. In addition to the finding that a close friend can buffer the negative effects of relational aggression (Prinstein et al., 2001), other protective factors have been identified through research. For example, a study by Rose and Swenson (2009) looked specifically at perceived popular adolescents who relationally aggress and whether or not their participation in relational aggression leads to emotional adjustment problems. The authors studied a sample of 439 students in seventh and ninth grade in the United States. It was hypothesized that perceived popularity would moderate the association between relational aggression and internalizing symptoms. Peer nomination surveys were used to assess peer status and aggres sion, and the Childrens Depression Inventory was used to assess internalizing symptoms. Results demonstrated that perceived popular adolescents who relationally aggress do not experience emotional adjustment problems, but youth who were perceived as less popular did experience elevated internalizing symptoms. This finding suggests that popularity acts as a buffer against the negative effects of relationally aggressive behavior. For this reason, the authors discuss future directions in research that could examine which other variables protect popular, relationally aggressive peers from experiencing internalizing symptoms. Similarly, Cillessen and Mayeux (2007) also investigated peer status and aggression, however they did so around the transitions from elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school. They looked at how these constructs are related to adolescents academic and social expectations in their new school system. The total sample size was 2,434 with students from fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth grade. The authors hypothesized first that pre-transition expectations and post-transition perceptions of academic and social functioning would be moderately correlated. Secondly, they hypothesized that both social preference and perceived popularity would be positively correlated with social expectations, and thirdly, that both overt and relational aggression would be positively associated with social expectations. Participants completed a sociometric assessment that measured social preference, perceived popularity, overt aggression, and relational aggression. Participants also comp leted a set of self-report questionnaires that measured pre-transition expectations and post-transition perceptions of academic and social functioning. Results demonstrated that their first hypothesis was correct. They also found that popular adolescents had more positive expectations of transitions, and also rated themselves as doing better socially after the transition. Relational aggression was negatively correlated with the academic functioning of sixth grade girls. No other main effects were found for relational aggression. Consequently, the authors called for more research on relational aggression in the social and academic lives of students, especially for girls. Relational aggression can have impacts on the development of friendships as well, as demonstrated by Sijtsema et al. (2010) in their longitudinal study. They examined how aggression in different forms and functions (instrumental, reactive, overt, relational) impacts friendship development in a sample of 337 participants, ages 12 to 14 years. The authors hypothesized that instrumental, relational, and overt forms of aggression would be associated with making friends who are equally aggressive. They also hypothesized that reactive aggression would predict a high number of unidirectional friendship nominations in which the aggressor nominates others, but is never nominated by others. Additionally, the authors hypothesized that social influence effects will appear uniquely in relational aggression contexts. Various questionnaires were administered to the participants to gather information about friendship networks, previous acquaintances, and occurrences of instrumental, reactive, overt, and relational aggression. Results demonstrated that all four conceptualizations of aggression had unique and meaningful effects on friendship selection and social influence during early adolescence. Of particular interest was that relationally aggressive adolescents selected similarly aggressive friends, and that relational aggression was subject to social influence. Therefore, it was found that relational aggression uniquely affects early adolescent friendships, regardless of the function of the relationally aggressive behavior. Given that relational aggression can occur in school contexts because that is where peer groups are situated, it is important to examine various aspects of the schooling experience in order to better understand why relational aggression occurs. Accordingly, Totura, et al. (2009) conducted a study that used an ecological framework to examine how middle school students (N = 2,506) perceptions of their family and school contexts moderated their involvement in and the effects of bullying and victimization. The authors hypothesized that students with internalizing and/or externalizing problems would be less likely to be categorized as bullies and/or victims if they had a stable family context, and if their school had high levels of support and monitoring. They hypothesized that students would be more likely to be identified as bullies and/or victims if their school and family contexts were characterized by low levels of support, monitoring, and school belongingness. The investigators used student and teacher surveys to measure bullying and victimization, internalizing and externalizing problems, family functioning, school bonding, adult monitoring at school, aggressiveness of the school climate, and academic performance. Results of this study demonstrated that there are many relations among emotionality, bullying, and students perceptions, as well as some significant gender differences. One result particularly important result is that bullies and bully/victims exhibited lower academic achievement and were less bonded with school. This points to a potential area of research that explores whether or not increasing childrens academic engagement, achievement and bonding with school can actually decrease relational aggression. Another important implication of this study is that it demonstrates how important students perceptions of their environment are and the impact that their perceptions can have on their experiences with bullying and victimization. Furthermore, Taylor et al. (2007) explored how self-esteem and self-concept may influence aggression in a school setting. The authors used a diverse sample of 842 children, which was part of a larger longitudinal study, in middle schools in an East coast state. The authors hypothesized first that students with negative academic self-concepts would be more likely to aggress in school than children with more positive academic self-concepts. Their second hypothesis was that students whose high academic self-concept is threatened would be more likely to aggress at school. The study utilized interviews and self-report questionnaires from both the participants and the participants primary care givers to measure the constructs of aggression, self-esteem, academic self-concept, and academic performance. Results supported the authors first hypothesis in that low academic self-concept was correlated with increased aggression in school. However, their second hypothesis was not supported. These findings are significant because they demonstrate that if we can increase childrens academic self-concepts, perhaps aggression would decrease. All of the studies mentioned above have made significant contributions to the study of relational aggression, specifically with regard to the social-psychological effects of relational aggression, protective factors, how relational aggression impacts friendship development, and how school contexts can impact relational aggression. These studies all have some analogous strengths and limitations that can point us to future directions in research. Longitudinal methods were used in the study by Crick et al. (2006), as well as the study by Sijtsema et al. (2010), demonstrating definite strengths for these two studies. However, Crick and his colleagues did mention that a limitation of their study was that the interval was only one year, and so future studies would benefit from having longer time intervals to see how relational aggression affects children through different developmental periods. Sijtsema et al. (2010) acknowledged that a limitation of their study was that peer relations wer e examined with respect to school grade, so aggression that occurs outside of school might not have been captured in the study. Both studies by Prinstein et al. (2001), and Totura et al. (2009) addressed the fact that their cross-sectional designs were an inherent limitation. Specifically, Totura et al. (2009) stated that the cross-sectional nature of their study prohibits researchers from determining which came first, internalizing and externalizing difficulties or bullying/victimization. In this way, future longitudinal studies would be exceptionally beneficial to the field so that we can further examine what factors lead to engaging in relational aggression. Similar to the study by Totura et al. (2009), the study conducted by Rose and Swenson (2009) discussed a limitation of their study that the results cannot speak to causation, only to correlation. Their study did have two important strengths in their sample size and their use of validated measures of depression and anxiety. The study by Totura et al. (2009) also had a very large sample size at N = 2,506. The study by Prinstein et al. (2001) used a very ethnically diverse sample. Future studies would benefit from also making every effort to obtain a diverse sample in order to best understand relational aggression in adolescents. Additionally, future studies would benefit from including school transitions and perceptions, like Cillessen and Mayeux (2007) did in their study. A limitation of their study was their exclusive use of self-report measures, which will be discussed later in this literature review. The authors did acknowledge, though, that future research would benefit from including more objective measures of social and academic outcomes. Lastly, a strength of the (2010) study by Reynolds and Repetti was that the investigators collected novel, descriptive data through an online survey that informed them of the unique experiences of relational aggression among high school girls. A limitation of this study was its relatively small sample size (N = 114), and the fact that the stud y only addressed girls. All of these studies (Crick et al., 2006; Prinstein et al., 2001; Reynolds Repetti, 2010; Sijtsema et al., 2010; Taylor et al., 2007; Totura et al., 2009; Cillessen Mayeux, 2007; Rose Swenson, 2009) actually used self-report questionnaires as at least part of their methodology. Self-report methodologies are certainly valuable, however future research would benefit from the use of different methodologies as well, as suggested by Cillessen and Mayeux (2007), in order to ensure that we understand relational aggression from multiple perspectives. Crick et al. (2006) also used teacher reports in order to assess the childrens social-psychological adjustment. Equivalently, Totura et al. (2009) used teacher surveys in addition to student surveys to measure bullying and victimization, and internalizing and externalizing symptomology, in addition to other various constructs. Rose and Swenson (2009) used peer nomination surveys in order to assess peer status and aggression, and this was in a ddition to the self-report measure used to assess internalizing symptoms. Taylor et al. (2007), in addition to having the adolescents complete self-report questionnaires and having their primary caregivers complete surveys, also interviewed the adolescents themselves. The use of interviews could provide valuable in-depth information about the experiences that children and adolescents have with relational aggression. Another methodology that has not yet been utilized in past research is focus groups. This could involve having six to eight adolescents talk about their experiences with relational aggression. Methodologies like focus groups and interviews would be extremely valuable when used in addition to self-report, peer-report, teacher-report and/or parent-report surveys. In this way, researchers would be able to gather information from a variety of sources in order to understand relational aggression. Few studies have addressed how relational aggression might impact the academic achievement and engagement of adolescents. Exceptions to this include the study by Totura et al. (2009) that investigated how middle school students perceptions of their family and school contexts moderate their involvement in and the effects of bullying and victimization. Importantly, the authors defined bullying as engaging in the following behaviors: kicking/pushing/hitting, name calling, teasing, socially isolating others, and spreading false rumors (Totura et al., 2009, p. 579). In this way, the authors do capture important aspects of relational aggression. The results of this study have important implications for future studies that look at how relational aggression impacts academic achievement and engagement. Moreover, Taylor et al. (2007) investigated how self-esteem and academic self-concept influence aggression in a school setting. However, a limitation of this study is that the researchers opera tionalized aggression as acts of aggression that resulted in formal school discipline, although they acknowledged the various forms of aggression and the fact that not all aggression results in formal discipline. It must be addressed, though, that acts of relational aggression might not have been captured to the full extent in this study. Nevertheless, the methodology used and the results found in this study provide support for promising directions in the research of a possible link between relational aggression and academic achievement. Overall, the studies mentioned above utilize similar methodologies in order to address various aspects of relational aggression. The studies above investigated how relational aggression affects social-psychological adjustment adolescents, what protective factors exist to buffer adolescents from the negative effects of relational aggression, how engaging in relational aggression affects friendship development, and lastly how a few school-related constructs affect ones experience with relational aggression. The purpose of this literature review was to provide an analysis of what research has been done with regard to relational aggression. Because it has been shown that relational aggression has unique, negative effects on the social-psychological adjustment of adolescents, it is imperative that we examine what other negative effects might be a result of engaging in relational aggression, either as a perpetrator or as a victim. Specifically, research on how relational aggression impacts academic engagement in the classroom, and consequently academic achievement, would be very valuable. School bonding and school spirit are other constructs that could be explored. If a negative association is found between relational aggression and academic engagement, this could have implications for educational policy and school behavioral management systems. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to explore whether or not increasing the academic self-concept of an adolescent would cause a subsequent decrease in their engagement in relational aggression. Future studies would benefit form utilizing multiple methodologies, including interviews or focus groups in order to gain a deeper understanding about what it is like to experience relational aggression. The area of how relational aggression might impact academic engagement has yet to really be explored, and so studies in this area would be indispensable in informing research and also practices in the field.

Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”

Edgar Allen Poe is a name that conjures up images of haunting dark rooms and dreary landscapes. His poems and short stories explore the inner workings of the human imagination, the parallelism of life and death, the fine line between sanity and madness, the delicate balance of beauty and terror, and the hesitation between a natural and a supernatural explanation of unusual events. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† examines these themes in a collision and intermingling of manifold, complex circumstances. Poe uses duality and mirror images, symbolism, and a Gothic tone to convey the terror and fear that overwhelms and finally destroys the House of Usher. Studying the characters and the connections established between them, the symbolism and duality throughout the story, and most importantly the way in which the story is told, provides insight into the deeper meanings and true significance of the story. A part of the terror of this story is its vagueness. Rather than directly exploring the internal causes of the Ushers' illnesses, it presents these characters to the narrator and the reader as an impenetrable mystery. While many have tried to decipher the twin motif, this paper serves to explore how the events effect the narrator, and in turn, effect the reader. As the reader tries to interpret the story and make sense of the strange events that unfold, the reader finds himself experiencing feelings that mirror the narrator's. This is an often overlooked meaning and purpose to â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher. † A study of the opening paragraph is a crucial element to understanding the significance of the story. The opening paragraph not only introduces the conflict between the natural and supernatural, but gives insight into the narrator's reason for telling this story. First, it sets up an opposition between the narrator's experience of a force that may be supernatural and his insistent interpretation of this experience as explainable according to obscure psychological laws or else illusory, the mere product of nerves. After struggling to rationalize his immediate â€Å"sense of insufferable gloom† upon merely glancing at the House of Usher, he acknowledges that worldly things can sometimes give shape to the mind. He tries to change his perspective to shake his gloomy feeling, but looking into the tarn and seeing the reflection of the house provides no relief and instead deepens his terror. This experience contradicts his beliefs. The conflict between the reports of his senses and his interpretations of these reports persists when he reasons that being conscious that one is giving way to superstition accelerates the speed at which one gives way. This is â€Å"the paradoxical law of all sentiments having terror as a basis. Parallel to the narrator's conflict is a subtle opposition that becomes increasingly stronger and important as the story progresses. Unlike many of Poe's other works, the opening provides no statement of the narrator's purpose in telling this story. Even though the narrator is never explicit about why he tells this story, he reveals his reasons indirectly from the very beginning. This narrator imagines a listener as conveyed by his conversational tone. The narrator mildly re sists his own story, trying rhetorically to dissociate himself from it. The frequency of his assertions of the present tense increases at crucial points in his narrative: when he recounts his perception of the atmosphere, when he discusses Usher's artistic productions, and especially, when he reports Usher's belief in the sentience of all things. This resistance suggests that he is telling this story to convince himself, or rather have the reader confirm that he is not mad. The purpose for the narrator's visit to the Usher House is to alleviate Rodrick from his suffering by means of his cheerful disposition. Upon discovering the physical similarities between Rodrick and the house, suggesting that both are essentially living corpses, alleviation seems futile. When Usher acknowledges these resemblances by asserting that the â€Å"physique† of the house affects the â€Å"morale† of his existence, he indicates that at the center of his malady is a growing dominance of the material world over his spirit, a world that includes both his house and his body. Rodrick's house and body have become his prison. Madeline's presence later in the conversation triggers yet another unaccountable oppression and after finding Usher with his face buried in his hands, he feels helpless. Mid story consists of a succession of of images of Usher's imprisonment in his world and of the narrator's attempts to resist the oppressive feelings that attack him. Rather than attempting to change Rodrick's point of view, the narrator only persists resistance to becoming â€Å"ushered. † The narratology shifts focus to the image of Rodrick. He proclaims his fear of going mad. In his mind, the house is causing him, body and soul, to mirror itself. The narrator, attempting to rationalize once again, concludes that Rodrick's condition is the condition of his world. It cause is in the nature of things. Rodrick hesitantly admits â€Å"a more natural and far more palpable origin,† hence why he send for the narrator as a aversion. As the days go on, Rodrick entertains the narrator with art and poems, all of which the narrator observes reflect the polarities of Rodrick's mental state. As the narrator tells of his and Rodrick's activities and of Rodrick's behavior, his tone becomes increasingly desperate and his efforts to remind the reader of his presence, rather than just reporting the events, increase exponentially. He describes their artistic pursuits: â€Å"his long, improvised dirges will ring forever in my ears,† â€Å"I hold painfully in my mind,† â€Å"(vivid as their images now are before me). † The narrator's very efforts to escape into the present of the narration betray him, for what he wishes to escape in the past awaits him in the future. Towards the end of the story, the narrator starts to mirror Rodrick. He appears to be telling his story to deny the significance upon which his story insists. As he resists his story, so his story resists him, refusing to take the shape he desires for it. His story mirrors the House of Usher. The narrator thus reveals his obsession. Could he convince his listener that what he has experienced is illusion, he might perhaps convince himself and so exorcise the story. He is compelled to tell his tale, but compelled by inner necessity to be free of the tale, to save himself. After Madeline's death, he claims he has been infected by Usher. After the account of Madeline's burial, the narrator's efforts at identifying with his listener are less frequent and less desperate. The death of Madeline is followed by the disappearance of all light from Usher's eyes and by rhetorical hopelessness in the narrator. Usher roams without object from chamber to chamber and gazes â€Å"upon vacancy for long hours,† as if listening (95). Soon the narrator is doing the same. When Rodrick enters the narrator's room his â€Å"mad hilarity† appalls the narrator, but the narrator welcomes his presence rather than being alone. Usher has come to show him something, the peculiar storm outside, which the narrator at first thinks sublimely beautiful. Upon further observation, he concludes that Usher must not look at it. He reaches this conclusion when he notices that the seemingly living whirlwind appears imprisoned within â€Å"the unnatural light of a faintly luminous and distinctly visible gaseous exhalation which hung about and enshrouded the mansion† (96). For the first time, the narrator reports direct resistance to Rodrick's perception and a direct attempt to explain it away as â€Å"merely electrical phenomena not uncommon† or as the result of the miasma of the tarn. As a diversion, he suggests reading. As the narrator attempts to entertain Rodrick with a hopeful sounding story he is not diverted. As Usher's arrival in the narrator's room mocks the narrator's earlier arrival at Usher, and as the revelation of the storm emphatically affirms Usher's world view, so Madeline's escape from the tomb mocks â€Å"The Mad Trist,† and her appearance turns the screw of the horror of Usher's world view. The Mad Trist,† while it may, as the narrator asserts, lack imagination, speaks rather directly to Rodrick's despair. The story, in the portion the narrator tells, is of the reconquest of a palace of gold, which had been reduced by a dragon into a hermit's hut, a hut with most of the characteristics of the haunted palace of U sher's poem. Ethelred's progress, then, suggests the possibility that King might retake his lost kingdom and don again the purple for which he was born. However, in the background is the opposite horror, the echoing series of events leading up to the destruction of the metaphorical king, Rodrick, and his palace. Madeline's escape from her tomb is a mockery of the recovery of reason. Soon the narrators surrounded by dualities: the twins, the reelings, the usherings, the collapses, the doublings of storm and house. He flees, but as the his rhetoric has already revealed, he cannot escape. He is infected. The House of Usher utters him with its last breath, and he is expelled into a space identical in meaning with those he has left. Were the narrator speaking rather than being spoken, he might seize his last opportunity to assert that with the destruction of the house and the appearance of the natural light of the moon, Usher's disease disappears from the earth. But it is clear from the manner of his telling as well as from his vision of the moon that the narrator has not yet accomplished this exorcism. The moon insists upon being unnatural, â€Å"a wild light †¦ a gleam so unusual †¦ the full, setting, and blood-red moon,† which bursts upon his sight. Usher is dead and yet, in the narrator, Usher lives on. Turn where he might, he sees only Usher. In the effort to throw off this burden, he tells his story, asking his implied listener to confirm his fruitless assertions that his experience was illusory, but in the very act of telling, he is again caught up in the compelling vision of Madeline's return and the doubled collapse of the house. Implicit in his attempts at persuasion has been the promise that the tale would come to an end and that his unaccountable experiences would be explained. The final image of the tarn's waters closing over the fragments of the house violates probability, and the narrator offers no explanation for it. If the opposition between the narrator's rational explanations and his unaccountable experiences is to be resolved, the reader must do so without the help of the narrator, and the immediately available alternatives are not satisfactory. The reader's natural response is to re read or relieve the text, trying to rationalize what has just been presented, thus mirroring the role of the narrator. As he has failed in his pursuit to alleviate Usher from his madness, the reader in turn fails to make sense of the narrators experience.

People Resourcing and Rewards

There are a number of different ways in which psychometric testing can be used by employers in the recruitment process. The importance attached to the recruitment process by employers as well as employees make it extremely important for reliable measures to be put in place to ensure that the recruitment process and therefore the employment process brings forth the best of employees to a company. It is a crucial stage in starting because the kind of employees employed in an organization goes along way to determine the kind of workforce the organization the will have. Psychometric testing refers to a method which is used by employees to select the most suitable applicants to fill existing vacancies. Psychometric tests have been discredited due to the fact that, information gathered from them is not generalizable and therefore they cannot be relied upon in making selections for particular kinds of jobs. Another demerit associated with psychometric tests is that, they are more useful for top positions requiring high skills such as those involving graduates as well as highly qualified candidate. While this is an advantage to the employers seeking to fill vacancies for highly qualified staff. It is however challenging to apply the tests when recruiting for manual vacancies . High costs associated with the psychometric tests have been pointed out as a major impediment to the usability of the psychometric tests. Employers invest quite a large amount of money in order to secure and use psychometric tests. The direct costs involved in the tests include the training that has to be offered to the staff of the company requiring using the tests for recruitment since these are to administer the tests during actual interviews. The other cost involved in the test is that of the annual fees required for employers or companies which would want to use the tests. This is a demerit in that; companies have to invest heavily on the tests. To obtain and use the tests, employers are not only required to subscribe yearly something which can really strain a company’s income. Merits associated with the tests include the fact that, the tests are very objective . Objectivity is a crucial quality for any interview and therefore the fact that, these tests offers that advantage makes them very attractive and suitable for employees. Since subjects may jeopardize any chances of recruiting the best applicants, the objectivity associated with this method makes it very attractive to employers. Usually the common interview methods which traditionally have been used by recruiters have been known to be prone to subjectivity. Therefore objectivity associated with the psychometric tests is seen as a plus by the employers. Reliability is another merit associated with the test. According (EIRR, 2000p. 8-88), psychometric tests are more likely to filter out all unsuitable and unwanted applicants at early stages of the interviews thus saving the employers time and money. This is especially necessary in this era whereby un reputable schools have come up and also the underworld supplies quite a big percentage of fake certificates in circulation today. A good percentage of the fake certificates go unnoticed and undetected. In light of the above challenges, psychometric tests have become the better option for employers in detect ing dishonest applicants. The increasingly common fight for employment as well as gender mainstreaming in the labor market has effectively resulted in a more unbiased ways of recruitment and selection. This coupled with other factors have warranted a more sober approach to the recruitment process. The fact that many states have come up with legislation requiring equal job opportunities for all and without any form of discrimination has further served to ensure that, organizations go for psychometric testing during the staffing process (EIRR, 2000p. 0-90), cites a more professional human resource body as also a factor which can be linked to the increasingly popularity of the psychometric testing. Another merit of psychometric testing is that, they are very good in predicting cognitive ability of candidates something which is very useful for managerial jobs as well as high skilled jobs. Since the psychometric tests measure abilities as well as personal traits and personal attributes of people this makes them ve ry useful when hiring for highly competitive vacancies which attract applicants form well qualified professionals. Psychometric tests are also useful in that they assist employees to land jobs which suit their personalities and therefore are more likely to offer happiness to both employees and employers. This according to (EIRR, 2000p. 80-100), is useful in ensuring that employees perform to their peak hence contributing positively to their organizational growth. Psychometric tests also help employees not to pursue unsuitable careers in which their chances of succeeding in such are limited. Therefore psychometric tests offer employees an opportunity to carry out a self assessment and therefore plan better their career paths. Although the tests are not 100 % reliable they are useful in making sure that, an employee does not recruit employees whore are likely to end up quitting the job after being hired. Finally, psychometric test are useful in preparations to switch careers since such a step can make or break ones career path. Psychometric tests comes in hand to make sure that, people do not miss out on opportunities neither do they waste out of opportunities in pursuit of careers which do not suit them in the first place.