Sigmund Freud Paper Free Essays

Many believe Freud to be the father of modern psychiatry and psychology and the only psychiatrist of any worth. He is certainly the most well known figure, perhaps because sex played such a prominent role in his system. There are other psychologists, however, whose theories demand respectful consideration. We will write a custom essay sample on Sigmund Freud Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Erik Erickson, born Eric Homburger, whose theories while not as titillating as Freud’s, are just as sound. This paper will compare the two great men and their systems. In addition, this paper will argue that Freud offers the more useful foundation for understanding the Jenny Masterson’s confused psyche. Sigmund Freud showed signs of independence and brilliance well before entering the University of Vienna in 1873. He had a prodigious memory and loved reading to the point of running himself into debt at various bookstores. Among his favorite authors were Goethe, Shakespeare, Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche. To avoid disruption of his studies, he often ate in his room. After medical school, Freud began a private practice, specializing in nervous disorders. He was soon faced with patients whose disorders made no neurological sense. For example, a patient might have lost feeling in his foot with no evidence to any sensory nerve damage. Freud wondered if the problem could be psychological rather than physiological. Dr. Freud evolved as he treated patients and analyzed himself. He recorded his assessment and expounded his theories in 24 volumes published between 1888 and 1939. Although his first book, The Interpretation of Dreams, sold only 600 copies in its first eight years of publication, his ideas gradually began to attract faithful followers and students – along with a great number of critics. While exploring the possible psychological roots of nervous disorders, Freud spent several months in Paris, studying with Jean Charcot, a French neurologist from whom he learned hypnosis. On return to Vienna, Freud began to hypnotize patients and encouraging them while under hypnosis to speak openly about themselves and the onset of their symptoms. Often the patients responded freely, and upon reviewing their past, became quite upset and agitated. By this process, some saw their symptoms lessened or banished entirely. It was in this way that Freud discovered what he termed the â€Å"unconscious. Piecing together his patients’ accounts of their lives, he decided that the loss of feeling in one’s hand might be caused by, say, the fear of touching one’s genitals; blindness or deafness might be caused by the fear of hearing or seeing something that might arouse grief or distress. Over time, Freud saw hundreds of patients. He soon recognized that hypnosis was not as helpful as he had first hoped. He thus pioneered a new technique termed â€Å"free association. † Patients were told to relax and say whatever came to mind, no matter how mortifying or irrelevant. Freud believed that free association produced a chain of thought that was linked to the unconscious, and often painful, memories of childhood. Freud called this process psychoanalysis. Underlying Freud’s psychoanalytic perception of personality was his belief that the mind was akin to an iceberg – most of it was hidden from view. The conscious awareness is the part of the iceberg that is above the surface but below the surface is a much larger unconscious region that contains feelings, wishes and memories of which persons are largely unaware. Some thoughts are stored temporarily in a preconscious area, from where they can be retrieved at will. However, Freud was more interested in the mass of thought and feeling that are repressed – forcibly blocked from conscious thought because it would be too painful to acknowledge. Freud believed that these repressed materials unconsciously exert a powerful influence on behavior and choices. Freud believed that dreams and slips of tongue and pen were windows to his patient’s unconscious. Intrusive thoughts or seemingly trivial errors while reading, writing and speaking suggested to Freud that what is said and done reflects the working of the unconscious. Jokes especially were an outlet for expressing repressed sexual and aggressive tendencies. For Freud, nothing was accidental. Freud believed that human personality, expressed emotions, strivings, and beliefs arise from a conflict between the aggressive, pleasure-seeking, biological impulses and the social restraints against their expression. This conflict between expression and repression, in ways that bring the achievement of satisfaction without punishment or guilt, drives the development of personality. Freud divided the elements of that conflict into three interacting systems: the id, ego and superego. Freud did not propose a new, na? ve anatomy, but saw these terms as â€Å"useful aids to understanding† the mind’s dynamics. The id is a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that continually toils to satisfy basic drives to survive, reproduce and aggress. The id operates on the pleasure principle – if unconstrained, it seeks instantaneous gratification. It is exemplified by a new born child who cries out for satisfaction the moment it feels hungry, tired, uncomfortable – oblivious to conditions, wishes, or expectations of his environment. As the child learns to cope with the real world, his ego develops. The ego operates on the reality principle, which seeks to superintend the id’s impulses in realistic ways to accomplish pleasure in practical ways, avoiding pain in the process. The ego contains partly conscious perceptions, thoughts, judgements, and memories. It is the personality executive. The ego arbitrates between impulsive demands of the id, the restraining demands of the superego and the real-life demands of the external world. Around age 4 or 5, a child’s ego recognizes the demands of the newly emerging superego. The superego is the voice of conscience that forces the ego to consider not only the real but also the ideal. Its focus is on how one should behave. The superego develops as the child internalizes the morals and values of parents and culture, thereby providing both a sense of right, wrong and a set of ideals. It strives for perfection and judges our actions, producing positive feelings of pride or negative feelings of guilt. Someone with an exceptionally strong superego may be continually upright and socially correct yet ironically harbor guilt-, another with a weak superego may be wantonly self-indulgent and remorseless. Because the superego’s demands often oppose the id’s, the ego struggles to reconcile the two. The chaste student who is sexually attracted to someone and joins a volunteer organization to work alongside the desired person, satisfies both id and superego. Analysis of his patients’ histories convinced Freud that personality forms during a person’s first few years. Again and again his patients’ symptoms seemed rooted in unresolved conflicts from early childhood. He concluded that children pass through a series of psychosexual stages during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct pleasure-sensitive areas of the body he called â€Å"erogenous zones. † During the â€Å"oral stage,† usually the first 18 months, an infant’s sensual pleasure focuses on sucking, biting, and chewing. During the â€Å"anal stage,† from about 18 months to 3 years, the sphincter muscles become sensitive and controllable, and bowel and bladder retention and elimination become a source of gratification. During the phallic stage, from roughly ages 3 to 6 years, the pleasure zones shift to the genitals. Freud believed that during this stage boys seek genital stimulation and develop unconscious sexual desires for their mothers along with jealousy and hatred for their father, whom they consider a rival. Boys feel unrecognized guilt for their rivalry and a fear that their father will punish them, such as by castration. This collection of feelings he named the â€Å"Oedipus Complex’ after the Greek legend of Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Originally Freud hypothesized that females experienced a parallel â€Å"Electra complex. † However, in time Freud changed his mind, saying, (1931, p. 229): â€Å"It is only in the male child that we find the fateful combination of love for the one parent and simultaneous hatred for the other as a rival. † Children eventually cope with these threatening feelings by repressing them then identifying with and trying to become like the rival parent. Through this identification process children’s superegos gain strength as they incorporate many of their parents’ values. Freud believed that identification with the same-sex parent provides our gender identity – the sense of being male or female. With their sexual feelings repressed and redirected, children enter a latency stage. Freud maintained that during this latency period, extending from around age 6 to puberty, sexuality is dormant and children play mostly with peers of the same sex. At puberty, latency gives way to the final stage — the genital stage — as youths begin to experience sexual feelings towards others. In Freud’s view, maladaptive behavior in the adult results from conflicts unresolved during earlier psychosexual stages. At any point in the oral, anal, or phallic stages, strong conflict can lock, or fixate, the person’s pleasure-seeking energies in that stage. Thus people who were either orally overindulged or deprived, perhaps by abrupt, early weaning, might fixate at the oral stage. Orally fixated adults are said to exhibit either passive dependence (like that of a nursing infant) or an exaggerated denial of this dependence, perhaps by acting tough and macho. They might continue to smoke or eat excessively to satisfy their needs for oral gratification. Those who never quite resolve their anal conflict, a desire to eliminate at will that combats the demands of toilet training, may be both messy and disorganized (†anal expulsive†) or highly controlled and compulsively neat (†anal-retentive†). To live in social groups, impulses cannot be freely acted on They must be controlled in logical, socially acceptable ways. When the ego fears losing control of the inner struggle between the demands of the id and the superego, the result is anxiety. Anxiety, said Freud, is the price paid for civilization. Unlike specific fears, the dark cloud of anxiety is unfocused. Anxiety is therefore, difficult to cope with, as when we feel unsettled but have no basis for feeling that way. Freud proposed that the ego protects itself against anxiety with ego defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms reduce or redirect anxiety in various ways, but always by distorting reality. Although Freud was known to change his mind, he was deeply committed to his ideas and principles, even in the face of harsh criticism. Although controversial, his ideas attracted followers who formed a dedicated inner circle. From time to time, sparks would fly and a member would leave or be outcast. Even the ideas of the outcasts, however, reflected Freud’s influence. Erik Erikson was one of these outcasts. He agreed with Freud that development proceeds through a series of critical stages. But he believed the stages were psychosocial, not psychosexual. Erikson also argued that life’s developmental stages encompass the whole life span According to Erikson, a crisis is equivalent to a turning point in life, where there is the opportunity to progress or regress. At these turning points, a person can either resolve conflicts or fail to adequately resolve the developmental task. Delving further into these differences, Erikson contended that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task. Young children wrestle with issues of trust, then autonomy, then initiative. School-age children develop competence, the sense that they are able and productive human beings. In adolescence, the task is to synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of self. Adolescents wonder: â€Å"Who am I as an individual? What do I want to do with my life? What values should I live by? What do I believe in? † Erikson calls this quest to more deeply define a sense of self the adolescent’s â€Å"search for identity. † To refine their sense of identity, adolescents usually try out different â€Å"selves† in different situations – perhaps acting out one self at home, another with friends and still another at school and work. If two of these situations overlap – like when a teenager brings a friend home from school – the discomfort can be considerable. The teen may ask, â€Å"Which self is the real me? Which self should I be? † Often, this role confusion gets resolved by the gradual reshaping of a self-definition that unifies the various selves into a consistent and comfortable sense of who one is – an identity. But not always, Erikson believes that some adolescents forge their identity early, simply by taking on their parents’ values and expectations. Others may adopt a negative identity that defines itself in opposition to parents and society but in conformity with a particular peer group, complete perhaps with the shaved head or multi-colored coif. Still others never quite seem to find themselves or to develop strong commitments. For most, the struggle for identity continues past the teen years and reappears at turning points during adult life. During the first social stage, trust versus mistrust, an infant’s basic task is to develop a sense of trust in self, others, and the world. The infant needs to count on others and develop a sense of acceptance and security. This sense of trust is learned by being caressed and cared for. From Erikson’s viewpoint, if the significant others in an infant’s life provide the necessary love, the infant develops a sense of trust. When love is absent, the result is a general sense of mistrust in others. Clearly, infants who feel accepted are in a more favorable position to successfully meet future developmental crises than are those who do not receive adequate nurturing. However, Erikson postulates that since development is a ongoing lifelong process, personality is not fixed at any given time. Events, circumstances, and social relationships are dynamic and changing. Thus, even a child who emerged from the first stage of life with a strong sense of trust may become mistrustful and cy! nical if betrayed in later social relationships. Hence, personality is not viewed as fixed by the fifth year of life, as Freud believed, but remains fluid throughout the life span. Between the ages of one and three (Freud’s anal stage), children are developing a growing sense of control over their lives. They can now walk, run, climb, and get into all sorts of mischief. A sense of autonomy develops as they learn new skills and achieve a feeling of control over their environment. Thus Erikson’s titles this stage Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt. During this period, some parents, out of concern or impatience with their children’s progress may intervene and do things that the children should be doing by themselves. Other parents may demand a level of competence of which their children are not yet physically and/or emotionally capable. In either case, these children begin to doubt their own abilities and feel ashamed when they fail to live up to parental expectations. Children who fail to master the tasks of establishing some control over themselves and coping with the world around them develop a sense of shame and feelings of doubt about their capabilities During the next stage, Initiative versus Guilt, which takes place during the preschool years (ages 4 to 6 – Freud’s phallic stage), children seek to find out how much they can do. According to Erikson, the basic task of preschool years is to establish a sense of competence and initiative. Preschool children begin to initiate many of their own activities as they become physically and psychologically ready to engage in pursuits of their own choosing. If they are allowed realistic freedom to choose their own activities and make some of their own decisions, they tend to develop a positive orientation characterized by confidence to initiate actions and follow through on them. On the other hand, if they are unduly restricted, or if their choices are ridiculed, they tend to experience a sense of guilt and ultimately withdraw from taking an active and initiating stance. By the age of six, the child should enter elementary school. It is during this age that the stage of Industry versus Inferiority occurs. During the ensuing five years, the most important events in the child’s life revolve around setting and accomplishing goals related to school situations. When children are successful in mastering the many behaviors expected of them during these years, they develop feelings of competency and a sense of industry. They may express such feelings as: â€Å"I can do anything if I just work hard enough. Children who encounter failure during the early grades may experience severe handicaps later on. A child with learning problems may begin to feel like a worthless person. Such feelings may drastically affect his or her relationships with peers, which are also vital at this time. During the adolescent years, teens experience Identity versus Role Confusion. Typically, adolescents feel they are on center stage and everyone is looking at them. They are often highly critical of themselves and feel that others are equally critical. Their thoughts often turn inward. They look at themselves and question whether or not they measure up to their peers. They also begin thinking about lifelong goals and careers, wondering whether they will make it in the world of the adult. Their ruthless self-appraisal is often beneficial. It results in the development of values, social attitudes, and standards. This inward focus appears to be necessary for the development of a firm sense of self and of broader roles in the social order. During the stage of Intimacy versus Isolation, adolescence is now behind the individual and the early adult years loom ahead. Energies are focused on building careers, establishing lasting social ties, and achieving then maintaining intimate relationships. Marriage or cohabitation creates new demands on the individual – sharing, compromising, and relinquishing social mobility to some degree. Also, many young adults begin having children and raising families. Those who were unsuccessful in resolving their identity crises may find themselves isolated from mainstream society and unable to maintain healthy intimate relationships. The years between the ages of 35 and 60 are a time for learning how to live creatively with others; this period can be the most productive stage of an individual’s life. According to Erikson, the stimulus for continued growth in middle age is the crisis of Generatively versus Stagnation or Self-Absorption. By generatively, Erikson meant not just fostering children, but being productive in a broad sense – for example through creative pursuits in careers, in leisure-time activities, in volunteer work or caring for others. Two important qualities of the productive adult are the ability to love well and the ability to work well. Adults who fail to achieve a sense of productivity begin to stagnate, which s a form of psychological death. The years of maturity are typified by the stage of Integrity of the Self versus Despair. This is the most illuminating stage of a person’s life. If all the crises of earlier stages are resolved, looking back with satisfaction of a life well led is a healthy manifestation of self. Maintaining a sense of worth and personal integrity during the final years is natural. Those who could not resolve earlier crises will look upon the prospects of old age and death with a deep sense of dread and despair. Another primary concept to Erikson’s system is ego identity development and the ego strengths that delineate each of the eight stages. His system stresses the ego’s complete and stabilizing influences in a person’s life history. He depicts the ego from a psychosocial viewpoint as the hub of individual identity. As the ego develops through life crises, it gains the capacity to master in increasingly sophisticated ways the puzzles posed by inner and outer reality. Erikson proposed that ego strength is achieved in a sequence of psychosexual stages. Beginning in infancy, the child’s ego must first learn to trust itself and others to become autonomous and self-sufficient. With trust and autonomy come the virtues of hope and will, forms of ego strength that foster sufficient security for the child to risk the potential disappointment that hope entails, and sufficient independence of spirit for children to dare to initiate willingly their personal adaptation to their inescapable realities. Once these fundamental ego strengths are acquired, the child is able to acquire a sense of purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care and wisdom – the ego strengths associated with each stage. Erikson’s theory embodies a well-balanced concern for nonmothetic or universal psychological â€Å"laws† with some traditional psychoanalytic concern for the uniqueness of the individual, especially in the areas of clinical application and psychohistory. So where does all this theorizing leave Jenny Masterson? A Freudian psychoanalyst may have Jenny free associate to certain terms. Perhaps her free association would turn out something like this: Psychoanalyst: Jenny, I want you to relax and lay back. Close your eyes. Now, I want you to give me the first word that pops into your head when I say a certain word. For instance, if I said â€Å"Dog,† you might say, â€Å"Cat. † Jenny: No, if you said, â€Å"dog,† I would say â€Å"dependent. † Psycho: Interesting, why do you think you would say â€Å"dependent? † Jenny: â€Å"Well, they are aren’t they? I have to feed them, I have to bathe them, I have to wash them, I have to walk them – just like a small child. Except they won’t disobey you, and I expect they’d be a little more respectful of all that I would do for them. Psycho: Okay, the next word is religion. Jenny: Futile. Non-lasting. Psycho: Love Jenny: Useless. Really, love means nothing, just like marriage is meaningless. Psycho: I see. Next word, sex. Jenny: Ugh. So vulgar, dirty, disgusting. So beastly. Psycho: Okay. How about children? Jenny: Ungrateful. Possessions. Really, children just do not realize all that we do for them. We sacrifice, we slave so that their existence may be better and what do they do for us? Nothing. Just heartbreak, never ending hearbreak. Psycho: Okay, just one last word, woman. Jenny: Prostitute. Chip. Unclean. Most women are just so ugly, inside and out. I simply cannot stand their smiles – so inviting, those little trollops. Jenny had some major hang-ups in the area of sexuality. Perhaps all her â€Å"problems† stem from this one subject. Sex. Her hostility towards other women, her hinted-at incestuous relationship with Ross, her extreme jealousy of Ross’ girlfriends, her possessiveness, her lack of close friends – all of these can be traced back to her most important subject. Jenny might have been characterized as an anal character. It can be speculated that during her toilet training stage, she refused to give, was prudish and was retentive. It can be speculated that perhaps through unwise parental insistence, she may have come to value yet fear this psychical function and all the features associated with it. According to Freud, this type of person becomes orderly to the point of obsession, egocentric, picayunish, preoccupied with money and material things and obstinate. Jenny is all of these things. His theory also holds that sadomasochism is also a trait of the anal character. Jenny exhibits this. She inflicts and receives suffering all of her life. She is constantly asking for suffering from Glenn and Isabel when she continually insults them, yet they never give in and make her suffer. She creates situations where only suffering can result for her and others, like when Ross and her moved into the same flat. That was doomed to fail. She constan! tly obsessed over where he was, whom he was with, why he wasn’t paying rent – she drove herself crazy, and in the process alienated her son. Like any masochist, she seems in a strangely perverted way to relish her martyrdom and enjoy her distress. Freudian theory holds that the instincts seek pleasure and therefore that Jenny’s persistence in her treacherous behavior must give her some gratification. While her behavior goes against the very grain of survival, and therefore must be neurotic, it serves to gratify her masochistic needs. Continuing with this theme, Jenny believed sex to be dirty, and beastly. It is not known much about her marriage, but one can hardly picture Jenny as a wanton woman, or even as a woman with normal sexual drives. Her marriage may have even been a product of rebellion, again an anal trait, against her family. The principle explanation for Jenny in a Freudian analysis would turn to Jenny’s confused sexual identity. It might be said that she never worked through her oedipal complex successfully. She did identify with her mother, according to her sister however. By identifying with her mom, she may have taken on masculine role. After all, by 18 she was the main breadwinner in the house. Perhaps she wished to possess her mother, since she had taken on the male role. When she married, this psychosexual confusion was not resolved. In fact, it may have been worsened by her husband’s death. It is said that Jenny did not grieve for her husband. Perhaps she merely transferred her womanly affection onto Ross, expecting a relationship from him that was like that of a lover and not a son. Her jealousy over his girlfriends and her kisses under the moonlight certainly point towards unnatural feelings towards him. Perhaps, with Ross’ birth, she was able to find a replacement for her lack of penis. Ross may have been a projection of her true masculine nature. She was able to live her life in the masculine image by being one with Ross. When he died, she kept his robe and pipe, thus cherishing the remnants of her/his masculine identity. Her love of Ross gives an impression of an incestuous relationship. She has fits of jealousy over his lovers, calls him, â€Å"sex mad† and talks of him like a lover (†kissed under the stars†). She is very delusional when she believes that to Ross, she is responsible for his existence but that he owes her nothing. Her actions speak contrary to this. She is the perfect martyr, constantly making exaggerated sacrifices for Ross. In reality, she expected him to repay her with undying devotion. She wanted to possess him. How to cite Sigmund Freud Paper, Essay examples

Nullification, Andrew Jackson free essay sample

The Nullification Crisis was one of the first attempts at changing Our government during the early sasss when South Carolinas economy depended on manufactured goods from England. The tariffs made the goods real expensive, Congress then passed a new tariff The Tariff Of Abominations in 1828. There was a negative effect on S. C. And they threatened to secede from the union. The Vice President John Calhoun then argues for nullification to declare a federal law not constitutional. Calhoun felt that this was right since the states had created the Federal union. November 1832 S. C. Ted to nullify the tariffs. President Jackson who was elected also in 1832 felt that the nullification was an act of treason. President Jackson then sent war ships to S. C. And congress passed the Forced Bill to allow presidents to use military force to enforce the acts of congress. Before the showdown occurred congress passed a bill to lower taxes until 1842. We will write a custom essay sample on Nullification, Andrew Jackson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S. C. Then repealed the nullification of the tariff law. Andrew Jackson and The Native Americans was an attempt on changing our lives and the way we lived. Andrew Jackson thought that the Natives should be removed and put at the Great Plains.In 1 830 Jackson had congress pass a law called The Removal Act which provided the money to relocate them. Most of the Natives packed up and resettled to the west. On the other hand the Cherokees that were in Georgia sued to maintain their property rights. Supreme court ordered Georgia to honor their property rights during Worcester V. Georgia. Jackson refused to follow this order and his successor Martin Van Burner sent an army to move the Natives westward. The remaining Natives were then forced to march to what is now Oklahoma. At least four thousand Cherokees died urine the march.This march was known as the Trail of Tears and by 1838 most of the Natives were sent to reservations. African American Slaves were also a part of how we lived and our lives. The early anti-slavery societies supported gradualism to end slavery. Some of the ways they tried to stop slavery were to, keep slaves from being brought to the country. They tried to phase slavery out in the North and the upper South, and end it in the lower South. Payments were also made to compensate the slaveholders for their losses. Other societies wanted to send the slaves back to Liberia, Africa. Aria was established for the Africans after the American Colonization Society was formed in 1816. His colonization though was never a realistic solution. Sasss Abolition had gained ground; the abolition was to free all the slaves immediately. Between the times 1828 and 1845 the attempts on change on the government and our lives were most likely successful. S. C. Did not nullify the tariff and did not cede from the union. Andrew Jackson was successful in moving the Indians westward, and the African Americans were set free but way over time.

Hockey In Canada Essays - National Hockey League, Montreal, Canada

Hockey In Canada Cater Crouch First year Program Dr. Joseph Jockel March 29, 2000 Hockey in Canada Ice hockey has in the last hundred years evolved to become international. Canada is in jeopardy of losing its six teams. Tradition run deep in all of the cities and also professional hockey teams create thousands of jobs and help out in the communities. Teams in the Canadian market are having trouble keeping their programs in the black because of higher taxes and a weaker Canadian dollar. In order for professional hockey teams in Canada not to relocate to United States, it is necessary for Ottawa to provide tax cuts for them. Professional hockey has been around in Canada for over one hundred years. Tradition runs deep in programs like the Toronto Maple Leaf's and Montreal Canadians, which have been located in those towns since the creation of the NHL. In 1917 the NHL had its first full season and all of the five teams were from Canada. By 1934 there were only two teams left in Canada but those two teams (the Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs) are still in the NHL after 93 years. Privet research firms have done studies for professional sports franchises to see if moving their franchise is more profitable than their current location. Currently three of the six Canadian markets are more profitable than the open locations in the United States (Dryden 2). A study done by J.C.H. Jones and D.G. Ferguson has come to the conclusion that the quality of a location directly affects a teams profitability. Also take into the consideration that the quality of a location also impact the quality of the athletic talent. Finally, the one pervasive element in the empirical analysis is the significance of a Canadian location. The hoser variable is simultaneously a proxy for Canadian sporting culture and a talisman for franchise survival. It is probably no accident that, at the entrance to the Canadian Pavilion at the World Fair of 1986, there is a single ikon which presumably described Canada to the world-the largest hockey stick and puck in the world. Seemingly, everyone recognizes that in Canada, Hockey is King (c1). These teams have made a home for themselves in their towns and if these two franchises are up rooted from their communities they may not be gained much of an advantage even with the lower taxes (Dryden 2). One of the fundamental problems with Canadian hockey teams competing with their American counterparts is that Canadian teams pay all of the players salaries and travel are in American currency. However, all the revenue from ticket sales, concessions and advertising is in Canadian currency. American teams have an advantage over their Canadian counterparts because all the money that was created from ticket sales, concessions and selling advertising is one-third more than what Canadian teams will make. This is because of a weaker Canadian dollar, 69 cents to one American dollar, means that Canadian franchises will always make one-third less from basic franchise profits as long as the Canadian dollar stays the same. The teams are among Canada's fewest businesses that pay most of their salaries and expenses in U.S. dollars out of revenue earned in depressed Canadian dollars (May p 2). This is a problem because the weaker Canadian dollar makes it harder for these franchises to run day-to-d ay operations (Duhatschek 7). The result is uneven playing field between 22 U.S.-based franchises and six in Canada(Duhatschek 7). The weaker Canadian dollar and higher taxes is forcing Canadian franchises to look south for better opportunities. The National Hockey League needs to make it so teams in profitable areas could help out teams in lower profit markets by sharing some of their profit. By sharing profits this could help Canadian teams with high taxes. Unlike the NBA or NFL the NHL does not have a lucrative TV contract with a network to help some teams with the inflated taxes. The NHL also does not share its gate receipts with its other members (c1). That means that teams like the Detroit Red Wings, which is one of the most profitable teams, does not share any of its gate receipts with teams that aren't profitable like the Calgary flames. This system

Case for locog workforce Diversity The WritePass Journal

Case for locog workforce Diversityï » ¿ Introduction Case for locog workforce Diversityï » ¿ London Olympic and Paralympic games. Benefits that could accrue from this diversity and implications have been outlined and include improvement in bottom line and workforce relations, resulting in enhanced efficiency, gains in competitive advantage and thus enhanced business performance which would enable LOCOG achieve its objectives and mandate. HR seeks to contribute to the realization of these benefits through deliberate training and development of diversity awareness and culture evaluation, as well as, focusing on workforce diversity in the recruitment and selection of staff. References Foot, M., Hook, C., 2008. Introducing Human Resource Management. 5th ed. Harlow  : Pearson Education Ltd. Mannix, E., Neale, M., 2005. â€Å"What Differences Make a Difference? The Promise and Reality of Diversity Teams in Organizations.† In: Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 6(2), 31-35. McCuiston, V., Ross, B., Pierce, C., 2004. â€Å"Leading the diverse workforce. Profit, prospects and progress.† In: The Leadership Organization Development Journal. 25(1), 73-92. Shen, J., et al., 2009. â€Å"Managing Diversity through human resource management: an international perspective and conceptual framework.† In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 20(2), 235-251. Syeda, J., Ãâ€"zbilginb, M., 2009. â€Å"A relational framework for international transfer of diversity Management practices.† In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 20, No. 12, 2435–2453.

Product Development Sequence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product Development Sequence - Research Paper Example This accelerated new product development forces the companies to incorporate new innovated technologies into the products to achieve innovation success and improve profitability (Filippini et al, 2004). The e-business research field has enabled the businesses to emerge more and more e-business theories, applications and technologies to outline and stimulate information into research and business communities. It allows the businesses to form competitive and effective growth in product development. During the studies, the researchers found many ways in which the e-business applications can be applied. The time efficiency was influenced by a number of factors in the organizations including standardization, supplier partnership, concurrent engineering and cross-functional teams. However the synergistic approach suggested that the key factor to the concurrent engineering was teamwork, and on the other hand it was emphasized that the cross-functional teams would have greater influence on t he product development time performance if they are communicated well. Thus this is where the technological emerges. Many of the research methods including theoretical, experimental, case and survey research methods are used in order to advance the business methods used in new product development. They enhance the e-business techniques as an emerging technology into the growth of the business, and help in bringing the product to an established level. As many companies saw the increased potential benefits of the e-business., they have now begun to capitalize in it. E-business reinforces the use of information and communications in every business activity. It also enables the business to focus on the use of information and communication to interact with the external activities of the business and form relationships with external groups and individuals for their new product development sequence. Project managers usually ensure better product performances if the communication technologies are efficiently used. Thus, e-business technologies that enhance the networking amongst drivers and external links can bring a boost in the growth of the new product development. Many of these technologies have recently emerged in many businesses and formed a successful interaction link between all those who are joined in the product development. These technologies are introduced in order to improve the teamwork which would eventually reduce the time performance for each product and will enable the concurrent engineering to be carried out (Brown, 2004). The new innovated technologies that enabled stronger communication were the use of better communications devices which were new, modern and much easier to use than other communication methods. Many studies have shown the use of modern communication devices that are developed for the purpose of improving communication amongst drivers a

The Theories and Practices of Public Relations and Its Writing Assignment

The Theories and Practices of Public Relations and Its Writing - Assignment Example Writing in public relations is an important aspect and the success of any form of public relation campaign depends on the writing skills of the writer. Information has to be researched well, organized in a logical format so that the intended information is delivered effectively. Good public relation writing thus is important in ensuring relevant and correct information is communicated. Public relations is planned communication (Mahoney, 2008) TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 1.0INTRODUCTION 4 2.0PART A: 4 2.1Planning and Preliminary Research 4 a)Personal Study Checklist: 5 b)Timetable: 5 2.2Research Fact sheet   7 2.3Planning Template 8 2.4Planning Questions: 5ws and H 8 3.0PART B: 9 3.1Public relations is planned communication 9 4.0CONCLUSUION 12 LIST OF REFERENCES 15 1.0 INTRODUCTION Public relation is the practice related to the management of communication between the public and an organization (Zhao, 1999). It is the planned effort of establishing a mutual under standing between the public and an organization or an individual (Jovanovich, 1984). Public relation provides an opportunity of exposure of an organization or individual to a target audience. ... Public relation is a planned communication that involves research of relevant information, organization of the information in a clear format and the delivery to the target audience. The public relations practitioner has to identify the target audience and establish the form of information delivery that the audience will best understand. Written word is an important aspect in public relations that helps to communicate information to the public. The success of any public relation writing is in the writing skills of the writer and thus it is important to have good writing skills so as to deliver the information effectively (L'Etang, 2007). 2.0 PART A: 2.1 Planning and Preliminary Research Research and planning is a fundamental aspect of Public Relations writing. The following was the research plan that was formulated in preparation for the discussion, demonstrating planning, time management and organisation. a) Personal Study Checklist: I read and understood the assignment details and r equirements carefully Brainstorming for the assignment Noted the due date for the assignment ( 3rd June, 2011 ) Started a plan on how I was to complete the assignment Confirmed the due date from the unit guide provided by the lecturer The assignment had to be done by Friday 27th of May, before the due date Borrowed the Mahoney textbook from the library to aid in the assignment b) Timetable: 9th May, 2011 Started the assignment Read the assignment description carefully Made a note on how I was to do assignment 11th May, 2011 Brainstormed Read the instructions once again and noted the requirements Searched for documents that were necessary for the assignment Downloaded the fact

Emotional Intelligence And Leaderships

Emotional Intelligence And Leaderships This essay discusses how emotional intelligence can affect leadership, through the fundamental function of decision making process, and lead to organisational effectiveness. For this purpose, Golemans, Boyatzis et al.s (2002) four key elements of emotional intelligence are employed, which are classified into twenty self and social focused competencies. A number of practical applications are described, explaining how emotional skills can affect leaders ability to achieve the desired outcome during the decision making process. We concluded that organisational effectiveness can benefit from the application of emotional intelligence on leadership skills, through the decision making process. Finally, we note some limitations such as the level of emotional intelligence and its accurate measurement. Keywords Emotional intelligence, leadership, decision making process Introduction Emotional intelligence was first introduced in the late 1980s (Mayer, Roberts, Barsade, 2008). Yet, one of the most controversial issues is how emotional intelligence as the new form of intelligence that concerns the interaction of thinking and feeling, can be employed on leadership and subsequently on organisational effectiveness (Goleman, 1998). There are several definitions and conceptions about leadership and its effectiveness. Until the 1980s, leadership effectiveness was measured by leaders cognitive ability to apply and develop effective strategies for complicated problem solving (Woods West, 2010). However, the last three decades leadership effectiveness due to its apparent social aspect is measured by leaders capability to influence, inspire and motivate followers. (Woods West, 2010). After further research, emotional intelligence evolved into a popular and useful tool for enhancing leadership effectiveness (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, Boyle, 2006). In our essay we discuss how emotional intelligence through the application of individual and social skills on decision making process, can affect leadership efficiency and lead to organisational effectiveness (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Given the fact that the leaders decisions play a central role in the organisational viability (Woods West, 2010), we consider that the implementation of emotional intelligence resources to the decision making process can contribute notably to the increase of organisational efficacy. Emotional intelligence The term of emotional intelligence was first formally introduced into academic literature in the decade of 1990 by Salovey and Mayer (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, Boyle, 2006). Emotional intelligence is considered to be a dual dimensional theory that is focused on peoples self and social skills. That means that emotional intelligence concerns the humans ability of having an effective command of expressing, evaluating, managing emotions, communicating feelings and generating thought applied on individual and relationship based level (Salovey Mayer, 1990). It can be classified in two broad models: the ability based model and the mixed model. The ability model involves the abilities of conceiving and recognising the emotions, facilitating thoughts, understanding complex emotions and managing them (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2000). Emotional intelligence links emotions and intelligence to someones perception for understanding the social environment (Grewal Salovey, 2005). Specifically: Emotional intelligence involves the ability to perceive accurately, appraise and express emotion; the ability to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought; the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and the ability to understand emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth (Mayer Salovey, 1997). The four branch model as mentioned above, links hierarchically the basic process of conceiving emotions to the advanced level of understanding them and is measured by MSCEIT [Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional intelligence Test; (Mayer, Caruso, Salovey, Sitarenios, 2003)]. Goleman (1995) introduced the mixed model of emotional intelligence that involves non innate talents but learnt competencies that significantly affect job performance (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). This kind of model mainly addresses leaders performance and provides dynamic outlines for becoming an effective leader. According to Goleman (2001) and Boyatzis et al (2000) the basic elements of the mixed model of emotional intelligence consist of self focused and social focused competencies. These are: self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Self awareness involves emotional self awareness, accurate self assessment and self confidence. The emotional self awareness is referred to the fact that someone is fully aware of his/her feelings and realise their impact. The accurate self assessment involves the knowledge of strengths and weaknesses and how they can be eliminated through gradual improvement. A highly self confident person is aware of his/her abilities, expressing strong confidence and being able to deal with difficult tasks (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). Moreover, the group of self focused competencies includes self management capabilities that concern emotional self control, transparency, adaptability, achievement, initiative and optimism. The emotional self control is referred to ones ability to setting impulsive emotions under control, while the transparency is associated with integrity and honesty. The adaptability entails flexibility and the ability to easily adjust to spontaneous changes, whereas achievement concerns the fulfillment of goals and targets. The initiative concerns ones ability to act alone holding responsibility for the consequences of his/her actions; the optimism entails seeing the positive aspect of the events and the future facts that might take place (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). The social focused competencies i.e. social awareness and relationship management determine the manner of managing followers. The social awareness includes empathy which means understanding ones concerns and emotional situation, organisational effectiveness which is referred to the efficiency of meeting organisational goals and service which has to do with the comprehension of followers requirements. The relationship management involves inspiration (generating motivations to the followers), influence, developing others (improving ones capabilities), change catalyst (leading an entirely new and innovative modification), conflict management (how to manage disagreements), building bonds (the ability of socialising and developing a network of new relationships) and teamwork (effective collaboration and co existence within the group) (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). Leadership and Emotional intelligence According to House et al (1999):Leadership is the ability of an individual to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Yukl, 2006). Some theorists argue that leadership is adjusted according to organisational environment and aims. Hersey and Blanchard (1982) claim, different situations require different kinds of leadership (Situational Theory of Leadership). On the other hand, Fiedlers Contingency Theory (1967) suggests that leadership effectiveness depends on the place, the time, the task and the situation (Arnold, Randal, al, 2010). In any case leadership through its dynamic dimension provides guidelines that can promote organisational effectiveness. By this term, it is meant profitability in financial terms, or organisations ability to equip employees with those skills necessary for performing business fully engaged with the organisational culture (Woods West, 2010). A leaders effectiveness depends on the manner of developing and enhancing followers skills and abilities. Personality characteristics in themselves do not make leaders inherently effective. What matters is how those characteristics are expressed to leaders behavior, and how that behavior is understood by others (Woods West, 2010). The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), the worldwide known Work and Organisational Psychology Organisation, conducts research on what is effective leadership by highlighting the factors that lead to failure (derailing). Its study showed that even though there are common traits between those who succeeded and those who failed, certain characteristics seemed similar for their imminent failure. For example, managers promotion from lower levels of the organisation to upper ones, might lead to over-confident behavior (Woods West, 2010). At the organisational level, leadership is considered to be a mixture of behaviors, administrative abilities, traits and interactions that are driven by the circumstances and the organisational culture; the link among various departments in an organisation managed by the leader (Woods West, 2010). Considerable evidences in recent years note that social skills are vital for leadership performance (Prati, Ceasar, Ferris, Ammeter, Buckley, 2003). An efficiently oriented leader takes advantage of emotional skills and resources in terms of interaction, in order to achieve the optimal performance outcome (Wong Law, 2002). The emotional skills concern the social aspect of emotional intelligence during the interaction process (Riggio Reichard, 2008). Under these circumstances, leaderships outcome is considerably affected by a leaders ability to recognise and manage followers emotions in social interaction (George, 2000). This argument is supported by Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee (2002) wh o claim that emotional intelligence is fundamental for leadership effectiveness and specifically when it is applied on teams. Antonakis et al (2009) claim that leadership effectiveness is strongly linked to emotional intelligence when concerns the relationship development between the followers and the leader (Antonakis, Ashkanasy, Dasborough, 2009). Since leadership is considered an emotional process, the level of emotional intelligence in a leader plays a significant role in the effectiveness of social interaction with others. George J.M. (2000) in her article Emotions and leadership: The role of Emotional intelligence underlines that there are five basic elements of leadership that are positively correlated with the level of emotional intelligence. The five key elements of effective leadership as presented by the authors Conger Kanungo (1998), Lock (1991), Yukl (1998) are the following: Development of collective goals and objectives. Instilling in others a sense of appreciation and importance of work. Generating and maintaining enthusiasm, confidence, optimism, cooperation, and trust. Encouragement of decision making and change. Establishing and maintaining meaningful identity for the organisation. (George, 2000) Emotional intelligence is the spark that ignites a companys performance creating a bonfire of success or a landscape of ashes. (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). There has been research on the correlation between the level of emotional intelligence and the leadership effectiveness; results showed that ones level of emotional intelligence might play an important role to the leadership effectiveness (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, Boyle, 2006). However, it is doubtful whether the ability to understand emotions and the ability to act effectively are inextricably linked or not (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, Boyle, 2006). According to Rosete and Ciarrochi (2005), the higher level of emotional intelligence, the higher leadership effectiveness (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, Boyle, 2006). Leaders with high level of emotional intelligence inspire, generate motivation to the followers and state greater job satisfaction (Scott-Ladd Chan, 2004). Emotional intelligence and decision making process It is common knowledge that organisations consist of several departments that interact in order to perform business. Koop (1995) claims that this interaction is managed by the decision makers (leaders) (Scott-Ladd Chan, 2004). Under these circumstances, we realise the importance of the decision making process and the impact of their outcomes on organisational effectiveness. The decision making process is classified in the following stages according to Simon (1986) Langley (1989): Rational economic model Definition of the issue. Identification of limiting factors (external and internal). Plan and development of potential alternatives. Evaluation of each alternative in terms of practicality and cost. Selection of the best alternative. Implementation of decision. (Huczynski Buchanan, 2007) The decision making process involves the decision maker and those that are affected by the decision. The decision maker is essential to take into account the people affected by the decision and determine an effective manner of interpreting it (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Subsequently, the decision maker is required to make use of rationality and logic as well as of emotions. However, a controversial issue has been raised by some researchers. This is due to the fact that they consider that the best decisions are made in the absence of emotions. According to Stanovich and West (2000), the shift from emotional thinking to rationality can entail better decisions. They suggested that emotional functions may be substituted and replaced by logic in the aim of enhancing the quality of decisions. By contrast, others claim that the ability to have a good command of ones emotions is an advantage for the decision maker (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Actually, there is no wrong perception of the key factors of the decision making process. What matters most, is to take into consideration the possible impact that emotions might have on the decision making process and the quality of decisions (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Research on emotional intelligence and decision making process Sevdalis et al (2007) in the article Trait emotional intelligence and decision related emotions explain that emotions are evident during the decision making process (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). They suggest that differences in trait emotional self-efficacy can affect the way the individuals experience the impact of the decision (Sevdalis, Petrides, Harvey, 2007). Also, Mellers et al (1999) concluded that the emotions people experience from the impact of a decision, can affect their future attitude and behavior (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). Winter and Kuiper (1997) underlined that every person has a different perception of the emotions experienced whereas, Jordan and Troth (2004) noted that there is a significant difference on the effectiveness of emotional intelligence when the decision making process concerns individual or team tasks accordingly (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). They concluded that individuals with high level of emotional intelligence as members of a team are more likely to come up with better solutions, without the fear of making mistakes (Frye, Bennett, Caldwell, 2006). Studies in PDM (participation in decision making process) have shown that emotionally intelligent employees who are involved in the decision making process contribute to organisations effective response to continuous changes. But, organizations are supposed to clarify to the employees the reason, the way and the degree of their participation in the decision making process resulting in greater commitment and benefits for both employee and employers. Nevertheless, the clear definition of boundaries in the participation of decision making process improves the quality of decision outcomes which depends either on the purpose for implementing PDM or on how efficiently it is implemented (Scott-Ladd Chan, 2004). The contribution and application of emotional competencies to leaders as decision makers Since the decision making process involves stages that are addressed both to brain and emotional function, it is necessary to understand the impact of the application of emotional intelligence on decision makers and the potential outcome. According to Hess Bacigalupo, (2011) no considerable research has been conducted for the practical interaction between behavior and emotional intelligence during the decision making process on both individual and group basis. In their paper, they develop a methodology based on a number of practical applications of emotional intelligence skills on the decision making process that could be useful and beneficial for individuals and organizations development. For this purpose, the model of Goleman (2001) and Boyatzis et al (2000) is applied, as it concerns individual and interpersonal skills, which are both crucial and determinative for the decision making process (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). The group of the skills mentioned, involves self awareness, sel f management, social awareness and relationship management (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). In the organisational environment, the leader plays the role of the decision maker. Taking advantage of the competencies of emotional intelligence, the possibilities for making an effective decision are increased. The individuals skills i.e. self awareness and self management enable the leader (decision maker) to acknowledge his/her weaknesses, recognise the possible influence that can have on the followers and boost his/her confidence. Why is this so important? Because, it helps the leader to foresee the different aspects of followers vision as well as their reactions and communicate effectively the decision (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) claimed that leaders and followers share control during the decision making process that is based on the assumptions they have formed for the amount of control they possess (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). A strongly efficient leader is supposed to achieve balance during the decision making process; he/she should guide th e discussion appropriately, act as a consultant encouraging the information exchange and the increase of comprehension as well. At this stage, emotional intelligence competencies can be applied, so that the leader can regulate the allocation of control among the parties creating a climate of cohesion. Though, emotional intelligence application is as important as in the case of sharing responsibility for inappropriate decisions. An emotional intelligent leader not only welcomes the commendations of good decisions but also holds responsible for bad decisions (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). This reinforces leaders integrity and reliability, necessary elements for establishing a climate of trust and honesty in an organisation. Moreover, through the self control the leader can develop the skill of controlling emotions and impulses i.e. stress tolerance, which derive from time pressure and unexpected changes in the organisational environment. The ability to manage time pressure and suppress neg ative emotions is considered of utmost importance, as it enables leaders to establish the appropriate climate for making decisions and avoid misjudgments that can have an adverse impact on organisational effectiveness (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011; Goleman,Boyatzis et al, 2002). Likewise, emotional social focused skills i.e. empathy, organisational awareness, conflict management, change catalyst, teamwork and others, are highly important when they are implemented by the leader in an attempt to achieve effective consensus of team decision making. On the grounds that most times the decision is addressed on employees, with different values and beliefs, the leader should be able to manage diversity through the skills of empathy and conflict management. Furthermore, organisational awareness enables a leader as a decision maker, to make decisions that comply with the organisational status and determine the appropriate processes. On the basis of service orientation, decisions that are related to the customers needs and satisfaction are highly appreciated within the organisational environment and add value (profitability) to the image of the organisation. Last but not least, the decision making process involves active participation and constant interaction among me mbers; emotionally intelligent leaders taking advantage of this fact can not only enhance the quality of teamwork and promote relationship development, but also ignite and stimulate followers initiative, motivation and commitment (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011; Goleman,Boyatzis et al, 2002). Conclusion In conclusion, the leader through the application of emotional intelligence can empower followers and establish cohesion among them during the decision making process. This allows to the leader to improve the quality of decision making process increasing the organisations potential for effectiveness (Hess Bacigalupo, 2011). However, we should not overlook a range of factors that can limit emotional intelligence efficiency on organisational basis; queries such as Can emotional intelligence affect negatively the organisational effectiveness if it is excessively high? or Could it be accurately measured? (Fiori Antonakis, 2011) are considered to be crucial and part of future further research on emotional intelligence.