Max Weber Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Max Weber - Research Paper Example Weber was highly inspired by German idealism and specifically by neo-Kantianism. The most significant influence of neo-Kantianism thought on Weber was the idea that reality is basically disorganized and perplexing, with all the balanced order coming from the way in which the individual mind focuses its attention on particular areas of reality and arranges the perceptions that come as an output. Social Action Max Weber viewed sociology as a science of social action. His early focus in sociology revolved around subjective meanings that individuals attach to the actions that they take and their interpretations of concepts within a particular social context (Elwell, n.d.). According to this, Weber categorizes action in four different ways. The following kinds of action can be taken. Zweckrational (the means used to achieve the required goal are rationally chosen). Wertrational (the goal one is trying to achieve might not be rational, but rational ways are used to attain it). Affective ac tion is rooted in the emotional state of an individual instead of rational thinking. Traditional action is the action that is guided or regulated by customs, habits, or traditions. According to Weber, there are many factors in action behind human behavior, and he believed that most of the behavior exercised by individuals is a mix of the above mentioned actions. He advocated that a distinctive shift in the motivation of individual behavior is a distinguishing feature of a modern society (Elwell, n.d.). Major part of his work investigates the factors that gave birth to the idea of rationalization in the western society. Weber believes that social action is an illustration of the use of an ideal type. An ideal type provides the fundamental method for comparative and historical study (Elwell, n.d.). It also helps the researcher when he or she is studying a specific area of the society. This ideal type cannot be a real phenomenon; it is a classic hypothetical example against which the r eality could be compared (Barnard, Burgess, & Kirby, 2004). Theory of Rationalization According to Weber, rationalization refers to the increasing human control over the social environment. As per this theory, there are three basic points that are individual cost-benefit analysis, the bureaucratic arrangement of organization, and understanding of reality without searching for explanations in mystery, magic, or supernatural beliefs (Allan, 2005). The process of rational thought is the sensible application of knowledge to arrive at a preferred outcome. It leads to competence, cooperation, efficiency, and power over both the natural and the social surroundings (Elwell, n.d.). It also makes individuals come out as free, as he or she breaks the net of traditional thoughts and illogical belief systems. In his later works on bureaucracy, Weber discusses rationalization in detail. Weber advocates that bureaucracies are goal-defined organizations devised according to rational factors in orde r to effectively achieve their goals (Elwell, n.d.). The bureaucratic cooperation of the actions of numerous people has become the main structural characteristic of modern societies. As regards the concept of rationalization, Weber stayed doubtful. He saw it as a two-sided phenomenon. On the

TS Eliot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TS Eliot - Essay Example Therefore, Eliot’s exertion on this particular poem has been considered commitment to religious poetic sensibility and spiritual consciousness. In the venerated poem, Eliot has emphasized on the significance of Magi’s journey to find baby Jesus, who is deemed to be Messiah. Thus, Magi’s spiritual quest; aimed to find a way for the emancipation of the world from materialism, has been depicted as uncertain. This uncertainty has been suggested as a core ingredient of conscious spiritism. Hence, Eliot has emphasized on the difficulties and persistent struggle a part of spiritual awakening, a way to attain spiritual identity (Eliot, 1953). Although, Eliot has been considered as an assorted leader of postmodern realism, but in this diverse piece; he has adapted a thought- evoking style and a vision of a spiritualist, who describes the impediments and bottleneck of the journey of redemption and inside gratification. His elusive style and bohemian repute called for sever e criticism on his Anglo-Catholic work. Thus, his former work earned him a repute of a non-believer of religion and their fundamental practices, and eventually a palpable critique of beliefs (Strandberg, 2002). In the journey of Magi, Eliot contemplated with the idea of human change, in terms of journey from physical being to spiritual beings, which was vague in the western world of 1920s. Thus, he depicted the struggle for divinity in the form of divine journey of accomplishment. In the age of secularism, Eliot identified the extinction and decline of spiritual survival. Therefore, he narrated his dogma through the eloquence of the quest for Messiah (Jesus). He regarded the need of a man to incline from the degeneration of modernism, which induced elopement of belief in man. Hence, through this belief which was found in the form of religious insight or realization; man was in a great need to revitalize spiritual consciousness. Moreover, pain and suffering which have been significan t parts of spiritual journey are disregarded by Eliot by the end of the poem due to uncertainty. Consequently, Eliot always felt that the religious beliefs were vanishing. Yet, he aimed to restore them in a narrative, which was not completely consistent on religious aspirations, but showed the uncertainty of human belief even in the presence of miracle. As change requires discarding of old beliefs and practices, hence, birth of Jesus and death of old beliefs and practices were depicted as infinite. However, the narrator describes his journey as excruciating and is in a consistent state of grief. Previously Eliot has depicted unworthiness towards the most prestigious earthly things in The Waste Land. Therefore, his famous unimpressive and un-charmed attitude towards charismatic ideology of modernism and skeptical view on the condition of modern man; was a first step towards the journey of spiritual identification (Eliot, 1990). Furthermore, he has also exemplified, how man and his li fe in society has been completely dominated by chaos. Eliot reflected the trauma stricken and despaired man due to the horrification of World War I, but along with it he also emphasized on man’s despair in not fulfilling the needs of his spiritual being. Spiritual being was marred due to the loss of faith and increased sterility of spiritual consciousness. In 1920’s the world turned around against religious fundamentalism of Victorianism and displayed eccentric manners in terms of vulgarity and expressiveness. Therefore, Western civilization collapsed

Effects of Hypnosis on Pain Reduction

Effects of Hypnosis on Pain Reduction Psychology is defined â€Å"as the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes† (Coon Mitterer, 2012, p.14). One of the widely circulated common sense beliefs is that hypnosis is a technique that is useful in reducing a person’s perception of pain. Hypnosis is â€Å"an altered state of consciousness characterized by narrowed attention and increased suggestibility† (Coon Mitterer, 2012, p. 221). The history of hypnosis originated from the 1700s when an Austrian doctor Franz Mesmer tried to use magnets to cure illnesses and this technique is called animal magnetism (Oon, 2008). Animal magnetism is similar to hypnosis as both depend on providing suggestions (Waterfield, 2002). It was then by English surgeon James Braid which the term hypnosis comes to light where he associated hypnosis with sleep (Coon Mitterer, 2012). Nevertheless, in today’s context, people do know that hypnosis is not about sleeping. One of the important aspects of hypnosis is ba sic suggestion effect (Coon Mitterer, 2012). Basic suggestion effect happens when one do things out of others’ suggestions rather than its own will (Coon Mitterer, 2012). Hypnosis uses basic suggestion effect to assuage the pain experienced by one. As such, it is indubitable that hypnosis can be used as an effective mean to relieve pain. Hypnosis can be a mean to relieve the pain experienced during medical procedure. A research study shows that hypnosis can effectively assuage the pain one has to go through during medical treatment. Butler, L.D., Symons, B. K., Henderson, S. L., Shortliffe, L. D., and Spiegel, D. (2005) carried out an experiment with children that have to undergo voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). This experiment consisted of two groups, the control group of 23 children and the experimental group of 21 children (Butler et al., 2005). The former being children that had undergone routine care which were the outline and the demonstration of the entire process and the latter being children that undergone hypnosis in which they would have to practice hypnotising themselves numerous times a day before the next VCUG session (Butler et al., 2005). Children in the experimental group were also told to imagine themselves in their preferred places which were then associated with the VCUG treatment (Butler et al., 2005). Children from both groups must have attended at least one VCUG session before (Butler et al., 2005). The results obtained were from the level of pain felt by the children during the process, parents’ evaluation of their child’s degree of fearfulness as compared to the previous session, the research assistant’s (RA) interpretation of the children’s level of distress during the procedure and the smoothness and time taken for the procedure assessed by the radiologist and radiology technician (Butler et al., 2005). The results of the experiment showed that the pain experienced by both groups of children was similar (Butler et al., 2005). However, parents from the experiment group generally find the procedure less daunting for their child after the hypnotism session as compared to the control group (Butler et al., 2005). Similarly, the RA and the medical staffs conceded that the children in the experimental group experienced less pain and the procedure was smoother than those from the control group respectively (Butler et al., 2005). The time taken for the children in the experimental group to complete the procedure was also about 14 minutes shorter than the children in the control group (Butler et al., 2005). This experiment goes to show that hypnosis can be an effective mean to relieve the pain one perceive during medical treatment. Pain can be alleviated by hypnosis (Keefe, Abernethy, Campbell, 2005). Experiment has shown that hypnosis is effectual in relieving the pain experienced by one during post-care treatment. In one experiment, hypnosis was used to find out if pain suffered during burn wound treatment can be assuaged (Askay, Patterson, Jensen, Sharar, 2007). This experiment consisted of the control group and experimental group (Askay et al., 2007). The experimental group consisted of 27 patients and underwent hypnosis by a trained psychologist whereas the control group consisted of 19 patients but did not receive hypnosis and were only briefed on the procedure (Askay et al., 2007). The control group were also given a recording to listen to aid them in the wound changing process (Askay et al., 2007). The results were obtained from questionnaire done after the treatment (Askay et al., 2007). The results from the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) showed that the patients from the experimental group exper ienced lesser pain from previous treatment than those of the control group (Askay et al., 2007). However, other evaluations did not show a significant differences in the results (Askay et al., 2007). Askay et al. (2007) concluded that SF-MPQ focused on several elements of pain rather than only on one (Askay et al., 2007). As a matter of fact, hypnosis can be a way to relieve pain. Pain experienced after surgery can also be alleviated by hypnosis. Research has shown that the pain experienced by one after surgery can be reduced by hypnosis. Oakley, D.A., Whitman, L.G., and Halligan, P.W. (2002) showed that hypnosis can relieve the pain experienced after amputation from the phantom limb. Phantom limb is the illusion of having intact limbs even after the amputation and some might even experience pain from the amputated limb and this pain perceived by one is known as Phantom limb pain, PLP (Ramachandran Hirstein, 1998). A 76 year old woman, Mrs D, had an amputation from the right leg to the knee but only felt the PLP after two years and has tried different means to lessen the pain thereafter but all to no avail (Oakley et al., 2002). After she undergone imaginative hypnotism, the pain at her ankle had entirely disappeared (Oakley et al., 2002). The hypnosis sessions she undergone related the pain to her imagination in which she saw a sculpture which was shaped by hitting with hammer (Oakley et al., 2002). She was then asked to relate the hammering to her own ankle and the pain had eventually evanished as she imagined sending the weary man away which was all along, hammering her ankle, causing all the pain (Oakley et al., 2002). Mrs D then experienced pain from her toes but this time round, hypnosis was not of a big help to relieve the pain felt at her toes (Oakley et al., 2002). Despite that, the pain that has subsided did not recurred even after three months (Oakley et al., 2002). In addition, Oakley et al. (2002) have also used the imaginary hypnotism approach on 5 other individuals and they were also reported to have felt significant decrease in the level of pain or even no pain experienced after hypnosis sessions (Oakley et al, 2002). Therefore, this experiment justify that hypnosis effectively reduces post-surgical pain. To conclude, hypnosis is capable of reducing the pain one experienced, regardless during or after surgery. As such, the field of hypnosis can be further explored to aid medical treatments to obtain surpassing medical results than before. Albeit hypnosis is proven to alleviate pain, psychology cannot be concluded as common sense as it requires to be supported by scientific research. References Askay, S. W., Patterson, D. R., Jensen, M. P., Sharar, S. R. (2007, August). A randomized  controlled trial of hypnosis for burn wound care. Rehabilitation Psychology, 52(3), 247-253. Butler, L.D., Symons, B. K., Henderson, S. L., Shortliffe, L. D., Spiegel, D. (2005, January).  Hypnosis reduces distress and duration of an invasive medical procedure for children. Pediatrics, 115(1), e77-e85. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from EBSCOHost. Coon, D. Mitterer, J. O. (2012). Introduction to Psychology: Active learning through modules  (12th ed.). China: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Coon, D. Mitterer, J. O. (2012). Introduction to Psychology: Active learning through modules  (12th ed.). China: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.   Coon, D. Mitterer, J. O. (2012). Introduction to Psychology: Active learning through modules  (12th ed.). China: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Keefe, F. J., Abernethy, A. P., Campbell, L. C. (2005). Psychological approaches tounderstanding and treating disease-related pain. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 601-630. Oakley, D.A., Whitman, L.G., Halligan, P.W. (2002, June). Hypnotic imagery as a treatment  for phantom limb pain: two case reports and a review. Clinical Rehabilitation, 16, 368-377. Oon, Z. H. (2008). A critical presentation of the life and work of Franz Anton Mesmer MD and its  influence on the development of hypnosis. European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 8(1), 32-40. Ramachandran, V. S., Hirstein, W. (1998). The perception of phantom limbs: The D. O. Hebb  lecture. Brain, 121, 1603-1630. Waterfield, R. (2002). Hidden depths: The story of hypnosis. London: Macmillan   Name: Lim Su WenClass: T04Student ID: S10156753

what?? :: essays research papers

whatsz going on ?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away. Human cloning has always been an issue of controversy, be it in ethical or moral terms. This issue shakes us all to our very souls. For humans to consider the cloning of one another forces them all to question the very concepts of right and wrong. The cloning of any species, whether they are human or non-human, is ethically and morally wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away. Human cloning has always been an issue of controversy, be it in ethical or moral terms. This issue shakes us all to our very souls. For humans to consider the cloning of one another forces them all to question the very concepts of right and wrong. The cloning of any species, whether they are human or non-human, is ethically and morally wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away.

English will eventually become the dominant world language

English has without doubt achieved some kind of global status as many countries adopt the language they consider to be synonymous with economic success and a cosmopolitan culture. However, factors such as the increasing numbers of speakers of other languages, including in English-speaking countries, an increase in bi-lingualism and growing anti-American sentiment in some parts of the world, all indicate that English may not occupy an entirely stable position in the world.This essay explores some of the reasons why English has become so widespread and then argues that global domination of English, despite its current position as a medium of international communication, is unlikely to take place. According to Crystal, (1987, cited in Pennycook, 1994, p. 8) â€Å"English is used as an official or semi-official language in over 60 countries†¦it is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, tech nology, medicine, sports, international competitions, pop music and advertising†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .It is the working language of ASEAN, the Asian trade group, and the official language of the European Central Bank, even though none of the member countries has English as its first language (Wallraff 2000, p. 3). The extensive economic power of the United States has also influenced many countries to view English as the â€Å"key to economic empowerment† (Guardian weekly 2000, p2). English has also become dominant because it is regarded as cosmopolitan and the way of the future.According to Cohen (2000, p. ), the dominance of American popular culture has influenced many young Europeans who aspire to the â€Å"unfettered, dynamic, creative culture of California† rather than the â€Å"rigidity† of many European societies. Volkwagon in Germany called their car the â€Å"new beetle† rather than the German equivalent neuer Kafer because advertisers believed it sounded more â€Å"hip†. Similarly in Asia, English is associated with the glamour of block-buster movies and the pop industry. However, despite these factors English is unlikely to dominate the world.English speakers are still the minority of the world's population with 372 million speakers, well behind Chinese languages which have 1,113 million speakers (Wallraff, 2000 p. 5). Within fifty years English is likely to lose even second place to the South Asian linguistic group which includes the Hindi and Urdu languages. Spanish and Arabic will also become as common as English. There are also increasing numbers of bilingual and multilingual speakers, even within English-speaking countries.Currently about one in seven American citizens prefers to speak a language other than English at home, including 2. 4 million Chinese speakers. (Wallraff 2000, p. 3). This suggests that the future of other languages is guaranteed despite the popularity of English. Another reason why English will neve r dominate is because of a growing anti-American sentiment. Wallraff (2000, p. 5) suggests that there may be â€Å"†¦a backlash against American values and culture† and that this could lead to a resistance to learn the language of the United Sates.In post-September 11 times this seems a very real possibility. In Europe France and Germany have also held a conference focused on defending Franco-German culture against the cultural pull of America (Cohen 1998, p. 2). Afrikaaners in South Africa are also leading a passionate fight to gain equality with English as are many other indigenous languages (Alexander 2000, p. 2). Still further reasons that may prevent a world take-over by English include political, economic and technological factors.Political factors include the potential formation of new alliances between non-English speaking countries and the probable rise of regional trading blocks in Asia and the Middle-East. It is also possible â€Å"that world-changing technol ogy could arise out of a nation where English is little spoken† (Wallraff 2000, p. 4). This could tip the scales away from English to the use of another language. Finally, in a world of rapid technological change and increasing political instability it is difficult to predict what the future may hold.Although English has enjoyed a period of great expansion as a language of international communication, it is unlikely it will eventually dominate the world. The sheer numbers of non-English speakers, the potential of new political trading partnerships or new technological developments as well as the possibility of a rejection of the â€Å"cultural imperialism† of the West may in fact contribute to a decline in the spread of English. Perhaps English speakers should be a little less complacent about learning other languages themselves.

Harper Lee’s Influence on Scout

Harper Lee grew up in Monroeville, Alabama where girls were expected to be ladies, Harper Lee was just the opposite, a tomboy, and she wrote her famous novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† based upon her childhood experiences. Harper Lee made her main character Scout to be very similar to her. Harper Lee created the town of Maycomb with features almost exactly like Monroeville. Harper Lee based Scout’s father Atticus after her own father Amasa Coleman Lee. Harper Lee based her book â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† about her own childhood because she thought an author should write what he knows. Harper Lee was a strong early reader and similarly so was Scout. â€Å"As a child, Harper Lee was an avid reader, similar to Scout's own ability to read before starting school. † (To Kill a Mockingbird). Another thing that both Scout and Harper Lee had in common was they were both tom boy rule breakers. â€Å"As a child, Harper Lee was an unruly tomboy. She fought on the playground. She talked back to teachers. She was bored with school and resisted any sort of conformity† (The Big Read). Just the same Scout fought with Cecil and Francis. Both Harper Lee and Scout live in a town’s that are very representative of each other. The town of Maycomb is very much so based upon Lee’s home town of Monroeville. â€Å"The town of Maycomb is modeled after Lee's own home town. The schoolyard in the novel is the same one Lee played in as a child. And the Maycomb courtroom is the Monroeville courtroom down to the last detail. She patterned her characters' speech after the Southern dialect she grew up with. She also looked to the citizens of Monroeville when setting up her cast of characters. (Reading about race and membership in America). The childhood best friends Dill and Truman were the neighbors of Scout and Harper Lee. Harper Lee’s good friend and neighbor growing up was a boy named Truman Capote whom Lee based Dill, the best friend and neighbor of Scout. â€Å"Dill, for example, is patterned after one of her childhood friends, Truman Capote† (Reading about race and membership in America). Another c haracter Lee based off of her childhood was her father, creating Atticus Finch. The character Atticus Finch is a representation of Harper Lee’s father Amasa Coleman Lee. Both men were lawyers who represented black men, and lost their cases unfairly due to race. Harper Lee’s father represented two men accused of murder, he lost the case and both clients were killed. â€Å"He once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both clients, a father and son, were hanged. † (The Big Read). Harper Lee based her novel around her life, there are many similarities found within her book that are directly related to her life. Upon the thoughts that an author should base his writings upon what he know, Harper Lee based her novel â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† loosely around her childhood. Harper Lee created the character Scout with many features to resemble herself as a child. The town of Maycomb was created by Harper Lee as an almost exact replica of her hometown, Monroeville Alabama. Atticus Finch was created to resemble Harper Lee’s father Amasa Coleman Lee and the two have many similarities. Harper Lee only created this one book â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† she never expected to get this much attention for her works.