How culture influences human development Essay

This essay is an attempt to show how culture influences human development and interpretation of the world. Therefore, to start with this essay will define culture by different scholars. It will then show the types of culture and give a brief account on what culture constitutes (characteristics of culture). Furthermore, the concept of human development will be discussed briefly to give the reader a more clear understanding of the topic at hand. With clear examples, the essay will then show how culture influences human development and their interpretation of the world. Finally, a conclusion summarizing what the essay will discuss will be drawn. The attempt to define culture is elusive as many may suggest. Nevertheless, there are certain paradigms that constitute the sum total of culture and underlie cultural images and identity construction. It is the close affinity between cultural image and human identity that makes the definition of culture complex. The most complex and yet comprehensive definition of culture is that arrived during the ‘Mondiacult’ in Mexico city which has continued to be the most operationalised definition of culture: ‘Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material and intellectual features that charactorise a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of human beings, value systems, traditions and beliefs.’ Young Kate (1993) in a report said, culture is seen in the African social context as transcending the arts or artifacts, folklores, literatures, music, dance and other artistic paraphelia. According to Taylor (1996) culture refers to the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from others. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. A people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems. Culture can also be defined as a set of values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors shared by a group of people, communicated from one generation to the next via language or some other means of communication (Barnouw, 1985). An American sociologist Ogburn has divided culture into two parts: Material culture which consists of tangible things and tools used to express the way of life such as machines, dwellings, manufacture of goods and transportation; and Non material culture which consists of non tangible aspects such as norms, values, customs and practices that are exhibited in social institutions such as the family, religion, economy and education. Some of the characteristics of culture is that it is symbolic, meaning it is based on symbols or abstract ways of referring to and understanding ideas, objects, feelings, or behaviors-and the ability to communicate with symbols using language; it is shared meaning people in the same society share common behaviors and ways of thinking through culture(Bodley ,1997); it is learned socially (Archer, 1996); it is adaptive, that is to say people use culture to flexibly and quickly adjust to changes in the world around them (Findely, and Rothney, 2006); it is social meaning culture does not exist in isolation; it is transitive as it is transmitted from one generation to another; and it is continuous and cumulative because it exists as a continuous process. Various people understand human development on a wide variety of aspects. Human development can be intellectual, biological, social, economical, and many others. Human development involves all the individual’s activities starting from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Therefore, human development and people’s view of the world during all these stages of a person’s life is influenced by people’s exposure to various cultures in so many ways. Usually when a child is born, it is born into a particular family that has a certain way of life. Members of this family will have a language they usually use, type of food they usually eat, religion or church they are part of, a way they dress, a type of people they interact with, types of social  activities they engage in, and so on. All this is part of their culture as a family. That child will grow up and adapt to that culture because the family is its first agent of socialization. As the child grows and develops into an adolescent, then into an adult, his or her view of the world will greatly be influenced by this socialization of the family. The way in which he or she will interact with others will depend on how he or she has been brought up to do. Some individuals are shy and reserved while others are talkative. In the past, the African culture socialized girls and women to maintain their place which was in the kitchen and to be respectful towards men. In as much as this was a form of gender inequality, this culture also brought some form of human development as the men went out to provide for their families as well as develop their communities, while the women stayed at home cooking, taking care of the children and doing household chores which is a form of human development (social) were socializing of the children is involved. So, in this type of way of life the women interpreted or viewed men as being superior over them and the men viewed the women as being their helpers. However, over the years this sort of view has changed (though not everywhere) due to the fact that culture is not static, it is an adaptive mechanism that constantly adjusts to satisfy human biological and social needs. Because of this dynamic tendency of culture, cultural communities continue to change as do individuals. A community’s history and relations are part of cultural process which intern lead to various human developments. A good example that can be cited is that of the Khoi Khoi and san people of the past who hunted and gathered food for their survival. It is very rare to find any kind of people in this day and age who still follow that kind of lifestyle. Culture is not the same everywhere, it varies greatly and this great diversity can sometimes be confusing to others. For instance, the thought of children handling knives makes many American parents very nervous, yet toddlers in some parts of Africa safely use machetes. Similarly, infants in middle-class communities in the United States are often expected to sleep  alone by the time they are only a few months old while many low and middle-class Zambian children typically share their mother’s bed through their toddler years. These striking differences in child rearing practices reflect the diverse range of what is considered developmentally appropriate for children around the world, depending on their cultural circumstances (Roggof, 2003). Therefore, people from, say, these two types of societies will interpret child rearing practices differently from one another. Another example by Barbara Roggof (2003) which results in a great difference in interpretation due to the diversity of culture is the comparison between the United States and Mayan community in Gautemala. The United States is a highly age-segregated society, with children spending much of their time away from activities of adults. That segregation removes children from important opportunities to observe and learn from elders by participating in valued community activities, said Roggof. In contrast, in the Mayan community in Gautemala, children often learn through the process of observation and supportive guidance as they engage in community activities. Young Mayan girls, for instance, regularly observe women weaving complicated patterns because weaving is a daily household activity. Experienced weavers watched for their daughters to express interest and then set up a simple project beside their own which allows them to offer, what Roggof calls ‘guidance embedded in activity’. So unlike in the United States community were learning is often pegged to age and managed in specialized child settings, instruction in this Mayan community is generally triggered by the child’s interest in becoming involved in valued family community activities. This shows that human development in some cultures is influenced by age, while in others by interest. Cultural diversity shows that there are different viewpoints and ways of interacting with the world as there are cultures (Young, 1993). However, cultural difference may sometimes become problematic. Because different people are part of different cultures and backgrounds, people tend to see or interpret things through their background. ‘That is, culture acts as a filter, not only when perceiving things, but also when thinking about  interpreting events.’ For example, Mary Banda may interpret Aisha Yusuf’s habit of over spicing her food whenever she is cooking as a sign that Aisha is not a very good cook as she uses these spices as a disguise of her lack of talent. Mary might even conclude that people from her own culture are better cooks than that of Aisha’s because she does not need spices to make her food taste good. Mary Banda, in this example, is interpreting someone else’s behavior from her own cultural background and based on her own beliefs of culture and behavior. This is an act of ethnocentrism, which is the viewing and interpretation of the behavior of others through one’s own cultural glasses (Giddens, 1989). This is a form of biasness which is also closely linked to stereotypes. For example, suppose someone is having a conversation with another person from a culture different from their own. While he is talking to this person, he notices that she does not really make eye contact with him when he speaks. Also, she does not really look at him when he speaks. On the few occasions when her eyes look his way, she quickly averts her gaze if their eyes meet. From his cultural background he may interpret that she does not feel very positive about his interaction. He may even put off and reject any attempts at future interactions. He may not feel trusting or close to her. But she may come from a culture were direct gazing is discouraged or even a sign of arrogance. She may actually be avoiding eye contact not because of any negative feelings, but because of difference and politeness to him. Of course these potential problems have real and practical implications in everyday life. Such scenarios may occur in a job interview, in a teaching or learning situation at an elementary school, at a business negotiation, or even in a visit with a doctor. It is always hard for people to separate themselves from their own cultural backgrounds and biases to understand the behaviors of others. However, this is not to say that all cultures are different or diverse. There are always cross-cultural tendencies or behaviors that are shared in most cultures. For instance, in most cultures people burry their dead, celebrate at weddings, mourn at funerals, name their children, wear clothes (do not  move naked), and many others. CONCLUSION In conclusion, culture is basically people’s way of life or way of doing things or even way of thinking. Be it how they comb their hair, dress, worship, eat, time they sleep at night, and so on. Culture is material and non material, and therefore, influences a great deal of people’s lives. This influence of culture can be on their human development from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Jean Piaget talked about four stages human beings pass through as they develop. These include the sensory motor stage (0-23 months old), pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), concrete operational stage (7-11 years old) and formal operational stage (11 years and above). Through all these stages, human development occurs in various ways. And this can be intellectually, socially, economically, and biologically. It can also influence how people interpret the world or other people around them as illustrated in the few examples in mentioned in the text. REFERENCES Archer, M. S. (1996). _The place of culture in social theory_. New York: Cambridge University Press. Barnouw, V. (1985). _Culture and personality (_4th edition_)._ Wales: Dorsey Press. Bodley, J. H. (1997). _Ethnology_ (4th edition). Mountain View cliff: Mayfield Publishers. Co. Dressler, D. et al (1976). _Sociology: The study of Human interactions_ (3rd edition). New York: Alfred A. Knopt. Findely, & Rothney, (1996). _Twentieth century world_ (6th edition). London: McMillan Press Ltd. Furedidi, F. (1997). _Population and development: A critical introduction_ (3rd edition). Britain: Polity Press. Giddens, A. (1989). _Sociology_ (6th edition). Britain: Polity Press. Rogoff, B. (2003). _The cultural nature of human development._ New York: Oxford Press. Taylor, (2006). _Principles and practice of stress management_ (3rd edition). New York: Guilford Press. UNESCO, (1982). _Cultural industries: A challenge for the future._ Paris: UNESCO. Valsiner, J. (2000). _Culture and human development: An introduction._ Britain: Polity Press. Young, K. (1993). _Planning development with women: Making a world of difference._ London & Basinstokei: McMillan Press Ltd.

An Exploration Into 14 Bauhaus Books by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy in Relation to Visual Culture Essay

When analysing ‘the 14 bauhaus books’ by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy (see figure 1) in relation to it’s historical context, at least 5 components have to be considered. These are: the image itself; the movement it is part of; the artist, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, that made it; the bauhaus- the institute it was produced for and where the artist taught – and how these parts have changed or influenced modern times. My argument is that all of these separate components, the main being the movement of Modernism, made life better for the International populations that welcomed it, through the universal progression that modernism once promised. 4 Bauhaus Books is not a ‘pretty’ image. The dirty red mixed with the hard texture of the metal type is not pleasing to the eye for any viewer. But then again it is not meant to be pleasing, the image is a brochure cover, nothing more. Although by todays standards it is crude in design, vaguely relating to the brochure that it covers, which does go into detail about some new typographical forms, it was rather advanced for 1929 as it was a Modernist piece – rejecting decoration. No longer focussing on decoration produced a new language of design that could be understood by everyone, including workers in modern industry. Moholy-Nagy followed his own teachings on typography fully, stating that: â€Å"Letters should never be squeezed into an arbitrary shape†¦ like a square. A new typographic language must be created combining elasticity, variety and a fresh approach to the materials of printing†¦. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 127) This approach to communication through printed material can still be seen today, particularly in adverts which have a very short amount of time to impact on and communicate to an audience. A ‘stand-out’ type coupled with a few witty lines has found itself at the centre of most printed advertisements today (see figure 2), which, it could be argued, can trace it’s heritage back to the modernists ideas of simplicity. We are all now accustomed to this, but back in the early 1900s it was met with fierce opposition and, although new aesthetics were being created, official designers and architects preferred to follow the word of Ruskin who stated: â€Å"We want no new architecture†¦ The forms of architecture already known to us are good enough for us, and far better than any us† (Naylor, 1968, p. ) This narrow-minded approach to design held back progress and kept Europe’s standard of living the same, which, especially for the working classes, was unacceptable. From this, modernism rejected the historical styles before it, such as the Enlightenment phase, that focussed on decoration and perceived that ‘greatness lay in the reconstruction of the past’. Instead modern designers, in the smoke of the Industrial Revolution, created a new style – the ‘International Style’. The ‘International Style’ had called for change and the change was to blur the class distinctions. The â€Å"millions of†¦ home-owners†¦ painted their walls beige† (Greenhalgh, 1990, p52) in an attempt to fit in with this style. This cheap method of interior design, using hardwood for fittings and mass produced light fittings made the ‘International Style’ available and popular. Modernism created objects that functioned with little or no decoration. These objects were mass produced,widely available and more importantly cheap to purchase. For example the Tefal kettle (see figure 3) which has only the water gauge projecting out of a white block for decoration. This simplistic approach to design was, in the eyes of the modernists, an enhancement of purity. The same could be said for ’14 books’. That it’s simplicity is it’s decoration and that the text is the ‘object’ needed for its design purpose. Something functional yet visually satisfying. Modernist designers used the technique of abstraction in their work to help convey a visual trend and to combine the three areas they believed to be true design. This was architecture, furniture and graphic design. Abstraction meant that modernists could use ideas found in a particular building or a colour palette from a painting to create solid habitable homes or items for these homes. A well known example for this is from the painting of Mondrian – composition in red and blue (see figure 4). This was abstracted by the designer Rietveld to create a home (see figure 5) and a chair (see figure 6). Both of which the user had to engage with, as the world had gained a passive lifestyle – the chair was designed for better seated posture and the home bragged fold out compartments, tables and beds so that living was a conscious decision. Unfortunately the chair was not mass produced and only a prototype as there was â€Å"not enough interest in it, as it was not comfortable to sit in† (retrieved on January 10, 2011, from www. contemporarypractice. wordpress. com). This abstraction was seen as a rational use of design, using one ‘useful’ item aesthetics to create another and was used by most modernist designers. The downside to this would be that everything lacked spontaneity. Supposedly a unique series of furniture could look like another, but modernists did not mind this, as they wanted everyone to be equal. The Bauhaus, of course, was the school of modernist design in Europe. It symbolised new technologies and ideas for teaching. Even the building (see figure 7) was a modernist piece. The building had no decoration except for the glass sheets that covered it, which itself was a relatively new item, having been invented in 1832. Glass sheeting, ironically, was used in the crystal palace, which was a celebration of the aristocracies achievements, the opposite message of modernists to â€Å"†¦ reate a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions which raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 9) This quest for the combination of form and function is, in my opinion, found in Josef Hartwig’s 1924 chess set that has, instead of the traditional figures, pieces that consist of geometric shapes (see figure 8). The design of each piece shows how it moves- for example the 2 diagonal lines that make the bishop’s cross show that i t is constrained to diagonal movement. The negative side of this simplicity was a lack of emotion in all creations, as well as an impersonal approach to design. These made the masses feel common, which did not sit well with the elite of the time, who were used to the decorative forms of the Romantics that preceded them. This was, in many ways the enemy of the Bauhaus, referred to as â€Å"that strange decorative disease†(Naylor, 1968, p. 14). Simplicity was key for the Bauhaus and 14 Bauhaus Books was no exception. Understated colours and the photograph used for the main image how this. The type itself is clear and typical of the Bauhaus. Lazlo Moholy-Nagy taught at this revered school and stressed that â€Å"Typography must be clear communication in its most vivid form. Clarity must be especially stressed, for clarity is the essence of modern printing. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 127)Clarity is indeed expressed in ’14 Bauhaus Books’, where no complex symbolisms or congested space occurs. Lazlo Moholy-Nagy’s views on teaching was as radical as his rules. He sought to rid the preliminary course he took over in 1923 of emotion. He saw the soul as part of the body and not in control of it. This wasn’t welcomed by some of his colleagues and students, who described his arrival as â€Å"a pike in a pond full of goldfish† (Whitford, 1984, p. 128). Moholy-Nagy differed from his predecessor in every way. He wore a pair of overalls and nickel-rimmed glasses, emulating an industrial worker , whereas the former teacher, Itten, dressed more like a monk, with a perfectly shaved head – â€Å"creating an aura of spirituality and communion with the transcendal† (Whitford, 1984, p. 23) – mirroring the enlightenment movement that modernism rejected. Moholy-Nagy was to cast out everything irrational in his course. Instead he focussed on teaching techniques and a wider variety of media, stating that: â€Å"anyone who knew nothing about photography was a kind of visual illiterate, and that an artist who restricted himself to any single media should not be taken seriously. † This can be seen in ’14 Bauhaus Books’, where a variety of media is used. The combination of photography, graphics and type give the design a very individual feel. For although Moholy-Nagy insisted he used no emotion, one can’t help but feel a personal aspect behind this cover, a contradiction to his own rule. Moholy-Nagy’s link with industry spilled over to an infatuation with the machine. The machine to him was ‘the’ invention of the century, replacing the transcendental spiritualism of past eras. He saw it as the way to gain equality for the masses. Stating that: â€Å"Everyone is equal before the machine†¦ There is no tradition in technology, no class-consciousness. Everyone can be the machine’s master or its slave. † (Whitford, 1984, p. 128) Using the machine as a figurehead, Moholy-Nagy, along with other modernists and constructivists bettered the world. The change brought about by modernism was huge. As the movement grew in popularity all classes changed their way of living. They were boxed in with hardwood fittings and lived in a functional, conscious home. These homes would later be criticised for being to small and impersonal, but at the time they were considered ‘the modern home’. It wasn’t just the home that was improved through modernism. Factories over Europe America and Asia used more and more machinery, quickly churning out more products in a day than a craftsman, what had come before, could produce in months. This led to more jobs, fewer costs and a better standard of life for everyone. Though this also was met by criticism: that the worker had become non-human, â€Å"an appendage to the machine† (Greenhalgh, 1990, p. 54). The fact that people worked 10-12 hour shifts to maintain their lifestyle did not sit well. Marxists stated that industrial work meant that â€Å"Man is alienated from other men. † (Greenhalgh, 1990, p. 54) It could be argued that the limitations and ideas set in place for this simple graphic design, which is rather crude by today’s standards, has helped the international masses. The change that came about because of the movement of modernism, along with Moholy-Nagy’s approach to design and the new tuition in the Bauhaus of a generation of architects, furniture designers and graphic designers has helped to shape the world of today. Modernist buildings fill today’s cities, from huge skyscrapers consisting of tons of glass, such as the Seagram Building, New York (see figure 9), to mass housing, that was and is cheap, yet functional. This International Style that ’14 Bauhaus Books’ boasts to belong to a collection millions of posters , magazine covers, and furniture designs. Always with its’ main aim to better daily life through technology, for â€Å"not the product the but man is the end in view† (Naylor, 1968,p. 156).

The Transformation Of Housing Discrimination Toward...

The Transformation of Housing Discrimination toward African American One of the American Dreams, home ownership, still inspiriting people to work hard and pursue their dream. In order to achieve a â€Å"color blind† society, the government set many policies to ensure everyone received the equal opportunities when they try to buy a house in the U.S. For example, the Fair Housing Act as a tool to prohibit the discrimination from color, race, gender, religion or family status (Wolf, Heath). However, there are many invisible rules or requirements that cause African American unable to access to home ownership base on the housing policy system. Because of the system, it makes the housing discrimination on African American even bigger. Of course,†¦show more content†¦Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) and Fair Housing Administration (FHA) are the roots to create housing discrimination toward minority especially for African American; they help the mortgage lender to make excuses to deny the loan to African American because they do not meet the requirements. During 1928, there was a huge crisis in stock market and caused many banks close and people faced foreclosure. In order to respond the crisis, president Roosevelt signed the Homeowners Refinancing Act to slow down the rate of housing foreclosures during 1930s (Hillier). This policy helped a hundred million people who was suffering from the depression and facing to lose their houses (Hillier). In addition, it also help many people refinanced their mortgage with low interest rate (Aalbers). The Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) used HOLC to establish a program to â€Å"appraise real estate risk levels in 239 cities† (Hillier), which â€Å"produced detailed reports for each city along with a series of now infamous security maps that assigned residential areas a grade from one to four† (Hillier). Because of the neighborhood rating system, â€Å"the HOLC was also instrumental in implementing and institutionalizing redlining practices† (Aalbers) that do not

The Internet A Philosophical Inquiry - 2229 Words

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The Evolution Of Micro Finance - 1651 Words

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Age Theories and Personality Development-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.Describe Age-change theory (Erik Erikson) on Psychosocial Development. 2.Discuss the difference between Age-change theory by Erik Erikson and Carl Jung. 3.Interview Four people whom you know aged between 35 to 55 years to find out how Personality Development occurs in adulthood and how it is done in orderly manner. Present your report. Answers: Introduction The psychological development happens which tend to undergo changes with the growth and development of human beings. These changes finally bring a personality change to the mindset of any individual. Many psychologists have done researches on the development of both psychology and personality (Colarusso Nemiroff, 2013; Goldstein Winner, 2012). Erik Erikson worked on eight stages of development, also talked of how the infant developed its characteristics once it start growing till the person reaches the age of sixty five years. Carl Jung, another theorist talked in his theory about the unconscious mindset is the inherited characteristics that a person exhibits when it is necessary. These psychological developments are the suppressed form of characteristics that a human possess. The topic also discusses about the differences between the Erikson and Jungs theory of human analyzing psychological development in a human being, where the former claimed the different stages of lifestyle, w hile the latter focused on individuation , which is considered to be as the major contribution in the psychological development (Mcrozek Little, 2014). The topic concludes by the interviews of five people who all talked about the personality development from the adult hood of life. 1.Eric Eriksons Age theory on Psychological development The theory propounded by Erikson is based on the psychological development of the individual. Erikson talked of five stages where the development happens till the age of 18 and the next three stages into the circle of adulthood. Erikson particularly focused on the period of adolescence, which was felt that it was an important stage where a person get its own identity. Erikson believes that an individual rather faces crises at every stage of their development and such crises are entwined with the psychological wants of the society. Erikson also pointed out about that such developments give birth to basic virtues in life. Therefore, considering the crises, it is significant to know how the age differences response to these crises. Trust versus Mistrust: At the stage of unpredictability, The infant carries a doubt about the world they are going to live in. In order to get riff such uncertainties, the baby always look towards their parents or caregivers for the care and consistency pursued. If the infant feels that the care is sufficient and reliable, the babies would develop trust which will gradually carry forward them in the relationships of understanding the environment surrounding them. These are the basic virtues that a baby must receive from their caregivers or else, the infants would carry the sense of mistrust which would lead them to a stage of hopelessness and fear (Klimstra, 2013; Cherry, 2012). Shame and Doubt versus Autonomy: In this stage the child start to develop physical maturity and become mobile. During the age of eighteen years, the child starts thinking about their freedom in different spheres of life. In this stage it is the responsibility of the parents to encourage their children to become independent and allowing them to learn to become protective and freedom to take decisions in life through proper guidance. Also, at the same time if in this stage, the children are discouraged or criticized, they would start loosing self- esteem and with time , they will develop doubts (Cherry, 2012). Initiative versus Guilt: In this particular stage, Children start taking initiatives by interacting with other school children. This is the stage where they are cabaple to take decisions and if they are given opportunity, the children would grow a sense of responsibility and accordingly they would work out their plans. The children start taking initiatives which the parents tend to avoid to protect their children. However, if also, children are criticized poorly for their performance, they will start loosing respect on them and would develop a sense of guilt and too much guilty feeling would lead the child to develop the sense of guilty feeling (Cherry, 2012). Inferiority versus Industry: It is the stage which develops between five year to twelve years old children. In this stage, children start learning to write and read and also posses freedom to do certain things by their own. It is the stage where the teachers, parents and guardians plan a significant role to guide children to a proper channel. The peer group in general become the source of inspiration for the children to develop in their own life. Accordingly, if they are encouraged properly, the children become industrious that they develop confidence to achieve goals in life. Failing to encourage them, they would lose hope and develop inferiority complex in their own (Cherry, 2012). Identity versus Confusion of Role: During the period of adolescence, Children become more independent and start taking initiatives to learn about their future, goals , families and relationships. They always look forward to the society that they want to get adjusted easily. In this stage, through the roles they play in the society, the children gradually start understanding their own identity. Success eventually will lead them to the road of fidelity. Failing to understand their own identity through their proper work, children tend to get confused and suffer from identity crisis (Mc Leod, 2013). Isolation versus Intimacy: Between the age of 18 and 40, the young generation develops a feeling of getting intimated with the person outside their family members. If they are successful in the commitment, they develop a sense of safety and develop trust in love. Fearing to get intimate with others, would lead to the creation of isolation., depression and loneliness (Mc Leod, 2013). Stagnation versus Generative: At the age of 40 years to 65 years, individuals establish their careers and later they tend to build up families and start developing a sense of acute responsibilities towards thee own families. The individuals start giving back to the society by being good at work and raising children and also getting engaged in different activities of community or organizations. However, if the individuals fails to achieve this needs, they would develop a stage of stagnation and a sense of being unproductive (Mc Leod, 2013). Ego versus Despair: It is at this age, the eight stage of Eriksons theory, where the senior citizens slow down their productiveness and explorations of life as a retired individual. Erikson believes, if the individual start seeing their life as unrpductive in nature, they would start feeling angry and dissatisfied which would further lead to the development of despair. However, if success happens in this stage, the individual would look back and feel the accomplishments and could accept death without any fear (Mc Leod, 2013, Korger, 2014) 2.Drawing line between the Age theories of Eric Erikson and Carl Jung Firstly, Erikson focused on the development of psychology in stages where a person learn to develop personalities according to the change in environment and also the personalities developed in them trying to make solve the conflicts in the society by adjusting in the latter. On the hand, Carl Jung focused on saying that people are motivated by the energy of psychology which encouraged them to achieve the sense of self realization. According to the Carl Jung, the consciousness and unconscious mindset of individual lead to the development of personality. However, Erikson was quite prominent with his belief in pointing out the separate eight stages of the personality development of an individual but Carl Jung referred to the archetypes which tend to connect ideas and humans seems a little bizarre because the human beings interpret the environment the way they see. Secondly, according to Erikson, the development of the ego takes place when one successfully solves the disputes taking plac e in the society. This lead to the building of trust in others and also helps the future generation to be successful in life (Kroger, 2014; Mc Leod, 2013). On the other hand, Carl Jung stated that an ego can be represented by one, depends that how that individual is representing itself to the other people (Jung, 2014). Thirdly, Erik Erikson said that the individuals start developing personality and moral senses as what they were taught in childhood, but Carl Jung on the other hand describes that Man with his conscious and subconscious mind; tend to follow things that they have inherited from their ancestors (Jung, 2014). Fourthly, Carl Jung in his theory he talks of that man has both masculine and feminine sides, same with the woman (Jung, 2014).Archetypes according to Jung, an individual create the themes of the universe and accordingly, persons give their best to attain to become one by following the themes of the universe (Robertson, 2016)., however, on the other hand, Erikson stated that persons life get altered with many types of consequences, depending upon how the individuals way of dealing with the world. Fifthly, according to Carl Jung with the growth and development, the unconscious mind supports the consciousness of the human being in reality and he tried to relate it with dreams which a re the part of ones unconscious mindset that was imbibed in a person. However, Erik Erikson gave a different opinion stating that the persons consciousness developed with the experiences and the reality that the child faced. Sixthly, Erikson believes that a child would also try seek protective aura from the mother or the caregiver. It was a mother who would build a protective circle around the child. However, Carl Jung believes that even if the mother is not there to give protection to the child, a child or an infant in mindset develops a fictitious character. The character develops into an archetype. The Imaginary character from a story book, according to Jung becomes an idea figure for the child. Seventhly, according to Erikson, the urge of romantically getting involved and the tendency of a physical intimation develop at the age of 18. However, Carl Jung states that physical intimation is a shadow, it has been derived from a humans past when the humans concerns gets limited to re production and survival and it determine, self-conscious attitude. Next, Carl Jung elaborates on the dark side of the ego states by giving examples that an animal is considered to have capability of taking care of its younger ones along with getting involving in killing for food. This highlights the natural instinct of an animal, which human tends to think that animal world is a cruel world. However Erikson says the character of a human being develops when the society tries to teach him. The behavior of the society determines the significant change of character in a human being, it not a part of any unconscious mindset. 3.Four people are interviewed on personality development on adulthood The 38 year old woman name Sophie Stella from California, an engineer, stated that personality development in adulthood happens, from the experience she faced, stated that in the age of 20 years, this individual got the maximum priority to choose the path which is important in life. The woman got the freedom to choose engineering as passion, in this age according to the view, the person has the right to develop the sense of stability and with time this stability becomes responsibility towards the loved and dear ones. The 45- year old woman from India name Maria Clara, a Brazilian homemaker, stated that the culture of the country sometimes regulate the development of personality in childhood. The parents generally in India tend to be strict and this in turn limits the choice of the children to choose whatever they do in life. This as a result, child develop a suppressed mentality which in later age might the personality development of the child and with age, the child becomes conservative and show the same cultural behavior towards own family. This happens most of the times. The 50-year-old man name Ahmad Hani, a teacher from Malaysia, said that the personality development in childhood is inevitable. From the persons experience, the child if not successful in life, tends to become quite guilty in nature as this is the stage where a transition is happening and one need to understand and guide the child in order to be successful in life. However, once the child feel guilty, it tends to become narrow minded and hopelessness which in turn would affect its behavior towards the family. The 53-year-old woman name Claudia Prongsopon from Thailand, a professor of a reputed college stated, that in the adulthood, if also a child do not get any proper guidance from childhood, the child might become mentally exploited and can ruin its own life by the help of its independent life. They can go to party, make friends and will not follow any family rules, if this is continued, in latter age, would gradually make the child a rage and the man would not be able to guide own children properly. Conclusion Thus to conclude, Erik Eriksons personality development in eight stages tend to make children more responsive towards the change in environment and how the individual reacts to these changes with time and time. The society also plays an important role to guide the children. The comparison drew between Erik son and Carl Jungs theory of personality development and it is to focus how the individual sees the environment through their own eyes. On the basis of this age theory, four people gave interviews and expressed their thoughts about how personality developed in adulthood in an orderly manner through their experiences. Thus, personality development plays an important role in an individuals future identification References Cherry, K. (2012). Erikson's theory of psychosocial development psychosocial development in infancy and early childhood.The New York Times Company. https://psychology. about. com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial. htm [26 May 2012].[Links]. Colarusso, C. A., Nemiroff, R. A. (2013).Adult development: A new dimension in psychodynamic theory and practice. Springer Science Business Media. Goldstein, T. R., Winner, E. (2012). Enhancing empathy and theory of mind.Journal of Cognition and Development,13(1), 19-37. Jung, C. G. (2014).Four archetypes. Routledge. Jung, C. G. (2014).The archetypes and the collective unconscious. Routledge. Jung, C. G. (2014).The development of personality. Routledge. Klimstra, T. (2013). Adolescent personality development and identity formation.Child Development Perspectives,7(2), 80-84. Kroger, J. (2014).Discussions on ego identity. Psychology Press. McLeod, S. (2013). Erik Erikson.Retrieved August,9, 2013. Mroczek, D. K., Little, T. D. (Eds.). (2014).Handbook of personality development. Psychology Press. Robertson, R. (2016).Jungian archetypes: Jung, Gdel, and the history of archetypes. Open Road Media. Syed, M., Seiffge-Krenke, I. (2013). Personality development from adolescence to emerging adulthood: linking trajectories of ego development to the family context and identity formation.Journal of personality and social psychology,104(2), 371.

The Grapes Of Wrath Essays (857 words) - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl

The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's live under. The novel tells of one families migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the land owners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption resulting from materialism (money) and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are sevestronger, uprooting the weakened corn, and the air became so filled with dust that the stars were not visible at night. (Chp 1) As the chapter continues a turtle, which appears and reappears several times early in the novel, can be seen to stand for survival, a driving life force in all of mankind that cannot be beaten by nature or man. The turtle represents a hope that the trip to the west is survivable by the farmer migrants (Joad family). The turtle further represents the migrants struggles against nature/man by overcoming every obstacle he encounters: the red ant in his path, the truck driver who tries to run over him, being captured in Tom Joad's jacket: And now a light truck approached, and as it came near, the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it. The driver of the truck works for a large company, who try to stop the migrants from going west, when the driver attempts to hit the turtle it is another example of the big powerful guy trying to flatten or kill the little guy. Everything the turtle encounters trys its best to stop the turtle from making its westerly journey. Steadily the turtle advances on, ironically to the southwest, the direction of the mirgration of people. The turtle is described as being lasting, ancient, old and wise: horny head, yellowed toenails, indestructible high dome of a shell, humorous old eyes. (Chp 1)The driver of the truckow is described as being unmovable and never bending to the wind or dust. The Joad family does not want to move, they prefer to stay on the land they grew up on, much the same as the willow does. The willow contributes to the theme by showing the unwillingness of the people to be removed from their land by the banks. The latter represents the force making them leave their homes. Both of these symbols help contribute to the theme by showing a struggle between each other. The tree struggles against nature in much the same way that the Joad family struggles against the Bank and large companies. The rains that comes at the end of the novel symbolize several things. Rain in which is excessive, in a certain way fulfills a cycle of the dust which is also excessive. In a way nature has restored a balance and has initiated a new growth cycle. This ties in with other examples of the rebirth idea in the ending, much in the way the Joad family will grow again. The rain contributes to the theme by showing the cycle of nature that give a conclusion to the novel by showing that life is a pattern of birth and death. The rain is another example of nature against man, the rain comes and floods the living quarters of the Joads. The Joads try to stop the flood of their home by yet again are forced back