Outline 2 theories, which relate to the breakdown of relationships. Evaluate the 2 theories you have outlined.

Outline 2 theories, which relate to the breakdown of relationships. Evaluate the 2 theories you have outlined. The social exchange theory and the equity theory can give plausible explanations for the breakdown of relationships. The social exchange theory suggests that our relationships are based on minimising costs and maximising rewards therefore it can be said that relationships breakdown because of the need to maximise costs and gaining minimum rewards. However it is not as simple as that. Levinger (1976) felt that the likelihood of a marriage surviving depends on three major features. The first factor depends on the attraction of the relationship being either emotional security or sexual fulfilment while the second factor emphasises the point of barriers to leaving the marriage such as financial pressures. The final factor depends on the presence of attractive alternatives. According to the social exchange theory divorce is most likely when the marriage has few attractions and weak barriers to leaving the relationship. This is similar to Thibault and Kelley's notion of a comparison level for alternatives (Clalt). The comparison level is When either partner represents the outcomes they believe they deserve on basis of past experiences therefore either partner may wish to leave the relationship when the Clalt is higher than the comparison level. However the equity theory

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Outline the teachings of Marx and state whether you think Marxism has any relevance in the 21st century.

Shai Manor 09/11/03 History IB HL 1 A Outline the teachings of Marx and state whether you think Marxism has any relevance in the 21st century. 750-1000 words Marx summarized his ideas into four steps, which he believed already occurred, were occurring, or were going to occur in the future. He saw history as a struggle and conflict between the have, and have-nots. The rulers had land, food and goods, while the other lower classes had almost nothing. The haves had exploited the have-nots and so he believed they would revolt against the rulers. The rulers were making the lower classes work hard, and give them almost nothing for their hard work. He believed the lower classes would defeat the ruling ones, and then they would all co-operate for the good of each other. There would not be any governments and specific rulers, every person would be a ruler of his own. The first step of Marx's four step theory was feudalism. Feudalism meant that the higher your status, the more important you were, and the more you could speak out .Most people lived just by farming, if you would have land, you would have had power too. Feudalism could be compared to a pyramid. We have the Monarch at the top, then the barons and noblemen. After them the church and its members. Then the "protectors of the people", the soldiers would come. Then the bourgeoisie and finally the poor peasants, the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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New Beginnings

Meggie Gerfen Political Science 215 Final Paper New Beginnings It is clear to everyone who has ever read an American History textbook that when the Founders wrote the legislation that would lead this country to its independence, they were doing something right. It was not completely accepted by the American people during the creation of the Constitution, so many publications were constructed to help provide the public with answers concerning their questions against the new government. One of the greatest benefits set down by James Madison within the Federalist Papers was the assurance of this new democracy against the violence of political factions. This threat of political factions can be seen all over the world, especially in countries with a history of political turmoil such as South Africa. But would it be feasible to attempt to apply the ideology behind political faction prevention of the American democracy to another country like South Africa that is in desperate need of change? Although a republic does already exist in South Africa, a new development of democratic legislation, through a process similar to a joint veto policy, needs to ensue to ensure that a tyranny of one political faction does not occur over another, as the Federalist Papers would indicate, and this must be done in a different fashion than of the United States because the political and social

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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What is the meaning of the distinction between Left and Right in western political thought?

U-Card- 010155961 Pol 106-What is the meaning of the distinction between Left and Right in western political thought? "The words droite and gauche (right and left) are the two most frequently used words in the French political vocabulary but they defy objective definition in every sense". When Pierce uses these terms in relation to French politics it is because they were "invented" in the assemblies after the French Revolution of 1789 and from that point on left and right have been central to political discourse. Since the French Revolution bequeathed these words based on the seating arrangements of the assemblies when the people of the 'third estate' sat on the left hand side of the king, because the nobility were seated on the right, the position of honour, the custom evolved so that the radical and egalitarian sat on the left. Left was used as a pejorative term at the time but has since been associated with radical political ideas and movements. A collection of ideologies, developed in response to the traumas of the 1770's rather than as a social movement or as an organised political force. Admittedly an embryonic two party system was developed in Britain from 1760's but Whig/Tory and Court/Crown divisions could not be characterised by terms left and right. There are obviously extreme parties that are at each end of the spectrum but if you move away from the Anglo-Saxon

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Can Rational Choice Theory Be Reconciled With The Concept Of Political Culture?

Can Rational Choice Theory Be Reconciled With The Concept Of Political Culture? At first glance, it appears that reconciling the rational choice approach of political sociology to the structural concept of political culture is a futile one. Rational choice draws heavily upon economic theory in building models based upon procedural rules that emphasise the maximisation of utility, a consistent and logical decision making process that focuses on identifying the course of action of greatest value. This process takes place entirely on an individual level, and assumes that everyone will consistently act in such a self-interested way. By contrast, the concept of a political culture fundamentally relies on group behaviour, finding correlations between the positive psychological orientation and the actions of a country's citizens with a country's economic performance and viability of its democratic institutions. Thus, if a country's citizens are civically engaged, and playing (or believe that they canplay) an active role in their country's political processes (a state of affairs which Almond and Verba (1963) terms a 'participant' political culture) then a country is far more likely to be prosperous and democratic. It follows that civically engaged citizens should largely act with their country's interests in mind. While this does not necessarily conflict with a person's own

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  • Subject: Politics
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Thomas Jefferson

Warren Winter 2/23/04 US History I Honors "In his inaugural speech, Jefferson stated: 'We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists' - yet the greatest irony of the Virginia Dynasty was that by 1820, the Republicans were Federalists and the Federalists were gone, thus proving the political dictum: 'power promotes pragmatism.'" Etymologically derived from the Greek prassein ("to do, act, perform"), pragmatism is defined as "the doctrine that practical consequences are the criteria of knowledge and meaning and value." Inextricable from the dynamic nature of politics is the pragmatic tendency for those in power to orchestrate practical consequences to benefit themselves and their parties. As is evident in the history of the Virginia Dynasty, the most effective way to assuage the political rift between parties is for the dominant party to appeal to an opposing constituency and to its rival party by embracing their ideology. This fluid adaptation of value, as in ideology, to practical outcomes establishes the dictum that "power promotes pragmatism." Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe constitute the Virginia Dynasty, the Republican line of Virginian presidents who came to dominate American politics for the first two decades of the 19th century. Deemed a "consummate politician" for his ability to espouse his

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Can feminism be thought of as a theory of law or, otherwise, fundamental in some way?

Jurisprudence (LS2007) Mr Thushara Kumarage 'Can feminism be thought of as a theory of law or, otherwise, fundamental in some way?' Richard Sutherland (03157563) 26 November 2004 As a concept, feminism is very much a modern notion within legal circles, which aims to eradicate any prejudice against women's rights. This in a society strongly founded upon a male-orientated legal system, which historically fails to recognise the social and legal rights of women, and instead focuses upon "male-orientated theories and ideologies."1 It is this patriarchy that feminists thrive to eliminate. The essence of patriarchy is emphasised by the Marxist legal theory, developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century, which places no emphasis upon gender, and consequently belittles the feminists fight for gender equality. Juxtaposed with the rigid Marxist approach to legal rule is the postmodernist dialect that offers a "positive method of forcing individuals to confront and change the rigid contexts and structures (including laws) within which they have arbitrarily confined themselves."2 The ideology of feminism is split into three distinct categories, all of which work towards one common goal of removing gender prejudices: 1) Liberal feminism is grounded in "classical liberal thinking that individuals should be free to develop their own talents and pursue their own

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Outline the Marxist View of History

Liz Ford 13R3 Outline the Marxist View of History History, according to Marx, was based on class conflict between the proletariat workers and the bourgeoisie capitalists, those who produced, and those who owned the means of production. It is in accordance with this theory that Marx's 'scientific' ideology of communism developed. According to Marx, all nations moved through distinct phases and the result of all of these phases was ultimately communism. Marx uses Hegel's idea of the dialectic to explain why changes in history happen. In Hegel's view, there are two conflicting ideas (eg: Slaves and Owners) which cannot exist side by side but instead of one dominating the other, a new idea is born from the two. Marx views history as being an inevitable process. As under each system (except for communism) there is conflict, according to the dialectic, a new system must be born. So as the conflicts within feudalism synthesised to form capitalism, so the conflicts within capitalism synthesised to form socialism. Each system was the product of its predecessor's destruction but each system would also ultimately hold the key to its own destruction. The aspects of each system whish were necessary to maintain it, eg: slavery in the Empire stage, contributed to that systems destruction. The first stage identified is that of 'primitive communism'. In this system there was no

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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"Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner" To What Extent Do You Agree With This Statement?

Peter Matthews 6WK "Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner" To What Extent Do You Agree With This Statement? The 1997 general election in Britain changed the way that policies were made in both of the leading political parties. The Labour Party is composed of three major institutions: The NEC (National Executive Committee) -the administrative authority of the party, the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) which consists of all elected Labour Party MP s and the Annual Party Conference. The Annual Party Conference is the supreme decision-making body within the Party. Ordinary members of the party are given the opportunity to publicly articulate their views and for cabinet members (or shadow cabinet members if the party is not in government) to deliver set-speeches directed towards the party or the public. The Conservative Party had a system where power rested entirely in the hands of parliamentarians with little or no organisation outside of parliament. It also consisted of three main institutions: The Parliamentary Conservative Party, the National Union Of Conservative and Unionist Associations and The Conservative Central Office. The ultimate decision making body in the Party is the leader himself. He or she may be advised however this advice does not have to be taken. Before 1997, any member of the Labour party could raise a topic to be debated. However after the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Question How did power in the UK's social democratic state shift in the 1950s? What do you understand by the statement 'I'm alright Jack'?

Question How did power in the UK's social democratic state shift in the 1950s? What do you understand by the statement 'I'm alright Jack'? With the beginning of life it was obvious that mankind was initiating on remarkable journeys towards freedom and independence. Such journeys were translated through revolutions, parties, theories and sometime wars, in which individuals recruited to achieve their goals. The socialist world evident a rapid expansion and changes that has cultivated through years. Although the word today is not presented in consequence of any of these , but the world still remember those old days and their affects on the world today's in addition to applying some of their theories , believers or ways . Full employment and social democracy for instance are two of the ways sociologist always tried to achieve to reduce unemployment, provide secure income, and create an equal society in order to order the lines of individuals. Social democracy is an economic policy in which all individuals in the society are equal regardless their state, power, color, religion ... etc. This democracy was a provision taken to secure the development alteration and variation occurring in the society thought democratic means by reducing poverty and unemployment. The social democratic state has passed through a lot of steps and shifts of policies, theories and laws before it succeed

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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