The aim of this essay is to look at the theories and components of emotion and to explore the biological and cognitive approach to emotion in pursuit of answering the question - What is emotion?
WHAT IS EMOTION? The aim of this essay is to look at the theories and components of emotion and to explore the biological and cognitive approach to emotion in pursuit of answering the question - What is emotion? Early theory of emotion is important because it gives an historical backbone to the later hypotheses. The earlier emotional studies were of a more philosophical level, as according to Aristotle and Plato et al, who believed people to be rational and level headed until they came across emotion and subsequently found human nature could be quite irrational at times. (Malin and Birch 1998). For the sake of this account, the theory of William James and Carl Lange (1884) will be the starting point. As stated by (Malin and Birch 1998), according to James-Lange what was previously understood to be emotion was turned on its head. These two men simultaneously came up with the same method of thinking in that the emotion was a response to the action taken from a perceived event, and not the other way around. The stimulus provokes the change in bodily response and what we feel with regard to the change is emotion. Emotion is a product of instinct. James - Lange focused on the physiological arousal stimulus in forming the emotions. William James wrote a paper entitled "What is an Emotion?" In it he explores what function the brain has in producing emotional feelings in which
What is Social Exclusion?
What is Social Exclusion? In this essay, I will be studying various definitions of the term social exclusion, in an attempt to explain what it is. The term exclusion tends to refer to an individual or group of people who are kept out from a place or group or privilege (English Oxford dictionary). When we talk and write about 'social exclusion' we are talking about changes in the whole of society, which have consequences to some people in society (Social exclusion, David Byrne 1999). Hence I will be focussing on definitions of social exclusion in social sciences and a social and political setting. In relation to British social policy, the term social exclusion is relatively new. The government has described social exclusion as a shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown. (social exclusion unit, preventing social exclusion, www.socialexclusion.gov.uk). The definition of social exclusion by the government is intentionally flexible, with several other types of exclusion, which exist. In the 'Preventing social exclusion' document, it concluded the most important characteristic is that the problems are linked and mutually reinforcing. Hence different dimensions of social exclusion combine with each other creating a
The ethnic minority population of the United Kingdom has increased at a tremendous rate since the 1950's, when most ethnic minority immigrants came to the UK as part of a replacement labour force.
Introduction The ethnic minority population of the United Kingdom has increased at a tremendous rate since the 1950's, when most ethnic minority immigrants came to the UK as part of a replacement labour force, which was urgently needed following the loss of a large proportion of the nations labour force during the war. Ethnic minorities occupied the less skilled, the dirtiest and the lowest paid jobs. The flexible and cheap labour which black immigrants supplied to the UK was an essential component of the moderate but sustained expansion of the UK economy in the 1950's and early 1960's. The majority of ethnic minority immigrants housing and their place of employment were located in inner city areas, in the poorest and most run-down areas of cities throughout the UK. Bradford was a city which was experiencing economic prosperity during the post-war period, and its textile industry was amongst the most important in the world. Bradford's textile industry was the common thread binding the white and Asian working class into a single social fabric. But with its collapse, each community was forced to turn inwards on to itself. The depressed inner-city areas, lined with old 'two-up-two-down' terraced houses which had been built for mill-worker families, were abandoned by those whites that could afford to move out to the suburbs. Those that could not afford to buy themselves out
Is Inequality an Inevitable Feature of Contemporary Society?
IS INEQUALITY AN INEVITABLE FEATURE OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY? Contemporary western societies do claim to be meritocratic and to offer equal opportunities for all, but is this really the case? For the purpose of this assignment, it is my intention to examine social class, gender, wealth and education and try to determine whether inequalities do, indeed, exist in these areas. Studies of social mobility are designed to show the likelihood of the son or daughter of a working-class father, such as a dustman, entering a middle-class occupation (e.g. solicitor). In an ideal meritocratic society, the social position of an individual's family of origin need not necessarily bear any relationship to that individual's social position, since he or she should really move up or down the ladder of success according to merit. However, according to the first inter-generational study conducted by Glass in 1949 - 48.5% of men interviewed in status category 1 (professional and high administrative) still ended up in the same category as their fathers - which is more than 13 times greater than chance, suggesting that a person's background does play an important part in influencing their life chances. The next major inter-generational mobility study was the Oxford Mobility Study, carried out by Goldthorpe et al in 1972. Although this study does show that the chances of improving one's status
Chaos Theory: A Modern Revelation.
Chaos Theory: A Modern Revelation How is it that a subject so entwined in nearly every aspect of every-day life, can be so overlooked? Such is the case of the recently discovered chaos theory. Upon hearing the term, one would deem it as just another proposition that scientists seem to manufacture endlessly. However, in An Introduction to Chaos Theory and Fractal Geometry, Manus J. Donahue III states that the name chaos theory is in itself actually a contradiction. He explains that it "...leads the reader to believe that mathematicians have discovered some new and definitive knowledge..." (n.p.). On the contrary, the first descriptions of chaos theory were discovered nearly thirty years ago. Now while this still may be fairly recent, at least in the realm of science discoveries, chaos theory is definitely not, by any means, any definitive knowledge. Even to this day, scientists are discovering new areas that chaos can be applied to. Chaos is not a definitive term in itself, either. Being a complex science that has applications in nearly realm of understanding, chaos theory cannot be defined in any one specific way. Jonathan Mendelson and Elana Blumenthal state the general definition of chaos, in Chaos Theory and Fractals, as the "...turmoil, turbulence, primordial abyss, and undesired randomness..." (n.p.). However, this is not the definition of chaos that scientists
Psychology activity questions & answers on Methodology
ARSHAD AKBER IB1 7th/09/2007 PSYCHOLOGY ACTIVITY QUESTION ) For each of the following characteristics, indicate how the scientific approaches differs from non-scientific ( everyday ) approaches to knowledge , general approach, observation, reporting, concepts, instruments, measurement, hypothesis and attitudes. Characteristics of scientific and non-scientific ( everyday) approaches to knowledge Non-scientific approaches Scientific approaches * General approach Intuitive Empirical * Observation Casual, uncontrolled Systematic, controlled * Reporting Biased, subjective Unbiased, objective * Concepts Ambiguous, with surplus meanings Clear definitions, operational specificity * Instruments Inaccurate, imprecise Accurate and precise * Measurements Not valid or reliable Valid and reliable * Hypothesis Un-testable Testable * Attitude Uncritical, accepting Critical, skeptical 2) What is the major advantage of using operational definitions in psychology? What disadvantages are there in using operational definitions? Operational definition is a term whose meaning is defined by the processes or observable events used to measure it. In other words it is showing of variables or terms or objects in terms of the specific process or set of validation tests used to determine its presence and quantity. Despite the controversial
Should children who commit crimes be seen as responsible for their actions? nitially I will look at the three different approaches: scientific approach, this seeks objective facts about children through observations and experiments; a social constructioni
eTMA 1 - U212 Option 1 Title - Should children who commit crimes be seen as responsible for their actions? I will be looking at whether children who commit crimes should be seen as responsible for their actions. Initially I will look at the three different approaches: scientific approach, this seeks objective facts about children through observations and experiments; a social constructionist approach, different world views where children come from different class and places; an applied approach, gives practical issues for example, how children should be brought up with support and services. I will also explore the discourses which are mainly linked to a social constructionist approach, these are: the puritan discourse where children are seen as devils; the tabula rasa discourse where children are seen to have a blank slate and the Romantic discourse where children are seen as innocent and sweet. I will also compare Jane Ribben's ideas to the above discourses and look at the parents views on childhood from Audio 1 Band 2 Changing Childhoods. Throughout the essay I will take the approach that children should be seen as responsible if they are shown to be responsible for the crime they have committed. A scientific approach is used to show how children develop by using experiments. Jean Piaget, a developmental theorist, used experiments to check children's stages of
It can be argued that attribution theory does no more than suggest that individuals see the world solely in the light of their own biases. To what extent is this fair interpretation of attribution theory?
It can be argued that attribution theory does no more than suggest that individuals see the world solely in the light of their own biases. To what extent is this fair interpretation of attribution theory? In this essay I will explain the concept of attribution theory and examine the different approaches that have been taken to understanding how big a part it plays in everyday life. I will then interpret the relevance and reliability of the theory with regards to individuals and their own biases. What is attribution theory? In the late 1950s a psychologist called Fritz Heider developed the concept of attribution theory, based on how people explain the actions of an individual to a scenario/incident or another person. Over the 1960s and 1970s a school of thought developed in social psychology that has become known as attribution theory. Over the years of studying and researching attribution has become fragmented and very complex with many variants but original theory is still valid and valuable. Heider explained attribution theory at its simplest by observing that 'people are often more interested in the causes of events than the events themselves'(Heider 1958). This had led attribution theorists to uncover the reasoning we use when deciding why something has happened. the type of scenario which can be studied to show or highlight the use of attribution theory by a person
Compare and contrast the allocations policies of Amsterdam and Leeds.
This piece of work was undertaken using information gathered prior to, during and after a field trip to Amsterdam. My objective is to compare and contrast the allocations policies of Amsterdam and Leeds. Firstly, and fundamentally, there is one major difference in the allocations policies between the two cities: at the heart of Amsterdam's allocations policy is 'choice', this is in contrast to Leeds City Council's allocations policy where the main factor in the allocation of property is 'need'. However, the present Government has, through the 'Green Paper 'Quality and Choice - a Decent Home For All', set out a number of policy objectives, and states that it "sees a continuing role for social housing in providing decent homes for individuals and families who cannot afford the costs of buying their own home or renting in the private sector in the short or long term" (www.housing.dtlr.gov.uk, p.2) Moreover, it explicitly mentions that it proposes a move away from the traditional 'needs' based allocations system now widely used; thus "increasing choice through lettings policies that treat tenants as customers and promote sustainable communities" (ibid). As will be demonstrated these views are central to the allocations policy in the Netherlands - the 'Delft Model'. Leeds is one of the largest cities in the United Kingdom with a population of 676,527 (1991 Census Data);
Underclass? Excluded groups? Is either a useful concept for understanding stratification in present-day Britain?
Angie Kay February 2003 SOCI 103 Underclass? Excluded groups? Is either a useful concept for understanding stratification in present-day Britain? Although there is no commonly shared view on the exact meaning of the term 'underclass', in order to comment on the usefulness of either of the above terms as concepts for understanding stratification in present-day Britain, it is first necessary to outline their meanings and relevance. The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines the term 'underclass' as "a group which is in some sense outside the mainstream of society" (Marshall 1998:677) Anthony Giddens (1973) argued that an 'underclass' is made up of people partaking in the lowest paid occupations, being semi employed or "chronically unemployed, as a result of a disqualifying market capacity of a primarily cultural kind" (cited in Oxford Dictionary of Sociology:678). And so, the term 'underclass' is in the most part referring to a class experiencing a type of social exclusion, suffering from unemployment and poverty, and in hierarchical terms, lying below the working class. Social exclusion and marginalisation is "a process by which 'a whole category of people is expelled from useful participation in social life' (Young 1990: 53 cited in Macionis 2002: 179). Here people are pushed from the mainstream of participation in society." (Macionis 2002: 179). Social exclusion
