Katz's Paradoxes of Evil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Katz's Paradoxes of Evil - Essay Example Such setting may lead us to engage in evil deeds with or without our knowledge. Furthermore, our behaviors are unique; however, we are only guided by morals and principles. Contrary, morals are not universal, they are very personal for what may be right the one individual may be wrong in the beliefs and judgment of another. As such, our behavior can lead us to act in either way that is good or evil. Therefore, it is important to know that committing evil doe s not require any skills and any person can commit evil knowingly or unknowingly. In support of this paradox, the bible is quotes Jesus telling a group of people who were condemning an individual for acting wrongly. He said that if any of them clearly knew that they were absolutely clean from evil then they should be the first to reprimand that condemned individual. In the end none came forth for they all, knew that they had committed evil. According to James Waller a social psychologist, extraordinary evil is very weighty, as it may involve sins like mass murder, genocide among others. However, committing such evils may not require an extraordinary person. Most of the perpetrators of such acts have a starting point. As time passes when they are holding on small responsibility they gradually graduate to handle more and more responsibilities. In the end they have the capacity and machinery to commit the extraordinary evils (Waller n.p). In my own view, there are other factors that may lead an ordinary person to commit an extraordinary evil such as merging roles. Naturally, the basic assumption is that if an individual is good they will act or behave in a good manner and if they are evil minded then they will engage in evil ways. Conversely, this assumption may not hold if a person is given merging roles. For example if a good person if delegated for duties that require them to undertake evil acts, as time

Reviewing Social Control Theories On Individuals Criminology Essay

Reviewing Social Control Theories On Individuals Criminology Essay 1. Based on all of the theories you have been exposed to so far in the course, choose the one theory that you think is the best at explaining crime. Compare it to at least two other theories and discuss how the theory you chose represents an improvement over the other two. Be specific and be sure to cite the empirical research to support your argument. Based on all the theories I have been exposed to in this course so far, social control theory is the best at explaining crime. Social control theory explains crime in terms of the individuals social relationships and focuses on the absence of significant relationships with conventional others and institutions (Agnew, 1992:48). The theory utilizes issues of conformity, so instead of theorizing about the motivations of criminal behavior, the social control theory ask, Why do people conform? In this theory people believe that societys ability to control social groups affects whether an adolescent turns to a life of crime or not. Social control theory comes from the learning theories which are developed from family ties or other social circles that individuals interact with so as to learn what is right and what is wrong. When these controlling influences are weak or rendered ineffective and absent, society frees the individual to deviate from legal and moral norms; therefore, crime often does occur. In particular, crime is most likely to when (1) when the adolescent is not attached to the parents, school, or other institutions; (2) parents and others fail to monitor and effectively sanction deviance; (3) the adolescents actual or anticipated investment in conventional society is minimal; and (4) the adolescent has not internalized conventional beliefs (Agnew, 1992:49). Although strain, social control, and differential association theory/social learning theory are all sociological theories, strain theory is distinguished from social control and social learning theory in its specification of (1) the type of social relationship that leads to delinquency and (2) the motivation for delinquency. Strain theory focuses explicitly on negative relationships with others: relationships in which the individual is not treated as he or she wants to be treated. Agnews developed a new theory, general strain theory that defines measurements of strain, the major types of strain, the links between strain and crime, coping strategies to strain, the determinants of delinquent or non-delinquent behavior, and policy recommendations that are based on this theory which introduced a new perspective on the original theory that was written off a few decades ago. While social control theory rests on the premise that the breakdown of society frees the individual to commit crime, strain theory is focused on the pressure that is placed on the individual to commit crime (Agnew, 1992:49). According to the strain theory, individual deviance is caused as a result of negative relationships or treatment from others; and this result in anger and frustration (Agnew, 1997a:31). Agnews strain theory was developed from the work of Durkheim and Merton and addressed many of the criticisms of the original strain theory, however; it lacked the supporting data and still had several flaws like the original strain theory. Strain theory can cause many negative feelings in an individual including defeat, despair, and fear, but the feeling that is most applicable to crime is anger. For example, an increase in strain would lead to an increase in anger, which may then lead to an increase in crime. Social control theory represents an improvement over the strain theory as it explains that if an individual has certain morals and social values that they live by and grew up believing t hat they are more likely to seek a socially acceptable way of achieving their goals and not let feelings of defeat, despair, fear, and anger lead them to respond to strain with crime. The strain theory affect creates pressure for corrective action which may lead adolescents to (1) make use of illegitimate channels of goal achievement, (2) attack or escape from the source of their adversity, and/or (3) manage their negative affect through the use of illegal drugs (Agnew, 1992:49). Social control theory, by contrast, denies that outside forces pressure the adolescent into crime but rather, the absence of significant relationships with other individuals and groups frees the adolescent to engage in delinquency in response to inner forces or situational inducements. Social learning theory (SLT) is distinguished from strain and control theory by its focus on positive relations with deviant others (Agnew, 1992:49). Social learning theory focuses on the general principles that (1) people can learn by observing the behavior of others and the outcomes of those behaviors (If people observe positive, desired outcomes in the observed behavior, they are more likely to model, imitate, and adopt the behavior themselves), (2) learning can occur without a change in behavior, and (3) cognition plays a role in learning. This theory incorporates aspects of behavioral learning (assumes that peoples environment cause people to behave in certain ways) and cognitive learning (presumes that psychological factors are important for influencing how one behaves) factors that are important for influencing how one behaves. Social learning theory outlines three stages for people to learn and model behavior include (a) attention: retention (remembering what one observed), ( b) reproduction (ability to reproduce the behavior), and (c) motivation (good reason) to want to adopt the behavior (Agnew, 1992:49). The social learning theory claims that the relationship with illegal peers will lead to a criminal lifestyle that changes the values of achieving success in a legit way. Reisss theory of personal and social control states that delinquency results when there is a relative absence of internalized norms and rules governing behavior in conformity with the norms of the social system to which legal penalties are attached (Lilly, 2007:85). One disadvantage of the social learning theory is that it does not account for what may be considered positive it focuses more on the factors perceived as negative by the learner. Social control theory represents an improvement as it seeks to direct and guide social learning toward obedience specific to an agenda outside the learners. Social learning is a change in behavior that is controlled by environmental influences ra ther than by innate or internal forces that occurs through observing the consequences of others and by determining if such behavior is worth replicating. The theory of social control emphasizes on the role of society in the control of criminal behavior and proposes social learning with the help of social control which is why I chose the theory of social control over the social learning theory. The Theory of Social Control is widely cited in criminology in addition it has also been explored by the realist philosophers and represented by Travis Hirschi, a pro-pounder of Right Realism. While no single theory can explain why everyone commits crime social control theory does look at the causations of crime from learning theories. They teach us that morals are taught in families and other social circles and that these morals keep individuals from committing crimes they are taught are wrong. The main premise of control theories is that When controls are present, crime does not occur; when controls are absent, crime often does occur (Beaver, 2010). Social control theory does give explanation by teaching us that when people hold tightly to certain morals and social values they are more likely to seek a socially acceptable way of achieving their goals. 3. During our course discussion, many of you pointed out that the criminological theories that we discussed have both strengths and limitations. This is a view that is held by many criminologists. One way to overcome this problem is to integrate theories into a single perspective. You are responsible for creating an integrated theory that incorporates elements from at least three theories. Be sure to provide a detailed analysis of this theory, including how you were able to integrate components from other theories. During certain parts of history, criminological thoughts had various ways such as criminological theories on crime causation that had been put together into a single perspective. One way to overcome this problem is to create an integrated theory that incorporates elements such as combining these great ideas expressed by the concepts of differential association theory that was developed by Edwin Sutherland, Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie, and Robert Agnews general strain theory to provide a more accurate and comprehensive reasoning that some individuals commit crime but some individuals do not. Although many criminologists have viewed the criminological theories to have both strengths and limitations, it is by no means one single theory but the ideas from the three slighted altered theories that will help in providing a better explanation and understanding of criminal behavior. The first theory, differential association by Sutherland (1949:75) explains that deviant behavior is absorbed just like any other behavior through interactions with others human beings. Sutherlands differential association predicts that an individual will choose the criminal path when the balance of definitions for law-breaking (unfavorable) exceeds those for law-abiding (favorable). Ultimately, the theory focuses on how individuals learn how to become criminals, which is because of an excess of definitions favorable to breaking the laws. Along the lines of differential association this theory of criminal desire holds that every individual behavior is learned from their interaction with the environme nt (Sutherland, 1949:76). From a researchers perspective, an individual will view society differently if they are gainfully employed as opposed to unemployed, if in a supportive and loving family or abused by parents. However, individuals might respond differently to the same situation depending on how their experience predisposes them to define their current surroundings (Sutherland, 1949:77). However, the integrated theory learning process is not limited to just differential associations, as is the case with Sutherlands theory, besides acknowledging the influence of both humans and non-human (i.e. money and social gain) objects. The second theory drawn upon the present formulation is Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie. Mertons theory involves the interactions and importance between different culturally defined goals what social arrangement makes them possible to achieve. According to Merton, anomie, derived from Emile Durkheim, if such cultural success is not achievable through legitimate practices than individuals will likely to illegitimate means available for reaching them. In short, overemphasis on material success (i.e. the American dream as an emphasis on the goal of monetary achievement) and lack of opportunity for such success leads to deviant acts that will be against the law. Institutional anomie theory, as published by Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld, proposed that the American societal pursuit of monetary success leads to anomie, or a departure from normal, sanctioned behaviors and a break from institutional social con trols (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2007:90). As anomie increases, so does the level of criminal behavior used by individuals to obtain monetary success (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2007:90). As such, the integrated theory provides a more accurate and comprehensive explanation on the concepts that were established by Merton by providing an adequate explanations of them, Which would include classifying each, and every one as learned phenomena. Additionally, Mertons theory is the main source of agitation, thereby leading an individual to deviant acts of crime, when these culturally defined goals of individuals are likely not to be achieved through legitimate processes.   Last, the general strain theory revised by Robert Agnew was developed from the work of Durkheim and Merton and taken from the original theory of anomie. According to the original strain theory, an increase in aspirations and a decrease in expectations should lead to an increase in delinquency; however, this was not found to be the case (Agnew, 1985:152). Also, the original strain theory predicted a concentration of delinquent behavior in the lower class, but research proved that delinquency was also common in the middle and upper classes (Agnew, 1985:152). Other variables are also neglected by this theory of strain, such as the abandonment of crime in late adolescence and the quality of family relationships (Agnew, 1985:152-153). Agnews general strain theory broadened the scope to include many more variable that were not addressed in the original strain theory as he attempted to explore strain theory for a perspective that accounted for goals other than monetary success and that cons idered an individuals position in social class, expectations for the future, and associations with criminal others (Agnew et al., 1996:683). General strain theory is a broad theory that can be applied to many different aspects of delinquency (ways of measuring strain, the different types of strain, and the link between strain and crime), however; in the integrated theory an individuals must also be taught how to cope without the help of others through involvement in social skills improvement, problem-solving training, and anger control programs which should lead to a decrease in delinquency. The integrated theory that incorporates elements would combine these ideas expressed by the concepts of differential association theory, Mertons theory on deviance from his 1938 analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie, and Robert Agnews general strain theory, will explain all any types of criminal behavior, both violent non-violent. The crimes could involve economically driven crimes (theft, robbery, etc.) or white-collar crimes which each would be the direct result of a need to satisfy desires due to an inability to do so through the social means. I believe the integrated theory provides an accurate and comprehensive analysis defining delinquency with an explanation as to why some individuals commit crime where others do not. The integrate theory can be utilized to implement policies geared towards helping to lessen crime and help in providing a better explanation and understanding of criminal behavior.

Eating Disorders Essay -- essays research papers

Eating Disorders are extremely prevalent in today's society. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are characterized by gross disturbances in eating behavior. These disorders typically begin in adolescence or early adult life, affecting as many as "1 in 100 females between the ages of 12 and 18 (Bronwell & Foreyt 312)." Anorexia Nervosa is a complex disorder where the individaul refuses to maintain body weight over a normal weight for age and height. Also present, is an intense fer of gaining weight or becoming fat (Waller, Quinton, & Watson 127). People of this disorder say they "feel fat" even though they are obviously underweight or even emaciated. They become preoccupied with their body size and are usually dissatisfied with some feature of their physical apperarance (Bronwell & Foreyt 322). Weight loss is accomplished by a reduction of food intake. Self- induced vomiting or use of laxatives or diuretics are also common methods used to achieve weight loss. Many people with this disorder minimize the severity of their illness and are uninterested in, or resistant, to any type of therapy (Waller, Quinton, & Watson 152). Severe weight loss may eventually lead to hospitalization to prevent death by starvation. Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder in which the individual has recurrent episodes of binge eating. Self-induced vomiting usually terminates the binge (Browwell & Forey 335). Vomiting decreases the physical abdominal pain that occurs after an individual binges. Although binges may be pleasurble, self-criticism and a depressed mood often follow. People with this disorder exhibit great concern about their weight and make repeated attempts to control it by dieting, vomiting, or the use of diuretics (Bronwell & Forey 342). Weight fluctuations are common due to alternating fasts and binges. These people often feel that their life is dominated by conflicts surrounding eating. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is a reliable and valid measure of symptoms commonly found in an eating disorder. The test was designed by Garner and Garfinkle in 1979. It was designed as a screening device for the detection of clinical eating disorders (Boyadjieva & Steinhausen 1996). Many clinicians have suggested that eating disorders are caused by extreme body focus. The EAT-26 is a twenty-six item test which focuses on body self-evaluati... ... likely to gain internal control by disturbed eating patterns. Once again, the EAT-26 was given to 406 girls who attended sxhools in England. As a result, the Asian girls had more unhealthy eating patterns overall. Parental overprotection showed a significant effect upon the results. Ethical differences did remain significant (McCourt & Waller 1995). Poor eating attitudes are also a product of the contradicting social pressures that affect the whole family. Asian girls found their mother to be overcontroling, thus it was the mother who attempted to control the children's behavior. It is not yet known whether these perceptions are correlated with reality. However, the possible influences may be used during family therapy (McCourt & Waller 1995). Eating disorders are prevelant in many different kinds of cultures. There are many internal and external factors that play into the disorder. The EAT-26 is a reliable test used in detecting possible disordered eating patterns in individuals. With this disorder on the rise, these tests are needed in the detection of the unhealthy patterns. Detection leads to education, which leads to intervention, which leads to eventual termination.

Which Do You Think Contributes More to Personal Happiness

How one responds to a situation is a huge factor that contributes to personal happiness, for the state of happiness is achieved from accomplishing a certain goal. In the 18th century, the 13 colonies was in feud with its mother country, Britain; refusing to pay taxes without representation. George Washington, the General of the Continental Army, was hopeless and at the brink of surrender.Yet through the motivational articles such as Paine's Common Sense,† the establishment of the Declaration of Independence, and the arrival of the French, Washington's morale was boosted. At Yorktown, the Americans and French were able to force Cornwallis to surrender, and the war was finally over. Washing successfully accomplished his goal of leading the colonies to victory. This accomplishment of gaining independence not only gave the 13 colonies happiness, but mainly Washington as well.As a result of this happiness, the colonies were able to unite into the United States of America. One's resp onse in a situation definitely supports personal happiness. In the midst of my freshman year in high school, I was asked to help a friend who was struggling in the subject of Biology. After long hours throughout the week, he was finally able to interpret the information. The aftermath was successful and through my teachings, I understood the importance of happiness.Happiness allows me to feel not necessarily a higher being, rather like an older brother who is helping. This enlightenment taught me that happiness can only be achieved by how one reacts to a certain event. In this particular case, because I helped a friend understand the subject of Biology, I fulfilled a good deed, and therefore rewarded with happiness. Although society always seeks for happiness, it not a feeling that can be forced, rather obtain through good deeds and accomplishments.

How Digital Technology Reduce Cost in Movie Industrial

For many years, in the movie industry, it has used film as the medium on which to allocate and play back tapes. Film which is easy to use, and movie theaters have knowledge in owning and operating that projection Systems. But it is also posh. A one line or a single film print, for example, can cost as much as US$2,000 to form and weigh over 50 pounds approx. A movie in broad release is usually shown on more than 4,000 screens approx, which can mean a charge approx US$8 million in prints plus the cost of shipping heavy film canisters to movie theaters about the globe.Further, a film print lasts only for roughly about 30–40 showings, as a result printing and shipping costs for flourishing movies can easily be twice or thrice as a film prints carry out and it is need to be replaced. Now, the high cost of movie circulation is regarding to change as well as the movie industry transitions in to the digital distribution and playback of show. With digital cinema, movies are disseminat ed via hard drive or satellite, avoiding the need to generate and ship costly, heavy film prints.Once at the show business, movies are stored as digitally and played back using digital projectors. Movies stored on digital media but do not wear out as film prints do, as a result, they do not need to be replaced for the duration of long runs. Overall, the movie industry anticipates such incredible capital savings from the switch to digital media sharing that it is expected to convert entirely from of film in to digital media in the next few years or coming time. Digital cinema offers major benefits in to theater owners as well.Distinct film prints, in digital cinema it does not limit the number of screens showing a given or running movie, as a result each theater compound or complex desires only single copy of a particular movie. In addition, theater owners can use digital projection equipment to show non-movie entertainment such as sports, live music and etc. However, picture theater s must experience a technology renovation for digital cinema to work changing from tried and true film based projection systems to projection and digital luggage compartment.Many theater owners are unenthusiastic to switch to a digital infrastructure because they are anxiously concerned about the cost and manageability of such an environment. To help those movie theaters formulate the transition in to digital technology, the Dell OEM Industry Solutions Group is working with digital cinema salespersons to develop a full-bodied, highly performance solution that is also expenditure effective and straightforward or easy to support .Worldwide movie theaters are rapidly switching since film-based movie projection in to digital playback technology enormously. To help theaters commencing manage this changeover, the Dell OEM Industry Solutions Group has developed a money-spinning, highly performance digital cinema solution that is designed to be dependable and simply easy to support this (Fl int, 2007). As video on demand (VOD) services are deployed, cable operators will experience a fundamental reallocate in their industry, moving from broadcast to uncast content delivery.There is another momentous change is the introduction of Gigabit Ethernet into their network, which is hugely providing an unprecedented opportunity it to turn the cable operator's infrastructure into a sustainable ready for action advantage. However, Gigabit Ethernet is much more than just transport; it is the establishment of the Next-Generation Digital Video Network. This is very huge part in our life (Taub, 2009). Digital technology helps us to consume time timely in our work and that will be very countable work in our in our industrial environment, due to this the work will be also automatic because of machinery based work.And further there is a total investment in first time when u plant your machine there is no basic salaries, allowances and etc . due to digital effect the competition increasin g will be also eligible in an industry ,digital technology has the potential to reduce distribution cost a physical movie print price $1000 approx each. Though, we have seen that the digital technology is more than important technology in our future world.