Ethnocentrism and Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Ethnocentrism and Stereotypes Essay Introduction. Social stereotyping has become a widespread phenomenon nowadays. This topic has been actively investigated in social psychology and it is still one of the most controversial issues in this science as there are many opposite points of view on the process of stereotyping. In our trivial understanding stereotypes are negative phenomena and we should escape them but this is just mundane awareness, which has no common with scientific vision of it. In fact, avoidance of different stereotypes is impossible because they are natural for human beings. They surround us everywhere in our life and sometimes we can be unconscious that we are under their influence. One more thing is that stereotypes are confused with prejudice. It is a common but serious mistake because there is Ð ° vital difference between them. The former should be considered, as psychological phenomenon that can be both positive and negative while prejudice is an adverse one by its nature. This essay is about the mechanisms of stereotyping, their place in our life, how they manifest in modern society and their importance for us. 1. Social stereotyping within Social Psychology. Social stereotypes- simplified schematized images of social objects that are shared by most of members of social groups. The first man who used this definition was Walter Lippmann. He submitted his work â€Å"Public Opinion† in 1922 where he describes stereotypes as â€Å"pictures in our heads†. Lippmann thought that these â€Å"pictures† were inevitable and made the process of perception easier but also were the foundation of social misunderstanding and intension. â€Å"For the most part we do not see first, and then define, we define first and then see†. It should be noted that at first researches of stereotypes were devoted to the images of ethnic communities, but with the development of our society and as a result of it with the growth of social mobility and people’s involvement in the great amount of social groups, the researches spread on various types of groups and communities like religious, political, professional, cultural, economical, age-related, sexual and so on. Stereotypes usually appear in the setting of the shortage of information when your own experience interacts with the subsisting in the society representations. It often happens that the latter is erroneous and biased. That is why they say that stereotyping is inaccurate and can lead to distortion of people’s notions and knowledge and can seriously spoilt interindividual interplay. But it should be taken into consideration that stereotypes can be not only negative, too generalized, too simplified and approximate but also positive, accurate and neutral. To estimate whether stereotype is true or false they have to analyze the situation because depending on the circumstances one stereotype can be both right and wrong. 1. 1. Levels and functions of stereotyping. Social stereotypes should be considered as the system of its three components: cognitive, in other words informative, which includes the information about real objects and phenomena; affective or evaluative part that consists of experiences; social (behavioral)- the way of behavior to different objects of surrounding world. People adopt stereotypes since their childhood and use them before the constitution of their own images. Scientists detach two fundamental levels of stereotyping: group and individual. The difference lies in functions that they execute: on the group level they are ideological and identifying functions and on the other there are cognitive and value-protective ones. But this division is conventional as one function can be realized on both levels. Cognitive function consists of systematization of incoming information, its selection and simplification. Due to this stereotyping helps to acquire maximum of the data involving minimum of brainwork. In fact, it is one of the forms of perception of social reality that allows us cope with the information space of modern world and which is used when more accurate and full information is not available. In short it can be said that it helps people to react quickly on social events and to foresee people’s actions. But it should be appreciated that it does not serve for facilitation of the cognition but for social understanding of the information. Another function of the individual level directs to the creation and protection of the positive self-image. The same goals realized the identifying one on the social level but there we have we-image of the group. It is very important for human beings and social groups to follow standards in order to support their identity and to occupy their places in the social structure. So, it is seen that stereotyping leads to the social categorization and sometimes to social prejudice and so called in-groups and out-groups. And finally the ideological function, as it is not hard to guess, consists in the shaping of the group ideology and also in its preservation. The ideology in turn is one of the crucial components as it explains and substantiates the behavior of the group members and their characteristics. 1. 2. Attributes of stereotypes. One of the key characteristics of the considering process is that stereotyping largely based on emotions and has estimative side. It is normal because people generate stereotypes and it can be hardly argued that the latter is not under subjective evaluation and opinions. That is why stereotypes are very unreliable and inaccurate sometimes and following them can lead to serious consequences, for example, when they affect on making decisions. It happens very often when people behave in a very illogical ways just because of being under the stereotypes. One more crucial peculiarity is the stability. Its fixity was proved by many researches but scientists also claim that it has relative nature because changes of relationships between groups and individuals can veer contents of stereotypes. They emphasize some reasons of the stability. Firstly, people deny changing their images even when they come in contact with a person that disconfirm social image and tend to think that it is an exception but not a mistake in the system of stereotyping. For instance, it is a common idea that men never cry, so when we face with weeping man it corners us and we are disposed to think that it is an abnormal situation. Second one follows herefrom and lie in the fact that it is common for people to forget about the failure of stereotypes and remember only the instances that confirm them. And thirdly, our expectations affect on the perception. Finally, stereotypes possess the coherence or consensus. But it is a very controversial issue because some psychologists do not acknowledge it as an attribute because stereotypes should be explored as individual phenomena because they are produced in people’s heads. 1. 3 â€Å"Grain of truth†. After 1950s years in social psychology appeared a new hypothesis â€Å"grain of truth† according to which the volume of true knowledge is much more bigger than the volume of false in stereotypes. Scientists that support this new view claim that stereotyping is not a scheme of fabulous opinions but is a total of real images of group characteristics and relationships that may be deformed but still reflect social reality. In other words they should understand this as that stereotypes base upon the reality and what is more the conceptualization of a group usually shapes from the interaction with its representative. So, stereotypes include truthful information that can be spoilt by corrupted data. As social stereotypes to a large extent reflect real features of groups, there is no doubt that the principles of contacts between groups have an effect on the stereotypes: depending on it the latter may conclude less or more positive constituent. One more key factor is the criterion of verity of the stereotyping. If more than two groups support a stereotype and self-assessment of the group is the same, the stereotype is estimated as true. But they should add that self-assessment is a very doubtful aspect because group can be mistaken and estimate itself subjectively in a wrong way. 2. Manifestation of social stereotypes in the modern society. 2. 1. Stereotypes in every day. As stated before we face social stereotypes every day of our lives. In some cases we consciously use them but it often happens that we do not realize how and when they appear. The brightest examples are ethnic stereotypes. We get used to think that Frenchmen are full of love and French women are always well groomed and elegant, Jews are crafty and always look for profit, British men are prim, conservative, traditionalist, very patriotic and drink tea the whole day, Germans are punctual and like order, Americans are mad about their country, have dull sense of humour, hardworking and chase American dream and as for the Russian people the whole world thinks that we are crazy, drink alcohol instead of tea and Russian women are the most beautiful. As it is seen, these stereotypes in most cases are neutral and have confirmation in the reality but some of them are absurd and have no common with the objective state of things. So, for instance, while travelling we prepare to see something that we expect according to gained stereotypes. Sometimes it happens that they help us as we are ready to changes of social environment but in other cases we have culture shock (f. e. Americans can joke well and are not too mad about money and work; a fair number of Russians do not drink alcohol at all). Gender stereotypes are also very widespread. Women are called as the softer sex, are thought to be fools and as a result cannot occupy high posts, they are bad drivers, blondes are silly, clever ones cannot be happy in their interior lives. As for males, they never cry, have to direct and are unfaithful to their wives. These lists are enormous and can be continued endlessly. We use them constantly and even submit their influence voluntarily. There are a lot of jokes about blondes, sometimes it is hard for women to get prestigious job and we do not expect of men to indulge weaknesses. Generally speaking, the amount of stereotypes is immense and it is impossible to list them all. In most instances we employ them willingly and rarely deny them. Some of them enter our lives so strongly that control our actions, goings and decisions. 2. 2. Stereotypes in management. Managers work with people permanently, so it is important for them to know about the mechanism of stereotyping and know, how to make the best use of it. As a leader, manager should abstract from any of stereotypes and behave with subordinates equally independently of their gender, nation, age and so on. If he or she does not do it, it can lead to conflicts, decrease of working capacity of a collective and even to his/her dismissal because of professional incompetence. Moreover, Chief Human Resources Officer while recruitment should also control his/her personal stereotypes as he/she can miss good professional or otherwise make a mistake employing undesirable person just because of the sympathy or other factors that stereotypes generate. Finally, professional manager has to know how stereotyping may affect on his/her staffs and know how to prevent negative backwashes of it to organize staffs well and to increase the effectiveness and working efficiency of a collective. Conclusion. To make a conclusion it is necessary to say that stereotyping is an important process and it cannot be ignored. Stereotypes carry positive functions such as facilitation of perception but also can negatively affect on us. So people should distinguish where adventitious impact of them finishes and adverse begins as stereotypes affect on us and only people by themselves can control the power of their influence. Although stereotypes includes some truth, people should remember that it is much better to check a stereotype in the reality than to rely on it surely, as it can turn against them. Now scientists are working on the system of the suppression of stereotypes as they are in favor of their substitution to personal persuasion. It is a hard thing to control and mortify stereotypes in your own consciousness, as it needs from you to realize the prepossession and ignore it proceeding from the equality of men and from the feeling of compunction because you know nothing of people but judge them in advance.

Abortions and Mens Rights Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Men Essay

Abortions and Men's Rights Are you a man? Have you ever dealt with the issue of losing or being in the process of losing a child in which you took part in making? It’s difficult to truthfully answer these questions if you’re not a man and if you haven’t experienced abortion first hand. January 22, 1973 marked the beginning of a moral and political revolution in this country that would forever change many lives 1. The landmark decision ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court to legalize abortion with unrestricted procedures would profoundly affect women and men’s lives. But the American society forgot half of the population that would be traumatized by this experience, just because they were men. Throughout the limited information available on this topic it was clearly evident that men do suffer both emotional and physical symptoms due to a personal abortion. Abortion is considered an inhuman procedure according to pro-life activists, but if it’s the only option a female is willing to take to correct a mistake then it’s a decision that needs to involve both sides that created the â€Å"problem.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the decision comes down to abortion, where are the rights of the father? The way the law functions is that the father has no legal say in what happens to his unborn child. He is denied any rights to defend his child he cannot say one word about the continued existence of his child in the womb. The Supreme Court’s decision literally stripped the father of all his parental rights regarding his own flesh and blood during the first nine months of his son or daughter’s life. Only at birth can he engage in the child’s life and have full rights along with obligations granted to him. How is it that the courts paved the way for women to dispose of a fetus if they want to with nothing stopping them because it’s their body? Yet the men that helped create this new being has no say in what could or should happen with the life of the unborn! As many as 600,000 males annually, from all walks of life â€Å"do time† in the waiting rooms of t he nation’s five hundred or so abortion clinics 2. They are expected to sit and wait until it’s okay to visit their significant other in the recovery room or time to leave. And no one ever thinks ‘how does he feel about the abortion’?’ or ‘was there a factor that motivated him to take part in this decision?’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does that waiting... ... be debilitating his life. Many men return to, or discovered his religious faith. Allowing him to bring a sense of joy and knowing he has complete, divine forgiveness. Whatever positive approach the male takes to curing his broken heart it will make a difference in the years to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Abortion is a far greater dilemma for men than researchers, counselors- and women- have even begun to realize. Men of all ethnic backgrounds, ages, and socioeconomic levels have trouble dealing with abortion- and sometimes more trouble than women have. Unable to bear children themselves and powerless to prevent their partners from terminating a pregnancy, men who care are the silent sufferers, bewildered and frustrated by their emotional responses†¦9.† The whole process that takes place in order to abort a baby is life changing and should be dealt with honest and intelligent feelings. A women and man should communicate on the matter and decide what is best for the both of them. It took to conceive it should take two to decide the future of the unborn and that of the adults involved. â€Å"A fertile women can decide to have a baby almost anytime she wants. A man cannot 10.† He needs to be involved.

Medicinal Herbs (Shilajit, Neem, Stevia)

Shilajit Once believed to be simply a powerful aphrodisiac, recent research has determined that the substance known as Shilajit has many additional health benefits not originally known to possess. Research conducted by The Medical College in Baroda, India based on ancient text discovered by Dr. Michael Hartman support these claims and show many ancillary health benefits of this powerful miracle herb. According to Dr.Michael Hartman, ancient texts described a mysterious substance known as shilajitas which was referred to as â€Å"the destroyer of weakness which provided powerful health benefits as well as provided users with positive changes in their total life balance. † Based on these translations performed by Dr. Hartman, The Medical College in Baroda, India went many steps further and applied modern-day scientific research to confirm these beliefs of nearly 3000 years prior.As recent as 2011, research performed at The Medical College in Baroda studied the effect of Shilajit on Diabetic Rats to monitor how this wonder herb effected blood glucose and lipid profiles when combined with traditional anti-diabetic drugs. Across the board, the Diabetic Rats which were given Shilajit experienced a significant reduction in blood glucose levels as well as increases in HDL levels. Based on this and other findings conducted with beginning human trials, The Medical College in Baroda concluded that Shilajit is a legitimate natural supplement which helps the long-term management of Diabetes. Neem Neem is a tree. The bark, leaves, and seeds are used to make medicine. Neem leaf is used for leprosy, eye disorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skin ulcers, diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease), fever, diabetes, gum disease (gingivitis), and liver problems. The leaf is also used for birth control and to cause abortions. The bark is used for malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin diseases, pain, and fever. The seed and seed oil are used for leprosy and intestinal worms.They are also used for birth control and to cause abortions. The stem, root bark, and fruit are used as a tonic and astringent. Some people apply Neem directly to the skin to treat head lice, skin diseases, wounds, and skin ulcers; as a mosquito repellent; and as a skin softener. Inside the vagina, neem is used for birth control. Neem is also used as an insecticide. Contd.. Stevia What is Stevia? Stevia is one of the most health restoring plants on earth. What whole leaf Stevia does both inside the body and on the skin is incredible.Native to Paraguay, it is a small green plant bearing leaves which have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. Besides the intensely sweet glycosides (Steviosides, Rebaudiosides and a Dulcoside), various studies have found the leaf to contain proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, rutin (a flavonoid), true vitamin A, Vitamin C and an oil which contains 53 other constituents. Quality Stevia leaves and whole leaf concentrate are nutritious, natural dietary supplements offering numerous health benefits.Slim Tea Slim Tea, a kind of herbal tea, especially prepared for controlling the obesity is a natural product composed of Himalayan herbs whose main focus is decreasing obesity. The main ingredients of Slim Tea like Gymnema sylvestre (reduces fats and helps preventing accumulation), Eommiphora mukul (reduces weight, scrapes fat deposits), Ocimum sanctum (good antioxidant, minimize negative effects of obesity) and Piper longum (increases metabolism and reduces fat deposits) are the anti-fat natural herbs which especially works on obesity decreasing fats of body and increasing metabolism activities.Therefore, slim works greatly against obesity and provide great other health benefits. It reduces the fat accumulation, increases the body’s metabolism and thereby reduce obesity and also minimizes the side – effects caused by overweight . For further information: Narendra Hamal +977-9851046024 n. [email  protected] com

Mitigation Of The Challenges Of Forestry Education

MITIGATION OF THE CHALLENGES OF FORESTRY EDUCATION Students, parents, guardians, individuals and agencies invest in educationon the understanding that it brings enlightenment and helps theindividuals to develop profitable skills needed for development. On thisnote, the Nigerian national policy on education had aimed to inculcatenational consciousness and the right type of values and attitudes for thesurvival of the individual and the Nigerian society as a whole; to train themind to understand its environment and the world around; and toencourage the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies needed to live in and contribute to development (Okeke, 1981; 2001). Theforestry profession has enormous potential for satisfying theaforementioned needs and the craze for non-forestry jobs is unjustified inlight of Nigerian problems and priorities.Akande and Larinde (2004) depicted a dim future for forestry education inNigeria unless some reform agenda are put in place. Their survey showedthat the schools demonstrating signifi cant aggressiveness in student recruitment efforts have employed defined strategies ofbroadening their programme base while establishing specialized schoolsto administer the programmes. This brought in greater dynamism andcredibility as students can identify better with programmes adopting environment, rural development, toxicology, ecotourism, horticulture, landscaping etc as market attractants rather than when institutions stick to orthodoxShow MoreRelatedCity Of Brownsville Essay1329 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction According to the US Census Bureau, in the year 2000 the City of Brownsville was 83.01 sq. mi., today, the city encompasses 146.3 sq. mi. This growth has been one of Public Works biggest challenges. This development translates into an expanded service area, which puts a strain on Public Works’ other divisions to keep up with the new areas to be serviced while still dealing with inherited situations. In effect it generates longer waiting periods to address our citizen’s needs as well asRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Sustainability Principles2059 Words   |  9 Pagesand economic considerations.(Change, 2015a) UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) ‘highlights two fundamental response strategies: mitigation and adaptation’(Smit and Pilifosova, 2003).To form the policies for sustainability keeping in mind the climate change, mitigation is more global response ,the results of mitigation related policies will be seen later in future in reduction of greenhouse gases, and the cost and benefits from this can be measured and will be in global benefitRead MoreClimate Change And Agriculture On Indi Impacts And Adaptation For Sustainable Future1646 Words   |  7 Pagessize and population of India has endowed her with excessive physical as well as economic diversity. More than 50% of rural population in India depend upon agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry, contributes 16.11 % to the Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore India has concern about climate change issues because of its large population who depends upon climate sensitive activity like agriculture for their livelihood, water storageRead MoreUnited States Agricultural Stakeholder Views And Actions Towards Climate Change8229 Words   |  33 PagesExecutive Summary The following literature review summarizes research on United States agricultural stakeholder views and actions towards climate change, including extreme weather, adaptation and mitigation measures, and climate forecasting tools. The majority of references discussed are from 2000-2015 and are peer-reviewed journal articles containing surveys and interviews; we also include relevant non-peer-reviewed reports. The review focuses on the attitudes and actions of United States farmersRead MoreComponents Of Area Of Concentration And Learning Objectives Essay1991 Words   |  8 Pagesobjectives (indicating the level of knowledge and the reasons why you wish to master such objectives) and list relevant various strategies (courses or other learning activities). The energy sector of Ghana is besieged with challenges ranging from the technical to the financial. These challenges have coalesced over time resulting in the current energy crisis and energy insecurity that plagues the country. This situation persist in many other African countries, despite the fact that Africa, and by extensionRead MoreTree Planting Project1824 Words   |  8 Pagesdistrict. Enclosed please, find certificate of registration. 2. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION Parubanga sub-county faces a big challenge of poverty, which resulted from the 20 year LRA war with the Uganda government. Because of this, people were displaced from their traditional homes which made them lose their lands and now have challenges to prove they are the rightful owners. Children’s education was affected, and economic activities drastically fell because of lost lands, which the owners should use for economicRead MoreUrban Heat Island5898 Words   |  24 PagesUrban Heat Island – Cause, Effects and Mitigation Measures in USA Table of Contents †¢ Introduction †¢ The Phenomenon of Urban Heat Island †¢ Causes and Effects of UHI †¢ Mitigation Efforts †¢ Urban Heat Island (UHI) of Urban Cities of United States †¢ UHI and Climate Trends of Some Major cities of US †¢ Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Strategies in United States †¢ Conclusion Urban Heat Islands Introduction Urban Heat Island – UHI is one of the importantRead MoreThe Barriers And Opportunities For Increased Renewable Energy Generation3528 Words   |  15 Pagestechnology is also seen as one of the key tools to help overcome climate change (Jasanoff, 2002). Moomaw et. al. (2011, p. 165) states that â€Å"renewable energy [technology] (RET) may provide a number of opportunities and can not only address climate change mitigation but may also address sustainable and equitable economic development, energy access, secure energy supply and local environmental and health impacts.† According to Holden and Linnerud (2006), rather than focusing on going renewable, as a developingRead MoreFinal Project: Overview of FAOs Strategic Planning Essay6158 Words   |  25 Pagesinitiatives are anchored. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is a selected final project organization and is used for cases application in fulfillment of the tasks assigned. This organization is bedridden with enormous challenges and the application of strategic issues engagements; efforts are that most desire game plans would emerge to navigate the organization to success. A succinct SWOT(C) analysis is examined with key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threatsRead MoreSustainability in Mauritius7180 Words   |  29 Pagestourism industry, characterised by large, all-inclusive resorts, fails to contribute to a sense of place and doesn’t economically benefit local residents to the extent that it could† The current pace of development in the island not only severely challenges the integrity of our environmental, physical, ecological, social, cultural, and economic resources, but it also projects a negative image of Mauritius in the international market, impacting on both the demand and the supply side of the industry