Personality profile Elyn Saks Essays

Personality profile Elyn Saks Essays Personality profile Elyn Saks Paper Personality profile Elyn Saks Paper Personality profile Elyn Saks BY poltna888 Running head: PERSONALITY PROFLIE OF ELYN SAKS Personality Profile of Elyn Saks Abstract The current personality profile looks at Elyn Saks personality. Elyn Saks is a high- achiever diagnosed with schizophrenia. She began to have the symptoms in the early childhood, but managed to live with them. Currently, she is a professor at University of Southern California Law School and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Her personality is analyzed using multiple classical approaches of personality psychology represented by such famous theorists s Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Erik Erickson, Hans Eysenck, Gordon Allport, Burrhus Frederick Skinner, Albert Bandura, and Abraham Maslow. As he main source, her autobiographical book The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness was used (Hyperion, 2007). Theory of Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud is the founder of Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis focuses on the unconscious aspects of personality, of which a person is unaware. The conscious on the other hand is that which is within our awareness. In 1923 Freud described his constructs of the d, ego, and superego. The id is the most primitive part of our ersonality. It operates according to the pleasure principle and it simply seeks immediate gratification. Freud believed that the unconscious possesses the libido, a flowing, dynamic force. The ego is extremely objective and operates according to the reality principle, dealing with the demands of the environment. It regulates the flow ot libido and keeps the id in check, thus acting as a control center ot the personality. It is the superego, which represents the values and standards of an individuals personality. The superego is a characteristic of the personality which strives for perfection. Freud placed great importance on the early years of childhood and introduced psychosexual development stages (oral, anal, phallic, a period of latency, and genital). If a child spends more time in a particular stage then he/she ought to, it leads to a fixation or an incomplete development of the personality. A critical event during the first five years of life is the experience of Oedipus and Electra conflicts (boys sexual attraction toward their mothers and girls sexual attraction toward their fathers, correspondingly). Another major aspect of psychoanalysis is the development of defense mechanisms. According to the theory efense mechanisms are used by the ego to protect the person from anxiety. They include repression, reaction formation, denial, projection, displacement, sublimation, regression, and rationalization. Psychoanalysis is also a therapy. It is based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. Psychoanalytic treatment demonstrates how these unconscious factors affect current relationships and patterns of behavior, traces them back to their historical origins, shows how they have changed, and helps individuals to deal better with the realities of adult life. Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Sigmund Freuds Theory One of the best theories to analyze Elyn Saks personality is psychoanalytic theory. In her book The Center Cannot Hold, Elyn (2007) claims that her talk therapy, based on psychoanalysis, is as important for her as antipsychotic medication. Moreover, in addition to being a legal professor at the University of South California, she is a research clinical associate at the New Center for Psychoanalysis. Although, Elyn herself prefers Kleinian analysis (a treatment advocating that patients unleash their fantasies during sessions), it found its origin in the work of Sigmund Freud. I will attempt to analyze Elyns personality using several concepts of Freudian theory, such as the structure of the mind, psychosexual development, and defense mechanisms. Also, I will tell why Kleinian analysis worked for Elyn better than Freudian. In my opinion, Elyns id is strongly suppressed by ego and superego. She never let her sexual libido rule her life. Elyn has an exemplary ability to delay gratification. However, there were several occasions when she followed the pleasure principle, which was in her adolescent period (somewhere in genital stage, according to Freud). She tried illegal drugs: marijuana and mescaline, and Elyn learnt what kind of consequences it brings about. After use of mescaline, her hallucinations persisted, and she felt cognitively dysfunctional for a long time. Also, according to update research, use of marijuana in adolescent period can trigger the onset of schizophrenia (Eggan Lewis, 2006). However, in later life, I cannot mention any bright examples of Elyns id acting out. Her ego kept the id in control, and dealt with the problems of real world more than successfully despite the devastating effect of schizophrenia. She did not lose the ability to plan and act in order to achieve any goal. Regardless the burden of the thought disorder, Elyn solved real problems sometimes better than a person without any mental illness. She planned her career, passed her exams and wrote the best papers, as well as managed her finances. I t proves that Elyns ego is very strong. But, in my opinion, ner superego is even stronger and has ascendency over her personality. Elyn strived for the perfection; it mostly reveals in her academic achievement. Her high moral standards include helping others. For example, she volunteered provide advocacy for a mentally etarded patient, in order for him to move from the hospital back into community. One of Elyns most important moral rules, which was instilled from the childhood, is the belief that she must be strong and fght it, as well as that she can take everything under her control. This feature of her superego helps her to cope with the symptoms of schizophrenia: she tried to act normal while psychosis, she ignored everyday hallucinations and kept working in spite of the cognitive symptoms. However, sometimes superego made her fell into a pitfall. Her ideal self wanted her to be in control of everything, including her mental illness. It led her to the false assumption about her ability to live without medication, and subdue schizophrenia independently. Her superego made her experimenting with the tapering and, as a consequence, falling into crisis plenty of times. It took her long years to realize that sometimes we cannot fight it on our own, and tame this aspect of her superego. Looking at Elyns psychosexual development, it is possible to trace her fixation at the oral stage. She fits the definition of a person who seeks interesting experiences (her experiments with drugs) and knowledge (constant reading and academic achievement). Also, she derived pleasure from being close to others. Although, her mental illness hobbles her in social aspect, she always finds friends and connects to them very strongly. For example, after her friends, Kenny and Margie, left the Vanderbilt University, she sobbed for hours, inconsolable, and for weeks afterwards, had no energy, no focus (p. 48). Each separation for her was a tragedy (the most painful one was with her first therapist, Mrs. Jones). Elyn was attached to her family and all her therapists. Also, she reached full happiness, when her dream about the mate came to fruition, and she met her husband Will. In addition to all those attributes of the fixation at oral stage, Elyn smoked for a long time. Among the defense mechanisms, Elyn used denial most vividly. At some point of her life, Elyns ego was threatened to acknowledge that she had the mental illness. She denied the fact that it is permanent and not Just a transient problem. In the same manner, she denied the constant need for medication. Fortunately, her therapists and friends helped her to admit those facts and she coped with the problems successfully without employing the denial defense mechanism. As I have mentioned earlier, for the treatment of schizophrenia, Elyn Saks referred Kleinian psychoanalysis to Freudian one. According to Freud, psychosis is too narcissistic, too inward-looking, to allow the patient to develop a transference relationship with the analyst (intense feelings, beliefs, and attitudes the patient unconsciously recalls from early life and then directs to the analyst), which is crucial for the clients progress (Freud, 1924). In contrast, Melanie Klein believed that people with psychosis could benefit from analysis and that the necessary transference would develop. It was her theory that psychotic individuals are filed with (even driven y) great anxiety, and that the way to provide relief is to focus directly on the deepest sources of that anxiety (Klein, 1975). During the sessions, the patient is given the freedom to reveal all hidden fantasies and pronounce all inappropriate thoughts. For that reason, Elyn, being most ot the time in control ot ner disorganized thoughts and emotions, found help in this type of treatment. In public, she suppressed all the features of her illness, while at the therapists office she was given an opportunity to reduce the tension. Also, in my opinion, her fixation at the oral stage with the affixed o it proneness for dependency and attachment, assisted Elyn in the development of the transference. The Theory of Carl Jung Carl Jung was a founder of analytical psychology (Friedman Schustack, 2003). He is best known for his theories of the collective unconscious, including the concept of archetypes and complexes. Along with Sigmund Freud, Jung pioneered modern theories of the relationships between the conscious and unconscious aspects of mind. But while Freud postulated a psychosexual explanation for human behavior, Jung perceived the primary motivating force to be spiritual in origin. According to Jung, it was from the soul that the complementary drives of differentiation and integration arose, fueling the processes of growth, development, and healing. Mental illness arose when these processes were thwarted. Jung emphasized each persons uniqueness and believed that the goal of life is individuation, the process of coming to know, giving expression to, and harmonizing the various components of the psyche. Also, in his theory distinguished two general attitudes introversion and extraversion; and four functions thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting. In addition, Jungs theory incorporates the notion of two opposing archetypes that represent the differences between our outward appearances (persona) and our inner selves (shadow). Other two important archetypes are the animus (the male element of a woman) and anima (the female element of a man). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Carl Jungs Theory I find it difficult to apply some of Carl Jungs unique concepts, such as complexes and collective unconsciousness, analyzing personality of Elyn Saks. Among archetypes, I would use only two in order to explain Elyns personality. Also, Jungs attitudes and unctions are quite helpful, too. Complexes are unconscious and repressed emotionally-toned symbolic material that is incompatible with consciousness. According to Jung, they can cause constant psychological disturbances, but, with proper intervention, they can become conscious that will greatly reduce their impact (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Applying this notion to Elyns personality, and, particularly, to her diagnosis, the controversial opinions might arouse. On one hand, schizophrenia is proved to be organic disorder of the brain, and, thus, cannot be caused by the complexes (Friedman Schustack, 2003). On the other hand, psychoanalysis based on revealing emotionally charged feeling, thoughts, and ideas that were suppressed into unconsciousness, which Jung defines as complexes, helped Elyn to maintain the balance and cope with her disease (Saks, 2007). The collective unconscious is a large group of archetypes (powerful emotional symbols) (Friedman Schustack, 2003) that are derived from the emotional reactions of our ancestors to continually repeating events. Examples would be the magician, hero, and the trickster. I could not discern any of those archetypes, or similar to them, in he personality of Elyn Saks. Also, I think that Jungs believe that the origin of mental illness is the soul does not explain schizophrenia of Elyn Saks (and of any other person) in any aspect. However, Elyn can be analyzed from the perspective of Jungs attitudes and tunctions. In my opinion, Elyns nature is extroversion . She is in need for sociability, and close people are a source of energy for her. In her adolescent years, previous to the onset of her illness, she enjoyed going out with friends. But, unfortunately, schizophrenia marked her for life as an introvert. She became more eflective and in need for privacy and space, especially when her symptoms begin to appear. Also, in my opinion, among four functions of Jungs theory, thinking and feeling functions are the most developed in Elyns personality. The fact that she graduated with the degree in philosophy from Oxford University proves that she has unquestionable logic (with the exception of while having a psychosis). She sees cause and effect relations in every situation, a quality without which she would not be able to achieve what she did. Elyns feeling function remained intact by schizophrenia as well: she is creative, warm, and intimate. She did not lose the sense of positive and negative values; she was able to create multiple bonds with other people and a happy family. Although Elyns sensing function must have been devastated by her illness, the vivid and exact description of psychosis and disturbed senses in the book The Center Cannot Hold might imply extraordinary sensing function in Elyn. As for intuitive function, I think it was rarely employed in her life: she has always relied on reasoning and Judgment more than on intuition. One of my favorite Jungs archetypes, persona and shadow, are very applicable in description Elyn Saks personality. Moreover, she also identified them in her book, but under different names. Persona, or the mask we present to the world, is designed to make a particular impression on others, while concealing our true nature. Elyns persona is Professor Saks, who represents herself to the society as structured and official high- achiever. One of Elyns shadows (the side of the personality, which she does not consciously display in public) is Lady of Charts, a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia, sometimes pinioned to the hospitals bed, disheveled and emaciated. Another shadow is Elyn, warm, sensitive, and strong women. This shadow is esponsible for keeping Lady of Charts far away in the closet, as well as for discouraging Professor Saks to take everything, including schizophrenia, under total control. During one of the therapeutic sessions, Elyns doctor, encouraged her to transfer Elyn from shadow status to persona status, by disclosing those three sides of her personality and advising to associate her Self with Elyn, more than with any other (Saks, 2003). The Theory of Erik Erikson Erikson was a Neo-Freudian (Friedman Schustack, 2003). He has been described as an ego psychologist studying the stages of development, spanning the entire lifespan. Each of Eriksons stages of psychosocial development is marked by a conflict, for which successful resolution will result in a favorable outcome, for example, trust vs. mistrust, and by an important event that this conflict resolves itself around, for example, meaning of ones life. Favorable outcomes of each stage are sometimes known as virtues (Erikson, 1963). Eriksons research suggests that each individual must learn how to hold both extremes of each specific life-stage challenge in tension with one another, not rejecting one end of the tension or the other. Only when both extremes in a lite-stage challenge are underst nd accepted as botn required and useful, the optimal virtue for that stage can surface (Bukatko Daehler, 2004). The Erikson life-stage virtues, in the order of the stages in which they may be acquired, are: (1) Trust vs. Mistrust, (2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt, (3) Initiative vs. Guilt (4) Industry vs. Inferiority, (5) Identity vs. Role Confusion, (6) Intimacy vs. Isolation, (7) Generatively vs. Stagnation, and (8) Ego Integrity vs. Despair. Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Erik Eriksons Theory I think Erik Eriksons theory of psychosocial development is useful in explaining Elyns ersonality. In my opinion, on the stages she has already gone through, she resolved most of the conflicts successfully. I believe on the first stage, during the first year of life, we can conclude that Elyn developed the trust and hope. She gained confidence and security in the world around her because her parents were loving, hardworking, and more often than not, kind (p. 11). In other words, her caregivers were reliable enough to provide her with the background that helped her trust the people around her (e. g. , her therapists) and not to give up in the battle with her mental illness. On he second stage, which takes place between age one and three, Elyn acquired autonomy and will. Assumingly, her parents did not criticize or overly control her, but rather gave Elyn the opportunity to assert herself by encouraging and supporting her increased independence. Due to this reason, she became more confident and secure in her own ability to survive in the world. She left parents home when she started college, and since then she was able to maintain her independence throughout her life in spite of the difficulties she faced. That developed a remarkable will in her personality, which is indicated in every aspect of her life (e. . , achievement in career, coping with schizophrenia symptoms, ability to delay gratification). On the third stage (age 3-6), Elyn resolved the conflict toward initiative and purpose. It can be inferred from her book that Elyns parents did not control her to the point of being excessive and criticize her own decisions. They were tolerant even to her little quirks (e. g. , aligning shoes Just right, or washing hands several times). As a consequence, Elyn developed a sense of initiative and the ability to lead others and make decisions. On the fourth stage (age 6 to puberty), Elyn developed the sense of ndustry. She was encouraged and reinforced for her accomplishments (e. g. , good grades), especially by her mom: Dad was not a praiser, so he never complimented anyone. But Mom did, and Warren [brother] and I competed for her attention (p. 15). It developed the feeling of confidence in her ability to achieve the goals, which played a crucial role in reaching her full potential. Her industry helped her to acquire the notable competence in different areas: philosophy, law, and mental illness. However, during her adolescent years, Elyn resolved the conflict of the fifth stage toward nfavorable outcome: role confusion. According to Erikson, during this period, adolescents explore possibilities and begin to form their own identity based upon the outcome of their explorations. Elyns explorations that started in Mexico led to the drug use, and her parents did not want her to explore in this direction. After she stated that if she wanted to use pot, she would, and there is not much you can do about it (p. 25), her parents sent her to rehabilitation center. She had to conform. As a result, she had difficulty to answer such questions as Who am l? How do I fit in? Where am I going in life? As a result, took her many years before she settled down in the protessional aspect: tirst sne got ner degree in philosophy, and only atterwards she realized that she wants to go to law school. On the sixth stage, which starts in young adulthood, Elyn acquired the sense of intimacy and love. She developed many long-term close friend relationships. Although, she did not settle down in young adulthood because she still was in school, as soon as she acquired a tenure (middle adulthood), she made a long-term commitment with her husband, Will. Currently, Elyn is on the seventh stage of her psychosocial development. During this stage the measures of accomplishments and failures takes place. I can make the prognosis that Elyn will solve the conflict on this stage toward the favorable outcome, generatively. She has achieved a lot in her career; she is settled in the relationships; she published a book that helped thousands of people; she is still learning a lot (the attendance of the school of psychoanalysis). In my opinion, there are no indications for her settling with stagnation. Similarly, I would predict favorable outcome (Ego- Integrity) on the eight stage of Elyns life. However, she still has it ahead of her. The Theory of Hans Eysenck Eysencks theory is based primarily on physiology and genetics (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Although he is a behaviorist who considers learned habits of great importance, he considers personality differences as growing out of our genetic inheritance. He is, therefore, primarily interested in what is usually called temperament. Eysencks original research found three main dimensions of temperament: neuroticism, extraversion-introversion, and psycoticism. Neuroticism is the factor that Eysenck determined encompassed people who are calm and collected to those who are high strung or nervous. A primary example of this is a persons response to emergencies. Some people are calm and able to deal with things, some are fearful and emotional, and some are terrified by even minor incidence. Eysenck hypothesized that explanation to this might be that neurotic people have a more responsive sympathetic nervous system than others. The introversion-extroversion concept includes the idea that extroverts have a relatively low brain arousal, and so they seek stimulation. Introverts, on the other hand, are thought to have a higher level of central nervous system arousal, and so they tend to shy away from timulating social environments. Psychoticism includes the tendency toward a psychopathology, involving impulsivity and cruelty, tough-mindedness, and shrewdness. High psychoticism does not mean a person is psychotic or doomed to become so. According to Eysenck, he/she exhibits some qualities commonly found among psychotics, and may be more susceptible, given certain environments, to becoming psychotic. The qualities found in high psychoticistic people include certain recklessness, a disregard for common sense or conventions, and a degree of inappropriate emotional expression (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Hans Eysencks Theory In my opinion, only a part of Hans Eysencks Theory explains the personality of Elyn Saks. I would identify her as highly neurotic and introvert, but, perhaps, surprisingly, I am hesitant to call her psychotistic. I think Elyn is definitely neuroticistic and introverted. Eysenck identified that people with obsessive-compulsive disorders and phobias tended to be high on neuroticism and introversion (Eysenck, 1967). He explained it by hypothesizing that highly neuroticistic people over-respond to fearful stimuli. It hey are introverts, they will learn to avoid the situations that cause panic very quickly and very thoroughly, even to the point of becoming panicky at small indications of those situations. In one of her interviews, Elyn confessed: l was fearful. I had some phobias. I had some obsessions. I had some kind of intense fears (Saks, 2008). It is confirmed in her book (Saks, 2007). For example, in the childhood she could not leave her room unless her shoes were all lined up, she could not go to sleep until her books were organized Just so (p. 11), and she had to wash her hand sometimes two or three times. Also, she had some irrational fears (similar to the fear of bogyman) much longer than other children. Evaluating Elyn on the third dimension of Eysencks model, psychoticism, I tend to think of her personality as of non-psychotistic. Although Elyn is schizophrenic and has lots of psychotic episodes, which sometimes include even homicide ideation, it is unjustifiable to call her personality psychoticistic. Eysenck attributes to those people such qualities as impulsivity, cruelty, and tough-mindedness, which are Just the opposite of the Elyns personality most of the time, while she is stable and non-psychotic (Friedman Schustack, 2003). This controversial situation proves once more that our psyche is very complex, and it is difficult to differentiate some of its aspects. The Theory of Gordon Allport Allport is known as a trait psychologist. He argued that some characteristics of human personality are shared (he termed these common traits) and some are peculiar to the individual (he termed those personal dispositions). Personal dispositions that exercise an overwhelming influence on behavior are called cardinal dispositions. Personal dispositions that are the basic building blocks that shape most f our behavior (although they are not as overwhelming as cardinal traits) are called central traits. Central traits are general characteristic found in some degree in every person. An example of a central trait would be honesty (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Gordon Allports Theory Theory of Gordon Allport does a very good Job in explaining Elyns personality due to the fact that Allport concentrated on the uniqueness of personality (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Cardinal disposition of Elyn Saks can probably be assigned to her being a highly functioning person with schizophrenia (Saks, 2007). Her central dispositions are probably constant seeking of knowledge and striving for the control over ones life. Also, such common traits as desire for success and achievement- motivation are explicit in Elyns personality. The Theory of Burrhus Frederick Skinner Skinners concept of operant conditioning assumes that the behavior that is reinforced is more likely to be repeated in the future, and less likely to be repeated if punished. Skinner argued that responses shaped by environmental consequences, taken together, are what we call personality. He emphasized that environment is of rimary importance even in hereditary characteristics. According to Skinner, psychopathology is learned in the same manner as all other behaviors: the adaptive or maladaptive behavior is learned by reinforcement (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of B. F. Skinners Theory In my opinion, Skinners theory explains some aspects of personality (behavior) of Elyn Saks, while some of the concepts I find not to be applicable. I think Elyns achievement-motivation can be explained by the fact that she was reinforced from the early child by ner parents to attain goals, such as good grades (Saks Also, her desire for control over her life is probably quite conditioned. Her parents, as well as people at rehabilitation center, praised her for being in control. For example, while being a teenager, she lost a lot of weight by controlling her diet. Her parents wanted her to put the weight back on, and they could do it only by challenging her to prove that she is in control (p. 6). After she came back to her normal weight, they stopped reprimanding her, which is the example of negative reinforcement. However, Skinners explanation of psychopathology, in my opinion, does not fit Elyn. Skinner claimed that people with mental problems have either not learned the appropriate response and have a behavioral deficit, or they have learned the wrong response. Thus the treatment for mental illness is to create environmental se ttings that reward desirable behavior (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Although, this approach works quite well for children with cognitive and emotional disabilities, I think it does not in case of schizophrenia. It is widely known that schizophrenia is a brain disorder, not a learned behavior, and general clinical practice, as well as Elyns personal example, proves it. The Theory of Albert Bandura The main concept of Banduras theory is observational learning, or vicarious learning, which is also called modeling because a person forms himself or herself in the image of another. Bandura theorized mechanisms by which people can learn simply by watching others perform a behavior. They learn without performing the behavior themselves and without being directly rewarded or punished for the behavior (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Albert Banduras Theory In my opinion, it is almost impossible to explain Elyn Saks personality by Albert Banduras theory, using the references I possess. None of them provide information about her using a model for any type of Elyns behavior. Describing her childhood, she does not refer to anybody, even her parents, as a role model. I guess she was learning primary through operant conditioning than through observational learning. The Theory of Abraham Maslow Abraham MasloWs name is strongly associated with the hierarchy of needs (Friedman Schustack, 2003). His hierarchy includes: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization motives. Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, or the innate process by hich one tends to grow spiritual and realize ones potential (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn Saks from the Prospective of Abraham MasloWs Theory From the MasloWs view point, Elyn most likely would be defined as self-actualized person. Self-actualized people tend to be independent, resist social pressures, and freedom-loving, and have a high need for privacy (Friedman Schustack, 2003). Elyn fits all of those definitions, in my opinion. She went through the process of establishing herself as a whole person and developed the abilities to understand herself. As a result, she self-actualized herself in her career. At University of Southern California, she throws herself into writing and spends nearly every waking hour in her crowded office in the law school. Since her arrival at USC, she has been among the schools most productive and respected scholarly writers (University of Southern California Faculty Directory, 2008). Furthermore, the main aspect of her self- actualization is the desire to help other people witn mental illness and their tamilies. During the presentation of her book, she states: l wanted to write this book to give hope to people who suffer from schizophrenia and understanding to people who ont hope this story will help implode the myths that surround mental illness. Moreover, revealing her secret, she realized that her hard-earned career could come crashing down. A colleague suggested that Saks write under a pseudonym. But Elyn refused to that because that would send the wrong message, as she explained (Saks, 2008). Elyn, her colleague reasoned, do you want to be known as a schizophrenic with a Job? And she did have her doubts, because even while properly medicated, she still harbors several irrational thoughts each day, but she manages to dismiss the obsessions. However, she published her book, and now it gets wonderful reviews from prestigious publishers, doctors, as well as patients and their families, whom this book gave a real hope. Summary Elyn R. Saks, training to be a psychoanalyst, specializes in mental health law, criminal law, and children and the law. Her recent research focused on ethical dimensions of psychiatric research and forced treatment of the mentally ill. She also teaches at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Law at the Keck School of Medicine at USC and is an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. In her capacity as associate dean, Dean Saks oversees research and grants at USC Law. Before Joining the USC Law faculty in 1989, Dean Saks was an attorney in Connecticut and instructor at the University of Bridgeport School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University before earning her master of letters from Oxford University and her J. D. from Yale Law School, where she also edited the Yale Law Journal. To analyze her personality, it was beneficial to look at it from the many theoretical perspectives provided by personality psychology. These approaches

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Positive and negative effects of globalisation Essay Question: Globalisation has led to significant shifts in the world economy over the last three decades. Please describe these major shifts. It has been suggested that globalisation is a major driving force of the global economy towards greater prosperity. It has also been argued that greater globalisation has brought greater risks to the world economy. Given the situation that the whole world has just been facing the most severe financial crisis and economic recession for many decades, what is your view on the globalisation debate? Introduction Define Globalization Globalization refers to the shift towards a more integrated and interdependent world economy (Hill, Cronk, Wickramasekera, 2008). Globalization has brought a lot of people into contact with the world by declining the barriers of the free flow of goods and services, since the World War II and the dramatic technological change and development in recent years mainly in the past three decades (Hill, Cronk, Wickramasekera, 2008). This development has made the people around the world to be connected to each other. Information and money flow quicker than ever. Products produced in one town are available to the rest of the world. It becomes much easier for anyone to travel, communicate and do business internationally. Free flow of goods and service s has produced many opportunities for business. This whole phenomenon has been called globalization. This essay is about globalization, how globalization led to significant shifts in the world, I will describe these major shifts in more details. How globalization has brought the economy and many countries into better prosperity. On the other hand, the greater the globalization the riskiest it gets. Finally, I will view my points on the globalization debate. After the break down of the Soviet Union, globalization accelerated through the world. It included the increasing of integration countries individual economies, the rise in the world trade and multinational companies and the effect of large sums of money moving in and out of economies. People around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been titled globalization. McDonalds has more than 25,000 branches in 100 countries (Vijayarani, 2004). This achievement shows how globalization has impacted this organization in terms of culture and operational activities. The success of this fast food chain can be best attributed by its ability and techniques to adapt to local cultures and resources. This ability has benefited McDonalds tremendously by allowing McDonalds to spread its brand worldwide which is now earning the company over $4.0 billion annually in revenue (Lockyer, 2006). The problems of globalizations attributed by various cultures and management systems were turned into opportunities by the companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s continued sensitivity to local cultures. For instance, McDonalds has training programs translated in over 35 different languages mainly English, Spanish, German, French and Chinese to suit the needs of customers as well the needs of various franchises worldwide. Globalization has been accompanied by multiple developments on the world stage, or may have existed before. But it increased the degree of appearance, and these phenomena may be economic, political, cultural, communications and the most prominent of these is with no doubt the economic phenomena. Transformation of the economy (traditional activities such as the exchange of goods in kind, buying and selling) to a symbolic economy that uses icons and electronic pulses through the computers and electronic devices connectivity, will result in increasing the volume of electronic commerce, electronic data interchange in the trade sector, transport, money, credit and others. Deep interdependence among nations, national economies and the trade through speed and ease of moving goods is a good result outsourcing. Outsourcing is the tasks that were previously performed in-house are now purchased from another firm (Hill, Cronk, Wickramasekera, 2008). Capital and information across borders with the trend towards integration of financial markets, especially with the elimination of many non-tariff barriers and obstacles to the flow after the establishment of World Trade Organization, may arrange for the removal of barriers and obstacles between the markets now that the competition is the strongest factor in determining the type of goods produced by the state. Few regions of the world have been affected by the wave of globalization than the Asia Pacific Basin. Changes have occurred over the past three decades as the result of the increasing interdependence of Asian countries with each other and with the rest of the world (Rondinelli Heffron, 2007). Globalization has led the international interactions and interdependencies have led to the spread of culture influences and the ability of people living near each other anywhere in the world just to communicate with each other (Rondinelli Heffron, 2007). Many multinational corporations benefited from global economy in many ways, some of these organizations have seen the differences in the education level, which made the education sector a major concern. With better education provided, better jobs will be granted and the participation in global economies will be more effective which will lead in high standard of living. (Rondinelli Heffron, 2007). Globalization brings great prosperity to those countries that open their market to the international trade and investment. Countries that do open to the global markets and share its products grow faster than those who limit their domestic markets and limit their participations in international trade. The growth in gross domestic product is associated with export growth (Rondinelli Heffron, 2007). Globalization has brought greater risks to the world economy, worsening debt and increasing multinational corporations Fairies. The prevalence of multinational corporations, with control over investment, production and international, MNC companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and others, especially after the World Trade Organization equated between these companies and national companies in the transaction. The problem of the global debt, especially the debt of the third world, poor countries with no capacity to pay as well as the debt services and profits of multinational companies has grown in a scary way. Many MNC have been cutting down in employment number, just to reduce their debts. The emergence of a new international division of work in which the developed countries gave to the developing countries for some manufacturing industries (i.e. industries that depend on the conversion of the raw material to processes goods can benefit from them), that do not meet a comparative advantage, such as intensive industries, labor-intensive and polluting the environment while developed countries have focused on high-tech industries like computers, software, and telecommunications equipment and electronic industries with safer and higher profitability and less employment. Areas like information and communication technologies grant not only the interests of global capitalism but also many small groups to publish their messages and ideas. This is demonstrated by the Democratic side of the development of modern technical. In fact the great diversity of representatives of the actors on the pages of the information network of international non-governmental organizations working in the areas of human rights and the environment through the opponents of globalization and access to the movements of Nazism and the radical. On the other hand, the effectiveness of campaigns organized by some of these parties against State policies and large corporations. This does not mean in any way deny the fact that there are centers and parties in the modern world with remains globalized world of ideas and visions, symbols and letters coming in large part from the cultural frameworks in the developed North controlling the accounts of the overall strength. However, the previou s analysis proves that how they formulated and published on the basis of these components and the image that is the interaction with and awareness deny the essence of a unilateral approach, and widespread in our midst, which sees in globalization merely a synonym for domination. Anti-globalization Not only the term of globalization has increased since the last years, but also anti-globalization has appeared and is still increasing. The first wave of global protest began in the mid-1970s and focused on the austerity measures adopted as part of the à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"structural adjustmentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  programmed (Munck, 2007). Anti-globalization is the umbrella term for a group of different protest causes, including: environmentalism, third world debt, animal rights, child labor, anarchism, and anti-capitalism and opposition to multinationals. The most attacked institutions of anti-globalization protests have been especially World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (Hill, Cronk, Wickramasekera, 2008). As the big businesses are increasing all around the world, anti-global activities and protests are also increasing their level of strength and violence. McDonalds is one of the most criticized companies by anti-globali sts who reproached corporations low wages, advertising practices, participation in deforestation, harvesting of animals, and promotion of junk food and an unhealthy diet. There were several trials between McDonalds and activists and it did not matter whether activist had won or not, because both cases negatively influenced the good name of the corporation. Activists claim that McDonalds is selling junk food that is overly saturated with salt, sugar, and fats, producing high cholesterol (Kellner, 2001). Moreover, this food is overpriced and it destroys traditions like home cooking, individualized family restaurants, and a balanced and healthy diet. McDonalds is Multinational Corporation that does not customize its products and because of its enormous growth all around the worth, McDonalds is the paradigm of mass homogeneity, sameness, and standardization which erases individuality, specificity and difference. Globalization Debate Indeed, globalization has over hundreds of years contributed to the progress of the world, through travel, trade, migration, spread of cultural influences and dissemination of knowledge (Rondinelli Heffron, 2007). Globalization has brought many positive aspects to some countries. Lowering the prices of goods and services has made many customers and consumers happy. For example, Australia was greeted with news in early 2007 that manufactures will be relocated to India. This has led to a huge in a loss of job. However, manufactures operating in India are producing in lower costs which will lead to lowering the price of this product (Hill, Cronk, Wickramasekera, 2008). As well as, this operation will lead to a better economy for India, because an increase income is provided, jobs will be provided as well. At the same time relocating of manufactures or services from advanced countries to poor-labor countries will destroy many jobs in the wealthy advanced countries. An example is Etisalat communications. Their call center was located in Dubai when the company was operating in Emirates. In 2009, the company started operating in Egypt, which made them use the low wages and the low operating costs in Egypt. So they moved their call center to Egypt. As well as a lot of MNC will decrease their wage rates of unskilled employees in developed countries. Any problem in one country can affect the whole world. Open, global market means that any financial diesis will spread widely. In conclusion, Globalization has made the people around the whole world connected with each other. Sending and receiving money is just matter of seconds nowadays. This made many companies go international. An example of Multinational Corporation is McDonalds. McDonalds who become successful and powerful around the world had taken into consideration many aspects of management strategy which benefited them. Globalization has existed before, but it increased in new levels. The economic level was and still the most important one. Countries with global economy with less trade regulations and trade goods and services more frequently, will result in an increase in the trade sectors, money and transportations. Outsourcing has led to the spread of culture influences. However globalization has brought great risks to the world. The problem of the global debt and the poor countries has grown in an effective ways. Some companies had to fire most of their employees to reduce their debt. Anti-globalization has ap peared in the mid 70s and focused on measures adopted as part of the structural adjustment. Anti-globalization is a term of group of different protest causes like animal rights, child labor and anti-capitalism. McDonaldà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s is one of the most criticized companies by anti-globalists. Positive aspects of globalization are the low prices of goods, new available jobs, the production process have become cheaper and some economies benefited. On the other hand, granting jobs in one country means the loss of jobs in other country, destroying manufacturing jobs in the developed countries and reducing the wage rate of unskilled labor in the developed countries. In the end I agree with the term globalization because overall the benefits that came out of it are more effective and made the whole world better-off.

Comparing Chinese Culture in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Go

Chinese Culture Exposed in Joy Luck Club and Kitchen God's Wife  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tan's books. This rich culture adds interesting and mesmerizing detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife.    Traditions are apparent throughout all of the stories in The Joy Luck Club. One of the first instances is in the story from Ying-Ying St. Clair entitled "The Moon Lady." Ying-Ying is describing the Festival of the Moon Lady, a festival dedicated to the lady who lives on the moon and once a year comes down to earth to grant your secret wish--something you want but cannot ask. This excerpt describes proper traditional dress (ornate clothing saved for special occasions), delicious foods such as rabbits feet and mooncakes (saved for special occasions), fireworks, and family gathered all together. This is one of the most richly detailed and culturally authentic stories in the novel.    The other story that strikes the reader as containing vivid culture and tradition is Lindo Jong's "The Red Candle." This story, like Winnie Louie's, describes in great detail the customs of arranged marriages. Lindo Jong begins by talking about the village matchmaker coming to her housewhen she was two years old. The matchmaker, Huang Taitai, looked her over and said, "An earth horse for an earth sheep. This is the best marriage combination." Lindo says that Huang Taitai looked right through her and saw that she would be a perfect wife--a strong, hard, good worker, eager to please her elders in their old age. Lindo describes what happened next:    This is how I became betrothed to Huang Taitai's son, who I later discovered was just a baby, o... ...s not considered a sufficient departure for the deceased.    Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tan's books. This rich culture adds interesting and mesmerizing detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife.    Works Cited Conrad, Tammy S. "Creating an Asian-American Mythology: Storytelling in Amy Tan's Fiction". Tammy S. Conrad's Thesis. 1998. Available:   <http://english.ttu.edu/faculty/conrad/thesis.html. Huntley, E.D. Amy Tan: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1998 Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God's Wife. New York, Ballantine Books, 1991. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Vintage Contemporaries. New York: A Division of Random House, Inc. 1993. Wu, Shelley. "What is Chinese Astrology" Available: http://www.chineseastrology.com/wu/whatis.html

Explore the various arguments used by John Donne to achieve his aim

Donne's main aim in the poem is to persuade his lover to go to bed with him, to do this he uses various techniques and arguments throughout the poem to tempt her into doing so. We see Donne trying to lure his partner into sleeping with him, â€Å"And in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee† By use of this conceit he suggests that as their bloods have already been mixed by the flea, they have been joined. This implies that when the blood mixes it is the same result as if they had had sex nevertheless as their bloods would have united. This is a very weak argument on behalf of Donne as the blood does not actually pass from one person to another during sexual intercourse; it is only bodily fluids. We can see that in â€Å"The Sunne Rising† that Donne suggests ideas that are unrealistic. â€Å"goe childe† and â€Å"goe tell court-huntsmen† This is obviously not thought about, because if the sun was to go away, life could not continue as the sun is vital to survival. Donne knows that his partner is religious, and so uses this to his advantage by exploiting her weaknesses. â€Å"This flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;† Donne compares the flea to being a temple, which is an obvious religious symbol. He is comparing it to marriage where their two bloods have been merged to become, like the bond two people make when being married. Because his lover is religious, she would believe in not having sex until marriage. Donne is trying to convince her that it is as if they have already been married because their bloods have been unified within the temple that is the flea. John Donne attempts to persuade his lover into making love with him by using metaphysical conceit, a common tactic used by several other poets of this genre. â€Å"A sinne, nor shame, nor losse of Maidenhead† The plan of John Donne at this point is to show the similarity between the two ideas of the body and the flea. This concept would have been appreciated by a reader of this era – Elizabethans believed that sexual intercourse involved the mixing of people's blood. Therefore, the idea that the flea is an example of their mixed blood by this theory proves that intercourse has taken place. The language used n this line is soft in nature and persuades his lover to feel guiltless and secure – in addition the tone is fluent and articulate. Donne uses various arguments to try to persuade his lover to have sex with him. She is tempted but is held back by religion, family and overall fear. Donne's arguments are not very strong, although at the time they would have been considered differently.

Essay about Recidivism Prison and Ex-offenders - 2347 Words

The Argumentative Research Paper Melissa Walker (an acquaintance of the author) sits within the walls of her concrete cell at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (FCCW). Walker is making a contribution to this year’s recidivism rate. She was released from prison in 2008 after serving seven years of confinement. Sadly to say, this year she reoffended by stealing credit card information from her â€Å"Productive Citizenship† instructor. Her new charges are credit card theft, forgery, as well as probation violation. The price for Walker’s reoffending is incarceration until March, 2015. Wayne Luke, a retired probation officer with the Virginia Department of Corrections, says that the difference between successful and non-successful†¦show more content†¦Most importantly the offender learns how to answer any questions in regard to being a convicted felon. The Fast Track Program provides limited services to inmates who are nearing release and have not been able to participate in the Productive Citizenship Program. Both programs provide a list of resources to assist each inmate preparing for release. Other programs offered by DOC are Breaking Barriers, a six week course on overcoming the barriers associated with release, parenting classes, and the opportunity to obtain a GED certificate. There are several employment placement services available for ex-offenders upon release. Goodwill Industries of Richmond offers employment and training programs for ex-offenders and will often offer employment opportunities upon completion (â€Å"Employment and Training†). Boaz and Ruth is a faith-based organization that also assists in job training and employment placement in the Richmond area. The State of Virginia has the Virginia Workforce Center that offers training and employment assistance as well (Virginia. Virginia Employment Commission). 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