Health Care Museum Essay Example for Free

Health Care Museum Essay Development Description Analysis (How does the development affect the current U.S. health care system?) 1. Surgery A surgical procedure is medical treatment that involves a physician cutting into a patient’s body to repair or remove something. Surgery procedures have existed since prehistoric man. In 1540 C.E. barbers and surgeons united to form The United Barber-Surgeons Company. These barber-surgeons performed tooth extractions and bloodletting procedures. As our knowledge grows, so do our abilities. Some procedures such as tracheostomy, described in detail by Paul of Aegina (625-690 AD), remain pertinent today while others which contributed to the demise of many patients (e. g. bloodletting) were surprisingly slow to disappear (Hindle, K. S., Hindle, S. J., 2001). Surgeries save many lives. Today surgeries are used for replacements and transplants. Elective non-life threatening surgeries are performed quite commonly now. Microsurgery uses small incisions to minimize exposure and reduce the impact of the procedure all together. There is also cosmetic surgery which is usually elective and not medically necessary. With today’s surgical practices the body can be manipulated in many ways with minimal effect. 2. Technology Technology is the creation and usage of tools for achieving goals. In health care, technology is used for information purposes, to teach, and heal. We have computers that keep track of medical records. We have machines that can see through the human body. There are sensors that can collect data from a patient and transmit it wirelessly to a physician. There are even machines that aid physicians during surgery. Technology completely affects health care. It has allowed patients and doctors to stay connected better than ever. Telecommunications provide health care workers with the ability to  communicate with each other all around the world. Technology has allowed for easier storage and access to medical information. Health care workers can locate a patient’s information with the click of a button. Patients can go online and access a plethora of health information. Technology also enables us to view the body in new ways (CAT scan, x-rays). Robotics allow physicians to perform s urgeries in places where they cannot be via remote link. 3. Child Birth Beginning back in the Renaissance era barber-surgeons provide child birth services. Much later in 1716 midwives were given the ability to obtain licenses and help women through labor. Shortly after the war of 1812 medical schools began teaching birthing techniques to physicians. By the 1900’s physicians attended approximately half of the nation’s births. Child birthing at hospitals performed by physicians are much safer than the â€Å"home births† of yester years. With hospitals the patient’s area is always clean and sterile. This reduces risk for the mother and child. With physicians as the primary deliverer, complications can be handled sooner and adequately. These techniques have allowed the safe birthing of millions. This protects are future generations by keeping them safe. 4. Vaccines As the United States grew toward independence in the 1700’s, public health efforts also grew. In 1796 Dr. Edward Jenner created and tested the first vaccine (Henderson, D. A., 1997). After word of the discovery two London doctors confirmed Jenner’s findings and began wide distribution. Within 3 years the information was translated into 4 different languages and spread across 4 continents. The success of vaccines has led to a situation where many health care providers and parents have not witnessed the morbidity and mortality of the diseases for which these agents are indicated (Ruddock, B., Malak, K., 2005). Vaccines offer protection from numerous disease. Without vaccines illness would be far more rampant. 5. Medicare In 1965 President Johnson signed into law the Medicare program. Medicare provides medical access for citizens 65 and older who cannot afford care themselves. Over time the coverage has expanded to include disabled citizens  and those with end stage renal disease. Medicare gives medical access to many people who would not have it otherwise. Medicare is the government’s first program associated with public health insurance. Since then the U.S. has seen Medicaid and now recently the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, these are government programs designed to ensure care for citizens. These programs expand health care. As more people are able to have health coverage, more health care services become needed. While these programs provide protection they also stimulate growth within the medical field. Part 2 How does everything connect? Write up a comprehensive overview of how these events evolved into each other. First on my list is surgery. While child birth has been around since the dawn of man, modern birthing practices did not come into effect until the 1800’s. Surgical procedures on the other hand, have been dated back to 6500 hundred years before common era (BCE). Skulls found in France show signs of a rudimentary surgery called trepanation, which involves drilling a hole in the skull. (Heisler. J., 2014). Surgery has been a major health tool for a very long time and we are still improving upon it today. Technology comes second on the list because ever since man realized he could manipulate the body, tools have been needed to do so. Even the skulls in France required some sort of tool to drill the hole. Of course technology goes beyond simple tools. Technology encompasses numerous devices each with their own unique quality. Technology expands our capabilities and allows us to do things we simply could not do ourselves. Technology also improves child birthing techniques. Thanks to sonograms physicians can see babies inside of the womb. This gives them great insight into the condition and development of the child in the womb. Before technology such as this, parents had to wait till the day of birth before they knew anything about the child. Next on the list are vaccines. While child birth did not directly influence the invention of vaccines, technology in fact did. Without the tools to collect and hold specimens, Jenner would never have been able to conduct his research. Additionally, vaccines have improved the health status of everyone  including children. Thanks to vaccines, children (and ultimately the population) no longer have to worry about Polio and other various viruses. Most required vaccines are given to children during their developing years. This protect the child through their entire life. Last of the developments is Medicare. Vaccines didn’t directly lead to Medicare, however all other developments did. With surgical procedures, technology, vaccines, and better child birthing practices, more people are able to live longer lives. As the population’s life expectancy increases, so does the need for care in all facets of life. Programs like Medicare protect the elderly by providing health care for those who could not afford it on their own. Essentially, social policies eventually become important for societies that can provide health care. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act are necessary social devices that protect U.S. citizens. References Austin, A., Wetle, V. (2012). The United States health care system: Combining business, health, and delivery. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Lemelson-MIT. (2003, April). Louis Pasteur. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/pasteur.html Henderson, D. A. (1997). Edward Jenner’s vaccine. Public Health Reports, 112(2), 116-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230183418?accountid=458 Ruddock, B., Malak, K. (2005). Sorting out risks, benefits of vaccine. Canadian Pharmacists Journal, 138(5), 59-60. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/221177193?accountid=458 Hindle, K. S., Hindle, S. J. (2001). A history of surgery. Royal Society of Medicine (Great Britain).Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94(8), 423. Retrieved from http://search.pr Heisler. J. (2014). The Evolution of Surgery. Retrieved from http://surgery.about.com/od/surgeryinthemedia/a/HistoryOfSurgeryTimeline.htm

How Organizations Ensure Job Satisfaction

How Organizations Ensure Job Satisfaction INTRODUCTION The world has been changing into the global village quite rapidly since the beginning of 21st century. Gone are the days of dark ages when employers could exploit their workers by receiving maximum output in exchange with no or awfully minimal rewards or incentives. In todays world, due to improved communication networks, one cannot keep others in dark about their rights and organizations have to fulfill their responsibilities according to the global standards. Similarly, the world of internet has enabled people to link themselves with others through websites. This new reality is working towards the objective of creating new sociological arrangements within the context ofÂÂ  culture, and same is the case with corporate culture. After realizing the force of competitiveness in global markets and between individual organizations, it has become really essential for any organization to make certain that it develops and keep holding a kind of personnel that is dedicated and faithful w ith the organization for an unlimited time. The workers or employees who are happy and satisfied with the work that they are assigned to do, or by the culture of the organization regarding relations with their employees ultimately feel motivated to continue their relationship with that organization as a faithful, devoted, committed and talented workforce. But many theorists feel that a great number of employees do not have this level of job satisfaction that they can be taken as motivated towards achieving the goals of the organization. Because of this unsatisfied nature of the employees, they keep seeking for alternate job resources where they may be able to experience a higher degree of job satisfaction. A high degree of job satisfaction shows high retention rate and low turnover rate. In other words, turn over rate can be taken as a measure of Job satisfaction level of the employees in any organization. The organizations that fail to retain their able and talented workforce and cannot make them loyal to the organizational g oals face problems in escalating their production level and profitability. Finck, Timmers and Mennes (1998) highlighted the problem that the business excellence can be achieved only when employees are excited by what they do, i.e. the employees should be satisfied with their work and job conditions in order to achieve high goals of an organization. Employee motivation and its link to job satisfaction of employees has been a matter of study for ages. Managers have to rely on their human resources to get things done and therefore need to know what factors would be most helpful for them in having a workforce that has a high level of job satisfaction. Making employees motivated is considered as a factor that has a power of making workers satisfied with their jobs. But this is an understood fact that one cannot directly motivate others; one can just create the conditions where people feel motivated themselves. Spector (2003) says that a number of factors can help in motivating people at work, some of which are tangible, such as money, and some of which are intangible, such as a sense of achievement. The accomplishment of any organization greatly depends on the contribution of its labor force. This is also said that such contributions are triggered by those features of peoples work environment that motivate them to devote more material and intellectual vigor into their work. In this way the organizations objectives are chased and accomplished. Motivation and job satisfaction are therefore regarded as key determinants of organizational success, both of which have an inter link between themselves. In order to have a highly productive and loyal workforce, organizations strive to take measures that would create a feeling of satisfaction and well being in their workers. But does it really matter, or is it only a common myth that the aspect of motivation does have an influence on the job satisfaction level of the employees. The aim of this study is to observe the relationship between motivation and job satisfaction of employees and to authenticate it through statistical measures. 1.2 Concepts of Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction Definitions of employee motivation: The term motivation is derived from the Latin word movere, which means to move (Baron, Henley, McGibbon McCarthy, 2002). This means that motivation is a kind of energy that helps people in advancing towards the achievement of some certain goals. A great number of researchers over the years have been studying the concept of motivation and have been trying to extract the true definition of motivation but motivation can not be defined in explicit manner. Rather, motivation can be taken as a phenomenon or a concept instead of a simple remark. Campbell and Pritchard (1976) defined motivation as a label for the determinants of the choice to begin effort on a certain task, the choice to expend a certain amount of effort, and the choice to persist in expending effort over a period of time. Therefore, motivation is considered as an individuals behavior which is the result of some inter-related factors where some variables have to be taken as constants such as individuals skills, abilities and knowledge. There are a lot of perspectives about motivation; some of them are given below. Beck (1983) stated that four basic philosophies trigger a variety of angles about motivation on workplace. According to him, a man can be about his economic conditions, he wants to involve in more social activities and strong social relations, he wants to satisfy his need of self-actualization, or he may be a mixture of all the above mentioned needs. Theories that are about the rational economic man assume only the power of economic conditions on the overall behavior of a man. These theories assume that men are rational and they may make a right decision for their economic well being. The organizations that emphasize on the extrinsic rewards for their employees for example pay raise or fringe benefits actually follow this school of thought that man is rational about his economic conditions. Second kind of theories assume that the basic need of a man is only being social, these theories assume that man is mainly motivated by his social needs such as making friends and having good relationship with their colleagues. In this case, organizations want to make a more conducive and happy environment where their employees are satisfied with the people around them and where they can maintain good inter-relationship with the people t their workplace. Third perspective of motivation, according to theorists, is that a mans basic need is self actualization. It says that people can be motivated through intrinsic measures as they get pleasure in making good job and receiving compliments in response to a good job. That is, people derive satisfaction through their accomplishments. Organizations that believe in this approach may make a system where rewards are based on high performance. Lastly, the complex man approach argues that there is a much more complex system about motivation of people and this can be based on many factors such as emotions, motives, abilities and experiences. These factors may change their places on the scale from high to low or from low to high level from time to time. The changes in these levels are because of newly learnt behaviours of people as time passes. All of these above mentioned perspectives of motivation have triggered the researchers and theorists to present a number of different definitions about motivation. According to Schultz and Schultz (1998), motivation can be regarded as only the characteristics of people at workplace or personal characteristics of people that may explain the behaviour of people on their job. Some authors are of the view that intrinsic conditions are more powerful than the work related characteristics of a person. Spector (2003) regarded motivation as inner state of mind of a person that persuades him to involve in some particular kind of behaviours. Spector argued that motivation may be studied from two perspectives. One perspective, according to him is that motivation is the direction for behaviour to develop that people choose from a number of behaviours. The intensity of such behaviour can differ with the amount of effort that is required to be put in a task to accomplish. The second perspective is that an individual gets motivated by the desire to attain some particular goals. This motivation is derived from a persons individual needs and desires. Petri (1996) also stated that motivation can be taken as a force that acts on an individual to start and take initiative in showing some special behaviour. This theory explains that why it happens that some behaviour is mor e intense than others in particular situations, but not in others. The definition of motivation according to Gouws (1995) is that motivation originates from within an individuals own self, either consciously or unconsciously, to fulfill a given task with success because the person takes pleasure in fulfilling this particular job, rewards from others are not important for such kind of individuals who are motivated intrinsically. Beach (1980) regarded motivation as a readiness to use up energy to achieve a target or incentive. According to him, behaviours tend to be repeated when they are rewarded by others, but the behaviours that are not properly rewarded or are punished will tend to die with the passage of time. He, however, recognized that intrinsic motivation has a link with the job content and it comes in light when people are satisfied by performing some activity or just by involving in some kind of activity. Van Niekerk (1987) regarded motivation at workplace as created by the workplace environment and conditions that exert an influence on workers to perform some kind of activity by their own wish. According to him, workers want to reach some specific goals to have an inner satisfaction and to satisfy their own needs. Pinder (1998) gave his idea by keeping in mind the work place of organizations. He explained work motivation as a set of internal and external forces that help in initiating behaviours that are work related. According to the definition of Pinder (1980), work motivation has features that are invisible, and they are created from a persons inner self and that researchers therefore must rely on the theories that are already established in order to have some guidance in measuring work motivation. For the purpose of this particular study, employee motivation is taken as an instinctive force, that is maintained and shaped by a set of personal characteristics as well as workforce characteristics, that depend on the particular needs and motives of the workers. As it is already mentioned above, the concept of motivation is of very high importance with regard to the effectiveness of an organization, as many researches show that motivation creates a link between job satisfaction and job performance of the employees, and job performance is the determinant of profitability and success of the organization. So, in order to make their employees optimally motivated, it is necessary for an organization to focus on the factors in job content that result in employee motivation and job satisfaction. It is quite necessary for the managers and leaders to have a good knowledge about different motivational theories in order to have an effective management. Managers and leaders would need to choose the right theory to motivate a particular person in a particular situation and therefore have higher-performing and more satisfied employees. Here we are going to discuss different theories of motivation and a critical view of these theories. These motivation theories are categorized as: Need Theories of Motivation, Cognitive Theories of Motivation, and Reinforcement Theory of Motivation. THEORIES OF MOTIVATION Motivation can be regarded as a widely researched concept in the field of management and behaviour sciences. The concept of motivation is drawn on a broad spectrum as it is based on a variety of perspectives. But all of these perspectives have not been of same influence as they had once they were presented by theorists. One example of less influential perspectives is Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory (Wicker Wiehe, 1999). But their contribution in this regard cannot be neglected and denied as the basis of motivation theories have originated from these perspectives. Motivation theories are generally categorized into three classes; these classes are named as, Need theories of motivation, cognitive theories of motivation, and reinforcement theories of motivation. (Baron et al., 2002). Needs Based Theories of Motivation Need theories of motivation are also named as content theories as they explain the substance of motivation (Hadebe, 2001). These theories propose that internal states of mind of individuals invigorate and express their behaviours. Maslows hierarchy of needs theory Abraham Maslows theory of hierarchy of needs is considered as most common theory in the field of motivation research (Van Niekerk, 1987). It as introduced by Abraham Maslow in 1943. The basic principle of the theory is that people get motivated by their urge to fulfill their needs, or shortcomings. These needs may be grouped in five categories. This theory also argues that all these needs come in hierarchical shape where lower order needs have to be satisfied first before going to the higher order needs (Gouws, 1995). Maslow (1968) emphasized that gratification of one basic need opens consciousness to domination by another. These needs are numbered below going from lower level to higher level needs. Physiological needs, Safety needs, Social needs, Egotistical needs, and Self-actualization needs Physiological needs are the basic needs of a man necessary for his survival, e.g. hunger or thirst. Safety needs do not only mean that a person wants physical safety and security of life. Rather it also means personal security such as a safe and secure job life without any tension. Social needs are referred to as a wish to have friends and family from which a person derives internal pleasure and love. Whereas egotistical needs are based on a persons desire to have a respectable and familiar personality in his society. Self-actualization need is the top most need in the hierarchy of needs as it stands for a persons motivation towards the full growth of his prospective personality, which is basically never totally achieved (Gouws, 1995). Existence-Relatedness-Growth (ERG) theory The theory presented by Alderfer is in fact an expansion of Abraham Maslows theory of hierarchy of needs. Alderfer presented the argument that human needs are not based on hierarchical level, rather they reside on a continuum (Spector, 2003). Alderfer reduced Maslows five needs into only three needs, which he termed as Existence, Relatedness and Growth hence termed as ERG theory. Existence is basically the need of a human being to survive physically from hunger and fear, Relatedness need is attached with the social needs of a man and Growth is basically the need of a person to grow personally and develop his or her personality. Alderfer put emphasis on the argument that as these needs occur on a continuum, all these needs can be experienced at a time. (Alderfer, 1969). Regardless of the fact that Maslows hierarchy of needs theory gathered very less support from empirical data, his theory had a positive effect on the policies of organizations as now managers policies could be more focused on the basic needs of employees. Also the highest level need in the hierarchy that is self-actualization need has been accepted by executives and managers who are now considering it as a compelling motivator (Schultz Schultz, 1998). Herzbergs two-factor theory Frederick Herzbergs Two-Factor theory is a well known theory in the study of motivation concept. Herzberg developed this theory in 1954 while he was studying the behaviours of the workers towards their jobs (Gouws, 1995). In fact, Herzberg wanted to study the behaviour of workers in order to judge their job satisfaction measures, but over the time this study got its reputation as motivation theory due to its motivational factors (Baron et al., 2002). Beach (1980) gave his opinion this theory represents aspects that are related to motivation at work place rather than general human motivation factors. The hygiene factors may be associated with lower order needs in the Maslows hierarchy of needs. These hygiene factors are placed on a continuum from the factors which cause dissatisfaction going towards the factors which cause no dissatisfaction. The point to be noted here is that the here no dissatisfaction does not mean satisfaction, as these factor involve such kind of circumstances that help in preventing dissatisfaction but they do not lead to job satisfaction. Some examples of these hygiene factors include the job status of employees, level of supervision, work conditions, pay and benefits and interpersonal relationships (Herzberg, 1966). Motivators are the factors that produce satisfaction in the employees and the absence of these factors would result in no satisfaction rather than dissatisfaction. The presence of these factors has a positive impact on the employee performance and job productivity. These factors may be associated with Maslows higher order needs in hierarchy but they are placed on a continuum from the factors which are highly motivated to the factors that are highly unmotivated. Job contents such as pleasure of performance, recognition level, opportunities of advancement and promotion are included in motivator factors (Herzberg, 1966). This theory has shown a great impact on the organizational psychology as now organizations are giving their employees a greater opportunity to plan and perform their own job descriptions (Baron et al., 2002). The two-factor theory has been very effective in the sense that now employees get the work that is pleasurable and meaningful for them (Spector, 2003). McGregors Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Theory Y of Douglas McGregor (1960) correspond to an expansion of his thoughts on motivation to the course and organization of employees in the workplace. McGregors theory X postulates that people do not take interest in their work and try to get rid of making any effort to accomplish the task, so they have to be coerced and pressurized by some strict actions so that they perform up to the desired level. In his theory, the common man is believed to be a highly unmotivated person and lacks the sense of responsibility. He only strives to meet his lower order needs. They are selfish, and do not consider and care about organizational goals. In contrast of theory X, theory Y has a more modern approach to motivation. . it postulates that people seem to be highly motivated toward achievement of organizational goals, they are keen to discipline themselves, they are eager to take up responsibility, and are talented enough to create solutions for problems. McGregor then regarded T heory Y as a more truthful and rational description of human behaviour and attitudes, since it represents the incorporation of individual and organizational goals. However, McGregor acknowledged the fact that the theory does not propose a complete clarification for employee motivation (McGregor, 1960). McClellands learned needs theory McClellands theory is also referred as three needs theory. McClelland argues that the people who are achievement oriented strive to meet their three needs that are: the need for power (nPow), the need for affiliation (nAff), and the need for achievement (nAch). nPow denotes that people strive for a control over others, they want to influence others behaviour and be responsible for their behaviour. The nAff refers to the desire to create and uphold enjoyable relations with other around them. The nAch is the need to compete with others and to succeed in achieving goals et by the individuals themselves. According to McClelland these needs are not instinctive, but these are obtained through experience and learning (McClelland, 1987). Cognitive Theories: Cognitive theories present motivation as a process of cognition or inner thoughts, values and beliefs which are used by people when they want to make some choice regarding their behaviour at work (Schultz Schultz, 1998). Equity theory Equity theory was first introduced by Stacy Adams in 1965. Its basic principle is that individuals are motivated to attain a state of equity and fairness in their connections with other people, and with the organizations that they are working for (Adams, 1965). People make judgments or comparisons between their own and their companions or competitors inputs at workplace, e.g. their experience, qualifications, efforts and the outcomes that they receive as a result e.g. fringe benefits and pay, working conditions and status at job. Then they allocate weights to these effort and outcomes according to their significance and magnitude to themselves. The summed total of these efforts and outcomes creates an input/output ratio. This input/output ratio is the key factor in terms of motivation. A state of equity means that the output/input ratios of a person are equal to the ratio of others. If the inequity exists in this ratio, the person wants to change it by reducing one factor i.e. effort or enhancing the other one i.e. outcome. Apparent state of inequity by the person is consequently the foundation for motivation (Baron et al., 2002). This theory helped in providing the foundation to study the motivational repercussions of apparent injustice and biasness in the place of work. It also put down the basis for more fresh theories on justice (how job requirements and rewards are rewards are determined) (Cropanzano Folger, 1996). Goal-setting theory Edwin Locke proposed Goal-setting theory in 1968 (Beck, 1983). Spector (2003) portrayed this viewpoint on motivation as the theory that the internal intentions of people motivate their behaviours; it can be explained by the fact that that the behaviours are established by people needs to achieve a certain goal. Locke and Henne (1986) explained that behaviours are affected by goals in four ways. According to them, individuals are concerned with the behaviours that they believe would result in achievement of some particular goal; they assemble effort to reach the goal; they add up to the persons diligence which results in spending more time on the behaviours that are necessary to reach the preferred goal; they inspire the persons quest for successful policies for goal attainment. The prerequisites for goals before setting them are; they should be specific, challenging, attainable, need commitment, need regular feedback, and self-set by the individual. Only then individuals get motivated by the goals. Expectancy theory Vroom presented his expectancy theory in 1967 in which he argued that peoples behaviour is based on their expectations and beliefs about future events, which are extremely important and beneficial to them (Baron et al., 2002). Basically, the theory clarifies importance of rewards in establishing the behaviours of individuals. This theory is focused on internal cognitive conditions that go ahead towards motivation. It can be stated as, people are motivated to do some task only when they are sure that a certain task will lead to sme kind of rewards that are beneficial to them. The cognitive states given in expectancy theory are named as expectancy, valence and instrumentality (Spector, 2003). Expectancy means that the individual is expecting that he has the ability to perform the behaviour that is required to lead to a most wanted outcome, e.g. working hard to achieve a promotion in future. Valence stands for the value that is given to an outcome by the individual. An individual wants to know how attractive an outcome of a certain task would be for him. Instrumentality is the term used for a perceived probability of an individual that a certain behaviour will guide to the preferred outcome. Since its introduction, expectancy theory stands for a well known and important approach, but at the same time it has been disapproved on the basis that the assumption about individuals rational and calculating behaviour in their decision making process is not true in all senses. Another criticism for this theory is that fail to take into account the limited cognitive skills of individuals (Baron et al., 2002). Reinforcement Theories Reinforcement theories assume that the behaviour of people at workplace is mainly established by its apparent encouraging or harmful consequences (Baron et al., 2002). The reinforcement theories are based on the idea presented in Law of Effect. This idea was developed by Hull (1943). Hull presented his Drive theory in which he suggested that effort has a direct relationship with drive multiplied by habit. Where habit is a resultant of reinforcement of behaviour. The rewards for behaviour can be tangible, for example money and pay raise, or intangible, for example admiration of a certain behaviour (Spector, 2003). As a result, reinforcement theory has been taken as highly significant in setting up the ideas relating to rewards and monetary incentives as well as appreciation techniques. These reinforcement techniques have been practiced in many organizations now days (Schultz Schultz, 1998). Reinforcement theory is considered as out of track from other motivation theories as it does not take into account the basic factors or need for which a person wants rewards. It only takes into account the relationship between reinforcement and behaviours of employees at workplace. But its importance cannot be denied as the research on this topic has shown empirical evidence that rewards can be highly influential in the improvement of job performance (Spector, 2003). All these theories which are discussed above have added considerably towards different current viewpoints on motivation and appreciating the concept of motivation in the workplace. Undoubtedly, the theories of all the researchers and authors over the years have an impact on organizations ability to change their organizational psychology by taking effective and practical measures in order to meet the challenge of making their employees motivated and satisfied with their jobs to enhance productivity and profitability. JOB SATISFACTION The concept of job satisfaction attracts great attention by the researchers and theorists and also by the organizations these days. As its importance and popularity has been established in organizational productivity. Managers are now feeling more responsible about keeping their employees at a satisfied stage because their job satisfaction has a prime effect on the productivity of the organization (Arnold Feldman, 1986). Organizations are aware of the fact that having personnel that derive satisfaction from their work add massively towards organizational efficiency and definitive survival. Concept with such marvelous effect on organizational and personal life clearly justifies a matching amount of awareness. Definitions of Job Satisfaction Many definitions of the job satisfaction concept have been given over the time. Arnold and Feldman (1986, p.87) defined job satisfaction as the sum total of overall effect that people have towards their job. Therefore, high level of job satisfaction means that a person generally likes his work and appreciates to do so. He has a positive stance about it. McCormick and Ilgens (1980) regarded job satisfaction as a individuals approach towards his job. They added that a feeling is an exciting answer to the job, which may differ from positive to negative along a continuum. Beck (1983) further added that since a job has many unique angles, job satisfaction is essentially a summary of employee attitudes concerning all these. Theories on Job Satisfaction Beck (1983) said that theories involving the concept of job satisfaction have emotional, motivational and informational workings, as do other approaches about this concept. As we have discussed in detail these theories in the section about motivational theories, only a short summary of these theories is sufficient. Equity theory specifies that people generally want to receive what they consider a fair or equitable return for their efforts at work. Greater satisfaction is experienced if they perceive the return or reward they receive as equitable. Aim of the Study / Research Motivation As the topic of this study suggests, the basic aim of the study is concerned specifically to investigate the relationship between measures taken by the organization to motivate employees and their overall impact on the job satisfaction level of the employees. The organizations need to have a smooth line of production and business functions on a consistent basis in order to be able to perform up to the mark in accord with international standards. For this purpose they have to collect, manage and retain proficient, well trained and optimally productive personnel. The personnel of an organization play an important role in higher production and profit making but the condition is that they should be highly dedicated, devoted and faithful to the objectives of that organization. But the staff can have these characteristics only when they are satisfied with the work that they do and who are consequently motivated to continue their relationship with the organization. A systematic understanding of the nature and considerable causes of employee satisfaction and motivation, will facilitate employers in making the strategies to effect the required positive changes in motivation programs of their organization and ultimately to implement these programs to step forward towards optimal employee reliability and retention. Examples of such strategies may include selecting a number of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to boost employee motivation and to get rid of certain of its human resource policies and practices that can slow down the process of employee motivation and their satisfaction level. A huge number of researches have been conducted on employee motivation, job satisfaction and their relationship with each other, as well as on a variety of combinations thereof. After having a thorough and deep examination of historical studies, the researcher of this study became able to produce a problem statement that is related to employee motivation and job satisfaction. In this regard, this study aims to add to the already existing knowledge about motivation and job satisfaction and the implications of these terms in organizational psychology. 1.4 Problem Statement Through a deep examination of historical studies, and after a thorough research on the existing literature, the researcher of this study came to know about a strong impact of motivation policies of the companies on the job satisfaction levels of their employees. There are also many studies that show the relationship of these two aspects with many other features in an organizational culture. According to Watson (1994) business in the contemporary era has realized that motivated and satisfied personnel will show an increased production level and deliver output powerfully even to the bottom line. Schofield (1998) conducted a convincing study in which he showed with certainty that the way people are managed has a powerful impact on both productivity and profitability levels of the organization. This study established the importance of job satisfaction, employee motivation and commitment, and corporate culture in organisational capability and limits. By keeping in mind the existing literature about these two variables that are motivation and j

Bush on Cloning :: essays research papers

Human cloning is the laboratory production of individuals who are genetically identical to another human being. Cloning is achieved by putting the genetic material from a donor into a woman's egg, which has had its nucleus removed. As a result, the new or cloned embryo is an identical copy of only the donor. Human cloning has moved from science fiction into science. One biotech company has already began producing embryonic human clones for research purposes. Chinese scientists have derived stem cells from cloned embryos created by combining human DNA and rabbit eggs. Others have announced plans to produce cloned children, despite the fact that laboratory cloning of animals has lead to spontaneous abortions and terrible, terrible abnormalities. Human cloning is deeply troubling to me, and to most Americans. Life is a creation, not a commodity. (Applause.) Our children are gifts to be loved and protected, not products to be designed and manufactured. Allowing cloning would be taking a significant step toward a society in which human beings are grown for spare body parts, and children are engineered to custom specifications; and that's not acceptable. In the current debate over human cloning, two terms are being used: reproductive cloning and research cloning. Reproductive cloning involves creating a cloned embryo and implanting it into a woman with the goal of creating a child. Fortunately, nearly every American agrees that this practice should be banned. Research cloning, on the other hand, involves the creation of cloned human embryos which are then destroyed to derive stem cells. I believe all human cloning is wrong, and both forms of cloning ought to be banned, for the following reasons. First, anything other than a total ban on human cloning would be unethical. Research cloning would contradict the most fundamental principle of medical ethics, that no human life should be exploited or extinguished for the benefit of another. (Applause.) Yet a law permitting research cloning, while forbidding the birth of a cloned child, would require the destruction of nascent human life. Secondly, anything other than a total ban on human cloning would be virtually impossible to enforce. Cloned human embryos created for research would be widely available in laboratories and embryo farms. Once cloned embryos were available, implantation would take place. Even the tightest regulations and strict policing would not prevent or detect the birth of cloned babies. Third, the benefits of research cloning are highly speculative.

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe and the Virtues of Protestantism Essay

Robinson Crusoe and the Virtues of Protestantism Many people have pointed out that Robinson Crusoe's experiences on the island seem to be a reflection of the growth of civilization and society. Considering the prominent role that religion plays in the novel, it would be worthwhile to examine the progression of religious and political thought in Crusoe's "society." Through the experiences of one man, we can observe the progression of religion from the private realm to the public realm, the conflicts inherent in such a progression, and the resolution to these conflicts. This evolution of religious and political thought affirms two ideas: 1) in the personal realm, it affirms religious individualism--the idea that one can and should find his God independently from any human authority or intermediary (i.e. priests); and 2) in the public realm, the novel affirms that religious toleration, especially on the part of those in power, is the appropriate way to resolve those conflicts that are inherent in the transition of religion from the pr ivate to the public. Crusoe discovers (primarily through trial and error and constant introspection) both of these ideas and eventually succeeds in implementing both of them. He "finds God" without the guidance of anyone, and he ultimately becomes a tolerant ruler of the island with respect to religion. Surprisingly, Crusoe never lives up to his personal definition of a "good Christian." But perhaps this is just a touch or realism by Defoe, since Crusoe is otherwise so successful at recognizing religious individualism and instituting religious toleration on the island, both of which are very important to Defoe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first step in the religious progression of Crusoe is his personal di... ...bsolute morality of Christianity, primarily with regard to cannibals and others whom God had apparently chosen to be left in the dark (this question pops up multiple times--142, 151, 168). For in these "questioning" scenes, Crusoe does not exempt Protestantism from critique; he is questioning Christianity in general, and whether or not its hold on truth is real or illusory. It seems to me that Defoe was concerned with religious toleration for more than selfish reasons; he saw religious toleration as a moral responsibility of all Christians, including Catholics and Protestants, and as the only resolution to the conflict between the personal and public realms of religion. So Robinson Crusoe turns out to be just as concerned about toleration in general as it is about the virtues of Protestantism. At least in Robinson Crusoe, Defoe turned out to be fairly open-minded.

Antonio Vivaldi and the music of his time :: essays papers

Antonio Vivaldi and the music of his time Throughout history there have been many distinct periods of time. These various eras are all alike in a way because they all slowly flow into each other. One of these unique times was called the Baroque period. The Baroque time began during the 1600's and ended early during the early 1700's. The way Baroque music was looked at was varied depending on where you looked at it from. In Italy, it was largely energetic and spectacular. Yet, if you were to travel North, you would encounter the "gloom's of muted firelight." This, along with the "shadowy pales of another world," simply means that this music wasn't greatly appreciated in Southern Italy, as it was more towards the North. The people of the North were not as affectionate towards this type of music. Although, the more time that had passed in the 1600's, the more popular the baroque music became. It was greatly adored by the listeners. The beauty that this type of music contained was extremely astonishing. Also the drama in this type of music and theatre was what made this time stand out from the rest. The actual term "baroque" is extracted from "baroco" which is a name used by medieval philosophers to identify a reasoning that writers of the 16th century found absurd and pointless. On the contrary, Baroque music is far from being absurd or pointless. The word "baroque" is derived from that or from the word "barrochio" that is an Italian word used since the middle ages to indicate shifty or tricky procedures. Wherever it's beginnings, the word "baroque" had been used since the 18th century to indicate paintings, poems, architecture, literature, and all else that is dynamic, dramatic, and to some eyes, astonishing and incredibly even ugly. This really comes to a surprise to me because I've listened to baroque music like Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach and none of the music struck me as being "ugly." The first word that came to mind when I was listening was "relaxing." Like all other music, there are some people that think higher of it then others. Sir Francis Bacon said, "^Ã…I cannot but be raised to this persuasion, that this third period of time will far surpass that of the Grecian and Roman learning^Ã…" After reading this quotation you can clearly see that Sir Francis Bacon thinks the Baroque time is far superior to the Grecian and Roman periods. Antonio Vivaldi and the music of his time :: essays papers Antonio Vivaldi and the music of his time Throughout history there have been many distinct periods of time. These various eras are all alike in a way because they all slowly flow into each other. One of these unique times was called the Baroque period. The Baroque time began during the 1600's and ended early during the early 1700's. The way Baroque music was looked at was varied depending on where you looked at it from. In Italy, it was largely energetic and spectacular. Yet, if you were to travel North, you would encounter the "gloom's of muted firelight." This, along with the "shadowy pales of another world," simply means that this music wasn't greatly appreciated in Southern Italy, as it was more towards the North. The people of the North were not as affectionate towards this type of music. Although, the more time that had passed in the 1600's, the more popular the baroque music became. It was greatly adored by the listeners. The beauty that this type of music contained was extremely astonishing. Also the drama in this type of music and theatre was what made this time stand out from the rest. The actual term "baroque" is extracted from "baroco" which is a name used by medieval philosophers to identify a reasoning that writers of the 16th century found absurd and pointless. On the contrary, Baroque music is far from being absurd or pointless. The word "baroque" is derived from that or from the word "barrochio" that is an Italian word used since the middle ages to indicate shifty or tricky procedures. Wherever it's beginnings, the word "baroque" had been used since the 18th century to indicate paintings, poems, architecture, literature, and all else that is dynamic, dramatic, and to some eyes, astonishing and incredibly even ugly. This really comes to a surprise to me because I've listened to baroque music like Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach and none of the music struck me as being "ugly." The first word that came to mind when I was listening was "relaxing." Like all other music, there are some people that think higher of it then others. Sir Francis Bacon said, "^Ã…I cannot but be raised to this persuasion, that this third period of time will far surpass that of the Grecian and Roman learning^Ã…" After reading this quotation you can clearly see that Sir Francis Bacon thinks the Baroque time is far superior to the Grecian and Roman periods.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 21

Twenty-one Gabe and Theo â€Å"This is where I found the aberrant rats,† Gabe said as they pulled into the Fly Rod Trailer Court. â€Å"That's nice,† Theo said, not really paying attention. â€Å"Did I tell you I got the brain chemistry back from Stanford? It's interesting, but I'm not sure that it explains the behavior.† â€Å"Not now, Gabe, please.† Theo slammed on the brakes and the truck rocked to a stop. â€Å"What the hell?† There were no lights on in Molly Michon's trailer. In the empty lot next door, a dozen well-dressed adults stood in a circle, holding candles. â€Å"Prayer meeting?† Gabe ventured. â€Å"It's Sunday night.† â€Å"There was a trailer there last time I was here,† Theo said. â€Å"Just like the one on the ranch.† â€Å"I know. This is the lot where I found the rats with the low serotonin levels.† Theo shut off the truck, set the parking brake, and climbed out. Then he looked back at Gabe. â€Å"You found your rats right here?† â€Å"The six that I could find. But this is where the other ones that were last tracked disappeared as well. I can show you the graphic later.† â€Å"That would be good.† Theo pulled his flannel shirt over the guns in his waistband and approached the circle. Skinner jumped out of the truck and ran ahead. Gabe reluctantly followed. They did, indeed, seem to be praying. Their heads were bowed and a woman in a powder-blue dress and pillbox hat was leading the group. â€Å"Bless us, Lord, for we have felt the stirrings of your power within us and heeded your call to come to this holy place on the eve of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Skinner drove his nose into the woman's crotch, and she yipped like a bee-stung poodle. Everyone in the group looked up. â€Å"Excuse me,† Theo said. â€Å"I don't mean to interrupt, but what are you all doing here?† Several of the men looked irritated and stepped up behind the powder-blue woman to give support. The woman held Skinner's nose away from her dress while trying to keep the candle flame away from her hair spray. â€Å"Constable Crowe? Is that right?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am,† Theo said. The woman was younger than he was by at least five years and pretty in a Texas Big Hair sort of way, but her dress and manner of speaking made him feel as if he'd just been busted by his first-grade teacher for eating paste. â€Å"We've been called here, Constable,† the woman explained. She reached behind her, grabbed the shoulder of a woman who looked like her clone in pink, and pulled her forward. Skinner stamped the pink woman's dress with the Wet-Nose Inspection Seal. â€Å"Margie and I felt it first, but when we started talking about it after services this afternoon, all these other people said that they had felt drawn to this place as well. The Holy Spirit has moved us here.† â€Å"Ask them if they've seen any rats.† Gabe said. â€Å"Call your dog,† Theo tossed over his shoulder. Gabe called Skinner and the Labrador looked around. They smell fine to me, Food Guy. I say fuck 'em, Skinner thought. But he got no response except a minor scolding. â€Å"The Holy Spirit called you here?† Theo said. Everyone in the group nodded earnestly. â€Å"Did any of you happen to see the woman who lives in that trailer next door?† The pink lady chimed in, â€Å"Oh yes, she was the one to call our attention to this place two nights ago. We wondered about that at first, being as how she is and all, but then Katie pointed out† – she gestured to her friend – â€Å"that our Lord Jesus spent time with Mary Magdalene, and she, as I'm sure you know, was – well – she was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A whore,† Theo offered. â€Å"Well. Yes. And so we thought, who are we to judge?† â€Å"Very charitable of you,† Theo said. â€Å"But have you seen Molly Michon tonight?† â€Å"No, not tonight.† Theo felt his energy reserves drain even more. â€Å"Look, folks, you shouldn't be here. I'm not sure it's safe. Some people have gone missing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh, that poor boy,† Margie said. â€Å"Yes and maybe some others. I have to ask you all to take your meeting somewhere else, please.† The group looked disappointed. One of the men, a portly bald fellow in his fifties, puffed himself up and stepped forward. â€Å"Constable, we have the right to worship when and where we please.† â€Å"I'm just thinking of your safety,† Theo said. â€Å"This country was founded on the basis of religious freedom, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Theo stepped up to the man and loomed over him with all of his six-footsix frame, â€Å"Then start praying that I don't throw you in jail with the biggest, horniest sodomite the country jail has to offer, which is what I'm going to do if you all don't go home right now.† â€Å"Smooth,† Gabe said. Make him roll over and pee on himself, Skinner thought. The bald man made a harumph sound and turned to the group. â€Å"Let's meet at the church to discuss the removal of our local law enforcement official.† â€Å"Yeah, get in line,† Theo said. He watched as the group dispersed to their cars and drove away. When the last one pulled out, Gabe said, â€Å"Theories?† Theo shook his head. â€Å"Everyone in this town is nuts. I'm going to check Molly's trailer, but I doubt she's there. Do you want me to take you home to shower and change clothes before your date?† Gabe looked down at his stained work pants and safari shirt. â€Å"Do you think I should?† â€Å"Gabe, you're the only guy I know that makes me look suave.† â€Å"You're coming along, right?† â€Å"Casanova,† Theo said. â€Å"Compared to you, I feel like Casanova.† â€Å"What?† Gabe said. â€Å"It's fried chicken night at H.P.'s.† Steve Steve lay under a stand of cypress trees, his new lover snuggled up to his right foreleg, snoring softly. He let his tongue slide out and the tip just brushed her bare back. She moaned and nuzzled closer to his leg. She tasted pretty good. But he had eaten all those other warmbloods and he wasn't really hungry. When he had been a female, some fifty years ago, and going back another five thousand, he had become accustomed to eating his lovers after mating. That's just how it was done. But as a male, he wasn't sure. He hadn't mated with his own species since he'd become male, and so the instinct to become passive after mating was new to him. He just didn't feel like eating the warmblood. She had made him feel better, and for some reason, he could see the pictures of her thoughts instead of just sending his own sig-nals. He sensed no fear in her, and no need to send the signal to draw her to him. Strange for a warmblood. He lay his head down on the bed of cypress needles to sleep and let his wounds heal. He could eat her later. Somewhere in the back of his brain, as he fell asleep, a fear alarm went off. In five thousand years of life, he had never conceived of the concept of later or before, only now. His DNA had rechained itself many times, adapted to changes without waiting for the life cycles of generations – he was a unique organism in that way – but the concept of time, of memory beyond the cellular level, was a new adapt-ation. Through his contact with Molly he was evolving consciousness, and like the pragmatic mechanism that it is, nature was trying to warn him. The nightmare was about to have a nightmare. Val Is this a date? Val sat alone at a table in the back of H.P.'s Cafe. She'd ordered a glass of a local chardonnay and was trying to form an opinion about it that would reflect the appropriate disgust, but unfortunately, it was quite good. She was wearing light evening makeup and an understated raw silk suit in indigo with a single string of pearls so as not to clash too badly with her date, who she knew would be in jeans or cotton khaki. Her date? If this is a date, how far have I sunk? she asked herself. This tacky little cafe in this tacky little town, waiting for a man who had probably never worn a tux or a Rolex, and she was looking forward to it. No, it's not a date. It's just dinner. It's sustenance. It's, for once, not eating alone. Slumming in the land of the folksy and the neighborly, that's what it is. It's a satirical performance art experience; call it The Bourgeois Fried Chicken Follies. It was one thing to read her journals over coffee in the local cafe, but dinner? Gabe Fenton came through the front door and Val felt her pulse quicken. She smiled in spite of herself as she watched the waitress point to her table. Then Theo Crowe was following Gabe across the restaurant and a bolt of anxiety shot up her spine. This definitely isn't a date. Gabe smiled and the lines around his eyes crinkled as if he were about to burst out laughing. He extended his hand to her. â€Å"Hi, I hope you don't mind, I asked Theo to join us.† His hair was combed, as was his beard, and he was wearing a faded but clean chambray shirt. Not exactly dashing, but a pretty good-looking guy in a lumber-jack sort of way. â€Å"No, please,† Val said. â€Å"Sit down, Theo.† Theo nodded and pulled a chair up to the table, which had been set for two. The waitress breezed in with another place setting before they were seated. â€Å"I'm sorry to intrude,† Theo said, â€Å"but Gabe insisted.† â€Å"No, really, you're welcome, Constable.† â€Å"Theo, please.† â€Å"Theo then,† Val said. She forced a smile. What now? The last time she had talked to this man it had thrown her life for a loop. She found herself building a resentment for Gabe that was usually reserved for relationships that were years old. Theo cleared his throat. â€Å"Uh, can we go on the doctor-patient confidentiality plan again, Doctor?† Val nodded to Gabe, â€Å"That usually implies a session. Not dinner.† â€Å"Okay, then, don't say anything, but Joseph Leander killed his wife.† Val didn't say, â€Å"Wow.† Almost, but she didn't. â€Å"And you know this because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because he told me so,† Theo said. â€Å"He gave her tea made from foxglove. Evidently, it can cause heart failure and is almost undetectable. Then he hung her in the dining room.† â€Å"So you've arrested him?† â€Å"No, I don't know where he is.† â€Å"But you've put a warrant out for his arrest or whatever it is that you do? â€Å"No, I'm not sure that I'm still the constable.† Gabe broke in. â€Å"We've been talking about it, Val. I say that Theo is an elected official, and therefore the only way he can lose his job is through impeachment, even if his immediate superior tries to kill him. What do you think?† â€Å"Kill him?† â€Å"Smooth,† Theo said, grinning at Gabe. â€Å"Oh, maybe you should tell her about the crank lab and stuff, Theo.† And so Theo explained, telling the story of his kidnapping, the drug lab, Joseph Leander's disappearance, and Molly Michon setting him free, but leaving out any theories he had about a giant creature. During the telling, they ordered (fried chicken for Theo and Gabe, a Greek salad for Val) and were halfway through dinner before Theo stopped talking. Val stared at her salad and silence washed over the table. If there was going to be a murder investigation, she could be found out. And if they found out what she had done to her patients, her career was over. She might even go to jail. It wasn't fair, she really had tried to do the right thing for once. She resisted the urge to blurt out a confession – to throw herself on the mercy of a court born of sheer paranoia. Instead she raised her eyes to Gabe, who took the signal to break the silence. Gabe said, â€Å"And I still don't know the significance of the low serotonin levels in the rats' brains.† â€Å"Huh?† said not only Val and Theo, but the waitress, Jenny, who had been eavesdropping from the next table and joined the confusion at Gabe's non sequitur. â€Å"Sorry,† Gabe said to Val. â€Å"I thought you might have a take on the brain chemistry of those rats I had tested. You said you were interested.† â€Å"And I am,† Val said, lying through her teeth, â€Å"but I'm a little overwhelmed by the news about Bess Leander.† â€Å"Right, anyway, the group of rats that didn't take part in the mass migration all had unusually low levels of serotonin. The brain chemistry of the larger group, the group that ran, was all in normal ranges. So I'm thinking that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"They were depressed,† Val said. â€Å"Pardon me?† Gabe said. â€Å"Of course they're depressed, they're rats,† Theo said. Gabe glared at him. â€Å"Well, imagine waking up to that every morning,† Theo continued. â€Å"‘Oh, it's a great day, crap, I'm still a rat. Never mind.'† â€Å"Well, I don't know about rats,† Val said, â€Å"but serotonin levels in humans affect a lot of different things, predominantly mood. Low levels of serotonin can indicate depression. That's how Prozac works. It basically keeps sero-tonin in the brain to keep the patient from getting depressed. So maybe Gabe's rats were too depressed to run.† Gabe stroked his beard. â€Å"I never thought of that. But it doesn't help that much. It doesn't tell me why the majority of the rats did run.† â€Å"Well, duh, Gabe,† Theo said. â€Å"It's the fucking monster.† â€Å"What?† Val said. â€Å"What?† said Jenny, who was lingering nearby. â€Å"Can we get some dessert menus?† Gabe asked, sending Jenny backing across the restaurant. â€Å"Monster?† Val said. â€Å"Maybe you'd better explain, Gabe,† Theo said. â€Å"I think your scientific skepticism will make it sound more credible.† Val's jaw dropped visibly as she listened to Gabe talk about the tracks at the ranch, the mutilated cattle, and Theo's theory for the disappearances of Joseph Leander, Mikey Plotznik, and perhaps Les from the hardware store. When Gabe brought up Molly Michon, Val stopped him. â€Å"You can't believe what she tells you. Molly is a very disturbed woman.† â€Å"She didn't tell me anything,† Theo said. â€Å"I just think she knows something about all this.† Val wanted to call up Theo's drug history to sweep the story aside, then she remembered what Estelle Boyet had told her in therapy. â€Å"I'm not going to say who, but one of my patients mentioned a sea monster in session.† Gabe asked. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"I can't say,† Val said. â€Å"Estelle Boyet,† Jenny said as she came up to get the dessert order. â€Å"Damn,† Val said. â€Å"I wasn't the one who told you,† she said to Theo. â€Å"Well, she was talking about it over breakfast with that Catfish guy,† Jenny added. â€Å"No dessert,† Val snapped at Jenny. â€Å"I'll bring the check.† â€Å"So Estelle has seen it?† Theo asked. â€Å"No, she says she's heard it. She's not the type to propagate a hoax, but I wouldn't put it past Molly Michon. Perhaps that's where the rumor started. I can ask Estelle.† â€Å"Do that,† Theo said. â€Å"But it's not a hoax. My car is smashed. That's evidence. I'm going to Molly's tonight and wait for her. The door was unlocked when I checked earlier and I can't go home.† â€Å"You think it's that dangerous?† Val asked. â€Å"I know it is.† Theo stood and started to pull some bills from his pocket. Gabe waved him off. Theo said, â€Å"Doctor, can you give Gabe a ride?† â€Å"Sure, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thanks,† Theo said. â€Å"I'll call you, Gabe. Thanks for letting me join you, Doctor. I thought you'd want to know about Bess. I'm afraid I've ruined your date.† I'll say, Val thought as she watched Theo leave the restaurant. A sense of alert exhaustion washed over her like an espresso fog bank. â€Å"He just quit smoking pot,† Gabe said. â€Å"He's feeling the stress.† â€Å"He has a right to. You don't believe any of that stuff about a monster, do you?† â€Å"I have some theories.† â€Å"Would you like to come up to the house and explain them over a bottle of wine?† â€Å"Really? I mean, sure, that would be nice.† â€Å"Good,† Val said. â€Å"I think I need to get hammered and I'd like your company.† Had she used the term â€Å"hammered† since college? She didn't think so. â€Å"I'll get the check,† Gabe said. â€Å"Of course you will.† â€Å"I hope you don't mind having a dog in your car,† Gabe said. I'm not slumming, she thought. I've moved to the slums.

Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality

Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality PSY250 As research into personality progressed, scientists began to look beyond psychoanalysis and trait theories for other explanations into how personality develops. They started to look at the biological factors that influence personality formation (Hans Eysenck, Jeffrey Gray, Sir Francis Galton (genetic study of twins)), the effect of growth needs on personality formation (Abraham Maslow), and the basic aspects of the humanistic personality theory and how it compares to the biological explanation of personality formation (Eric Fromm, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow). These topics will be considered in more detail in the following discussion. Although environment plays a part in personality, genes also make significant contributions. Some genetic disorders, such as Angelman or Williams syndrome are characterized by excessive happiness and friendliness. Biological aspects of a person’s temperament, such as introversion/extroversion, actively, and impulsively, also help shape the personality. Studies of identical twins have shown that twins separated at birth and raised in different environments still share many personality traits. Therefore, we are not simply blank slates totally influenced by what our environment writes on us. Responses to certain environmental stimuli seem to be hard-wired into our nervous system and endocrine systems. Electroencephalograms (EEG) have shown that, at a very basic level, extroverts show less arousal to stimulation then introverts do. Hans Eysenck theorized that because of this low level of arousal, extroverts seek out stimulating circumstances while introverts, who may be receiving too much stimulation from the environment, try to â€Å"get away from it all† by shying away from stimulating environments. Differences in activation of the brain’s hemispheres may also effect personality formation. Greater activation of the right hemisphere, which is believed to have a role in negative emotions, may cause over reaction to negative stimuli. On the other hand, higher activation of the left hemisphere, thought to play a role in positive emotions, could result in more powerful reactions to positive stimuli. Jeffrey Gray proposed the idea that our nervous systems may be responsible for influencing whether we are more motivated by punishment or reward. Disruption in the function of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin can also effect personality. Will Sheldon expanded on Ernest Kretschmer’s ideas that body type might be connected to certain mental disorders and applied them to the general population. Sheldon developed three body types and associated personality characteristics: mesomorphs – muscular, large-boned; athletic, ectomorphs – slender; studious, and endomorphs – roly-poly; good-natured. Sheldon’s ideas were too simplistic, but it might be possible that certain biological factors could affect both personality and body type. Social influences may affect body type, which may in turn affect how others react. Both aspects can influence personality development. â€Å"A stable personality depends on a healthy, well-functional brain† ( was this supposed to be cited) Certain diseases and disorders can change can change or destroy one’s personality. Strokes damage part of the brain and can cause a dramatic change in personality. Pick’s disease also causes deterioration of the brain. It may cause a marked change in in a person’s beliefs or preferences. Alzheimer’s disease, as the disease becomes advanced, seems to result in total loss of personality. Postpartum depression is triggered by a biological process. Severe, untreated symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, and persistent disturbing thoughts of suicide, being possessed, or harming the infant. Environmental toxins, such as mercury, and both legal and illegal drugs, including Valium, Prozac, cocaine, and herion, can result in biological changes to the body that may temporarily or permanently alter personality. Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Theories of personalities have been studied for many decades. The biological and humanistic approaches to personality have both become infamous in studying the science behind personality. Abraham Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs because he did not believe that the conditioning theories adequately portrayed the complexity of human behavior. In analyzing both the biological and humanistic theories, one can see where Maslow may have been right in that assumption. The basic perceptions of humanistic and biological theories vary significantly. There are some basic ideas behind humanistic psychology. Humanists focus on the present rather than looking at the past or toward the future. Well individuals should take responsibility for themself; regardless of the actions and every individual possess inherent worth. Even negative actions do not negate the value of the person. The achievement of personal growth and understanding is the goal of life (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). On the other hand biological theorists believe that genetics can determine a person’s personality. Some concepts state that even if biology plays no direct role in personality, the way a person looks affects how one sees himself/herself and how others interrelate with him/her. This unintended affect controls how a person develops into adulthood. Biological viewpoints teach that intelligence and genes could define a person’s personality. Temperament and mental disorders are thought to be determined by biology. Humanistic theories seem to be generalized, though biological theories are overcomplicated. Although they are wide-ranging opposites in their concepts, together they contain the essence of personality. Abraham Maslow, a humanistic psychologist believed that the people are not controlled by the mechanical forces which include the reinforcement and stimuli forces of behaviorism or some unconscious instinctual impulse of the psychoanalysis. He placed his main focus on what people can really do as opposed to their limitations. His hierarchy of needs has established a major precedence on which human interactions can follow so as to make sure that they achieve productive as well as agreeable outcome. The main essence is to actually prepare people for common existence with themselves and those who are around. The essence of humanistic psychology is usually similar to cognitive psychology as it does acknowledge behavior more than just a stimulus that is determined and hence recognizes perception as the actual essence of actions and behavior (Valiunas, 2012). His hierarchy of needs does represent how exactly growth ought to influence formation of personality. He developed his personality theory in relation to the needs of people. It shows the main influences of human needs to formation of their unique personalities. Maslow contemplates that each trait of human functioning conveys to a complete individual. Maslow consequently referred to these functions as the hierarchy of needs. In his theory Maslow states that there are five key categories of an individual needs. The initial category is physiological needs such as food, water, air, clothing, shelter, and sleep. Previous to realizing or achieving the needs on this level it becomes unfeasible to even consider the next category (Valiunas, 2012). The following category is related to safety, which basically assimilates the need for feeling safe and secured. The third of category in Maslow hierarchy of needs comprises the sense of belonging, needs, and love. It is rational because once an individual is secured then he/she can demand for sense of belonging and love. The next category has to do with self-esteem; it encompasses the need for education, respect, self-competence, and achievement. This is a very important level of needs to an individual’s personality; this level is where an individual focuses his/her energy to feeling proficient, they learn to respect him/her, and to respect others. According to Maslow’s theory, needs impact individual personality in a way that before they hit the highest point of need in the hierarchy one feels discouraged consequently affecting his/her personality. Individuals in the first category do not believe in themselves and be deficient in motivation in life, and tend to implicate different personality compared to those on the highest category of needs. Those on first category of needs will tend to also lack confidence in whatever they do as opposed to those who have achieved self- actualization (Valiunas, 2012). Biological factors are related to some extent with the Maslow’s hierarchy of personality because biological factors for example brains, heredity and physical characteristics are needed during the growth level. There are two biological factors that influence the formation of personality of an individual, heredity and environment factor. Inheritance of a trait is pertinent to individual's personality (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Basically, individuals inherit a propensity towards a definite structure and propensity to function in definite ways, thus influencing the individual personality development. On the environmental factor, the contact between the mother and a child for biological fulfillment play an important function in personality growth. Care and love enhance a sense of protection and security. Humanistic theories of personality do represent an affirmative view of human behavior. Personality is usually defined as the organized as well as the dynamic set of various characteristics which are possessed by people and which influences their cognitions, behavior as well as their motivations (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Humanistic psychology does emphasize that people do have a free will and do play active role in the determining of how exactly they tend to behave. Humanistic psychology usually focuses on the subjective experience of individuals as opposed to definitive and forced factors which determine behavior. Maslow does believe that all people who are interested in growing ought to move towards the self-actualization level of happiness and satisfaction. The psychological perspectives on expansion of personality do remain influential which comprises of humanistic perspective, isodynamic and existential perspectives, and cognitive, sociocultural and behavioral perspective (Valiunas, 2012). There are many factors that determine our personality. Some of these factors are either humanistic or biological. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and humanistic personality’s theory play a major role in the formation of one’s personality and so are the biological factors. Though humanistic and biological theories are opposites, they do comprise of the main essence of personality and the blend between these two theories creates effective results. While humanistic and biological theories have many differences and fewer similarities, both theories try to address the issues of personality and try to give a better understanding of personality traits. Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality PSY250 As research into personality progressed, scientists began to look beyond psychoanalysis and trait theories for other explanations into how personality develops. They started to look at the biological factors that influence personality formation (Hans Eysenck, Jeffrey Gray, Sir Francis Galton (genetic study of twins)), the effect of growth needs on personality formation (Abraham Maslow), and the basic aspects of the humanistic personality theory and how it compares to the biological explanation of personality formation (Eric Fromm, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow). These topics will be considered in more detail in the following discussion. Although environment plays a part in personality, genes also make significant contributions. Some genetic disorders, such as Angelman or Williams syndrome are characterized by excessive happiness and friendliness. Biological aspects of a person’s temperament, such as introversion/extroversion, actively, and impulsively, also help shape the personality. Studies of identical twins have shown that twins separated at birth and raised in different environments still share many personality traits. Therefore, we are not simply blank slates totally influenced by what our environment writes on us. Responses to certain environmental stimuli seem to be hard-wired into our nervous system and endocrine systems. Electroencephalograms (EEG) have shown that, at a very basic level, extroverts show less arousal to stimulation then introverts do. Hans Eysenck theorized that because of this low level of arousal, extroverts seek out stimulating circumstances while introverts, who may be receiving too much stimulation from the environment, try to â€Å"get away from it all† by shying away from stimulating environments. Differences in activation of the brain’s hemispheres may also effect personality formation. Greater activation of the right hemisphere, which is believed to have a role in negative emotions, may cause over reaction to negative stimuli. On the other hand, higher activation of the left hemisphere, thought to play a role in positive emotions, could result in more powerful reactions to positive stimuli. Jeffrey Gray proposed the idea that our nervous systems may be responsible for influencing whether we are more motivated by punishment or reward. Disruption in the function of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin can also effect personality. Will Sheldon expanded on Ernest Kretschmer’s ideas that body type might be connected to certain mental disorders and applied them to the general population. Sheldon developed three body types and associated personality characteristics: mesomorphs – muscular, large-boned; athletic, ectomorphs – slender; studious, and endomorphs – roly-poly; good-natured. Sheldon’s ideas were too simplistic, but it might be possible that certain biological factors could affect both personality and body type. Social influences may affect body type, which may in turn affect how others react. Both aspects can influence personality development. â€Å"A stable personality depends on a healthy, well-functional brain† ( was this supposed to be cited) Certain diseases and disorders can change can change or destroy one’s personality. Strokes damage part of the brain and can cause a dramatic change in personality. Pick’s disease also causes deterioration of the brain. It may cause a marked change in in a person’s beliefs or preferences. Alzheimer’s disease, as the disease becomes advanced, seems to result in total loss of personality. Postpartum depression is triggered by a biological process. Severe, untreated symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, and persistent disturbing thoughts of suicide, being possessed, or harming the infant. Environmental toxins, such as mercury, and both legal and illegal drugs, including Valium, Prozac, cocaine, and herion, can result in biological changes to the body that may temporarily or permanently alter personality.