Psychology in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psychology in Practice - Essay Example Others have mentioned the idea of similarity and relatedness, indicating that a person is more likely to help another based on a genetic appraisal of the situation and the desire to help those of his or her specific gene pool. Another prosocial idea is that persons behave according to the theory of reciprocal altruism, in which persons help others in the expectation of receiving something in return. Persons might also help others when faced with guilt or the need to repay a good deed that was previously done to them. This is known as guilt or reparative altruism (Wetering). On the other hand, situations exist in which persons might not be inclined to help. Situations of moralistic aggression may arise, in which people feel that others are taking advantage of their altruistic tendencies, and in such cases they might not be inclined to help. Such is often the case in larger cities where cheaters are apt to exist. Subtle cheating and mimicry abound, through which people might pretend to be in distress in order to elicit altruistic behaviour. Such situations are likely to cause moralistic aggression to arise in persons as a protective mechanism (Wetering). The social setting also determines the type of behaviour one can expect from a person. According to the Darley and Latanà © study done in 1968, a person is more likely to help another if he or she is the only available helper in the situation. This theory is akin to others concerning crowds. Areas that are crowded or busy tend to contain people who are less likely to help in a dire situation. This might be due to their being in a hurry or it might hinge on the idea that crowds or busier areas are more likely to contain opportunistic persons. In such cases patterns might also obtain so that despite such variables as cultural or societal norms, in a crowd, the bystander

Evidence-based effects of exercise on the body Research Paper

Evidence-based effects of exercise on the body - Research Paper Example There were thirty four participants, 18 females and 16 males who were divided into two groups, one group had to read for forty minutes every day for a span of two weeks, where as the other group had to exercise for forty minutes for the same time span of two weeks. The results showed there was a difference noticed in the people who were doing exercise than those who were reading. There was a significance difference noticed in the body image of participants, with no effect on body weight or shape. This study is very beneficial for exercise promotions as the findings of this research paper can help in forming a strategy in order to encourage exercise and workout programs. However, it is also argued that this study is very limited as it has not included or studied other moderators affecting forces that might affect the change in body image and/or weight. Therefore, the findings of this study has to be further studied and different outside forces have to be included and tested for the accuracy and reliability of this research (Appleton,

Race And Crime In The United States Criminology Essay

Race And Crime In The United States Criminology Essay The relationship between race and crime in the United States has been a topic of public controversy and scholarly debate for more than a century.[1] Since the 1980s, the debate has centered around the causes of and contributing factors to the disproportional representation of racial minorities (particularly African Americans, hence Black crime) at all stages of the criminal justice system, including arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations.[2] Many theories of causation have been proposed, the most prominent of which assume predominantly social and/or environmental causes, though notable exceptions argue for a reconsideration of the role of biology.[3] Sociologist Orlando Patterson has summarized the controversy as a dispute between liberal and conservative criminologists in which both parties focus on a single aspect of the causal net, with liberals focusing on factors external to the groups in question and conservatives focusing on internal cultural and behavioral factors.[4] History Further information: Anthropological criminology http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/WEB_DuBois_1918.jpg/150px-WEB_DuBois_1918.jpg http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the pioneers in the study of race and crime in the United States. The relationship between race and crime has been an area of study for criminologists since the emergence of anthropological criminology in the late 19th century.[5] Cesare Lombroso, founder of the Italian school of criminology, argued that criminal behavior was the product of biological factors, including race. This biological perspective was criticized by early 20th century scholars, including Frances Kellor, Johan Thorsten Sellin and William Du Bois, who argued that other circumstances, such as social and economic conditions, were the central factors which led to criminal behavior, regardless of race. Du Bois traced the causes of the disproportional representation of Blacks in the criminal justice system back to the improperly handled emancipation of Black slaves in general and the convict leasing program in particular. In 1901, he wrote: There are no reliable statistics to which one can safely appeal to measure exactly the growth of crime among the emancipated slaves. About seventy per cent of all prisoners in the South are black; this, however, is in part explained by the fact that accused Negroes are still easily convicted and get long sentences, while whites still continue to escape the penalty of many crimes even among themselves. And yet allowing for all this, there can be no reasonable doubt but that there has arisen in the South since the [civil] war a class of black criminals, loafers, and neer-do-wells who are a menace to their fellows, both black and white.[6] The debate that ensued remained largely academic until the late 20th century, when the relationship between race and crime became a recognized field of specialized study in criminology. As Helen T. Greene and Shaun L. Gabbidon, professor of criminal justice at Pennsylvania State University, note in their recently published Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (2009), many criminology and criminal justice programs now either require or offer elective courses on the topic of the relationship between race and crime.[7] Crime rate statistics Murder and non-negligent homicide There were 14,180 victims and 16,277 perpetrators of murder and non-negligent homicide reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI in 2008.[25] The following table presents the racial demographics of murder in the United States for 2008 (with other including Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander American):[26] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Offendersà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Black victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Other victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Unknown victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 32.8% 48.2% 83.3% 7.6% 30.0% 37.0% Black 36.5% 47.8% 13.8% 90.0% 16.7% 29.0% Other 1.7% 2.3% 1.2% 0.3% 52.0% 3.0% Unknown 29.0% 1.7% 1.6% 2.1% 1.2% 31.0% African Americans, constituting approximately 12% of the general population, were significantly overrepresented in the total arrests made. African Americans were also significantly overrepresented in victimization, representing 47% of all murder victims. White Americans and individuals of Other race were significantly underrepresented in cases of murder and non-negligible homicide in 2008. Murder in White American and African American populations were overwhelmingly intraracial, with 83% of all White victims and 90% of all Black victims having been murdered by individuals of the same race. The same was true, though to a lesser degree, for individuals of Other race, with 52% having been murdered by individuals also of Other race. [edit] Non-lethal violent crime Law enforcement agencies made 2,487 arrests for forcible rape, 27,476 arrests for robbery and 42,779 arrests for aggravated assault in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these non-lethal violent crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rapeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Robberyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Aggravated assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 58.3% 65.2% 41.7% 63.3% Black 39.4% 32.2% 56.7% 34.2% Native 1.2% 1.2% 0.7% 1.4% Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1% 1.4% 0.9% 1.2% White Americans were arrested more than any other race for non-lethal violent crimes in 2008, making up 58% of all arrests. White Americans, constituted approximately 79% of the total population. This survey does not make a distinction between non hispanic whites and hispanic whites. Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans, constituted approximately 4% of the total population made up only 1% of total arrests. African Americans contituted approximately 12% of the population, and made up 39% of all arrests for non-lethal violent crimes in 2008. The following table presents the racial and ethnic demographics of non-lethal violent crime victimization per 1000 persons age 12 or older in 2008 (with other including Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander American):[28] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rapeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Robberyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Aggravated assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Simple assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 18.1 0.6 1.6 3.0 12.8 Black 25.9 1.9 5.5 5.3 13.3 Hispanic 16.4 0.6 3.4 3.5 8.9 Other 15.2 0.9 3.0 2.8 8.5 Multi 51.6 1.9 6.8 6.8 36.1 Multiracial Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates 2 to 3 times higher than White Americans, African Americans, and individuals of Other race. Hispanic Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates lower than that of non-Hispanic White Americans and African Americans. With the exception of simple assault, African Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates significantly higher than those of White Americans, Hispanic Americans, and individuals of Other race. [edit] Property crime Law enforcement agencies made 235,407 arrests for burglary, 979,145 arrests for larceny/theft, 74,881 arrests for motor vehicle theft and 10,734 arrests for arson in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these property crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Burglaryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Larceny-theftà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Motor vehicle theftà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Arsonà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 67.4% 66.8% 68.1% 59.7% 78.8% Black 30.1% 31.4% 29.3% 38.1% 21.7% Native 1.2% 0.9% 1.3% 1.1% 1.2% Asian/Pacific Islander 1.3% 0.9% 1.4% 1.2% 1.2% White Americans (including hispanics and non hispanics) were arrested more than any other race for property crimes in 2008, making up 67% of all arrests. With the exception of arson, White Americans were significantly underrepresented in all property crimes, as were Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans. African Americans were significantly overrepresented in all forms of property crime, making up 30% of all arrests. [edit] Racially motivated hate crime There were 3,870 incidents of racially motivated hate crime reported in 2007, with 4,724 individual offenses, 4,956 victims and 3,707 known offenders.[29] The following table presents the racial demographics of these hates crimes in the United States for 2007:[30] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Offendersà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Whiteà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Blackà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Nativeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Asian/Pac. Isl.à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Multià ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 45.9% 18.3% 18.5% 54.1% 58.6% 41.5% 36.6% Black 10.6% 69.2% 45.2% 2.4% 4.0% 8.2% 2.1% Native 1.5% 1.1% 2.5% 0.6% 9.3% 0.5% 1.4% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4% 4.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.0% 1.4% 0.0% Multi 2.5% 6.1% 2.4% 2.0% 0.0% 5.0% 6.7% Unknown race/Other 6.7% 0.5% 5.4% 7.1% 5.3% 6.0% 6.3% Unknown offender 32.7% 25.2% 33.4% 22.7% 37.4% 46.8% White Americans were identified as having committed the most racially motivated hate crimes in 2007, making up nearly 46% of all reported offenders. Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans were identified as having committed the least racially motivated hate crimes, making up less than 1% of all reported offenders. African Americans reported being victimized by racially motivated hate crime more frequently than any other race, making up 69% of all victims. [edit] White-collar crime Law enforcement agencies made 68,586 arrests for forgery and counterfeiting, 173,567 arrests for fraud and 16,314 arrests for embezzlement in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these white-collar crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Forgery-counterfeitingà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Fraudà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Embezzlementà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 67.4% 67.7% 67.5% 64.5% Black 30.9% 30.7% 30.8% 33.4% Native 0.7% 0.5% 0.8% 0.6% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.9% 1.1% 0.8% 1.5% White Americans (including hispanics and non hispanics) were arrested more than any other race for these white-collar crimes in 2008, making up 67% of all arrests. White Americans, constituting approximately 79% of the total population, were significantly underrepresented in the total arrests made, as were Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans. African Americans were significantly overrepresented in forgery/counterfeiting, fraud and embezzlement, making up nearly 31% of all arrests.

HOW CAN WE STOP THE ABUSE OF THE AMERICAN WELFARE SYSTEM? Essay

HOW CAN WE STOP THE ABUSE OF THE AMERICAN WELFARE SYSTEM? It is well known that the Social Security Act of 1935 created a federally financed and federally administered retirement insurance program for people who had worked in certain sectors of the economy and had paid payroll taxes on their wages. What is less known is that the Act also created a federally financed but state-administered program called Aid to Dependent Children (â€Å"ADC,† later to become Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or â€Å"AFDC†)? As Sheldon H. Danziger and Jeffrey S. Lehman stated in â€Å"Welfare†, â€Å"When Americans speak of â€Å"welfare† or â€Å"relief† they are usually alluding to ADC and its successor programs. From the outset, the design and implementation of ADC highlighted the central conflicts of welfare policy. Issues of race, gender, work, and parenting style were, then as now, matters of great social tension†(Danziger). From 1935 to 1960 the only changes to the welfare structure was the inclusi on of widows and disabled people into the social security system. In the 1960’s policymakers began to speak of creating equal opportunity for everyone by educating and rehabilitating the poor so they could compete (on an equal footing) in the market place. The policymakers thought that this would eliminate the artificial barriers imposed by the circumstances of birth. By the late 1960’s a â€Å"welfare rights† movement advanced the claim that welfare was not an act of public charity, but instead an entitlement of the poor (Danziger). This claim was the result of the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and opposition to the Vietnam War movements and the corresponding changes in philosophy and moral outlook that these movements brought about. This â€Å"entitlement credo† was op... ...ified. One thing is certain, measurable or not, great efforts are being made to curtail and eliminate child abuse. Works Cited Boxall, Bettina. "How Fair is Workfare?" Los Angeles Times 9 Mar. 1997: 1 Boyer, Barbara. "PA PHILADELPHIA WELFARE FRAUD STATISTIC" Philadelphia Inquirer.8 Jan.1999: B1 Danziger, Sheldon H., Jeffrey S. Lehman, "Welfare." The Oxford Companion to American Law (2010) Hall, Carla. "Taking Parenting a Step at a Time Education" Los Angeles Times 19 Nov.1994: 1 Hasking, Ron. "Work over Welfare: The Inside Story of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law." Brookings Instituteion Press [Wahington, DC] (2006) 364

Audience Analysis and Reception Essay

Knowing the audience needs, are important to communicate effectively. In the workplace, knowing the needs helps us to explain the what, why, how, who, and when we can provide productivity in the workplace. In this report, I would like to inform my manager, about why we need another maintenance technician and certain tools for the Maintenance Shop. In this formal letter to management, what would be the need for a maintenance technician and certain tools needed to perform tasks.† What† being the problem, and the steps we must take to achieve this goal. My report will include ways to save in order to allow capital to be saved to allow an extra payroll. Safety issues due to the lack of an extra employee, and how we can get more productivity done within the company. Understanding, that this report must be formal, I must be sure to use the proper language, tone, and content. Because this report is to be written to manage I must also provide evidence, facts, and personal experie nce to support my claim. Providing a plan to reach these goals will help me to better explain the â€Å"where†, I am trying to help the company. By explaining, how the addition of more tools, and a maintenance technician would benefit the company. This can further express the needs of the two to management. Also, providing a map of the tasks that will be accomplished, and a timeframe in which they will be completed helps to explain how it would also be beneficial for the company. Not considering the audience needs can lead to communication lost, or the inability to interact effectively with the receiver of the message. The content of the report will not answer the question of what is the problem, how can we solve the problem, what steps are needed to solve the problem, where we can find the resource to fix the problem, and why we should take these steps to accomplish other tasks. Formal reports should be written in formal. At this time, the claim that we are making should be supported with evidence, facts,  and personal experience to be taken as factual information. The content of the report should focus on the needs of the audience, and the steps that are needed to solve the problem. Sources: The five W’s An old tool for the new task of audience analysis-ProQuest (). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy .apollolibrary.com/docview/2200989762/fulltext/13DA2†¦

The Fall Of Rome

The Book is written by Bryan Ward-Perkins, with the title The Fall Of Rome: And the End of Civilization and printed by Oxford University Pres in 2005. John Bryan Ward-Perkins was born in 1912 in UK. He was a British historian and archeologist and director of British School at Rome. During WWII he served in military, during which he gained the knowledge of Tripolitania and Roman ruins which led him to take interest in history.In 1946 he accepted the position of Director at British school at Rome and stayed on this position till 1974. â€Å"The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization†, addresses the general perception of modern historians about the benign change from Roman Empire to Christianity. The author corrects this thinking through archaeological evidence. He mentions that it was the coming of German tribes and their long term effects that led to the dissolution of Roman Empire.The main argument which I find different from the normal text books is the telling of story of fall of empire from the other side. For example, he mentions that the transition of Roman Empire was neither nor peaceful; instead it was Germanic tribes (Vandals, Visigoth) etc who crossed the river Rhine in 5th BC and took whatever they wanted by force rather than through treaties or negotiations. He argues that one of the main reasons for collapse of Roman Empire was decline of Roman economy through many centuries.He provides a reality check to modern readers shocking them with the truth about a Rome that was caught in economic collapse, rebellions from barbarians and rise of new orthodoxy; all of which became the reasons Rome collapse. The book provides interesting insight into the fall of Roman Empire from a different view compared to popular thinking in schools and text books. I believe this book is essential for any history student to look at a great event of history from a different perspective. Reference: Bryan Ward-Perkins,The Fall Of Rome: And the End of Civilization. Oxf ord University Pres,2005.