Thursday, May 14, 2020

Breaking Standards in Society in Harper Lees To Kill a...

Human behavior is often based of the laws and expectations set by community surrounding them. Breaking these norms results in many arrays of emotions. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and The Help by Kathryn Stockett all exemplify the consequences of breaking standards in societies with set norms to uphold. The various authors have crafted societies that behave in distinct manners, and classify people as either normal, or abnormal. These works show that breaking societal standards, familial standards, and ones own standards sprouts disaster, and in serious cases, leads to the demise of characters. Disregarding societal standards within civilizations controlled by prejudice is comparable to a double-edged sword. An individual is capable of standing up for their beliefs, however will ultimately be affected by a backslash of deleterious consequences. Within To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia wields the sword. Calpurnia disregarded the standards established by both the white and black community, that the two opposing communities are incapable of interacting in a sociable manner. When Calpurnia introduced Jem and Scout to the members of First Purchase Church, she received discouraging remarks, as Lula says, â€Å"You ain’t got no business bringin‘ white chillun here—they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?† (Lee 119). By resisting the norms of the feuding communities, Calpurnia, Jem, and Scout had to

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Effects Of Television Violence On Our Society

Our world has a variety of problems today, with violence being at the top of the list, you go anywhere and that is all you here about. Unfortunately it’s in front-page headlines of the newspaper and broadcasted on the news as top stories. Violence is a very big topic, although it is categorized into many small groups. There is juvenile violence, domestic violence, hate violence, terrorist violence, and violence displaced through various forms of the media. This research will be on violence in the media and does it affect our society. How we view television, has changed the world, no doubt in that. Turn your television set on and pick a channel at random; the odds are that half of the programs you come across will contain violent material. The statistics are overwhelming as I look on the internet, read articles, and look at the research. One of the things that most interests me in the violence on television, is the effects it has on children. Children learn by repetition while watching educational shows, so is learning violence on television an exception? This research paper is directed to parents, educational providers, psychologists in research, clinical practice, and individuals with public advocacy roles and defined by education, age and gender. Both women and men will be a core audience for this paper, as I have come across the fact that adolescent boys and adult men are more drawn to violent television then women. It will draw both genders for differentShow MoreRelatedTelevision Is Destroying Todays Youth, but Dont Blame T.V., Blame the Parents.1302 Words   |  6 PagesEver since television was invented, it has become increasingly controversial every year since. So many programs and movies shown on television have become increasingly violent and show sexual innuendos and sexual content. If you were to turn on the six o clock news, you would hear about the murders and the kidnappings and the rapes and all of the horrible things which happen in so ciety, presented in a neutral manner which makes them all seem not quite so bad. Imagine how that looks to twelveRead More effects of tv violence on children Essay719 Words   |  3 Pages Effects of Television Violence on Children In our society today, it is extremely important to pay attention to what influences children. One of the biggest influences America’s youth may have is the television. It is possible for children to be pulled into the television’s realistic world of violence with sometimes devastating results. The impact of television violence on youth behavior has been an issue for many years. Violent programs on television lead to negative behavior by children and teenagersRead More Media Violence and Its Effects Essay709 Words   |  3 Pagesone day you lost your television. You lost your favorite talk show, your CNN, your favorite cartoon and all of your connections to the whole world. Throughout decades, media have became one of the most powerful weapons in the world. As time passed, more and more varieties of media were shown, like television, magazines, and internet. From reporting the news to persuading us to buy certain products, media became the only connection between people and the world. But violence in media is shown everywhereRead MoreEssay on cartoon violence779 Words   |  4 Pages Animation Violence nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Children from the ages 6-11 spend more time watching television than they do in the classroom. The â€Å"renaissance of TV animation† has undoubtedly led to more violent cartoons then ever before. But to talk about cartoon violence, it must first be defined. Webster’s Dictionary defines violence â€Å"as the act (or threat) of injuring or killing someone.† (Webster) And although the violence is not real, a child does not know the difference. Throughout theRead MoreViolence in Television, Movies, and Video Games Should Not Be Censored1653 Words   |  7 PagesVIOLENCE IN TELEVISION, MOVIES, AND VIDEO GAMES SHOULD NOT BE CENSORED Television, movies, and video games have a great influence on the minds of todays youth. But, what exactly are the effects of such an influence? Certain people have exaggerated the effects that these media have on todays youth. Many people, including government officials, have singled out these three media sources as the cause of some types of violence simply because it is an easy target for laying the blame. The truth isRead MoreDesensitization From Lack Of Discretion1614 Words   |  7 Pagestyrannical government, loss of freedoms such as our freedom of speech and our freedom of press, and a stronger presence of authority in our lives on the one side. On the other side our country’s moral fabric could come apart, there could be a rise in violence, and the innocence of our children is at risk. It is the innocence of our children that we are going to take a closer look at. What part does uncensored media play in the desensitization of our youth? Why should we be concerned abo ut this issueRead More Violence in the Media is Not to Blame for the Effect on Children1158 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effect of Violence in the Media on Children Television, movies, and video games are a big part of children’s lives in today’s technologically advanced society. However, there is a big controversy questioning the effects of these media outlets on children. Much of society claims to have proof for the belief that media violence affects children negatively. However, I am skeptical of the evidence that is stated to prove that claim. I feel that society has placed the blame on these mediums forRead MoreViolence in the Media Essay1418 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in the Media In today’s world, there is an endless amount of information available to people everywhere around the globe. Mass media is definitely shaping our world, whether it is in a positive way or a negative way. Television and the radio waves provide us with hours of entertainment. The emergence of the Internet allows us to access thousands of pages of information within the reach our very own fingertips. But with the convenience of all this information comes along a certain levelRead More Children and Violence: An American Media Controversy Essay1014 Words   |  5 Pagesand Violence: An American Media Controversy As censorship of the American media has broken down over the years, the amount of violence allowed to be shown in movies, on television, and in video games has skyrocketed. From coast to coast in our nation, this saturation of hostility in our media has caused many contentious debates between scholars, parents, students and government officials alike. In this controversy, the central argument revolves around the effects violent media has on our societyRead MoreViolence And Sex On Television898 Words   |  4 Pages Violence and Sex on Television: Effects on the Younger Audience In today’s society, the media is used greatly for communication, advertisement, information, and for numerous other reasons. The world has evolved by technological advances as well as by the type of content that is put out on the internet, radio, and especially on television. In particular, violence and sex are two of the most controversial content types that have been recently used loosely in the present as compared to the

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Cognitive Dissonance in Mean Girls Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Cognitive Dissonance in Mean Girls. Answer: Definition of Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) Cognitive Dissonance refers to the mental discomfort that is experienced by a person when he has to perform an action that contradicts the values and personal beliefs of a person. (Ciao et al., 2015). According to the principle of consistency theory, new stimuli are assimilated with that of the old encountered stimuli. If the new stimulus is found to be inconsistent, then acute discomfort is experienced by the person. Human beings crave for consistency and psychological inconsistency gives rise to dissonance. Dissonance triggers effort that helps in achieving consonance. The cognitions that are contradictory and are of less importance give rise to less amount of dissonance. The relevant cognitions being consistent and outnumbering the dissonant one, will produce less amount of dissonance. Attitudes and thoughts that are inconsistent give rise to feelings of dissonance that provides a feeling of unpleasant arousal. The dissonant beliefs should be reduced and adding to the consonant be liefs can serve as useful techniques in dealing with the dissonance. Application of Cognitive Dissonance Theory in Mean Girls Cady Heron who was born in Africa was a victim of culture shock when she joined the American High School and wanted to become a part of the girl world. Friendships are fake in that world and tensions are rampant as she is forced to assimilate in the Plastics that is a popular group. It brings to the fore a strong woman who has a fixed perspective on everything. (Oliver, 2013).The movie highlights the brutality that exists in the heart of the high school students. Cadys life in high school is full of such situations that compel her to reject values related to her previous life. She is forced to assimilate in the new culture that gives rise to cognitive dissonance. Her external appearance along with her internal self undergoes a drastic transformation. Regina the Queen Bea, has assimilated herself in the life of high school and she is also a result of the factor of dissonance. Her friend wants to sabotage her life, blackmail her and spread wrong information regarding her. Cady soon becomes like the Plastics when she wants to cut off the resources of Regina and want to separate her from Aaron and destroys her beauty. She manages to turn Gretchen Wieners along with that of Karen Smith against that of Regina. Cady pretends to be weak at math so that she can get the attention of Aaron and arranges the break-up between that of Aaron and Regina. She confesses regarding the infidelity of Regina with that of another boy. Cady does this because she cann ot ingratiate herself in the new culture and she wants to break the bonds and friendships of her friends at school. It is her insecurity that led her to do this (Walsh, Sekarasih Scharrer, 2014). Cady was facing difficulty because she cannot easily integrate herself in the new culture and took the evil way out. Cady forces Regina to have the high calorie nutrition bars by saying that it would help her to lose weight. Gretchen who is the Dumb Girl also suffers from cognitive dissonance but cognitive dissonance is felt less by her as compared to that of Cady. When Regina starts favouring Cady instead of Gretchen, then Gretcen feels insulted and her world is shattered. Gretchen then loses her sense of morality and begins spreading gossip and wrong information regarding Regina (Cvencek, Meltzoff Kapur, 2014). The character of Karen faces the least case of cognitive dissonance and she is the least vitriolic of all the characters. Her character serves like a basic moral compass. Karen recognizes the mean and abject behavior of the girls. Gretchens burst of dissonance comes to light when she over shares secrets regarding Regina to Caddy. Her feelings can be easily understood with t he use of expression: Ive never told anyone this before (Oppliger, 2013). In order to get revenge on the character of Regina, Cady undergoes a lot of transformation and moulds herself in the image of Regina without realizing that the qualities of Regina does not deserve not be imitated. Social influence along with peer pressure compelled Cady to change herself and changes in circumstance and situation led to drastic changes in the behavior of Cady. (Brock et al., 2014). Cady was put into a place which maintained a great degree of social influence. She went on to give more importance to the meanest girls at school which cost her greatly. Cady was so overcome by the need to fit in that she forgot about all the moral principles that she was taught. Regina kissed the guy on whom Cady had a crush thus infuriating Cady, Janice along with Damian. They fed her Kalteen bars which made her grow fatter and gave her foot-cream to apply on her face. Regina is soon kicked out of the Plastics which makes the room for a new Queen Bae. When Cady becomes a Plastic then Regina gets revenge on her by writing about her in Burn Book. They then undergo a trust workshop where Jenice tells Regina that Cady becoming a member of Plastic was only a matter of joke. Cady Heron undergoes de-individuation in the movie and she has to lose her sense of self-awareness (Rohde et al., 2016). In the Spring Fling Dance, Cady got elected as the Queen and in her famous acceptance speech she declared that her victory does not hold any meaning and she recognizes that everyone has their own wonderful abilities. The victory in a sense belongs to everyone. Cady breaking her tiara and distributing it to her other class mates stands as a gesture that is symbolic. Cady understand that quarrelling is futile and ingratiates herself with that of Janis, Damien and Aaron. She reaches truce with that of The Plastics (Antoniou, Doukas Subrahmanyam, 2013). By the start of the next year, The Plastics disbanded. Regina joins the team of lacrosse, Karen got acknowledged as the school weather girl and Gretchen joined the gang of Cool Asians. Conformity plays a great role in changing the actions of the characters in the movie Mean Girls. People follow the behavior of other people so that they can go along with the accepted social norms and they seek approval of their individuality. Cady has two perspectives in relation to the popular group- The Plastics. On one hand, she views The Plastic as evil and on the other hand she starts craving for the attention and liking of the group. These are the two cognitive dissonances that compel Cady to face the issue of cognitive dissonance (Bae, 2016). There is a part of her that is ideal which does not go along with that of the moral policy of The Plastics and she goes around with them in order to pull the characters down. On the other hand, is her real self that is hanging out with The Plastics so that she can be liked by the group. The character of Regina George who is considered to be very popular in school also undergoes a lot of conflict in their mind. Her ideal and her real self cannot easily match up. Her ideal self wants to become more popular but her real self is extremely self-conscious Moore, P. A. (2016). She just tries to make the pretence of being confident and assumes a kind of stance that is unflawed. She was concerned regarding her weight and did not want her school mates to think that she was fat. Conclusion and Implication In the course of the movie, Cady becomes like the Plastics and she becomes judgemental and she tries to fit in the wrong place. She loses her identity by conforming to the behavior of Plastics. The movie Mean Girls thus shows Cady trying to assimilate into a foreign culture and the mental turmoil that she had to endure in order to fit in the new life. Cady undergoes Cognitive Dissonance in her new social milieu as the culture perpetrated on her was drastically different from that of her life in Africa (Trekels Eggermont, 2017). Fake Friendships are exhibited in the movie Mean Girls and Cady has to endure a lot of tensions since she is forced to assimilate in the popular group Plastics. Karen has to go through the least case of cognitive dissonance and her character serves the role of that of a moral compass. Karen understands the mean behavior of the girls. Conformity plays a pivotal role that changes the mindset of characters in the movie Mean Girls. People followed and imitated th e behavior of other people irrespective of the fact whether they were right or wrong (Halliwell Diedrichs, 2014). Getting recognized and assimilation was more important for them as compared to that of the following the right moral path. While on the one hand Cady views The Plastic as an evil group on the other hand she starts still gropes for getting attention from the malicious group craving for the attention. These two cognitive dissonances force Cady to face cognitive dissonance and she undergoes a lot of mental turmoil. References: Antoniou, C., Doukas, J. A., Subrahmanyam, A. (2013). Cognitive dissonance, sentiment, and momentum.Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,48(1), 245-275. Bae, B. B. (2016). Believing Selves and Cognitive Dissonance: Connecting Individual and Society via Belief.Religions,7(7), 86. Brock, C. H., Oikonomidoy, E. M., Wulfing, K., Pennington, J. L., Obenchain, K. M. (2014). Mean girls go to college: Exploring femalefemale relational bullying in an undergraduate literacy methods course.Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology,20(4), 516. Ciao, A. C., Latner, J. D., Brown, K. E., Ebneter, D. S., Becker, C. B. (2015). Effectiveness of a peer?delivered dissonance?based program in reducing eating disorder risk factors in high school girls.International Journal of Eating Disorders,48(6), 779-784. Cvencek, D., Meltzoff, A. N., Kapur, M. (2014). Cognitive consistency and mathgender stereotypes in Singaporean children.Journal of experimental child psychology,117, 73-91. Halliwell, E., Diedrichs, P. C. (2014). Testing a dissonance body image intervention among young girls.Health Psychology,33(2), 201. Moore, P. A. (2016). Smells Like Teen Spirit. InThe Hidden Power of Smell(pp. 167-186). Springer International Publishing. Oliver, R. T. (2013).Cognitive Dissonance: The Causal Factor for Drop Out from Parent Training Programs among Ethnically Diverse Parent Populations. Northcentral University. Oppliger, P. A. (2013).Bullies and Mean Girls in Popular Culture. McFarland. Rohde, P., Stice, E., Shaw, H., Gau, J. M. (2016). Pilot trial of a dissonance-based cognitive-behavioral group depression prevention with college students.Behaviour research and therapy,82, 21-27. Trekels, J., Eggermont, S. (2017). Aspiring to have the looks of a celebrity: young girls engagement in appearance management behaviors.European Journal of Pediatrics, 1-7. Walsh, K. R., Sekarasih, L., Scharrer, E. (2014). Mean Girls and Tough Boys: Children's Meaning Making and Media Literacy Lessons on Gender and Bullying in the United States.Journal of Children and Media,8(3), 223-239.