Cultural Influence on Human Development Essay Example for Free

Cultural Influence on Human Development Essay It is important to understand why culture affects and is an integral part of human development and should not be overlooked. Demographic experts predict that the human population will reach 9 billion by 2050, but the rise will not occur equally around the world. The existing demographic divide between the wealthy developed countries and the poor developing countries will only widen because majority of the increase will occur among the developing countries whilst that of the former will actually decline progressively. As it is, the combined population of developed countries only make up 18% of the total world population, and 9 of 10 individuals living here are in the top 20% of the global income distribution. In contrast, about 40% of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars per day (Arnett, 2012). Variations in human development occur because of differences in cultural settings, which in turn are significantly impacted by socioeconomic status (SES) of a group. Educational level, income level, and occupational status are all parameters within the SES. It pervades all aspects of human development, from risk of infant mortality to quality of education and job prospects to affording healthcare in old age. It is no surprise that differences in SES are sharp between developed and developing countries. Like SES, gender and ethnicity are strong drivers of culture and are key factors in development. The dichotomy is blurred now, but throughout our history cultural expectations of men and women have been vastly different. The Hunter-gatherer way of live evolved because our Homo ancestors needed to adapt to the long infant dependency to the mother, who remained in a stable home base caring for the offspring and gathering edibles within reach while the males ventured out to hunt for food. An extreme example of women assuming a secondary role occurred in Imperial China (10th or 11th century) where young women of the wealthy elite who did not need them to work were subjected to painful foot binding to prevent further growth. This was a display of status and became the symbol of beauty in Chinese culture. So deep-seated is the gender difference in Antiquity that it manifested in the ancient conceptions of human development that the three ancient religions – Dharmashastras (Hindu), G reek (conceived by the philosopher Solon), and the holy Talmud (Jewish) – were all written by and for men only. Women were excluded from areas such as religious leadership and philosophy. Religion,  along with race and language, is a component of ethnicity. Recent scientific conceptions of human development also hinge on the influence of the social environment. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) draws attention to the broader cultural environment beyond the mother-child relationship that people experience as they develop. He distinguishes an exosystem of social institutions school, religion, and media – that have indirect but pivotal influences on development. His more encompassing macrosystem of cultural beliefs and values form the foundation of economic and governmental systems. Middle Eastern countries possess governments and economic systems that are based on Islam. Conversely, developed countries believe in the value of individual freedom and this is reflected in their capitalist economy and democratic government. No matter how we look at it, every aspect of human development be it biological, psychological or social, is invariably intertwined with culture. Moreover, a study on human development that focuses on the 18% of the world’s population living in developed countries that can fund major research undertaking is both inadequate and unfair. Poor developing countries have rich and complex cultural systems that have legitimate impact on human development. Therefore it is vital that we learn about human development as it is experienced around the world.

Macbeths Porter :: essays research papers

The Light of Macbeth Throughout the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, it is a non-stop action thriller with more blood than ever seen before in most plays. The play was made that way for a specific reason, so William Shakespeare made it the most bloody, gruesome and shortest of all his plays. Watching or even just reading, there is hardly ever any moment to be able to breathe. Except one scene†¦. In Act II, Scene 3, Macbeth’s porter appears in the play. There is absolutely no reason for the porter to be in the play. He has nothing to do with the written script what so ever. He is not related to anyone of any importance, or anyone at all. He has no great speeches with much meaning attached to it. He is just a perverted, gross talking, drunk. He goes against everything in their world that is moral and right. The porter defies it all and comes out of the play as a comedian. Why did William Shakespeare put the porter in his play, The Tragedy of Macbeth! A lot of people look on the porter as just an interruption of the play, and that he should not even be there. But I disagree; I wouldn’t call him an interruption. I’d call him an Intermission; he came in the play when needed most. The audience needed a break from the play. The entire thing was filled with hatred, betrayal, and blood. The porter is Shakespeare’s transition period. Every play needs some comedy, but no more than this play, The Tragedy. The porter wasn’t just there to make the audience laugh; he was there for a reason. Shakespeare always had a reason for everything, it would be uncharacteristic for him not to with the porter. The porter enters the story immediately after the murder of King Duncan, perhaps for some relief, and that relief being; drunken comedy. Is the porter just comical relief? I don’t believe so, he may have made some laughs, but he also creates more tension rather than relieving it. In Act II, Scene 2, Lady Macbeth comes back from the crime scene with blood all over her. The knocking she hears against the gate obviously frightens both her and Macbeth for they have just committed a horrendous crime. Macbeth is already paranoid for he is beginning to go crazy. Lady Macbeth is new to the whole killing crime thing, so to hear knocking on your front door after an event like that would freak anyone out.

The Psychoanalysis Theory

Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. Freud, a neurologist which has great interests in finding out a treatment for patients with neurotic and hysterical symptoms devised psychoanalysis in Vienna in the 1890s. He called this, â€Å"the hypothesis of unconscious mental activities† (Hook 3). He then developed a method in which talking with the patients is involved. Through this, he found out that the problems of the patients with these kinds of illness stemmed from either repression and/or problems which the patients encountered during childhood. These problems, as Freud believed, lies in the unconscious minds of the persons involved. These problems may not be overtly manifested by the patients, however, in one point in their lives, it will eventually come out. Probably, the main question Freud gives is that, what could possibly have happened during the person’s childhood which affected the way he/she behaves presently? This question is primarily needed for the psychoanalyst to be able to decipher why a certain being acts the way he does. One of the guiding principles of psychoanalysis is the assumption that the problems of the patients in need of psychotherapy lies within the unconscious. This however, was given proof by Freud. According to him, â€Å"the unconscious is the storehouse of instinctual desires, needs, and psychic actions. Also, the unconscious mind acts as a reservoir for repressed memories of traumatic events which continuously influence conscious thoughts and behavior. While past thoughts and memories may be deleted from immediate consciousness, they direct the thoughts and feelings of the individual from the realm of the unconscious†. Through psychoanalysis, these past thoughts and memories which are stored in the unconscious are then unlocked through a process which is called the â€Å"talk therapy†. It is believed that neurotic problems stemmed from the unconscious. These problems, according to Freud, can sometimes manifest themselves in dreams.   The aim, therefore, of psychoanalysis is to bring the repressed memories in the unconscious to the consciousness through a psychoanalytic treatment for it to be addressed accordingly. No matter how successful the movement became, many critics still emerged and deliberately demonstrated their disbelief to the said movement. One of the major critics of Freud’s psychoanalysis is Grà ¼nbaum. In 1986, he said that â€Å"†¦more often than not, they may be the patient's responses to the suggestions and expectations of the analyst† (186).   He is referring to the clinical data gathered by the psychoanalyst. He claims therefore, that psychoanalysis is not reliable because of the fact that most of the patients respond according to what their analysts want to hear. However, if we are going to go through the aim of psychoanalysis, we will find out that Freud was trying to find out â€Å"reasons† rather than â€Å"causes† so therefore, results are technically not important. His main focus was on how the patients will respond to a certain question and how these patients would reason out when given a certain problem. Technically, the procedure is merely a problem solving process. Another critic, Torrey Fuller, considered by some to be a leading American psychiatrist, writing in Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists (1986) stated that psychoanalytic theories have no more scientific basis than the theories of traditional native healers, â€Å"witchdoctors† or modern â€Å"cult† alternatives. In fact, an increasing number of scientists regard psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience (Cioffi, F. 1998). However, this claim by Fuller, was countered by one of the proponents of psychoanalysis by saying that the concepts and theories of psychoanalysis are more akin to the humanities than those of the physica/biological sciences. Therefore, even if they claim that it is not scientific, they cannot push through with that kind of argument. When Freud died, psychoanalysis continued to flourished in its role in solving mysteries with the unconscious. In fact, there emerged the post-freuedian schools which are the Object Relations Theory and the Interpersonal Psychoanalysis. These schools of thought reinforced, in some ways, the psychoanalytic movement proposed by Freud. The Object Relations theory states that the ego-self exist only in relation to objects, be it internal or external. These objects, basically, are said to be formed through interactions with the parents during childhood. According to object-relations theory there are three fundamental â€Å"affects† that can exist between the self and the other; attachment, frustration, and rejection. These â€Å"affects† are considered as the major building blocks of the personality. Therefore, if these affects are triggered, there is the possibility that a change of personality may occur; a changein terms of a person’s perception towards a particular thing or can be a change with regards to a person’s ability to interact with other people. These kinds of changes, as believed by Freudian theorists, may be addressed through psychoanalysis. The Interpersonal Psychoanalysis, on the other hand, states that a patient's interpersonal interactions with others provide insights into the causes and cures of mental disorder. It is believed that patients keep many aspects of interpersonal relationships out of their awareness by selective inattention. The role of psychoanalysis, therefore, is to bring out detailed information from the patient which will lead them to finding out the interpersonal patterns within that patient. In line with the arguments of Freud’s critics, one question that could be raised is that, has psychoanalytic therapy really â€Å"cured† mentally impaired people or are these people just cured because of the fact that they believed that they were cured and not because they really were? There could be a great possibility that people just perceived that he is cured even if he is not. This is one good question that can be addressed with regards to the psychoanalytic process. There were many critics who emerged during the peak of the success of the psychoanalytic movement. Some were for the movement, many were against it. However, it still flourished and up to now, this method is continuously being used. Wholly, Freud’s Psychoanalytic movement has strengths and weaknesses. Probably, part of the strengths of this movement are the facts that clearly, this theory addresses its problem, it can be applied in practical ways and, most importantly, it withstands the test of time. This only means that no matter how many negative criticisms this movement encountered, it is still able to function in such a way that it is being helpful to the society. No matter how many flaws were encountered during the generation of the movement, it is still useful up to this time. In fact, even today, psychoanalysis still remains as a valid option for people who seek help because of mental illness. The movement will continuously flourish because of the fact that it addresses its problems accordingly and it is easy to conduct as long as the involved parties participate accordingly to the process being done. For somebody who whole – heartedly believes in the psychoanalytic movement, it is quite hard to point out certain weaknesses of the movement. However, the only weakness that it might really probably possess is the fact that it might really probably be just giving data which are just interpretations of the analyst which is again, going back to Grà ¼nbaum’s argument, he said that the   patients could probably just saying what the analyst wants to hear. But as stated earlier, Freud’s aim is to find out the â€Å"reasons† and not the â€Å"causes†. The psychoanalytic theory can be considered most useful in addressing problems of patients who are considered mentally impaired. People who undergo Psychoanalysis are people who are emotionally impaired with symptoms like depression or anxiety, loneliness, and incapacity to feel close to anyone. Brain disorders like schizophrenia and autism can be cured through this method as well. However, psychoanalysis would not work with schizophrenics and autistics because such patients ignore their therapist's insights and are resistant to treatment (Dolnick 40). Depression, loneliness, and the incapacity to feel close to anyone, as believed by Freud, to be easily addressed through psychoanalysis, are states wherein a person experiences difficulty in coping up with changes that are constantly happening to his surroundings. He therefore encounters a feeling of being unwanted by the society. With this kind of feeling, the person involved then lacks self esteem which he needs in order for him to get along with the people around him. Freud believed that this kind of problem can be solved if proper interventions will be done and proper techniques of communication will put into practice. This is when the person involved is willing to talk about his problems; the things that makes him think that he is unwanted by other people; the reasons why he is having a hard time coping up with the changes happening around him. Through talking the problem out, the person can now feel that somebody is there to listen to him. This kind of method only works if the person involved is willing enough to disclose himself to another person. Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. Personally, based on the studies done for this particular topic, I believe that it really is an effective way intervening people with certain problems with their behavior. With the different studies done by Freud, there are ample evidences that conscious thought and behavior are influenced by non-conscious memories and processes. As stated earlier, the psychotherapy could greatly help people with mental and emotional problems by knowing the past events that greatly affects people’s thought and ideas through unlocking the â€Å"unconscious† thereby being able to decipher why a certain person acts the way he does, and thereby addressing the mental problem of the patient. Works Cited Hook, Sidney, ed. Psychoanalysis, Scientific Method, and Philosophy: A Symposium.   New York: New York University Press, 1959. The researcher use data from Psychoanalysis, Scientific Method, and Philosophy: A Symposium to strengthen the topic sentence that Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. The book talks about Psychoanalysis as a scientific theory and not as a mere philosophical theory, it aims to answer the different questions thrown against the movement. It is through this book that the researcher was able to make strong points against the different debates against the movement. The book also gave enough background about the rise and development of the movement. Freud, Sigmund. An outline of psycho – analysis. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989. The researcher use data from An outline of psycho – analysis to strengthen the topic sentence that Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. This is a book that focuses on Freud’s psychoanalysis movement. It talks about the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. He marshals here the whole range of psychoanalytic theory and therapy in lucid prose and continues his open-mindedness to new departures. The researcher used the source to describe Psychoanalysis as a whole on the first part of the paper. The researcher also used this to counter some arguments thrown against the movement. Grunbaum, Adolf. The foundations of psychoanalysis. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1985. The researcher use data from The foundations of psychoanalysis to strengthen the topic sentence that Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. This is a philosophical critique of the foundations of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis. Through this book, Grunbaum was able to state his debates against Freud’s psychoanalysis. The researcher uses the data, to cite an example of debates against the movement. Cioffi, F. Freud and the Question of Pseudoscience. New York: Open Court Publishing Company, 1998. The researcher use data from Freud and the Question of Pseudoscience to strengthen the topic sentence that Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. The book has shown that psychoanalysis was actually more concrete to humanities rather than the biophysical science. Like a study by Dolnick, cited below, it also discusses debates on the movements, as well as attacks on Freud himself. The researcher was able to get enough background on causes why debates against the movement started. Dolnick, Edward. Madness on the couch: Blaming the victim in the heyday of psychoanalysis. New York: Simon & Chester, 1998. The researcher use data from Madness on the couch: Blaming the victim in the heyday of psychoanalysis to strengthen the topic sentence that Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is a theory which tries to discover the connections between the unconscious components of a patient’s mental processes. This book focused on the pseudoscientific theories and dangerous practices that emerged and flourished in the wake of World War II as American psychotherapists battled to understand and treat schizophrenia, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Though unlike Cioffi’s Freud and the question of Pseudoscience, this one strongly emphasize that psychoanalysis did more harm than good to patients. It is through this, that the researcher was able to cite some examples to strengthen. his position with regards to the psychoanalytic movement.

The Actual Meaning of My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke...

The Actual Meaning of My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke Poetry is made to express the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of the poet. The reader can interpret the poem however they see fit. Critics are undecided about the theme of Theodore Roethkes My Papas Waltz. Some people believe that the poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. The more convincing interpretation is that it has a hidden message of parental abuse. Careful analysis of the keywords and each individual stanza back up this theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father. The word that is key to the poem is romp. Roethke states that we romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf (5-6). The word is usually associated with†¦show more content†¦Most people would not associate a joyous event and death. For instance, when someone is on a roller coaster, they hang on tight out of fear. The second stanza gives the details of how the father was knocking over pans and shelves. No fun event would require continuous destruction to the house. The reader also sees the mother in a seemingly helpless state as the father continues to damage the house. She seems to be in a state of dismay as her husband carries on his behavior. Her frown shows that his actions sadden her but she is powerless to stop him. One would think that a smile would be more appropriate. This supports the abuse aspect because she would not be frowning if it was a joyous exchange between the son and father. In the last two stanzas, Roethke describes the vivid details of the beating. He describes how one hand clinches the boys wrist. Clinch seems to be a rather strong word and it indicates a use of forceful grabbing. If this were a happy dance, the author would not use such a strong description. Lines 11-12 shows how the father tries to hit the son but due to his intoxication he misses and grazes the sons ear with the belt buckle. The fourth and final stanza sums up the feelings of the boy towards the father. The words seem to be directly spoken to the dad. This is not the first time this type of action has taken place. The reader gets this interpretation because the boy says, you beat time on my headShow MoreRelated Imagery in My Papa’s Waltz Essay699 Words   |  3 PagesImagery in My Papa’s Waltz  Ã‚   Donald Hall describes the use of imagery in poetry as a device that makes us more sensitive to [literature], as if we acquired eyes that could see through things(p 530). Imagery creates vivid details that deal with ones sense of sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste. These details can be seen in Theodore Roethkes My Papas Waltz because the senses of touch, sight, sound, and smell appeal to the reader in order to better explain the feelings of each characterRead MoreRoethkes Smart Balance of Joy, Fear and Tension in His Poem My Papa’s Waltz705 Words   |  3 Pagesa close friend or family member who becomes abusive and aggressive because of drug or alcohol related problems. My Papa’s waltz is a poem that tells the story of a young boy dealing with an abusive father and a broken home. Despite the initial light atmosphere of the poem Theodore Roethke uses strong and powerful language to convey an underlined meaning to their dance. My Papas Waltz is a poem of fear, all the more horrible because the boy is terrified and hurt by his father, even in play, yet heRead MoreEssay on Dancing around the Truth of My Papa’s Waltz934 Words   |  4 Pages The poem, â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke, is about a boy reminiscing about an incidence with his father. From the beginning, this poem states the conflict between a father and son involved in a rambunctious dance, but as it continues, the story suggests the dance may actually be a physical altercation. Within the line, â€Å"Such waltzing was not easy,† is the proposal this is not a singular incident, but rather a routine ritual between the boy and his father (Line 4). The speaker is an adultRead MoreAnalysis Of My Papa s Waltz By Theodore Roethke963 Words   |  4 Pagesan actual father figure in poetry and the usual uses of one in two different poems from two different authors. The first poem we will venture into is â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Ro ethke, the other is â€Å"The Victims† by Sharon Olds. Each describe a father figure and the relationship between the narrator and his father which is in turmoil. We’ll explore in some lengthy detail about the archetype of a bad father and the narrator’s take on them. Starting with â€Å"My Papa Waltz† by Theodore Roethke it bringsRead MoreWhat Is The Meaning Of My Papas Waltz Poem760 Words   |  4 PagesFrom reading the poem â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke a person could take away one of two different meanings behind the poem. The two meanings that one could take are as such, it is either a fond outlook on a father coming home drunk after work and playing with his child, or it is a dark outlook of a drunk father coming home and beating his child. While how one interprets it is based on their personal schema during the first time reading the poem, it could be argued that upon further examinationRead MoreAnalysis Of My Papas Waltz1471 Words   |  6 PagesLooking at the title of the poem â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, by Theodore Roethke, I got positive vibes and thought it would be about a kid and his father dancing. Papa is usually a word used by a young boy or girl to get the attention of their loving f ather and a waltz is a dance usually demonstrating happy times. The first time reading it through I continued to think that it was a poem about a father and a son just dancing around having a good time. Some words caught my eye that made me think otherwise,Read MoreAn Analysis of Theodore Roethkes My Papas Waltz3287 Words   |  13 Pagesï » ¿Discussion #1: Part I: My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke appears ambiguous, especially at the first reading. The main reason for this is the type of diction the author uses. Stanza 1 seems innocent enough, for example, where the speaker ends by referring to waltzing. Although he refers to the dance as not easy, it can still be that the father indulged a little and started playing with his boy. In the second stanza, the word romped further confirms a sense of fun, despite the mothers