The Power Of Words In Influencing Attitudes

The Power Of Words In Influencing Attitudes To recognize how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behavior, and perception one must first understand their own conscience and belief system. Words have meaning, but no power unless the perceived mental state of an individual gives power to the words spoken that have been heard. In another essay I authored in another class, which is most appropriate for this updated essay on the aspects of communication recognizing how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behavior, and perception. The conscience is that inner voice that everyone has inside themselves. The voice inside has a set of critical thinking rules that are determined through a persons life experiences. Most people think about what they plan to do before they do it. People also respond to what other people say and do. It is the amount of power given to the words spoken that are perceived in the mental state of an individual that gives the power to the words spoken that have been heard acting o ut a plan that determines success or failure, even in communications. Our morals and values are the driving force behind our beliefs and how much power we give to another individuals words that are heard. If a person believes it is alright to steal to take care of their family, then the way they believe is the way they think resulting in the behaviors produced in that particular lifestyle. Example, lets say that there is a discussion between two people about, is it alright to steal? Our personal ethics that are perceived in how we as a people co-exist and communicate with each other stem from how we believe. This discussion is debated for whatever time frame and the one who thinks it is alright to steal convinces the other it is alright to steal as well. This is where words become powerful and perceptions are distorted. There are people in this world that would freely say things giving their life for another with no limitations on how to give positive feed back using words. There also people that go out of their way to say nice things at all costs knowing that words can hurt an individuals feelings. Then there are conditional communicators that will not say a particular word or words unless there is an exchange of a mutual agreement that has been reached so as not to offend any party involved. Most people believe there must be an exchange of some sort where both parties equally receive as much as that is given. There also are people in this world that would die to just prove a point in what they say they believe in. What defines a person is in their actions and their actions are brought about through choice in how they perceive reality. Is it justifiable to perform an evil act in order to achieve good consequences? This question has been used for centuries. As stated by Ruggiero (2008), humans have the capacity to choose how they respond to events (p. 118). For example, say someone makes a choice with a plan of action, but the plan devised was driven by negative emotions to where someone instigated controversy between individuals like the use of angry words, etc. Then the out come of this plan may have negative consequences that could change the course of a persons decision or lifestyle. This also applies to relationships with friends or family or both.The Boston Tea Party is an historical example of an evil act that changed history with many speculated communications between groups of people. There are several acts from Americas history that brought freedom when groups of people thought an evil act was evil and another thought not. New York city was built on such acts of evil tyranny and blood shed. The price for f reedom is Death. Life is full of choices, but which choice is the right one? People have contemplated this concept of choice for centuries. Negativity is a sad, but a real factor in society which is ever changing as each day passes by. Stealing has gone on for centuries and people have used words to justify their behaviors convincing others to believe the same way as themselves through communication. Survival is the driving force behind this sad fact. Thievery has not discriminated against race, religion or social status. Thievery has even in some circles been classified as an addiction or disease. Kleptomania is just one clinical term for such a behavior. .Kleptomania, the guilt-ridden, impulsive need of a impulsive urge to steal, commonly without any regard for the need or profit of unneeded items.. (Kleptomania, 2004, October, Biotech Business Week, 235). Pathological liars are another example of poor communicators that try to influence other to give power to their fantastic stories. Here is a good example of a person that exaggerates things that are ridiculous. If your employer asked you what time you arrived to work and your shift time started at 7:30 am. and you knew that you were late and said you arrived late because your dog ate up the couch and started at small fire in the living room, with no factual evidence to back it up, that would be a pathological lair. These people just lie, even when there is no good reason to do so not caring to gain anything and fearing nothing to lose, exaggerating the things that are ridiculous. This is due to some type of deeper mental and emotional state of a person which the individual is seeki ng attention. This type of mental illness should not be misconstrued with sociopaths, psychopaths and so on, who lie to gain a reward or benefit. A sociopath is a person who is affected with a disorder of their personality which is marked by antisocial behavior. A psychopath is a person with an antisocial personality disorder that is manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or abnormal behavior without empathy or remorse. (Oxford Dictionary) The voice that all people hear is their conscience. Our conscience is what we humans use prior to making decisions or in what we would say to anyone in this world may it be good or bad. Our environment does play a part in perceiving how we humans think and how we speak. For example, if a child sees mom or dad do wrong and gets away with it then the child will comprehend that it is acceptable to behave as mom or dad. If mom or dad curse all the time then the child will perceive it is alright to say the F word, etc.. There are many other ways to steal from people even if it is not material. Example, say an employee takes a scheduled break every day for 15 minutes. This employee is a great worker, but everyday this guy uses 21 minutes on his break. That is 6 minutes every day that is unauthorized. Then at lunch time he does the same thing. That is another 6 minutes unauthorized. That is 12 minutes a day, 60 minutes per week in a 40 hour work week. This person just stole an hour worth of wages from his boss. Wouldnt you agree to this line of thinking? Whenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.not providing adequate adjustment to the environment or situation with a difference in condition, amount, or level, typically with certain limits..However, some kinds of proposed beliefs are weakly affected by a evolved particular attitude, or act in a particular way that can have strong effects on behavior. (Peter J. Richerson, Robert Boyd revised 8 July 1987). As stated above referring to effects on behavior (Peter J. Richerson, Robert Boyd revised 8 July 1987) perception is everything. This is a strong secular view of choices based on how one believes in cultural ethics. When a person is raised in an environment that perceives that destructive harmful behavior is the answer to solving problems the ethical view perceived is misappropriated morals and values. These views that are instilled in early childhood influences conscience decision making adaptive skills that create negative social issues throughout their whole adult life. Perception is tainted by a persons attitude. A persons attitude is the result of their perceptions. Two people with different perceptions look at the same thing and thus think about it differently, and end up with different attitudes. Both think they are right. This same concept applies to communications. Example, Lets line up ten people and tell the first one a phrase by whispering it in their ear. Then tell the first person to repeat the exact phrase whispering to the next person and the next person is to do the same thing and so on. By the time the phrase reaches the tenth person you ask the tenth person to write down exactly what was said. Statistic show that this phrase that was spoken will be distorted in some shape or fashion. The meaning will change too, 9 out of 10 times. The Army is probably the largest and most diverse organization in the country with an ethnic and racial makeup which mostly reflect over half of American society. Each individual brings a set of values and attitudes that have been cultivated over many years. Additionally, these values and attitudes are still being shaped and refined with each new experience. Many types of people have strong memories about recent events in their lives, such as promotion, schooling, a new baby, or a transfer etc.. These events and ones yet to come, serve to shape a persons values and attitude for the future. However, values and attitudes do not automatically change just because someone puts on an uniform or gains a new job. Some values and attitudes, are coupled with a lack of awareness, or insensitivity about others that are different from ourselves which can produce confrontations, anger issues, and even violence. It is imperative all of society working or not, recognize and manage their differences so they do not interfere with someone elses effectiveness or their ability to communicate. Values are attitudes about the worth or importance of people, concepts, or things. Values influence our behavior because we use them to decide between alternatives. Values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are cornerstones of who we are and how we do things. They form the basis of how we see ourselves as individuals, how we speak, how we see others, and how we interpret the world in general. Your values will influence your priorities. Strong values are what most people put first, defend most, and want least to sacrifice. Individual values can and will conflict at times. Example: If you incorrectly reported a car accident, do you have the moral courage to correct the original statement given even if you know the authorities will never discover what you said? In this situation, your values on truth and self-interest will collide. What you value the most will guide your actions. In this example, the proper course of action is obvious. There are times, however, when the right course of action is not so clear.

Human Development Essay

Taking a look at the Human Development Index map of Africa, which can be seen on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) on the web; it shows that many of Africa’s countries are very underdeveloped.7 One of the obvious reasons for why countries is Africa are underachieving is because of how poor is the strength of their economy compared to others. As it is well known, Africa is very rich in mineral resources as many other states rely upon their, possessing most of the known minerals types of the world. Africa’s economy is more reliant on agriculture than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. Secondly, the economic development of virtually all African nations has been hindered by inadequate transportation systems. Most countries rely on road networks that are composed largely of dirt roads, which become impassable during the rainy seasons. Road networks tend to link the interior of a country to the coast; few road systems link adjacent countries.9 To show how poor and how bad economy crisis is in Africa, one ought to take a look at their food crisis and the growing volume of food imports. Whereas Africa imported an average volume of 1.96 million metric tons of agricultural products in the years 1961-63, by 1980-82 this figure had risen to 11.2 million metric tons at an annual value of over $6.8 billion (over one-seventh of the total value of Africa’s imports in 1982).Owing to foreign exchange constraints, most African countries have had to rely increasingly on food aid to meet their imported food requirements.10 The commercial sectors of most African states rely heavily on one or a few export commodities. The bulk of trade occurs with industrialized nations, which require raw materials and sell industrial and consumer goods. Trade between African states is limited by the competitive, rather than complementary, nature of their products and by trade barriers, such as tariffs, and the diversity of currencies. Looking at the economy of Europe, a sharp contrast in strength and influence can visibly be seen. Europe has long been a world leader in economic activities. As the birthplace of modern science and of the Industrial Revolution, Europe acquired technological superiority over the rest of the world, which gave it unquestioned dominance in the 19th Century. An important impetus for growth since the mid-20th Century has been the formation of supranational organisations such as the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unlike Africa, Europe has highly developed transport systems, which are densest in the central part of the continent. Many countries in Europe use well maintained transportation systems to transport important goods such as water transport which plays a major role in the European economy. Almost all European countries maintain national airlines, and several, such as Air France, British Airways, Swissair, Germany, and Netherlands are major worldwide carriers.13 Looking at both economies and trade, it is unquestionably obvious that Europe conducts substantial international trade compared to Africa. For Europe, much of its trade is intra-continental, especially among members of the European Union, but also engages in large-scale trade with countries of other continents. Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands are among the world’s greatest trading nations. A large portion of European inter-continental trade involves the exporting of manufactured goods and the imp orting of raw materials. Europe’s agricultural sector is generally highly developed, especially in Western Europe. The agricultural sector in Europe is helped by the Common Agricultural Policy, which provides farmers with a minimal price for their products and subsidized their exports, which increases competitiveness for their products. This policy is highly controversial as it hampers free trade worldwide (protectionism sparks protectionism from other countries and trade blocs: the concept of trade wars) and is violating the concept of ‘fair trade’.15 Africa’s economy is more reliant on primary products (i.e, agricultural and mineral) than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. About three fifths of African farmers are subsistence farmers tilling small pots of land to feed their families, with only a minimal surplus that can be sold for other goods.16 However, there are significant number of large farms that grow cash crop such as coffee, cotton, cocoa, and rubber; these farms, normally operated by large corporations, cover tens of square kilometres and employ large number of labourers. Africa’s geography is unsuited to trade and thus hampers its economy. The centre of the continent, at least on the western side, is an almost impenetrable rainforest that greatly impedes the transit of people of goods. Some of the wealthiest parts of South Africa are blocked from the rest of Africa by the Kalahari Desert, while the Sahara creates an obvious barrier to trade. While Africa has a number of great river systems such as those of the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi, it is not nearly as well-linked rivers as are other areas such as Europe. Moreover, many of the rivers are blocked by rapids and cataracts that require vast development projects if they are to be bypassed. The wetness of the roads and tracks makes transport difficult and hazardous. In addition Africa is cut off from the sea to a greater extent than any other continent. To enforce even more problems to Africa; there is an increasing amount of desertification occurring in Africa where the deserts, especially the Sahara are becoming larger, enveloping area around them, leaving less space for land. This process is partly due to the deforestation of areas of forest; with no roots to hold soil in place, it blows away leaving an infertile desert. Europe has a well developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest.19 The European financial sector is helped by the introduction of the euro as common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit on banks in other European countries as exchange rate fluctuations are now non-existent in Europe. As mentioned above, Europe’s economy is superior to that of Africa, so what can Africa do to improve it’s economy or perhaps what can it take from the Europe economy as a model. Professor J A. van Ginkel held a conference on the ‘Knowledge and Development in Africa’; here he talked about ways to improve Africa’s economy however not only by getting the economic policies right.20 Prof van Ginkel mentions that there is now substantial evidence that institutional weakness in many African countries is a critical obstacle to economic performance.21 From the surveys he conducted on the obstacles to business in Africa it highlights the damage caused by: the unpredictability of changes in laws and policies, the unreliability of law enforcement, and the impact of corrupt bureaucracies.22 Unless governments eliminate these kinds of obstacles then it is unlikely that the economy whether it is just locally in certain parts of Africa or on a national front will flourish. An aspect of the Europe model that Africa can learn from is the aspect of knowledge. No commodity is more expensive than â€Å"knowledge†. An Africa without a sustainable, strong knowledge sector of its own will always remain in a dangerously dependent position. Research and training institutions on the continent can make a critical contribution in at least three ways: by making the most of existing indigenous knowledge; by accessing the vast reservoir of existing global knowledge, as well as the ongoing advances in understanding, and adapting them to suit specific local conditions; and by helping to find innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.23 In terms of human resources, it was highlighted in the ‘Seminars of Anticipation’ that African developments suffers from a tragic paradox: on the one hand, elites trained in Western world are too many (and most of them stay in the US or in the EU because they cannot find well-paid qualified positions in Af rica, or because their skills do not correspond to African needs); while on the other hand the well-trained intermediate executives required to manage a modern economy are cruelly missing in Africa (higher technical experts, management executives, civil administrators†¦). To conclude, this essay has looked the economies of both Europe and Africa and compared and contrast both of them. It has also provided information about both economies in terms of trade and finance. A brief history was provided which looked at the relationship between Europe and Africa and to the days of ‘colonisation’. Reasons as to why both regions are on different levels economically were provided to show how dominant and rich Europe was and how poor and underdeveloped Africa was. The Africa food crisis was mentioned to give an account of how poor Africa was against other regions. In addition ways that Africa can improve their economy thus bringing it more power and strength so that it can compete with other regions was provided, for example making sure Africa had the aqeduate education so that it learn. Many Africans move to the west so that they can have higher education which is not available in Africa and tend to stay there once they have completed their studies. This is detrimental to Africa’s development and thus a solution to the problem would be to support the creation of a complete curriculum. This would lead to a massive contribution to the development of vocational and technical education in Africa thus improving Africa’s economy. So as it can seen, the economies for both Europe and Africa are at this present time in contrast to each other but there is hope for Africa to become more dominant and influential in world affairs if the correct adjustments and policies are introduced to improve them. References Fawcett, L., & Hurrell, A., Regionalism in World Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995, pg 43  Ravenhill. J, Africa in economic crisis, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1986, pg 9  www.ciaonet.org/isa/rajo  

Learning Team Reflection Essay

There are several factors to consider when contemplating a potential lawsuit or settlement. As a person who is not trained in the law, it is important to seek counsel before making any decisions. Counsel can provide professional guidance in a field that a victim may be unfamiliar with. To attempt to navigate though the legal system without professional help would be confusing and frustrating. There are alternatives to litigation that some people may not be aware of. A professional in the law can give guidance and perspective as to which is the best route to take. One must consider the time involved in litigation. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"A trial can last less than one day to many months, depending on the type and complexity of the case† (p. 41). Also, a consideration must be the costs involved. It can be extremely costly to obtain counsel, although it may be wise to invest in legal representation. Counsel will be able to provide you the statue of limitations so that you know how long you are eligible to seek damages. Additionally, counsel will provide you realistic picture of the benefits and/or risks of going to trial or settling. Counsel would be able to explain the intricacies regarding a trial and provide a relative timeframe. Most people are unaware of the details and involvement of going to trial. In many cases it is in the best interest of both the injured party and the accused to seek a resolution outside of court. According to Cheeseman (2010), â€Å"More than 95 percent of all cases are settled before they go to trial† (p. 40). A victim may feel compelled to go to court, when counsel may know that a trial may not provide a favorable outcome. Counsel would need to be available as already discussed to decide whether litigation is the way to go. Once the decision had been made to pursue the issue legally, the appropriate legal representation would have to be found. The type of counsel would depend on the type of case. There are several specialties in law and finding the best person to represent you is crucial. You would not ask a lawyer that specializes in real estate to represent you in a wrongful death suit. If possible, legal representation should be made available before the decision to seek legal action is decided on. A lawyer is there to provide professional advice, but they cannot force you to make a decision one way or the other. Two main intentional torts that should seek council especially if there were bodily injury to the person or persons are assault and battery. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"Assault is (1) the threat of immediate harm or offensive contact or (2) any action that arouses reasonable apprehensio n of imminent harm† (p. 75). The threat to the life of an individual or offensive contact are two very good reasons to seek counsel for either monetary charges such as paying medical bills from the harmful contact or seeking restraining orders to prevent such contact form occurring. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"Battery is unauthorized and harmful or offensive physical contact with another person that causes injury. Basically, the interest protected here is each person’s reasonable sense of dignity and safety† (p 75). The other tort situation that should seek legal counsel are strict or product liability cases. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"That is, a participant in a covered activity will be held liable for any injuries caused by the activity, even if he or she was not negligent† (p. 89). To clarify further Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"This doctrine holds that (1) there are certain activities that can place the public at risk of injury even if reasonable care is taken and (2) the public should have some means of compensation if such injury occurs† (p. 89). These cases either involve wrongdoing to the individual that usually ends in harm or death. If a product malfunctions which hurts the consumer or shorts out and the consumer dies are both reasons legal counsel should be involved. Again, legal counsel should specialize in the area that you need representing and the monetary costs of acquiring counsel should be researched before hiring them to represent your case. Seeking legal council is prudent in helping a victim understand their choices. There are situations when there is not enough evidence or legal grounds for any form of legal action, and legal council can provide that information. The proper and professional legal guidance can help a victim recover losses and damages. References: Cheeseman, H. R. (2010). Business law: Legal environment, online commerce, business ethics, and international issues (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Common Trees of the Eastern United States