Homelessness The Problem Of Homelessness - 1379 Words

Although the numbers of homelessness in the States have decreased in the past 10 years, more than 3.5 million people each year experience homelessness, with 578,424 individuals experience homelessness each night (endhomelessness.org). Many poverty-stricken people are consistently at the risk of homelessness; there is a lack of affordable housing, many jobs provide low income, and destitute people cannot afford medical care for support. However, homelessness does not only extend to the penniless - it also affects a standard citizen. It can be a result of natural disasters, family death, unemployment, domestic violence, divorce, family affairs, and mental disabilities (homeaid.org). The challenge for America is to reduce the number of those who continue to experience homelessness drastically by rehabilitating the homeless back to normal, ordinary lives. Homeless or emergency shelters and temporary homes allow the homeless to seize a chance at economic stability and reorganize their cur rent situation. Many organizations such as Volunteers of America and Salvation Army were formed to address problems with homelessness in our society; their mission is to provide services like job and social skill training for the homeless in order to support their rehabilitation. Even with everything that is being done, many homeless refuse to associate themselves with outside help. With this issue at hand, homelessness will always remain an issue in America. Each year, more than 3.5 millionShow MoreRelatedHomelessness : The Problem Of Homelessness1350 Words   |  6 PagesHomelessness There are many parts to the subject of homelessness, of course people talk about the solutions to it like The Ten Year Plan, then there is the history of it starting from the 1640’s. Also there is discussions about Homeless Shelters and more recently Anti-homeless Legislation. Then there are always the staggering statistics. The homeless is a very one minded topic for most. Most people think that the homeless should be helped, cared for, and educated for success. This is true (at leastRead MoreHomelessness : The Problem Of Homelessness1479 Words   |  6 Pages Homelessness Do you think the government is really doing enough to fix the issue of homelessness?According to Lee, Dozens of homeless were left with nothing after a local Seattle organization (SHARE) closed its shelters (Lee, â€Å"Dozens of homeless camp out at county building after SHARE closes its shelters†). How could the government just let these people live without shelter? It even got to the point where the homeless were camping outside a county building because they had no other options.Read MoreThe Problem Of Homelessness And Homelessness Essay1286 Words   |  6 Pagesled to homelessness. These barriers may be a numerous amount of things such as substance abuse, personal trauma, unhealthy relationships, health problems, or unemployment. No matter the barrier, goals need to be set and must be realistic. If the goals seem impossible to reach they will be. Finally, there must be a commitment to following through with the set goals and a realization that this is an ongoing proce ss that will not change overnight. There is a misinformed stigma of homelessness, whichRead MoreHomelessness : The Problem Of Homelessness Essay1182 Words   |  5 PagesThe Problem: Homelessness in Auckland Homelessness is a major issue in Auckland that is increasing rapidly over time. Generally defined by Statistics New Zealand â€Å"as living situations where people with no other options to acquire safe and secure housing: are without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing accommodation with a household or living in uninhabitable housing†, research has also found that there are four categories of homelessness including; without shelter e.g. living on the streets;Read MoreHomelessness Is A Problem Of Homelessness1658 Words   |  7 PagesHomelessness in Society Imagine you are homeless and have no shelter, or nowhere to go. You walk through storms in the same clothes you had on a week ago. You look around for help, but there is none. What would you do? Or imagine you are one of the forgotten ones, whom people call dirty, and disgusting. Suddenly you hear footsteps, with hope filled inside you, and then a sudden sadness strikes you as the 1378th careless person walks by you and doesn t notice you. All you want is somewhere to sleepRead MoreThe Problem Of Homelessness And Homelessness802 Words   |  4 PagesConclusion Homelessness has been an ongoing problem in the United States and it cannot be decreased until each state comes up with a plan that is affective. However, in order for this to work the economy needs to recover to the point where no one is without a job and is paid a wage that is manageable. The negative stereotypes of judging the homeless needs to be stopped and people need to be educated that homelessness can affect anyone. Although there are many services available to assist the homelessRead MoreThe Problem Of Homelessness And Homelessness1562 Words   |  7 PagesHomelessness We have already past Stone Age and marched towards the modern where we can see fascinating technology and different invention where cancer can be a cured with different medication but homeless still exists and is on the verge of increasing day by day. We can’t imagine ourselves being lost or not knowing where to go or what to do. Spending every day and night either depending on someone else or finding a shelter where you can have a nap. Waking up with the noises of the cars and otherRead MoreHomelessness Is A Problem Of Homelessness1610 Words   |  7 PagesHomelessness is a monster. Each day, there are people on the streets suffering from homelessness. These unsheltered people litter the streets, and plead for help. There are different types of homelessness, but the most monstrous is chronic. The chronically homeless are left to endure the hardships of homelessness without hope of an effective solution. Americans disregard all homeless populations, but the most heart wrench ing group that is disregarded is the veterans. The veteran homelessness problemRead MoreHomelessness : The Problem Of Homelessness1584 Words   |  7 PagesHomelessness Awareness At some point in their life, a person has seen or heard of an individual who lives on the streets. The individual who lives on the streets and holds a sign that says they need money for food is consider homeless. Sadly, these individuals are everywhere and the amount of people under this title is slowly increasing. However, in this nation we have the ability to begin decreasing that number. By providing the necessary amount of assistance required to place these individualsRead MoreHomelessness : The Problem Of Homelessness2773 Words   |  12 PagesJosh Elliott November 5, 2014 Professor Clark English 1102 Final Draft Homelessness in families has become a much more prominent problem in communities and many struggle from it as they are people who are lacking in funds causing them to be without a home. Today, homelessness among families is becoming more common and is unfortunately spreading all over the world. Most home owning people are unaware of the actuality of the conditions that the homeless people reside in and many cannot comprehend

Racism- It Affects Everyone! Essay - 861 Words

Racism- It Affects Everyone! Racism is a plague spreading through the world. Over a million people have died due to lynching, burnings, stabbings, and beatings. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dangers of racism and discrimination and the pain they cause, while offering solutions to help counteract them. Racism goes back a long ways, even before Jesus Christ was born. Jesus was actually a devout Jew, but the Bible portrays Jews as bad people who chose to save a barbarian instead of their savior, Jesus A21. Because of the spread of Christianity, many Jews have been discriminated against. Even Henry Ford, who was kind and not at all racist, unwittingly started an Anti-Semitic campaign when he said something about them in his†¦show more content†¦The United States was touched with discrimination, and it still is. In 1892, the Supreme Court passed a law that forced blacks and whites to sit in separate train cars, use different bathrooms, and go to different schools B1. This began segregation . In 1921 Congress also drastically restricted immigration A24 so that there would be less racial diversity. Then, in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born B6. He decided that he wanted to make a difference in the fight against segregation. He led peaceful marches (meaning he didn’t use violence to show what he wanted) and eventually played an important role against segregation. Due to his and other people’s efforts, segregation was finally made illegal in schools in 1954 B2. Then, ten years later, in 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, ending segregation. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot to death four years later, in 1968. We can fight racism and discrimination, too. Not with violence, but with love, just like Martin Luther King Jr. We can raise awareness about discrimination, and stand up to racists D11. If everyone stood up to racists who act upon their beliefs, and explain why what they’re doing is wrong, and if they listen, t hat would almost take care of the problem all on its own C3. The act would snowball; getting bigger and bigger, and might eventually stop racism with everyone working together in harmonyShow MoreRelatedDr. Wolfe s Sociological Training910 Words   |  4 Pages1. In Dr. Wolfe’s statement on the recent events that have taken place in Baltimore he talks about police brutality, crime, racism, and inequality. Dr. Wolfe’s sociological training affects the way he looks at these events. In his statement he talks about how police brutality is not just happening among â€Å"a few bad apples† but instead how it is a systemic issue. He may be right but he also may be wrong. Dr. Wolfe is trained to study race, the criminal justice system and the relationship between bothRead MoreRacism : Some Call It A Disease1153 Words   |  5 PagesRacism Some call it a â€Å"disease†, some consider it a way of life, and others want it to be gone. Racism has been around for centuries as a sensitive controversial topic among Americans. Racism comes from way back when before I was born and it shocks me that it s still a popular subject in this day an age. It has been brought to the countries attention and has gotten better, but hasn’t vanished and still remains. Everyone views racism differently and have different reasons to why racism may be presentRead MoreReflection Paper On Racism : Fall Session Given By The Center For The Healing Of Racism947 Words   |  4 PagesSocial Action Reflection Paper The activity I attended was Dialogue Racism: Fall Session given by the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston, Texas. This 26 year-old non-profit organization yearly sponsors 8 workshops on various themes of racism which are open to the public at no cost. These eight workshops identify racism at the micro, mezzo and macro levels of society and educate participants in understanding that racism is not just one person or group against another individual or groupRead MoreThe Effects Of Slavery On A Macro Level1682 Words   |  7 PagesBaldwin and Coats we see slavery and racism can be viewed on a whole different level. Blocking out stereotypes Coates and Baldwin give us an inside look on what it was actually like like to own or to be a slave. Baldwin, talks about the effects of slavery on a micro level, and talks about how it affects people individually, and how even if someone doesn’t believe in it, they can be taken over by the idea of racism without realizing it; how racism can even affect the white man, saying that you canRead MorePeople All Around The World Face Racism And Discrimination1168 Words   |  5 Pagesthe world face racism and discrimination. Racism is a globally used word, and more than one race is capable of suffering its wrath. There are examples of it throughout history in all regions of the world. Racism can and does affect any race, whether it be: Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Indian, Muslim, Jewish and others. More than one race can be racist, people in the past have overcome racism, and Catholic social teachings believe that everyone should have rights. Racism is the belief thatRead MoreRacism, By Cheryl Harris And Devon Carbado1090 Words   |  5 PagesIn everyday life, everyone experiences racism. Whether it is a humorous racial stereotype joke or to something offensive like asking how Asians can see or asking an Asian person if he or she is Chinese. What we need to remember is that no one is born racist. Racism is either taught or learned. The definition of the term race that was created socially which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies. The definition of race is how we useRead MoreRacism: a World Problem1425 Words   |  6 PagesRacism: A World Problem In one way or another everyone encounters racism at many times in their life. Whether they are making the comments or victims of it, racism is everywhere and continues to be denied throughout the world. Neil Bissoondath, a Trinidad native, writes Im Not Racist ButÂ… which discusses the types of labels given to different ethnic groups and the encouragement of racism they give. Based on the effective way it was written, Bissoondaths essay is suggested for an English 101Read MoreRacism Is Still A Heavy Issue Of The High College Experience Across The United States1718 Words   |  7 PagesChang emphasizes â€Å"Students can only build power insofar as they band together- and then they can still be ignored (as they have been for years). Administrative neglect of racism defines power†. The quote explains how that when students are at war, there is no reliable source of help to assist them to conquer. Throughout America racism is still a heavy issue that is becoming a part of th e average college experience across the United States. In recent events, similar to ones that happened in the CivilRead MoreRacism in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Essay866 Words   |  4 Pagesis why the book lives, becoming literature and get the love from the audiences a lot. One of the problem and mostly run along with the story and interest me is racism between white people and black people socially. Fiction usually based on what happened in real life. This novel, Harper Lee based on what she seen and writes about it. Racism was quite popular that moment. At the start of the story Harper doesn’t want to go directly into the problems but wanted it grows slowly through a vision of a littleRead MoreSocial Darwinism And Its Effect On Society1069 Words   |  5 PagesStrength, intelligence, valuable talents and gifts, all these are traits that are desired by society. However, only certain people have the gift of strength or the gift of intelligence. Everyone is different. If everyone was the same, if everyone was perfect, life would be dull. Some people may want perfection, but who wants a boring, lifeless world? Unfortunately, some people did, and still do. The people who want a perfect society and who believe that strong, intelligent, and talented people

Criminal Behavior the Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Free Essays

Running head: SOCIAL CONTROL, STRAIN, SOCIAL LEARNING, AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Imagine someone telling you that â€Å"you are the product of your environment†, what does that mean? Imagine a girl who has decided to pursue a career as a stripper. All of her friends are strippers and the new people she meets are those she has met while stripping. Would it be easy for her to quit that job? What would happen if she moved away and was surrounded by well-educated individuals? – Individuals who gave her strong social support and a good positive influence. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Behavior: the Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing or any similar topic only for you Order Now What about the youth living in a deprived neighborhood, surrounded by small hopes and dreams for the future and low supervision? Is it possible that they become just like everyone else in their community? Let us compare an individual who lives in a disorganized community with an individual in a more organized and structured community, which one is more likely to develop criminal and delinquent behaviors? The purpose of this study is to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on three theories: social control theory, social learning theory, and strain theory. The idea in which the environment is the context within which all social relations occur has been brought to our attention by Lewin (1943) and can be used to make concept of a major factor in developing criminal and delinquent behaviors. Lewin proposed that the fundamental principle of social psychology research is that human behavior is a function of not only the person, but of the environment as well (Opotow Gieseking, 2011). A large body of research has been done regarding the human behavior as a function of their â€Å"life space† and the person’s environment, such as neighborhoods, schools, work, and their friendships. Lewin states that particular places can serve as â€Å"contact zones† (Opotow Gieseking, 2011) and support certain kinds of interaction. These â€Å"contact zones† are formed between people and the physical characteristics of the built and natural world they live in (Opotow Gieseking, 2011). Social control theory, strain theory, and social learning theory were all proposed by a variety of researchers strongly supporting the link between environment and the development of criminal minds. The theories supported are thought of as individual-level processes (Hoffman, 2003). The social control theory, for example, is the thought that community disorganization lessens bonding mechanisms by making parental supervision and interpersonal attachments more vague (Hoffman, 2003; Elliot et al. , 1997; Shaw McKay, 1931). With community disorganization comes little to no control. The community is usually distinguished by residential instability and a high ratio of broken families as well as single parents; reducing the likelihood of efficient socialization and supervision of the youth. A research study was conducted by Baskin Sommers (2011) to determine whether placement instability played a role in developing delinquent/criminal behavior; results indicated that the children with more instability were more likely to be arrested and have a criminal record. Community disorganization reduces social support structure and weakens an important source of conformed bonding and success in socialization: effective parenting. Empirical research has sustained the idea that the influence of social bonds differs in each type of community and disorganized communities have a negative effect on the competence of social bonds to greatly reduce delinquent behavior. A lot of this is seen in our own communities and the communities surrounding us. It is all about where the person lives, where he goes to school, and whom he chooses to hang out with. The initial development of the strain theory was developed by Merton (1968) where he proposed that opportunity structures greatly affect the ability to grasp common cultural goals, such as the pursuit for monetary gain (Hoffman, 2003). The individual-level component of the strain theory is basically the strain of striving to reach goals within various forms of opportunity structures that could lead to adjustments such as deviant behaviors, delinquency, and even crime. With the assumption that opportunity structures differ in each community, it is safe to say that the effects of strains caused by the disunity between goals and means on deviant behavior will differ in every community (Hoffman, 2003). In other words, the strained youth in disorganized communities have a more realistic picture of their situation, so criminal adaption’s become more likely. Agnew (1992) elaborated this theory to form a concept by broadening the notion of strain with adding a variety of sources, such as families, schools, and cognitive skills (Hoffman, 2003). Agnew assumes that the deprived communities are more likely to have strained youths and that these communities will suffer from more blocked or â€Å"strained† opportunity structures (Hoffman, 2003; Agnew, 1999). What is meant by Agnew’s new definition of this strain theory is that these communities develop an atmosphere that is based on anger and frustration; this could mean a greater chance of â€Å"going with the flow† to maybe prove themselves as â€Å"tough guys† to other communities. The social learning theory or differential association proposes that criminal associations and favoring conflict differ within each community type; it is this differentiation that explains the distribution of crime rates (Hoffman, 2003; Cressey, 1960; Reinarman Fagan, 1988). Individuals embedded within certain communities are either exposed to or opposed to criminal behavior. Akers (1998) sees the sources in these differences: â€Å"The less solidarity, cohesion, or integration there is within a group†¦ the higher will be the rate of crime and deviance† (Hoffman, 2003). In other words, social structural influences on criminal behaviors are fully reconciled by social learning processes. Many researchers stress that the DSM-IV diagnosis applied to criminals completely misses the mark and the idea of their environment is not enough (Stuart, 2004). Some researchers believe that sociological and environmental theories do not include the important concept of individual choice: â€Å"Crime resides within the person, not the environment† (Stuart, 2004). Other research, however, supports the importance of living in a good environment to prevent the development of a criminal mind. Although some researchers may suggest the treatment should be to focus on changing the patterns of thinking of criminals and to hold them accountable for every violation of moral thoughts, other researchers now believe that these efforts are slightly misdirected (Hoffman, 2003; Stuart, 2004, Baskin Sommers, 2011). Other research suggests that even with punishment one can only discourage the criminal act to a greater or lesser degree, restrain the secret manifestation of a criminal urge, but the punishment ill not reconstruct the criminal mind, or avert its development in the individual (The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1928). The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1928) proposes that the criminal mind is not different from that of the sane mind. Of course, many individuals do deviate themselves from the strain of their environment and negative influences simply because of their own personal values and the will to want to better themselves and their way of livin g. The proposed study will examine the moderating effects of the environment on developing criminal behaviors based on where the individuals grew up/came from. The study is based on the social control, strain, and social learning theories. There have been very few studies that examine the impact of these theories and their consequences on the general individual-level processes that affect the person’s adaption’s to an environment exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors. Furthermore, by investigating these theories, this study might be able to determine which variables, if not all, indicate the development of criminal minds and delinquent behaviors. It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Some participants will be from a more deprived area of town; they are considered to be part of a disorganized as well as strained community. Others will be from an average to more up scaled living environment; they are part of a more organized community who are influenced by everyone around them to want to have a better living. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their â€Å"way of living†. However, in general, participants in a more disorganized and strained community will suffer from more blocked opportunity structures, poor supervision, negative bonding mechanisms, and poor residential stability because despite having personal choices, an individual is always a product of his environment. Method Participants There will be approximately 850 participants in the proposed study that will serve as a representative sample of ninth grade students from U. S. high schools. Participants will be selected from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES). In exchange for their participation, participants will be given a raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Design The proposed study will be using the longitudinal method. The independent variables will be the type of community the participants live in (organized/disorganized), their friendships, monetary strain, blocked opportunity structures, and parental supervision. The dependent variable will be their acquired behaviors, which will be examined (according to the variation of delinquency theories), by the data drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS). The NELS is â€Å"a longitudinal study designed to explore the impact of families and schools on a variety of educational, vocational, and behavioral outcomes† (Howard, 2003). The friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory, the stress for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures will be used to examine the strain theory, and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Procedure The representative sample for this study will be drawn by NELS. This sample will then be interviewed. At the beginning of the interview, the parents of the participants as well as the participants themselves will be specifically informed that all private information will be strictly confidential and will be used for research purposes only. The parents will then be given an informed consent to read through. As the participants from the subsample come in for the interview, they will be asked a variety of questions regarding delinquent behavior. All of this data will then be entered in NCES. The NELS data will then be used to examine the community characteristics that condition the impact of pertinent variables on deviant behaviors in the modern lives of these adolescents. Data from NCES will match their residential addresses to census identifiers. Census tracts are used to examine the impact of neighborhoods on various outcomes. The participants will then be interviewed during their senior year in high school. Again, asking them a large sum of questions regarding deviant behaviors. The same data will then be entered in NCES and NELS to retouch the previous information. The issue being utilized in this study is the individual’s environment on his behavior based on a long period of time. The questions asked by examiners will pertain to their relationship with their parents, their thoughts on fighting and violence, cultural goals for monetary gain, and so on. Measures As mentioned before, the friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory; the stress for monetary gain will examine the strain theory; and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Conventional definition (Howard, 2003). A conventional definition will be constructed from a set of ten questions that will ask participants whether it is acceptable to engage in deviant behaviors such as having a gun, being affiliated with a gang, fighting, vandalism, selling drugs, using drugs, and stealing. A sample question includes: â€Å"Do you believe it is acceptable to join a gang? †. Response set ranges from one (often acceptable) to four (never acceptable). The Strain Theory. Questions that examine the strain theory will be based on cultural goals for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures: â€Å"How important is money to you? ; â€Å"Do you have a high or low chance of graduating from high school? †; â€Å"What are the chances of you joining a gang if you knew you would get lots of money? †. The responses will be based on coding: 1 if money is very important, 0 not being important; 1 if high chance of graduating, 0 if low, and so on. The Learning Theory. The learning theory will be assessed by asking four questions about their friendships. Sample questions include â€Å"Do you feel pressured to be involved in everything your friends are in? † and â€Å"Have you ver been influenced by a friend to engage in deviant behaviors? †. Response set ranges from one (always) to four (never). The Social Control Theory. This theory will be examined by parental supervision. The respondent’s parents will be asked a total of ten questions, with answer choices ranging from one (disagree completely) to four (agree completely). Sample questions include â€Å"Do you believe it is important to know your child’s friends? † and â€Å"Do you believe it is important to know how your child spends his money? †. Upon completion of each interview the respondents’ will be debriefed and given their raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Discussion It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their â€Å"way of living†. If the hypothesis is supported, then each group of participants would adapt to their way of living as a reaction to their environment. Significant findings resulting from the proposed study can be used in better understanding the role of the environment on the development of human behavior. If social control theory, learning theory, and strain theory are found to magnify the chance of developing criminal and deviant behaviors, this understanding could be applied to many different research studies and therapeutic training. Some research has already demonstrated that identifying an individual’s environmental background is quite important in understanding his criminal acts. In the psychological domain, recognizing the existing influences of each theory might be helpful in raising parental awareness of the importance of bonding mechanisms (supervision and interpersonal attachment) as well as children’s awareness of handling certain opportunity structures (cultural goals) and teaching the importance of maintaining strong values, raising society’s awareness of the importance of community organization, and implementing counseling programs. If people are made aware of the negative as well as positive effects of their environment on the development of their behavior, they might be more persuaded to maintain or develop strong values, develop cultural goals, and have a more positive realistic picture of their future, especially if they are living in a strained community. If the hypothesis is not supported, then there will be no difference between the influence of strained/disorganized communities and organized communities on the development of criminal and delinquent behaviors. Matching the social control, learning, and strain theories to each group of participants’ environment would have no effect in determining the possible implicit development of criminal behaviors. In this case, the type of environment (organized or disorganized community) would not justify the consequences on the general individual-level processes that affects the person’s adaption’s to the community exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors. Therefore, there would be no reason to raise the awareness of parents, children, and society of the importance of strong values and cultural goals when it comes to preventing the negative influences of the community on behavior. Whether or not the message raises awareness, people would just continue â€Å"going with the flow†. Unexpected factors that can occur during this longitudinal research study, which may skew the outcome, may include the unexpected death of several participants (i. . illness, accident, gang violence), or if a participant moves to a different country. A potential limitation of this study is that it does not involve clinical assessments, which can include family history and background to determine the presence of abnormal disorders (mood disorders, personality disorders). Being aware of the presence of abnormal disorders is an important factor in determining the prevalence and etiology of criminal behavior. As a result, assessing the environment would not be sufficient to determine the risk of becoming a criminal. Also, longitudinal studies of a large sample of the population require a large number of researchers and access to certain legal databases (depending on the study), which takes time and a considerable amount of money. Future research could investigate other factors that might have an influence on the development of criminal behavior (i. e. race, gender, psychological and biological vulnerabilities, and individual choices). It is possible that sufficient justification to support the influences of these theories (control, learning, and strain) could also be accompanied by or perceived as different depending on these factors, such that psychological vulnerabilities (cognitive development), which can be caused by abuse, in any type of environment could influence the development of such behaviors as well. Some researchers believe that crime does not reside in the environment and others say that the idea of their environment alone is not enough. Future research should be done to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on psychological, biological, and sociological vulnerabilities. Further investigation of the underlying causes of the development of criminal behavior is important not only to raise awareness, but to benefit our justice system as well as to contribute to the developing realm of research in psychology and criminology. References Hoffmann, John P. (2003). A contextual analysis of differential association, social control, and train theories of delinquency. Social Forces, 81, 753-785. Baskin, Deborah R. ; Sommers, Ira (2011). Child maltreatment, placement strategies, and delinquency. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 106-119. Opotow, Susan; Gieseking, Jen (2011). Foreground and background: Environment as site and social issue. Journal of Social Issues, 67, 179-196. Stuart, Bryan (2004). Inside the criminal mind. Journal of Psychiatry Law, 32 , 547-549. No authorship indicated (1928). The problem of the mind. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 23, 1-3. How to cite Criminal Behavior: the Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing, Essay examples

Confucianism vs Daoism free essay sample

China is a country that has been shaped overtime by many diverse and wide-ranging principles. Religion has served as one of the most powerful examples of these principles, specifically the three teachings, Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Daoism and Confucianism, which were both founded in China hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ, appear to approach the fundamentals of religion in the same fashion. Since Confucius and Laozi don’t directly address the question of God or an afterlife and both were concerned more with the present life, one would think their philosophical teachings would almost mirror each other. In the case of Confucianism versus Daoism, it appears that their methods and goals differ in most aspects, especially those surrounding the origins of their religions and the rituals they adhere to in order to achieve their goals. Confucius was born in an era of war and disparity. As a well-educated philosophical man, he realized the problem was chaos and unrest. He believed that order needed to be restored in humanity. In time he created a hierarchical social order that emphasized the importance of relationships: Ruler/Subject, Father/son, husband/wife, elder brother/younger brother, friend/friend. Unlike most social orders in societies though, these five primary relationships were a 2-way functioning system, each of which working for the other. For example, one relationship he listed being the ruler and the subject, in which the subject respects and works for the ruler and in turn the ruler must provide safety and well being to his subjects. Laozi, had a much different beginning to his story, in which he was a hard working man of the government with all the things he could need to flourish in his society. One day, he realized that civilization was in a â€Å"free-fall.† He left, but before he could leave, a boarder guard asked him to write something down. Later, these writings would be known as the Daodejing. Laozi, or Lord Lao as he was later immortalized as, believed the problem with society was the structure of society itself. Laozi took issue with the obligations, expectations, and responsibilities that were present in society as a whole. He instead placed a higher emphasis on man’s relationship with nature. The two religions appear, on the surface at least, to follow some of the same beliefs. They both attempt to create order out of the chaos that was their society. However, the paths taken to achieve said order, is where they begin to differ. Confucianism strives to achieve order from within the system. By  highlighting the value of personal relationships, Confucius relied on the societal systems already in place to further his teachings. Laozi on the other hand, believed that the same systems were in fact the problem. He instead advocated a withdrawal from society as a whole and instead called for an introspective look of one’s self. Confucianism and Daoism are known as very philosophical teachings, both of which focus on living in this world. Neither Confucius nor Laozi claimed to be divine figures, nor did they appeal to the supernatural worlds that most western religions seem to come from. At the beginning of the existence of these two religions, people generally rejected the teachings that these two founders brought to China. Like Jesus, Confucius didn’t build a large following until after his death. Laozi had vanished into nature before ever even seeing the full potential that his ideals in the Daodejing had brought to the people of that time. These beginnings would aid in the molding and divergence of the rituals associated with both religions. Prior to the rise of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE), Confucianism did not contain any established rituals. During his life and the early beginnings of his teachings, Confucius was not concerned with creating a ritualized set of edicts for people to follow. He instead allowed society to shape his teachings instead of his teaching s shaping society. The Zhou Dynasty however, would change this ideal when it formally declared Confucianism as an official state sponsored religion. This formal declaration would bring along with it an official set of ritualized acts. Ancestor worship would become one such ritualized act. Ancestor worship would come to include not only commemoration and sacrifice, but also communication with one’s ancestors. This worship helped to serve the deep belief Confucius had in interpersonal relationships. Paying homage to one’s ancestors was a way to insure filial piety and also served as a way to strengthen and maintain the different relationships within society. The observation of Li would also become a major tenet for Confucianism†. â€Å"Li† is â€Å"doing the proper thing, in the proper way, under any given set of circumstances. To act, in short, in keeping with the way of Heaven.† (Prothero 116) Li would serve as a guidebook for living. It â€Å"defined manners, etiquet te, and body language. â€Å" (Prothero 117) Daoism was, conversely, very anti-ritual at its inception. One of the major tenants of Daoism in fact, is the concept of â€Å"wu wei† which means â€Å"the best action is  no action at all.† The closest Daoism gets to ritual is the adherence to the seven principles of the Daodejing. The seven principles are: live a more natural life in accordance with nature, yield and allow things to just be, connect and align yourself with the Dao, wu wei, embrace the life of the recluse, embrace simplicity and tranquility, and recognize and celebrate change. While not inherently ritualistic, these tenets create a common set of beliefs and ideals for followers of the Dao. Confucian beliefs rely heavily on ritual in order to maintain order and highlight the importance of personal relationships. Because the basis of Confucianism is relationships, ritual is a required component. Daoism, on the other hand, is by its very definition incapable of true ritual. Its formation was brought about by the chaos of structured society. As such, any true ritual would be against the very ideals that Daoism upholds. Thus, while Confucians feel that ritual brings them together and strengthens their belief system, Daoists would argue that ritual instead tears down their belief structure. Daoism and Confucianism both arose during similar time periods in China. They provide an interesting example of differing view points faced with similar situations. Confucius saw the turmoil of the era and decided that the solution called for deeper, more personal connections with those around him. Laozi on the other hand, decided that a separation from personal interaction was the most beneficial path towards the betterment of man. These two men would create two of the most enduring religious models. They provide a very good example of similar paths, that diverge greatly from a common starting point, yet still achieve the same goal.