Otranto

Amy Reid English 5720: Franta 09/27/12 The Contradiction in Women’s Roles in Castle of Otranto While each character in Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto appear to have their own auras that fuel the story, these attitudes likewise make an example natural for sexual orientation. The guys of the story are ground-breaking and harsh to their female partners. Conversely, the ladies stay dedicated and compliant. Despite the fact that it might appear that Walpole is attempting to debase ladies by utilization of male control, he is really concentrating on the significance of the female job in the inference of male power.Manfred, the ruler of Otranto is at a misfortune as his solitary child Conrad kicks the bucket and there is no longer anybody to pass the illustrious blood to another age. After this occasion happens Manfred represents his character as being fascinated with power. While trying to create another beneficiary to the tossed he is resolved to separate from his better half and wed Isabella. â€Å"Hippolita is not, at this point my better half; I separate from her from this hour. Too long has she reviled me by her unfruitfulness: my destiny relies upon having children,- and this night I believe will give another date to my expectations (25). While Manfred’s spouse has been only committed to her better half and is loaded up with distress after she knows about his arrangements, he stays to need compassion or worries for his wife’s wants. Isabella is additionally at left in a situation without her very own voice; she should wed Manfred. Against Manfred’s request that Isabella wed him, she escapes to abstain from wedding such a horrendous man. While escaping Manfred Isabella starts to find how she can utilize her womanliness in her own capacity. Her tenderness had never raised her an adversary, and cognizant guiltlessness made her expectation that, except if sent by the prince’s request to look for her, his hirelings woul d prefer to help than forestall her flight (28). † In numerous occasions, attributes of gentility are seen as shortcomings to the female characters in the novel. In this occurrence, Isabella’s qualities that are related with her way of life as a female are utilized in a contradicting way.To be delicate and guiltless might be regarded as shortcomings however in this condition she can utilize these characteristics favorably to get away and oust the prince’s nonconsensual plans of marriage. Without the nearness of Isabella the cost is weak, as he can't create a beneficiary without her quality. Walpole authorizes the possibility that men get their capacity from ladies and without the nearness of ladies they are feeble. Again this thought is available when centered around the connection among Matilda and her dad Manfred.The father little girl relationship which they share is one in which Matilda is persecuted and is at an absence of friendship. Manfred even shows stra ightforwardly to Matilda his disappointment with her being his little girl and not his child. When Matilda shows up at his entryway to comfort him and help in his complaints at the loss of his child, he shouts, â€Å"Begone, I don't need a girl (23). † He keeps on denying Matilda any fondness or affirmation and in the end winds up killing her erroneously thinking she is Isabella. In the mean time, it is found that the Theodore is the genuine ruler and the one to create a heir.If Matilda would have hitched Theodore it is more than likely that they would have imagined a youngster that would now be the beneficiary. While Manfred never recognized Matilda until the hour of her demise, he currently recognizes that the prescience is demonstrated valid; the lordship won't be passed from his current family yet rather to its genuine proprietor. At long last Matilda was Manfred’s keep going expectation in passing on the lordship. Matilda’s demise marks Manfred’s com plete tumble from power, as the death of the lordship to the cutting edge is currently unimaginable.

Never judge a book by its cover free essay sample

It will likewise give data on what thought processes an individual needs to give legitimization to killing someone else. In conclusion, data will be given on the genuine personality of a person who decides to turn into a killer. An individual has their one impression of how â€Å"normal† should resemble. These recognitions can emerge out of a large group of impacts and here and there are the idea example of a little gathering or network. That specifically is the reason it is exceptionally hard to pass judgment on a person as per their appearance. The manner in which an individual may show up may look as though they are your typical ordinary individual, yet how precisely do you know? Particularly in the event that they were raised reasoning that they are introducing themselves in agreement to the standard. Actually appearances can be misleading. Concerning what we see outwardly, a creator states, â€Å"We all do it. We cannot resist. Were dominatingly visual creatures†, (Lickerman, 2012). With regards to things we see, as people we can't help judge dependent on the appearance. A few people have ridiculous suppositions on how someone in particular should look as opposed to increasing a comprehension of the person in general. Our materialistic perspective on individuals misleads use and brings down our watchmen against people not out for our prosperity. In today’s society, we are told things, for example, hooligans wear dull loose apparel and fruitful people wear business easygoing clothing. This is a case of a circumstance that can be beguiling if an individual exploits our regular misguided judgments. In a circumstance where an individual is within the sight of a sequential executioner, this misguided judgment can end in death. This conversation will clarify how elective personalities, thought processes are the best way to comprehend an individual’s genuine character. An individual ought to never pass judgment on an individual by dependent on their appearance. Because an individual seems, by all accounts, to be a typical individual, it doesn't imply that they really are. That individual could in all likelihood be a sequential executioner. What we accept and need to have faith concerning companions, family, and even colleagues is something that all individuals manage on a normal. We have a thought or a conviction of what an individual is and who they really are, yet how would we truly know? By what means can an individual state that the individual that we state we know is who they state they really are? In truth, you don’t know. To you and me they could be actually who they state they are, yet as far as they could tell they may think they are another person. They may carry on with a way of life that an individual who realizes the individual never realized that they had. This is having an elective character as well as way of life. At the point when an individual has an elective way of life, they live twofold life. For instance, a man is hitched to a lady and has three children with this exact same lady, however takes month to month excursions or â€Å"work related vacations† to invest energy with his better half in another state. In the TV show â€Å"Dexter† and film, â€Å"Mr. Brooks†, the two people had mystery lives. They decided to keep their lives mystery fundamentally in light of the fact that the two lives that they had, yet they realize that the two lives couldn't exist together with each other. The two characters had genuine lives other than the life of an executioner. Mr. Creeks has an effective business and Dexter is an exceptionally fruitful wrongdoing scene specialist. Indeed, even with such awards, doubtlessly what they are happy with their lives, however they are definitely not. Much of the time, an individual may decide to have a substitute life because of absence of fulfillment of their present lives. In an announcement above, there was a model utilized that depicted a wedded man with kids deciding to set aside some effort to go through with his better half from another state. In a circumstance like this, despite the fact that that man is hitched with kids, he may not be accepting the fulfillment from his relationship with his close family. Like this individual, both Dexter and Mr. Streams might be managing a comparable circumstance in which their prompt lives are not giving the fulfillment that they want. Mr. Streams is an effective businessperson however doesn't get the delight and fulfillment that he gets from killing that he in his organization. Dexter is an effective wrongdoing scene specialist, yet despite the fact that he makes the most of his activity he get not even close to the fulfillment that he gets when slaughtering a terrible person. The explanation for living different ways of life is an endeavor by a person to get the fulfillment that they want that they can’t get in their other life. One of the later genuine circumstances America has looked in which an individual searched out to execute others was the, â€Å"Navy Yard Shooter†. His name was Aaron Alexis. This was a person who killed 12 individuals at Washingtons Navy Yard. One reason why this circumstance is as yet confounding to numerous individuals is on the grounds that there was no away from of why he killed those twelve people. As indicated by a senior law requirement official, ‘Co-laborers have depicted Alexis of having carried on with the everyday work life of a generously compensated tech temporary worker given day by day per diems that permitted an agreeable remain in a costly city† (Pearson, 2013). Someone else near him portrayed Alexis as extremely amiable and a well disposed man. This individual is a companion and previous housemate, Kristi Suthamtewakul. She saw some character changes in Alexis throughout the most recent couple of months, yet she expressed that it was nothing showing potential viciousness. She saw that he had been disappointed about compensation and advantages issues following a one-month contracting stretch in Japan a year ago. She additionally expressed that, Thats when I originally began hearing articulations about how he needed to move out of America,† and that, He was extremely disappointed with the administration and how, as a veteran, he didnt feel like he was getting treated right or fairly† (Pearson, 2013). Some will say for what reason would something as immaterial as that lead somebody to execute others? A creator states, â€Å"No matter how egregious a wrongdoing, there is consistently a â€Å"justification† given by the culprit: â€Å"Voices advised me to murder each one of those prostitutes†, â€Å"He was laying down with my wife† and â€Å"I did it for the sake of [insert god here]† (Phillips, 2013). The thought process is the thing that drives the sequential executioner to murder. In the event that there isn’t a thought process or motivation behind why an individual slaughters, for what reason would they? In this circumstance, Aaron Alexis’s thought process to kill those twelve individuals in the Navy shooter episode was because of disappointment about compensation and advantages issues following a one-month contracting spell in Japan a year ago and feeling like he wasn’t treated right or reasonably as a veteran. In his psyche, that was sufficient inspiration to lead him to end the lives of the twelve people who he had killed. In TV arrangement, â€Å"Dexter†, Dexter had a thought process to murder awful individuals. Regularly, he would research trouble makers and give his own form of discipline towards them. He filled in as both a vigilante and a sequential executioner. The lives of the guiltless individuals that the awful individuals removed were sufficient intentions in Dexter to murder those people in the equivalent or comparative kind of way. Like expressed above, there is consistently â€Å"justification† given by the culprit in why they may murder somebody. The genuine personality of a sequential executioner is typically left well enough alone which is as it should be. There is a motivation behind why an individual would not need people to know precisely what their identity is. The purposes behind which these people might not have any desire to be known can fluctuate. An individual might need to be known. There is a likelihood that an executioner might not have any desire to be known to other people. That individual might not have any desire to be known on the grounds that they appreciate what they do. Both Dexter and Mr. Creeks conceal their actual personalities essentially on the grounds that they had people whom they adored and thought about in their ordinary life. Dexter had a sister and Mr. Creeks had a spouse and a girl. Simultaneously both Dexter and Mr. Streams both have a craving and enthusiasm to slaughter others. Both have their various intentions in why they murder yet the both have an unmistakable enthusiasm to execute others. There may likewise be a likelihood that alongside executing others, they may likewise need to shield those people from being a potential objective. The genuine character of an executioner exclusively relies upon the rationale of the executioner. Notwithstanding if an executioner decides to be known or not, the genuine personality of somebody who slaughters and murders others as often as possible is that they are a sequential executioner. This is the principle motivation behind why an individual ought to never pass judgment on somebody dependent on what they seem, by all accounts, to be. The genuine character of somebody is the personality at which that individual feels the most agreeable to act naturally. On account of Dexter and Mr. Creeks, the two of them sense that themselves when they slaughter others. At the point when you see a few people, you need to believe that you know precisely what kind of individual they are by simply taking a gander at them. It is hard for anybody to know precisely whom they are within the sight of just by their appearance. An individual may decide to have an elective way of life due an absence of fulfillment in their lives. They may feel that what is available in their life isn’t satisfying them with the completion of life that they want. Until they get that completion that they want, they may keep on finding that way by deciding to living various ways of life. The thought processes behind which an individual would need to kill an individual can differ. On the off chance that that individual has avocation behind why they are performing such acts, in their eyes they may see what they are doing is the correct way to deal with handle their circumstance. Every one of the an individual needs is an intention behind why they may decide to slaughter a person. On account of Aaron Alexis, his inspiration driving homicide was the way that he was baffled about compensation and advantages issues following a one-month contracting spell in Japan a year ago and frust

A Summer Reading List

A Summer Reading List Though it may be difficult to believe, sometimes MIT students like to do things other than science, technology, or engineering. I personally find summertime a particularly good season for the things I used to do much more frequently before the chaotic workload that is college, and a huge one of those things is reading. I love books. I used to be one of those kids that would hide somewhere for six hours with a thick book (usually fantasy) until one of my parents found me and, for the millionth time, asked if I really couldn’t hear them when they were yelling my name or if I was just ignoring them. I would get so engrossed in books that I found myself incapable of doing anything other than reading, once I started one. And it translated to school, toomy middle school English teacher was surprised I wanted to go into STEM subjects, actually. Then, you know, I grew up and high school was hard and so the reading decreased significantly. But I think that I’ve still been able to retain a love for reading and keep up with it, even if I have to wait for less busy times of the year, like summer break. Here was my reading list for last year (strikethrough indicates books I actually finished): The Emporer of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddartha Mukherjee This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Extermely Loud and Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera I also ended up re-reading the whole Harry Potter series (fan for life) and the Lord of the Rings series (which took me through winter break to actually finish) in lieu of Purple Hibiscus and Unbearable Lightness, because last summer I was back home in Colorado, and also traveled a bit, which meant I was without as much access to the library as I have now. Did you know Hayden Library also has, like, novels?? I must admit that I was sort of vaguely aware that it was also a real library instead of just a place for exam-cramming until midnight, but this fact really hit me only a week ago. Also, since the Hayden library is for the MIT community, there’s a much shorter wait time on popular books! Here’s my reading list for this year, where I’m being a lot more ambitious: Fiction: China Rich Girl by Kevin Kwan White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi (in progress) Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Nonfiction: The Gene by Siddartha Mukherjee Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot I want to read at least 12 books by the end of the summerambitious, since I’m leaving for Ethiopia on August 6th and was in China until June 21st. But I think I can work through them, especially with Hayden Library so accessible. I’ve always liked the metaphor of reading as eating. in that I always used to be hungry for books, and I like the image of people “devouring books”, a common expression. I gulped down China Rich Girl at my local library in Colorado, so I finished that while visiting home, and have swallowed up Purple Hibiscus, White is For Witching, The Icarus Girl, and What is Not Yours is Not Yours in the last 10 days since I got back from China. Purple Hibiscus was such a well-woven story that I just spent my whole Sunday reading it from start to finish, and didn’t move from the couch much. Here are my thoughts on the books I’ve read so far, reflections on the authors and genres, and why I chose the books on my list this summer. Books Ive Read: China Rich Girl is the sequel to another novel that I actually read for a class at MIT: 21G.046, Modern Chinese Fiction and Cinema. I didn’t really choose it so much as stumble across it in the library. The book I initially read for class is called Crazy Rich Asians, and it’s a detailed, dramatic plot that’s kind of meant to expose the lives of wealthy Singaporeans and reveals a lot about Asian wealth culture. That’s why my professor picked it. I think I liked Crazy Rich Asians betterit’s a book that kind of fools you. I read the cover blurb and thought, why are we reading a cheesy book like this for class, but it actually had many moments of commentary on sexism and classism in Asia, and seemed to say, yes, this story is bizarre, but it’s also entrenched in systemic issues that real people in real life face. I felt like the second novel was a little more plot-focused and therefore, had more Gossip Girl-esque, weekday TV sorts of dramatic reveals. I did like, though, that the second novel explored the side of wealth culture in China and Hong Kong vs. Singapore, and since I’d known a little more about that it was interesting to connect the fictional characters to their real life counterparts”Jack Bing” in the novel mirrors the real life Jack Ma, the wealthiest man in Asia and founder of the Alibaba Corporation. I’m going to be honest and say that I don’t think I really understood White is for Witching, but I still liked it a lot. I hesitate to identify a key theme or point of the novel; it’s not clear to me, except that after reading both it and The Icarus Girl, it seems to me that Helen Oyeyemi has a thing for twins and curses. If I had to write an essay about it right now, I’d at least say that it’s a kind of spread-out, extended metaphor about institutional racism, but told in a haunting, magical realism sort of fashion. But it took me a lot of thinking to even get to that conclusion, that began as a vague idea in the back of my head after I finished the book. The Icarus Girl I really really really liked, because it’s a story about a half-English, half-Nigerian child, and reflects some of the same struggles particular to mixed people that I had as a child (especially in middle school). This novel is again magical realism, but particularly introspective as the child struggles against a ghost from a Nigerian legend. It makes the young girl’s story relatable, and the conflict is much more grown-up than an 8 year old should have to endure (though I suppose, that’s kind of the point). I couldn’t put down Purple Hibiscus, so much that I spent an entire Sunday reading it, from start to finish x) It does an excellent job with addressing the moral ambiguity of real life, with no clear good and evil people, yet, a lot of good and terrible things that happen. Another book where I saw my own family dynamic reflected (well definitely not quite so horrible and dysfunctional, but still, a little bit). What is Not Yours is Not Yours is a series of short stories I’ve been working through, stories that force you to think, and at the same time, are wildly different in their narrative voices. It displays a brilliance on the part of the author, as she switches between such different storylines and characters. Incredible versatility. Books I Plan to Read: I chose Americanah and The Gene because I liked these authors’ previous works a lot. I chose Fresh Off the Boat because now that I’ve read a bit of African literature, I want to read more Asian and Asian American literature. I find that the more I intentionally explore authors of different backgrounds, particularly ones close to my own heritage, I find stories a lot closer to the reality I have experienced, and on topics I never, ever read about when I was a kid (particularly in middle school) when I think I really needed to hear some of these messages. At least I’m hearing them now :) I might chose two more Asian/Asian American works, since the list I currently have doesn’t meet 12 books yet. I chose A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace because my friend from high school, Brian D. Amherst College ‘18, at some point tried to get all of us to read Infinite Jest, which was his favorite book at the time. I plan on reading it eventually (its a daunting 1,000+ pages), but for now I came across this nonfiction collection of essays by the same author, and I’m eager to have a look at it. I chose The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because after reading The Emperor of All Maladies last summer, I decided I wanted to read more nonfiction books about science and technology, as they frequently touch on ethics. Lacks is particularly centered on the ethics of research, and I think it’s just as important to be informed and think about ethics as any other aspect of STEM. It also just looks really interesting! Authors/Genres: I discovered Helen Oyeyemi when my friend Sarah A. ‘18 sent me “The Lemonade Syllabus”, a very interesting set of works across many humanities disciplinesfiction, nonfiction, music, film, theology, etc.created after Beyonces Lemonade visual album came out.  I saw some of Oyeyemi’s novels under the “fiction” section. I picked up What is Not Yours is Not Yours at my library in Denver, but didn’t start it before I left for China. I’ve now read three of her books and find her writing versatile, relevant, and introspective. I say versatile because What is Not Yours is Not Yours is a collection of short stories that are all very different in their structure and narrative voice. It’s very relevant, to me at least, because she touches on a lot of themes of gender in general, on being African, on specifically being an African women, and the general idea of forbidden things. Yet another thing I like about Oyeyemi is she also writes books that don’t necessarily have to do wi th African women in particular, but contain a diverse cast of characters whose diversity is not the point of the book. The different names and descriptions of the characters’ physical appearance is simply there, so that other people can see themselves reflected, but the characters have other powerful traits that define their personalitieswhich is real life, after all. It’s sometimes difficult to convey in books or art in general, though, so I’m impressed by the mastery with which she does it. I’ve been trying to diversify my reading, in every sense of the word I can think offiction, nonfiction, authors of different backgrounds, stories of different topics, modern, classics, etc. It’s been particularly interesting to read classic and modern works together. For example, I highly suggest reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie one soon after the other, because I think the contrast between the themes in both books are fascinating. On one hand, there are modern and ancient issues that are the same between both books (oppression, fighting, the merits of “old ways” and “new ways”, etc.). On the other hand, Adichie opens up a box that Things Fall Apart doesn’t: the implications of these same issues on women, and how women react, fight, fail, or succeed. Things Fall Apart largely focuses on the men involved. The different time periods and backgrounds of each author allows for interesting comparisons. SO, while the majority of MIT students are nerds, you’ll find that we can be nerdy in quite a few waysfrom eccentric hobbies like building one’s own furniture, to eccentric hobbies like perusing books in the basement of Hayden library. I hope you enjoyed this rant discussion on the books I’m reading this summer. I’d love to hear about whatever you’re reading, and what you think of it!

Developmental Psychology Essay example - 2012 Words

Developmental psychology is the study of mental structures and learning through experience. This is the interest between characteristics, the individual’s behaviour and environmental factors including social context and their impact on developments Piaget and Vygotsky had many similarities in their ideas they both looked at children’s cognitive development of knowledge and had the theory that there are things beyond a Childs understanding but their approaches to these ideas were different. They believed that it was important for children to participate in their learning and they also both looked at social factors concerning children’s cognitive development However Piaget had many ideas and thoughts’ that differed from Vygotsky.†¦show more content†¦In future years because of his experiences, Piaget changed the way he conducted his research to include more importance on child activity. In comparison Vygotsky didn’t rely upon time he believed that children’s learning should be taken further by looking at their actual capabilities and then seeing how much more potential they have, this was called the ZPD (zone of proximal development). He stated that teaching is only good when it ‘awakens and rouses to life those functions which are in a stage of maturing which lie in the ZPD’ (Dunphy Dunphy 2003, p49). Vygotsky also believed in social interactions for development with the emphasis upon communications, language (the inner voice) and the role of experts. He believed that when a child is challenged and is helped with these challenges it will obtain new knowledge and skills. A criticism of Vygotsky’s could be that he really didn’t have any research to back up his theories, and he was constantly changing his ideas. Perhaps changing his ideas was his way of taking on board any criticisms and updating his thinking to improve upon his work. Vygotsky, however, did realise that Piaget’s theories were quite important and he built his theories upon the information obtained by him. My evaluation of Piaget and Vygotsky is that although Piaget’s studiesShow MoreRelatedDevelopmental Psychology3823 Words   |  16 PagesDevelopmental Psychology There are three main theories of development that I shall discuss in this assignment, Cognitive, the main theorist being, Piaget, (1896 - 1980), The, Psychosocial Theory, Erikson, (1902 - 1994), and, The Psychosexual, of, Freud, (1856 - 1939). Cognitive Psychology draws the comparison between the human mind and a computer, suggesting that we like the computer process the information we acquire from around us and then react accordingly. Hearnshaw, (1987)Read MoreDevelopmental Psychology : An Introduction2958 Words   |  12 PagesDevelopmental Psychology: An introduction Psychology is a field that is broken down into many subfields, each field distinctive in their nature. One of the most studied fields is developmental psychology. Before I explain the field in depth, it is important to understand what developmental psychology is, and how it came to be. Developmental psychology is mainly a scientific approach, which aims to explain how children and adults change overtime (Lerner, Lewin-Bizan, Warren, 2011). Most uniquelyRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : Understanding The Developmental Process978 Words   |  4 PagesDevelopmental Psychology has widened my perspective and knowledge of the nature of development from humans’ infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Although I have learned about biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes and periods of development, I am especially interested in socioemotional development in infancy because it is the foundation for a child’s future development. That is to say, if children h ave a healthy socioemotional development from infancy, they will have a healthyRead MoreThe Developmental Psychology Of A Child983 Words   |  4 PagesThe developmental psychology of a child is one that is in many ways difficult and very special to understand. I would like to start by saying that a child’s development depends on many factors and circumstances. In finding if a child has a developmental problem or a psychological problem takes time and a delicate nature in finding the problem. The child that I am going to represent and defend on his or her actions, is a child that needs the proper representation of his or her age of developmentalRead MoreThe Theory Of Developmental Psychology1896 Words   |  8 PagesDevelopmental psychology is viewed as different types of approaches which aim to look at how people develop. Theories such as Bowlby s attachment theory can explain how a child s development can be altered by their attachment, thus leading to the ideology of the nature vs nurture debate, nature referring to the process of biological maturation while nurture is referring to the influence of the environment or surroundings, which involves the idea that a person learns through experiences.(McLeodRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : Psychology And Psychology943 Words   |  4 Pagesof the fields of psychology that have influenced me and my current major in biology are Developmental Psychology, Neurological Psychology, and Clinical Psychology; they have influenced me by Developmental Psychology relating to my future goal to work with pediatrics, Neurological Psychology relating to both biology in a general sense and also my potential interests in the neurology field, and Clinical Psychology relating to being a doctor in general. One of the fields of Psychology that has influencedRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology And The Life Of Anne Frank1068 Words   |  5 Pages DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LIFE OF ANNE FRANK Name: Professor: Course: Date: Introduction Developmental psychology is rapidly becoming an inalienable branch of the subject of psychology. Developmental psychology can be defined as the scientific study concerned with how and why human beings develop over the course of their life. Although connected with infants and children, the scope of developmental psychology has expanded over the years. It also describes the concepts of adolescenceRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : The Biological Examination Of Changes951 Words   |  4 PagesPSYCHOLOGY ESSAY: Introduction Developmental psychology is the the biological examination of changes that happens to human beings during the course of their life time. During the course of a life time of a human being ,certain biological changes happens. The development stages are divided into different stages. According to Erikson ,†the eight ages of development and the major life crisis are significant in terms of individual growth and development.†(Care human development,Student support SessionRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesDevelopment Psychology Development psychology refers to the scientific study of the systematic psychological changes that normally occur to human beings throughout their growth period from birth to old age. It was originally concerned with children and infants, but it has since expanded to include the entire life span of mankind including adolescence and adulthood. Development psychology covers the extent to which human development occurs through gradual accumulation of knowledge, and the extentRead MoreThe Theory Of Developmental Psychology1336 Words   |  6 PagesDevelopmental psychology is viewed as different approaches which aims to look at how children and adults develop. Theories such as Bowlby s attachment theory can explain how a child s development can be altered by their attachment, thus leading to the ideology of the nature vs nurture debate, nature referring to the process of biological maturation while nurture is referring to the impact of the environment or surroundings, which involves the idea that a person learns through experiences. (McLeod

U.s. Foreign Policy Policies - 1847 Words

he New York Times reported that the United States has refrained from systematically attacking Al Qaeda’s franchise in Syria because US-backed fighters coordinate and are enmeshed with the outfit. The newspaper also reported that the Pentagon had refrained in 2015 from attacking ISIS militants in and around the Syrian city of Palmyra in order to further the US foreign policy goal of regime change in Damascus. The United States has a long history of forming tactical alliances with political Islam to counter secular Arab nationalists, whom it views as inimical to its interests of dominating the Arab world, with its vast petroleum resources. Syria, whose constitution describes the country as â€Å"the beating heart of Arabism† and â€Å"bedrock of resistance against colonial hegemony on the Arab world,† is the last of the secular Arab nationalist states opposing US domination and control of the region. A frank discussion in a July 14, 2016 New York Times article [1] acknowledged that US irritation over the Kremlin’s military intervention in Syria has been prompted by Russia focussing its attacks on Al Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, the Nusra Front, an outfit Washington views as an ally of convenience in pursuit of its goal of toppling the pro-independence Arab nationalist Assad government, at the same time it props up client state dictatorships in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, while robustly providing military, economic and diplomatic support to the settler regime inShow MoreRelatedU.s. Foreign Policy Policies1370 Words   |  6 PagesThe U.S. foreign policy has always been linked to the domestic policy since the U.S. never feared of expanding its national interests over the national boarders. Isolation for the U.S. usually implied slow economic growth and the large number of destructive conflicts within, while impudent foreign policy always guaranteed an abrupt economic growth for the U.S. economy. After the U.S. intervened in the WWI and the WWII, the U.S. economy witnessed a tremendous economic growth, nearly elimination ofRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy Decisions716 Words   |  3 Pagesreasons.† (Kaufman pg. 3). Here Kaufman begins to unravel the differences between these two types of foreign policy. The extraordinary are the issues surrounding war, terrorist attacks, cyber warfare. The mundane, is as simple as the labels on your clothing, but as complex as who is allowed entry into the U.S.. These topics do not elicit as much of a reaction, because as Kaufman argues â€Å"the foreign policy decisions that most people know about and follow closely are those that are extraordinary becauseRead MoreU.s. Bush s Administration On Foreign Policy Over The Last Forty Years1717 Words   |  7 Pagesdefinition of unilateralism and its application to US foreign policy over the last forty years. In defining the term, this essay will leave aside the debate between the competing concepts of unilateralism and multilateralism, which has occupied extensive literature after the 9/11 attacks and the following military actions. The essay will  Definition of unilateralism (800 words) Meaning of unilateralism Unilateralism in american foreign policy Was Bush the first one? How long it has beenRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy Policies Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican foreign policy relates to what is done in foreign countries by the United States of America. The foreign policies include controlling of the governments of foreign countries or setting some rules in those countries. The foreign policy of America has always been changing all through the US existence. 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A subsection will be dedicated to the Pink Tide in Latin America, with a focus on the U.S. foreign policy under President GW Bush and President Obama. The overthrown Presidents of Honduras and Paraguay were part of this movement and their outset signals a reversal in the region. The different policies set by the U.S. must be understoodRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy Policies Essay2045 Words   |  9 Pagesmomentous in its ramifications as it was anticlimactic in its occurrence.† Soviet Premier Gorbachev’s dual policies of glasnost and perestroika had relaxed central control and encouraged self-sufficiency among the republics of Eastern Europe, but it also revealed the underlying economic weakness of the Soviet system. The collapse of the Soviet Union sent shockwaves through a U.S. foreign policy establishment that had, for decades, overwhelmingly focused on the containment of the Soviet Union. LackingRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy Policies Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pageswith Clinton at 42% and Trump at 40.9% (as of September 15,2016). Donald Trump, who is a successful businessman, turns to a different path to become a p A government’s strategy in dealing with other nations is important in today’s world. The U.S. foreign policy is desi gned to achieve national objectives. There are many immigrated citizens coming into the United States every year. However, we question the ones who are undocumented immigrants. The United States has concerns about the Islamic State groupRead More U.S. Foreign Policy Essay930 Words   |  4 PagesStates has remained consistent with its national interest by taking many different actions in foreign policy. There have been both immediate and long term results of these actions. Foreign policy is the United States policy that defines how we deal with other countries economically and politically. It is made by congress, the president, and the people. 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Self Esteem Free Essays

string(180) " the various ways in which self-esteem is measured and the implications that these methods have on our understanding of what it means for a person to have high or low self-esteem\." 14 Assessing Self-Esteem Todd F. Heatherton and Carrie L. Wyland It is generally believed that there are many bene? ts to having a positive view of the self. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Esteem or any similar topic only for you Order Now Those who have high self-esteem are presumed to be psychologically happy and healthy (Branden, 1994; Taylor Brown, 1988), whereas those with low self-esteem are believed to be psychologically distressed and perhaps even depressed (Tennen Af? eck, 1993). Having high self-esteem apparently provides bene? s to those who possess it: They feel good about themselves, they are able to cope effectively with challenges and negative feedback, and they live in a social world in which they believe that people value and respect them. Although there are negative consequences associated with having extremely high self-esteem (Baumeister, 1998), most people with high self-esteem appear to lead happy and productive lives. By contrast, people with low selfesteem see the world through a more negative ? lter, and their general dislike for themselves colors their perceptions of everything around them. Substantial evidence shows a link between self-esteem and depression, shyness, loneliness, and alienation—low self-esteem is aversive for those who have it. Thus, selfesteem affects the enjoyment of life even if it does not have a substantial impact on career success, productivity, or other objective outcome measures. Given the choice, however, most people would prefer to have high self-esteem. That self-esteem is vital for psychological health is evident in the popular media and in educational policy. Indeed, some educators have changed course curricula in their attempts to instill children with high self-esteem, even to the point that in some states students are promoted to a higher grade even when they have failed to master the material from the previous grade. These social promotions are based on the belief that positive self-esteem is of cardinal importance, and that many societal ills—such as teenage pregnancy and drug use, violence, academic failure, and crime—are caused by low self-esteem. Accordingly, California enacted legislation that encouraged schools to develop self-esteem enhancement programs, the general idea being that high selfesteem would act something like a â€Å"social vaccine† that would prevent many of the serious behavioral problems facing the state (Mecca, Smelser, Vasconcellos, 1989). Although societal ills are not caused by low self-esteem, it is easy to understand why policy makers and educators are concerned with the emotional consequences of negative self-views. Those who feel ostracized 219 20 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND or rejected experience a variety of negative reactions, including physical illness, emotional problems, and negative affective states. Furthermore, social support is known to be a key ingredient of mental and physical health (Cohen Wills, 1985), and people who feel disliked may be less likely to receive support from others. Thus, even if the bene? ts of having high self-esteem have been exaggerated (see Dawes, 1994), there is little doubt that low self-esteem is problematic for those who have it. But how exactly is self-esteem measured? This chapter examines the various ways in which self-esteem is measured and the implications that these methods have on our understanding of what it means for a person to have high or low self-esteem. You read "Self Esteem" in category "Essay examples" Understanding the Construct of Self-Esteem Self-esteem is the evaluative aspect of the self-concept that corresponds to an overall view of the self as worthy or unworthy (Baumeister, 1998). This is embodied in Coopersmith’s (1967) classic de? ition of self-esteem: The evaluation which the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to himself: it expresses an attitude of approval and indicates the extent to which an individual believes himself to be capable, signi? cant, successful and worthy. In short, self-esteem is a personal judgment of the worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes the individual holds towards himself. (pp. 4–5) Thus, self-esteem is an attitude a bout the self and is related to personal beliefs about skills, abilities, social relationships, and future outcomes. It is important to distinguish self-esteem from the more general term selfconcept, because the two terms often are used interchangeably. Self-concept refers to the totality of cognitive beliefs that people have about themselves; it is everything that is known about the self, and includes things such as name, race, likes, dislikes, beliefs, values, and appearance descriptions, such as height and weight. By contrast, self-esteem is the emotional response that people experience as they contemplate and evaluate different things about themselves. Although self-esteem is related to the self-concept, it is possible for people to believe objectively positive things (such as acknowledging skills in academics, athletics, or arts), but continue to not really like themselves. Conversely, it is possible for people to like themselves, and therefore hold high self-esteem, in spite of their lacking any objective indicators that support such positive selfviews. Although in? uenced by the contents of the self-concept, self-esteem is not the same thing. Throughout the history of research on self-esteem, there have been concerns that the concept was poorly de? ed and therefore badly measured (Blascovich Tomaka, 1991). Jackson (1984) noted that â€Å"After thirty years of intensive effort . . . what has emerged . . . is a confusion of results that de? es interpretation† (p. 2). Wylie (1974), one of the chief critics of self-esteem research, blamed the area’s dif? culties on a lack of rigor in experimentation and a proliferatio n of instruments to measure self-esteem. For example, there are ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 221 a large number of self-esteem instruments, and many of the scales correlate poorly with one another. Indeed, in reviewing the history of the measurement of self-esteem, Briggs and Cheek (1986) stated, â€Å"it was obvious by the mid-1970s that the status of self-esteem measurement research had become something of an embarrassment to the ? eld of personality research† (p. 131). How a construct is de? ned has obvious implications for how it is measured. As a term that is widely used in everyday language and heavily laden with social value, perhaps it should not be surprising that idiosyncratic and casual de? nitions have contributed to the chaos of de? ing and measuring self-esteem. There is not nearly enough space in this chapter to consider all of the various ways in which self-esteem has been de? ned. In this chapter we touch on some of the central conceptual issues that are relevant to the measure of self-esteem, including the proposed source of self-esteem, possible gender differences in which factors are most important, and differential views of the dimensionality and sta bility of self-esteem. Sources of Self-Esteem There are many theories about the source of self-esteem. For instance, William James (1890) argued that self-esteem developed from the accumulation of experiences in which people’s outcomes exceeded their goals on some important dimension, under the general rule that self-esteem = success/pretensions. From this perspective, assessment has to examine possible discrepancies between current appraisals and personal goals and motives. Moreover, self-perceived skills that allow people to reach goals are also important to assess. Thus, measures ought to include some reference to personal beliefs about competency and ability. Many of the most popular theories of self-esteem are based on Cooley’s (1902) notion of the looking-glass self, in which self-appraisals are viewed as inseparable from social milieu. Mead’s (1934) symbolic interactionism outlined a process by which people internalize ideas and attitudes expressed by signi? cant ? gures in their lives. In effect, individuals come to respond to themselves in a manner consistent with the ways of those around him. Low self-esteem is likely to result when key ? gures reject, ignore, demean, or devalue the person. Subsequent thinking by Coopersmith (1967) and Rosenberg (1965, 1979), as well as most contemporary self-esteem research, is well in accord with the basic tenets of symbolic interactionism. According to this perspective, it is important to assess how people perceive themselves to be viewed by signi? cant others, such as friends, classmates, family members, and so on. Some recent theories of self-esteem have emphasized the norms and values of the cultures and societies in which people are raised. For instance, Crocker and her colleagues have argued that some people experience collective self-esteem because they are especially likely to base their selfesteem on their social identities as belonging to certain groups (Luhtanen Crocker, 1992). Leary, Tambor, Terdal, and Downs (1995) have proposed a novel and important social account of self-esteem. Sociometer theory begins with the 222 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND assumption that humans have a fundamental need to belong that is rooted in our evolutionary history (Baumeister Leary, 1995). For most of human evolution, survival and reproduction depended on af? liation with a group. Those who belonged to social groups were more likely to survive and reproduce than those who were excluded from groups. According to the sociometer theory, self-esteem functions as a monitor of the likelihood of social exclusion. When people behave in ways that increase the likelihood they will be rejected, they experience a reduction in state self-esteem. Thus, self-esteem serves as a monitor, or sociometer, of social acceptance–rejection. At the trait level, those with high self-esteem have sociometers that indicate a low probability of rejection, and therefore such individuals do not worry about how they are being perceived by others. By contrast, those with low self-esteem have sociometers that indicate the imminent possibility of rejection, and therefore they are highly motivated to manage their public impressions. There is an abundance of evidence that supports the sociometer theory, including the ? nding that low self-esteem is highly correlated with social anxiety. Although the sociometer links selfesteem to an evolved need to belong rather than to symbolic interactions, it shares with the earlier theories the idea that social situations need to be examined to assess self-esteem. Gender Differences in Self-Esteem A number of studies suggest that boys and girls diverge in their primary source of self-esteem, with girls being more in? uenced by relationships and boys being more in? uenced by objective success. Stein, Newcomb, and Bentler (1992) examined participants in an eight-year study of adolescent development. During adolescence, an agentic orientation predicted heightened self-esteem for males but not for females, whereas a communal orientation predicted heightened self-esteem for females but not for males. Men and women show this same pattern. Josephs, Markus, and Tafarodi (1992) exposed men and women to false feedback indicating that they had de? cits either on a performance dimension (e. g. , competition, individual thinking) or on a social dimension (e. g. , nurturance, interpersonal integration). Consistent with predictions, men high in self-esteem enhanced their estimates at being able to engage successfully in future performance behaviors, whereas women high in self-esteem enhanced their estimates at being able to engage successfully in future social behaviors. Overall, then, it appears that males gain self-esteem from getting ahead whereas females gain self-esteem from getting along. In terms of another salient gender difference in feelings about the self across the lifespan, women tend to have lower body image satisfaction than men. Women are more likely than men to evaluate speci? c body features negatively, to attempt weight loss, to report anxiety about the evaluation of their physical appearance, and to have cosmetic surgery (Heatherton, 2001). Body image dissatisfaction among women usually is related to perceiving oneself to be overweight. More than three quarters of American women would like to lose weight and almost none would like to gain weight. Believing ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 223 oneself to be overweight, whether one is or is not, is closely related to body image dissatisfaction. Beginning in early adolescence, women compare their body shape and weight with their beliefs about cultural ideals. A discrepancy from the ideal often motivates people to undertake dieting to achieve a more attractive body size. Dieting is rarely successful, with fewer than 1% of individuals able to maintain weight loss over ? e years (NIH Technology Assessment Conference Panel, 1993). Repeated failures may exacerbate body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem (Heatherton Polivy, 1992). Women with perfectionistic tendencies and low self-esteem are particularly affected by dissatisfaction, such that these personality traits in combination have been linked to increased bulimic symptoms (Vohs, Bardone, Joiner, Abramson, Heatherton, 199 9). Black women are less likely to consider themselves obese and are more satis? ed with their weight than are White women despite the fact that Black women are twice as likely to be obese. These women also rate large Black body shapes more positively than do White women rating large White body shapes (Hebl Heatherton, 1998). In contrast to women, men are more likely view their bodies as instruments of action and derive self-esteem from self-perceived physical strength (Franzoi, 1995). Therefore, in terms of assessing personal feelings about body-esteem issues, researchers need to be sensitive to the differential determinants of body image for women and men. Dimensionality of Self-Esteem Self-esteem can refer to the overall self or to speci? aspects of the self, such as how people feel about their social standing, racial or ethnic group, physical features, athletic skills, job or school performance, and so on. An important issue in the self-esteem literature is whether self-esteem is best conceptualized as a unitary global trait or as a multidimensional trait with independent subcomponents. According to the global approach, self-esteem is considered an overall self-att itude that permeates all aspects of people’s lives. In this regard, Robins, Hendin, and Trzesniewski (2001) developed a single-item measure of global self-esteem. It merely consists of the statement, â€Å"I have high self-esteem,† with a 5-point scale. They found that this single item correlated to a similar extent as the most widely used trait scale with a variety of measures, including domain-speci? c evaluations, personality factors, and psychological well-being. Self-esteem also can be conceptualized as a hierarchical construct such that it can be broken down into its constituent parts. From this perspective, there are three major components: performance self-esteem, social self-esteem, and physical self-esteem (Heatherton Polivy, 1991). Each of these components, in turn, can be broken down into smaller and smaller subcomponents. Performance self-esteem refers to one’s sense of general competence and includes intellectual abilities, school performance, self-regulatory capacities, selfcon? dence, ef? cacy, and agency. People who are high in performance selfesteem believe that they are smart and capable. Social self-esteem refers to 224 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND how people believe others perceive them. Note that it is perception rather than reality that is most critical. If people believe that others, especially signi? ant others, value and respect them, they will experience high social self-esteem. This occurs even if others truly hold them in contempt. People who are low in social self-esteem often experience social anxiety and are high in public selfconsciousness. They are highly attentive to their image and they worry about how others view them. Finally, physical self-esteem refers to how people view their physi cal bodies, and includes such things as athletic skills, physical attractiveness, body image, as well as physical stigmas and feelings about race and ethnicity. How are these subcomponents of self-esteem related to global self-esteem? William James (1892) proposed that global self-esteem was the summation of speci? c components of self-esteem, each of which is weighted by its importance to the self-concept. In other words, people have high self-esteem to the extent that they feel good about those things that matter to them. Not being good at tennis is irrelevant to the self-concept of the nonathlete, whereas doing poorly in school may have little impact on some innercity youth who have disidenti? ed from mainstream values (Steele, 1997). On this point, Brett Pelham (1995) and Herbert Marsh (1995) have debated the value of global versus speci? component models. Pelham’s research has generally supported the Jamesian view that the centrality of self-views is an important predictor of the emotional response to self (i. e. , one’s feelings of self-esteem), whereas Marsh has claimed that domain importance does not relate strongly to self-esteem. Although the jury is still out on this issue, the concept of domain importance is a central feature of most theories of self-esteem. Stability of Self-Esteem Another issue in the measurement and de? nition of self-esteem is whether it is best conceptualized as a stable personality trait or as a context-speci? state. Most theories of self-esteem view it as a relatively stable trait: if you have high self-esteem today, you will probably have high self-esteem tomorrow. From this perspective, self-esteem is stable because it slowly builds over time through personal experiences, such as repeatedly succeeding at various tasks or continually being valued by signi? cant others. A number of studies, however, suggest self-esteem serves as the dependent rather than the independent or classi? cation variable (Wells Marwell, 1976). These studies assume that self-esteem can be momentarily manipulated or affected. Others suggest that self-esteem is not manipulable by de? nition. According to subsequent views, however, self-esteem can be viewed as a â€Å"state† as well as a trait (Heatherton Polivy, 1991). Around a stable baseline are ? uctuations; although we might generally feel good about ourselves, there are times when we may experience self-doubt and even dislike. Fluctuations in state self-esteem are associated with increased sensitivity to and reliance on social evaluations, increased concern about how one views the self, and even anger and hostility (Kernis, 1993). In general, those with a fragile sense of self-esteem respond extremely favorably to positive feedback and extremely defensively to negative feedback. ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 225 Individuals Difference Measures of Self-Esteem Given the importance attached to self-esteem by many people and the fact that it also has de? ed consensual de? nition, it is not surprising that there are many measures of self-esteem Unfortunately, the majority of these measures have not performed adequately, and it is likely that many of them measure very different constructs because the correlations between these scales range from zero to . , with an average of . 4 (Wylie, 1974). Some self-esteem measures are better than others. Crandall (1973) reviewed 33 self-esteem measures in detail and judged four to be superior: Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965), the Janis–Field Feelings of Inadequacy scale (Janis Field, 1959), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967); and the Tennessee S elf-Concept scale (Fitts, 1964). Except for the Rosenberg, which measures global self-esteem, the others are multidimensional and measure various affective qualities of self-concept. In a test of eight measures of self-esteem (including projectives, interviews, self-report, and peer ratings), Demo (1985) found that the Rosenberg and Coopersmith scales performed best in factor analysis. Blascovich and Tomaka’s (1991) careful examination of numerous measures of self-esteem led them to conclude that no perfect measure exists and that few of the conceptual and methodological criticisms had been answered. They recommended a revision of the Janis–Field scale (described shortly) as one of the better measures of trait self-esteem. They noted, however, that the Rosenberg scale is the most widely used in research. We next describe both measures as well as the State Self-Esteem scale (Heatherton Polivy, 1991). Revised Janis–Field Feelings of Inadequacy The original Janis–Field Feelings of Inadequacy scale (JFS) was a 23-item test developed in 1959 to be used in attitude change research (Janis Field, 1959). This multidimensional scale measures self-regard, academic abilities, social con? dence, and appearance (Fleming Watts, 1980). The split-half reliability estimate by Janis and Field was . 3, and the reliability was . 91. The items from the JFS have been modi? ed a number of times (e. g. , Fleming Courtney, 1984; Fleming Watts, 1980), such as changing the format of the responses (5- or 7-point scales, etc. ) or adding questions for other dimensions of self-esteem, such as academic ability (Fleming Courtney, 1984). A thorough review by Robinson and Shaver (1973) identi? ed the JFS as one of th e best for use with adults, and Blascovich and Tomaka (1991) selected the Fleming and Courtney (1984) version as one of the best measures to use. We recommend it for studies in which researchers wish to examine multiple components of self-esteem (see the JSF in Appendix 14. 1). Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale The Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE; Rosenberg, 1965) is the most widely used measure of global self-esteem (Demo, 1985). It was used in 25% of the 226 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND published studies reviewed in the previously mentioned review by Blascovich and Tomaka (1991). The RSE is a 10-item Guttman scale with high internal reliability (alpha . 92). Rosenberg (1979) reported that the scale is correlated modestly with mood measures. Carmines and Zeller (1974) identi? ed one potential problem with the RSE; they identi? ed separate â€Å"positive† and â€Å"negative† factors. Unfortunately, those questions that were worded in a negative direction loaded on the â€Å"negative† factor and those that were worded in a positive manner loaded most heavily on the â€Å"positive† factor, thereby suggesting a response set. Because both factors correlated almost identically with a criterion variable (in strength, direction, and consistency), however, they seem to be tapping the same general construct (Rosenberg, 1979; see the RSE in Appendix 14. ). State Self-Esteem Scale The State Self-Esteem scale (SSES: Heatherton Polivy, 1991) is a commonly used measure that is sensitive to laboratory manipulations of self-esteem. The SSES consists of 20 items that tap momentary ? uctuations in self-esteem. The scale (see Appendix 14. 3) has acceptable internal consistency (alpha = . 92) and it is responsive to temporary changes in self-evaluation (see Crocker, Cornwell, Major, 1993). Psychometric studies show the SSES to be separable from mood (Bagozzi Heatherton, 1994). Con? matory factor analysis reveals that the SSES is made up of three factors: performance, social, and appearance self-esteem (Bagozzi Heatherton, 1994). The SSES is labeled â€Å"current thoughts† to minimize experimental demands. Of course, measures of trait and state self-esteem are highly correlated, and therefore in neutral settings scores on the SSES will be highly related to trait measures. The decision to use a trait or state measure of self-esteem, therefore, depends on whether one is interested in predicting long-term outcomes or in the immediate effects associated with feelings about the self. Alternative Conceptualizations: Implicit Self-Esteem The validity of explicit measures increasingly has come under challenge because, by de? nition, such measures rely on individuals’ potentially biased capacity to accurately report their attitudes and feelings. As a result, implicit measures of attitudes, including self-esteem, attempt to tap into the unconscious, automatic aspects of self. People do not necessarily have access to their internal mental states, and therefore self-presentational motives or other beliefs may produce bias or distortion, both intended and unintended. Greenwald and Banaji (1995) de? ed implicit self-esteem as â€Å"the introspectively unidenti? ed (or inaccurately identi? ed) effect of the self-attitude on evaluation of self-associated and self-dissociated object† (p. 10). A variety of evidence supports the idea of implicit positive attitudes about the self. For instance, people show a positive bias for information about the self, such as pr eferring their own initials (Koole, Dijksterhuis, van Knippenberg, 2001) and preferring members of their in-group more than those from an out-group, even when the groups are determined arbitrarily (Greenwald Banaji, 1995). In essence, ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 227 anything associated with the self is generally viewed as being especially positive. A number of different methods have been developed to assess implicit selfesteem (Bosson, Swann, Pennebaker, 2000), but the most widely known and used is the Implicit Associates Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, Schwarz, 1998). The IAT involves making paired-word associations; when used to measure self-esteem, the distinctions are between self-related words, such as me, and other-related words, such as your, and between pleasant words, such as sunshine, and unpleasant ones, such as death. Self-esteem is a function of difference between the reaction time to make self-pleasant (and otherunpleasant) associations and the reaction time to make self-unpleasant (and other-pleasant) associations. The IAT has been shown to be modestly reliable, and correlates positively but weakly with explicit measures. A factor analysis indicated that they are different constructs (Greenwald Farnham, 2000). The validities of the IAT and other implicit measures of self-esteem are unknown. There are reasons to favor implicit measures, given their immutability to self-presentation or ognitive processes, but available evidence does not exist to justify selecting them over the more widely used explicit measures. At another conceptual level, it is dif? cult to know what to expect from implicit measures. There are thousands of studies in which explicit measures have been used to predict speci? c outcomes, with reasonable consistency obtained when similar scales are used. This has allowed researche rs to make generalizations about what it means to have high or low self-esteem (Baumeister, 1998). Should implicit measures lead to the same conclusions? If so, there is little need of them. But if implicit measures lead to different conclusions than explicit measures, how can we know which is really the better way to assess self-esteem? Future Developments Despite the popularity of the self-esteem construct and its potential value to understanding the positive aspects of human nature, the measurement of selfesteem has been problematic for decades. A proliferation of poorly validated scales has posed signi? cant challenges for scholars trying to investigate the consequences of self-esteem for behavior, thought, and emotion. A major problem inherent in the measure of self-esteem is the extent to which self-reports are in? enced by self-presentational concerns. One strategy might be to use measures of defensiveness or social desirability to tease out the variance associated with self-report biases. Although some researchers have pursued this approach, no single method has established itself to be empirically useful. Indeed, it may well be that socially desirable responding is a legitimate component of self-esteem and therefore separating it out using statistical procedures would create an artifactual situation. The development of implicit measures may address self-presentational concerns. Much work remains to be done, however, before we know whether implicit measures are valid. At minimum, research on implicit self-esteem has forced researchers to re? ect on what exactly a good measure of self-esteem ought to predict in terms of behavioral or cognitive outcomes. This reassessment of the basic de? nitional issues related to the construct of self-esteem is long overdue. 228 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND Appendix 14. 1 Revised Janis and Field Scale Each item is scored on a scale from 1–5 using terms such as â€Å"very often, fairly often,† â€Å"sometimes,† â€Å"once in a great while,† or â€Å"practically never† or â€Å"very con? dent,† â€Å"fairly con? ent,† â€Å"slightly con? dent,† â€Å"not very con? dent,† â€Å"not at all con? dent. † Most items are reverse-scored so that a high self-esteem response leads to higher scores. Items with (R) are not reverse-scored. Some researchers use 7-point scales wi th different anchors, depending on the wording of the item. 1. How often do you feel inferior to most of the people you know? 2. How often do you have the feeling that there is nothing you can do well? 3. When in a group of people, do you have trouble thinking of the right things to talk about? 4. How often do you feel worried or bothered about what other people think of you? . In turning in a major assignment such as a term paper, how often do you feel you did an excellent job on it? (R) 6. How con? dent are you that others see you as being physically appealing? (R) 7. Do you ever think that you are a worthless individual? 8. How much do you worry about how well you get along with other people? 9. When you make an embarrassing mistake or have done something that makes you look foolish, how long does it take you to get over it? 10. When you have to read an essay and understand it for a class assignment, how worried or concerned do you feel about it? 11. Compared with classmates, how often do you feel you must study more than they do to get the same grades? 12. Have you ever thought of yourself as physically uncoordinated? 13. How con? dent do you feel that someday the people you know will look up to you and respect you? (R) 14. How often do you worry about criticisms that might be made of your work by your teacher or employer? 15. Do you often feel uncomfortable meeting new people? 16. When you have to write an argument to convince your teacher, who may disagree with your ideas, how concerned or worried do you feel about it? 17. Have you ever felt ashamed of your physique or ? ure? 18. Have you ever felt inferior to most other people in athletic ability? 19. Do you ever feel so discouraged with yourself that you wonder whether you are a worthwhile person? 20. Do you ever feel afraid or anxious when you are going into a room by yourself where other people have already gathered and are talking? 21. How often do you worry whether other people like to be with you? 22. How often do you have trouble expressing your ideas when you have to put them into writing as an assignment? 23. Do you often feel that most of your friends or peers are more physically attractive than yourself? ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 229 24. When involved in sports requiring physical coordination, are you often concerned that you will not do well? 25. How often do you dislike yourself? 26. How often do you feel self-conscious? 27. How often are you troubled with shyness? 28. How often do you have trouble understanding things you read for class assignments? 29. Do you often wish or fantasize that you were better looking? 30. Have you ever thought that you lacked the ability to be a good dancer or do well at recreational activities involving coordination? 31. In general, how con? dent do you feel about your abilities? R) 32. How much do you worry about whether other people regard you as a success or failure in your job or at school? 33. When you think that some of the people you meet might have an unfavorable opinion of you, how concerned or worried do you feel about it? 34. How often do you imagine that you have less scholastic ability than your classmates? 35. Have you ever been concerned or worried about your ability to attract members of the opposite sex? 36. When trying to do well at a sport and you know other people are watching, how rattled or ? ustered do you get? Note. From Fleming and Courtney (1984). Copyright 1984 by the American Psychological Association. Adapted with permission of the publisher. 230 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND Appendix 14. 2 Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale 3 strongly agree 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 2 agree 1 disagree 0 strongly disagree I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others. I feel that I have a number of good qualities. All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure. (R) I am able to do things as well as most people. I feel I do not have much to be proud of. (R) I take a positive attitude toward myself. On the whole, I am satis? d with myself. I wish I could have more respect for myself. (R) I certainly feel useless at times. (R) At times I think that I am no good at all. (R) For the items marked with an (R), reverse the scoring (0 = 3, 1 = 2, 2 = 1, 3 = 0). For those items without an (R) next to them, simply add the score. Add the scores. Typical scores on the Rosenberg scale are around 22, with most people scoring betw een 15 and 25. Note. Copyright 1965 by the Morris Rosenberg Foundation. ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 231 Appendix 14. 3 Current Thoughts This is a questionnaire designed to measure what you are thinking at this moment. There is, of course, no right answer for any statement. The best answer is what you feel is true of yourself at this moment. Be sure to answer all of the items, even if you are not certain of the best answer. Again, answer these questions as they are true for you RIGHT NOW. 1 = not at all 2 = a little bit 3 = somewhat 4 = very much 5 = extremely 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I feel con? dent about my abilities. am worried about whether I am regarded as a success or failure. (R) feel satis? d with the way my body looks right now. feel frustrated or rattled about my performance. (R) feel that I am having trouble understanding things that I read. (R) feel that others respect and admire me. am dissatis? ed with my weight. (R) feel self-conscious. (R) feel as smart as others. feel displeased with myself. (R) feel good about myself. am pleased with my appearance right now. am worried about what other people thin k of me. (R) feel con? dent that I understand things. feel inferior to others at this moment. (R) feel unattractive. (R) feel concerned about the impression I am making. R) feel that I have less scholastic ability right now than others. (R) feel like I’m not doing well. (R) am worried about looking foolish. (R) Note. From Heatherton and Polivy (1991). Copyright 1991 by the American Psychological Association. Adapted with permission of the publisher and author. 232 HEATHERTON AND WYLAND References Bagozzi, R. P. , Heatherton, T. F. (1994). A general approach to representing multifaceted personality constructs: Application to self-esteem. Structural Equation Modelling, 1, 35–67. Baumeister, R. F. (1998). The self. In D. Gilbert, S. Fiske, G. Lindzey (Eds. , The handbook of social psychology (pp. 680–740). New York: Random House. Baumeister, R. F. , Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. P sychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529. Blascovich, J. , Tomaka J. (1991). Measures of self-esteem. In J. P. Robinson P. R. Shaver (Eds. ), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 115–160). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Bosson, J. , Swann, W. B. , Jr. , Pennebaker, J. (2000). Stalking the perfect measure of implicit self-esteem: The blind men and the elephant revisited? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 631–643. Branden, N. (1994). The six pillars of self-esteem. New York: Bantam Books. Briggs, S. R. , Cheek, J. M. (1986). The role of factor analysis in the development and evaluation of personality scales. Journal of Personality, 54, 106–148. Carmines, E. G. , Zeller, R. A. (1974). On establishing the empirical dimensionality of theoretical terms: An analytical example. Political Methodology, 1, 75–96. Cohen, S. , Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357. Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human nature and social order. New York: Charles Scribner Sons. Coopersmith, S. (1967). The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: Freeman. Crandall, R. (1973). The measurement of self-esteem and related constructs. In J. P. Robinson P. Shaver (Eds. ), Measurements of social psychological attitudes (pp. 45–167). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research. Crocker, J. , Cornwell, B. , Major, B. (1993). The stigma of overweight: Affective consequences of attributional ambiguity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 60–70. Dawes, R. (1994). Psychological measurement. Psychological Review, 101, 278–281. Demo, D. H. (1985). The measurement of self-esteem: Re? ning our methods, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1490–1502. Fitts, W. H. (1964). Tennessee Self-Concept scale. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. Fleming, J. S. , Courtney, B. E. (1984). The dimensionality of self-esteem: II. Hierarchical facet model for revised measurement scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 404–421. Fleming, J. S. , Watts, W. A. (1980). The dimensionality of self-esteem: Some results for a college sample. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 921–929. Franzoi, S. (1995). The body-as-object versus the body-as-process: Gender differences and gender considerations. Sex Roles, 33, 417–437. Greenwald, A. G. , Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological Review, 102, 4–27. Greenwald, A. G. , Farnham, S. D. (2000). Using the Implicit Associate Test to measure selfesteem and self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 1022–1038. Greenwald, A. G. , McGhee, D. E. , Schwarz, J. L. K. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1464–1480. Heatherton, T. F. (2001). Body image and gender. In N. J. Smelser P. B. Baltes (Eds. ), International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 2, pp. 1282–1285). Oxford, UK: Elsevier. Heatherton, T. F. , Polivy, J. (1991). Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 895–910. Heatherton, T. F. Polivy, J. (1992). Chronic dieting and eating disorders: A spiral model. In J. H. Crowther D. L. Tennenbaum (Eds. ), The etiology of bulimia nervosa: The individual and familial context (pp. 133–155). Washington, DC: Hemisphere. Hebl, M. , Heatherton, T. F. (1998). The stigma of obesity in women: The difference is black and white. Personality Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 417–426. ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM 233 Jackson, M. R. (1984). Self-esteem and meaning. Albany: State University of New York Press. James, W. (1890). Principles of psychology, Volume 1. New York: Henry Holt. James, W. (1892). Psychology: The briefer course. New York: Henry Holt. Janis, I. L. , Field, P. B. (1959). Sex differences and factors related to persuasibility. In C. I. Hovland I. L. Janis (Eds. ), Personality and persuasibility (pp. 55–68). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Josephs, R. A. , Markus, H. R. , Tafarodi, R. W. (1992). Gender and self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 391–402. Kernis, M. H. (1993). The roles of stability and level of self-esteem in psychological functioning. In R. F. Baumeister (Ed. ), Self-esteem: The puzzle of low self-regard (pp. 167–172). New York: Plenum Press. Koole, S. L. , Dijksterhuis, A. van Knippenberg, A. (2001). What’s in a name: Implicit selfesteem and the automatic self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 669–685. Leary, M. R. , Tambor, E. S. , Terdal, S. K. , Downs, D. L. (1995). Self-esteem as an interpersonal monitor: The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 518–530. Luhtanen, R. , Crocker, J. (1992). A collective self-esteem scale: Self-evaluation of one’s social identity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 302–318. Marsh, H. (1995). A Jamesian model of self-investment and self-esteem: Comment on Pelham. Journal of Personality Social Psychology, 69, 1151–1160. Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Mecca, A. M. , Smelser, N. J. , Vasconcellos, J. (Eds. ). (1989). The social importance of self-esteem. Berkeley: University of California Press. NIH Technology Assessment Conference Panel. (1993). Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. Annals of Internal Medicine, 199, 764–770. Pelham, B. W. (1995). Self-investment and self-esteem: Evidence for a Jamesian model of selfworth. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 1141–1150. Robins, R. W. , Hendin, H. M. , Trzesniewski, K. H. (2001). Measuring global self-esteem: Construct validation of a single-item measure and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 151–161. Robinson, J. , Shaver, P. R. (1973). Measures of social psychological attitudes. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research. Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic Books. Steele, C. (1997). Race and the schooling of Black Americans. In L. H. Peplau S. E. Taylor (Eds. ), Sociocultural perspectives in social psychology: Current readings (pp. 359–371). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Stein, J. A. , Newcomb, M. D. , Bentler, P. M. (1992). The effect of agency and communality on self-esteem: Gender differences in longitudinal data. Sex Roles, 26, 465–483. Taylor, S. E. , Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 193–210. Tennen, H. , Af? eck, G. (1993). The puzzles of self-esteem: A clinical perspective. In R. F. Baumeister, (Ed. , Plenum series in social/clinical psychology (pp. 241–262. ) New York: Plenum Press. Vohs, K. D. , Bardone, A. M. , Joiner, T. E. , Abramson, L. Y. , Heatherton, T. F. (1999). Perfectionism, perceived weight status, and self-esteem interact to predict bulimic symptoms: A model of bulimic symptom development. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, 695–700. Wells, L. E. , Marwell, G. (1976). Self-esteem: Its conceptualization and measurement. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Wylie, R. C. (1974). The self-concept: A review of methodological considerations and measuring instruments. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. How to cite Self Esteem, Essay examples Self Esteem Free Essays Mark Liljeros, Section 125-003, March 6, 2013, Application Paper #2 – Self Esteem In Chapter Two, the text book looks at one of the most vital aspects, in regards to interpersonal communication, which is self-esteem. Self-esteem is the back bone of communication and the perception of who we are as individuals. According to Charles Berger, â€Å"A. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Esteem or any similar topic only for you Order Now R. Cohen it has been suggested that people with extremely high self-esteem and people with extremely low self-esteem, in contrast to people with moderate self-esteem, tend to be more defensive when faced with ego threatening information (Berger 286). â€Å"The concept of self is perhaps our most fundamental possession. Knowing who we are is essential, because without a self-concept it would be impossible to relate to the world (Adler and Proctor 41). † Self-esteem has been proven to be what our net worth is of ourselves. According to Adler and Proctor, â€Å"research suggests that personality is, to a large degree, part of our genetic makeup (44). † This is saying that children that grow up shy or timid usual carry these traits onto their adulthood. There are very distinct personality traits that go with being extroverted or introverted. These traits do determine what type of person we become. Self-esteem development at a young age, helps a child to develop their â€Å"self-concept† of who they are, and how we believe others see them. As a society we need to help the children of tomorrow, and be role-models in their self-esteem by encouraging every kid we come across in our lives. It is vital for a child to develop their self-esteem for optimum health and growth while young. Back in 1975, I can remember being shy and timid for the whole year in kindergarten. I did not say a word basically all year and I would just stare at the ground. The school held me back for another year of kindergarten. After that first year in kindergarten, my mother signed me up for baseball that spring, thinking that baseball may help my self-esteem. The first t-ball coach I had was the nephew of a professional baseball player who was Rick Monday. Rick played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. So at a young age, I was exposed to professional athletes who had a great deal of self-esteem and feelings of net worth. After that season, I was able to talk to classmates, and not be shy and timid any longer. Over the course of my youth, and teenage years growing up in Orange County, California, I was exposed to several professional athletes from the Angels to the Rams. Having these role-models in my life coach and mentoring me sure brought out my self-esteem and developed me into a team leader on my sports teams for my years. This has helped me develop, into the out-going, driven man, which has a full head of steam on life. In conclusion, self-esteem is a vital part of the communication process in society today. Some may be genetically low on self-esteem, the time to develop it is at a young age. And, whether one is learning it from a coach, teacher, parent or another kid, self-esteem is a most in order to live a healthy and happy life. Work Cited Adler Ronald B. , Proctor Russell F. , â€Å"Looking Out Looking In. † Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Print. 2007. Berger Charles R. , Attributional Communication, Situational Involvement, Self-Esteem and Interpersonal Attraction. The Journal of Communication Vol. 23, September 1973, p. 284405. University of Northwestern. Print. 1973. Cohen, A. R. , â€Å"Some Implications of Self-Esteem for Social Influence. â€Å"In C. I. Hovland and I. L. Janis (eds. ) Personality and Persuasibility. New Haven: Yale University Press. Print. How to cite Self Esteem, Papers

Strategic Analysis Report

Question: Create a critical strategic analysis report for Audi which for the content of the report please check both of module handbook and the protocol file for detail as both of them contain the word limited, the layout of the report, what does it involved, the guideline and the marking criteria of the report. also please just plenty of academic referencing and different analysis tools such as: PESTEL, Porter Five Forces, SWOT analysis etc to analysis and make the link between macro and micro environment for Audi and at last reach a conclusion as to why Audi gas been successful with their strategic. Answer: Introduction Audi is the automobile brand working under the Volkswagon group. Volkswagon is a giant division that manages other strong brands Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati, Bently, Suzuki, Skoda, Porsche, Scania and Volkswagon commercial (Shukri et al. 2015). As Volkswagon dealing with giant automobile companies and also operates in more than 153 countries thereby giving extended exposure to Audi giving it an opportunity to expand internationally. Audi has developed itself as the leading luxury automobile brand as a reason for its immense technological and precision engineering capabilities. The leading premium car brand is successful to target multiple segments of consumers while it seeks to provide customers with leading premium vehicle in the world. Audi in progressive line with the Volkswagon group seeks to produce exclusive models that anticipate the desire and vision of clients. Audi poses significant expertise in the field of comprehension energy efficient processes, light weight constructi on, and effective heat management technique within the vehicles. Audis capability and expertise in the field of technology which in turn leads to innovation initiated since the early years of its collaboration with the Volkswagen group. Audi developed its core competency with the development of four stroke engine. Macro and Micro environment The micro-environmental factors of AUDI are explained by the SWOT analysis of AUDI. SWOT Analysis Strength Technology and engineering- Audi is known for its engineering and precision behinds the cars. The design and look of the cars is derived from its high capacity engine and capability of precision engineering (Khatri et al. 2015).This exclusive design will not be achieved without the right technique and process of engineering. Brand Name- The brand name of Audi is a promise that carries its trust. Audi is famous as the best car in the world due to its design, technology and safety(Anisimova 2015). Moreover, the development of innovative, faster and sleek cars of the years has added to the brand name of Audi making it a super premium car manufacturer. Product range- Audi has exclusive range of car models ranging from premium, super premium and ultra premium. The Q series and A series of Audi are the most popular and in demand series (Baur et al. 2012). While on the other hand, Aldi also focuses to innovate cars like Audi Quattro, Audi sport, Audi ultra, etc. Weakness Unlike Audi, BMW diversified into cost differentiation strategy offering a larger product portfolio, thereby increasing the rate of turnover(Shukri 2015). Such an approach allowed BMW to take the front seat in the luxury car segments leaving AUDI to lag behind. The promotional approaches by Audi are less as compared to BMW and Mercedes that promotes its products much vigorously. Opportunities Target the emerging market- Audi representing the luxury car brand has its presence in limited market. The company can introduce its products in the emerging markets thereby covering extended geographical territory. Audi will facilitate an extra edge than its competitors due to its innovative and diversification capabilities. Audi innovation is mainly in the form of battery fueled premium cars and s energy efficient features. Innovation acts as the driving force for differentiation strategy by Audi which will help its long term sustenance (Conradie and van Niekerk 2015). Threats Audi may experience saturation in long run due to the limited market of luxury car brands with the share of pie is going to other premium brands as well. Young generations are more focused to spend on gadgets and also realize the value of savings on luxury brand cars (Drake and Rhodes 2015). Likewise any other industry, competition in the luxury car segment is high. The strongest competitor of Audi is BMW playing smartly to grab the whole of it. PESTEL Analysis of AUDI PESTEL Analysis Political Audi being a German automobile manufacturer highly encouraged by the German government. The political scenario is supportive to the thrive of luxury car brands and also promotes a phased, integrated and conducive growth of the automotive industry (Duane and Domegan 2013). Economical The German automobile company has increased its sales value from 811522 units to 1933517 units between the periods of 2005 to 2014(Endres, Roocks and Kieling 2014). This has increased the revenue of luxury car revenue at an extended range from 26.6 billion to 53.8 billions in the similar period. Social Audi being the best employer to work for in the automobile industry , has made consistent effort to improve its workshop conditions in order to satisfy its workers. Considering the social factors, Audi has designed its new cars in order to meet the demand of consumers through its social behavior. For instance, designing of cars with smaller engine and higher fuel consumption (Jahn and Kunz 2012). Technological Audi is reputed for its exclusive skills and expertise of engineering and technology that has significant impact on its brand image. The company exploit its technical expertise top develop efficient features of cars such as fuel stratified injection, QUATTRO 4 wheel drive system, aluminum space frame technology. Environmental The increasing concern on the environmental issue of global warming, the government has imposed lot of emission regulations (Kagali 2014). Most importantly, Audi has been significantly focused on processes to reduce the CO2 emission at the same time optimizing the performance of its cars. For instance, the new Audi TDI diesel engine has been meeting the standard of future European 5 emission standard. Legislative German government has enforced a set of legislation in order to protect the road users of cars such as Crush standard, European standard, etc (Turpault, Tannen and Welsh 2013). Such legislations have pushed Audi to produce stronger and safer cars. Porters five forces model Porters five forces Analysis Threat of new entrants The luxury car brand industry is ruled by giant players like Audi, BMW and Mercedes (Khatri et al. 2015). The threat of new entrants is relatively low as the entry barrier is significantly high and require a very high expenses of initial set up, RD expenditure and potential strategic move to establish in the ground of strong competition. Bargaining power of customers Audi being the biggest client to the suppliers due to its size and brand loyalty, the bargain power of suppliers is not high rather considered to be the moderate(Anisimova 2015). Bargaining power of consumers The bargain power of consumers is relatively high, as a result of the high level of competition in the industry (Kirk, Ray and Wilson, 2013). Consumers get a number of branded options to deal with like BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Lamborghini. Moreover, the cost differentiation strategy by BMW is engulfing a major proportion of consumers giving the opportunity of consumer bargain (Jahn and Kunz 2012). Product substitute Although it is quite hard to replace automobiles in short term as how it is commonly used in global scale. However, recent statistics makes it evident that increasing number of consumers are shifting to travel through trains, buses and reasonably cheap private cars, instead of choosing luxury brand cars (Drake and Rhodes 2015). Such an attitude of consumers can develop as a potential threat in long run. Competitive rivalry The automotive industry is strongly positioned in the western economy. As a result, there is not much room to expand in the North American and European market (Rugraff 2012). However, the market of South East Asia is expanding at a high rate with the increase in its consumption ability. Nonetheless, Audi and its competitors such as Mercedes Benz and BMW will continue to hold on its share in the market. Strategic capabilities The strategic capabilities of Audi consider its efficiency, aptness of resources and expertise for long term sustainability and consistent growth. Engineering and Technological excellence Audi has significant expertise in the field of light weight construction, comprehension energy efficient processes, and effective heat management technique within the vehicles. Audi introduces innovative technological options in its luxury brand cars such as MP3 connectivity and RSS feed (Jahn and Kunz 2012). Audi restates its aspiration as the top premium brand with its prominent performance design, high level of innovation and hybrid engine options. Brand management The Audi brand represents Sporty and performance oriented automobiles that define ingenuity and high level of craftsmanship. The famous emblem and its slogan of Innovation through technology has allowed, Audi has enforced consistently effort to live up to the message and brand promise for the last 45 years has enabled the company to establish strong brand identity. The brand name of Audi proves to be a tangible asset whereas its reputation is intangible as whole. The key to Audi success in a competitive industry is due to its consistent performance and validity of their marketing policies and strategies (LI and LIU 2014). Nonetheless, the Audi automobile owners are significantly focused on their brand image that plays the major role is developing customer loyalty. Value- added workforce The statistics in Economic times highlight the fact that Audi asserts its position as the most desirable German Employer. The management of Audi Group emphasize that employees forms their key success factor. Audi believe that a motivated and dedicated workforce, young talents has the utmost contribution to a companys success. Miravete, Moral and Thurk (2015) opined that the number of apprentices in Germany are increasing by 10% by 2014 and reaching to 5266 apprentices by the end of 2015. The company has invested more than 280 million in professional training in order to offer its employees with required skills and expertise (Kagali 2015). Moreover, the competitiveness of Audi is ensured by the adoption of well-coordinated pool of employees within the organization. Culture Audi ranked in 3rd position in the global luxury car market share, with BMW and Mercedez Benz as its active competitors. Audi targets a significant market segment of luxury car purchasers specially in their 20s, 30 and 40s that makes upto 49% of the US customers base(Turpault and Tannen 2013). Audi, the third leading luxury car brand position itself flaunting its technological expertise (through the slogan such as Innovation through Technology ), strong engineering (through the slogan such as Truth in engineering), speed and added upon by bravery recently (Martn-Pea, Daz-Garrido and Snchez-Lpez 2014). As per the recent statistics in January 2014, Mercedes Benz was ranked the highest selling luxury car brand in US with BMW the second lead in the industry (Mikusz, Jud and Schfer 2015). With the focus to combat similar past results, Audi set its goal to become the leading premium car brand globally. Audis current approach proposed in the year 2010 and anticipated to run through 2020 is largely integrated on three tier strategy house considering Mission, Vision and goals. Mission- We delight Customers worldwide The above mission is further explained through its four attributes. They are: They define innovation They create experiences They live responsibility They shape Audi In respect to their recently placed marketing strategies, the goal of Audi to execute their organizational mission is focused to achieve consistent growth, financial strength, to become an attractive employer worldwide and mainly to become the global luxury auto leader. Vision: Audi The #1 premium brand Audis updated strategy anchored on the improvement and sustainability of its products, innovation and processes in order to facilitate its customers with a delightful experience (Miravete, Moral and Thurk 2015). Audi also emphasizes on its ecological, economic and social responsibilities as a whole. With the implementation of its new corporate strategy, Audi has expanded their objectives maintain its existing goals. The goals of Audi are considered in details below. Reach the top image position and gain customer mix To achieve long term sustainability of processes and its auto products To attain superior financial growth To become the leading innovator The culture of Audi left unsaid without defining its technological assets. From the very initial stage advanced technology has been the core of Audi DNA. Business or corporate strategies . This portion of the report will shed light on the corporate strategies of Audi considering the 4Ps. Product- The model of Audi car is successful to target multiple segments of consumers while it seeks to provide customers with leading premium vehicle in the world. Audi in progressive line with the Volkswagon group seeks to produce exclusive models that anticipate the desire and vision of clients. Audi proved its commitment towards customers thereby listened to them by executing the first crash test in the year 1938.- thus setting the standard of safety within the automobile industry. Post worlwar II, Auto Union AG introduced the new model of four stroke engine, and there is no looking back since then (Turpault, Tannen and Welsh 2013). The Audi model range include Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi A8, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Sportback, Audi RS5, super sorts car such as Audi R8, Audi R8 spider. The exclusive range of products has been developed with the focus to meet the consumer demand of all customer segments. Price: The product offering of Audi significantly aims to reach all customers segment in the automobile industry by the implementation of comprehensive pricing strategies. Audi offers a range of products with a tired pricing scheme for each body style with the focus to capture varied levels of consumer spending. Its prices are dictated respective to the engine capacity, vehicle size, sports variant, fuel consumption, etc (LI and LIU 2014). In addition, Audi employs skim-pricing model by positioning its brand in a way to facilitate customers with unique value. With its skim pricing strategy, Audi takes advantage of the relatively high demand and within the market of luxury vehicle. Nonetheless, Audi was elected to raise its price on all of its car models at the beginning of 2013 by a rate of 1-5% ( Van der Lippe 2014). This was a positive consequence of Audis market penetration and image as a luxury car brand that has produced better recognition and sales than expected. This model of pricing by Audi has been set to attract the customers of competitors and consequently based on the comparable vehicles in the line of Mercedez Benz and BMW. Place: Audi place its primary outlets to directly interface with its customers. Audi reach its customers through 2800 strategically placed showrooms and dealers across the world. Audi delivered more than 20,000 vehicles to 7 countries in the first half of 2007 itself (Whitted 2012). On the other hand, in the second half of 2007, the company successfully delivered over 3000 vehicles across 20 countries (Wittmann and Reuter 2013). Audi enforce immense effort to enhance the purchase experience of customers practical. Over the years, Audi Company has added evening hours and weekend timings to let the buyers pick up their vehicles at their most convenient time. In addition, the company also offers valet services in order to deliver vehicles at the closest franchisee for the customers. Moreover, the availability of dealership location allows convenient access to car repairs and services. Promotion: Audi has widely extended its reach by successful promotion of its luxury cars through advertising, effective communication channel and affluent promotional strategies. The company estimates itself as the prestigious or luxury brand by communicating its engineering excellence to customers. The brand enforces consistent promotions through its slogan of Truth in Engineering or Vorsprung durch Technik (Wittmann and Reuter 2013). Nonetheless, Audi has surpassed the traditional advertising by means of its emblem promotion, signage, dealership education, etc. Such an approach of promotion has successfully established awareness in the signature events such Olympics and Super Bowl. Such an approach was implemented by Audi with the ultimate goal to enhance its brand awareness while distinguishing itself from simple luxury to progressive luxury brand. Needleless to say, the advancement of social media and digital networking has been successful to change the viewpoint of customers about the brand dramatically. Active participation of Audi in Twitter, Facebook, Website media and Blogsite has fostered the ideal that the company is appealing and accessible to all markets (Mikusz, Jud and Schfer 2015). Further, such means effectively communicate the means through which the brand relates to its customers and how effectively the ownership of luxury vehicle is attainable. Audi, the famous car brand features an iPad magazine that offers customers with information of its exclusive range of cars, images, diagrams, performance specifications, and also presents the current news to stay in touch with present and perspective customers. International strategies- Acquisitions, Mergers, alliances Audi, the luxury car brand was founded in the year 1932 as a result of merger between DKW, Audi and Horch. This was initiated by the state Bank of Saxony with the focus to form Auto Union AG. During this period, a purchase and leasing agreement was undertaken to take over the Wanderers Automobile Division. The emblem of Audi is consisting of four rings, representing the inseparable unity of the founding companies (Kirk, Ray and Wilson 2013). Audi merged with NSU in the year 1969 and the company was named as Audi NSU. For the following 8 years, Audi manufactured the NSU products and then moved to the production of Audi vehicles solely. The company sought to amplify its name with a shift in their manufacturing. As a result, the name of the company changed to Audi AG, however AUDI maintains its NSU GmbH and Auto Union GmbH as the subsidiaries in order to hold their rich history and tradition (Anisimova 2015).Moreover, Audi prides itself as the progressive line with the Volkswagon group. Moreover, the company is significantly capitalizing on several key aspects such as Audis financial services arm, VW financial services AG, etc. Audi have adopted aggressive strategies to expand internationally over the years. The strategies are enforced with the launch of class-defining car models thereby strengthening its dealer network not only in the metros but also across the Tier I and Tier II cities (Baur et al. 2012). In addition, Audi formed forms a acquisition with Volkswagon Groups automotive division and focused on developing more sporty values. As a result, Volkswagon Group having its root in Europe but operate in more than 153 countries, allows its subsidiary Audi to expand successfully in all of the above countries. VRIO analysis of Audi Firm Infrastructure Audi follows top-down management style and centralized structure HRM The premium car brand considers employees as their key to success. It has unionized workforce and believe on the apprentice concept. They also provide vocational training to develop skills among the workforce Technology development Famous for its RD partnership and engineering excellence. It emphasizes on developing interchangeable, environment friendly products. Procurement resources With focus to gain quality input, Audi forms a strategic alliance with its suppliers to develop long term relationships. Excellent management of supplier network for the timeliness of resources. Audis operational efficiency is augmented by forming exclusive partnership with Google, Apple to offer in-vehicle features to customers. Inbound logistics Germany holds 49% of automobile components and parts, thus Audi saves shipping fees to procure the small car parts (Rugraff 2012). Moreover, Audi gains a market control with few suppliers in process. Operations There is a systematic linking of suppliers to the process of vehicle development. The company has more than 300 flexible work schedules, JIT production and low inventory on hand. Outbound logistics Audi has developed its vehicle manufacturing units in the developed countries like Australia, USA where the demand is consequently high. The physical s stores are located near customers. Service The company offers Motor workshops for customers, well trained customers services and sales staff, long term packages for maintenance of vehicle. Marketing Enforce high brand awareness, lavish and clean dealer showrooms, customized services to meet the demand of customers. SSR model Application Security sector reform is a political situation essentially aimed at the effective, efficient and non-discriminatory provision of the state. Moreover, the strategy focuses on the human security within a framework. Implying the SSR model In Audi, this part of the report considers the safety and security measures of its employees. Audi supported a series of initiatives for its workforce welfare. It offers flexible child care plan for its employees for a better compatibility of family with work life. The company offered expansion of employment guarantee making it effective from s 2014 to 2018( Mikusz, Jud and Schfer 2015). Offers payment of an employee profit share (MEB) and agreed Audi profit share (AEB) for the employees under pay-scale. The company promotes workers employed under temporary contracts as permanent members making them a part of workforce in Neckarsulm and Ingolstadt sites. Strategic options Strategic options refer to the core competencies and activities possessed by an organization. Strategic options come into play when the organization is compared with the competitors, and through companies adds on unique value to its services or products for a long period of time. The strategic options possessed by the luxury car brand Audi, is thus discussed in details below: Innovation Audi has increased its RD technological expenditure by 18.2% to 4952 million on 2012 with the aim to propel its innovation leadership in the industry. Technology and engineering capabilities forms the heart of Audis strategic decisions for profitability and long term sustainability (Martn-Pea, Daz-Garrido and Snchez-Lpez 2014).Considering its technological capabilities, the strategy initiatives of Audi include the following: Reduction in carbon emission, Engine efficiency Lightweight construction In-car entertainment features Online assistance for drivers Audis leadership and capability in the field of technology and thus innovation started since the early years of its collaboration with the Volkswagen group, with the development of four stroke engine that forms its core competencies. By the year 1990, Audi has minimized the emission and fuel consumption of automobiles that was sold by 30% (Drake and Rhodes, 2015). As a whole, Technology and innovation develops the competitive advantage of Audi in terms of premium product quality and high performance, thereby providing luxurious driving experience to its customers. Focus on customers Audi seeks latest avenues of value added techniques with the aim to meet the requirement of customers. Moreover, the company keeps itself updated about the upcoming trends of customers preferences. The process of custom-building of cars facilitate Audi to take slack out of the production process, minimize the inventory costs of dealers and also avoid the heavy rebates on cars that were not sold (Duane and Domegan 2013).As a result customers are more satisfied with services which in turn improves the customers loyalty of Audi. Nonetheless, the strategy of custom-made cars is often encumbered with lots of strategic options resulting into higher profit margins. Supply chain management The global supplier network of Audi consists of more than 11,000 suppliers in more than 65 countries worldwide. The company implements supportive measures for its suppliers and employees in order to ensure consistent improvement and sustainability throughout the entire global network (Endres, Roocks and Kieling 2014). Besides its own processes and measures, in collaboration with its suppliers, Audi introduces new structures and measures to enforce enhanced sustainability in the supply chain. Such an approach brings about the annual supplier innovation award to complement a competition on the products and processes of Audi in order to enhance its resources and cost-efficiency. Conclusion Audi, the premium luxury car brand was founded after BMW and Mercedez Benz, Audi significantly lags its sales in U.S and worldwide (Rugraff 2012).However, the global success and rapid growth coupled with the introduction of new corporate strategy has positioned The Volkswagon group and Audi to remain as the strongest competitor in the industry of luxury vehicle industry. The company is exploiting its strategic options and core competitions to rule over the automobile industry. On overall evaluation of the above report, the influence of various forces discussed above forecast a significant challenging situation for Audi. It has been observed that the significant forces increase the intensity of competition between the competitors and uprising potential threat of the industry substitutes. Such attributes constantly threatens the market share and position of Audi. In contrary to this, the strong brand identity, technological and engineering excellence and RD experience are considered to be the key factors that would help Audi to remain competitive in the future. Nonetheless, it is evident on analyzing strategic options; Audi gained sustainability in the supply chain by introducing in structures and key measures in the process. References Anisimova, T., 2015. 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