Ability Job Fit

Ability Job Fit What is more likely to lead to high work performance a fit between ability-job or between personality-organisation? Introduction The aim of this assignment is to construct an argument to support the proposition, that Performance-Organization fit is more important over Ability-Job fit, for higher job performance. Scope and Definitions The scope of the assessment covers only the area of high work performance related to ability-job and personality-organization, using proven research and theoretical information from a wide range of articles and journals that are relatively current and authentic. Accordingly, both theory and empirical research, drawn from thorough literature review are used to analyse, substantiate and conclude Personality-Organization shall to lead to higher work performance In this paper, Work performance is broadly viewed as Contextual performance behaviour, counter productive work behaviour, inter personal facilitation and task performance. Background Information Globalization and its effects have led organizations into unchartered territories. As institutions valiantly try to thrive in an ever demanding atmosphere, the identification of critical resources is paramount to any organization. The single most important factor that is significant to any organization is its human capital. The success or failure of an organization can be largely attributed to its human resources. Thus making it directly related to their work performance. The senior executives of most organizations view people and workforce related issues as a critical competitive differentiator and one of their top agenda items. This sentiment is evident in the survey conducted by Accenture in their 2006 Edition of the Accenture High-Performance Workforce Study, in which attracting and retaining skilled staff and developing talented leaders were cited by the executives as critical factors in achieving high performance (Accenture Consulting, 2006). High Work Performance In an organizational context high work performance is defined as an employee (or group of employees) at any level or functions that is focused on the right priorities and understand that they are accountable for delivering strong results. They are energized, engaged and perfectly positioned to give their best by exceeding or far exceeding their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Ability Job Fit Ability-job fit can be defined as the fit between the abilities of a person and the demands of a job, or the desires of a person and the attributes of a job (Sekiguchi, 2004). Personality Organization Fit Personality-Organization is defined as the compatibility between a person and the organization, emphasizing the extent to which a person and the organization share similar fundamental characteristics and/or meet each others needs (Kristof, 1996). Ability Job Fit for High Performance According to the literature on practical job previews, correct and practical job information enables applicants to review the degree of similarity between their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and the job necessities. Applicants who identify a match between the job requirements and their KSAs are likely to stay in selection and accept the job offer. The basic assumption of the theory is that applicants personal assessments play an important part in initial attraction, to remain in the selection procedure and finally in job acceptance decision. Research also supports that subjective fit is the better predictor of hiring outcomes and applicant attitudes than the objective fit (Carless, 2005). Ability-Job fit assessment If you are a job seeker, you might not be considering the importance of ability job-fit, but this fit is critical. As research suggests, without it, you become among the estimated 75 percent of the workforce who are dissatisfied with their jobs (Coppola, Carini, 2006). The ability job-fit model demonstrates that work performance, personal satisfaction and outcomes are enhanced when the employee and work environment are in perfect synch. Synchronization is a process that includes not just education and experience, but many dimensions of individuals abilities: ability to learn, mental hard-wiring, personality archetypes, leadership dynamics and physical abilities (Coppola, Carini, 2006). Job Characteristic Belief Dimensions A primary classification in the job characteristics is Hackman and Oldhams (1980) Job Characteristics Model, which includes five job characteristics: Autonomy Skill variety Task feedback Task identity Task significance Empirical findings on Job Characteristic Belief Research on the model has also found that a multiplicative or additive index of the five job characteristics reflecting job complication is a better analyst of the models psychological findings than an individual job characteristic (Fried Ferris, 1987). Thus, for the purpose of conciseness, a single complexity job characteristic feature was developed for the current research, involving the degree to which a job is complicated, challenging, and involves diverse tasks (Ehrhart, 2006). Further, research finds that the five dimensions, in the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) predominantly relates to an individuals experience of the job, regardless of other factions such as subordinates, co-workers, supervisors, or customers. Accordingly, the level and nature of interpersonal interaction required by customer service jobs is not represented in the JCM (Ehrhart, 2006). Antecedents and outcomes of Ability-Job fit The review of the ability-job fit literature by Edwards (1991) recognized job satisfaction, low job stress, motivation, performance, attendance and retention as outcomes that are positively affected by ability-job fit. When ability-job fit is assessed as the match between what an employee wants and receives from performing job, it is linked to enhance job-satisfaction, integration, and organizational commitment, as well as reduced intentions to resign. Additional benefits for task performance have been established when the meaning of ability-job fit is expanded to include the match between abilities and their job demands. Research by Sekiguchi in 2004, also demonstrates that structured and validated measures for determining ability-job fit have led to efficient selection of employees leading to high performance compared to unstructured techniques (Sekiguchi, 2004). Personality Organization Fit for High Performance Person-environment (P-E) fit propose that positive responses occur when there is a high level of compatibility between individuals and their environment. Research also emphasizes this proposition that individuals adapt easily to jobs that match appropriately with their career personality traits (Spokane, 1985; Tinsley, 2000). P-E fit is seen as a general and wider term, and covers detailed concepts of fit. In the high work performance domain, one common form of fit has been identified as person-organization fit (P-O fit). Further, empirical data suggests that Personality-Organisation fit is the key attribute in maintaining flexibility and dedicated workforce that is essential to a highly competitive organizational environment (Bowen, Ledford and Nathan, 1991; Kristoff, 1996). The Person-Organization fit is distinguished into two types: Supplementary fit Complementary fit Supplementary fit is defined as when a person has similar characteristics to other individuals (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008). Complementary fit is defined as when the individual and the situation suit each others needs (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008). In analysing the P-O fit and related affects on high work performance, the personality domain should be taken into account and evaluated. The main personality domains of interests in the P-O fit are the following: Big Five personality dimensions Locus of Control Self-efficacy Big Five Personality Dimensions In accordance with psychologists, the five big personality dimensions identified in humans are: Extroversion Emotional stability Agreeableness Conscientiousness Openness to experience Extroversion is a trait that indicates a persons outgoing, sociable behaviour. Research suggests that people with high extroversion thrive in sales and managerial positions as they enjoy interacting and conversing with fellow colleagues and peers Their performance excels in training programs and tends to contain superior levels of overall job contentment (Judge, Heller Mount, 2002). Emotional Stability is the ability to be calm, serene, relaxed and secure. Low emotional stability can result in job dissatisfaction and underperformance due to job-related stress (Judge Ilies, August 2002). Agreeableness is the tendency to be considerate, forgiving, tolerant, trusting and soft-hearted. In the organizational domain this is classified as someone who gets along with others and who possess a cooperative attitude. Agreeableness is a trait for a team player who can develop and maintain good interpersonal relationships and team cohesion (Neuman Wright, June 1999, pp. 379-389). This trait is paramount for high performing teams, specifically in the occupations within areas of customer service, sales, auditing, nursing, teaching and social work. Conscientiousness is to be dependable, organized, thorough, responsible and disciplined. Individuals displaying such traits have a tendency to work hard and enjoy achievements, which research has deemed to be important for job performance (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008, page 75). Further, individuals in this group exhibit higher levels of motivation, job satisfaction and other important forms such as retention, attendance and less counterproductive behaviour which are imperative for job performance (Judge Ilies, August 2002).. Openness to experience tends to reflect the extent to which a person is broad-minded, creative, intelligent, inquisitive and willing to take risks. These characteristics are advantageous in occupations where innovation and change is continuous (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008, page 75). Empirical Findings on Big Five Personality Barrick Mount in 1991 conducted research to indentify the relationship between selected job performance criterias and Big Five personality dimensions within five occupational groups. The job performance criterias were: Personnel data Training proficiency Job proficiency Meta-analysis findings of different occupational groups (professionals, skilled/semi-skilled labour, managers, police and sales) across Big five personality dimensions are presented in Table 1 appendix1 (Barrick Mount, 1991, p.12). The results confirmed that for all the occupational groupings Conscientiousness was the valid predictor. The 5 occupational groups shows consistency across other personality dimensions (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, pp.12-13) In terms of Emotional Stability (ES) very little evidence was found. The correlations for ES were lower compared to conscientiousness, but ES for professionals was in fact in the opposite direction. Agreeableness and Extraversion were theorized as valid predictors for sales representatives and managers. This theory was found support for Extraversion in both occupations. However, very less support was found for Agreeableness, for sales and for managers. Rest of the true score correlations with respect to other dimensions were quite low (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, pp.14) Table 2 in Appendix1 shows that Conscientiousness as a credible tool for all three criterion types and the results for Conscientiousness are consistent. Extraversion and Openness to Experience (OE) were significant predictors of training proficiency criterion. Most of the other remaining correlations were comparatively small for all three criterion types (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, p.14) Van Scotter and Motowidlo (cited in Murphy, Cleaveland Beaty, 2001, p. 127) examined correlations between task performance and personality measures scores, and also the two dimensions of contextual performance: Job dedication such as self-disciplined behaviours like working hard, following rules and taking initiative to solve a problem Interpersonal facilitation (cooperative behaviours which helped co-workers in finishing their tasks) These researchers found that Agreeableness, Extroversion, Conscientiousness, and Positive Affectivity were significantly related to inter personal facilitation and only Conscientiousness was related significantly to task performance (Murphy, Cleaveland and Beaty, 2001, pp.127) The relationship between job context, job content sources of stress and selected behavioural and attitudinal outcomes, absenteeism and perceived performance, were empirically examined, while controlling for differences in personality, occupation and organizational culture. The research was conducted with twelve hundred hospital workers using an occupational stress questionnaire and attendance records. It was found that job content stress was found to reduce absenteeism but not to influence perceived performance, while job context stress increased absenteeism and reduced perceived performance (Arsenault, 1983, p.227) The outcome of the research attributed personality to have significant effect on performance but not on absenteeism, but occupation influenced absenteeism but not performance; while organizational culture contributed to the explanation of both absenteeism and performance (Arsenault, 1983, p.227). Smithikrai in 2008 conducted a study on Counter Productive Work Behaviour (CWB) and the extent to which the strength of situations moderates the relations between personality traits (Smithikrai, 2008, p.253). The study set the following as the CWBs: Absenteeism Production deviance Workplace aggression Theft Sabotage or fraud The Research found that conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of CWB (Hough, 1992; Salgado, 2002; Dalal, 2005; Sackett et al., 2006(cited in Smithikrai, 2008, p.253)). The results also indicated that, in a weak situation only, conscientiousness has a stronger, negative relation to CWB when agreeableness is low than when agreeableness is high (Smithikrai, 2008, p.261). Locus of control Locus of control refers to the extent a person believes that specific outcomes are caused by their actions. If someone feels that they are in control of the outcomes, then they have an internal locus of control and the opposite be interpreted as external locus of control (Salazar, Hubbard Salazar, 2002). Empirical Findings on Locus of Control Daileys (1980) study, conducted with 281 scientists, tackled the association between locus of control and task difficulty, task variability and job performance. The research indicated that individuals with an internal locus of control exhibited greater satisfaction, motivation and had an elevated level of involvement in their jobs leading to high performance. Research with a group of accountants performed in Taiwan, also suggests that accountants personality, as measured by locus of control, plays an essential function in predicting the intensity of job performance (Jui-Chen Chen, Colin Silverthorne, 2008). Self-efficacy (SE) SE is essential for successful job performance and must not be underestimated as simply the belief that ones capability and competence may even determine an individuals attempt at completing a particular task. SE affects a persons choice, behaviour, motivation, perseverance, and facilitative thought patterns. Low SE can result in incapacitating effects such as stress and depression, and thus should be handled with care for high job performance (Christopher, 1999). Empirical Findings on Self-efficacy Research was conducted amongst 118 employees in an Australian financial services firm Christopher, 1999). In the study, self-efficacy was found to mediate the association between the amount of prescribed training and superior ratings of improved performance among individuals in jobs where self-confidence was perceived to be crucial for positive outcome, but not among individuals in any positions where it was considered irrelevant (Christopher, 1999). Research confirms the significance of self-regulatory mechanisms in performance achievements and motivational processes (Locke Latham, 1990; Kanfer, 1990; Bandura, 1997; Carver Scheier, 1985). Meta-analytic investigations and performance outcomes in a variety of contexts have been clearly established when self-efficacy is associated (Bandura, 1997) and meta-analytic investigations (Stajkovic Luthans, 1998a). A positive connection between self-efficacy and work-related performance is found by researchers in areas such as computer-related tasks (Harrison, Rainer, Hochwarter, Thompson, 1997), academic research productivity (Taylor, Locke, Lee, Gist, 1984), managerial decision-making (Wood Bandura, 1989a), career choice (Lent, Brown, Larkin, 1987) organizational change (Judge, Thorensen, Pucik, Welbourne, 1999) and coping with career-related stressful events (Stumpf, Brief, Hartman, 1987). The Importance of P-O Fit over Ability-Job Fit Although studies of Ability Job Fit and Personality-Organization (P-O) Fit have been extensive and increasing, researchers have increasingly put more emphasis on P-O Fit. Kristof (1996) contends that there has been a growing interest in P-O Fit during the recent years by both scholars and managers. Bowen et al (1991) (cited in Sekiguchi, 2004) explains that P-O fit is the key to maintaining the flexible and committed work force that is necessary in a competitive business environment and a tight labour market. Kristof, (1996) contends that P-O fit occurs when an organization satisfies an employees needs desires and preferences. The P-O fit argues that employee/persons leave jobs that are not compatible with their personalities. However, it has been argued that the ability job fit model emphasizes the performances of employees, but their satisfaction and thus the outcomes are enhanced when the employees and their work environment are in perfect synchronization (Coppola Carini, 2006). Also, according to Coppola and Carini (2006), individuals past experience and educational skills would not produce any tangible performance outcomes as they try to match their skills with a new job. Sekiguchi, (2004) contends that employees and organization attract each other based on their similarities. This was confirmed by empirical evidence that an elevated level Personality-Organization fit is linked to a number of positive results. Vancouver Schmitt, 1991, Brets Judge, 1994, Chatman, 1991, Boxx et al; 1991, Downey et al; 1975, OReilly et al, 1991, Postner; et al; 1985, Tziner, 1987(cited in Sekiguchi, 2004) explains that empirical evidence discovered that Person Organization Fit was correlated to a number of positive performance outcomes. Cable and Judge, (1996) explains that people select organizations that fulfil needs that has been seen a process that resulted in P-O fit. Chatman, 1989, 1991, Judge, 1993, OReilly et al., 1991, Meglino, et al., 1989 (cited in Cable Judge, 1996, p. 297) further explains that employees are fully committed towards their organization when they share the values of their organizations and in turn they achieve maximum job satisfaction resulting in high performance. Conclusions Theory and research on Ability-Job Fit and Personality-Organisation fit involved a variety of levels of study with respect to high job performance. The analyses were conducted using various job abilities and personality traits in multiple conceptualizations leading to job performance. The P-O is the important attribute to an employees adaptability in an organization providing the essential impetus to higher work performance. This basically means that recruitment of persons possessing the right personality would result in far better job performance when the person and the organization are aligned together. Based on the theoretical and empirical research on personality-organisation fit and ability-job fit, its extensively proven that personality-job fit carries more importance than the ability-job fit. References Accenture Consulting 2006, High Performance Work Study 2006, Research Report, p. 5, retrieved 2 April 2010, . Arsenault, A 1983, The role of personality, occupation and organization in understanding the relationship between job stress, performance and absenteeism, vol. 1983, issue 3, p. 227 Barrick, MR Mount, MK 1991, The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance: A Meta-Analysis, vol. 44, issue 1, pp. 1-26. Bandura, A 1997, Self-efficacy: The exercise of control, New York: Freeman. Beaty, JC Jr, Cleveland, JN Murphy, KR 2001, The Relation Between Personality and Contextual Performance in Strong Versus Weak Situations, vol. 14, issueÂÂ  2, pp. 125-148. Cable, D Judge, T 1996, Person-Organization Fit, Job Choice Decisions, and Organizational Entry, Organizational Behaviour and human resource processes, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 294-295. Carless, S 2005, Person-Job Fit versus Person-Organization Fit as predicators of organizational attraction and job acceptance intensions: A longitudinal study, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 78, pp. 411-429. Carver, CS Scheier, MF 1985, A control-systems approach to the self-regulation of action, In Kuhl, J Beckmann, J (Eds.), Action control: From cognition to behaviour, New York: Springer, pp. 237-266. Christopher, O 1999, The impact of self-efficacy on the effectiveness of employee training, Journal of Workplace Learning, Year: 1999, vol. 11, issue 4, pp. 119 122. Coppola, N Carini, G 2006, Ability Job-Fit Self Assessment: Employment Considerations for Job Seekers, Healthcare Executives, vol. 21 issue 2, pp. 60-63. Dailey, R 1980, Relationship between locus of control, task characteristics, and work attitudes, Psychological reports, 47, pp. 855-861. Edwards, JR 1991, Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique, International review of industrial and organisational psychology, vol. 6, pp. 283-357. Ehrhart, K 2006, Job characteristics belief and personality as antecedents of subjective person-job fit, Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol. 21, no. 2. Fried, Y Ferris, GR 1987, The validity of the job characteristics model: A review and Meta-analysis, Performance Psychology, Vol. 40, pp. 287-322. Gist, ME Mitchell, TR 1992, Self-efficacy: A theoretical analysis of its determinants and malleability, Academy of Management Review, 17, pp. 183-211. Harrison, AW, Rainer, RK, Hochwarter, WA Thompson, K R 1997, Testing the self-efficacy-performance linkage of social-cognitive theory The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 137, pp. 79-87. Salazar, J, Hubbard, S Salazar, L 2002; Locus of control and Its Influence on Hotel Managers Job Satisfaction, Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality Tourism, Vol. l (2) 2002, retrieved 2 April 2010, http://www/haworthpressinc.com/store/product. asp?sku=J 17 1, 2002. Judge, TA, Locke, EA Durham, CC 1997, The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach, In Staw BM, Cummings LL, (Eds.), Research in organizational behaviour, vol. 19, pp. 151-188. Judge, TA Llies, R 2002, Relationship of Personality to Performance Motivation: A Meta-Analytic Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, no.4, pp. 797-807. Judge, TA, Daniel, H Mount, MK 2002, Five-Factors of Model Personality and Job Satisfaction: A Meta Analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, no.3, pp. 530-541. Chen, J Silverthorne, C 2008, The impact of locus of control on job stress, job performance and job satisfaction in Taiwan, Leadership Organization Development Journal, Vol. 29, issue 7, pp. 572-582. Kanfer, R 1990, Motivation theory and industrial and organizational psychology, In Dunnette, MD Hough LM, (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, vol. 1, Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press, pp. 75-170. Kristof, A 1996, Person-Organization Fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurements, and implications, Personnel Psychology, pp.1-2. Lent, RW, Brown, SD Larkin, KC 1987, Comparison of three theoretically derived variables in predicting career and academic behaviour, Self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking, Journal of Counselling Psychology, Vol. 34, pp. 293-298. Locke, EA Latham, GP 1990, A theory of goal setting and task performance, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Neuman, GA Wright, J 1999, Team Effectiveness; Beyond Skills and Cognitive Ability, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 84, no.3, pp. 379-389. Sekiguchi, T 2004, Person-Organization Fit and Person Job Fit in employee Selection: A review of the Literature, Osaka Keidai Ronshu, vol.54, no. 6, p, 182. Smithikra, C 2008, Moderating effect of situational strength on the relationship between personality traits and counterproductive work behaviour, Vol 11, issue 4, pp. 253-263 Stajkovic, AD Luthans, F 1998a, Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis, Psychological Bulletin, 124, pp. 240-261. Stumpf, SA, Brief, AP Hartman, K. 1987, Self-efficacy expectations and coping with career-related events, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Vol. 31, pp. 91-108. Taylor, MS, Locke, EA, Lee, C Gist, ME 1984, Type A: behaviour and faculty research productivity, What are the mechanisms? Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 34, pp. 402-418. Van Scotter, JR Motowidlo, SJ 1996, Interpersonal facilitation and job dedication as separate facets of contextual performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 81, pp. 525-531. Wood, R Bandura, A 1989a, Impact of conceptions of ability on self-regulatory mechanisms and complex decision-making, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 56, pp. 407-415.

Psychodynamic Theory

Psychodynamic Theory Review In the article â€Å"The Future of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy,† Cortina (2010) reviews past and current issues concerning psychodynamic theory in relation to therapy practices. He describes how and why a once widely accepted and common method of psychological treatment has since suffered a swift weakening in popularity and reliability. Cortina (2010) also speaks about the basic concepts that underlie the psychodynamic theory so that possible interpretations can be drawn as to why this theory has succumbed to such criticism over the decades. Although, the psychodynamic theory does not have a good reputation, Cortina (2010) examines past and current research on how psychodynamic theory is making a comeback, and it’s now supposed effectiveness. The Deterioration of Psychodynamic Theory According to Cortina (2010), one of the tell-tale signs that psychodynamic theory has taken a dive in the world of psychotherapy is because of the decline in related book sales. Not even a decade ago, the bestselling psychoanalytical books were sold by the tens of thousands. Over the past few years, less than 500 have been taken off the shelves and found their way into the hands of appreciating scholars. A proposed reason for this is that Freud’s credibility has been lost. Although there was not adequate scientific evidence to back up his theories back in the day, a lot has changed in the past century. Unfortunately, Freud’s theory has become nothing more than a â€Å"postmodern-deconstructive philosophy† (Cortina, 2010, The Decline of Psychoanalysis, para. 4). Concepts of Psychoanalytical Theory Shendler (2010), as referenced by Cortina (2010), list some basic concepts of the psychoanalytical theory. People act according to unconscious processes and impulses. When those processes become conflicted with one another, trouble ensues. People also respond to emotional processes. Recognizing and accepting conscious and unconscious emotions are essential to psychoanalytical theory. This theory focuses on defense mechanisms. People tend to behave in ways that are not in context with what is going on. Psychoanalytical theory has a tendency to pay close attention to the development of the mind. How a person thinks and perceives can reveal a lot about what is going on in the mind. Social processes are also important especially how individuals relate to and communicate with one another. Lastly, psychoanalytical theory focuses on dreams and a person’s imagination. These are the doors to the unconscious. Research Cortina (2010) provides evidence from past and current research that favors psychoanalytical theory. Science has come a long way in the past decade; therefore, scientists have a better understanding about what is really going on in the human mind. With the use of tools such as the MRI, they can make connections between thoughts, emotions, actions, and specific areas of the brain and other physiological processes. Researchers have also obtained a wealth of information from case studies. Although many are still skeptical about the reliability of psychoanalytical theory, evidence has shown many strengths and benefits of this theory. Conclusion Regardless of the unpopularity of psychoanalytical theory, opinions and attitudes are starting to change. There is a considerable amount of evidence that supports the ideas behind and the benefits of this theory. Since only a small percentage of practitioners receive specialized training in psychoanalytical therapy, much has to be done to convince the public and academic sector that psychoanalytical theory is not a fairytale. Personal Perspective I believe that the psychoanalytical perspective to psychotherapy has many good qualities, as well as, some questionable qualities. I agree with Cortina (2010) that this theory is making some great strides to prove itself worthy in the scientific field. I do not fully adhere to the notion that many of our actions are driven by unconscious motives because that tends to take accountability and choice away from the individual. I am fascinated by this theory only for the purpose of study, not in practice. Reference Cortina, M. (2010). The future of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 73(1), 43-56. doi:10. 1521/psyc. 2010. 73. 1. 43 Psychodynamic Theory Psychodynamic theory is a view that explains personality in the terms of unconscious and conscious forces, such as beliefs and unconscious desires. Sigmund Freud in the early 20th century proposed a psychodynamic theory according to which personality consists of the ID. The ID is responsible for instincts and pleasure-seeking. He also proposed the idea of the superego which attempts to obey the rules of society and parents.The superego is split into two parts, conscience and the ego ideal. The conscience tells what is right and wrong, it forces the ego to control the id and it directs the individual into morally acceptable and responsible behaviors, which could not be pleasureable. Lastly the Ego which mediates between the id and the superego according to the demands of reality. What psychodynamic theories do are they commonly hold that childhood experiences shape one’s personality. Such theories are associated with psychoanalysis which is a type of therapy that attempts to re veal unconscious desires and thoughts.Not all psychologists use or accept psychodynamic theories, critics claim that the theories lack scientific data that supports the theories. Other theories of personality include humanist and behavioral theories (Siegel, 2013). Psychodynamic theorists believe that offenders have id-dominated personalities. They can lose control the ego and the id’s need for instant gratification will then take over. This will then cause impulse control problems and increased pleasure-seeking drives. Other problems that are associated with a damaged ego are poor social skills, immaturity, and excessive dependence on other people. The idea with this is that negative experiences in an offenders childhood will damage the ego, therefore, the offender is then unable to cope with conventional society (Siegel, 2013).This theory can be attached to Bowbly’s theory of Attachment. Bowlby had proposed that the ability to form meaningful social relationships in adulthood was merely dependent on a close, warm and continuous relationship with the mother in the first few years of life. Since this relationship serves as a prototype for all future relationships, disruption to this could impair a person’s ability to relate to others therefore causing roots of criminality, and lead to â€Å"affection less psychopathology†. So therefore, this explains crime by the root causes of crime because it depends on relationships with your mother when you are young (1-5 years old). The key  subjects are juveniles. As talked about previously, this theory correlated with Bowlby’s Attachment theory (Maxwell, Spielmann, Joel & MacDonald, 2013).At early stages the key subjects are juveniles, because they’re out lashing due to the lack of emotional attachment at the early stages in life, and then adults because they never got to experience an emotional attachment throughout the early and then later years of life.There are various way s that psychodynamic theory and attachment theory have been tested throughout the years. After much research, one study that was found was a Relationship Attachment Syle Text. The main basis of this tests background is how from the beginning years of life, we develop an attachment to our primary caregivers that tends to remain constant if it is present. It has a profound effect that is not only on our emotional development, but is also upon the health of our relationships.In this test attachment styles that are conveyed are Secure, Dismissive-Avoidant, Fearful-Avoidant, Codependent, Dependent, and Anxious Ambivalent. This will assess your relationship style and it will show how it affects your relationships in your personal life all just by taking this test. It asks you a serious of questions that you rate 1 being the most true and 5 being the most false about you (Haggerty, 2010). This has been used as a basis for public programs, and also private programs. It can be assessed simpl y in a classroom setting when learning about the psychodynamic/ attachment theory, and it can be used in a clinical setting where the therapist is trying to see where the client is relationship wise in their life.This test is important, and it is widely used , and it is grounded in a valid and well-established theory. There was evidence that this is a valid test. With research by (Brennan et al., 1998; Fraley & Waller, 1998) that the greatest weight of the results that were found were deriving from multi-item dimensional measures because they have demonstrated greatly the best precision and validity. They strongly encourage more researchers that are interested in peer relationships to continue to use and explore the old measures that are used and determine the advantages and their limitations. They also encourage them to continue to concern themselves with measurement issues in this certain domain, seeing there are still gaps that are waiting to be filled and improvements to be made while assessing attachment (Brennanet al., 1998; Fraley & Waller, 1998).This test has found to have a wide range of uses, especially for the environment that it is used in (personal, clinical, educational etc). It is not necessarily used for all crimes, but it can be used with juveniles in crime because it can help determine their psychosis and what environmental factors could be associated with their behavior.After extensive research of the psychodynamic/attachment theory and the culture conflict theory, these theories do not belong in the same class of theories. Though they do look at crime and can help explain the root causes or explain why crimes have happened, they are different theories that do not belong in the same class. The psychodynamic theory is an evolutionary theory and attachment theory is a psychological theory. Culture conflict theory is an environmental-based theory. The similarities that these theories share are the fact that bonding has a very important lasting psychological implications. Also another similarity that these theories share is showing how in an overall setting, society creates these bonds and they stick completely together.Culture conflict occurs when rules are expressed in the criminal law clashes with the demands of group conduct norms, therefore this theory is an outcome of an event. Psychodynamic theories focus on the time of the event, on their instinctive drive and forces (from their id, superego, ego), so this in objective, and also can be an outcome. That goes for attachment theory as well, because attachment theory is the ability to bond to other people has important lasting psychological implications across someones life span, so this is the outcome of previous behaviors and attachments with people in ones life.A typology of crime that is believed to to explain psychodynamic theory in some sort of way that is also integrated with Bowlby’s theory of attachment is underage drinking. This kind of crime could be well-explained with this theory because of the reaction people have to the lack of control over their id, ego and superego as well as lack of attachment which leads them to leaning onto something else to get the pain away. Through a study to begin research has indicated that peer and maternal bonds play important but sometimes competing roles in the outcomes of kids. This study hypothesized  that secure parental attachment predicted anti-alcohol attitudes and behavioral control. Norms, alcohol attitudes and behavioral control are each uniquely explained variance in intentions, which has forecasted a significant increase in alcohol behavior a month later.Peer and parental attachment were each indirectly predicted future behavior. The results obtained from the longitudinal research were theoretically and practically informative for recognizing the contrasting interpersonal forces of peers and parents on the high risk beliefs of young adults. After research, the protective benefits t hat arose from attachment bonds to parents extended even into early adulthood. The findings support recommendations for interventions designed to curtail the risky levels of underage drinking based on the tenets of attachment theory (Lac, 2012). A scenario that fits this type of crime is the parents that influence the child are heavy drinkers.The environment of the child growing up around excessive alcohol drinking will lead to the influx of the child thinking it’s okay to drink, and want to drink because it’s ‘cool’ and their parent’s do it as well. The influence of this could potentially lead to children starting to drink as early as possibly age 13. This can lead into possibly getting into drugs as well. Getting caught with underage possession of alcohol can be a slap on the wrist at first, however if they get into a vehicle and they are driving and get in an accident the consequences arise drastically. You could potentially get jail time if you kill someone, get your license revoked, points on your license and quite a big fine.The theory could be challenged in the fact that underage drinking could be because of the influence of other teens, and not completely the parents influence. It could be argued in the psychodynamic theory that the id is taking over and telling the person that it will be fun, and there will be no consequences or it could be considered a normal thing, so when it comes to the ego (the reality principle) nothing will seem wrong to them, when actually, it is a morally wrong act with consequences because the legal drinking age is 21 years old.Psychodynamic theory overall, is an insight-oriented therapy that focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person’s present behavior. Goals of this therapy are a client’s self-awareness and the understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior. The goal  of psychodynamic therapy are a client’s self-awareness and the understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior. The approach of this theory will enable the client in a therapy setting to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves in the need and the desire to abuse substances and other criminal behaviors. It is by far one of the oldest modern therapies/theories.It is extremely developed and multi-faced theory of human development and interaction (Haggerty, 2010). Because of the extensive research there is on this theory, how old this theory is, and the validity of this theory/therapy, this theory is a more useful/valuable to preventing, approaching and evaluating crime. Having Bowlby’s work correlating with this theory shows how much more extensive it can get because of how close attachment theory correlates. Basically, attachment theory as stated previously is the emotional bond to another person. Attachment as Bowlby stated is a â€Å"lasting psychol ogical connectedness between human beings† (Lac, 2012).Developing a bond in your early years of life with your caregivers (especially your mother) has a huge impact that will follow someone throughout their life. Bowlby stated that attachment serves to keep the infant close to their mother, thus improving the child’s chances of survival (Schaffer & Emerson, 1964). One social problems that this theory could help try to solve or possibly prevent is substance or alcohol abuse. When children have a lack of emotional stability in their lives, they turn to something that they will feel connected with, and will replace the hole that the lack of parental involvement in their lives. Then once they become addicted to the substance they use or alcohol they feel a sense of fulfillment which helps cope with their lack of relationships with people.This theory can help prevent or transition their lives and fill the hole of abandonment and help create a healthy emotional stance in thei r lives which will help prevent the addictions.

Qing China and the consequences of the golden age Essay

The â€Å"Prosperous Age† was a period where Qing China experienced a drastic increase in population, flourishing trade and commerce, and a remarkable level of social and political stability during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. However, its brilliance was overshadowed by its subsequent consequences and China was soon at its breaking point in the 19th century. This essay would then evaluate on the implications of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† and how the long-term consequences proved to be more negative in the 19th century due to a string of crisis, and subsequent problems that continued even in modern China of the 20th century. Negative Unanticipated Long Term Consequences Reversal of Trade Fortunes with Britain During the 18th century, there was mounting European demand for Chinese goods (Hung, 2011). Britain in particular, had strong liking and demand for Chinese goods especially tea. Hence, it led to the outflow of British silver into China, but little inflow of silver back into the British economy resulted in China enjoying a trade surplus (City University HK, 2007) while Britain suffered from a trade deficit. To redress this deficit, Britain began to smuggle and sell opium in China (City University HK, 2007). China’s attempt to prohibit opium then resulted in the Opium Wars and suffered a tragic defeat. The defeat in the Opium War led to the signings of unequal treaties . Upon signing of the unequal treaties, much Chinese marked it as the beginning of a century of shame and humiliation. Although China was never formally colonized, the lack of ability to defend its basic sovereign rights and ability to govern its own country made it look like a like semi-colonized state of Britain. Consequently, the Qing government was seen as weak and inefficient to combat against the foreigners and much Chinese lost faith in the Manchurian Qing government. As a result, this gave rise to the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) where violent revolts and attacks were targeted against foreigners as a sign to resist their influence. Boxers, supported by China, suffered a yet another defeat and were forced to sign yet another unequal treaty: Boxer Protocol, where the reparations drastically crippled the Chinese economy till the mid 20th century (Zheng, 2009). Thus, we can see that the initial trade surplus, a sign of â€Å"Prosperous Age† resulted in British to redress the situation by selling opium to the Chinese led to the Opium Wars and the unequal treaties which greatly weakened Qing China internally and externally in the 19th century. China’s failure to counter foreign influence led to their continued defeat in the Boxer Rebellion at the end of 19th century, where another unequal treaty continued to cripple her till mid 20th century , thereby demonstrating the long term consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† was indeed negative in the long run, especially since the consequences did not confine just to the 19th century but even stretched to the 20th century. Reforms did not keep up with population boom During the â€Å"Prosperous Age†, China’s population tripled from less than 150 million to over 400 million (Perkins, 1969). Civil Service Exam however continued its strict quota for passing (Bentley & Ziegler, 2003) and that meant a lower ratio of scholar to population passes. The frustration of students led to the rise of influential leaders like Hong Xiuquan who sought for reforms which led to the Taiping Rebellion . Coincidentally, the backbone of his rebels were the poor peasants who were forced out of arable lands and were socially upset and frustrated, which was also due to the consequence of the population boom. The consequence of the Taiping Rebellion led to a weakened Qing as they were forced to decentralize power to provincial elites to deal with the crisis and this power was never fully recovered even after the rebellion was suppressed (Sng, 2011). Provincial elites who did not return the power were a growing sign of defiance and could have the possibility of rising up against the imperial court. The unneeded civil unrest caused by Taiping Rebellion also served to exacerbate subsequent crisis like the Northern Chinese Famine (1876-1879) where the government was severely blamed for not providing sufficient aid. The excess unrest and loss of power proved to be detrimental in the 19th century as it crippled China and the country with no official political bloc stepping up to assist with the problems and crisis. In short, China was in a total disarray and chaotic. Lack of technological advancement Qing China favoured political and social stability over technological innovation which they feared would lead to unsettling changes. Furthermore, the vast population available to firms was a cheaper alternative to increase output, rather than investment of new technologies which was costly (Bentley & Ziegler, 2003). This proved to be adverse in the 19th century when China engaged in wars. In the Opium Wars, the Qing military was no match against the British who utilized better technology to triumph (Tanner, 2010). The first defeat resulted in Treaty of Nanjing which ceded Hong Kong to Britain. Subsequent wars like the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1985) had China suffering a crushing defeat against a more superior and modernized Japanese army. China then ceded Taiwan, Penghu and the Liaodong peninsular to the Japanese. It clearly implied that China could not defend its own sovereign ground and indicated how backward the Chinese army. It questions the right of China to even claim rights over those territories if she could not even defend it properly. The problem gets exemplified into the 20th century when China continued to suffer several defeats to the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War . Even with the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861-1895) which was embraced to modernize China was insufficient. The subsequent defeats to Allied forces in the Boxer Rebellion and Japanese in the Sino-Japanese Wars marred the success of the movement. Especially significant was the defeat in First Sino-Japanese war as for the first time in over 2000 years of history, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan (Johnson, 2010). Coupled with the defeat, China’s international and regional standings were challenged and staged subsequent revolutions that led to other problems and the eventual demise of Qing. Positive Long Term Unanticipated Consequences Building a new foundation based on common people The end of Taiping Rebellion inspired nationalists (Del Testa & Lemoine & Strickland, 2001) to fight for the betterment of Chinese. It was because of the consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† that led to the decisive rise of nationalist to seek for reforms. An example would be the decentralizing of power, which meant many parties would be involved in decision-making process, rather than just the monarch government. This would ensure that concerns are taken into deliberation before decision-making that will benefit majority of the Chinese, rather than the imperial court only. The nationalist dream then culminated in the 1911 Revolution in the early 20th century, where the Qing was overthrown and the Republic of China was established. Nevertheless, the dream of the nationalist was short-lived due to a power struggle within. Even though election was scheduled for 1913, but it soon became clear than Yuan Shikai wanted to establish his own power base. Sun Yat Sen was then forced into exile after he stepped down as head of the newly formed Kuomintang (Foster, 2007). The new government was then monopolized by Yuan and led to decades of political division and warlordism, including monarchy restoration (Blecher, 2010). Therefore we can see that the perceived benefits from the consequence of â€Å"Prosperous Age† in the 19th century did not fully materialize in the 20th century. Monarchy restoration was attempted and defeats the purpose of the promised sharing of power with the people initially. Political and social unrest persisted even with the new government which culminated in the May Fourth Movement (1919). Hence, we can see that China did not become better even with the end of Qing. It would be judgmental to argue that the initial rise of nationalists had resulted in a better China. It would be fairer to argue that the initial rise of nationalists led to more power struggle and dissident movements like the Chinese Warlord Era (1916-1928) as there were no strong political forces to enforce stability and order until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came in 1949. Conclusion Hence, we can see that the consequences of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† proved to be more negative. The severity of the negative consequences shed light on the crises in the 19th century which crippled China internally and externally. The impact of the consequences was so overwhelming that it even snowballed to the 20th century and further crippled modern China. In contrast, the perceived positive consequences was that it built the foundation but the problem was that the foundation was weak and unstable which in turn led to more problems which culminated in more movements and revolutions. Furthermore, problems like sovereign issues were not solved by reforms or China’s surge in military strength but rather treaties that returned territories to her under imminent conditions . Thus, we can see that the long term consequences were more negative in the 19th century as it continued the crippling of China economically, socially and militarily and as well as set the stage for the movements and revolutions in the 20th century which did not necessary bring about stability and communal power amongst its people until the CCP came into power in 1949. References – Hung, H.F. (2011), Protest with Chinese characteristics: demonstrations, riots, and petitions (p24-26). USA: Columbia University Press – Qian Long Emperor’s Letter to George III, 1793, retrieved from Sanders & Morillo & Nelson & Elleberger (2005), Encounters in World History: Sources and Themes from the Global Past, Volume 2 (p289). McGraw-Hill – Sng, T.H (2011, Oct 4). Size and Dynastic Decline: The Principal-Agent Problem in Late Imperial China 1700-1850. – City University of HK Press (2007), China: Five thousand years of history and civilization (p109). Hong Kong: City University of HK Press – Perkins, D.H. (1969). Agricultural development in China, 1369-1968. Chicago: Aldine – Bentley & Ziegler (2003). Traditions and Encounters (p724-740). New York: McGraw-Hill – Tanner, H.M. (2010), China: From the Great Qing Empire through the People’s Republic of China 1644-2009 (p77). USA: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. – Del Testa & Lemoine & Strickland (2001). Government leaders, military rulers and political activist (p86). Greenwood Publishing Group – Foster, S (2007). Adventure Guide China (p18-19). Hunter Publishing, Inc. – Blecher, M.J. (2010). China against the tides: restructuring through revolution, radicalism, and reform (p205). Continuum International Publishing Group – Johnson, R.E. (2010). A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches (p267). Cambridge University Press – Zheng, J.G. (2009). Historical dictionary of modern China 1800-1949 (p32). USA: Scarecrow Press

Western and Non Western Divinity - 774 Words

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Eastern religious philosophy includes the various philosophies of South and East Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, and Korean philosophy. The most notable western religious philosophies include the classical Greek tradition and the Abrahamic religions. To illustrate the main similarities and differences between western and non-western ideas of God and the concept of the ultimate reality I will be comparing and contrasting the basic western religions with those ofShow MoreRelatedDebating the Topics Monism and Vedanta Essay798 Words   |  4 Pagesperson is made up of only the body or only the mind (Morris). Because Animists, Hindus, and Buddhists believe that reality is one and that everything that exists is a functioning part of that whole which is spirit are for the most part monists. Western people for the most part may be called a monist also as they believe that God is dead and matter is the only substance to reality. 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