Communication Theory- Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication Theory- Article Analysis - Essay Example Through a process of self-disclosure, communication gradually moves from shallow to intimate as a function of immediate and forecast outcomes as the interpersonal relationship develops. The movement from superficial to intimate levels follows the stages of; orientation, where superficial disclosure following social norms and appropriateness are made. The next stage- exploratory affective- entails moderate disclosure on general topics, followed by the affective stage where disclosure of private and personal matters takes place. The stable stage is a plateau level in which personal things are shared and emotions predicted, while the last stage- depenetration- entails a breakdown of the relationship following withdrawal of disclosure (Greene and Burleson 693; Gibbs, Ellison and Heino 152-177). This study analyzes Daniel Chornet-Roses’ â€Å"Using Students’ Prior Knowledge to Teach Social Penetration Theory† in terms of the main purpose, hypothesis, methodology and r esults before arriving at an appropriate conclusion on the implications of the Social Penetration Theory. Analysis â€Å"Using Students’ Prior Knowledge to Teach Social Penetration Theory† Chornet-Rose (150) acknowledges that appreciating student’s existing ideas and beliefs about a given subject enhances the experiences of learning. The scholar seeks to hone the student’s skills in analyzing information, inductive reasoning and self-reflection. To do this, the scholar plans to activate the prior knowledge of the students in relationship development through letting them watch the film Before Sunset. This will be followed by introducing the students to the intended new knowledge in Social Penetration Theory. Although not expressly stated, the hypothesis tested by the scholar is that acknowledging and incorporating the student’s prior knowledge into the classroom enhances student’s learning experience and outcomes. The researcher’s sele cted method comprises of four sections. First, the students were assigned to watch the film Before Sunset at home. The second activity is an in-class one, where the students were required to informally formulate a theory of relationship development through analyzing the film. The study provides a guide towards analysis and inductive creation of the relationship development theory through asking the students to pay close attention to; the type of information shared (superficial, important, intimate); the tone of conversation (serious, friendly, cheerful, angry); non-verbal communication (proxemics, eye behavior); and lastly, the accomplishments of their communicative interaction. The third activity entails a 75-minute in-class lesson introducing Social Penetration Theory, discussing the student’s relationship development theories with SPT and how SPT may be used to discuss relationship development in the theory. In the first 15-20 minutes, the instructor presents a lecture on Social Penetration Theory, highlighting its key concepts. In the next 10-15 minutes, the students discuss and contrast their informal theories with SPT while in small groups. The remainder of the lesson involves the instructor leading the class to discuss the students’ theories in relation to SPT and relationship development in the film. The final activity entails the students writing a paragraph on how their knowledge on relationship development has developed since learning SPT. The essay assignment is given as an end-of-class or

Macbeth Essay Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Essay Essay Shakespeare uses ghosts and witches into many of his plays and work. But in no other play did he make them so horrible and demon like as he did the witches in Macbeth. The way in which they were described, made Macbeth a popular play. Superstition is a very shrewd belief in the supernatural. Supernatural is an attribute to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. When it is referred to as the supernatural, then it means supernatural appearances or events. Both of the two terms that I have just explained, superstition and supernatural, are present a lot of the time during the play Macbeth, and many of the supernatural events which occur during the play tend to lead into other happenings. The witches are actually an important part of the play and the supernatural, because they start the play along with the supernatural. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare sets the scene for the witches by using thunder and lightening and naming location of the scene A Desolate Place. Upon the heath and there to meet Macbeth The witches announce that they will meet with Macbeth upon a heath. They then disappear into filthy air as mysteriously as they arrived. Later in the play, Banquo refers to the witches exit as the earth hath bubbles, as the water has, and these are of them what he means by this is that the witches can disappear in the same way as bubbles do. In the first scene the supernatural theme is present due to the witches being there. They speak of Macbeth and involve him in supernatural matters, and we can tell that they influence him, and this also blooms as the play develops. The words that the witches use are also of a supernatural nature. Some link together sometimes in a chant like way, such as Fair is foul, and foul is fair, and this sounds rather unpleasant and evil. We can also blame them for some of the things that happen later on in the play which are involved in the downfall of Macbeth. Later in the play Macbeth is found echoing some of the phrases that the witches have used. This occurs just before the witches give their predictions to Macbeth and Banquo. This could be coincidence, but could also be because they have influenced him. Therefore, they could have influenced him in what to do, and what he does is evil. This is a good example of how the supernatural leads to his downfall. The main turning point in the play is when Macbeth meets with the witches when he is with Banquo and when the predictions are made. Macbeth is told that he shall be the thane of Glamis, then the than of Cawdor and shall then go on to be King. We can tell that he is interested as the first thing that he says after these predictions have been made is Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more, which is meant to make Banquo and the audience to think that he does not believe them, but tells the witches to carry on as he is curious as to what they have to say, but they vanish and we know that he has taken them seriously as he desperate for them to come back. Banquo has a different view and says The instruments tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence. What Banquo means by this is that the witches may have only told them their possible future so that they act on what they have been told. By saying this, Banquo is implying that the witches have evil intentions. Banquo advises Macbeth to steer clear o the witches and what they have said, but he ignores him as he is greedy and over ambitious. This is where we know that the supernatural has influenced Macbeth and has begun to change him. At the time of the predictions Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis, and was shortly made the Thane of cawdor. This made him believe that the predictions were true. Macbeth believed that if the first two predictions were correct, the third prediction would also be correct. Lady Macbeth also helped Macbeth become a victim of his own destiny. She was behind him during the murder of King Duncan and was the reason for Macbeth doing it because she continued to assure that all would turn out in their favour. She also made him feel guilty and like a wimp by saying Art thou afeard and live a coward in thane own esteem. This is quite an important thing as she is questioning his masculinity. Macbeth is at this time known as a warrior, and when he is faced with this comment he is going to try and prove it wrong. She can also be found using witchcraft when she asks the spirits to change her into a fearless, ruthless human being making her able to help Macbeth in killing Duncan. She says Unsex me here and Come you spirits which shows that she would be able to influence what Macbeth does, like the witches can. As the play continues we can see that they grow apart and Macbeth decides to make more important decisions on his own and does not include her. As I have already said, the witches build up a large part of the supernatural in the play, but other elements add to this, so we can not put it all down to the witches. Although they were responsible for directing Macbeth in the killing, and the hallucinations may have encouraged him, a character who was close to him was also involved, Lady Macbeth. However, when Macbeth murdered Banquo, and Macduffs family, they were his own decisions. I think that he went solo because all of the predictions had been achieved, and now the supernatural has abandoned him. Before he could have blamed it on the supernatural but when he took matters into his own hands he was to blame. Macbeth starts to arouse suspicion as soon as he starts making decisions for himself and so, this is why he ends up dead because Banquo suspects him. You could say that all of the deaths in Macbeth were caused by the supernatural, because the witches had quite a lot to do with Macbeth, and the Murder of Duncan was directed by witchcraft. Macbeth was provoked by the witches and pressurised by his wife, who we know used witchcraft at some time during the play, and did carry out the actions herself, but we could say that it is not his fault. However, the witches may have just been making suggestions and so; Macbeth never had to follow them. After this of course, the murders are down to one man, Macbeth. I think that the supernatural does indeed lead to Macbeths downfall, but really, he is to blame, and becomes a monster. I think that the main reason is his own ambition.

A Rose For Emily Essay -- essays research papers

A Rose for Emily Emily’s Father   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout this story, the overbearing presence of Emily Grierson’s father is perhaps the greatest influence on her behavior. The story describes how Miss Emily’s father rejected her suitors by standing in front of her and aggressively clutching a horsewhip whenever the young men came to call. Without her fathers influence and overprotective behavior it is likely that Emily would have made one of her suitors her husband when she was still of suitable marrying age for that time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Emily’s father died the women of the town called on her to offer their condolences and aid as was their custom when someone suffered a tragic loss. Emily met the ladies at the door and with no trace of emotion or grief on her face she sent them away explaining that her father was indeed alive and well. Emily kept this up for three days and finally gave in just as the townspeople were going to forcibly take the body from her. All of her life up until his death Emily’s father controlled her and made all of her decisions for her. When he died Emily was left alone finally able live her own life, but since her father had been controlling her for so long she wasn’t able to function without him. Since she wasn’t able to function without his presence Emily chose to live her life as if her father was still with her. She spent the majority of her time inside of her house because that was where she could b...

Jerry Maguire Essay

Students must secure (purchase, rent, or borrow) and view a copy of Jerry Maguire to answer the following questions 1. Describe Jerry Maguire’s job and describe what this type of position entails. Jerry Maguire is a sports agent a person who negotiates employment and endorsement deals for an athlete. For their services, the agent receives a commission, which usually runs between 4 and 10 percent. The agent also may assist in public relations and all aspects of his client’s finances. Our text states a few of the other responsibilities of the agent are; †¢ Determines the value of the players services †¢ Convinces a club to pay the player the aforementioned value †¢ Develops the package of compensation to suit the player’s needs †¢ Protects the player’s rights under contract †¢ Counsels the player about post career security, both financial and occupational †¢ Finds a new club upon the player’s free agency †¢ Assists the player in earning extra income from endorsements, speeches, appearances, and commercials †¢ Advises athletes on the effect of their personal conduct on their career (p 26) According to Wikipedia, a sports agent helps market athletes or products associated with that athlete to promote an athlete’s career. Agents are responsible for communications with team owners, managers, coaches, and other individuals. Primarily, agents are used to broker and negotiate contracts for their clients. Also, they are responsible for making recommendations in regards to the athlete’s options. In addition to finding income sources, agents often handle public relations matters for their clients. In some large sports agencies, such as IMG, Creative Artists Agency, and Octagon, agents deal with all aspects of a client’s finances, from investment to filing taxes. Sports agents may be relied upon by their clients for guidance in all business aspects, and sometimes even more broadly. For example, hockey agents start recruiting clients as young as 15, allowing the agent to guide the athlete’s career before the NHL draft, which happens usually at 18 years of age. Due to the length and complexity of contracts, many sports agents are lawyers or have a background in contract law. Agents are expected to be knowledgeable about finance, business management, and financial and risk analysis, as well as sports. It is important for a sports agent to follow trends in sports. Other skills an agent must possess are excellent communication and negotiation skills. Agents must be highly motivated, willing to work long hours, and have the ability to multitask. It is very common for agents to be in negotiations on behalf of several clients at one time. Some agents are part of large companies, and some are on their own. The number of clients an individual agent can handle and how many clients his or her employing agency can handle in total are interdependent variables. Before the 1990s, most soccer players did not use agents. In some cases, they used their fathers as agents. Due to most parents’ naivetà © about the football business, these young footballers were often given less-than-stellar contracts by football clubs, which yielded lower salaries than they thought they deserved. In Sweden, there were only three licensed agents in 1995. As of 2002, there were 33. According to FIFA, there were 5,187 licensed association football agents world-wide, with 600 agents in Italy alone. Since 2001, agents have not been licensed by FIFA. Instead, agents are now licensed directly by each association. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_agent 2. Why has the bargaining power of athletes increased so much in the past 40 years? The sports industry is experiencing tremendous growth, and sports’ marketing  is playing an important role in this emerging industry. Sports marketing will continue to grow in importance as sports become more pervasive in the U.S. culture and around the globe. The growth is identified in a number of ways; the number of spectators, the growth of media coverage, increase in sport participation, rising employment opportunities, and the growth in sports internationally. (p31) Based on this it is my opinion that the bargaining power of athletes have increased because demand has increased. 3. The competitive nature of the sports agency business is real. Name five of the top agencies and show the source of your information (i.e. www†¦). †¢ Creative Artists Agency: â€Å"CAA† – acquired various pieces of the sports agency business of SFX (see below), starting with football. †¢ IMG – International Management Group – corporate agency established by entrepreneur Mark McCormack, originally with a specialization in golf and tennis. After the death of McCormack the company was acquired by private equity group Forstmann Little. †¢ International Sports Management – British sports agency run by former European Tour golfer Andrew â€Å"Chubby† Chandler.[27] †¢ Octagon Worldwide – Full-service sports agency and event marketing group, traded with advertising and marketing companies in the Interpublic Group. †¢ Priority Sports and Entertainment- Agency representing the most NBA players, run by Mark Bartelstein. †¢ Rosenhaus Sports- sports agency run by Drew Rosenhaus. †¢ Sports Management Worldwide – (SMWW) – global sports agency founded by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook. †¢ Wasserman Media Group: acquired Arn Tellem’s basketball agency from SFX, and usually represents the most players in NBA lottery draft each year. I don’t know if these are the top five but there are quite a few of these names that keep popping up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_agent 4. Complete an Internet search of the Sports Agent career and describe how one could/should build a career in this industry (include source). Instructions 1. Pick an undergraduate degree program in sports management. These courses will prepare you for most jobs in the sports agent field. Most professional leagues require at least a four-year degree from an accredited university. Take as many business management and entertainment or sports law courses as you can during your education. 2. Determine what sport you want to be an agent in. Understand that the National Football League requires that sports agents hold a post-graduate degree in sports management, human relations, business management, personal finance or a related field. Check with the league or professional sports organization you aspire to work for to understand specific qualifications. 3. Find out about the various qualifications for sports agents in your preferred field. Each potential agent should have information regarding educational requirements, sports league rules, salary information, recruiting information, certification fees and membership costs. 4. Seek certification information on the league or professional organization in which you wish to work. Most leagues require some kind of certification, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). 5. Study for the certification test for the league or organization you wish to join. Each organization will have resources for certification courses that can help you prepare for the exam. 6. Pay the certification fee and take the respective exam of the organization you aspire to be certified in. 7. Obtain liability insurance, as this will be extremely important in your sports agent career. Some organizations require this of agents, while others do not specify it. Having it will be beneficial in searching for clients and ensure your own legal security on the job, 8. Meet as many agents, players, coaches and media figures as you can. Networking is a huge part of the sports industry and the best agents know how to sell themselves to players to gain clients. Get a good business card and give it to anyone that could be a potential client or lead you to a potential client. 9. Search for internships or entry-level positions at an agency or at the sport organization where you wish to work. Internships can be an excellent way to meet potential clients and since you will already be certified, you can immediately start to network yourself as a potential representative. 10. Start attending college and even high school sporting events in your area and scouting potential clients who may be in need of representation. Securing a client early will (if they are talented) help you build a name. Make sure you stay within the guidelines of district or National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations for scouting. Read more: Steps for How to Be a Sports Agent | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6755412_steps-sports-agent.html#ixzz2AWCVixFe 5. Locate and list five of the top sports agents (include source). Scott Boras – Scott Boras Corporation Arn Tellem – WMG Management Tom Condon – CAA Sports Drew Rosenhaus – Rosenhaus Sports Don Meehan – Newport Sports Management The top five that I found were from askmen.com but I do not know trustworthiness of this information. I did read on these five and they do have some big names behind them. http://www.askmen.com/top_10/sports/top-10-sports-agents_10.html Another site I visited had Arn Tellem, Bill Duffy, Tom Condon, and Tom Reich as the top agents. http://www.become-a-sports-agent.com/career.asp Shank, D. Matthew. Sports Marketing, A Strategic Perspective. 4th Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

Judith Guest’s “Ordinary People”

Ordinary People Ordinary People by Judith Guest is the story of a dysfunctional family who relate to one another through a series of extensive defense mechanisms, i. e. an unconscious process whereby reality is distorted to reduce or prevent anxiety. The book opens with seventeen year old Conrad, son of upper middle-class Beth and Calvin Jarrett, home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, there because he had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. His mother is a meticulously orderly person who, Jared, through projection, feels despises him. She does all the right things; attending to Jared's physical eeds, keeping a spotless home, plays golf and bridge with other women in her social circle, but, in her own words â€Å"is an emotional cripple†. Jared's father, raised in an orphanage, seems anxious to please everyone, a commonplace reaction of individuals who, as children, experienced parental indifference or inconsistency. Though a successful tax attorney, he is jumpy around Conrad, and, according to his wife, drinks too many martinis. Conrad seems consumed with despair. A return to normalcy, school and home-life, appear to be more than Conrad can handle. Chalk-faced, hair-hacked Conrad seems bent on erpetuating the family myth that all is well in the world. His family, after all, â€Å"are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the face of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem. † Yet, there is not one problem in this family but two – Conrad's suicide and the death by drowning of Conrad's older brother, Buck. Conrad eventually contacts a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he feels the â€Å"air is full of flying glass† and wants to feel in control. Their initial sessions together frustrate the psychiatrist because of Conrad's inability to express his feelings. Berger cajoles him into expressing his emotions by saying, â€Å"That's what happens when you bury this junk, kiddo. It keeps resurfacing. Won't leave you alone. † Conrad's slow but steady journey towards healing seems partially the result of cathartic revelations which purge guilt feelings regarding his brother's death and his family's denial of that death, plus the â€Å"love of a good woman. Jeannine, who sings soprano to Conrad's tenor†¦ There is no doubt that Conrad is consumed with guilt, â€Å"the feeling one has when one acts contrary to a role he has assumed while interacting with a ignificant person in his life,† This guilt engenders in Conrad feelings of low self esteem. Survivors of horrible tragedies, such as the Holocaust, frequently express similar feelings of worthlessness. In his book, â€Å"Against All Odds†, William Helmreich relates how one survivor articulates a feeling of abandonment. â€Å"Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me? † Conrad expresses a similar thought in remembering the sequence of events when the sailboat they were on turned over. Buck soothes Conrad saying, â€Å"Okay, okay. They'll be looking now, for sure, just hang on, don't get tired, promise? In an imagined conversation ith his dead brother, Conrad asks, â€Å"‘Man, why'd you let go? ‘ ‘Because I got tired. ‘ ‘The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go! ‘ ‘I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then! ‘† Conrad feels terrible anger with his brother, but cannot comfortably express that anger. His psychiatrist, after needling Conrad, asks, â€Å"Are you mad? When Conrad responds that he is not mad, the psychiatrist says, â€Å"Now that is a lie. You are mad as hell. † Conrad asserts that, â€Å"When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy. † When his psychiatrist questions im about his relationship with his mother, Calvin says, â€Å"My mother and I do not connect. Why should it bother me? My mother is a very private person. † This sort of response is called, in psychological literature, â€Å"rationalization†. We see Conrad's anger and aggression is displaced, i. e. vented on another, as when he physically attacked a schoolmate. Yet, he also turns his anger on himself and expresses in extreme and dangerous depression and guilt. â€Å"Guilt is a normal emotion felt by most people, but among survivors it takes on special meaning. Most feel guilty about the death of loved ones whom they feel they could ave, or should have, saved. Some feel guilty about situations in which they behaved selfishly (Conrad held on to the boat even after his brother let go), even if there was no other way to survive. In answer to a query from his psychiatrist on when he last got really mad, Conrad responds, â€Å"When it comes, there's always too much of it. I don't know how to handle it. † When Conrad is finally able to express his anger, Berger, the psychiatrist says to Calvin, â€Å"Razoring is anger; self-mutilation is anger. So this is a good sign; turning his anger outward at last. † Because his family, and especially his mother, frowns upon ublic displays of emotion, Conrad keeps his feelings bottled up, which further contributes to depression. Encyclopedia Britannica, in explicating the dynamics of depression states, â€Å"Upon close study, the attacks on the self are revealed to be unconscious expressions of disappointment and anger toward another person, or even a circumstance†¦ deflected from their real direction onto the self. The aggression, therefore, directed toward the outside world is turned against the self. † The article further asserts that, â€Å"There are three cardinal psychodynamic considerations in depression: (1) a deep sense of loss of what is oved or valued, which may be a person, a thing or even liberty; (2) a conflict of mixed feelings of love and hatred toward what is loved or highly valued; (3) a heightened overcritical concern with the self. † Conrad's parents are also busily engaged in the business of denial. Calvin, Conrad's father, says, â€Å"Don't worry. Everything is all right. By his own admission, he drinks too much, â€Å"because drinking helps†¦ , deadening the pain†. Calvin cannot tolerate conflict. Things must go smoothly. â€Å"Everything is jello and pudding with you, Dad. † Calvin, the orphan says, â€Å"Grief is ugly. It is something to be afraid of, to get id of†. â€Å"Safety and order. Definitely the priorities of his life. He constantly questions himself as to whether or not he is a good father. â€Å"What is fatherhood, anyway? Beth, Conrad's mother, is very self-possessed. She appears to have a highly developed super-ego, that part of an individual's personality which is â€Å"moralistic†¦ , meeting the demands of social convention, which can be irrational in requiring certain behaviors in spite of reason, convenience and common sense†. She is furthermore, a perfectionist. â€Å"Everything had to be perfect, never mind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on hem all. † Conrad is not unlike his mother. He is an overachiever, an â€Å"A† student, on the swim team and a list-maker. His father tells the psychiatrist, â€Å"I see her not being able to forgive him. For surviving, maybe. No, that's not it, for being too much like her. † A psychoanalyst might call her anal retentive. Someone who is â€Å"fixated symbolically in orderliness and a tendency toward perfectionism†. â€Å"Excessive self-control, not expressing feelings, guards against anxiety by controlling any expression of emotion and denying emotional investment in a thing or person. â€Å"She had not cried at the funeral†¦. She and Conrad had been strong and calm throughout. The message of the book is contained in Berger's glib saying that, â€Å"People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile†. We see Conrad moving toward recovery and the successful management of his stage of development, as articulated by Erikson, â€Å"intimacy vs. isolation†. At story end, his father is more open with Conrad, moving closer to him, while his mother goes off on her own to work out her issues. Both trying to realize congruence in their development stage (Erikson), â€Å"ego integrity vs. despair†.