Essay Examples on Sociology

Studying individuals behaviour and trying to link underlying personality characteristics

Personality traits and characteristics are how we can define our behavior to people and our environment on a daily basis. Studying individual's behavior and trying to link underlying personality characteristics to why we do things either beneficial or unfavorable is a continuing interest for psychologists. Adorno et al 1950 and Allum 2011 have both undertaken research studies that provide insight on personality types and the potential effects it may have to societies around much of the world. This essay will layout similarities and differences between these two studies concentrating on their methods and these personality types that influence individuals life choices Adorno et al 1950 research study was influenced by the events of World War 2 and the researcher's curiosity into what kind of a person could carry out such devastating acts. Measuring attitudes was the beginning of this study. Three sets of scales were designed after identifying attitudes towards Jews as well as ethnically different people and then presented to the white middle class. Americans from San Francisco as a questionnaire. This then led to the creation of another scale known as the F scale which measured the potential for fascism and in turn led to measuring personality characteristics that were fundamental to their study McAvoy 2012. These questionnaires were scored by researchers with a point system of 1 7 Participants who scored high were most likely to be showing signs of an authoritarian personality. This quantitative method allowed a large scale of over 2000 people to take part and provide quick and systematic data that guided them to Phase 2 of their study. Allum 2011 had three hypotheses to find support for in his research.

2 pages | 534 words
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Advantages as well the disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative research methods for researching intimacy

Introduction. I will explain the advantages as well as the disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative research methods for researching intimacy. I will mention the influence of integrating both approaches through the two cases below. The Kinsey survey in which the purpose was to perform a sampling technique that involved over 18000 interviews which were recorded as the entire representative of the US society. Lastly, I will discuss the second case of The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes Lifestyles called also the Natsal study team which was set up in the UK in 1990 as the consequence of the outbreak of HIV, AIDs. The Advantages of Quantitative Qualitative methods. The Kinsey survey conducted which was on a large scale mostly as there included over 18000 interviews. The statistic which was extracted from the questioning revealed in two of the Kinsey's publications. Kinsey et al 1948 which it provides a representation of US society. The benefit of this outcome was the discovery that will utilize a possibly sampling method but the Kinsey study revealed that the survey was done in a manner that derived the sampling method from his previous work. Kinsey's sampling was considered even as infancy in the late '30s but was enhanced over time. The Kinsey surveys win their reputation through his position on academic work on the North American gall wasps. These were carrying on as the result of his study by taking different samples from a distinct area from Canada to Mexico Gathorne Hardy J 2005. It is an acceptance to admit that Kinsey applied his research on the benefit by proposing volunteers were surveyed by who Kinsey looked as sought out as well who sought him out. The Kinsey distinction view was and thriving were the evident disparity was the Natsal selected for as well as a wholly balanced questionnaire Wellings et al 1994.

2 pages | 606 words
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Effect of social connectedness, life events, appraisal shame and guilt among adults

Introduction. In this era of socializing in our global village, being connected is very common and this over connectedness leads to many stressful and unhappy life events resulting in shame and guilt. Life is incomplete without socializing and it is basically the tendency that how people understand, communicates and interacts with each other. People who suffer from poor interpersonal relationships tend to have less connectedness and are more likely to have difficulty in coping with different social situations Robbins 1995. Unhappy social connectedness makes an individual suffer from maladaptive behaviors and great distress when they try to avoid social situations Kohut 1984. The distress that individuals suffer is a negative feeling that affects the mental health Lazarus 1966. This may lead to the intensity of shame and guilt. Social connectedness is the interaction of people in daily routine. it can be a classroom, office, home and any social setting. Social connectedness is more likely to have a positive outcome, so it is thought to be a good and healthy thing. On the other hand, its negative outcomes are ignored, that are more adverse in nature and have serious effects.
1 pages | 372 words
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Kant's thoughts on judgments of taste

In The Critique of Judgement Kant expresses the belief that judgments of taste are disinterested. This refers to the fact that unlike things such as the pleasant and the good one does not gain anything in particular when ascribing an aesthetic taste to an object. By achieving or obtaining things that are pleasurable one may be able to find a sense of contentment and achievement of the good allows for moral fulfillment. Yet through identifying beauty one does not quench the same sense of personal interest Kant pp 23. In fact, Kant mentions that this personal interest must be quenched in order to then identify those who possess real taste p3. He describes the taste as the faculty of judging of an object or a method of representing it by an entirely disinterested satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The object of such satisfaction is called beautiful p3. He also explains that aesthetic judgment should be indifferent in regards to the existence of the object of this representation p2. A judgment should not depend on anything else besides a mere observation which is not concerned with the existence of the object itself but with the representation of the object p2. The object s representation should then evoke a feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction p3 felt under the strict condition that the satisfaction or lack of cannot be attributed to any of the subject's own personal opinions. As a result, this taste should carry value with everyone making it universal p3. Yet these opinions are meant to be subjective in the sense where it does not use an understanding and instead uses the imagination to let the subject take a representation of the object itself into consideration p1.
This disinterested universal allows for a level of detachment from the object of judgment since there is no apparent personal interest involved. This is important because according to Kant the involvement of interest allows for a very partial evaluation and is not considered a pure judgment of taste p3. Through taking a disinterested approach one aims to reach a universally applicable conclusion without the hindrance of self advancement and personal involvement p 23. Although this poses an interesting point this is not a completely plausible claim for a few reasons. It is almost impossible for a subject to analyze an object in a completely disinterested manner. It is hard for a person to give an aesthetical judgment without considering the physical concepts of an object and to solely focus on the representation and to avoid involving personal opinions and relationships. As a result it is also difficult to present a feeling of pure satisfaction or lack thereof. For example if a person were to attempt a disinterested judgment of taste it would automatically be hindered since one tends to take physical traits and details as one of the first points of analysis.
Additionally one naturally reverts to the use of comparison as a scale of measurement by which an object may be assessed because one tends to look for a level of relatability even if in the most distant way. This then poses the issue of bringing personal interest and opinions into consideration automatically disqualifying the judgment. Yet assuming that the judgment had proceeded since some opinions weight more than others and more often than not opinions tend to intersect one would not be able to give an assured distinction between satisfaction and dissatisfaction. It would be very difficult to find a person who would be able to completely remove themselves from the situation in order to give a purely disinterested universal judgment of taste. Kant presents an ideal for identifying an aesthetic judgment like his predecessors rather than a practical one.
4 pages | 1228 words
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