Different approaches to the Study of Psychology

This paper discusses different approaches to the study of psychology and shows their relevance to the understanding of offending behaviour. A generally acceptable definition of psychology is that it is the science of the behaviour of living organisms with an emphasis upon human beings. With roots in the Greek psyche (life or self) and logos (logic), psychology is the scientific study of observable behaviour that we can observe directly or measure with instruments (Baucum, 1999).Therefore, in general, psychology means the study of behaviour, and it follows that if we learn to understand the way people SHOULD behave by a methodical, logical study, by the same manner we should gain some insight and understanding into why some deviants behave the way that they do.Cognitive psychology is one of the major approaches within psychology and can be contrasted with the behavioral view (a focus on observable behavior), a psychoanalytic view (a focus on the unconscious), a humanistic view (a focu s on personal growth and interpersonal relationships) and a social cognitive view (a focus on the social environment as it impacts personal qualities such as thinking and feeling. ) An important distinction between the behavioral and cognitive or humanistic views is the importance of feedback.For behaviorists, the most important feedback comes in the form of the application of consequences from the environment. The cognitive, as well humanistic, would focus on the importance of internal feedback. The social cognitive view considers both types. (Huitt, 2006) Of course the term offending behaviour does not relate just to criminal activities but to any type of behaviour which can be seen as deviant. There is no doubt that the use of psychology can be very useful and effective in criminology, one of the most obvious examples of offending behaviour.If this work is not done correctly, however, the effect can be frustrating and can slow down the entire procedure. It is therefore very impor tant to do this kind of work systematically and effectively (Victoroff, 2005) According to David Lester in his book entitled â€Å"Theories of Personality† (1995), there are three major approaches to the explanation of human behaviour. He lists these as intrapsychic explanations, physiological theories and simple learning theories. He explains intrapsychic explanations in the following manner: They are explanations that use concepts based upon psychological processes and structures within the mind.These processes may focus on the contents of the mind such as particular desires, emotions or thoughts (Lester, 1995). Loosely, psychologists employing this method to understand, perhaps, why pedophiles act in the way that they do, or what would cause a man to want to rape. It may also lead to the understanding of self image, and what would cause, for example, a person with a low self image (in his mind the fault of his mother) to want to take revenge upon all women. It typically de fines and utilizes more complicated mechanisms such as defense mechanisms, complexes and system principles (Lester, 1995)The second method listed by Lester also focuses on the individual but as opposed to using mental processes to explain human behaviour, it relies upon the physiology of the brain. This is the Physiological theories approach – William Sheldon and Hans Eysneck have proposed classic physiological theories of personality – and recent advances in biological psychiatry look as if they may form the basis for modern, improved physiological theories of personality (Lester, 1995).One can see that this type of approach may be very useful in the study of a variety of neurological disorders, including perhaps schizophrenia – it may allow heightened understanding of why the patient has split personalities – or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or even disorders which fall into the depression category such as Bipolar Disorder. The third approac h given by Lister focuses upon the environment (or the situation) of the individual as the source of explanations for human behavior.Social Learning Theory takes into account the fact that humans are more complex than lower animals, and introduces a limited number of intrapsychic processes (mainly cognitive elements) in order to provide a more complete understanding of the behaviour of human beings. (Lister, 1995). There definitely seems to be truth in this. Take for example a woman who is ordinarily of a sunny disposition. Her friends may notice that for a few months she has been moody, lethargic, withdrawn, and generally not interested in anything.This is probably indicative of something being wrong, and further exploration may reveal to the friends that the reason for this offending behaviour is that she is under severe financial stress, for example. Lister also says that while all of the above pose a variety of answers to the understanding of human behaviour, the truest is proba bly a combination of all of the above (Lister, 1995). Take the example of a well known person who is known to have exhibited offending behaviour – Robert Thompson, who as a 10 yr old participated with Jon Venables in the killing of 3 yr old Jamie Bulger.All of the approaches described above can be used in the analysis of the following information. Born of an abusive father and an alcoholic mother, he had five older brothers who assaulted him. His father left the family after viciously assaulting his mother. Reminiscent of William Golding’s novel The Lord of the Flies, the older brothers bullied the younger into submission. Robert did try to be a good son and would help his mother in the kitchen and babysitting the younger ones, trying to provide support.Robert was not aggressive as much as sly. He skipped school, but when he did attend he was not considered a troublemaker. Teachers thought he was shy and quiet, yet manipulative of others, and didn’t expect much from him. Other kids avoided him. (Courtroom Television Network, 2005) Sometimes he talked tough, trying to act the role of a Thompson, but he was not considered violent or aggressive. He roamed the streets of Walton at 1 a. m. His mother Ann sometimes hid his shoes to keep him home.Unfortunately, Robert’s abuse at the hands of his older brothers began to repeat in his treatment of his younger brother. He intimidated his younger brother, but they shared a strange bond. At night, they would lie in bed together, sucking one another’s thumb. (During the course of Robert’s trial Ryan began exhibiting disturbing behavior. He wet his bed regularly, set fires in his room, and gained weight. He seemed jealous of the attention Robert received and his mother was fearful that he would do something equally horrible to get the same treatment.)Using the approaches listed above we can begin to understand the mind of Robert Bulger, and use this information to prevent further li ke crimes from occurring. This paper has discussed different approaches to the study of psychology and shown their relevance to the understanding of offending behaviour. We can see that using a combination of the different approaches to psychology is probably the best way to get at the truth.

The cost of racial profiling on our future Research Proposal

The cost of racial profiling on our future - Research Proposal Example The paper throws light on racial profiling as what occurs when a member of law enforcement or society uses a person’s ethnic or racial heritage as a means of deciding their guilt in regards to criminal activity. Profiling is used in other areas as well, for instance major corporations use profiling techniques to market products and more. Racial profiling reaches to all parts of our modern society. In addressing the problem it is important to understand what may be the root of that problem. History does a wonderful job of showing us what leads up to a problem and at times what encompasses this problem. Throughout history man has enslaved those whom he conquered, this was accepted as normal when one tribe warred against another and lost. However, over time slavery became more of a business arrangement then a dispute resolution. In the United States and Great Britain slavery was accepted as a necessary factor in operating profitable business ventures. Eventually Great Britain out lawed slavery; however, until the Civil War the United States still had many slaves, both black and white. It was not until after the Civil War that the racial prejudices began to grow exponentially. Whereas before slaves (typically African Americans) were simply thought of as property, now these same slaves were to be accepted as equals this led to segregation laws throughout the South. Various laws were passed on a federal level that utilized a crude method of racial profiling with regards to marijuana usage which at the time of the Harrison Act was thought of as a black man’s drug and problem.... ous laws were passed on a federal level that utilized a crude method of racial profiling with regards to marijuana usage which at the time of the Harrison Act was thought of as a black man’s drug and problem. (Brecher) Following the Civil War in 1882, there were the approaches to the influx of Chinese laborers and the constant references to â€Å"yellow skin, slanted eyes and use of opiates† One approach in particular was the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, this act of congress barred additional immigration for a period of ten years, this act was followed by another extension of ten years and eventually it was made permanent. (Chinese Exclusion Act) Over the years there have been other advances in the use of racism and race based preferential treatment. Specifically there were actions taken against Japanese American citizens during World War II, as well as additional actions taken recently regarding Arab Americans and now the appeal to â€Å"Americanismâ €  and the use of prejudicial legislative attempts regarding Mexican Americans. Regardless of color of a person’s skin they are all still humans, and as members of the same race we should be striving together to surpass ourselves and conquer disease and energy related problems. It is important to first understand that this is wrong, the use of a person’s race against themselves is fundamentally wrong. Race while allowing the statistics driven data bases of the criminal justice system yet another point that can be used as a guide, is not by default a factor. In fact race is simply an aspect of the criminal and not a contributing factor as some who promote racial profiling would have you believe. In the current United States there has been much work done regarding the termination of the use of racial

Personal Development Planning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Personal Development Planning - Coursework Example The paper will discuss the benefits of studying PDP at a higher education level. It will also highlight on the changes the changes that I would like to bring into PDP for the future students’ justifying the change with a rationale behind it. Lastly, the paper will provide a reflection on how PDP has helped me at the university. PDP in higher education usually comprise of portfolio that contains evidence if the skills that have been acquired over a specific time period. Studying PDP at the university is very crucial since it assists in creating self-directed independent learners who have a higher probability of progressing to higher levels of academic achievement (Rughani, 2001). As cited by Grellier and Goerke (2006), the other benefit is that students can take responsibility for and personalise their learning. Essentially, personal development is a process and not a final product. Therefore, it can be utilised to support the personalisation of learning by facilitating pathways selection that suit individual learner. Through the utilisation of tools like auditing of personal transferable skills that are often used in the personal development frameworks linked with employability, the students can actually make links between their extra-curricular and curricular activities and what the employers value. These particular activities are advantageous in the context of work placements, work-based learning, or internships. Generally, students usually report in questionnaires and focus groups that CV development is something that they find very beneficial. PDP assists the university students to be effective in reviewing and monitoring their own progress and make use of their own evidence and records to show to others what they know they can actually do (Fry, Ketteridge, & Marshall, 2008). According to Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall (2008, p. 120), PDP promotes deeper learning through increasing awareness of the students are actually learning and to

Job related concerns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Job related concerns - Essay Example The top three causes of stress as indicated by police officers includes the murdering or injuring of people who are innocent, the injury or death of a fellow member of the police force and the third rank has been allotted to the death of a fellow police officer at the hands of citizens. Police officers experiences five stages while coping with different stressful incidents. In the first stage they deny or are not ready to accept that the incident has occurred, in the second stage the police officers end up experiencing anger as a result of their acceptance that the stressful incidence has really occurred and in the third stage they start bargaining and they end up giving up certain elements of job and may take up certain elements of job. Furthermore, they may even experience the mental state of being depressed and they may fail to sleep or eat properly. In the last stage, the police officer accepts the occurrence of the event with full acknowledgement and is ready to face the stressful event in order to counter it. The term deviant behavior is used to refer to those behaviors that are considered as anti-social in nature. In the case of police work, those police activities are considered as deviant that are against the rules, regulations as well as norms that have been created by the higher authorities and these norms are concerned with the micro as well as the macro level of policing. There are various behaviors that can be referred to as deviant in the context of police work. These behaviors include the act of corrupt practices, workplace deviance, crimes committed by police officers and inappropriate use of authority that is vested within the position of police officers. Researchers have even identified other forms of deviant behaviors such as taking bribes, stealing property and valuables from the crime scene, covering up for activities that are illegal in nature and sexual

Entrepreneurial Crime and the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation Essay

Entrepreneurial Crime and the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation - Essay Example National organizations have loopholes are due to geographical and spatial complexities and the fact that different cultures and legal systems are brought together (Acs & Szerb, 2007). Trade involving international players should be ethical and regulated by law. In the spirit of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, auditing accuracy, financial accuracy and operations between such entities and individuals must be undertaken in a clear and plausible manner to avoid fraudulent engagement (Acs & Szerb, 2007). On the contrary, the Fumitake Nishi, a former employee of the Tile Shop Holdings, Inc., and brother-in-law of the Company CEO colluded with another Chinese company where he was a majority shareholder to indulge in multiple practices that were unethical and fraudulent (Anderson, 2014). Even though, the audit did not reveal any substantial embezzlement of company funds, the vendor relationships and sourcing practices were unethical and tantamount to a contravention of law. (Acs & Szerb, 200 7). Incentive compensation practices that the Beijing Pingxiu (BP) indulged in were detestable because they meddled in the company’s vendor practices by yielding operations that unorthodox and fraudulent (Anderson, 2014). Many funds were paid into the victim’s private bank account by the company to secure the vendor deals. The process was prohibited because it denied conventional operators business opportunity over the course of time they operated the business (Acs & Szerb, 2007).

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Research Paper

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Transfer to a University, or go Straight to a 4 year Universi - Research Paper Example The four years University programs however are taken after enrolling for a specialized degree in an accredited institution. These universities may or may not be privately funded; however the expenses are definitely higher than the two years community college programs. As a general perception, students who are highly competitive and belong to high income groups are directly enrolled for these four years programs and once they get done with their degrees they get highly paid corporate jobs. This is the reason why the capitalist system strongly supports the university programs as the rigorous educational environment equips the individuals to compete for the highly competitive jobs. Community College programs were initiated from the beginning of the 19th century, while the enrollment rate was considerably low at that time. The scope of these community colleges at that time was limited as the students registered for these programs were strictly enrolled to study arts and humanities subjec ts. The Great Depression that hit U.S in the 1930`s owed much to the enhancement in the enrollment rate of students in these community colleges. Now the scope was widened as the students were now being trained to compete for job positions to reverse the effect of the economic depression. The 1960`s saw the most drastic explosion in the cultivation of community colleges and by the 1980`s about 4.3 million American students had been enrolled in these community colleges. Talking about the new century, about 1,076 community colleges had already been produced and the number has only been increasing ever since (Kasper, 2003). This ever increasing boom in these community colleges is an effort to make college education available to all Americans, irrespective of their ethnicities or backgrounds. These community colleges also aim to support international students in their struggle to pursue quality education (Chow, 2007). Thus, community college is a convenient alternative to the University education which is too expensive to be acquired by a common man. University education has become more of a privilege as those who belong to the lower income groups have to face a lot of hardships to get into a reputed university; the state funded universities are no exception to this rule. Let us suppose for a moment here that community colleges cease to persist, and all we`re left with are university degrees. In such a case, it is crucially important to analyze the future of those 29% prospective students with an annual income lower than $20,000 who attend a community college as a pre-requisite to a four years university program. Also, 35% of the students attending community college are those who have other dependents relying on their income, in the presumed scenario the future of these prospective students would be at stake. These community colleges are aiming at making an effort to bring higher education at the doorsteps of all kinds of people. The international students have to pay an even higher amount to get enrolled for these university programs, thus if they get enrolled for a two years community college program, they can save a lot of money which they can later utilize to get admitted to universities where they can complete the rest of the two years and thus compete for the relevant market positions. Community colleges

Palestinian VS. Israeli debate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Palestinian VS. Israeli debate - Research Paper Example In that context the proposal extended by the Israeli side is a two edged sword in the sense that it not only seeks cooperation of the Palestinian side, but also in a very sophisticated manner labels the genuine acts of armed resistance on the part of Palestinians as â€Å"Palestinian acts of terrorism and violence†. The very act on the part of the state of Israel to dub the just and right freedom struggle of the Palestinian people as acts of terrorism is objectionable and unacceptable. The contemporary wars are fought in media newsrooms. The best way to compromise the legitimacy of any freedom struggle is to brand it as being Islamist and Jihadist. Just throw the right words and soon the world will distort acts of legitimate resistance into what will be looked as acts of terrorism and violence. It’s the time that Palestinians agree to the fact that Israel certainly has a better PR infrastructure as compared to them. But, it is also time for the Israeli side to agree to the fact that just because they dub each and every act of Palestinian resistance as being jihadist or terrorist will in no way stop the Palestinian people from carrying on with their struggle for independence.