Theme Of Isolation In A Rose For Emily - 1741 Words

People often label themselves based on their personality types, more specifically as either extroverts or introverts. Introverts prefer solitude and minimal social interactions, but are sometimes misunderstood as standoffish people. However, how for can social isolation go before it becomes harmful to one’s mentality? In the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner creates protagonist Emily Grierson, an aloof Southern belle whose life is built on extreme levels of introversion and eccentric behaviors. The plot describes her life and downfall through the perspective of the townspeople. Through this story, Faulkner shows the prevalence of some mental disorder caused by Emily’s isolation through different sources of seclusion: from†¦show more content†¦All Emily had was her father, therefore by accepting his death, she would have to accept that she was alone with nothing but the house her father had trapped her in. It is evident that Mr. Griers on’s parenting contributed to Emily’s behavior towards his death. Furthermore, Geertjan Overbeek’s study showed that overprotective parenting psychologically had an effect on children. As a result, the present study demonstrated that parents’ lack of care and overprotection were longitudinally, non-specifically linked to the incidence of several DSM-III-R mood, anxiety, and substance disorders (i.e., major depression, dysthymia, social phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, alcohol and drug abuse, and alcohol dependence)† (Overbeek 92). We can see that overbearing parenting can lead to some mental illness, and Emily is no exception. Moreover, Emily’s confinement seems to have caused some attachment issues as seen through the death of Mr. Grierson and later through her romantic relationship with Homer Barron. These attachment issues seem to be a way to cope with her deteriorating mentality. Letting go of her father was difficult for Emily possib ly due to the fear of loneliness or depression from losing someone who had such a strong presence over her life.. Along with the isolation caused by her father, the townspeople also confined Emily through their Southern ideals. Some time after the passing of Mr. Grierson, Emily met Homer Barron, a Northern laborer who came to doShow MoreRelated Theme of Isolation in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay1048 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theme of Isolation in A Rose for Emily As an author establishes the characters he simultaneously attempts to develop the theme of the story. An author uses various elements such as point of view, the setting, and symbols to work toward the expression of one central idea. In looking at A Rose for Emily. a short story by William Faulkner, it is evident that Faulkner successfully carries one main idea throughout the piece, the idea of being isolated from society. One of the most effectiveRead MoreAnalysis Of A Rose For Emily Essay1643 Words   |  7 PagesBeing An Outcast: Emily As Manifesting Thematic Alienation in Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† I. Introduction Being taught in high schools and universities all across the nation, William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has achieved a great deal of both academic and mainstream respect in the United States. In being arguably one of Faulkner’s strongest stories, and since Faulkner himself has assumed the position of being one of the great masters of American fiction, â€Å"A Rose† is undoubtedlyRead MoreA Rose For Emily Literary Analysis875 Words   |  4 Pagesnew ideas allows for both the individual and society to progress. William Faulkner packs the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† with different types of literary devices that describes the fight against change in the post-U.S. Civil War South. Faulkner’s story takes place in the Southern town of Jefferson Mississippi in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. The symbolism of the primary characters (Emily Grierson, her father and the Grierson estate) chronicles how difficult change is in Jefferson. Assuming a darkRead MoreSymbolism In Rose For Emily892 Words   |  4 Pages Desperation for love from extreme isolation results in destructive actions and extreme situations. William Faulkner achieved to describe that in the story â€Å"Rose for Emily† through the main character, Miss Emily Grierson who suffered from necrophilia. This story is enriched with full of symbolism, along with a deep-rooted issues and messages. Symbolism helps to gives readers to think about text and hidden themes that go along with the symbols. This gives reading a more rich and vivid experience.Read MoreAnalysis Of William Faulkner s A Rose For Emily1526 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Faulkner uses theme, imagery and symbolism to highlight the decline of the South in his short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† William Faulkner is the author of â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† In â€Å"A Rose for Emily† the story starts off at Emily’s funeral, and the whol e town is there too. The men went out of respect for losing a person who had been a citizen of Jefferson for a long time, and the women went because they wanted to see what her house looked like because only a select few have seen it in the lastRead MoreEssay about A Rose For Emily - In Memory Of Emily Grierson1181 Words   |  5 Pages In the short story  ¡Ã‚ §A Rose for Emily, ¡Ã‚ ¨ (1930) William Faulkner presents Miss Emily ¡Ã‚ ¦s instable state of mind through a missed sequence of events. Faulkner arranges the story in fractured time and then introduces characters who contribute to the development of Miss Emily ¡Ã‚ ¦s personality. The theme of isolation is also presented by Faulkner ¡Ã‚ ¦s descriptive words and symbolic images. amp;#9;Faulkner uses anachronism to illustrate Miss Emily ¡Ã‚ ¦s confused mind. The story is split into five sectionsRead MoreIsolation: Short Story and Mrs. Mallard Essay1195 Words   |  5 PagesIsolation and loneliness In the following short stories Eveline written by James Joyce, The Story of An Hour written by Kate Chopin, and A Rose For Emily written by William Faulkner we find that isolation is a popular theme throughout the stories. There are several factors in each one of the stories that makes us feel the isolation that each one of the women in the stated stories felt. Weather it is Eveline feeling stuck at home due to a request for her to tend to her family and resume the placeRead MoreTrifles By Susan Glaspells A Rose For Emily1227 Words   |  5 Pagesother hand, isolation from society can also bring peace, comfort, and evaluation of one’s self. In the â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell’s and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner the short story and play transmit a theme of isolation, but in their case, it leads them to disturbing actions. Starting off firstly, in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, it shows that the setting took place around the end of the civil war. After the war, Emily’s father Mr. Grierson in essence, raised his young daughter Emily to believe thatRead MoreLiterary Appreciation Essay1347 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter must face with and hopefully defeat. What behind conflict is want. The author always creates situations where the characters crave something. Laura in The Glass Menagerie is the tragic heroine and so does the woman called Emily in the story of A Rose For Emily. Both of them have external conflicts with their parents, in other words, they are forced to submit to their parents. The difference here is that the conflict between Laura and her mother Amanda is that Amanda wants her to get marriedRead MoreA Rose For Emily And The Last Of The Crazy People Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pages Similar themes of death, mental health, and isolation are portrayed through characters’ interna l and external conflicts within the short story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner and the novel, â€Å"The Last of the Crazy People† by Timothy Findley. Together these themes illustrate how traumatic experiences can result in an inability to function within society and a stigma impacting their overall wellbeing. These actions and behaviours are explored through Emily and Jessica, who both experience

The Evolution Of The Internet - 1534 Words

Before the conception of the Internet, music was sold wholly as a physical product. The gramophone record commonly known as ‘Vinyl’ dominated all music sales up until the 1990s. Vinyl was sold as EPs (Singles or Extended play) and LPs (Albums – Long play). In the 1980s the Compact Cassette exploded in popularity, invented by Philips in 1962 the compact cassette had been around with little success. In the 1980s there was a massive surge of high fidelity portable cassette players being sold, most notably the Song Walkman released in 1979, the compact cassette thrived throughout the 80s overtaking sales of vinyl LPs. It was in 1982 that the first compact disc was produced (CD),but it wasn’t until a few years later that CDs began to gain†¦show more content†¦Early 1999 Heavy metal band Metallica discovered that a demo version of their song ‘I Disappear’ was being spread throughout the online file sharing website before it had actually been released. This meant that radio stations were able to access and play the track. Due to this the band filed a lawsuit against Napster. A month later Rapper and music producer Dr.Dre also filled a law suit against Napster, this was after a failed attempt in asking Napster to remove his music off the website. After a year they settled both lawsuits, but this was the end of the dispute with the music industry and Napster. In 1999 the RIAA ( The Recording Industry Association of America) filed a lawsuit on behalf of many record labels who felt that Napster was infringing on their copyrights. By 2000 Napster was ordered to remove any copyrighted music away from its sight and by early 2001 Napster closed down its online sight as ordered by a judge. ‘The digital music revolution it unleashed has since brought a once-mighty recording industry to its knees’; Many feel that Napster was the sole reason for the destruction of CD despite the closing of the website, it only paved the way for other models to come along and find a legal way of streaming music to the public. In the early 2000’s many streaming methods came about. Pandora Internet Radio Station was launched, allowing users to create radio channels that were tailored to their own music taste. Pandora is free to use,Show MoreRelatedThe Evolution Of The Internet Of Things791 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) shall be able to incorporate transparently and seamlessly a large number of different and heterogeneous end systems, while providing open access to selected subsets of data for the development of a plethora of digital services. Building a general architecture for the IoT is hence a very complex task, mainly because of the extremely large variety of devices, link layer technologies, and services that may be involved in such a system. As a result, huge volumesRead MoreThe Evolution Of The Internet Radio2053 Words   |  9 PagesThe evolution of music has taken exponential routes into our homes. The vast market for the consumers who always like to have music playing have a variety of options to choose from. There is the origin company of Pandora that has spearheaded the entire industry, as well as Spotify who has reimagined the internet radio genre. Spotify is one of the top companies in today’s society, including its Premium version which offers discounts to students. Apple Music and Tidal are companies with strong backgroundsRead MoreThe Evolution of TCPIP and The Internet Essay1144 Words   |  5 PagesThe Evolution of TCPIP and The Internet The Evolution of TCP/IP (and the Internet) While the TCP/IP protocols and the Internet are different, their evolution are most definitely parallel. This section will discuss some of the history. Prior to the 1960s, what little computer communication existed comprised simple text and binary data, carried by the most common telecommunications network technology of the day; namely, circuit switching, the technology of the telephone networks for nearlyRead MoreThe Evolution Of The Internet And Network Protocols837 Words   |  4 PagesThe Evolution of the Internet and Network Protocols The internet has revolutionized the modern world like no other invention has before, except perhaps, electricity. The internet allows sharing and collaboration to take place between people on opposite sides of the globe. Vinton G. Cerf, often called the â€Å"Father of the Internet†, admits that when the original idea of an â€Å"intranet† was in its infancy, there was no possible way to imagine all of the ways we would come to use it (NDTV, 2013). ButRead MoreEssay on Internet Speak: The Evolution of Language on the Internet3129 Words   |  13 PagesInternet Speak: The Evolution of Language on the Internet People everywhere with text message cell phones and online chat services are taking part in the evolution of language on the Internet. To the uninitiated this Internet lingo, or Internet Speak, can look like a completely different and utterly incomprehensible language. Some people claim it is a corruption or a decay of the English language, citing the notorious lack of capitals and proper punctuation or spelling. The truth about InternetRead MoreEvolution Of The Internet And Its Effect On The Music Industry1628 Words   |  7 PagesAmber Dawkins - Music Business Skills The Evolution Of The Internet And Its Effect On The Music Industry The evolution of digital music has created an obvious and drastic shift in the way consumers and producers view and use the music industry. The introduction of digitally compressed music files has made music so easily attainable to all for a small fee or to download illegally for free. This has made the music industry reevaluate how they are to make a profit off their art form. Social mediaRead MoreThe Evolution Of Internet Over The Past Decades2710 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction The evolution of internet over the past decades in tremendous that, information sharing between individuals has been increasing. Till now machine to machine communication has also been possible because of the trends and developments that have been in this field such IPV6 etc. Internet of things refers to the connectivity of devices between each other using IP addresses. A simple machine to machine connectivity can be obtained using internet and IP address of the device.(Skiba, 2013)Read MoreThe Evolution Of Internet : Incredible Speed On A Fiber Optic Network Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesFRONTIER FIOS The evolution of Internet: Incredible speed on a fiber-optic network [SHOP FIOS PLANS] # # # C MODULE Frontier Fios Internet vs. the competition Head to head, how does fiber fare in the Internet battles? Fios vs. Cable Cable providers serve metro areas. The network for cable TV delivers Internet to the same homes. It’s via copper wiring, though. Fiber-optics consist of hair-thin, flexible glass fibers that deliver data through pulses of light. 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Approaches to Family Therapy-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Describe a family experiencing a particular problem, either real or invented. Briefly outline how two different approaches to family therapy might try to address this problem. Refer to Ch. 1 of attached text (Geldard and Geldard, 2008). as a guide for two styles to choose from (especially see Table 1.1 on p. 17). You are to compare and contrast these two approaches, and how a therapist might work with this family from these two therapeutic orientations. Answer: Family history Alice and John white have two children a 13 year old son Jayden and a 16 year old daughter Sky. John is a medical doctor at Johns Hopkins hospital, working as an orthopedic surgeon and Alice is a civil engineer currently working with MM Construction Company. This family on the outside looks like the most perfect family, their children goes to one of the most expensive private school, they go on family vacations and to the outside world they are perfect. They have been experiencing problems within the family when Sky expressed her interest in dancing; she wants to be a professional belly dancer; however her father wanted her to pursue medicine because she is a straight A student but Sky doesnt want to medicine. Her mother is in support of her career choice, and her father is not. Skys career choice has led to so much conflict that the parents openly argue in front of their children. The arguments have taken a serious tool on Jayden who feels to have been forgotten because every conversation in the house is about Sky. This has made Jaydens adolescent defiance worse; he comes late at night smelling of alcohol and Bhang. Sky on the other hand is depressed and she has resulted to self-harm because of the conflicts in the house and engaging into sexual activity with a boy in the local gang. The arguments have gotten so bad that Alice and John dont talk to each other and they rarely sit as a family. Nobody knows the ware bouts of the other or even that of their children. Skys choice of career is influenced by the Latino dance classes that she joined in school without the knowledge of her father, but with the secret support from her mother and Jaydens irresponsible behavior roots from lack of attention from the parents. Marital problems between Alice and John started when Alice expressed her interest in going back to work after taking a break to be a housewife and take care of her kids. According to their plan on Jaydens 10th birthday she would go back to work and advance on her career. When time for Alice to go back to work John objected on the basis that and I quote I provide everything for the family, they live in a good neighborhood, our children go to the best schools, I have no other family, my wife is comfortable and I provide the best that life can give. So I dont see any reason as to why she should go back to work, instead she should stay at home and take care of our kids till they are 18. Alice said this during one of their therapy sessions and John acknowledged his words. Their problems started when Alice went back to work without Johns consent and they got worse with Skys choice of career and her mothers support of her choice. What prompted them to go to therapy is after a very serious argument that led to a two-week separation, John moved to hotel and Alice was left in the house alone, when she decided to go through her Childrens things in search of a good memory, when she found Boys clothes on Skys room and Sky was in the bathroom passed out due to bleeding. In Jaydens room he was blacked out drunk with rolls of bhang in his drawers and everywhere in the room. Alice called 911 and both her children were taken to the hospital. That is when it dawned to her how disorganize her family was and the need for urgent intervention. All of this information was gathered during their first few family therapy sessions Family therapy techniques When dealing with such a family the best therapy approach to use is constructive family therapy and strategic family therapy(Gurnman, 2014). Constructive family therapy This therapy approach was developed by Steve de Shazer and Michael white. This strategy focuses on understanding the family instead of focusing on its problems. By understanding the family, the therapist will be able to isolate the root cause of the problem, dismantling the problem and providing news ways of coping. This is so because the family is made up of individuals with different personalities and different stories. Every person in the family is unique and has their own thinking processes; therefore this approach focuses on identifying and analyzing these differences and making them work for the good of everyone involved(Fallon, 2015). In this approach the therapist structures the conversation using a consultative guide which is based and guided by the clients feedback. The therapist will help the family come up with the problems they are experiencing, through collaborative dialogues that will show that the problem roots from their own interpersonal relationships. Through this guided approach the therapist then guides the family in coming up with a solution or solutions unique to their specific problems. This approach disregards theories that state how normal families should function and it formulates a functioning mechanism according to the family in therapy. It appreciates the diversity of families and the members and works towards cultivating this diversity into actual working mechanisms(Nicholas, 2001). This strategy values every individuals opinion, personality and assumptions. The therapist will work with the family to show them how this differences interact with each other and how they can be the cause of the problem and finally how to make these differences work to solve their problems by appreciating them(Sexton, 2015). Strategic family therapy This therapy strategy was developed by Bateson, Madanes and Palazzoli. This type of counseling is based on cybernetics and structural aspect of the family. In this type of counseling the therapist is the expert. This type of therapy tries to explain how these two dynamic interact in a family setting, how it can result to problems and how the dynamics can be used to solve problems. This approach requires the therapist to come up with hypothesis in collaboration with the family and determine how effective they are in solving their problems, if the hypothesis is not effective then the therapist drops it and identifies other ones that are or will be effective(Rosen, 2015). The cybernetic dynamic tries to explain how problems arise within the family system without involvement of the individual but as a result of imbalances within the family system and imbalances within the person as they try to adapt to the imbalance in the family system. Most of the time when there are problems in the family, the homeostatic system that maintains balance malfunctions and the problem can escalate if the problem is not solved appropriate, this is where cybernetics come in, through identifying the causes and effects and solving them in a healthy way(Stith, 2014). Structural family dynamics in strategic family therapy will try to rule out and explain the unspoken rules that determine behavior. These unspoken rules could be so dysfunctional in our case scenario such that the conflict escalates without any intervening factors. This dynamic will help the family cope with conflicting situations, by having the levels of authority that are required for a family to function normally(Szapocznik, 2015). In this strategy the counselor is the expert, and they are supposed to give directives to the family on what to do in order to solve conflicts, these directives can be straightforward and paradoxical interventions. but before reaching to the level of providing directives they should understand the family in depth and pinpoint their cause of troubles, most important they should not take sides. To prevent this they must employ use of co-therapist when handling such complicated cases. The children in this family set up are adolescent; therefore the therapist needs to involve the intervention of an adolescent therapist(Horigian, 2015). Compare and contrast strategic and constructive family therapy In constructive therapy the counselor tries to understand the cause of the conflict by listening to the family and collaborates with the family to find solutions while in strategic therapy the therapist is the expert concentrating on problem solving(Robins, 2015). Constructive therapy does not involve the use of a co-therapist, but strategic family therapy requires the use of a co-counselor(Gladdin, 2014). In strategic family therapy the change process is guided by action-oriented directives and positive connotation; alternatively the change process in constructive family therapy takes place via focused and collaborative interactions between the therapist and the family(Minuchin, 2014). Strategic family therapy is more of problem-solving, while constructive family therapy involves understanding the problem and its causes, and focuses on the value of differentiation by helping families deal with their differences in a healthy way that yields positive results(Reiter, 2017). Strategic family therapy is problem oriented on the other hand constructive family therapy is solution oriented Bibliography Fallon, I. (2015). Handbook of behavioural family therapy . Routledge. Gladdin, S. (2014). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice. Pearson Higher Ed. Gurnman, A. (2014). Handbook of family therapy. Routledge. Horigian, V. (2015). Brief strategic family therapy: thirty-five years of interplay among theory, research, and practice in adolescent behavior problems. In A. P. Association, In Handbook of adolescent drug use prevention: research, intervention strategies, and practice (pp. 249-265). Washington, DC.: American Psychological Association. Minuchin, S. (2014). The restoried history of family therapy. In Routledge, The evolution of psychotherapy:The second conference (pp. 21-30). Routledge. Nicholas, M. (2001). essentials of family therapy . Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Reiter, M. (2017). Constructivist, critical, and integrative approaches to couples counseling. . Taylor Francis. Robins, M. (2015). The effects of Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) on parent substance use and the association between parent and adolescent substance use. Addictive behaviors, 42, 44-50. Rosen, K. (2015). Strategic family therapy. An introduction to marriege and family therapy, 155-181. Sexton, T. (2015). Handbook of family therapy . Routledge. Stith, s. (2014). strategic therapy. In an introduction to marriege and family therapy (pp. 175-201). Routledge. Szapocznik, J. (2015). Breif strategic family therapy:implementig evidence based models in community settings. Psychotherapy research.

Critically Evaluate The Cognitive Theory Of Stereotyping. Essay Example For Students

Critically Evaluate The Cognitive Theory Of Stereotyping. Essay Word Count: 3201B231: Social Interaction, Exam Paper 1998, Question 4. Graeme GordonStereotyping is a form of pre judgement that is as prevalent in todays society as it was 2000 years ago. It is a social attitude that has stood the test of time and received much attention by social psychologists and philosophers alike. Many approaches to, or theories of stereotyping have thus been raised. This essay evaluates the cognitive approach that categorisation is an essential cognitive process that inevitably leads to stereotyping. Hamilton (1979) calls this a depressing dilemma. Browns (1995) definition of stereotyping through prejudice is the holding of derogatory social attitudes or cognitive beliefs, the expression of negative affect, or the display of hostile or discriminatory behaviour towards members of a group on account of their membership to that group. This definition implies that stereotyping is primarily a group process, through the individuals psyches within that group. A further idea of stereotyping, defined by Allport (1954) as thinking ill of others without warrant, is that people make their mind up without any personal experience. This pre judgement about a whole group is then transferred to the stigmatisation of any individuals in that group. It is these ideas that the essay aims to evaluate, through the cognitive process of categorisation and the above definitions that bring about three distinct features of stereotyping, that our cognition can be demonstrated through. The first characteristic of stereotyping is over-generalisation. A number of studies conducted found that different combinations of traits were associated with groups of different ethnic and national origin (Katz and Braly, 1933). However, stereotyping does not imply that all members of a group are judged in these ways, just that a typical member of a group can be categorised in such judgements, that they possess the characteristics of the group. Still, when we talk of a group, we do so by imagining a member of that group. The second feature and characteristic of stereotyping is the exaggeration of the difference between ones own group (the in-group) and the other group (the out-group). This can be traced back to the work of Tajfel during the 1950s the accentuation principle (Tajfel, 1981). Tajfels work was specifically on physical stimuli, and concluded that judgements on such stimuli are not made in isolation, but in the context of other factors. Applied socially a judgement about an out-group relies upon other factors surrounding the judgement in question, as well as making a statement about the in-group and the relationship between the two groups. Through stereotyping and categorisation we exaggerate the differences between the groups. From this comes the effect that in believing an out-group is homogenous, through exaggerated differences, their in-group is not with very much less over-generalisation taking place (Linville, et al., 1986). The third characteristic of stereotyping is that of the expression of values. Most stereotypical judgements of group characteristics are in fact moral evaluations (Howitt, et al., 1989). For example, Katz and Braly (1933) studied a group of students attitudes to towards minority groups. They found that Jews were attributed to being mean (in terms of money), rather than they themselves being spendthrifts. Also, they found that there was a strong view that French people were excitable. This actually implies that they are over-excitable above the norm, as everybody is excitable, per se, and thus there would be no necessity to mention it. Concluding from this, it is valid to say that a value has been put on a characteristic in this case, a stereotypical one. A criticism with much of this research is that participants are asked to make judgements out of social context in abstract situations. Howitt, et al. (1989) say that this leads to a derogatory implication: that attributing a group with a characteristic is also withholding others. However, stereotyping leads to more than merely placing an adjective onto a group or category. The cognitive processes that give reason to stereotyping are much deeper than this, giving rise to the above characteristics. The cognitive approach to stereotyping is that we all stereotype, at varying levels because of the essential cognitive process of categorisation (Brown, 1995). Howitt, et al. (1989) take this view also, and add that it is an ordinary process of thought to over-generalise, and then protect it. We live in a complex social environment, which we need to simplify into groups, or categories. This simplification is present at all levels of life it is part of our language, distinguishing between dog and cat, male and female, and even in the basic motives of distinguishing between food and non-food. Such categorisation may seem linguistically simple, but is essential for example, the classification of elements and organisms by biologists and chemists: one of the most basic functions of all organisms is the cutting up of the environment into classifications (Rosch, et al., 1976). However, the point must be made that, even though language suggests so, categorisation leads to different functions and features in non-humans and humans. For stereotyping is not present in non-humans, thus, we may come to the conclusion that stereotyping is possible through linguistics this topic is discussed further later. This categorisation also has varying depths of moral meaning, or value, which c an lead to varying levels of stereotyping. For example, the categorisation of Catholic Protestant in Northern Ireland. Categorisation is seen as a way of ordering what we perceive (Billig, 1985), stimuli of the external world that needs to be simplified, using iconic images, to pass into our short-term memory (Neisser, 1976). This simplification process transforms James blooming, buzzing confusion into a more manageable world in which it is easier to adapt categorisation is a cognitive adaptation. For we do not have the capability to respond differently to each stimulus, whether it be a person, an object, or an event. Categorisation is important in every day life, as well as in the most extreme of circumstances for example, the discrimination between friend and foe. For categorisation to be useful, we enhance the difference between groups. This was found to be the case at both social and physical levels, and later became known as the accentuation principle (see above). However, the distinction between physical stimuli and social objects must be made clear. We ourselves our social objects, thus, we are implicated by such categorisations. As Hogg and Abrams (1988) state: it would be perilous to disregard this consideration. This can be seen in the accentuation of out-group homogeneity (Park and Rothbart, 1982). Mary Flannery O’Connor Analysis EssayWe are aware of the possibility and ability to change. However, we do not express this flexibility because it is a disruption of the norm, or, of the social group-thought. Goffman (1959) views everyday life as dramaturgical (All the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players Shakespeare). To disrupt this would be to change the script, and break out of the conformity of the social group, self-to-self and to others. Even so, this illustrates that through our ability to categorise, we have the ability to particularise and do more with the stimuli than accumulate more instances of predetermined categories (Billig, 1985). In Billigs alternative approach to stereotyping, he also raises the point of category selection a problem that cognitive psychologists have often overlooked. Tversky and Gati (1978) found that different stimuli are judged on their similarities and differences before categorisation and this judgement can be diff erent depending on what way the stimuli is perceived. Billigs point is that we must particularise before categorising and thus a link has been formed. Categorisation implies a rigidity in our cognition. Stereotypes, by nature, are over generalisations. Such inflexibility is not a possible process of our cognition categorisation do not exist in isolation (Billig, 1985). As categorisation leads to many categories, through its definition, surely only one such category could possibly be so rigid and inflexible, as other categories must be used by it, and thus be flexible. Therefore, categorisation is not a rigid process, but involves change which is reflective of our cognition and change is possible (conflicting with Allports definition). The difference between two groups affects other attributes of the out-group, including those that are similar to the in-group. By subdividing further such similarities, we are initiating a defence against change in our attitudes and categories. This inventiveness is another example of the flexibility of categorisation. In the most extreme cases, this can lead to an inventiveness demonstrated by racial theorists, which in fact, contradicts their prejudice and rigidity of categories. This flexibility can be illustrated further by studies that have shown that in stereotyping, people imply that most of a group posses a stereotypic trait but not all members. Thus, is the need for special cases, realisation of individualisation and tolerance (Billig, 1985). According to the cognitive approach, stereotyping is a group process. It may occur in groups, but it is the individual psyches that make up the group, that project their stereotypes through a group. We do have the ability to see people as individuals and particularise their unique characteristics. We can change, as even categorisation is flexible, which undermines the cognitive approach with categorisation, although it may take time on a social level. To conclude, the cognitive approach alone does not give us an understanding of stereotyping. However, it does anchor the fact that through our natural thought processes we do categorise, which leads to stereotyping. It also highlights the importance of the individual and the group. There are, however, problems that have been overlooked by cognitive psychologists which we need to understand, in order to fully understand the changing dynamics and nature of stereotyping in our society (Howitt, et al., 1989). There is also the need to look further than the causes of stereotyping and into its effects in order to understand the processes of our thought, of stereotyping. ReferencesALLPORT, G.W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. London: Addison-Wesley. BILLIG, M. (1985). Prejudice, categorisation and particularisation: From a perceptual rhetorical approach, European Journal of Social Psychology, 15, 70-103. BROWN, R. (1995). Prejudice. Oxford: Blackwell and Cambridge, Massachusetts. DUNCAN, B.L. (1976). Differential social perception and attribution of intergroup violence: Testing the lower limits of stereotyping blacks, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 590-598. ESSED, P. (1988). 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