Heraldic shield Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Heraldic shield - Research Paper Example The very shield in question has several constituents. The eagle can be used as a symbol of representing power authority and the sun. The eagle is the king of the birds; this shows authority it has over other creatures. Rarely do eagles lose in combat; this shows they have strength and power to rule. Therefore, they symbolize strong and powerful leadership. Indian herbalists and wizards use the feathers of eagles in their treatment of the sick. This shows that the eagle has a medicinal value and this can be used to symbolize the gift to give life to the hopeless. Eagles have been known to have a clear vision and soaring spirit. These are best qualities a leader can have; a clear vision means that the leader can make wise and just decisions. A soaring spirit means the leader is always aiming for more. This symbolizes the initiative and ambitions that an exemplary leader should have in order to lead his or people to greater prosperity (Bentley et al, 54). This is the main reason why eag les are connected with wealth and prosperity. The most outstanding character that distinguishes the eagle from other living creatures is the ability to take responsibility. The eagle is monogamous in nature; interestingly, the male and female eagles both share the responsibility of taking care of their young ones. This is not only symbolic but also enlightening. This shows responsibility as the leader should be responsible enough in order to lead people. This as well helps to advice people who tend to run away from responsibilities like taking care of their young ones. The eagles can be used to represent freedom. This observation is ttained by the size of their territories; an eagle can have a home ranging in thousands of acres this shows that the eagles are not afraid of conquering new territories in the bid of enjoying their freedom (Bohl & Rynn 85). In most mythical beliefs, it is said that the spirits of the eagles are free and independent creatures that roam alone. Through this aid in educating people on the significance of being free, we are able to make choices alone without relying on others every time because, in life, some decisions are made alone as they are personal. This symbolizes the rights and freedom of an individual to choose their own paths in life that seem suitable to them. The picture of the eagle in heraldic shield demonstrates exceptional leadership, power, authority and vision in a group organization or country (Connell et al, 156). An acorn is small seed from an oak tree. Normally, it is green and most fall of the tree when matured. When they fall off from the mother tree, another oak tree can emerge from the fallen seeds. The procedure is normally performed thoroughly over and over until a whole forest emerges from a single acorn. This helps to symbolize the process of achieving greatness by starting out from scratch. This concept is applied to encourage people whose lives or worlds have fallen that they can still achieve greatness l ife. It encourages people to realize their full potential (Cornwell et al, 78). If an acorn with no brains can become a forest, what can a person with brains and senses achieve if he puts his minds to it? This is a symbol of hope to those who feel their destined fail due to a single fall or slip at one point in their lives or careers. Imagine an acorn that has fallen down - it has no survival techniques and yet a forest can emerge from it. This has been

Minimalism and Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Minimalism and Music - Essay Example The cultural milieu of the first wave of minimalist composers all born in the mid 1930s in the United States was one marked by social upheaval, political revolution, and a new sense of global awareness and connection after the isolationist 50's. This sense of a world stage in which the United States and the Soviet Union were the two antipodes invited an influx of ideas and cultural artifacts from the rest of the world. The late 50's and early 60's saw a massive increase in the number of colleges and universities and the subsequent rise in attendance of those institutions. This academic boom laid the groundwork for the ideological struggles that would precipitate politically, culturally, and artistically. As such, minimalism owes more to non-Western music, jazz and rock than to 20th-century Modernism or any other Western art music, at least that since the Baroque period (Potter "Minimalism"). While their modernist predecessors and their electronic and electro-acoustic contemporaries w ere interested in withdrawal, socially and musically as evidenced by Milton Babbit's statement, "the composer would do himself and his music an immediate and eventual service by total, resolute, and voluntary withdrawal from this public world into one of private performance and electronic media, with its very real possibility of complete elimination of the public and social aspects of composition" . That particular quotation of Babbit's was present in his controversial essay, "Who Cares If you Listen," Steve Reich. believed quite the opposite and suggested that the work that he, Terry Riley and Philip Glass were doing was interested in the public reaction and interested in connecting with a more mainstream approach (Schwarz, 375). The second wave of minimalist composers came later in the 80's and 90's under the rubric of "holy minimalism." This trio of composers included: Henyrk Gorecki, Arvo Part, and John Taverner. Their milieu is also suggestive of a multi-culturally infused, cosmopolitan attitude towards music, with an interest in connecting with the people around them. However, in addition to this cultural context, there is a religious or transcendent impulse in their music that is not necessarily present in the work of Riley, Glass or Reich. This transcendent impulse is also indicative of the opportunity to connect with an audience in a mainstream way, by the utilization of religious imagery perhaps common to many. Stylistically, Minimalism is a response to serialism, free atonality, and aleatory styles of John Cage and other post-war avant-garde musicians (Schwarz, 375). It

Aims And Objectives For An Organisation

Aims And Objectives For An Organisation Researcher will fulfill the aim and objectives of the topic by elaborating the topic in depth as the aim and objective of the topic research is to know about the ways in which the employees motivation could be enhanced by implementing plenty of strategies. This research investigates the factors which effect motivation level of employees related to their behaviours particularly in work environment of corporate culture. The researcher aim is to research and explore the significance of certain motivational factors either intrinsic or extrinsic in satisfying and motivating employees in an organization. At the end the researcher draw some strategies for management department that how these strategies can improve the satisfaction and motivation of workforce. Following are the objectives of this research: To explore the factors which can motivate and satisfy the employees of a private and public organization? To explore the critically understanding about the employees motivation in the light of different theories. To explain the factors which affect some employees more motivated than others to do their job roles efficiently. To discuss the things which make some employees more or less satisfied in their work than others. Literature review Each body has his or her likes and dislike, interests, passions, craves and desires. The main role of the successful manager is to learn how to identify motivates each employee, and how to influence those motives to simultaneously fulfill the goal of the organization, as well as the goals of each employee. Motivation theories There are many theories at motivation given by the different authors that are elaborated below to catch the research topic in depth. The idea that all people have inner driving forces that motivates the people promptly to do certain activities. This is very old idea, in use long before the appearance of what we now call theories of motivation. There was the Hawthorne Studies (1939) which gave new thinking to the new school of management thinking, the human relations movement. The most ideas about it, are that the people have social needs that are as vital as the economic imperative. There are two groups of the theories known as process theory and content theory that are further extended. Content theory assumes that people strives to satisfy of deep rooted needs. While they differ in terms of their assumptions about the relative importance of different needs, it is the craves to satisfy them that is said to energize behavior. Maslow needs theory Maslow work (1954) is based on the assumption that human needs are inexhaustible. As one set of the needs is satisfied the anther set of need come to open in its place which means that needs are arranged in a hierarchy as shown below in the form of pyramid of five levels. Here physiological needs are most basic of all and arise from internal physical imbalance such as hunger, thirst, warmth and shelter. Security needs are promoted by the strong and hard social nature, freedom from pain or destruction, emotional security and well being. Affiliation needs are promoted by the strong security nature. As most of the people enjoy feeling of love, like relation and support from others. Maslow theory has a number of highly important assumptions, two of which have significant implication for the motivation. He argues that different level of needs are universally addressed sequentially that mean the needs are one level will not normally play a vital part in motivation. Strong issues The idea that the hierarchy is universally applicable no account of cross culture difference. It is patronizing and elitist in term of the values it expresses. Maslow ideas have a mystic, metaphysical quality that is largely the result of armchair theorizing and often contradicted by the research evidence. Alderfer ERG theory In 1972, he also introduced the idea of hierarchical ordering but this has only three levels. Existence Relatedness Growth In his theory, different levels are viewed more as a continuum than as discrete categories. He does not measure a sequential progression up the hierarchy, but permits for more than one level to be open or active at same time. Although he suggested that satisfaction of needs at one level will lead to the someone seeking satisfaction at the level above. Issue Alderfer theory has got little empirical testing beyond that done by its author. He argues that the theory could be a more powerful but empirical elaboration of the effects of needs than Maslow ideas (Alderfer 1972). Herzberg two factor theory Motivators link to the factors which are intrinsic in nature like appreciation for a job task done is highly motivating. While hygiene factors referred to extrinsic forces e.g. relationship with colleagues which dont actually relate to the employees actual job. According to Mullins (1993) intrinsic or motivators factors are attach to work content and lack of intrinsic or motivators factors doesnt demonstrate extremely de-motivating or dissatisfying. For that reason, these elements are expressed as motivators or satisfier. The hygiene factors linked to the work conditions. These factors do not direct to the enlarged satisfaction or work participation though, if these factors are not found or absent then the effects will be de-motivation and dissatisfaction for example low wage rates. Because these factors are essential to the extent of no de-motivation or dissatisfaction these are called the hygiene or dissatisfiers factors (Leopold, 2002). According to Rainey (1999) the hygiene or dissatisfiers are the factors which are not directly concerned in motivation of employees but its interesting that these factors are important to give a sound base to beat the employee dissatisfaction and de-motivation. However, its not essential that if we improve the hygiene or dissatisfiers factors that result in motivation. Herzberg represented a theory in the light of employees performances and attitudes which is called Herzbergs two factor theory. Herzberg recognized two categories of factors which influenced the work and motivation. First category of sets called hygiene factors and the other set of factors called motivators factors. Hygiene factors contain employment security, pay, organizational policy, status and interpersonal working relationships. Absence of hygiene factors cause dissatisfaction and de-motivation at work place. Motivator factors include success, development, nature of work it-self, respect, recognition and responsibility. Absence of motivator factors caused motivation and satisfaction (Leopold, 2002). Figure 1 is the pictorial form of these factors as followings. Issues There are some issues allocated by some researcher about Herzbergs theory that the finding gathered from a small number of samples can be generalized to the whole industry. For instance, the outcomes from the research on a small engineering unit could be applied to other professions or not. Other scholars are not happy with the Herzbergs methodology and procedure followed for conducting the research because that research methodology involved individual to consider the critical incidences from their past which make them either delighted or sad. Some other researcher are also not in his favor that Herzbergs theory was not give any clear justification that why some intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivate or satisfy the individual and why influence their work (Rousseau,1997). Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Employee motivation at work can be split up into two kinds on the behalf of classic literature and practical research as one is extrinsic motivation and second is intrinsic motivation (Donovan, 2001). Extrinsic motivation is a form of motivation where employees fulfill its needs and desires through indirect means particularly through the financial compensation, In point of Thomas (2000) view. On the other side, intrinsic motivation come into action when employees behavior is inclined towards the fulfillment of natural psychological desires and needs rather than to attain material incentives (Marks, 2001). In all form of organizations small, medium or even large both extrinsic and intrinsic types of motivation can motivate and satisfy employees to perform their job at work place. However, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations both have very diverse effects on the individual mind-sets, feelings to job performance, passion to complete work and level excellence for performance (Amabile, 19 98). Hoar Rebecca (2004) said that even though the extrinsic motivation can effect in opposition direction to the intrinsic motivation but it also have an emphasizing effect on the intrinsic motivation. Top management to bottom line supervisors, all plays a vital role in formulating the factors which have an involvement on motivational forces (Synder et al, 1997). Administration should have the capabilities to deal efficiently with all kinds and forms of employees motivation if they want to see their organization to progress and growth in future. Employees are extrinsically or intrinsically motivated as a part of their social setup, the form of job and the kind of incentive scheme they are gaining and so on. Gopal (2003) recommended that different people have different capabilities they have to select their career accordingly. Person who have desire for rapid growth and like to use power will most likely be motivated by the kind of jobs that have high ability, job identity, performance impact, independence and feedback. While the other people who are not good in growth and desire strength would not much affected by these feature of their work.

Moral Issues and Decisions in George Orwells Shooting an Elephant Essa

Moral Issues and Decisions in Shooting an Elephant      Throughout "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, he addresses his   internal battle with the issues of morality and immorality. He writes of several situations that show his immoral doings. When George Orwell signed up for a five-year position as a British officer in Burma he was unaware of the moral struggle that he was going to face. Likewise, he has an internal clash between his moral conscious and his immoral actions. Therefore, Orwell becomes a puppet to the will of the Burmese by abandoning his thoughts of moral righteousness. This conflicts with the moral issue of relying upon other's morals, rather than one's own conscience.    During Orwell's time in India he is exposed to several unethical situations. As an imperial officer, Orwell is often harassed, "I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe"(Orwell 521). Therefore, Orwell's initial feelings are fear and rage toward the Burmese. He displays his hate in wanting " to drive a bayonet into the Buddhist priest's guts"(522). However, thou...

Kite Runner Essay

In The Kite Runner, there are many examples of cruelty towards either the characters or their race as a whole. Two examples of cruelty include when the Afghanistan soldiers pick on Hassan, and one of them states that he has had sex with Hassans’ mother, and the other example is Amir setting up Hassan for stealing, in order to get rid of him. In the first example, the soldiers refer to Hassan as â€Å"You! The Hazara! † The lack of a noun here, i. e. Hassan’s name, demonstrates that Hazaras are treated as second class citizens, and aren’t deserving of being called by name. This has the effect of making Hassan appear to be an outcast, and it makes the reader feel sympathy for him, at being treated so harshly. The use of the sexually suggestive hand gesture by the soldier, when he’s making fun of Hassan because he had sex with his mother, again backs up the idea of Hazara’s being second class citizens. The metaphor â€Å"what a tight little sugary cunt she had† is used in a derogatory sense to further emphasise the contempt which Hazara’s had to endure back in 1970 Afghanistan. This achieves the effect of making the reader feel indignant at how Hassan is being treated, and that it is completely unjustified and is basically an advanced form of bullying. When the soldiers address Hassan, one of them says â€Å"Look at me when I’m talking to you! †. This is an imperative sentence, as the soldier is ordering Hassan to look at him, instead of requesting that he does so. The soldier is being demanding due to the fact that he believes his race is the superior race in comparison to the Hazaras, and that Hazaras always have to obey orders given to them, without question. In the second example of cruelty, Amir wonders to himself â€Å"how and when I’d become capable of causing this type of pain† As this is told via a first person perspective, it really helps the reader to understand what Amir is feeling, which emphasises the sense of cruelty, as the character who has committed the cruelty himself realises what he has done. Also, as he is speaking the past tense, with the use of the word â€Å"When†, it suggests that he wants to know what changed him to be so cruel. The use of the simple sentence â€Å"That was when I understood the depth of the pain I had caused†, is a great way of displaying the cruelty which Amir has shown in setting Hassan up for stealing his watch and money, and the sentence after it â€Å"not even Ali’s paralysed face could mask his sorrow† ,also helps to show this. These two simple sentences suggest that Amir realises that there is no justifying what he has done, that all he feels is relentless guilt, and that there is no other way of evaluating his decision. In conclusion, these two examples are strong demonstrations of the cruelty displayed in the Kite Runner, as they cover racism, which is shown in the first example, and in the second example, the words used e. g. â€Å" depth of the pain I had caused† clearly display Amir’s feelings of cruelty at what he himself has done.

Human Growth and Development Essay

Definition of Plagiarism Plagiarism is an attempt (deliberate or inadvertent) to gain advantage by the representation of another person’s work, without acknowledgement of the source, as the student’s own for the purposes of satisfying formal assessment requirements. Recognised forms of plagiarism include 1. the use in a student’s own work of more than a single phrase from another person’s work without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgement of the source; 2. the summarising of another person’s work by simply changing a few works or altering the order of presentation, without acknowledgement; 3. the use of ideas or intellectual data of another person without acknowledgement of the source, or the submission or presentation of work as if it were the student’s own, which are substantially the ideas or intellectual data of another person; 4. copying the work of another person; 5. the submission of work, as if it were the student’s own, which has been obtained from the internet or any other form of information technology; 6. the submission of coursework making significant use of unattributed digital images such as graphs, tables, photographs, etc. taken from books/articles, the internet or from the work of another person; 7. the submission of a piece of work which has previously been assessed for a different award or module or at a different institution as if it were new work; 8. a student who allows or is involved in allowing, either knowingly or unknowingly, another student to copy another’s work including physical or digital images would be deemed to be guilty of plagiarism. 9. If plagiarism is suspected students will be required to supply an electronic copy of the work in question so that it may be subjected to electronic plagiarism detection testing. Therefore students are required to keep work electronically until after they receive their results as electronic detection may be part of the investigative process. Source: Assessment Handbook 15f. In submitting this work I confirm I have read and understood the regulations relating to plagiarism and academic misconduct that I signed when I submitted my Assessment Confirmation Form. In submitting this work I confirm I have read and understood the regulations relating to plagiarism and academic misconduct that I signed when I submitted my Assessment Confirmation Form. ASSIGNMENT TITLE Human Growth and Development PortfolioI am observing a 22 month old boy, who for this report I will call Tom. Tom lives with his Mum, Dad and older sister Molly who is 3 years of age and has just started nursery. His Mum stays at home with the children whilst Dad works. Both parents are from Poland thus polish is their first language, however their Mum explained to me that Molly is going to nursery to develop her English. She also said that Tom was only speaking a little; some words English and some Polish. I will be observing Tom in his home. Observing Tom – Week one 12.10.2012 word count: 991 I arrived at the flat and was greeted by Tom’s mother who took my coat and showed me around the flat. Tom’s sister was sat eating at the table in the living room and Tom walked out of his bedroom and looked at me. He stared at me and I said â€Å"hello†, he smiled and ran back in his bedroom. Molly walked down the hall and smiled at me and spoke to Mum in polish and Mum replied, she then galloped past me and sat on the floor with toys. Mum told me that she had told Molly they had a visitor coming but they had to pretend I was invisible; she said she hadn’t told Tom as he wouldn’t understand. Besides the anxiety I was experiencing, I felt quite comfortable in the flat, the smell of washing powder was very familiar and I instantly warmed to the children. It seemed as though they were waiting for me to engage and it felt alien that I couldn’t. Mum encouraged the children to play in their bedroom as they were both stood looking at me. Mum went into the kitchen and I crouched down in the corner of the bedroom. I quickly realised this wasn’t a great idea as they both presented me with toys and giggled looking at each other. Molly passed me a Barbie and held another one and said, â€Å"This is dolly and you have man dolly† she then spoke in character through the Barbie and said, â€Å"Hello!† I found it difficult to divert from playing with her, I said â€Å"hello† and passed it to Tom to encourage them to play together. Molly continued to say, â€Å"This is dolly† trying to pass her to me. She seemed slightly frustrated that I was attempting to divert her attention away from me and I found it unnatural. As kneeling down was attracting their attention I stood in the doorway out the way. Mum came in the bedroom and put a children’s DVD of nursery rhymes. Molly started jumping about; Tom watched Molly and copied her jumping. They both smiled and kept looking at me. I smiled at them but was unsure of my facial expressions because I didn’t want to seem too approachable. I continued to find it uncomfortable how much they seemed to plea for my attention and I couldn’t respond properly. Molly then got out a box of Lego and brought it over to where I was stood, Tom followed and they started building the blocks together. They played nicely, taking it in turns; I enjoyed watching them and felt at ease that the attention was off me. When they made a tower Molly said, â€Å"no finish, no finish† each time they put a piece on and then said, â€Å"Finished!† and they both clapped their hands smiling. They did this several times. I noticed that Tom seemed relaxed and let Molly take the lead when she wanted to. Molly then went to get a picnic set and brought it back. Tom pretended to pour me a drink and passed me a cup; I said â€Å"Thank-you† and pretended to drink. I pointed at Molly to encourage him to pass it to her. Molly laid three plates on the floor and pointed at one and said, â€Å"Play?† I think Mum could see that I needed some help diverting their attention so she encouraged Molly to go back into her bedroom and they put some books away. Tom quickly ran back in his room following them. Mum laid a picnic blanket and laid it down on the floor in the bedroom and asked Molly to bring the picnic set in there. Mum then changed Tom’s nappy. Molly fluctuated from polish to English as she spoke. She then got out a fancy dress and showed me, saying â€Å"Look its Molly’s dress.† Mum helped her put it on. Tom tugged at the box of fancy dress clothes and so Mum also helped him into a skirt. They danced around the room together laughing. Molly kept spinning around and giggling and Tom copied her. I liked the way Mum had no problem with letting Tom wear a skirt and it reminded me of my own childhood when my younger brother would also wear my dresses. ‘Wheels on the bus’ came on and Tom danced in front of the television and they both did the arm motions. Tom wiggled his bum and stood right in front of the television. Mum laughed and sat cross legged next to them. Although the children were quite active, the atmosphere in the house was very calm and quiet, Mum’s presence was very peaceful and she spoke very quietly. Molly climbed on to her bed, Mum went over and tickled her; she giggled loudly. Tom still had his skirt on and continued to dance around the room. He then started to push a pram with a doll in around the room; he continued to watch the television and wiggled his bum watching with his mouth open. He then tipped over the pram and sat on the floor; he held the back wheel and moved it like he was pretending to drive. Molly then ran in to the hall and put on her shoes; Tom followed her and copied her. Molly put a hat on and then put one on Tom’s head. Mum laughed and helped Tom put his shoes on. She then tried to take off Tom’s skirt but he held on to it so she let him keep it on. Tom then pottered back into his bedroom where Molly was dancing, he joined in. Molly spun around with her eyes closed and then giggled looking at me. Tom copied her and stumbled backwards, Molly pulled Tom towards her and cuddled him and kissed his face. I wondered if Molly was ‘acting up’ because she was being watched by me, I questioned whether their behaviour was entirely natural. End of observation. Observing Tom – Week four 02.11.2012 word count: 1,025 When I arrived Tom ran out of his bedroom and into his parents’ room. He climbed up on to the bed and turned around to look at Mum, smiling as if he knew she was going to react. Mum said, â€Å"Hey, Tom† in a cautionary manner yet smiling. She grabbed him playfully and tickled him; he laughed loudly and squealed rolling on his back. He then climbed up on to the window sill. Mum spoke more sternly to Tom (in Polish) I assumed she was asking him to either get down or be careful. Again Tom turned back and looked at Mum gingerly with a cheeky smile. Mum told me she had felt poorly for a couple of weeks; she seemed quite run down and a little stressed. However she was patient with Tom. Mum was sat next to him and had her hand on the window handle so he couldn’t open it. Tom pointed out the window and looked astonished, Mum said, â€Å"Oooh ****† (Polish) Tom repeated the word and Mum nodded and smiled. She explained to me that he had seen a motor bike, she then pointed at various things out the window and said their names and Tom attempted to repeat the words. Tom spoke in a deep voice and stuck his chest out. Mum laughed and told me she was pointing out the vehicles names. I wondered whether Tom was speaking in a deep voice to imitate someone or whether he was trying to be ‘manly’. Tom then reached out to the window handle, Mum said, â€Å"Tom† firmly and took his hands away. He did this several more times, Mum again said his name and on the 4th time Tom imitated Mum and shouted, â€Å"Tom!† Mum started laughing and picked him up and sat him on the bed and tickled him again, he laughed loudly and then climbed down and ran out into the hallway. Molly came out into the hall from her bedroom and smiled at me, she then ran after Tom and they both went into the living room. Mum pulled out their table and chairs and got out some paper for them. Molly said, â€Å"We’re going to paint, you know?† Mum laughed and sat them down with some paint and cups of water. Tom picked up two paint brushes and banged them on his paper and made roaring sounds. He then struggled to pick up paint on his paint brush and frowned as he brushed over the pallets of paint, he tried to paint on the paper but nothing stuck, he stamped his feet a few times. Molly soaked up more water on her paint brush and slowly brushed her paint brush over the pallets, she seemed to know what she was doing, perhaps from painting at Nursery or remembering what Mum or Dad had taught her. Tom seemed a lot more impatient and frustrated and looked at Molly painting, slightly frowning. He then leant over and painted on her paper. She shouted out, â€Å"No Tom!† But he had left no mark, just a watery smear, so she pulled her paper away and continued to paint. Mum turned around and said, â€Å"Hey, hey Tom.† Tom continued to try to paint and let out noises of frustration; Mum came over and tried to help him apply the paint on his brush. Molly said, â€Å"Mimi† and Mum drew a Mickey Mouse face on her piece of paper in pink. Molly held her paper and came over to me saying, â€Å"Look its Mimi, Mickey Mouse, you know?† I laughed and wondered if Molly had heard someone at Nursery saying, â€Å"you know† and was imitating them as she had said it a few times and I hadn’t heard her say it before. Tom leant over and tried to paint on Molly’s Mickey Mouse, Molly squealed out and shouted, â€Å"No, Tom!† Mum seemed to tell them off as she spoke sternly in Polish, however still remained calm. The children seemed more agitated today and I wondered if Mum being ill had slightly impacted their behaviour, although Mum seemed to be struggling she was still calm with the children. I also noticed that Mum and Molly spoke more in Polish than previous weeks, I wondered if this was because they were more comfortable in my presence. Mum drew a Mickey Mouse for Tom so he wouldn’t bother Molly anymore. She drew his Mickey Mouse in blue, perhaps to tell the difference between whose was whose, but I also considered whether it was colour coded for ‘girl’ and ‘boy’. He smiled and shouted, â€Å"Mimi!† Molly and Tom both called out, â€Å"Mimi† they seemed to be in competition with each other of who could shout louder and laughed each time they shouted. Tom then went around the table on the opposite side to Molly and she prodded him playfully in his tummy with the end of her paint brush. Tom giggled so she did it again, she continued to do it and they both giggled more and more each time, becoming very excited. Molly then climbed up onto a seat at the dining room table and asked Mum if she could have her stickers, Tom went over and peered up at the table to see what Molly was doing. Mum helped Tom into his seat and brought over a sheet of stickers, Molly began sticking them onto her paper but Tom struggled to peel his stickers off, he made a fist and banged the paper making grunting noises. Mum went over again and helped him peel them off. Tom struggled again when Mum went back to the computer so he seemed to lose interest and again became more interested in Molly’s paper. Seeing Tom struggling made me feel uncomfortable that I couldn’t assist him. Tom climbed down from the table and ran into his bedroom; he peered up at the shelf of DVD’s. He shouted out, perhaps in Polish, Mum came in the room and pointed at various DVD’s until he said yes. She put on a film called ‘Pipi’ Tom danced around to the introduction music and stood close to the screen wiggling his bottom. End of observation. In this essay I will evaluate my experience as an observer and describe the place of observation in Social work. Finally, I will focus on gender development as my major theme of consideration. Initially, although I was a little apprehensive; I came to find the role of the observer a considerable challenge. Although in some ways I grew more comfortable with certain aspects of the exercise, I found a degree of discomfort in the role I was to undertake. I could relate greatly to the content of Quitak, N (2004) article, as I too struggled to find my feet to gain the right balance in distance and involvement. I experienced feelings of guilt when the children required my attention and learnt that I had to tolerate the anxiety of non-intervention. Trowell and Miles (1991) say in relation to social work, that due to the requirements of the role, they at times have to be assertive (cited in Quitak, 2004). Therefore to be effective, they must come to terms with the discomfort this can imply. M attinson (1975) cited in Quitak, N (2004) discusses this concept in terms of the ‘psychological distance’ often required. Trowell and Miles (1991) cited in Quitak (2004) in terms of remaining ‘actively positive’; retaining a physical distance, whilst allowing one self to become deeply involved. When recording my observation afterwards, I found that the first things I recalled were from the first and last part of the hour, plus what was unusual and stood out to me. Munro (1991) says that this is because we are trying to hold onto awareness of the surroundings and the different ways in which people converse and interact, (cited in Lefevre, 2010). I recognised I was preoccupied with trying to remember everything. On reflection I realised that I should have observed everything and then later try to identify the most salient points. A further distraction was Tom’s sister, Molly, who features heavily in my records, because her behaviour was more emphatic, however, I was unable to moderate her behaviour in order to allow Tom a more significant role. Munro (1991) says that such challenges an d disruptions to memory are one of the reasons assessments are often based on incomplete or inaccurate information. I was also concerned on whether pre-determined bias would creep in, as indeed, people’s values, culture and previous experiences will always influence how they interpret what they see (Cox, 2005, cited in Lefevre, 2010). Furthermore due to Tom not speaking properly yet and the language barrier it was harder for me to recall as I couldn’t prompt my memory with odd sentences. Malekoff (1994) says that thoughts and feelings of children are often emotionally processed and conveyed through more direct means, and body language may provide important clues as to how they feel (cited in Lefevre, M. 2010). This heightened my awareness of non-verbal communication and improved my capacity to analyse non- verbal behaviour. Observing children over time may help to explain what relates more to their general character and what might be a response to caretaking and environmental experiences. What they convey through certain choices provides insight into their social identity and sense of self and cultural norms. Plus their racial identity may also be revealed. A social worker will need to be open to different social and cultural experiences and consider how a child may be affected by different factors such as ethnocentrism. Self-awareness and understanding of the impact of oppression on racial identity will be important (Robinson, 2007, cited in Lefevre, 2010). Recent work on prejudice/identity development focuses on applications of intergroup theory to examine the basis of social categorization and its effects. One development has been to look more generally at children’s knowledge of other countries and nationalities (Cowie et al. 2009). I believe this could be very beneficial for Tom in the future. When watching the children I questioned whether their behaviour was altered by my presence (see week one, lines 58-62 and week four, lines 109-110). The experience of being observed can evoke anxiety and feelings of disempowerment due to possible fear of being judged or misunderstood, which can result in them behaving differently. In relation to assessments, it is important to consider how workers might affect the observed situation (Tanner and Turney, 2000 cited in Lefevre, 2004). I understand that the move from observation to interpretation is complex and therefore should proceed with caution. In bringing reflective approaches to child observations into social work, a link is made ‘between knowledge of human growth and development, observational skills and effective social work communication with children (Luckock et al, 2006, p 39). A picture of a children’s world, particularly their emotional experience, is created, which may include how they interact with and respond to parents. This may then be used to inform assessment and care planning, including the assessment of neglect (Tanner and Turney, 2000), child protection assessments (Fleming, 2004), multidisciplinary assessments for the family courts (Youell, 2002) and the supervision of contact (Hindle and Easton, 1999). The debate about the health, safety and welfare of children became a preoccupation of government following the death of Victoria Climbie in 2000 (Youell, 2009 and Wilson, 1992). It ‘can refer to both one’s own and one’s partner’s expression, with lack’ of expressiveness on either one’s part seen as dissatisfying’ (Hecht et al., 1989). Cultures vary in what is considered ‘appropriate channelling’ of emotions. For example in some cultural groups restraint of strong feelings is highly valued. Social workers must always consider cultural factors when assessing people (Robinson, 2007. Pg. 116-120). I considered cultural differences whilst observing, Mum was always very quiet and when I met Dad, he was also quiet. Although I was aware that this may be their personalities, I considered if is in their culture to be quiet (see week one, line 49). This experience has taught me that although it is imperative for practitioners to be sensitive to the impact of our presence, it is vital not to forget that we must remain focussed upon the objectives set for the observation. From observing Tom, I found myself particularly interested in his behaviour in relation to his ‘gender role’. I became drawn in to spotting which toys interested him, what he chose to wear and his general behaviour. Piaget has shown how important symbolisation is to cognitive development. One of the many important things children must learn during their first years is what sex they are; they learn that they are expected to behave in different ways according to whether they are a boy or a girl. Learning to behave â€Å"appropriately† for their sex involves learning their â€Å"gender identity† (Davenport, 1992, pg. 275). I will be looking at theories of acquiring a sex-role, looking at; biological factors, social learning and cognitive development. The results of various studies indicate that most children begin to acquire their sex identity from around 18 months. By 2 years they begin to identify what sex other children are, although they’re not too sure of their own gender identity until somewhere between two and a half and three years (Davenport, 1992, pg. 275). Accordingly, at 22 months, Tom should be beginning to identify gender, but not his own for another 7 or 8 months. Boys and girls differ in one chromosome pair; this genetic difference normally leads to differential production of hormones. These hormones lead to differentiation of bodily characteristics, such as the genital organs, and may also influence brain growth and therefore behaviour patterns (Cowie et al, 2003). Theories emphasising biological forces look for experimental evidence that links male hormones with certain types o f behaviour (Davenport, 1992). Collaer and Hines (1995) cited in Cowie et al. (2009) examined the evidence for the effects of sex hormone abnormalities on behaviour over a range of outcome variables. They conclude that the evidence is strongest for childhood play behaviour; in normal foetal development male sex hormones seem to predispose boys to become more physically active. They also argue that the evidence is relatively strong in two other areas: aggression and sexual orientation. Such effects are consistent with evidence that some sex differences appear early in life. Much research has shown males to be more aggressive, and that aggression begins at around 2 years (Cowie et al. pg. 190-192. 2009). Tom demonstrated behaviours of aggression; see ‘observation week four’ (lines 88-103 and 119). This has been explained by the higher testosterone levels than females. However, it is possible that boys are reinforced for behaving aggressively, and this makes them produce more testosterone (Cowie et al. 2009). Money and Ehrhardt (1972) carried out a study to understand the effect that the male sex hormone, androgen has on girls. They examined girls who had been exposed to unusually high levels of androgen before birth. Compared with a matched group of girls who hadn’t, these girls and their mothers reported themselves to being ‘tomboys’. However, Cowie et al (2009) argue that because the parents knew of the hormonal abnormalities, this could have affected their behaviour towards their children. While biological factors are probably important in explanations of sex differences, they do not fully explain the process of sex-role identification, or explain the variations in sex roles in different societies (Cowie et al, 2009). Social Learning theorists claim that we acquire our gender roles by observation, modelling, and being reinforced for behaving accordingly. This implies a learning process, that social factors are also important. For example it may be that female babies are spoken to more often than boys, thus pick up language sooner (Davenport, pg. 276-278, 1992). On reflection, Tom’s Mum spoke more to Molly, although this may be because she was replying to her. An early approach to the learning of sex-role identification was that children are moulded into sex-roles by the behaviour of adults, especially parents and teachers (Bandura, 1969; Mischel, 1970). In its early version (which Maccoby, 2000, calls ‘direct sociolization’) this theory suggests tha t parents and others reward sex-appropriate behaviour in children (cited in Smith et al. 2009), (see week one, lines 45-47 and also lines 40-1 and 56-57). Mum happily helped Tom in to the skirt, although would then attempt to get it off. I wondered if this was because Mum was a bit reluctant to him wearing it, or even feared I may judge her. I also considered if it would be different if Dad were around. Fagot (1978) studied children ages 20-24 months in American homes and found that girls were encouraged by their parents to dance, dress up and play with dolls, whereas boys were encouraged to play with blocks and trucks. Conversely, Tom’s Mum did not discourage him from playing with the pram (see week one, lines 51-54) a typical ‘girls toy’. Furthermore Fagot (1985) found that nursery school teachers tend to reward ‘feminine’ types of behaviour, in both boys and girls, yet this does not prevent boys engaging more in noisy, rough-and-tumble play. Nevertheless, many reviews have felt that this evidence has not been very convincing (Golombok, and Hines, 2002; Maccoby, 2000, cited in Smith et al. 2009). It m ay be that any differential behaviour by parents is simply responding to pre-existing differences in boys and girls behaviour (Davenport, 1992). Indirect socialization (Maccoby, 2000), supposes that children observe the behaviour of same sex models, and imitate them, for example, boys might imitate the behaviour of male figures on TV (cited in Smith et al. 2009).TV features in every record, and Tom was always very engrossed and on more than one occasion I noticed him imitating what was acted or said (see week one, line 52). A report by Himmelweit et al. (1958) looked for changes in children’s behaviour with the concern that violence on television may make children more aggressive, and that many programmes portray stereotyped images of sex roles. Alternatively, others think that television can be used to encourage cooperative behaviour, or reduced stereotyped views (Greenfield, 1984, cited in Smith et al. 2009). This introduces influences on behaviour that suggest the importance of cognitive factors. Social cognitive theory (Bussey and Bandura, 1999) draws together the ideas of both theories. They suggest children monitor their own behaviour built on what is appropriate; identification with peer group monitoring their behaviour in relation to how they expect same-sex peers might react (cited in Cowie et al. 2009). I didn’t get to see Tom interact with any male children, I found Molly to be a great influence on his behaviour; i.e. see week one lines 21-22, 26 and 59. I imagine this is because supposedly he has not yet identified himself as a boy and does not have much, if any, contact with other boys of similar age. Preference for same-sex peers seems to be a cross-cultural phenomenon, and one that increases through childhood into adolescence. Maccoby (1998, 200) has documented this, and argues that it is a key factor in integrating not only cognitive and social factors, but also the biological factors affecting sex differences (Cowie et al. 2009). Observing Tom enabled me a great insight into his world, but has also indeed taught me a lot about myself, gaining skills of self-awareness and reflective practice that I hope to bring to future practice. Bibliography Bandura, A. 1969: Social Learning theory of identificatory processes. In D. A Goslin (ed.), Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research. Chicago: Rand McNally. Peter K.Smith, Helen Cowie and Mark Blades (2009). Understanding Children’s Development . 4th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 186-194. G C Davenport (1992). An introduction to Child development. London: Colins Educational. 275-291. Money, J. and Ehrhardt, A. A. 1972: Man and Woman, Boy and Girl. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Michelle Lefevre (2010). Communicating with children and young people making a difference. Bristol: The Policy Press. 147-169. Judith Trowell and Gillian Miles. (1991). The contribution of observation training to professional development in social work . 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