Title: Sociology of aging

The medical field has seen a tremendous increase in technology. Better medical care means that people are living longer. Therefore, if people are living longer, it follows that they must be working for longer. Employers can no longer afford to ignore older employees (Hannon 2013). Older people are in both the white-collar and blue-collar sectors, although there are more in the white-collar industry.

Older people face many different challenges in the work place. They have reduced employment opportunities compared to younger employees. Older workers returning to the work place usually are changing their careers at a later stage in life. Therefore, they find it hard to maintain their previous earning levels. This is because they have fewer options available.

Older workers also face more discrimination in the work place. Employers are anxious that the older employees may not provide benefits commensurate with the salary and benefits that they draw. Because of this, employers avoid interviewing or employing older employs. This is despite the fact that research shows that older workers do not reduce workplace productivity. This discrimination leads to qualified and able older employees being denied opportunities to work productively.
Older workers in the workplace miss employee in-service training opportunities. To work efficiently, employees require regular in-service training.

This helps workers to know new developments in their field. In-service training also equips workers with new skills to help them cope in the dynamic and ever changing job market. Employers usually shoulder the majority of the in-service training burden. Older employees by virtue of their age have a relatively short working live. Employers therefore do not see the value of training older employees. When training opportunities arise, older employees are not given an equal opportunity in accessing the training. The misconception that long service means a mastery of all the requisite knowledge also contributes to this discrimination (National healthy worksite 2012).

Older employees face discrimination on the allocation of work in the workplace. Tasks are usually graded in order of complexity, importance and urgency. When management distributes work to employees, there is bias in the type of work awarded to older employees. There is a perception that older employs are physically weak and that their mental faculties are reduced. People think older employees are unable to work under conditions of extreme pressure and stress. When management distributes tasks, older employees receive ‘soft’ tasks. These tasks are not critical to the company’s core work. Older workers are therefore shunted to the periphery of the company, and assigned non-consequential work.

Older workers are the most insecure in the workplace. There job security of older workers is lower in comparison to younger employees. Whenever a company declares redundancies, older employees are often the first on the chopping block. Companies prefer to lay them off because having worked for long, and because they draw higher salaries compared to other workers, laying them off substantially lowers the wage bill. The fact that they also have a shorter working lifespan means that management does not see them as part of the company’s long-term plans.
Older workers also suffer from job stagnation. Promotions for older workers are limited. If a worker is not in certain positions by a certain age, the chances of upward mobility are severely limited. When new vacancies arise in higher positions within the company, older workers are overlooked for younger ones whom the company feels have a potential for greater advancement.

References
Hannon, K. (2013). Why older workers can’t be ignored. Forbes. Retrieved on 3rd December 2013 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2013/01/25/why-older-workers-cant-be-ignored/
National healthy worksite. (2012). Older employees in the work place. Retrieved on 3rd December 2013 from: http://www.cdc.gov/nationalhealthyworksite/docs/Issue_Brief_No_1_Older_Employees_in_the_Workplace_7-12-2012_FINAL(508).pdf

4
Running head: SOCIOLOGY OF AGING

Compare Two Theories

Social theories attempt to explain human life in relation to the role taken by the environment in creating social cohesion in the final life of an individual. An investigation into issues of social integration calls for the need to give closer examination into some of the commonly quoted social theories. This paper compares structural functionalism theory and the conflict theory in terms of their attributes.

The structural functionalism theory is one of the sociological theories that have been in existence for several decades. Essentially, the structural functionality theory attempted to explain the role played by social institutions in bid to meet individual needs (Dillon, 2010, p. 12). The specified aspect of involvement as far as the introduction of this theory was concerned was to link personal interest to the entire social status. Today, the theory of structural functionalism has been modified by different institutional stakeholder to conform to ways social institution involve themselves in bringing equilibrium to the society. T

hus, the theory of structural functionalism links to the ways different societies maintain internal control and stability as well as explaining the steps undertaken by individuals in building social cohesion proponent to social solidarity (Dillon, 2010, p. 14). On the other hand, the conflict theory maintains that the society can only be understood as competitive organ of its own but not as a complex system on the platform to enhance social equilibrium. Therefore, according to conflict theory, the society is combination of individuals who manifests themselves through increasing competition for limited resources such as leisure, power, money and sex. On an intense part, certain social structures presents characteristics of inequality and thus pose competing as a way to counteract the level of inequalities observed. The individuals presented within this theory undergo conflict as the only way to maintain possession and power.

In conclusion, it becomes vital to understand the theoretical aspect of human beings and the role people play in shaping the environment in which they live. The nature of humans beings maintains that individuals must relate in one way for the society to be complete.

References
Dillon, M. (2010). Introduction to sociological theory: Theorists, concepts, and their applicability to the twenty-first century. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.

SOCIOLOGY 2

Running head: SOCIOLOGY 1

The Application Paper

Introduction
Naturally, humans tend to live in group environments and enjoy each other’s company. Since they are borne and brought up in the family context, they adapt mannerisms that enable them to exist in diverse environments. The family institution offers humans the first social environment within which they can develop different capacities. The transformation that this institution has faced has direct impacts on its identity as well as the wellbeing of constituent members. This paper underscores the role of the family and highlights causal factors of the dynamic transformations that it has undergone. Then, it cites the implications of these changes. Finally, it explains how the women’s rights could be affected had the trend been changed towards a traditional orientation.

In his research, Berns (2009) indicates that through the family setting, one is able to assume important cultural aspects that enable the same to coexist harmonically. The institution also ensures that its members attain acceptable social values and appreciate their distinctive and unique gender roles. The respective values are vital in addressing any cases of social disorganization. This important process occurs at the initial stages of development and is useful in enhancing social cohesion. The family gives a person some identity with which s/he is able to assert his or her position and enjoy relative privileges. Characteristic relations provide a strong support network that cushions families against the negative effects that are associated with social disorder. For instance, the member is able to get help from the immediate family members as well as from other groups that belong to the respective society.

The fact that the family institution has undergone significant modifications cannot be disputed. Aulette (2009) attributes these to the changing social perception towards the institution of marriage, the dynamic and complex responsibilities that women are assuming, media influences, and the soaring incidences of divorce. Most families are solely nuclear and have minimal ties with the extended faction. Divorce cases have culminated in incidences of single parent families. Such families are headed by one parent and thus the process of socialization of its members is adversely affected. The changing perceptions of sex roles and assumption of complex responsibilities by women has altered traditional responsibilities. Currently, leadership roles are defined by the ability of partners to provide for their families as opposed to the gender status (Aulette, 2009).

The economic wellbeing of individuals influences the nature of the relationships that they nurture within this environment. In light of marriage and family life, partners that are economically endowed tend to live better lifestyles than their poor counterparts. The changing perceptions to marriage require women to equally contribute to the financial wellbeing of the family. With regards to racial differences, affected family members have differing cultural beliefs and practices. These influence decision making as well as their behaviors, choices and general way of life (Berns, 2009). With respect to gender, recent trends ascertain that certain individuals currently appreciate the significance of same sex marriages.

Also, same sex marriages impact on the way of life of the families as well as their structure and composition. Such unions have dominant genders and seemingly, their decision making mannerisms differ considerably from those of traditional heterogeneous families. In this regard, individuals have the liberty to make personal decisions regarding their marital status. Coupled with freedom, Berns (2009) argues that this has led to erosion of important social values that play a leading role in enhancing social cohesion. In this respect, individuals no longer hold this institution in high regard. Although this is in line with secularization, the negative implications are immense. They have the ability to undermine social order especially because of their direct negative effects on social values and virtues. At this point in time, it is worth acknowledging that vital laws and regulations that govern social order are drawn from relative values. For this reason, intrinsic changes should be moderated accordingly.

Changing this trend towards the traditional orientation has detrimental effects on the rights of women. According to Berns (2009), the society during this period was solely patriarchal. Social conditions did not allow women to participate actively in economic production. This implies that assuming this trend will limit in the capability of women in different social fields. Most importantly, they would be denied the freedom to pursue their interests and benefit optimally from the global resources. Fundamentally, this has direct detrimental effects on their rights.

Conclusion
Conclusively, the family institution is imperatively important to the social wellbeing of its members. Through it, individuals assume important cultural values and are accorded a unique sense of identity. There are diverse structural and functional changes that this important institution has undergone. They have been triggered by divorce case, media influences, changing social perceptions about the institution of marriage and the changing roles that women are assuming. Seemingly, there are relational differences in marriage in light of gender, economic capacity, race, and personal status. Conclusively, the traditional marriage orientation can greatly limit the rights of women.

References
Aulette, J. (2009). Changing American families. London: Pearson.
Berns, R. (2009). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. London: Cengage Learning

THE APPLICATION PAPER 2

Running head: THE APPLICATION PAPER 1

Social Stratification

1. The variability in the educational and economic success can be well explained by studying sociological and the economic structure within a household or a family. One of the main reasons that can be used to explain the variability is the Fact that the class identity is not shared by family members. What Darton meant was that we cannot have all presidents in the same house, nor can we have all thieves or businessmen in the same roof. The reason why Darton compares the sibling within a family is because within the family setting, one can deduce the bigger picture of why there is greater disparity in status, education, personalities among the greater society.

Competition in families both fair and unfair has led to the great variability in economic and social status within families. The reason that there is variation can also be explained by the social forces that dictate nature. Take for example gender differences, education undertakings, market conditions, divorce, geographic mobility, religious affiliations, luck. All of the above factors affect the way a household sibling varies socially and or economically. These forces are further complicated by the age differences among the children, sex and the position of the sibling in the birth order.

Darton findings indicate that there are a lot of differences between siblings born of the same family and initially indicate that in small families, birth order does not count, however in large families, it does count. Other variabilities according to the findings indicate that a child in a family may be born with certain talent but the talents may not be nurtured because the parents of the history of the Family depicts otherwise. An example is a family where the parents are scholars. In such a household, the expectation of the parents would that their siblings also emulate them and be scholars also. But suppose one of the kid loves athletic or football? The child may not be listened to and this would lead to differences in the social economic status of the kids.

Darton’s findings also indicated that siblings’ difference represents three quarters of all the differences between individual in America. This explains the social economic inequality in America. Darton also observed that the ability of children to determine who on top of the family depicts the bigger society and national issues of how we see the social and the economic disparities. His findings also indicated that gender disparity, the economic schooling in America, geographical mobility also affects the sociological and economical status In America. He indicates that the use of siblings is only used to depict why some people are poor and others poor. He indicated that in order to know and understand how social and economic work, one must consider the cross family stratification and the intra family stratification. He concludes by saying that what matters when determining the socioeconomic success are the family size, parental time and attention and money.

Bigger families have wider disparities than a family of two siblings; birth order is also an issue as the first born is likely to stay with the parents longer, family disruptions including divorce affects the sibling’s success. Luck to some extent has played significant role in explaining the disparity in the social economic status among the siblings and the macro economy. There is also the issue of upward mobility like remarriage and change of location affects the sibling status. Religion has also attributed to the siblings social economic orientations. Darton closes his remarks by saying that the social economic disparity can be avoided if interfamily stratification is only to have one kid which is impossible.

2. Exchange and structural mobility occur as a result of changes in the distribution of social status within a given social setting. This is brought about by changes in the structural designs of the society than efforts of an individual within the society. Structural and exchange mobility arise when the demand of a particular job is at the peak and extra workforce is required. The created positions would need employees and so applications are invited to fill these positions.

3. Occupational status affects the rate of education attainment. It also provide with qualification required to do a certain job. This theory positions individuals within the social structure. In measuring household income, the income concept is employed. Wealth has the ability of providing security and emergencies. It can be used to reduce economic down turns such as inflation and depressions. Education has been used to measure ones income and it depicts lifestyle and behavior and it varies with age. An example of these social economic theories can be explained when professionals are differentiated from casual laborers by the selection of their educational attainment that affects the level and nature of their salary package. These salaries uplift them in the social economic life adding status to them and uplifting their standards.

One advantage is that income and earnings are linked to social classes. Occupation advantages include prestige, social class and education advancement. Occupational status also depicts the level at which one will climb on the social ladder. Limitations of income concept include the fact that it is an unstable measure of social economic status and since it varies within an occupation, it is also affected by age status. Education concept is faced with challenges like its dependent with age and relative to income. Gender affects the social economic status of a family as well as race.

Surname4

Role of Religion in the Formation of Society

Religion has played a huge role in the formation of society throughout history. In sociology, religion is both a belief and a social establishment. Emile Durkheim perceived religion as the most basic social organization of humankind, where other social forms originate. He believed that religion offered humanity the sense of collective awareness. This study will demonstrate Emile Durkheim’s functional views on the role of religion in the formation of society, in addition to his view on societal changes.

In studying the role of religion, Emile Durkheim started by searching for the origin of religion. He had a feeling that religion was the basis of companionship and unity. He defined religion as an integrated system of beliefs and actions related to a sacred thing. From the functionalist viewpoint, Durkheim pointed out that religion is an accumulative force that is capable of shaping collective beliefs in society. It renders union in the social order through collective consciousness. Max Weber supported Durkheim’s view by stating that religion provides support to other social institutions. Although he failed to mention supernatural or God in his view, Durkheim developed a perception of the sacred as something that induced deep emotions in people, tendering them a profound sense of moral vigor and conviction. Durkheim’s view on sacred was a way of living in social reality, referring to social interaction for additional energy that a person requires to survive a social life.

On moral individualism, Durkheim asserted that a democratic state has moral power that can guarantee self-realization and individual rights. However, he warned on effects of reflective structural changes experienced in the modern society to the sanctity, as sanctity will end up being identified with individualism. Modern society is capable of diffusing the conscience collective, leaving only an open field for individual differences to thrive. Durkheim claimed that the modern assortment of values and beliefs were also capable of defying the aptitude of traditional religions in matters concerning unification of societies into a moral group. He believed that even the modern minute individuals required a common religion, where they can put their faith whenever they need a higher justice and sympathy for humanity (Cristi 415).

The modern society has changed to fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is a creation of collective identity of individuals who follow the norms drawn from God’s teachings and construed by a selected few, who establish an intercession between human beings and their God. A large group of people, who are disenfranchised politically and culturally, do not find themselves in the glorious values of multinational conquerors and, thus, they turn to religion for a communal feeling and, as an opposition to the new order (Castells xxi). However, religious fundamentalism has led to global uprising, such as Al Qaeda, whose network is based on Muslim faith. Fundamentalist are known to be selective, as they only choose characters that are only identifiable to their group.

Durkheim’s attempt to analyze moral life aimed at understanding humanity in collective life. He emphasized that being religious does not necessarily permit to believe on supernatural or God, as there are religions, such as Buddhism, which do not recognize supernatural or God. According to him, religion’s major role is to offer humanity a sense of joint consciousness. Even though religion is losing its functionality, it has a powerful influence on the modern society, since there is no other force that can replace it for the time being.

Works Cited
Castells, Manuel. “The Power of Identity: Second edition With a new preface.” The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vol. II. 2010. Web. 17 July 2013. http://gendocs.ru/docs/10/9373/conv_1/file1.pdf
Cristi, Marcela. “Durkheim On Moral Individualism, Social Justice, And Rights: A Gendered Construction Of Rights.”Canadian Journal Of Sociology 37.4 (2012): 409-438. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 July 2013.

Surname 1

Organization Dynamic

Organizational behavior is an area of studying people and groups within firms and is very helpful and exciting in development of firms and business enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational behavior in organizations but emphasis shall be on employee satisfaction and emotional labor. The paper will thus discuss these two workplace factors in relation to the employees’ performance.

First, scholars and writers agree that employee satisfaction leads to improved levels of performance. There exist a favorable link between employees’ performance and job contentment. Organizational managers and leaders must understand that their employees’ organizational performance is deeply rooted on their employees’ satisfaction and thus should ensure that they offer them such incentives as good salaries and wages, bonuses, paid leaves, safety and health provisions, and other employement benefits. Such factors/incentives motivate organizational employees, and hence significant in the productivity of the firm, which in turn leads to realization of higher profits.

Lack of employees’ satisfaction could lead to grave organizational outcomes, especially in contribution to below par organizational performance and productivity. For instance, I have two cousins working in different organizations and their satisfaction levels vary so much. On of them works with a big company in the city, which offers him a superior salary, overtime allowances, bonus, and an annual gift- an equivalent of 20 percent of his salary- in recognition and appreciation of his organizational contribution, particularly for working hard and always attending his duties without failure (lateness or absence). On the other hand, the second cousin works with an organization, which offers some below par incentives.

First, the company always makes late payment to their employees besides exploiting them by failure to recognize and reward overtime and exemplarly performance. The firm has no employee welfare program and this makes it hard for the employees to give their best to the company. The working conditions are also unfavorable and the undue pressure directed towards the employees in realization of the organizational goals without rewarding them. All business organizations must thus make all their employees happy and endevor to satisfy them at all costs as this will lead to good profits to the company.

The second issue in organizational dynamics is emotional labor. Emotional labor is the practice by which organizational employees are anticipated to champion the management of their individual feelings in agreement with the delineated organizational rules and guidelines (Wharton, 2009). Emotional labor advocates for exhibition of some degrees of emotional rewards to the organizational customers and its purpose is enhancing customer service and satisfaction. Emotional labor requires the organizational employees to be always cheerful, friendly, as well as approachable.

It is of particurly significance to such employee groups as those working in airlines check in, hospitals, and other service-oriented businesses. For instance, my uncle was admitted in a big hospital for cancer treatment and I managed to visit him a couple of times. I realized that all the doctors were highly friendly and supportive towards him and he recovered quickly. During his stay at the hospital, our neighbor was taken to another hospital in which the doctors had no emotions and one of them even told the neighbor that he had less than two months to live. This increased his misery and he died within a week. Therefore, emotional labor is an essential component of service in any organization.
Conclusively, employee satisfaction and emotional labor are imperative factors and contribute towards the realization of organizational goals.

References
Wharton, A.S. (2009). The sociology of emotional labor, Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 147-165.

Organization Dynamic 1

Gay Marriage

There is rampant increase of gay marriages globally although a significant number of people do not approve this practice. Several states have endorsed gay marriage in the recent past and approximately more than ten American States have declared gay marriage legal. The antagonists of gay marriage argue it is not the normal way of marriage and this category comprises of the majority of the people. Regardless of how many states endorse same sex marriage, the practice cannot be right because everything about it is wrong. While I admit that recognizing people’s rights remains imperative, it equally essential for people to safeguard the rule of natural social justice. Gay marriage in our society can be interpreted to show the extent of moral decay in the contemporary society (Mello 16- 19). People cannot just decide to avert the traditional ways of vital institutions such as the family. This paper shows a personal point of view and examples on why I am not in the support of gay marriage.

There is need to safeguard traditionally acceptable values and practices such as marriage that was purely heterosexual since time immemorial. I stand condemning the endorsement of gay marriage in several states in the United States and other sects of the world. Traditionally, marriage only took place between people of the opposite sex. For gay marriage to be fully accepted by people it will take more time. The global wish of numerous people is that gay marriage should not be discussed and endorsed. Traditionally, the sole aim of marriage was production and rising up of children (Dobson 6-11). This is something gay marriage cannot achieve yet the people participating in it are products of the traditional goal of marriage. Many jurisdictions have confirmed gay marriage as a threat to the traditional goal of marriage. Whereas change is inevitable, some forms of change should not be embraced and I am afraid gay marriage is an example.
Endorsing the practice is doing a lot of harm to the organization of marriage that is already in danger. Conventionally, heterosexual unions have been accepted as the way to go, but the union of marriage has been threatened as shown through the numerous divorce cases. Constitutionally endorsing gay marriage shows that our society is losing it all. The family is the basis through which the society norms and values are strengthened and allowing same sex marriage will be a catalyst to weakening the institution of marriage (Dobson 6-11. Any court of law that recognizes gay marriage is an immense disappointment to the public. An ideal instance of such a disappointment is

Massachusetts.

The trend of constitutionally allowing gay marriage to take place can be an avenue for other unacceptable unions to demand to be recognized. Polyamory and polygamy can argue that since gay marriages have succeeded in quest for recognition, they should also be accorded freedom (Fassin 215-232). Denying them this opportunity can be challenged because there is no difference between them and gay marriage. When this is allowed, people who believe in bestiality and incest can demand the same recognition. The society is heading to a shocking direction because the success of gay marriage can be used by the other similar organizations to gain acknowledgment. They can further argue that it is their right to be accorded room to practice their forms of ‘marriage’.
Allowing government institutions such as the judiciary to officiate gay marriage, that most Americans are not in support of, is tantamount to wastage of public resources. This is because most people feel that gay marriage is illegal and the court system approves it out of pressure from a minority of people (Adam 259- 274). These actions denote that government agencies such as the Security Fund should recognize gay marriage the same way heterosexual marriages are recognized. Most of us are against gay marriage because of the effects that accompany the practice.
If the government is serious of protecting the future of her children then it can only be wrong to continue allowing any state to carry out gay marriages. Some gay couples choose to adopt children depending on whether one of them had children during the time they got married (Bidstrup 2-4). Such offspring stand a risk of being like their parents. These unions can never be perfect environments for raising children since they will end up copying the wrong example from their guardians. Children learn mostly through imitation and what they replicate from the people they trust is hard to come out of them. Children raised without one parent are a high risk of engaging in early sexual activity and worse of all adolescent pregnancy. This explains why most people are disappointed by the government and the states endorsing gay marriage.
The government and civil rights activists are also getting it wrong by claiming that marriage is a right. If this was so, then each one ought to be married. I am of the opinion that marriage is a privilege, but not a right. If it was a right, people could not be getting the consent of parents and would be spouses. People have the freedom to condemn the practices they feel as a threat to their morals (Adam 259- 276). On the same note, it can apply to marriages that are not acceptable in a given society. Marriage was meant to give people opportunity to maintain heterosexual relationships and once a society does not support gay marriages nobody should compel them to do otherwise.
Ultimately, supporting gay marriage is the least I can do and it is discouraging for states to endorse the practice against the wish of the people. The traditional marriage practice is the way to go and people assuming that the society will endorse gay marriage is not practical. Gay marriage should be disowned by all and those who practice it should be condemned.

Works Cited
Top of Form
Adam, Barry D. “The Defense of Marriage Act and American exceptionalism: The” gay marriage” panic in the United States.” Journal of the History of Sexuality 12.2 (2003): 259-276.
Bidstrup, Scott. “Gay Marriage: the arguments and the motives.” Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives (1996).
Dobson, James. “Marriage Under Fire.” excerpt, Focus on the Family (2004).

Fassin, Eric. “Same sex, different politics:” Gay marriage” debates in France and the United States.” Public Culture 13.2 (2001): 215-232.
Mello, Michael. Legalizing Gay Marriage. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004. Internet resource.
Bottom of Form

Surname 1

Informal Event that Marked my Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in my Community

The one event that marked my childhood-adulthood transition involved the display of destructive temper by a close friend, Melvin. It involved an unfortunate demonstration of the genuine cost of childhood carelessness, selfishness, and irrationality that influenced my personal purpose to adopt a mature attitude and develop a responsible personality. A distinctly peculiar detail is that the event occurred when I was eighteen – an age that I consider symbolic of the change into adulthood.
One evening during the school holidays, Melvin and I joined seven other classmates in a game of play-boxing in the backyard of his parents’ house. In the game, a pair of classmates would play-box until one catches the other on the chin, eliminating him/her and setting a match-up with the next classmate. As Melvin’s parents were away for the afternoon, the group also enjoyed a supply of alcohol to liven up the game. During the game, one male classmate, Jerry, was particularly successful, eliminating five classmates in succession in round one and two others in the second. Melvin suffered elimination by Jerry, twice, and once more by a female classmate in the first three rounds, and, unknown to the rest of the group, he grew angry despite the playful nature of the game.

When Melvin rose for the fourth time to face a different classmate, he was set on revenge. After eliminating the classmate this time, he faced Jerry next. Melvin showed a bit too much aggression in the encounter, placing slightly excessive power in his fists as he hit at Jerry. Jerry was nevertheless too tactical for him: he soon found his chin. What followed in the next few seconds was a tragedy: Melvin pulled out a pocketknife and drove it into Jerry’s stomach!
Jerry survived the incident after a fortnight’s hospitalization, and a contrite Melvin apologized profusely in front of both sets of parents. The incident had an enormous effect on me as I realized that any one of the classmates could have been the victim. I knew that Melvin’s display of a vicious temper was not out of the ordinary, as I had also felt angry at times in school and at home. In school, my friends and I had always regarded a display of anger and aggression in games and normal life as harmless, human, and a portrayal of passion and the desire to succeed. Now, this “harmless” fun had threatened the life of a classmate! It dawned on me that simple and irrational pride, carelessness, and a lack of personal responsibility in childhood behavior were potentially costly, even among friends in daily interactions and shared experiences. The incident’s value in influencing my transition to adulthood involved the lesson that hiding in the veil and “convenience” of childhood and its fun did not shield a person from responsibility. Since the incident, I have admired and treated responsibility and accountability as critical and fundamental virtues in human life. The incident also assumed symbolic significance in my transition from childhood as it influenced a meticulous re-examination of all my behaviors and attitudes, with the objective of adopting variations that are more constructive. It offered insight into the folly and irresponsibility of childhood and the cost that they occasion on the community and its members. It is for this valuable and lasting influence in my life that I regard the event as an important mark in my transition from childhood to adulthood.

Insert surname here 3

Behavior Change: Happiness

Many assume that happiness is the result of some external factor, such as a perfect house or lots of money, among others. While to a degree these things can bring happiness, that happiness is only brief. True happiness comes from within. To be happy one needs to change their behavior. The first step for a person to take towards modifying their behavior in relation to happiness is to decide what happiness means to them. From there they can decide what behaviors can help them achieve it.
In order to change behavior, one must know what to look out for. In this respect, it is important to recognize the two-way nature of happiness (which also implies the two main ways of attaining happiness): getting it from others (that is, the world around you) and getting happiness by giving it to others. In other words, you get what you give. Either way, it is a choice that one makes.
To begin, how we perceive the world around us (especially what we focus on) determines how happy or unhappy we get. For example, according to a University of Bristol research, how we recognize and interpret the world around us impacts on our thoughts and behavior. For example, those who choose to see happiness- rather than anger in ambiguous facial expressions- are likely to experience lower levels of aggression and anger. This is a conscious effort to modify one’s biases in emotion recognition in such a way as to encourage more the perceptions of happiness. In other words, get rid of negativity.

It is not possible to see the bright side of life if you yourself live in the dark. It helps a lot to exude happiness to the people around you to get it back. There can be several philosophical debates over this karma-like view. However, it is not easy to be angry with someone offering only happiness back. In other words, one must act/behave happy by doing things that will make them happy. It is only natural that when we do things that make others unhappy, their unhappiness is what we will see. One can hardly help seeing the unhappiness here, as they expect it. As discussed above, what we see determines what we feel. Like the muscles in the body, it takes practice to let it become a part of you. These happy-behaviors include smiling, being grateful for what we have (rather than lamenting over what we do not like and/or lack).
It is also important to note that the physiological processes of our bodies also influence our happiness. For instance, it is not easy to be happy when one is hungry or sick. One physiology-related behavior that has been associated with happiness is sleep. Studies have shown that people who get enough sleep (that is, about 7 to 8 hours per day) function better overall and have stronger immune systems and, therefore, happier.
However, the strategies described above sound easier said than done. Moreover, behavioral modification does not happen spontaneously or automatically. To learn about these issues and get appropriate guidance, one should attend behavior modification therapy. Behavioral modification therapy seeks to change the problematic behavior directly- not the underlying psychological problems. Behavioral modification therapy, if well exercised, can help one know what works for them and, therefore, the steps to take towards behavior change.

Surname 1

Admission Essay

My academic and social experiences have featured a personal struggle with introversion and depression. During my early school days, I realized that I had a weakness in self-esteem, a problem that has caused enormous anguish and influenced personal losses, academically and socially, for a considerable length of time in my life. At school, I was socially awkward, and my class and schoolmates would constantly pick on and bully me for my tendency to isolate myself and participate little in social environments. In one of the classes, the coursework demanded each student’s personal speech to the class. As I stumbled through my presentation, I could feel myself sweating and shaking uncontrollably. I could not let my words out clearly, and my anxiety and panic were growing. The instructor had made it one of the requirements in the presentation that each student had to make use of the space at the front of the classroom, by walking around as an exhibition of personal confidence. As I took some steps around in intensive anxiety and a state of panic, I lost my sense of alertness and awareness, causing me to trip over the instructor’s desk and fall across the floor. The subsequent laughter among my classmates was embarrassing and humiliating, to the point that I cried and hated myself even more. Throughout middle school, this incident and other similar ones promoted my bullying by class and school mates, sponsoring my development of depression. I felt useless and inferior, which only worsened my depression in a vicious cycle of psychological turmoil and destructive feelings and thoughts. The costly impact of these developments was clear in my academic performances as I scored an F in three courses at the end of the first semester.
The poor performance and a desire to end the bullying stirred me into an episode of deep self-evaluation. I accepted that I had a problem and knew that the challenges that I had experienced with self esteem and a fear of social environments had been the main causes of my troubles. This consciousness influenced a personal determination to address my problem and change my attitude and outlook. I read several books and other material online on self esteem, introversion, and their psychological, social, and academic effects among humans. I paid particular attention to the practical strategies and methods that a person exhibiting low self-esteem and introversion symptoms could incorporate in his/her life to influence a change towards productive and competent social activity and participation. One of the effective solutions that I applied in my life involved the adoption of active cognition, in which I deliberately chose and forced myself to participate in social situations, adopting optimistic and confident outlooks and consciously checking my attitudes and behaviors during the process. I strived to train myself to actively participate and interact with others, adopting the belief and attitude that I could improve my performances in social contexts and change the way others viewed me by being confident and optimistic. The process was a struggle but the result was motivating, as I learned to be more social and made new friends. My classmates forgot about the embarrassing presentation incident, as I became an active part of their groups and activities. My academic performance improved immensely as I no longer experienced the psychological pressures that limited my ability to study and consume lessons effectively.
This was a difficult episode of my life that I am glad ended positively. It taught me that a person’s past does not always determine the future, especially with determination and careful personal evaluations of the past’s challenges.

ADMISSION ESSAY 2

Running head: ADMISSION ESSAY 1