The Sociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills - 1302 Words

When C. Wright Mills’ first defined the Sociological Imagination, he wanted to describe the type of insight that Sociology can offer and how Sociology can relate to our everyday lives. According to Mills, from daily routines to social limitations, people can often feel like they are trapped. By developing a sociological imagination, individual people can figure out just where they are in society by learning to recognize the factors that shape them and their surroundings. The factors that can shape peoples’ lives include social class, social norms and stigmas, how other people perceive them, the country they live in, their time period, the people they personally associate with, etc. The Sociological Imagination is meant to encourage people to recognize their daily routines and, hopefully, start to rethink them from a much broader perspective. In order to break free from society’s expectations, or the bonds that hold people in place, people need to take their own personal experiences and look at them from a wider perspective that includes all of society. The Sociological Imagination can be applied to very specific issues as well. For example, there is a certain social requirement in middle schools and high schools to wear specific clothes, mainly expensive name brand ones. Somewhere from the transition from primary school and up, teenagers become very brand-conscious. I even got caught up in that in middle school. If anything, I believe I wasShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills857 Words   |  4 PagesThe sociological imagination is simply the act of having the capacity to think ourselves away from the commonplace schedules of our day by day lives keeping in mind the end goal to take a gander at them with a new perspective. C. Wright Mills, who made the idea and composed a book about it, characterized the sociological creative ability as the clear attention to the connection amongst encounter and the more extensive society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to see things sociallyRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills969 Words   |  4 Pages C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. Understanding and being able to exercise the sociological imagination helps us understand the relationship between the individual and society. Mills focuses on the di stinction between personal troubles and public issues. Having sociological imagination is critical for individual people and societies at large to understand. It is important that people areRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills907 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual s life a person will experience what C. Wright Mills refers to as the trap. The trap alludes to a person that can only see and understand their own small scope of life. Their frame of reference is limited to their day to day life and personal experiences that are directly related to them, they cannot see the bigger picture. They do not yet know that the sociological imagination can set them free from this trap and as C. Wright Mills said, In many ways it is a terrible lesson; in manyRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills1315 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. This is its tas k and its promise.† C. Wright Mills writes about the sociological imagination in an attempt to have society become aware of the relationship between one’s personal experience in comparison to the wider society. By employing the sociological imagination into the real world, individuals are forced to perceive, from a neutral position, social structures that, inRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills986 Words   |  4 PagesMills Chapter Summary â€Å"Yet Men do not usually define the troubles they endure in terms of historical change and institution contradiction.† Stated from chapter one of â€Å"The Classic Readings in Sociology† which was based on â€Å"The Sociology Imagination† by C. Wright Mills. As our Sociology 131 class study the works of C. Wright Mills, we learn and examine his views. We learn how he view other things such as marriage, war, and the limitations of men. His view of war is that both sides playRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills942 Words   |  4 PagesSociological imagination according to C. Wright Mills (1959) â€Å"enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals† (p.5) Mills in this book of The Sociological Imagination explains how society shapes the people. Mills wants people to be able to use sociological imagination to see things in a sociology point of view, so they can know the difference between personal troubles versus personal issuesRead MoreSociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills Essay1611 Words   |  7 PagesI SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION CONCEPTUALIZATION As conceived by C. Wright Mills, sociological imagination is the mental ability to establish intelligible relations among social structure and personal biography that is observing and seeing the impact of society over our private lives. Sociological imagination helps an individual to understand on a much larger scale the meaning and effect of society on of one’s daily life experience. People blame themselves for their own personal problems and they themselvesRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills799 Words   |  4 Pages The sociological imagination, a concept used by C. Wright Mills, is essentially the ability to perceive a situation or act in a much larger social context as well as examining the situation or act from many perspectives. In particular, it plays a paramount role in Donna Gaines Teenage Wasteland. It is a tragic story of 4 teens who together, committed suicide. The teens were deemed as â€Å"dropouts, druggies† [Teenage Wasteland 8.2 ] by newspapers and were still treated with disdain even after theirRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills1822 Words   |  8 PagesC. Wright Mills defines the sociological imagination as, â€Å"what they need, and what they feel they need, is a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within themselves†. Mills also says that the sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. When I read Chapter One: The Promise from C. WrightRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills1692 Words   |  7 Pagesentire life, can be determined by examining his or her intellect, high school performance, and talents. However, C. Wright Mills proposes a new approach to this idea in his work, â€Å"The Promise.† Mills presents an idea known as the sociological imagination, which examines society on a larger scale to better grasp an individual’s life circumstances (Mills 2). The sociological imagination examines the role of social forces on the lives of individuals (Butler-Sweet, September 5, 2017). For example,

Personality Testing For Select Employees - 1218 Words

Introduction â€Å"Personality refers to the relatively stable pattern of behaviours and consistent internal states that explain a person’s behavioural tendencies.† (Mcshane, Travaglione, 2005) In the past the use of personality testing to select employees was looked down upon and thought to not be an accurate measure of employee job performance, however with increased confidence in how personality is defined (The Five Factor Model) experts are starting to recognize the usefulness of personality tests in predicting work performance (Hurtz, Donovan, 2000). Agreeableness, which is a part of the Five Factor Model, is an important trait in employees ability to interact with others and as such should be investigated into how much of an effect being agreeable is when working in jobs that have a high amount of interpersonal interactions. Being agreeable is a very important personality trait when it comes to working in jobs where employees have a lot of social interactions, be it with co-wo rkers or customers. Being highly agreeable will lead to a better job performance in interpersonal settings such as a service business or team-orientated work setting however the correlation is more pronounced in the latter. I will be showing this by explaining what Agreeableness is and showing the evidence, which suggests that, this personality trait will lead to higher job performance. The implications on businesses of this will then be explored. Review What is Agreeableness? The Five FactorShow MoreRelatedPersonality Testing For Select Employees1710 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction â€Å"Personality refers to the relatively stable pattern of behaviours and consistent internal states that explain a person’s behavioural tendencies.† (Mcshane, Travaglione, 2005) In the past the use of personality testing to select employees was looked down upon and thought to not be an accurate predictor of an employee’s job performance, however with increased confidence in how personality is defined (The Five Factor Model) experts are starting to recognize the usefulness of personality testsRead MoreReliability and Validity in Personality Testing Essay1684 Words   |  7 PagesReliability and Validity in Personality Testing 02-16-2015 Introduction Psychological tests are often used in the selection of projective personnel (Anastasia Urbina, 1997). The idea is that by using the scientific approach to personality and emotional intelligence testing in hiring, the employers will be able to increase the number of successful employees (Beaz lll, 2013). â€Å"Personality refers to an individual’s unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits†, whichRead MoreHuman Resource Management And The Hr Department1532 Words   |  7 Pagespurposes the center point for the employees needs ranging from - payroll, benefits, vacation, as well as staying up to date with the legal matters. The roles the HR department have always been aimed at meeting the needs of the employee, with a strategic approach, the HR department will be continue to be aimed at meeting the needs of employees, as well ensuring the employees can meet the needs of the company as well. HR gives a more direct services to the employees, they assist with payroll complicationRead MoreSignalling and Screening Theory1504 Words   |  7 Pagesmarket is characterised by imperfect information. This occurrence can produce a degree of uncertainty for the Human Resource function, in particular recruitment and selection. The lack of clarity concerning the productive capabilities of potential employees has led employers to seek alternative avenues when recruiting and selecting workers. Signaling and screening theory are an important element in the recruitment and selection process. The increasing qualifications obtained by the workforce is a phenomenonRead MoreHow Personality Affects Employees Behaviors, Attitudes, And Performance At Work1537 Words   |  7 Pageshas different personality. Personality can affect people’s attitudes, behaviours and job performance. Therefore, it is very essential for a company to consider and measure employees’ personality. Purpose The purpose of this essay is to explain how personality affects employees’ behaviours, attitudes and performance at work, how personality is measured by organisations. And using academic evidence, argue it is valuable for organization behaviour scholars to conduct personality testing before hiringRead MoreOrganizational Testing and Assessment Essay examples1171 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizational Testing and Assessment Organizational testing and assessment is done throughout companies and organizations of all kinds for the purpose of screening and selecting the best employees as part of their staff. Companies need to select tools and materials that are effective and reliable in screening employees. In addition they need to know how to properly administer and interpret the results. In the sections below, performance appraisal, behavioral observation scales, the Big Five PersonalityRead MoreEssay on Personality in the Workplace1380 Words   |  6 PagesAn individual’s personality is the basis of who they are and generates how they react to and behave in different situations. Personality testing is used in workplaces to identify whom to hire, promote and even put into teams. Personality testing is efficient in being able to determine which employees will perform best in certain roles, and this can remove some stress from employers. Personal testing has been shown to help improve the quality o f employees who are in the workplace. The method of assessingRead MorePersonality And Employee Job Performance1277 Words   |  6 Pages Topic: Personality and Employee Job Performance Introduction MARS Model indicates that motivation, ability, role perceptions and situational factors generally determine an individual’s performance. With the personality testing, such as Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), being used widely by organisations in pre-employment, the relationship between personality and job performance seems stronger, comparing to the MARS Model era. In accordance with Penny et al.’s research (2011), however, the relationshipRead MorePersonnel Assessment Essay845 Words   |  4 Pagesprecautions employers must take in the workplace environment, employers face the challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining the best employees. Personnel assessment is a systematic approach to gathering information about individuals (Dessler, 2011). This information is used to make employment or career-related decisions about applicants and employees. Any test or procedure used to measure an individual’s employment or career-related qualifications and intere sts can be considered a personnelRead MoreEconomic Liberalization- Overview1065 Words   |  4 Pagesthat it is essential for any Multinational Company (MNC) to select, train, develop and retain employees who can work and live efficiently beyond their national boundary (Caligiuri, 2000). The employees who are selected and trained and sent from a parent country to another country, for a specific duration, to manage a business concern are colloquially called as ‘expatriates’. Aycan and Kanungo (1997) define the tern expatriate as: â€Å"Employees of business and government organizations who are sent by

Motivation/Reward System Free Essays

Essay 1: Motivation/Reward System by Blake P. Rodabaugh EDD 9100 CRN 35455 Leadership Seminar Nova Southeastern University January 15, 2012 Essay 1: Motivation/Reward System Employee motivation seems to be at the core of what defines leadership or more importantly a leader. The success or failure of an organization is dependent upon the ability of those in leadership positions and roles to motivate and inspire the members of the organization to high levels of performance. We will write a custom essay sample on Motivation/Reward System or any similar topic only for you Order Now Leaders that are effective have the ability to increase the level of job engagement and organizational commitment on the part of employees. Particularly in the field of education, highly qualified and motivated faculty members are critical to the economic and academic success of the organization. Without them the organization at best stumbles along at a mediocre level and at worst fails (Siddique Khan, 2011). There are two types of rewards when dealing with motivational factors of staff, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is that which comes from outside of the individual such as money, promotion, coercion, grades, or the fear of punitive action. Intrinsic motivation is that which comes from within the individual through a feeling of enjoyment, pleasure, or interest in the task at hand. In investigating the type of reward system to be implemented whether extrinsic or intrinsic it becomes apparent that neither is the answer in itself. As with many aspects of leadership there appears to be no one style that works best all the times but rather is situational as to need. Extrinsic reward has been connected strongly with the encouragement of innovative behavior on the part of employees. This however needs to be taken on in moderation as there is a tendency for excessive motivation of an extrinsic nature to actually depress innovative behavior through the erosion of self motivation. Intrinsic motivation through the application of empowerment, development of human capital, recognition of accomplishment, learning and training support has shown to have a strong impact upon the level of employee innovation. When the two approaches are combined in a situation where extrinsic motivation is added to the aforementioned types of intrinsic motivation, the positive effects are amplified. The intrinsic aspects prevent the over-erosion effects often produced by extrinsic motivation. Thus, as with so much of leadership a combination of approaches is stronger than a single approach (Zhou, Zhang, Montoro-Sanchez, 2011). A study designed to investigate the motivational factors that were of the greatest importance to faculty members in higher education found that there was a desire for a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Results demonstrated that while employee compensation and the overall benefits package were of significant importance to faculty members there was an expressed need for non-monetary rewards as well. Key were concepts of empowerment, positive and supportive work environment, recognition, training, involvement in the decision making process, and a sense of value from the organization. Crucial to the successful implementation of this is clear and open communication between faculty and those participating in all roles of supervision (Rasheed, Aslam, Sarwar, 2010). An additional view of the concept of motivation is through the application of equity theory. Through this lens motivation of individuals is dependent upon how they view their ratio of outcomes to inputs in comparison to their perception of the outcomes and inputs of their peers in the workplace. This then serves as the basis for the individual to judge whether or not they are being treated fairly in the workplace. They may perceive a situation of either under or over reward, with those workers perceiving an under-reward taking action to restore perceived equity. Typically this action resolves into either a reduction of effort on the part of the employee or a request for greater rewards. Typically, the end result of this being that, if the employee is unable to achieve a perception of equity through either a reduction of input or an increase in rewards, they will eventually change employment (Skiba Rosenberg, 2011). Professor Edgar Schein of MIT’s Sloan School of Management emphasizes a need for behavioral change to take place at all levels of an organization if it is to be successful in the creation of a strong organizational culture. According to Professor Schein it is important to have more than an empowering process in place. Organizations need to have everyone at all levels of the organization actively working together to establish behaviors that lead to an environment in which equal partnerships and mutually helping relationships are the order of business (Kleiner vonPost, 2011). A Brazilian study of nine administrative units, composed of three factories, two bank branches, a university, and a municipal office focused on the impact of wages upon motivation and employee job satisfaction. The results of this study were in opposition to several others in that the administrative offices with the lowest wages displayed the greatest amount of employee job satisfaction and overall motivation due to intrinsic factors present in the work environment. In opposition to this the offices with the highest wages showed the lowest level of overall satisfaction and motivation. In total there were 458 respondents of which 252 were male and 206 female. In all instances of this study correlations were apparent with respect to perceptions of satisfaction and motivation in connection with leadership’s attitude towards staff in areas other than extrinsic (Pinto, 2011). Analysis of the Writer’s Workplace At the writer’s place of employment there really does not exist any real system of positive motivation and rewards beyond that expressed in the contract signed at the beginning of employment. Some might equate it to a system which utilizes a carrot and a stick except that there is no carrot. Overall leadership and organizational culture is reflective of leadership neglect with the occasional out lashing of reactionary and punitive actions on the part of senior administration towards staff. The culture is one that reinforces a perception that unless you are among the chosen ones, the inner circle, that the best you can do is to hole up in your classroom and not draw attention to yourself. Senior administration sees itself as enlightened and visionary. Staff sees it overall as untrustworthy, arbitrary, reactionary, and punitive. The next step down from the most senior of administrators is seen overall as clueless, out of touch and somewhat delusional in a benign way. Middle level administration and leadership is viewed as having their heart in the right place but with very little power or influence to shape things in a more positive direction. Overall the motivation and rewards system is dysfunctional at best, unless you happen to be one of the chosen ones. What is needed is a system wide change similar to that proposed by Professor Schein in which observation, inquiry, and leverage are applied. This would entail observation of the manner in which employees at all levels of the organization behave, inquiring or deducing the manner in which they think or believe, and then applying the leverage. The leverage in this instance is small incremental behavioral changes that lead the organization as a whole to think and act differently. The impact and role of management in this process is critical as the various subcultures within an organization exist within all levels and facets of the organization including the various levels of leadership (Kleiner vonPost, 2011). References Kleiner, A. , vonPost, R. (2011, January 19). A corporate climate of mutual help. Strategy Business. Retrieved January 21, 2012 from http://www. strategybusiness. com/article/11102? pg=alltid=27782251 Pinto, E. P. (2011). The influence of wage on motivation and satisfaction. The International Business Economics Research Journal, 10(9), 81-91. Rasheed, M. I. , Aslam, H. D. , Sarwar, S. (2010). Motivational issues for teachers in higher education: A critical case of IUB. Journal of Management Research, 2(2), 1-23. Siddique, A. , Khan, M. (2011). Impact of academic leadership on facultys motivation, and organizational effectiveness in higher education system. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(8), 184-191. Skiba, M. , Rosenberg, S. (2011). The disutility of equity theory in contemporary management practice. The Journal of Business and Economic Studies, 17(2), 1-19,97-98. Zhou, Y. , Zhang, Y. , Montoro-Sanchez, A. (2011). Utilitarianism or romanticism: The effect of rewards on employees innovative behaviour. International Journal of Manpower, 32(1), 81-98. doi:10. 1108/01437721111121242 How to cite Motivation/Reward System, Essay examples

Essay On Barbie Doll Example For Students

Essay On Barbie Doll In society today, a child is born every five minutes. From that time on, the parents breing their children up with cretin values such as respect. Other values will be learned when the child grows older. Unfortunately, Society puts a big importance on beauty and that can create conflict. In Marge Piercy s poem, Barbie Doll, the protagonist faces conflict and deals with the external forces by conforming to others expectations of what defines in a woman; however, unable to confront with the internal forces from within and to accept herself as she is, she ends her life. The protagonist faces conflict man vs. man for the first time when a classmate confronts her. Like any person, she grows up with one thought on her mind, toys. She has the basic toys, dolls, lipstick, and GE stoves and irons. She does not even think about the way she looks. Then puberty set in, and people start to notice all the little things that do not matter. She learns that some people can be mean when a classmate tells her, You have a great big nose and fat legs. The woman faces society when she asks forgiveness for being her. She is an intelligent and healthy person with firm arms and strong back. She also possesses an abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. Despite her intelligence, she is not a very smart person if she can not understand that all she needs to learn to accept herself. So she goes to and fro apologizing because everyone sees a fat nose on fat legs. She faces man vs. nature when she tries to alter her appearance. She is shy and somewhat flirty. She always exercises, diets, and tries to come off hearty. Her good attitude does not last very long and finds it hard to be happy. In desperation, she tries to change her physical appearance. She uses plastic surgery to reshape her nose and liposuction to slim down her legs. She cuts off her nose and legs. Then she offers up her nose and legs in order for people to except her. She ends up killing herself in making this transformation to be a better looking person. She is finally facing herself. In the casket, she lays, showing off her cosmetic paint and putty nose. Everyone thinks she looks pretty in her pink and white nightie. She lies on satin and looks beautiful in the casket. She gets what she wants, Consummation at last. She finally got everyone to praise her, to look at her, and see her as a beautiful woman. To her, it is a dream, to every woman a happy ending. A parent rears his child with certain values. As will, these values do not always seem to be right with society. Society plays major role in the life of a person. With society s importance on beauty, one can hardly fight the desire to alter ones appearance. The pressure is there, and it can be hard to handle. It becomes twice as hard to deal with when no one excepts a person in the society in which he lives. This is why the girlchild chooses to end her life in the poem.