Category: Life & Experiences

Introduction

Life is full of changes and a certain event or personality can change your entire life. People can bring a 360-degree change in their lives just by following a personality or attaching themselves to a certain event. Elements like happiness, melancholy, success are considered to be the part and parcel of life. Its a common norm that people usually follow the footsteps of their elders or the people who they aspire a lot. This external force can bring a change in their lives and they can easily climb the ladders of success just by following the footsteps of their aspirations.

Discussion

Most of the personalities that are considered as a legend in todays world were either influenced by a certain person or by a particular event that changed their entire life and transformed their thinking patterns. People like Newton, Edison, and Archimedes etc were transformed from rags to riches just by influencing from the external forces. Isaac Newton discovered the gravitational force just by the witnessing an apple dropped from a tree. Archimedes discovered the Archimedes principle when he was taking a bath. Similarly, Edison was influenced by his teacher and the negative remarks of his teacher developed a self-belief in Edison and he discovered an electric bulb. Thus, most of the inventors and scientists are influenced by an external source and external influence when combined with their intellect has transformed their way of thinking.

I was also influenced by an external force and that external force happened to be my teacher. In the beginning of my educational career I was a bit lethargic and non-serious in my studies. Moreover, in my early days I was interested in playing computer games and spent a huge amount of time in playing games. My grades were affected by this and my parents were worried about my non-serious attitude. But, I was interested in the field engineering and becoming an engineer is the aim of my life. My science teacher developed a sense of self-belief in me and he usually says that if I follow my dreams I can achieve anything in my life. My science teacher transformed my entire personality and helped me a lot in achieving my goal.

He helped me a lot in numerous situations and I consider him as my mentor. His approach of teaching was fabulous and he also helped students that were not sure about their careers. I was facing the same situation and in my early times was unaware of what to do in future. But my charismatic teacher through his optimistic approach changed my mentality and I got interested in the studies of engineering. This transformation has helped me a lot in developing a proper path for my future life.

Conclusion

Today, my attitude towards life is completely changed and I am aligned with the aim of my life. I have transformed from a non-serious student to a dedicated student. All the credit goes to my teacher who developed a sense of self-belief in me and helped me out in difficult circumstances. He usually says that Just believe in your self and you can achieve whatever you want. I am entering into professional studies and my attitude towards life is completely changed now. This is all because of an external factor My teacher.

For this assignment, I chose to interact with a friend of mine, who is known to me for many years now. I thought it will help me in two ways. First, I will be able to perform better personality analysis, and second, thanks to the studies Ive undertaken, I will be able to know her still better. Some of the info which I could gather by interviewing my friend is;

Does the interviewee remember information more accurately if he/she observes the behavior being performed or does he/she prefer to read how the behavior is performed?

Yes indeed, the interviewee remembers information more accurately by observing the behavior while some action is being performed. Her inner instinct seems to provide the uncanny ability to judge people while they are busy doing some action. Instead of reading about the action and then analyzing it, she finds it more convenient to record all the details of the behavior while watching it happen.

Does the interviewee prefer studying in a library, or at home where there are background noises and some distractions?

Though she thinks that the silence of the library helps in better concentration on ones studies, but at the same time, the sense of loneliness inside the library hall, creates a kind of insecurity feeling in her. She appears more of a social person and instead of going to a library, she prefers to study at home surrounded by the normal noises of TV or music while interacting with other family members periodically. She prefers the study sessions interspersed by refreshing interactions with family members.

Has the person you are interviewing taken the Myers-Briggs test? Report the results

Yes, she did undertake the Myers-Briggs test. With the help of around 50 questions, the MBTI test helps in providing relevant information about the personality of the individual. In this case, as well, she was asked to opt for a score ranging from very inaccurate to very accurate in response to questions like I tend to keep working on something until its done; I avoid unnecessary interaction; I focus far more on possibilities than present reality etc. and the results were summarized. The results are of course dependent on the truthfulness of the responses. But I am sure she has been truthful in her responses all through the test. Results of the test are summarized as below;

Her personality, therefore, comes out as ESFJ

Does your interviewee feel these results are accurate? Why or why not?

She feels the results are fairly accurate because I also found her more pronounced in her expressions about her feelings and her curiosity to know more about people around her.

Which experiences does this person feel contributed most to the development of his/her personality?

The experiences of her childhood, particularly the childhood interactions with her mother, seem to have a deep impact on her personality. For example, she grew up in an environment, where elders were not only showered all their love and affection for the children but respecting elders was also considered a solemn duty by the people. She seems to have picked up the threads from there as a way of life. Her helpful and caring nature expresses it all. The elementary things learned from her affectionate mother have shaped her personality.

Does this person feel that he/she is self-monitoring in regards to his/her attitudes? How or How not?

The interviewee felt that self-monitoring affects her attitude. She stated that at times if she observes something going wrong with friends, family members, etc. say, for want of a communication gap or misunderstanding she prefers to keep the matter to herself initially, as she feels spreading it out might further complicate the matters. She opines that in such matters time and patience are the best healing elements. But in cases where expressing oneself becomes crucial like in matters where it comes down to right or wrong, self-monitoring might not come into play.

What does the interviewee feel was the strongest influence on his/her attitudes?

It is said that values are caught, not taught. This statement in a way sums up the learning process of values and ethics. Therefore, the values and attitudes of a personality happen to be the outcome of the influences that a person undergoes during her developing years. In this case, as well, the strongest influence on her attitude is the way she was taught to deal with certain situations and beliefs.

What role does your interviewee feel a persons race, gender, or ethnicity play when forming that persons personality and attitudes?

She feels that we are all fast becoming citizens of a global village, where the distances are no more a hindrance in interacting with each other across the globe. She opined that even the MNCs and other companies have also started realizing this fact and these corporate houses have also initiated efforts to harness this diversity to realize optimum benefits. She states that Diversity not only comes in the form of culture and values, but it also consists of several other visible and non-visible factors, which include personal characteristics such as sex, race, age, background, culture, disability, personality and work-style.

Harnessing these differences is bound to create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, their talents are fully utilized and goals are met. She feels that in principle everyone is entitled to his or her feeling regarding race, gender, or ethnicity provided it doesnt harm anyone. She attributes childhood value education to be a strong influence in shaping the personality or attitude as far as respecting diversity is concerned.

Does this person feel he/she is better at tasks when intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated?

She felt that intrinsic motivation, in general, helps in developing a personality and preparing a long-lasting attitude for doing something constructive. When the desire comes from within instead of someone else pushing us for doing something, there are more chances of getting the work completed within the stipulated time with the requisite amount of perfection needs for the job. The interviewee, therefore, felt that she is better at intrinsic motivation because she is doing something for enjoyment rather than rewards.

She believes that human behavior takes shape from the internal psychological structures called personality, which is instrumental in motivating the person for or against some particular action. Motivational factors arouse a need, propelling a person to channelize her efforts and energies in the direction of fulfilling those needs.

While for a student the need for better marks is aroused by the class teacher to improve the results of the school, class, and the teacher himself; it is the student whose inner voice has a crucial role to play in channelizing the efforts. Her contention is once the intrinsic motivation provides the momentum; the rewards are not far behind. But at the same time, she feels that rewards can be a motivation for a job well done, but certainly not as a demand to perform.

Purpose: This essay shall tell the reader about the most memorable experience I had during a time during my childhood when I was learning how to write. It was one of the most difficult and painful times that I connect with my early attempts of learning my school lessons while at home.

Audience: Through this essay, I hope to reach the parents of children who are about to learn or are already learning how to write. Throughout the essay, I found myself extensively explaining the emotions I was feeling as I struggled to accomplish the task that lay before me.

Format: Narrative and chronological.

Summary: Depicts a fictional account of what happened one Saturday afternoon when my parents had left me with my aunt while they went to work. She was given the task of helping me learn how to write my full name for school as this was part of my prep school writing homework.

Learning To Write

That Saturday morning began just like any other for me. I woke up around 10 AM. to the smell of my mother cooking my favorite breakfast. She called the pancake surrounded b strawberry slices all around, and topped with 3 blueberries in the form of eyes and a nose, sprinkled with maple syrup in the shape of combed hair Happy Cakes. It was a treat I got every Saturday morning because of all the hard work I put into my school work all week.

Schoolwork that week included writing classes. My class was already finished learning the basic shapes that created the letters in the American alphabet and we were now being taught how to write our names in print. I was still struggling with my writing skills at the time because I was a left handed child being forced to use my right hand for my activities. Mom knew about my problems and empathized with my plight. I had no problem writing my name with my left hand but my teacher had called her in and insisted that something was wrong with me because I could not write with my right hand. I was not normal in her opinion and I had to be re-educated by my mom to use only my right hand. After all, the world is a right hand dominated place.

Hey there Nippy! my dad kissed me on the head before taking his seat at the breakfast table. Hows my little angel doing today?

Happy face cake day daddy! I greeted him as I dunked the pancake that was on the tip of my fork into my glass of chocolate milk.

Mom put down a plate of ordinary pancakes and syrup infront of him before turning to speak to me.

Daddy and I have to go to work today sweetie. So Auntie Gene will come stay with you until we get home. 

I felt a cold sweat come over me when I heard my mother utter the name. Even though Auntie Gene was my moms sister and I should love her, I feared her because she was a real meanie when it came to kids. Maybe because she was a spinster who was disgruntled with her life. Maybe she really could not stand kids. I wished my mom would have left me at day care instead that day.

She arrived soon after I had finished my breakfast and mom and dad were just about ready to head out the door. A towering and imposing figure of an elderly woman, she looked like she was ready to bark at me like a mad dog.

He has to learn to write his name with his right hand sis. Make sure he practices and hopefully, is able to write with the hand by the time we get home. If you need to reach us, our cellphone number is posted in the fridge. There are pencils and lots of scratch paper in the work table in the kitchen. We will be home by six. mom instructed Aunt Gene as she and dad walked off the porch and into the car that was in the driveway.

Mommy dont go! I hugged my moms legs as I begged her to not leave me with the old meanie.

Auntie will take good care of you care bear. Mom tried to reassure me as she untangled my arms from her legs. We will be home before you know it.

Try not to be mean to my kid ok? He is only a child. she pleaded with her sister. You know I would not have asked you if we could afford day care.

We stood there waving at the car as they pulled away. I ran into the house and up into my room. My mind was telling me that I would be safe in my room. But when I heard the booming voice downstairs, I knew I had to come down and follow orders. The last thing I wanted was to make Aunt Gene mad.

She had the pencils and stack of paper all set up on the dining table when I reached the kitchen. Get to work! she barked at me. Dont bother me now. I am going to watch my soap. Do not let me catch you using your left hand or else. I swear I thought fire would come out like a torch through her nostrils.

Yes auntie. I replied meekly. I turned to the writing materials and began to work. I heard the TV go on in the next room. If I was lucky, she would not come back in till lunch.

I tried writing with my right hand for as long as I could but the letters just did not come out right. Nothing looked the way it was supposed to and I was afraid of what would happen if the old meanie was not pleased with what I produced. She managed to creep up behind me and look over my shoulder as I struggled to control the pencil in my hand.

What in the blazes is that! she stole the paper from under my pen and shook it at my face. You call that writing? What are you an imbecile?

She parked herself on the seat next to my right hand and took a painful grip of my hand. This is how you write the letter B! She shouted into my ear as the blood flow to my hand got cut off while she guided me in the motion of writing the letter. Your mother is a useless idiot if she cant even teach you how to write.

The berating guidance continued for over an hour. I was gripped with fear all the time as I recall. I wanted my mothers soothing and loving voice throughout the whole ordeal. However, Aunt Gene must have been doing something right. After an hour of her holding my hand as I traced over the capitalized and small letters she had written in her own hand, My right had seemed to finally learn what to do. Slowly, she relaxed her grip on my hand and hovered like an eagle ready to attack if I lost control. She even had me eating lunch as I wrote. She refused to let me rest from my lessons and kept adding words for me to learn to write with my right hand. Eventually, I noticed that writing seemed to finally come as naturally to my right hand as it did my left hand.

By the time mom and dad got home, I could write more than just my name with my right hand.

Mom! Dad ! Look! I called out to them when they walked into the kitchen that night. I picked up the pencil and wrote out all the words that I learned that day. Using my right hand. Aunt Gene looked upon me with pride in her eyes. Somehow, I think that was her way of showing me that she loved me. She never did know how to show emotion.

So, as much as I hated Aunt Gene for being mean to me all the time I knew her, I owe her for threatening my right hand into learning how to write. She is the reason why I am ambidextrous at present.

Sexual intercourse that people engage in before marriage is called premarital sex. The term is mostly referred to while referencing young people who are grown up and matured adults and who will have the inclination to get married, but prefer to engage in sexual activities before they get married. Different, cultures and countries look at premarital sex in different ways depending upon their prevailing views whether such acts can be viewed as being moral and acceptable by society. Some cultures have no issues with the practice and consider pre-marital sex an optional activity that is engaged in by adults with the consent of each other. There are several cultures that entirely disapprove of premarital sex and view the practice as entirely immoral.

The issue of whether premarital sex should be acceptable or not has now become a matter of intense debate. Teenagers and couples that are planning to get married have to make a decision whether to go ahead with sex before marriage. A loving relationship often heads towards this direction and if the culture of a country is liberal, premarital sex is taken as a natural phenomenon. From a positive angle, premarital sex becomes a matter of pleasure and the satisfaction of sexual desires when it is accepted by ones peers. If viewed negatively, the practice is seen as immoral and brings in feelings of guilt and the apprehension of pregnancy and contracting of sexual diseases (Bell, 1967).

A major consideration while debating the issue of premarital sex is the question of safety. It is known that almost half the HIV-positive people in the world are between the age of 15 and 24. Most of the people who indulge in premarital sex do not care about its emotional consequences. Sex is the most powerful instinct of human beings and is more of an emotional experience since it influences our lives in manners that we usually do not comprehend. Once a couple engages in premarital sex there are chances that they will have feelings of embarrassment, mistrust, anger, disrespect, worry, and guilt. Thinking of sex as a natural activity and as a gift of God, one is bound to realize the love of God in making the activity pure and a means to experience love and emotions. Surely God does not want that humans should suffer from unwarranted emotional pain.

Sex is undoubtedly exciting and full of pleasure because God has devised it in this way. The Bible talks about sex being planned by God for married people to get pleasure and stimulation from sexual relationships. The Bible views premarital sex as adultery and ordains that all those who indulge in premarital sex will have to face the Day of Judgment. Although God provided for sex to be full of excitement, pleasure, and fun, it is clear that sexual activity is confined only within the institution of marriage (Ericksen et al, 1999).

The question then arises as to why such restrictions have been imposed in the religious texts in regard to premarital sexual relationships. In Gods viewpoint, sex is not to be understood as a means of entertainment but for reproduction whereby married couples can have a healthy relationship and create offspring. God does not permit premarital sex so as to prevent pregnancies that are unwanted and which pave way for the indulgence of other immoral activities such as abortions. In the modern world, opponents of premarital sex proclaim that if sex is limited between married couples there will be no sexually transmitted infections, no unmarried mothers, no undesired pregnancies, and no abortions.

References

1. Bell Robert R, Premarital Sex in a Changing Society, 1967, Prentice Hall
2. Ericksen Julia, Steffen Sally, Kiss and Tell: Surveying Sex in the Twentieth Century, 1999, Harvard University Press

When involved in basic personal grooming, many people dont give much thought to the tools they use. They simply grab the tool they need at the moment without considering those elements that make it the perfect tool for the task. However, imagine an alien race came to earth and began asking questions about why some of the things on the vanity table are there, particularly when they seem to serve the same function. Although the comb and the brush are both tools used to straighten the hair on a humans head, they are each used for different reasons making it very likely that they will be found together.

The comb and the brush have many characteristics in common. This begins with their primary function of tidying the appearance of human hair. Both tools are intended to be held in the hand and, so far, neither has been equipped with an automatic function that reduces the humans need to move. Both the comb and the brush consist of a unifying substructure of some kind from which small, stick-like appendages protrude in some form of pattern. These patterns can vary depending on the specific tool as some combs contain a very fine mesh of these appendages and others are very open. The same can be said of brushes. In both cases, the difference in pattern is designed to provide the user with different effects in the styling of their hair or to work in greater harmony with the texture of their hair. In addition, the materials these tools are made of can be very different, ranging from hard plastics to natural fibers and these will again produce different results.

Although brushes and combs come in vastly different shapes, sizes, colors, patterns, etc., there are some specific characteristics of each of these tools that mark them as specifically a comb or a brush. This begins with the words used to describe them. While the comb may be fine-toothed or have a wide enough pattern to be called a pick, the brush always has bristles whether they are widely spaced or closely packed. The comb is limited in its shape to a relatively flat design with all of the teeth facing the same direction and lined up neatly in a row along the spine. The brush, however, has discovered a very wide range of shapes from almost flat to completely round. Although the teeth on the comb must be largely inflexible, brushes can range from very soft animal-hair bristles to very hard steel ones. Each of these differences produce different effects on the hair being treated as already mentioned, but again brushes and combs are used for different reasons as well. Combs are intended to help the user sort out their hair to a very fine degree when needed or to simply move strands of hair to their appropriate place on the head. They are used for fine precision in hair-styling. Brushes, on the other hand, are used as a less painful means of sorting out the greatest of the tangles in long hair, to quickly tidy blown hair or to more freely distribute natural oils produced by the body along the strands of hair to keep them healthier longer.

There are so many different styles and shapes of combs and brushes that it might be difficult for an alien to recognize them all as being within the same tool classification, but there are some similarities between the tools used to style hair that can help with identification and some differences that will help with classification. Both tools have similar functions and are intended for the same feature of the body and both have a variety of shapes intended to match the needs of its user, but they are not the same. Combs are generally flat with a single line of teeth intended for fine styling while brushes come in many different shapes with numerous bristle patterns that are used for more general styling and for overall hair health.

As a responsible citizen of the United States of America, I am associated with several groups including the US Army National Guard, Future Homemakers of America (FHA), and the Disabled Veterans of America.

My association with these groups has facilitated not only my personal but also my professional development, through the course of life. Being a Baptist, I have been raised with strict values regarding service to the country and humanity, and through my associations with these groups, I have been able to develop my sense of self-service, not only to my country but to my fellow citizens as well. This paper aims to analyze my association with some of the social groups operating in the United States and how my association with these groups has contributed positively to my personal and professional development.

The United States Army National Guard is a large unit divided and stationed in the fifty states and territories of America which operates under several governors. Being a part of it has made me a highly responsible and focussed individual and has made me aware of the importance of alertness and defense in the upkeep of the safety and security of my homeland, America. The Army National Guards of the U.S. have to be mentally and physically prepared to answer any call for duty when called upon by the governors of state or even the territorial general commanders to selflessly help and aid their nation in difficult times of war and calamities such as domestic emergencies or even natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.

Association to the Army National Guard group provides me with a sense of social accomplishment arising due to the fact that as a responsible member and citizen of my country, I have the pride of serving my government in the best possible manner I can. The social accomplishment arises from the fact that I have the ability and power to aid my fellow countrymen when they need me the most, rather than watching the daily news like a helpless spectator.

My association with the organization Future Homemakers of America has been an added advantage to my personal life due to the sense of accomplishment it provides, by virtue of the assistance one can provide to co-citizens. Future Homemakers of America is a member student organization that comprises as many as 220,000 volunteers, founded in 1945 primarily to help and support girls and young females to prepare to be future housewives (Gahr, 1999).

The organization initially helped educate young girls to study the art of cooking, sewing, and other homely tasks, however, the recent curriculum includes knowledge and information about current evils as well, including sexually transmitted diseases and the art of balancing family and work life. The program now includes several activities such as watching educational movies for the purpose of boosting self-esteem and learning certain crucial aspects of life, which would otherwise be difficult and impossible for them to learn given their normal circumstance and situations (Gahr, 1999). The institution is thus involved in the economics of home to young females who do not have the family background or guidance to learn about the crucial aspects of efficiently running a home and domestic affairs.

My involvement with the institution has made me aware of home dynamics and the fact that maintaining a good home is an extremely vital aspect of life, reflecting the efficiency of an individual. Home management techniques have made me aware of the significance of a well-kept home. The home is a reflection of ones taste, style, and manner of living, and if a house is optimally looked after and left uncluttered, it can become a heavenly inviting abode which the family can look forward to. If a home is unkempt, dirty and disorganized, it does not provide the necessary peace and harmony which is necessary to face life and its numerous challenges. Needless to say, the institution has enlightened me regarding the implications of maintain and running a good home.

Finally, I would like to mention my association to the organization, Disabled Veterans of America which is also a volunteer organization, in tandem with social service and service to humanity as an essential and core aspect of American culture and tradition. Attachment to this institution provides me with a sense of belonging and accomplishment which is initiated through the several activities and programs conducted by the organization.

With a membership of about 2 million volunteers, working selflessly without any hopes or expectations of profit, the organization serves a crucial purpose in my life and has made me aware of the value to selfless service to humanity (Disabled American Veterans, Online)

Watching and reading the efforts of the several of its members, the organization has been a vital contributor to my social, personal and professional growth and development, making me a thankful and content person and firming my belief in God. I have realized that I have been blessed by the Lord due to the life I live and all the luxuries which I enjoy, including the love of parents, family and friends to support me in times of needs. Needless to say, my contribution to all of the above mentioned organizations have shaped my personality in a rather positive manner by making me a better individual, personally as well as professionally.

References

Disabled American Veterans. Web.

Gahr, Evan. (1999) Former Homemakers Of America. The American Enterprise 10.5 : 13.

Emotions are a very important aspect of human life. All human beings experience emotions in their lives because of different reasons and in different circumstances.

Emotions are very unique to human life and can be used as the basis of the difference between human beings and other primates on the planet earth. Emotions have important meaning to human beings depending on the context in which they are applied. Both positive and negative emotions tend to affect human life. As emotions continue affecting human life, people have engaged themselves in studies that try to search for the beginning of emotions in the society and the development process emotion have gone through to the current state. This also includes how people in society have undergone developments into better managers of their emotions.

Emotions in American society have a long-standing history starting from pre-modern colonial America. Emotions have since that time been part of human daily life. This has been observed at home, at the workplace, on the streets, and in other places that people interact. Different authors have adopted different approaches in their effort to provide answers to the history and origin of emotions such as anger, happiness, joy, envy, and many others. Anger is one of the ways people express their emotions. In society, many things spark anger. One of the things is oppression and unfairness in dealings. During the colonial times, American society was being oppressed by their colonial masters. Mistreatments were a very common phenomenon that led to anger in protest of such happenings. On the other hand, the British colonizers were also angered when the Americans were trying to rise against oppression. All human beings have to struggle to keep their anger at low levels to prevent the consequences it can have on their lives and those they are against.

People, therefore, adopt mechanisms of controlling their emotions for the sake of leaving in peace and harmony with friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Carol and Stearns (p214 )the book Anger: The Struggle for Emotional Control in Americas History, indicates that the need to keep the lid on anger has the most persistent motif in the emotional reconstruction of the American personality that has been taking place in the past two centuries. This sentiment indeed illustrates that emotions are a very essential aspect of human life in the sense that they shape personality. The personality of Americans has been under construction for the past two centuries and emotions have played a very significant role in this process. In their history with emotions, Americans have become people who can manage their anger and emotions in their current state. This process of personality development can also be viewed in terms of emotional development. This article is emphatic of the fact that the current emotional situations in Americans have a long history that was characterized by anger and other undesirable components. Americans as a result of their emotional development, are people who can easily suppress anger and avert the bad repercussions that are associated with the vice.

American society has had a long history of controlling anger. This book is relevant in the way it has utilized a wide selection of sources to make the point on emotional control anger. The book has sourced from psychology, psychiatry, and other important social sciences. All this has been in an effort to explain to the world how Americans have achieved success in emotional development and control of anger. They have sought biological explanations for the phenomenon of anger in human beings. This has really been of advantage to their argument because of the factual evidence that biology provides to support the existence and control of anger. They write that anger is biologically programmed within us to help us to appropriately respond to outside stimuli that may be noxious. (p238) This biological; background explains the origin of anger from within the bodys sensory system and how it is managed and controlled using appropriate body mechanisms.

This source provided a better theoretical framework from which historians could study the evolution of emotions in American society. From this basis, other assumptions and theories concerning human emotion could be brought. This particular source is important in identifying the beginning of anger suppression in the Americans. This has been indicated by the book to have been around the early 1800. The study of emotionology gained momentum in the 1830s with Americans discovering much about their emotional life and the need to control their anger. Many factors contributed to this emotional development. First of all the book cites democracy as one of the courses. For the spirit of democracy to be spread and used effectively, there was the need for Americans to control their anger and tolerance.

The beginning of anger control has been indicted by the source to have been the family unit. It has been argued that the family as a unit has been associated with emotions of anger since time immemorial. People start expressing anger to their wives, husbands, or children before moving out to the streets or at the workplace. The family was an important unit that had to be anger-free. Most people in America started controlling their anger from the family level.

Fitzpatrick in the book Happiness and Toska, manages to bring out several aspects of emotions in the people who were living in the Prewar Soviet Union. Two components of emotions have been addressed in the article. Emphasis has been given to the emotions of the Soviets in terms of enthusiasm and anger that was directed towards the enemies. There also existed widespread emotions of fear, malice, and individual happiness. All these aspects of the Soviet people demonstrated how their lives were shaped and influenced by emotions. Emotions were caused by politics which meant a lot to some people in the country.

Fitzpatrick is categorical in the identification of happiness and grief in the article. The causes and effects of happiness and grief have been mentioned in the article. Human life in the Soviet was characterized by grief and happiness just like the case is in society today. The changes that took place as people experienced grief and happiness have a lot of contribution to the study of emotions. The existence of many states of grief and happiness has also been well taken care of by the author. Such expressions make it possible for the emotional aspect of the people to be well studied.

The aspects of emotions were found in the political environment. This has also been adequately addressed by the author. The approach adopted by the author of this article necessitated the gathering of enough information to shade more light on the emotional state of affairs in the country at that time. Fitzpatrick explains the events such as war that led to the expression of grief. The people were not used to grief but with the experiences and the stories that were told the expression of grief was manifested. The article brings out the existence of general and individual happiness. That in the 1930s individual happiness had faded away because of a number of reasons. Private happiness was something common in the rich families as the poor could not afford it due to the prevailing conditions after the war which subjected most people to grief as they counted their losses.

When compared to Carol and Peter Stearns, this article is limited in its source of information since it does not tackle well the history of emotions. Only the state of affairs during the time has been illustrated in the article. A good example is a biological component that is missing in the explanation of emotions by Fitzpatrick.

The author fails to mention how happiness was not evident amongst the people despite the losses and other consequences of war. This should have been handled well to inform people of sources of happiness especially after the war was concluded. Theoretically, this article chooses to ignore the existence of other expressions of emotions such as joy and love. There is an assumption that people were not undergoing these emotions as a result of the repercussions of the war. The paper further assumes that the achievement of collective happiness was easier than the achievement of individual happiness. Besides the shortcomings, the article has managed to provide information on the existence and development of the different facets of emotions in the country as the people continued to suffer from the colonialists.

Christina Kotchemidova in her article introduces the concept of emotionology in the history of emotions. It is because each society has to come up with rules or norms that govern the conduct of its people as they express their emotions. The issue of feeling rules is advanced by her from a theoretical approach and it highlights the existence of peace and harmony in the society as a result of the norms that are associated with emotions.

The use of exceptional circumstances to advance arguments on the existence of emotions has been tackled by Edward John Harcourt. In the book The whipping of Richard Moore: Reading Emotion in Reconstruction America, as early as 1866 there was evidence of emotions. The case of the former slave was an account of how emotions featured in the reconstruction process in the country. Political violence was a common phenomenon that was used by the perpetrators of racism and discrimination against racial minority groups. It was therefore a very important aspect of reconstruction and the emotional aspect of the people. A reminder of suffering like the unfortunate events Richard Moore had to be subjected to that shaped the emotions at those early times.

This author manages to bring out the issue of personal emotions unlike in the other articles which have focused on generalized emotions like happiness in society. However, the approach taken by the author fails to look at the causative factors responsible for the existing emotional states of people in society at that time. In the book, it has been indicated that the discrimination against the black minority groups in the elections at that time was an illustration of the negative impact such events affected the reconstruction process of American society.

The article on Whipping of Richard Moore looks at the bigger picture of the events happening during that time. It is through such a scenario that it can view the situation of emotions from a wider perspective. The case of Moore is viewed from his position and also forms the position of his assailants. This approach enables the author to reveal a lot concerning the cause of emotions when discrimination and violence dominated society. Emotions could easily be sparked with such episodes directed to individuals just because of their racial backgrounds. This brings out the uniqueness in this style of the author unlike in the other sources where things have been looked at only from one angle. This particular source also identifies the weaknesses in the process of compiling information concerning the whipping of Richard Moore. The way the commentary on the story plus the incident itself brings out a clear picture of a compound work that has been done to uncover some truths about the state of emotions.

The author notes that the present condition of things in the state is too bad to be endured.. (Harcourt, p271) This presents the readers with more evidence that the prevailing political situation was to be blamed for the emotions that people were going through that really affected their welfare. On this note, it can be argued that the author has been categorical in mentioning the causative agent that had led to emotions of anger in the people of one nation against themselves. This is unlike in the other articles where anger had been directed to people of a different country who were the colonizers. Feelings of emotions have also been demonstrated by the media during that time. According to the article, the media were expressing their emotions towards the story of Moore because they were loyalists. This has been depicted in their empathy as they recorded his story in the newspapers. This further demonstrates the role the society played at that time in influencing the emotions of people especially those who were affected by racism and discrimination by the Ku Klux.

Although politically driven violence has been incorporated into the social and political life at that time, it is important to note that the subject of emotions has been handled with the traditional set of methodologies that do not adequately utilize the emotion logical contexts that inform the readers of the violence and reconstruction process.

Susan J Matt in the book Childrens Envy and the Emergence of the Modern Consumer Ethics, 1890-1930 has been fundamental in explaining and origin of envy as an emotion in children who were born during that particular time. This source is quite unique in the way it explores matters of consumer behavior and how they played a significant role in influencing emotional aspects, especially in children. The effect of consumer behavior started being felt on social life in the late 18^th century and the early times of 19^th century as noted in this source. According to this source, most researchers in the 1920s dwelt on the investigation into the issues of children and how their emotional life was influenced by the environment that was full of consumerism.

The change in the way children managed envy has been indicated in the essay and how it impacted the consumer economy in the 1930s. Indeed it is vital to mention that envy as an emotional aspect of humans has been explored by this source. The author describes the origin and nature of envy from a sociological perspective.

The book explains how society thought that it was necessary to teach children to develop well emotionally through material things like toys. This was a major step in life as it trained children towards cooperation than competition in society. This significant shift in emotional training can be said to have contributed to change for the better in the 19^th century.

It was important that for envious children to be more productive adults in the future, they had to be trained on how to conquer their envy. The book mentions keep in mind that a jealous child will be a jealous adult, an individual who will constantly be resenting his friends success, who works poorly with others. (Susan, p295) This book has been instrumental in demonstrating how the adults trained the young ones into becoming responsible adults in the future who are capable of controlling their envy and appreciating other peoples success. This was specifically undertaken to believe that the society would better be empowered through cooperation and hard work by everyone than with competition and envy against one another.

This has not been well brought out in the approaches taken by the other sources in the attempt to explain the history of emotions.

The books have left some questions unanswered concerning how people have transformed their management of emotional-related problems like stress and grief.

Most people agree to the fact that these emotional issues have become prevalent in life and have shaped the historical development of emotions in human life. They should therefore not be left behind when accounting for emotional development in both children and adults.

Future authorship on the history of emotions should focus on issues of courtship and marriage that have continued to be common and changes in human life and specifically in the modern world. Emotional problems like suicide would also be an interesting area to be explored by future authors as they would provide answers to some questions that so many people cannot explain about suicide tendencies especially in the youths. The impact of social interactions and religion is also an area that needs to be explored because they also account for the emotional transformation society has gone through. If well tackled by future authors, the aspects of all the aspects of human life would be looked at from a holistic approach and would facilitate the study of emotions and their history in society.

Articles Reviewed

Carol and Peter Stearns, Anger: The Struggle for Emotional Control in Americas History (syllabus) Christina Kotchemidova, From Good Cheer to Drive-By Smiling: A Social History of Cheerfulness.

Sheila Fitzpatrick, (2004) Happiness and Toska: An Essay in the History of Emotions in Pre-war Soviet Russia.

Edward John Harcourt, (2002) The Whipping of Richard Moore: Reading Emotion in Reconstruction America.

Susan J. Matt, (2002) Childrens Envy and the Emergence of the Modern Consumer Ethic, 1890-1930.

Sexual relations are very important in the modern world. Television is one of the main spreaders of sexual ideas in society, and children are not protected from this information and influence. Childrens consciousness is rather specific, and the information they percept should be adapted to their minds. In the light of this fact, teaching children about sexuality should be provided, and the starting point of this education should be childrens home.

Parents should be the main educators in the topic of sexual education of their children, and they should answer questions directly, clearly, and easily understood for the childs age in order if the child has problems in future he/she will be able to turn to his/her parents. In the opposite case, parents risk that the child will get the awry information in the streets, at school, in friends circle.

The modern world is full of such dangers as AIDS and other diseases which are inherited through the genital tracts, and also sexual importunity to the children from the side of adults. It is important that a child can understand the structure of his/her body and physiological changes, which wait for him/her in the future, since early years. The child should know that it is a crime when somebody wants to touch his/her genital organs, and if the child feels uncomfortable when he/she is touched, help should be called from the side of other adults. So, it is crucially important that child can trust their parents in order to come for help to them if something bothers them or they have some doubts.

Children should be told about the fact how they appeared not later than six years old. Not later than being 9, they should know how children are made and what role mother and father play in their creation. Beginning with this age, parents should tell children about other aspects of pubescence, such as menstruation and erection. When the child is 12  15, parents should tell the child about sexuality and about the peculiarities of sexual relations between genders, paying special attention to such fundamental notions as love, tenderness, and feelings.

The most difficult in the conversation is its beginning. Ideally, the conversation should be led in a free and easy manner, sincerely and naturally. There are a lot of books which may help to start the conversation if there are no ideas of your own how to do it. A great idea would be to look through such a book together with the child. Such practice is very useful, as the child may ask questions that are interesting for him without searching for appropriate words.

It is crucial to remember that sexual education is one of the parts of the whole process of childrens upbringing, so this theme should not be left for later. There is a necessity to give such information in several stages, without extra hurry. Sometime later, parents will have to tell their children about contraception (in order to avoid unexpected pregnancy and diseases which are inherited through the genital tracts) and which is the most appropriate to this very child.

So, children should be taught sexuality from their very childhood, and it is crucial that his/her education is provided by their parents as street and friends give rather awry information about sex and adult sexual life. The wise structured conversation may avoid huge problems in the future considering unexpected pregnancy and serious infectious diseases which are inherited through the genital tracts.

Due to the rising cost of living and the loss of small town jobs and businesses, there has been a move by some sectors of the government to merge small towns with their bigger counterparts in the main cities of various states. Although this decision sounds wise from a financial perspective, it is also a bad decision as it signifies the end of an era of American living. So, as this era draws to a close, I thought it would be only fitting to look back on the cause and effect of life in rural or small town America.

To begin with, the population of a small town can sometimes peak at the same number of children of attending a city public school. With a population of about 50 to 150 thousand, the tendency of people is to become familiar with their neighbors on a full name basis. Although small town living is not as idyllic in real life as it is portrayed on television, it serves to give its residents a sense of belonging and family as most of the population grow up, marry, and age, within the same vicinity.

Basic services at this level of community tends to be on the bare bones level as medical centers and university hospitals are nowhere to be found. In its place is the limited bed family clinic with the town doctor who still does house calls and knows his patients names and health conditions by heart. Those who live in the somewhat larger towns end up absorbing the more serious cases from the small towns as they have the higher end capabilities to deal with more types of illnesses.

Small town America is a place where change comes slowly or not at all. This is the reason why the tendency of such types of towns is to either be merged within larger towns or, become deserted as the members of the population, who sense a need to take action in order to change things in their lives, move away to the bigger cities for better life opportunities.

The tendency of small towns is to survive mostly as farming communities. This is a mode of work that is more often than not, handed down from generation to generation. But, as the generations progress and various changes occur within society, the small town residents, whose farming tradition helps keep food on the table of mainstream America, tend to recognize the importance for the various changes and in some ways, change the way small town America functions as well.

But perhaps the biggest reason as to why some people opt for small town living and move there, or why some people choose to stay as residents in the small town they were born in comes down to how they want to raise their families. Small town living offers the residents a safe, quiet, and closely knit community where there is very little intrigue and the neighbors pretty much mind their own business unless somebody elses business directly affects their lifestyle.

Small town living is an adventuruous way of life for those who live it. Being closer to nature, they tend to become more observant and highly introspective of the things happening around them. They can take the time to actually smell the flowers and enjoy the invigorating colors of spring as the slow lifestyle allows them to enjoy life to its fullest, the way that nature intended all of us to.

Small town living is not for everyone. However, it is an excellent choice to make if one is considering a lifestyle change. It is that break from city life that everyone needs to recharge their batteries once in a while. Overall, I would not say that there are any existing negative causes and effects of small town living.

There is a set of grandparenting roles a person who is getting ready to fulfilling this function has to know, as they can bright about a huge emotional, intellectual, moral and education contribution in the development of a child during his or her life way. According to the opinion of Arthur Kornhaber (2002), there are the following roles a grandparent may implement in communication with a grandchild: ancestor, buddy, hero, historian, mentor, nurturer, spiritual guide, teacher and student, and wizard.

The way they are implemented in a specific set of ways and have a set of functions they are targeted at. Some of them offer the emotional connection of a grandparent and a grandchild; others have an intellectual and informative coloring, introducing the grandparents experience to the child and making him more intelligent and knowledgeable about different phenomena, events, and processes in the world. For this reason, a grandparent has to choose the role he or she considers appropriate for achieving the stipulated goals for the interaction.

Another variable influencing the choice of roles is the type of relations between the grandparent and the grandchild that have been established because of a combination of factors and the life situation in the family. Grandparents may fulfill their roles on a full-time or part-time basis, they may be step-grandparents or may raise an adopted child; they may also be long-distance grandparents who see their grandchildren too rarely to fulfill the whole scope of functions and roles they are potentially capable of.

What is necessary to remember is that grandparenting roles are dynamic and the person who exercises them may vary the choice according to the situation. To achieve better educational results and at the same time not to lose emotional contact as well as spiritual closeness the grandparent should always thoroughly think the strategy of applying his or her roles depending on every particular situation.

In order to understand grandparenting roles better, it is necessary to consider each of them separately and in more detail. So, speaking about the first role, the one of an ancestor, it is evident that grandparents exercising this role are initially the givers of experience and knowledge. This role may be applied in the minutes of sharing the life wisdom and explaining some trivial and non-trivial things in life grandchildren do not know yet. In this role the grandparent may tell his or her grandchild the history of their family, make him or her acquainted with family traditions and values, thus making the link between the past and the future and continuing the ancestral line.

The role of a buddy is almost solely emotional and does not have any educational coloring. A grandparent is a friend, a conspirator, and a supporter who may be less demanding and tough than parents, this way ensuring the grandchilds trust and devotion.

A hero is a living example of what a child may become in life under the condition of following certain rules, morals, and principles and being a good, wise person. If grandparents have their own experience to offer and may catch the childs attention, then they may become a wonderful pattern for their grandchildren. A historian is much like an ancestor, but a historian is more detached in his or her informing the child about the past, the times of his or her youth, maturity, and childhood, thus connecting the history with the present ensuring the continuation of the historical process.

The role of the mentor is more formal as the grandparent still has power over the grandchild, though less than parents. A nurturer is a role actually contrary to the one of mentor  if the mentor controls the child and may even reprimand him or her for wrong behavior, then the nurturer is the childs salvation and refuge from a reprimand. Spiritual guides and wizards are a part of a mystery grandparents represent for their grandchildren, so these roles are also mostly emotional. A teacher and a student is the shifting role of a person who may not only teach but may also learn something from life even at the old age.

Thus, every grandparent should be knowledgeable about the roles he or she may exercise in the process of upbringing a grandchild and apply them in different contexts. Under the condition of the correct application of grandparenting roles, every individual may achieve much deeper and broader results than in raising their children.