Post War Europe Essay Example for Free

Post War Europe Essay The World War II refers to the global conflict that took place between 1939 to 1945. Also referred to as the Second World War, the conflict involved many nations, especially the great powers. The conflict had two opposing military alliances, the Axis and the Allies (Hakim, p 8). This war has been considered as one of the most spread war in the world history since it involved the mobilization of more than 100 million military personnel. The Allies alliance during the war was made up of countries that opposed the Axis powers. The Big Three† or the three major nations that led the Allied Alliance were the United States of America, Britain, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. Other nations that were part of the Allied Alliance included China, France, Poland, Australia, Canada, and South Africa. The Axis Alliance opposed the Allies, and it was led by three major Axis powers. These powers were; Germany, Italy and Japan. These three countries in September 1940 had signed a Tripartite Pact upon which the Axis Alliance was founded. Other nations that were part of the Axis Alliance included; Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Some the Axis co- belligerents included; Finland, India, Vietnam, and Iraq. The state of total war as a result of this conflict had the major nations that were involved use their scientific, industrial, and economic capabilities in order to develop weapons or plan military strategies that would maximize their probability of winning the war (Russell, p 15). It is estimated that over 70 million people were killed, with the majority being civilians. This made the war one of the deadliest human conflict to ever occur. The war began in 1939, and was triggered by the Germany’s invasion of Poland. This later led to the France, United Kingdom, and the United States declaration of war on Germany. Some of the well known events that occurred during the Second World War include; the Operation Barbararossa, Pearl Harbour attack and the Marco Polo Bridge incident. The war ended in 1945 and had the United States and the Soviet Union turn out to be the superpowers. The World War II broke out in Europe after Hitler led the Axis Alliance by first invading Poland. There were several major effects of Second World II on Germany and Europe.  In this paper, these effects will be discussed. Major effects of World War II in Germany Germany was one of the leading nations in the Axis Alliance against the Allies during the Second World War. Germany is considered to have developed some of the most sophisticated and most destructive weapons during the war. Together with the cost of military operations, Germany used a great amount of its finances to develop weapons for use during the war. The Nazi Germany which was led by Adolf Hitler invested great amounts of financial resources to cater for the costs of the war. In 1936, Adolph Hitler in his efforts to purchase war materials at low prices imposed price controls on the Germany people. Rationing later followed in 1939. Price controls that were put on food led to food shortages during the war. This led to the people growing their food and doing barter trade with their personal belongings for food. Compensation trade was born during the war; as a result of the wide spread barter trade. Due to the business to business transactions, many business firms hired a person who could barter a firms’ output. The barter trade was inefficient compared to the direct purchase of commodities and services using money. According to a Germany economist Walter Eucken self- sufficiency and barter trade were incompatible. Due to an extensive labor division, Germans’ economic system had been â€Å"reduced to a primitive condition† (Harlett 1978, p. 34). The Germany economy after the war was in shambles. In the housing sector, Adolph- Hitler scorched – earth policy together with the war had affected about 20 per cent of the housing. Germanys’ economic hardship had the food production per capita from 1938 to 1947 reduce by 51 per cent. In addition, the occupying powers had set the food ration between 1040 and 1550 calories per day. As compared to the industrial out put in 1938, Germanys’ out put in 1947 was only a third of the 1938 industrial output. Due to the death of a large number of working -age men during the war, Germany had inadequate labor. The economic hardship had triggered the Germany government to put in place measures that would rejuvenate the country’s’ economy. The government eliminated the price controls that were initially there, while the currency was reformed. This occurred in 1948. Later in 1948 and1949, there was reduction of the marginal tax rates. These measures saw the Germanys’ economy grow rapidly 20 years after the World War II. Germany’s economic problems can also be attributed to the World War I effects. Before the World War I, the German Empire had a prosperous economy. However,after the war,Germany’s economic prosperity was considered to have been ruined by treaties such as the 1919 Treaty of Versallies. The signing of the treaties by Germany together with the World War I effects led to great inflation in the early 1920s. Though Germany’s economy improved after the First World War, the economic problems that characterized this period to some extent came to affect Germany’s economy after the World War II. The first several years in Germany after the World War II were of great economic problems. This resulted from the destruction of property, land, and homes during the war (Klopstock, p 285). Furthermore, many Germans fled from their homes during the war, a situation that made working almost impossible. This reduced the economic productivity of the nation, whose negative effects after the war became evident. In addition to this, the industrial and agricultural production had drastically reduced in Germany. Many millions of people lacked food and clothing as the inflation raged in Germany. Food shortage had become severe and â€Å"each day, and particularly on weekends, vast hordes of people trekked out to the country to barter food from the farmers†(Wallich, p 65). Despite the economic problems that the Germans were experiencing, the political leaders were able to exploit the situation in order to build a very strong economy in future. The economic problems encouraged the German political leaders to focus on the future plans of reviving Germany’s economy. The leaders saw a new beginning in the ruined economy, where the economy was viewed as an instrument of prosperity. The need to have a prosperous economy would then assist the Germans to have a stable society, as well as to safeguard democracy. The leaders sought both the economic prosperity and social peace. A prosperous economy would also make sure that there was equal opportunity for all the German citizens so that eruption of a revolution would be prevented when bitter frustration of the underprivileged social groups was avoided. The reviving of the German economy and â€Å"economic system that had been reduced to a primitive condition† (Hazlett, p 34) due to the economic problems experienced as a result of the World War II became important. The economy was revived through the efforts of some Germans’ post war leaders such as Ludwig Erhard. The currency reforms that were introduced through the efforts of Erhard led to the abolition of the Reichmark and the Deutsche mark introduction. The installation of the new currency began in 1948 led to economic success. Furthermore, Erhard abolished the Nazi and the occupation regulations and rules. This was the beginning of a prosperous and free economy in Germany, which in turn established the foundation of a growing West Germany economy. Apart from the economic problems experienced in Germany, another major effect of the World War II(WWII) in Germany was the division of Germany into two (East and West Germany) for about 40 years. The division occurred in 1949 and ended on October 1990 to reunite the two sides. The three Allied Zones of Occupation were brought together to form West Germany. These three zones were those that were held by France, United Kingdom, and the United States. The two special territories in German’s two states were Berlin and the Saarland. Since the West was democratically organized, it considered itself to have exclusive mandate for all of Germany. The Yalta Conference that was held by the Soviet Union, United States, and the United Kingdom leaders aimed as paving the way forward for future arrangements with the Europe after the World War II. It was during the conference that the leaders decided to split Germany into four occupation Zones. These Zones included; the French Zone, American Zone, British Zone, and the Soviet Zone. West Germany was formed in 1949 and comprised of the Western Allied Zones. The Soviet Zones formed the East Germany, which was also referred to as the Germany Democratic Republic. The West Germany economy grew so rapidly due to the economic aid from the United States and also the Marshall Plan. But more importantly, the currency reforms that were introduced in West Germany strengthened the economy. Both the East and West Germany had mutual recognition of each other and the relation between the two was normalized by treaties such as the Treaty of Warsaw(1970),Basic Treaty(1972) and the Treaty of Moscow(1970). West Germany became cosmopolitan due to the western culture influences while East Germany was conservative. The East Germany adhered to the socialist ideologies, where there was less freedom as compared to West Germany. In addition, the West Germany government was more decentralized and East Germany had a government based on the Communist ideaologies. The reunification of the East and West Germany occurred on 3 October 1990 to form the Federal Republic of Germany, which is the current Germany. The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 to separate the two regions, but it was destroyed in 1989 after the reunification of East and West Germany. The third major effect of the World War II on Germany was the great advancement in technology. This resulted from German’s great technological ability to develop and use highly sophisticated and powerful weapons and industrial technology. Germany is considered to have developed and used some of the most powerful and sophisticated weapons during the World War II. For instance, Germany managed to develop powerful anti-aircraft weaponry, aircraft bombers, bombs, guns, rifles, and chemical weapons. The jet aircrafts which had been developed late during the war were advanced after the World War II. The Navy advancements during the World War II paved way for more technological development in the naval field. The German designs such as the Type VII submarine were used during the World War II, and the technology was later used after the war for greater advancement. For instance, after the division of Germany into West and East Germany, some of the German’s intellectual privileges that were of industrial advantage. The Allies who had control over West Germany confiscated Germans’ intellectual privileges and used them for their own companies. This led to rapid growth in industrialization due to the technology that had been developed by the Germans. Major Effects of World War II on Europe The World War II had so many countries involved, with the majority being from Europe. Examples of European countries that took part in the war included the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Poland. These countries and Europe as a continent experienced some major effects of the World War II. One major effect of the World War II on Europe was economic problems. The World War II had demanded that nations that were involved in the conflict invest their scientific, industrial, and economic capabilities. This required huge amounts of financial resources. Before the war, many European nations had very strong economic abilities. The nations’ economic and population advantage was very essential for success in the war. In addition, the European nations that had major industrial and financial developments included Germany, United Kingdom, and France. Industrial development that had spread across Europe before the war had contributed to great economic development in the European nations. The Industrial Revolution had led to rapid economic growth, which put the European nations at a good position to compete with the United States of America which was then an economic might. The World War II led to the destruction of Europe’s industrial centers and this affected negatively the high production of products or commodities that would be sold to increase economic growth in Europe (Tucker, p 771). The European infrastructure that was greatly destroyed made it hard for the citizens to undertake activities that would contribute to the economic growth. The European countries during the war had continued to increase their spending on developing and producing military weapons. There was construction of strategic road network by some European nations with the aim of increasing their probability of winning the war. The need for synthetic rubber and oil from coal to use during the war promoted great financial investments by the European nations. For instance, Britain’s’ economy was harnessed to the World War II efforts. The destruction of Europe’s infrastructure led to economic problems. The damage of the road and rail networks during the war made it very difficult for the European nations after to move the essential goods from one place to another. The economy was exhausted, a good example being Britain’s economy. For the European countries that were involved in the World War, their economies experienced severe inflation. Though rationing and luxury goods absence in Europe before the war had encouraged people to save, the people were unable to spend their savings since there were no commodities to purchase as would be preferred. The economic hardships in Europe made some European countries to borrow heavily from other nations with a strong economy such as the United States. The economic hiccups in Europe were later followed by economic recovery, where the currency reforms â€Å"quickly reestablished money as the preferred medium of exchange and monetary incentives as the prime mover of economic activity† (Heller, p 215). Another major effect of the World War II on Europe was environmental destruction. The World War II resulted to great environmental destruction. In many cases, any warfare or military conflict has very devastating effects on Europe’s natural environment. Improvements in technology during the war led to the invention of military weapons that were very destructive to the human life as well as the natural ecosystems. For example, the use of powerful and sophisticated bombs in the war destroyed animal and plant life. Furthermore, new chemical components that made up the weapons were released into the environment. This affected the soil fertility and composition, and this made it impossible for land to regain its fertility. The chemical components released from the explosives used in the war made it impossible for some arable land to be productive again. Many parts of Europe that acted as military grounds experienced great environmental degradation. The technological advancements during the World War II were incompatible with environmental preservation. War can never be compatible with the preservation and conservation of the natural environment. The environmental degradation that was occurring during the war was not a bother to the parties that were involved in the war. The military operations, destruction of natural vegetation to build communication lines and roads, and artillery shelling destroyed the environment. The new and effective ways military strategies that were used by the different nations’ forces to attack the enemies or defending themselves from the enemies increased environmental destruction. Long after the war ended, Europe’s natural environment has not yet recovered from the destruction it experienced during the war. In the era of technological advancement and industrialization, environmental issues seemed to cause very little concern in Europe, hence the effects of the war have proved that the war through technological advancement had become a great environmental threat. The increased use of chemical weapons resulted to long-lived negative effects on the environment. The waste disposal practices during and after the war in Europe resulted to â€Å"significant contamination of soils and ground water with high explosives† (Pennington et al, p 163). For example, the use of high explosives has made the recovery of the environment from destruction in Europe almost impossible. Consequently, the environment has become a health hazard to the people with the land mines that are still trapped in the soil/lands making some parts of the Europe land inhabitable. The areas were turned into waste land. Great technological advancements were another major effect of the World War II was witnessed in Europe. These changes that were witnessed were as a result of the nations that took part in the war struggle to invent and use better and powerful military weapons than their rivals. The technological development during and after the First World War promoted more advancements after the World War I . This is because, the improvements made after the World War II were an improvement on those that had earlier been invented. The inventions were considered as very critical when it came to winning the war, and this promoted technological inventions that were very instrumental to the economic development of many European nations after the war. The use of radio’s and electricity became possible due to the technological development witnessed during the wars. Research that had been intensively done by the Allies and the Axis with the aim of outdoing each other’s weapons became very important to more inventions after the war. The technological innovations of the war paved way for the naval technological development witnessed up to date. For instance, the introduction of aircraft receivers and radio communication systems during the war led to more development in naval industry long after the war. The technological advancement became a very vital requirement for survival during the war no doubt led to greater inventions after the war in Europe. Conclusion The World War II has been considered as one of the most devastating conflict to ever occur. This is due to the high number of people who were killed during the war. The various nations that were involved in the conflict invested greatly to the war efforts through finances and scientific inventions. Germany was one of the major players in the conflict and it proved to have great ability to develop and use powerful weapons against its enemies. The major effects of the war were both positive and negative. While some effects have been devastating to the people and the natural environment, others have brought about development in various fields of economic growth

Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie

Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams is a short play that uses a large variety of symbolization throughout to describe the emotional, physical and social state of each of its characters. Laura is a very fragile young woman that lives in a lower class, shabby apartment with her older brother Tom, and her eccentric mother Amanda. Laura feels as though she is an outcast in contrast to the rest of the world. Among the many recurrent themes of this play the fragility is shown in a little unicorn that safely exists within a glass menagerie. There are other less prominent symbols such as the colors of a rainbow, blue roses, and the exit, and entrance to the apartment. Lauras glass menagerie is an important symbol. Laura does not want to be involved with the world outside this â€Å"dark, grim† apartment that she lives in with her mother, a â€Å"proud, vivacious woman, Amanda,† and her brother â€Å"Tom, an aspiring poet, and shoe warehouseman.† (ebscohost.com). She prefers the comfort of her â€Å"transparent glass animals† (478). Laura would rather spend time with her tiny glass horses and unicorn figurine, listening to her old records. She would prefer to do this all day rather than having any contact with other people. One of the clearest symbolic uses of the glass figurines happens at a point in the story when Laura and Jim are left by themselves. Laura makes the statement â€Å"You should always take good care of your glass.† (510) Again, we see the symbolism of the glass unicorn and the fragility of Laura. Laura is very shy and innocent, very much like the glass figurines she cleans throughout the day. All though it is very fragile, much like Laura herself, the glass shines and glistens, magnifying many colors of the rainbow in the light. The glass unicorn is obviously the most symbolic of Laura! Reading between the lines as Jim and Laura are talking, it is easy to see that the unicorn represents Lauras unusually different, delicate, and uncomfortablenss in the normal world. Jim makes the statement. â€Å"Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome†. It is obvious that Laura has felt lonesome most of her life, and Laura replies â€Å"the unicorn sits on a shelf with some normal horses that do not have any horns, and they all seem to get along nicely together.† (p512) During Jim and Lauras short romantic encounter, for a moment, Laura is feeling more confidence. Its as if she is beginning to feel a little normal like her horses. When Jim accidently knocks the glass unicorn to the floor, and breaks the horn off. â€Å"The unicorn has lost its horn. It doesnt really matter. It may be a blessing in disguise.† Laura states, and â€Å"I will just imagine that it has had some kind of operation.† And â€Å"with the horn removed he may feel less freakish! Now he might feel more like he is one of the horses, the ones without any horns†. (p513) For a moment Laura is happy and uplifted. She begins to smile and feel the tension of uniqueness lifting from her. Jim sees this and starts dancing around with her, and eventually kisses her. All of this gives us the slight impression that Laura may finally be escaping the illusive world in which she has lived for most of her life. Laura is for a moment, starting to feel more accepted, especially from Jim. For a moment she is feeling less conscious about her physical disabilities. She starts to open up just a little bit. Its not long after all of this that Jim tells Laura of his engagement to another woman. Laura is broken. She is broken inside, and no longer feels the same uniqueness that she once felt with the glass unicorn. She looks at Jim, and tells him to take the unicorn. Its as if she has let go of something inside. Past dream like memories of a love that she once had for Jim, have now been lost in the reality of Jims words. Laura has spent many years polishing, and taking care of her glass menagerie, and keeping her unicorn safe from the outside world. But, now it has been exposed, and in turn it has been broken, just as Laura has been broken. The dream of maybe, some day having love from a man, and being normal has now been replaced with a broken heart, and a withdrawn sadness. As the introverted and shy Laura is lost even further in to herself. We begin to see a glimpse of the symbolisms in the use of the rainbow and its colors. But it is less obvious than that of the glass unicorn. The rainbow signifies that there may be some hope in the future. Tom gives Laura a glimpse of hope, â€Å"Laura is overwhelmed with emotions when Tom pulls out the rainbow-colored scarf and tells the story of how a magician changed a bowl of little fish into canaries. Towards the end of the play, Tom reflects on Laura as he gazes at some broken colored glass, and imagines his shattered sister Laura and her broken spirit†.(ebscohost.com). Tom wishes in the symbolic sense that he could blow out the candles of his sisters despair. He also reflects on how Laura would spend hours polishing her glass animals, keeping them safe from the rest of the world. There is sad irony in Tennessee Williams play when you think about the symbolism of the rainbow. Although rainbows seem to be positive, bright, and hopeful signs that a new day is coming soon, there is usually much pain that must be endured before that time, if it ever comes. There is quite an array of symbolism that helps to form the character of Laura. Tennessee Williams uses the color of blue in Jims nickname for Laura. Like the rose, Laura is fragile, and like the color blue, she is shy, innocent, and very sad. Works Cited Fambrough, Preston. Williams The Glass Menagerie. Explicator 63.2 (Winter 2005): 100-102. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Northwestern State U, Watson Lib, Leesville, LA. 17 Mar. 2008 < http://search.ebscohost.com>. Reese, Jennifer. The Glass Menagerie. Entertainment Weekly (28 Apr. 2006): 143-143. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Northwestern State U, Watson Lib., Leesville, LA. 17 Mar. 2008 . Williams, Tennessee. â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† Literature for Composition: Writing Arguments about Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama ed. by Sylvia Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain†¦8th Ed New York. 2007: 499-519.

Theories of Personality Development: An Evaluation

Theories of Personality Development: An Evaluation Introduction On Personality Development The development of personality across individual life can be observed from three different views, such as behaving, striving and present from a person (McAdams and Olson, 2010). In additional, Mc Adams and Olson, 2010, explained the evidence in infancy, a wide differences in social action patterns have predicted in the long term developmental which, clearly explained the transition from early temperament into adult dispositional traits. Personality Development is an important factor, as it concerned with the systematic transformation of individuals and personalities as they move through their lives (Graziano, 2003). hence, psychologist have been interested in studying the way of human developmental process basis of an early stage in the life course, which will influence both long term stability and change. Freudian Theory On Personality Development In the founder of personality development theory, is the Freudian psychoanalytic theory (PAT). (Freud, 1940/1969), linked personality with id, ego and superego, he mention that id is an important part of our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs, it is also known as our pleasure principle, id instinct demanding immediate gratification rather for a later reward, which the term is also known as delay gratification, while ego acts as a balance between id and superego, which is known as the reality principle, ego helps to people to understand their needs and desires, that could also harm them in a long run, and finally superego, the component of personality composed of our internalized ideals that we have acquired from our parents and from society, it provides guidelines for making judgments. Freud psychoanalytic theory was widely debate and enhance further by other theorist. (Magnavita, 2003), address that issue into two categories, the normal type of peop le and people who are dysfunctional. In Magnavita theory, he presented an integrative relational model that blends psychodynamic, cognitive, and systems theory to analyse and understand the behaviours , feelings and emotions, as well as techniques and modalities, especially for personality dysfunction before any proceeding any further treatment. The reason being is that Freud research, changes people concept of thinking about children’s experiences in early childhood†(Brooks, 2010). Freud believed that the symptoms of anxiety occurs in many adults were establish during their childhood experiences (Brooks, 2010). In other words, a child’s development would directly influence how one behaves as an adult. The way that the adult behaviour, as well as the way they doing things, may directly link to something that happen in their childhood, especially when the feeling of fear and anxiety (Brooks, 2010). Psychoanalytic theory has also given psychologists a number of helpful concepts, such as the unconscious, the ego, and identity, which have become a part of every language as well as theory (Cramer, 2000). Apart from knowing how personality is developed through individual needs as a child, and how it will affect them in a prolong period of time. In the next part of the essay, other theorist is going share about their own point of view on personality development, such as Erik Erikson psychosocial, and Alfred Adler, birth order development, as well as, how it can contribute towards personality development. Erikson And His Theory Of Personality Development In the late 1920s, Erik Erikson, helped to develop a program to teach art to children of Freuds entourage. Erikson wife Joan Serson, who study psychoanalysis, convince him to join her in the same path (Cloninger, 2003). Erikson started off as a lay analyst because of his non medical training, not long after, he became part of Freuds inner circle. Due to the fear, increased in anti-Semitism, Erikson and his wife decided to leave Germany for United States to expand his career (Cloninger, 2003). In Eriksons model of the stages of human development extends beyond childhood and adolescence to include middle and old age despite the adult years, from roughly 20 through 60, were described by only two ego stages ( Erikson, 1963). Erikson believed the individual progresses through eight psychosocial stages to establish new orientations to self and the social world over time ( Hiller and Barrow, 2010). (Dunkel and Sefcek, 2009), in the table of Erikson eight stages of psychosocial, it shows the period in life, such as infancy ( Trust vs Mistrust), Toddlerhood (Autonomy vs Shame), Preschool ( Initiative vs Guilt), Childhood ( Industry vs Inferiority), Adolescence ( Identity vs Role confusion), Young adulthood ( Intimacy vs Isolation), Can I Love?, Middle adulthood ( Generatively vs Stagnation), and Late adulthood ( Integrity vs Despair). The sequence of stages in Eriksons theory is based on the epigenetic principle, which means that each psychosocial strength has its own period of particular importance, and may produce either a positive or a negative resolution of the challenge, and the ego resources that individuals gain or do not gain on completion of one stage are brought with them to the next stage of development ( Kail and Cavanaugh, 2012). Compare Freuds Theory with Eriksons Theory Sigmund Freuds psychosexual theory and Erik Eriksons psychosocial theory are two well known theories of development. Erikson was influenced by Freuds ideas, but his theory are differed in a number of important ways. Like Freud, Erikson believed that personality development in a series of predetermined stages (Smith, 2000/2007/2010). Unlike Freuds theory of psychosexual stages, who proposed that if the child experienced sexual frustration in any of the five stages of psychosexual developmental stage, he or she would experience anxiety that would persist into adulthood as a neurosis, a functional mental disorder while Eriksons explained further from what Freud have left with the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan which is also known as psychosocial personality development, (Smith, 2000/2007/2010),. The first 5 stages of Erikson is similar to Freud psychosexual development ( Dunkel and Sefcek, 2009). Eriksons last three stages deal with early, middle and later adulthood. According to Dunkel and Sefeck, 2009 studies, they undermine the importance on the last three stages of Erikson Personality development, in the early adulthood the main issue of growth and development of identity is intimacy, which involves relationships in friendship, sex, competition and cooperation that are emphasized, and in middle adulthood, is the ability to support others and in doing so to create a legacy is the primary developmental task, during this stage generatively involves a concern for the welfare of society rather than contemned with self absorption ( the ability to create, care for, and to share are the positive outcomes of balance in middle adulthood ), the later adulthood, which is the integrity versus despair ( the sense of fulfilment throughout their life or a sense of regret and despair over a life misspent). Alfred Alder Personality Development Alfred Alder, an Austrian psychiatry, who joined Freuds discussing groups in 1907. He wrote papers on organic inferiority, ( when, individuals tries to compensate for their own defect or weakness, if the effort of compensate fails, it could lead to an inferiority complexity ) and childrens feelings of inferiority, which he claim that the child development of inferiority is due to the basic helplessness of the human infant ( Adler, 1917). Alder examine personality development around the same time as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, as they work hand in hand with some theories until the day when Alder reject Freuds keep on linking personality solely on sex factors, and maintained that personality difficulties are rooted in a feeling of inferiority deriving from restrictions on the individuals need for self assertion ( Fisher, 2001). (Adler, 1927) emphasised the other factor that contribute factor to personality development would be the birth order, calming that it contributed significantly to the development of an individuals style of life. where each children is treated uniquely within the family, depending on their order of birth, such the ( first child, the elder child, the second child, the middle and youngest child, etc). Adler expanding many of his studies toward application in educational models ( Palencik, 2011). His theories on birth order was later further study other theorists. From the perspective of the media, it explained that if the child is first born, he or she is orderly and likely to become a leader ( Lampi and Nordblom, 2008 ). In addition Lampi and Nordblom, 2008 say that individual who think that the only child, who childhood was always never going to surpassed by any of their brothers or sisters, would be more eager to achieve successful than others as they grow up, while the last born, who go through his or her entire upbringing and could not achieve as much as his or her older siblings, would not have the same equal concerned with the relative position. (Sulloway, 1996) claims that the first borns are more conscientious than later borns at the same time as, later borns are more agreeable and extraverted, while Freese, Powell and Carr Steelman (1999), find that small differences in social attitudes between first borns and later borns. However Saroglou and Fiasse (2003) argue that it is important to recognize between middle- borns and the youngest and not simply treating both groups as later borns. Moreover, Beck, Burnet and Vosper (2006) find it a within family study that first borns score higher on dominance and later borns are more towards sociability. Comparing Alfred Alder Personality Development Theories With Freud ( Fisher et al 2012) The similarity of Alder and Freud is, Alder believed that humans are motivated by a unconscious forces and that these forces create conflict; this conflict provides the motivation for personality formation and change. In contrast to Freud, Adler did not believe that people are primarily driven by sexual and aggressive instincts. In addition, Fisher and the other theorist says that Adlers theory of individual psychology focus on the role of each individual person in their attempts to seek success in relation to their individual experiences in the world. In retrospection, the specific personality qualities of an individual, which lead to individual differences between people, are not fully based on evolution, however, there are many products on the developmental factors. The developmental study of individual differences in personality provides a variety source of data for the researcher and practitioner alike to use in understanding and predicting behavior. Without the study of individual differences, there would be no clear explanation on an analysis or explanation of why people often behave or develop very differently under seemingly equivalent environmental conditions. This essay had show that, different theorist have their own way of explaining on how personality is being developed, such as Freuds psychoanalytic theory, the stage of development, Erikson psychosocial and the 8 stages of personality development and so on. Till recent years, personality development is widely interested by many theorist, which still lead to an endless debate. (1790 words ) Reference Adler, A. (1917). The neurotic constitution: Outline of a comparative individualistic psychology and psychotherapy. New York: Moffat. Alder, A. (1927). Understanding human nature. New York: Greenberg. Beck, E., Burney, K. L., Vosper, J. (2006). Personality and individual differences. Birth-Order Effects On Facets Of Extraversion, 40, 953-959. Brooks, J. (2010). The process of parenting (8th edition) (ISBN 13: 9780073378763; ISBN 10: 0073378763). Cramer, P. (2000). Defense mechanisms in psychology today: Further processes for adaptation. American Psychologist, 55, 637-646. Cramer, P. (1999). Ego functions and ego development: Defense mechanisms and intelligence as predictors of ego level. Journal of Personality, 67, 735-760. Cloninger, C. R. ( 2003 ). Completing the psychobiological architecture of human personality development: Temperament, Character, Coherence. Understanding Human Development: Dialogues With Lifespan Psychology, 159-182. Dunkel C.S., Sefcek J.A. (2009) Eriksonian Lifespan Theory and Life History Theory: An Integration Using the Example of Identity Formation. Review of General Psychology, 13(1), 13-23. Erikson, E. H. (1963). Basic Books. Youth: change and challenge (ISBN 13: 978-0465093519, ISBN 10: 0465093515). Freud, S. (1940/1969). An outline of psychoanalysis. New York: Norton. Fisher, M. (2001). Alfred Adler. Muskingum college department of psychology. Retrieve from http://elvers.us/hop/index.asp?m=3a=65key=117 Freese, J., Power, B., Carr Steelman, L. (1999). Rebel without a cause or effect: birth order and social attitudes. American Sociological Review, 64, 207-231. Fisher, H., Freeman, M., Mitchell, L., Reed, S., Upton, A. (2012). Theories of human psychological functioning: a comparison. University of Phoenix. Graziano, G., W. (2003). journal of personality. Personality Development: An Introduction Toward Process Approaches To Long-Term Stability and Change in Persons, 71(6), 893-904 Kail, V. R., Cavanaugh, J.C. ( 2012 ). Essentials of human development. A Life-Span View. Retrieve from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=nLMF-0JBNekCpg=PA10lpg=PA10dq=erikson+psychosocial+eight+stages+built+on+one+another+2010source=blots=8COktoHu7ssig=dQBORquQiaU7NjrNVRM1EKr8ROMhl=ensa=Xei=YuQLVIniDpK9uATisIKYAgved=0CDcQ6AEwAw#v=onepageq=erikson psychosocial eight stages built on one another 2010f=false Lampi, E., Nordblom, K. (2008). Working papers in economics. Money and Success Sibling And Birth-Order-Effects On Positional Concerns. Retrieve from https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/9989/1/gunwpe0299.pdf Magnavita, J., J. (2003). handbook of personality disorders. Theory And Practice. Retrieve from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=jhtvBV3i0rkCpg=PA68lpg=PA68dq=magnavita+presented+an+integrative+relational+model+that+blends+psychodynamic,+cognitive,+and+systems+theorysource=blots=vljW9Y9i87sig=FrjKAExOtY3jCpRATo0BlhNHr28hl=ensa=Xei=C5UCVJCHConY8gXQ2ICwAwved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=magnavita presented an integrative relational model that blends psychodynamic, cognitive, and systems theoryf=false McAdams, D.P., Olson, B.D. ( 2010). annu rev psychol. Personality Development Continuity And Change Over The Life Course, 61, 517-42. Palencik, J. (2011). Noncognitive affect: a study of mind and emotion. Proquest Dissertations and theses, Retrieve from http://ezproxy.utas.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/854341352?account id=14245 Smith, I. (2000/2007/2010). Freud complete works. Retrieve from http://www.valas.fr/IMG/pdf/Freud_Complete_Works.pdf Sulloway, Frank J. (1996). Born to rebel: birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives. New York: Pantheon. Retrieve from http://www.sulloway.org/Holcomb.pdf Saroglous, V., Fiasse, L. (2003). Birth order, personality, and religion: A study among young adults from a three-sibling family. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 19-29

Family Formations Essay -- Sociology Family Structure

Outline and critically assess the most significant crises, conflicts and changes in family formations over the last two decades (since 1990). Make reference to your own experience, in terms of changes in identity and identifications over time. In order to address the question it is important to present the evidence which shows that there have been conflicts, crises, and changes in society since 1990. It is widely understood there are many formations of the family. This involves the forever changing affects on society which bring us back to the family. This essay will discuss the social changes occur within the family paying particular attention to lone parenthood. It will look at changes to marriage, divorce, births outside marriage and poverty and look at to what extent these changes have had on British society since 1990, and also what these changes have meant to the family within. In Western Society, over the past two decades there has been significant changes in the which the family is forming. We have seen major shifts in the demographic constitution of the family and public policy, especially in terms of their formation and dissolution. As a result of this there is far more diversity in people's domestic and living arrangements compared to how they were earlier in the centuries. It has been noticed over these recent decades that living patterns between individuals are less and less conforming appropriately to the model of the nuclear family leaving some commentators to claim the family is in terminal decline. Increases in divorce, cohabitation, births outside marriage and lone parent families all result in old certainties to family formations being questioned. (Kiernan, 1998) In society, the family is seen as a ... ... London:Family Policy Studies Centre Giddens, A. (2006) Sociology Fifth Edition. Polity Press Bridge Street: Cambridge Cheal,D. (1991) Family and the State of Theory, Harvester Wheatsheaf:Hertfordshire Kiernan,K. Land, and Lewis, J. (1998) Lone Motherhood in Twentieth-Century Britain Clarendon Press: Oxford Parental Divorce in Childhood and Demographic Outcomes in Young Adulthood, Demography, 32: 299-318. Murray, C. (1996a) 'The emerging British underclass', in Lister, R (ed.) Charles Murray and the Underclass: The developing Debate. London: Institute of Economic Affairs Murray, C. (1996b) 'Underclass: the crisis deepens', in Lister, R (ed.) Charles Murray and the Underclass: The developing Debate. London: Institute of Economic Affairs Dallos, R. (1991) Family Belief Systems, Therapy and Change, Milton Keynes: Open University Press

The Distortion of Indonesian Culture :: essays research papers

I.Pendahuluan Kebudayaan,adalah sebuah pola yang terintegrasi dari pengetahuan manusia, kepercayaan, dan perilaku. Kebudayaan, dapat didefinisikan, berisi bahasa, ide-ide, kepercayaan, kebiasaan,larangan-larangan, hukum,institusi, teknik, hasil karya seni, ritual, seremoni dan komponen lainnya yang terkait. Perkembangan kebudayaan tergantung kepada kapasitas manusia untuk belajar dan menerima pengetahuan yang kemudian diwariskan kepada generasinya. [1] Dengan melihat kebudayaan, sebagai contoh kebudayaan Jepang, atau kebudayaan Barat dapat dilihat nilai-nilai yang memiliki banyak perbedaan yang dijalankan didalam kedua masyarakat yang disebutkan diatas.Kebudayaan barat membentuk masyarakat yang memiliki keterbukaan, critical thinking, dsb. Di Jepang terbentuk masyarakat yang masih menganggap nilai-nilai luhur nenek moyangnya, dan nilai kekeluargaan sebagai pegangan. Kebudayaan terbentuk melalui pola-pola hidup yang diterapkan oleh masyarakat, yang dipengaruhi oleh kondisi internal dan eksternal masyarakat itu sendiri. Dalam kondisi internal, bentuk kebudayaan dipengaruhi oleh hubungan kekerabatan, seremonial, bahasa, hukum dsb. Oleh kondisi internal, kebudayaan dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan geografis, dan oleh berbagai faktor, kebudayaan lain yang mempengaruhi kebudayaan tersebut. Kebudayaan yang kemudian membentuk masyarakat selanjutnya. Namun, kebudayaan tidak lantas terus-menerus sebagai panutan statis pembentuk masyarakat tetapi juga dibentuk lagi oleh masyarakat. Hal ini adalah proses kreasi-interaksi antara budaya dan masyarakat. Budaya sangat berpengaruh, budaya mencerminkan pengalaman sejarah suatu bangsa, yang tertanam dalam tradisi mereka, dan membentuk sikap dan pengharapan mereka terhadap dunia. Budaya bisa menjadi pendorong atau beban yang menghambat atau mempercepat perubahan [2] Dengan membicarakan kebudayaan di Indonesia, cukup rumit memang untuk memahami keseluruhan budaya di Indonesia; melihat Indonesia yang multietnis dan multilinguistik, dapat disimpulkan bahwa kebudayaan di Indonesia sangat beraneka ragam dan rumit. Jika ditelusuri lagi, melihat kebudayaan masyarakat Indonesia, berarti kita harus melihat kembali proses sejarah perkembangan suku-bangsa di Indonesia, dari zaman perunggu, besi, zaman pra-tradisonal, zaman tradisional, pra-modern, dan akhirnya masyarakat modern kontemporer yang ada sekarang ini. Masyarakat suku-bangsa di Indonesia telah melewati banyak tahap-tahap kreasi-interaksi kebudayaan seperti yang disebut diatas tersebut. Mulai dari scope internal di antara suku-suku bangsa indonesia sendiri, maupun oleh pengaruh eksternal kebudayaan kolonial yang menjajah bangsa ini selama tiga setengah abad. Kemudian kesadaran para pemuda-pemuda lintas etnik yang menyepakati kesatuan budaya-budaya Indonesia yang beraneka-ragam dalam sumpah pemuda 28 Oktober 1928 dan mencapai puncaknya pada kemerdekaan bangsa ini sebagai suatu bangsa yang berdaulat penuh. Namun dinamika kebudayaan Indonesia tidak sampai di sini, masyarakat kontemporer Indonesia masih mempengaruhi kebudayaan Indonesia masa mendatang yang memang tetap rumit. Apa yang akan saya angkat pada essai singkat saya tentang kebudayaan Indonesia adalah sedikit dari kerumitan yang ada dalam kebudayaan Indonesia dalam interaksinya dengan masyarakat lain yang memiliki kebudayaan yang lain pula. Pada essai ini saya menanggap bahwa kebudayaan Indonesia telah sangat terdistorsi oleh kebudayaan lain yang mempengaruhi kebudayaan dasar bangsa Indonesia yang baik,seperti budaya gotong-royong, kekeluargaan dan sebagainya.

Reaction Paper on Vampires Essay

Vampire movies always have lots of fans, and of course, I’m a vampire film fan, too. In the past, vampires looked so scary: they were old, extremely ugly, knows nothing but killing†¦ Nowadays, however, people start to make vampires more â€Å"human†(and sometimes they are made even better than human beings): They are so good-looking they have breath-taking faces, they have sexy figures; they are immortal  they won’t die because they are too â€Å"old†, in other words, they are undead. They still looked young even thought they are hundreds years old; they have so many superpowers they read minds, they move as fast as wind, they are unbelievably strong. Now people even made vampires know more than just hunting like animals they know romance as well, they will fall in love with like human do†¦ I think this might be one of the reasons why people love vampire movies that much: because we find that our dreams (which can never come true in real life) come true in these movies. Reverse Psychology† is often used on children, through which parents let their children to do something by telling them †don’t do this. † This is because children are more likely to respond orders with reactance. In the movie â€Å"let the right one in†, when Eli and Oskar first met, Eli told Oskar â€Å"I can’t be your friend†. But obviously, Oskar didn’t have a clear desire to make friends with Eli. Eli started stating a negative in order to achieve her positive goal. And this is the use of reverse psychology. Based on the film notes, Eli’s intentions regard the function of Oskar is a replacement of Hakan. But even after reading the film notes, I still feel that Eli’s ultimate goal with Oskar is not just for finding someone to kill people and get blood for her. For me, Eli is just trying to have a friend who can keep her company. It’s easy to tell that Eli’s attitude towards Oskar is totally different from that to Hakan, she cares about Oskar (at least for me it is). At the beginning I thought Hakan is the father of Eli, but later on I found he’s more likely to be someone who helps Eli finding â€Å"food†. He might used to be Eli’s lover, but that’s just a guess, because there might be other reasons why he chose to take care of Eli. For example, he might be the one who cause Eli’s changing into a vampire, he feel guilty so that he chose to stay with her. According to the notes, at first Eli tried to sense Oskar as a potential serial killer, then she took control of Oskar’s self-image†¦Assume that Eli is a pedophile, she might keep Oskar, a young boy with her and replace Hakan, who’s no longer useful to her. In this film, the uncanny ability is shown to audiences over and over again, and it presents that love is just an excuse, which is used to disguise the subliminal reality of objectification and exploitation. By looking at the way Oskar dresses and behavior, we can tell that Oskar is an effeminate personality in this movie. I think that’s why the boys enjoy making fun of him. I thought that the reason why Oskar didn’t ever fight back is because he is so cowardice that he’s afraid that they might hit him harder if he fights back. But the note assumes that Oskar is actually sublimating his unconscious sexual attraction by allowing himself to be victimized. I think that because the group of bad boys always attacked Oskar and he couldn’t get any help from someone else, so he was mentally ill already. He had a strong desire of revenging but he didn’t have the â€Å"courage† to do so. He wants to kill people if it is allowed. Just because he knows that he cannot do it, he transferred his inner desire of killing to collecting the newspaper clippings on murder. I think his too cowardice. When I first watched this movie and saw Eli asked Oskar to teach her how to play the Rubrik’s cube, I didn’t think too much about this. But after reading the notes, it shows me that Rubrik’s cube might be one of the tools Eli use to achieve her subterfuge (which is to get close to Oskar). I think because Eli is a vampire who cannot live without drinking human’s blood, so it’s better for her to live in a lower class apartment so that she won’t catch people’s attention, otherwise she will get into trouble so easily. In a telling scene, we saw Eli’s naked groin with a horizontal suture, which means Eli was a boy but castrated by someone.

Change, Follow, or Get Out of the Way Essay

Change in an organization can be and usually is difficult for various reasons. Much of the difficulty is in the approach used to initiate change and the willingness to stay engaged and stamina to sustain change through to the end. Organizations can choose to lead by recognizing and implementing change, follow in the shadow of organizations leading the market, or get out of the way by standing still and eventually going under. With this said; if change was easily done and successful for every organization there would be no need for change management specialists and years and years of study to establish approaches and models for implementing change. Change would be a natural evolutionary process such as a caterpillar evolves into a butterfly, but it is not that simple. Seemingly simple changes to processes or procedures can cause an unbalance with leaders and employees alike. First the need for change needs to be identified; followed by the proper model or approach used to implement this change. During this paper, I will discuss implementing the Advanced Skills Management (ASM) software change in an organization by using Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach. First it is important to give some background on how organizations are structured specifically aviation squadrons with respect to the Marine Corps. The military branches are large separate decentralized organizations that are controlled ultimately by the President of the United States. Since it is impossible for the President to efficiently manage all branches and all the separate divisions within them, each branch has a leader or CEO. Aviation squadrons are made up of different Military Occupational Specialties that pertain to the type model series aircraft assigned. Each specialty has different responsibilities in the care and maintenance of the aircraft; therefore, requires separate and different training and is broken down into separate departments. It has all the typical levels of management expected; executive managers, middle managers, and frontline managers as well as managerial types such as staff managers and line managers. The Commanding Officer would be considered the CEO with the Executive Officer, Sergeant Major, Maintenance Officer, and Maintenance Training Chief falling into the general manager level. The Officer in Charge of each division would fall into the mid-level and the Senior Marine in each department being the front-line managers. Each has similar reporting criteria, responsibilities, and decision making power as would a civilian organization structured this way. As one might imagine with a military unit it has a mechanistic structure with a high use of rules and procedures, with formal relationships between workers. In regards to the degree of delegation of decision making authority and power the organization is primarily centralized; however, some decentralization does exist to allow latitude in day to day business. The organization I have chosen is an organization I was previously attached. Diagnosing this change falls under the Action Research Model, primary because an outside agency comes in to perform audits looking at our processes and procedures to ensure proper adherence to applicable rules and regulations are being followed and to train or advice on changes required. Through their process they discovered our organization’s documentation was incomplete or not correctly annotated. This probably does not seem like a very difficult change to make considering it is just documentation; however, it does go deeper than simply changing how maintenance training is documented. The Chief of Naval Operations has established goals of seventy three percent MC (mission capable and fifty six percent FMC (full mission capable) as the overall material readiness goal (Aircraft Material Condition Readiness, 2012). When qualifications and training are not properly documented the ability and efficiency of the squadron is impaired causing the organization to struggle to me larger goals such as those of the Chief of Naval Operations, not to mention not being able to execute our Marine Corps mission. This change is difficult to determine if it should be referred to as first or second order changes, because it will and has affected the organization as a whole and for most members this will be a radical change. Within aviation squadrons each member is required to complete training syllabi for each of their different Military Occupational Specialty, ground support equipment, and advanced qualifications. Other training requirements such as safety training, NAVOSH (Navy equivalent to OSHA), Military Occupational Specialty classroom training, and on records of on-the-job training are maintained. All of this information is recorded on paper and kept in each members training jackets requiring large amounts of time to keep current. The first of Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach is establish a sense of urgency to have a pressing importance of action towards addressing issues and without this sense of urgency employees will not be motivated to examine markets and competitive realities needed to identify and discuss crises, potential crises, or opportunities the organization may be faced with (Weiss, 2012). In this instance the sense of urgency or the pressing importance of this change intervention on saving time on administrative actions, providing an efficient process for accurately recording training information for auditing purposes, and using that time on aircraft maintenance to enable the organization to better meet the Chief of Naval Operations goals for aircraft readiness. Also, confronting the brutal facts that training, because of the time consuming process now is not being documented accurately or in a timely manner, sometimes not at all. The goal here would be to help others recognize the need for change and generate a need to act immediately at all levels. To help all levels of leadership see the urgency, showing them the advantages to implementing the software would be my immediate action. First demonstrating the reduction of man hours spent maintaining and updating records. The work performed in military aviation is not measured in by a monetary bottom line as is the case in most civilian organizations. Success is measured by maintenance hours versus flight hours and mission readiness of the aircraft we maintain, so the more man hours saved the more can be spent towards the mission. Second advantage is the ability to standardize training and syllabi not only as an aviation community, but for each platform or type aircraft. This will allow easier transfer of personnel and qualifications from one squadron to another again easing the administrative burdens as well as better audit results. Third advantage is the software will link with the maintenance management system used to record all maintenance on the aircraft. This link will transfer on-the-job training for each member from the maintenance document to the on-the-job training section in ASM again saving administrative time of having to physically write each job performed in the training jacket. Second step of Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach is forming a powerful guiding coalition; done by assembling a team of top-level officers or other key influential members from the various levels with enough power and credibility to lead the changes and encourage these members to work as a team (Weiss, 2012). In the military, changes are often implemented simply through adherence to orders given by superiors. Members roger up and get the job done whether they agree or not, but the reason for change should be deeper than this. Sustaining the change under this type of implementation is very difficult and often does not hold. To be able to form a powerful coalition and convince leaders this proactive change is good and get buy-in both the implementation and the sustaining will be easier. In the case of ASM, it seems being able to demonstrate and show leaders at all levels of the management the advantages to implementing the software would be the first step in getting buy-in from them and to begin the coalition. These leaders will not entirely be those with legitimate power, but include those members whose expertise will also lend credibility to the need for this change. An example of this would be those who are responsible for ensuring training is properly conducted and recorded. Furthermore, to demonstrate how the software will save them administrative time, how it will enable better record keeping, show them the data warehousing to enable easier and more accurate reporting of core competencies, and eventually allow them to focus more man hour time on the mission. Third step in Kotter’s approach is developing a vision; meaning to create a vision as a guide to direct the changes along with the strategies that will be needed for achieving the vision (Weiss, 2012). Vision, or common goal, is something for the organization to strive for. This is not likely to be immediately achievable, but gives employees something to believe in and a direction for the company to focus their efforts (Weiss, 2011). The Marine Corps vision states â€Å"The Marine Corps of 2025 will fight and win our Nation’s battles with multicapable MAGTFs, either from the sea or in sustained operations ashore. Our unique role as the Nation’s force in readiness, along with our values, enduring ethos, and core competencies, will ensure we remain highly responsive to the needs of combatant commanders in an uncertain environment and against irregular threats. Our future Corps will be increasingly reliant on naval deployment, preventative in approach, leaner in equipment, versatile in capabilities, and innovative in mindset. In an evolving and complex world, we will excel as the Nation’s expeditionary â€Å"force of choice† (Marine Corps Vision & Strategy 2025, n. . , pg. 6). The Marine Corps vision mentioned, among other things, being â€Å"innovative in mindset†. Part of being innovative is finding ways to be more engaged in the mission and making sure assets are ready whenever and for whatever called upon. Innovation and change normally bring about efficiency and hopefully savings in either money or in this case man hours. The vision for implementing ASM is to create efficiency through innovation; simplifying indirect mission essential tasks allowing more focus on the direct mission goals. Strategy for implementation would be fairly simple and would require to first receive classroom training to learn basic functions of the system. Next phase would include implementing the system at the organization, which would include loading and entering all required qualifications and training from the paper versions of the training jacket. This would include further over the shoulder training from the company who developed the software to help speed the implementation process. This would serve two purposes; first it would allow members to get further training and confidence in the system by learning where information is stored and second they would have experts available to answer questions and issues during the implementation process to help further personal mastery. Fourth step is for the coalition or team formed in step two must communicate the vision by any means possible ensuring employees understand the vision requiring these team members to model the behaviors needed for the vision and strategies to be successful (Weiss, 2012). The vision will be communicated at every opportunity through emails, meetings, flyers, screen savers, texting, and memorandums throughout the squadron to ensure people are aware. Part of communicating the vision would include leaders receiving the training first to help during the implementation process and to show or be visible to the other members by setting the example using the new software with the intent that they will begin to communicate further to members below them. â€Å"A vision is not a vision if people don’t know about it. Repeat the vision, keep it simple, use metaphors and analogies, spread it in many forums and forms. Above all, lead by example. If integrating EH&S into every decision and business process is the vision, make sure you do it, no matter how trivial the decision. This sends a powerful message to everyone you encounter† (Lawrence & Ruth, 1998, para. 7). Step five involves empowering others to act on the vision. At this stage it is important that members become involved in the change and begin to take ownership in determining the success. Members will have received their training and will be operating the system on a day to day basis. This is where those members that have not bought into the change will begin to manifest themselves. They will begin to create barriers and want to revert back to the status quo, because they are comfortable with the old way of conducting business and where short-term wins will be important in showing them how the system is or will benefit them. â€Å"With the urgency established, the vision created, the guiding coalition and communication vehicles established, give employees the chance to take ownership. Eliminate obstacles that impede progress, such as lack of skills, or people who poison the water against change. Facilitate the use of cross-functional teams and allow employees to push the envelope with fresh ideas and renewed energy† (Lawrence & Ruth, 1998, para. 8). Step six is generating short-term wins to solidify the benefits of the change. Short-term wins with the ASM system would include saved time for the administrators maintaining the system and training records. By now there should be noticeable or measurable results available showing the amount of saved man hours or more than likely a measurable increase in man hours spent on the aircraft maintenance mission. As a result, the aircraft readiness should also be increasing allowing the squadron to reach or exceed the CNO goals. Another short-term win will include improved results on audits related to training management with more timely input of information and better accuracy. This in turn should increase the urgency and begin to create or solidify the new culture of using this system. â€Å"To ensure success, short term wins must be both visible and unambiguous. The wins must also be clearly related to the change effort. Such wins provide evidence that the sacrifices that people are making are paying off. This increases the sense of urgency and the optimism of those who are making the effort to change. These wins also serve to reward the change agents by providing positive feedback that boosts morale and motivation. The wines also serve the practical purpose of helping to fine tune the vision and the strategies† (Kotter International, 2012, step 6, para. 3). Step seven requires consolidation of gains and the production of more change. This is done by using increased credibility to change systems, structures and policies and hiring, promoting, and developing members to further implement and reinvigorate the change (Weiss, 2012). Policies such as time limits on completion of syllabi, testing procedures, and access permissions for example would be generated to better control and further enhance the efficiency of the system. Also those members who were causing the barriers for progress of the system would need to be dealt with in order for the change initiative to continue. Unlike many civilian organizations, hiring and firing employees to better position the organization is not an option. Leaders in the upper levels can be relieved, but at lower levels positions are filled by external agencies and you have what you get and make the magic happen with the talent that exists. This often times is very difficult to juggle putting the right people in the right positions to conduct day to day business, much less initiate change and sustain it; so much time is spent trying to develop Marines. During this paper, I discussed implementing the Advanced Skills Management (ASM) software change in an organization by using Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach. It can be a difficult task to implement change, especially when dealing with the various different personalities involved. Having a plan to be able to create urgency for the change, creating coalitions with leaders, and empowering employees with knowledge can make the change process easier by ensuring employees are a part of and take responsibility for the success. In civilian organizations removing those who do not want to be part of the change is an option; however, in the military setting this is not a likely solution making the idea of getting buy-in from members even more important.