Theoretical dimensions involving criminal behavior Research Paper

Theoretical dimensions involving criminal behavior - Research Paper Example Cultural norms are actions and practices that are well-accepted in society, while deviant actions are those that are not acceptable. All forms of crime are considered deviant. It is not acceptable for a person to break into the house of someone else and take everything. It is not acceptable for a person to randomly kill another person. Thus, deviants, most especially, criminals, need to be punished in order for them to be accepted again into society. Theories on Criminal Behavior One of the sociological theories that were applied to criminal behavior was Durkheim’s concept of anomie. Anomie is the mismatch between a person’s (or a group’s) beliefs and that of the majority. When a feeling of anomie exists, then the two groups can not exist in the presence of the other. One has to give way, usually, the smaller group adapting the norms of the larger group. When the smaller group decides to continue going against the norms, then conflict would occur. The concept of anomie was used by Robert King Merton and other sociologists to develop what they refer to as the Strain Theory. The strain theory states that social structures and norms within society may pressure citizens to commit crime. It follows Durkheim’s study of anomie and suicide. He believed that a person commits suicide due to a feeling of insignificance and alienation. Merton used Durkheim’s views to further explain deviance and criminal behavior. ... et of social relationships in which members of the society or group are variously implicated." Anomie, the state of normlessness, arises when there is "an acute disjunction between the cultural norms and goals and the socially structured capacities of members of the group to act in accord with them." (Merton, 1968) Merton then links all the three concepts and believes that discontinuities between culture and structure cause deviance. Source: Wikipedia.org If Merton’s theory would be applied to the social context at present, an example we can use is the common belief that crimes increase in times of economic crisis. People have certain cultural practices, and these practices are supported by the structure (government and economy). Once the structure breaks down, like in an economic crisis, the people would have to adjust their practices. Those who cannot adjust to the new structure, or those who does not want to adjust, tend to do crimes. It’s like a person who steals mo ney from the bank so that he or she can buy food and other basic needs. Robert Agnew further explained Merton’s theory, believing that a theory should not be tied to social class or culture. He popularized the general strain theory, which focused more on an individual’s immediate social environment. He argued that an individual's actual or anticipated failure to achieve positively valued goals, actual or anticipated removal of positively valued behavior, and actual or anticipated presentation of negative behavior all result in strain. For example, if an individual fails to get the kind of attention that he or she expects from others, then that would cause that individual to feel bad about other people. These situations are more common among children, and if this kind of feeling builds up, then

Building process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building process - Essay Example Contaminants found in construction sites can either be common contaminants, which are found in every construction site or be on the site because they were previously used in the location. There are many different kinds of contaminants, including metals (such as lead), inorganic compounds (such as cyanide compounds), pesticide, oils and tars, other organic compounds (such as benzene or toluene), fibers, combustible substances, toxic or explosive gases and radioactive waste (Industry Standard Contaminated Construction Sites 2005). These contaminants can affect people's short term health as well as their long term one. The people who are liable to be hurt from them aren't only the workers staying on the site and working on it, but also other people living, working or even passing by! (Hazardous waste sites 2003). Exposure to contamination in soil, water or fumes in the air can "cause harm quickly (acute effects) or cause illness long after exposure (chronic effects)". The exposure may cause different health problems, for instance: headaches and nausea, breathing difficulties, skin rashes, liver or kidney problems and even some types of cancer in the long run. If it alone will not cause it, it will certainly be an important factor in the creation of the disease. In order to avoid this, one must be careful while in a possibly contaminated site refrain from exposure to the contamination, which can be caused by a number of reasons. It is important to evade direct contact of the contaminated materials with the skin and the eyes.

Transplant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transplant - Essay Example t patient in the following years through to the 1970’s was poor anti-rejection drugs, which changed by the end of 1970’s when better anti-rejection drugs were developed giving patients up to five years after transplant. The effectiveness of organ transplant improved after that, and its use has augmented over the years. Organ transplantation is referred to as one of the health practices that whose results are often lifesaving. The process involved removal and replacement of a failing or damaged organ in the recipient body and replaced with a fully functioning one (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). In most occasions, transplantation takes places when the life of the recipient is at stake, and the only hope for survival of the recipient is the replacement of an organ or tissue (Alvaro, Siegel, 2009). Despite its advantages, it is apparent that transplantation has many challenges that may result not only in health complications, but also the loss of life. In relation to this assertion, the paper will expound on the many factors that prevent people from taking part in organ donation. Issues that will be addressed by the paper include the belief that organ donors fail to provide care to their families because of the complications associated with organ donation. In addition, it can cause traumatic disorders, the persistence of donor’s discomfort, in addition to psychological torture experienced after donation of an organ. The heart, lungs, pancreas as well as intestines, kidney and liver are transplantable in humans. The Canadian Medical Association has a specific policy that guides physicians and health care providers to issues regarding organ donation. Organ donors, as well as prospective organ donors, should be provided with relevant, understandable information related to the decision. Occasionally, this involves informing the donor about the benefits as well as risks of transplantation, procedures associated with the determination of death, and testing of

Analysis of Film Criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Film Criticism - Essay Example 15-30). They fall in love with each other at their young age. Fermina’s father tries to tear them apart because of status differences, Fermina is persistent to love Florentino; however, when she turns into an adult, she realizes Florentino is of no good, love is not everything, and therefore, she marries a rich man Urbino. Florentino marries no women but to find solace he flirts with many women and loving none. He still has a hope in his heart that after the death of Urbino (Marquez, pp. 20-25), Fermina is destined to come back to him. The question is, if Florentino is being delusional or they will really re-unite (Marquez, pp. 29-34) Critic’s Reviews on the Movie Analysis of the review has indicated that Gabrielle kept the story alive and interesting by providing a sigh of hope time to time. He mentioned a deep insight of each character so that the readers may not lose the interest, and on the other hand, Mike Newell, the director of the movie has very well directed th e scenes in the movie. In addition, costumes, make-up, characters, etc in the review were according to the ones mentioned in the movie (IMDb, 2007).

Casd Briefing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Casd Briefing - Essay Example President Nixon refused to comply, arguing executive privilege. At issue: Does the President’s inherent right to safeguard certain information make him entirely immune to judicial review? President Nixon (through his counsel, James St. Clair) argued that the special prosecutor, functioning as an employee of the Department of Justice, made any request for White House audiotapes an internal matter to be resolved within the Executive Branch. In sum, the Judicial Branch was overstepping its Constitutional authority by intervening in the matter. Special prosecutor Leon Jaworski argued that the audiotapes in question almost certainly contained direct evidence of a criminal conspiracy, to wit, to commit obstruction of justice. Procedural history: Special prosecutor Jaworski secured a subpoena in Federal District Court (Judge John Sirica, presiding) requiring White House compliance with demands to surrender certain audiotapes, in April 1974, requiring the White House to surrender the tapes no later than May 31. The White House refused to comply. Both Jaworski and St. Clair (the President’s counsel) concurred in requesting the Supreme Court hear the appeal from the Sirica decision—‘certiorari before judgment,’ a procedure allowing the matter to proceed directly to the Supreme Court without an intervening hearing and decision rendered by the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit—which motion was granted. The Court heard arguments on July 8 and delivered its unanimous opinion on July 24, 1974. 3 The law: There was not specific statute at issue. However, certain language in the Constitution appears relevant. That document makes no reference to executive privilege, although it privileges Members of Congress in matters relating to debate (Art. I, sec. 6). Article II (the Presidency), provides, inter alia, that â€Å"The

Philosophy and literature- Antigone by Sophocles Essay

Philosophy and literature- Antigone by Sophocles - Essay Example The king decides to give his predecessor a decent burial and formulates harsh law to punish the Polyneices. Where else it is right to accord traitors the harshest punishment so as to discourage others from trying it, according to Sopholes (441 BC), leaving dead bodies to decay without being buried is not acceptable by the gods. The whole story has evidence of the conflict when choosing between the good and bad. Ismene is also faced with a hard decision to make when confronted by Antigone to lend a hand in burying their brother Polyneices. Unlike Antigone, Ismene decided to stick by the rules of the government, only to latter feel the weight of the cause of action taken by Antigone, which makes her willing to die with her. This conflict begins to manifests immediately after Oedipus, the father of Eteocles and Polyneices leaves the throne and moves out of the kingdom. The two brothers are left behind and they fail to agree on the rightful heir to inherit the throne. Eteocles drives Polyneices out of the kingdom, only to return to challenge the throne with war. The war results to the demise of the two brothers. King Creon takes over the throne and feels that Polyneices acted out of bad faith and portrayed actions of a traitor when he engaged the king in a battle that resulted to both their demise. As a punishment to Polyneices, Creon decides that his dead body will be left to decay and be eaten by vultures while Eteocles was buried with honor. With the love of a brother and the need to do right, Antigone then decides to go against the ruling of the king and decides to bury her brother. The main characters are Antigone and Creon. Antigone is committed to bury her brother regardless of the consequences that are set for anyone who will go against the law. She represents the common man who despite the presence of rules and regulations that are set to govern them, at one point

Social Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Contracts - Essay Example As the discussion outlines Curwin and Mendler include six specific elements namely flag rules, negotiable rules, consequences, rules for the teacher, student-developed rules for students and a vote to determine which rules to enforce. Flag rules are minimum behavior requirements for efficient classroom management which are developed by the teacher and unquestioningly accepted by students even without their input. Examples of such logical rules are â€Å"No fighting and hurting anyone†. Negotiable rules are decided upon together by both teacher and students whether or not to adopt such rules. Democratic teachers allow some limits to be stretched without compromising order in the classroom. Consequences are teacher-determined without student input. Teachers need to be fair in setting down consequences for each rule depending on the severity of behavior. Positive consequences should also be included to reward students of good behavior. Consequences need to be instructional instea d of punitive and students regard them as natural and logical extensions of the rules. Rules for the teacher are determined by the students to give them the opportunity to set standards for the teacher. This is a way for them to feel a sense of commitment to all rules and consequences, thus make them more inclined to follow them. Examples are â€Å"the teacher will not yell at students in front of their classmates†.