Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay Example for Free

Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay Dictionary: the American dream An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: In the deepening gloom of the Depression, the American Dream represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes Dictionary: dream a cherished desire The American Dream is a dream of success, fame and wealth achieved in the United States of America. Its thought to be achievable by hard work, courage, and determination, or by getting rich quick. The concept often involves moving upward in the social classes, and may involve icons such as car, house, partner and pet. This definition of the American dream is universal, but it can have a different meaning for different classes of people. People have dreams The novel of mice and men, written by John Steinbeck, is set in 1930s California during the Great Depression. The two main characters called George and Lennie are migrant workers travelling from ranch to ranch just to get by and make a little money so that one day they can live their own American dream. Throughout the book, Lennie always asks George to tell him and re-tell him their dream of someday owning their own land. Someday were gonna get our jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs. The use of the word someday shows a sense of longing and uncertainty; he doesnt know if it will happen soon or even at all. Because of the time the book is set or George and Lennies lifestyle, their dream is not the exact definition of the American dream. It is more to do with freedom and the amount of land owned which equals a higher status in society the more land you owned. George and Lennies dream is motivated by the fact that they have no stability in where they live or work. Being migrant workers, they have a very unsettled lifestyle because they dont know how long they will be needed to work there. After they arent needed or if they get fired, it could take a long time to find another job. Their dream of owning a rural house on their own in the Salinas valley is a comforting thought of stability and not having to worry about nowhere to live. The Salinas valley is not a typical rural setting of America, but as George and Lennie have not traveled far, it is their idea of perfect. There are no comfortable houses, but vast orchards, vineyards, and ranched thoroughly tended. In the book, the Californian countryside is described in vast detail at the beginning and end of every chapter. Steinbeck uses description of the surroundings as he, like Lennie developed a close bond with nature. In my opinion, this is Steinnbecks dream Other characters living on the ranch also have similar dreams. The migrant worker candy for example is afraid of being alone and dreams of living out the rest of his life with company. When he hears about George and Lennies dream asks them if he can join them so he wont be lonely. Spose I went in with you guys. Howd that be? When they can me I wont have no place else to go an I cant get no more jobs. He is desperate so he pleads with them even though he hasnt known them very long. Another person on the ranch with a dream is Curleys wife. Her dream is of fame and fortune Nother time I met a guy-he was in the pitchers. He said hed put me in the movies. Said I was a natural. Soons he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. I never got that letter. I always thought my ol lady stole it. She has this dream as an escape from her husband who is very sexist and discriminatory against women. At the time the book is set, women were treated poorly and only thought of as housewives for bringing up children and were used commonly for sex purposes. Curley treats Curleys wife poorly so she dreams about being rich and famous being a movie star. Ironically, this is the dream of many American people nowadays; to be rich and famous as they aspire to be the everyday celebrities we see today. Another dream of hers is also not to be lonely. She explains to Lennie I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely. This shows that she is lonely because she confides in him about her problem and she doesnt know him at all. Crooks is the Negro stable buck. He has a separate room away from the white people living and working on the ranch. This also shows the amount of racism at the time the story is set. It seems his dream is to not be treated differently because of his skin colour. He says I aint wanted cause Im black. They play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. They say I stink. It is obvious that he doesnt agree with these comments by the way he speaks. He speaks sharply showing he is angry about these comments. He talks about everyone else except for him playing cards implying that he would like to play cards too, along with everyone else. In conclusion, I think that the American dream is important to different characters in different ways and different interpretations.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lorraine Hansberry is the author of the play A Raisin in the Sun. This play is very significant because it was the first play written by a black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award. Another interesting point about the play is the title. The title A Raisin in the Sun also refers to Langston Hughes poem Harlem. In many ways Langston Hughes’ poem relates to Lorraine Hansberry’s play. In the play a family of black Americans have a chance to move ahead in the cruel prejudiced world. Lorraine Hansberry shows the frustrations that occur when one’s dreams are deferred. The Younger family in the play experiences these times of misery when those dreams are broken.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot of the drama revolves around the disappointments that occur when one’s dreams are deferred. I think that it was selfish for all of the family members to have their own plan of using the insurance money. It was purely Lena’s choice to decide what was to be done with the money. I also agreed with Lena by not wanting Walter to use the money for a liquor store. When Walter went against Lena’s wish for the rest of the money to go to Beneatha’s college fund, and gave the money to Willy, it made me mad. Walter was being so selfish. In the end Walter redeemed himself by pulling some strings to let Beneatha go to school and be able to move into the new house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lena was very wise. I think that Lena was the only thing keeping the family together. They all revolved around her, maybe it was because she had the money and was therefore in charge. I liked the way she took control of the family and said what was on her mind. Like when her and Walter were fighting and Ruth had just found out that she was pregnant. I think if it were not for Lena, Walter and his sister Beneatha would have probably killed one another in their arguments. I also felt that when they would argue Ruth would always somehow get stuck in between. Usually because Walter would bring her in to it. Ruth had to be the responsible person in the family, other than Lena. Ruth did most of the work in the house and kept everything running smooth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were also many symbols in the play. I think that one of the biggest symbols in the play was Lena’s flower.

Communication Differences Between the Sexes Essay

Some researchers believe that different styles of communication are developed by nurturing, not nature. That communication styles are learned through the way someone has been raised, not by how a person is wired from birth. Take a newborn girl and put her in a room with family members all about. She will look at every one around and make eye contact with each of them. Put a newborn boy in a room surrounded by family members, and he will pay more attention to the light fixture or a ceiling fan. I know this to be true with my own children as well as with my grandchildren. When our first grandson was born it was after having several granddaughters. The first time I held him I was taken back a bit because I couldn’t get him to make eye contact with me. I was starting to get concerned that maybe he was Autistic, but then I remembered, he was a boy. This behavior difference between male and female is carried with them throughout their childhood and into adulthood. â€Å"In one study, researchers performed a series of test on males and females from four age groups: second graders, sixth graders, tenth graders, and twenty five-year-olds. Instructions for each pair of females and each pair of males were exactly the same: enter a room, sit down on two chairs, and talk, if you wish. As the test proceeded, every pair of females, no matter what their ages, reacted the same way. They turned their chairs toward each other, or at least they turned toward each other, so they could be face-to-face, lean forward and talk. The males reacted differently. They did not turn toward each other in any way. They sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, looking straight ahead except for an occasional glance at each other† (Eggerich, 244). Girls want to make a connection with the person they’re talking to. They want to make friends, share secrets, and experiences. Boys have a different approach. They like having buddy groups focusing on activities rather than conversation. This difference in communication style follows them into adulthood. Women communicate through dialogue, discussing emotions, choices and problems. Males remain action-oriented. The goal of communication is to achieve something. Women are more relationship-oriented and are more likely to talk to other women when they have a problem or need to make a decision. Men tend to relate to other men on a one-to-one basis. They keep their problems to themselves and don’t see the point in sharing personal issues. Why is communication between men and women such a problem? It goes back to the fact that we send each other messages in â€Å"code,† based on gender, even though we don’t intend to. â€Å"What I say is not what you hear, and what you think you heard is not what I meant at all† (Eggerich, 30). A woman may say, â€Å"I have nothing to wear. † What she means is, she has nothing new. When a man says, â€Å"I have nothing to wear. † He actually means he has nothing clean. This illustrates that we all see things out of our own needs and perceptions. How does nonverbal communication impact male and female communication? One specific aspect of nonverbal communication is body orientation. It’s the two chairs in the room experiment again. When a man doesn’t make eye contact or face his female conversational partner, she may see this as a lack of interest. He might get annoyed because she isn’t responding the way he expected. Body language speaks volumes when communicating with someone of the opposite sex. The difference in physical alignment can make having a meaningful conversation difficult. A breakdown in nonverbal communication between men and women can cause problems not only at home, but in the workplace. Women often nod their head when someone is talking to them as a sign that they’re listening. This can be confusing for a man because men only nod when they are in agreement with what is being said. The man might mistake the woman’s nodding as a sign that she agrees with him, only to find out later that she doesn’t. Now the woman is confused because she doesn’t understand why he would think she agreed when she was never asked her opinion. On the other hand, if a woman is speaking and she doesn’t see his head nod, she assumes he either disagrees or is not listening. Either way, the lines of communication are broken because of nonverbal cues (Simma). As you can see, men and women have different styles in the way they communicate. Neither style is right or wrong, they’re just different. I’m not really in to the whole Mars vs. Venus thing, but if we can recognize the differences in our communication styles we might be better equipped to break through those communication barriers. Women, a man doesn’t necessarily want to talk about it, sometimes just sitting next to him or watching him tinker in the garage is just what he’s looking for. He just wants to know that his lady is there. Men, a woman just needs someone to listen to what she has to say. She doesn’t need her situation to be fixed, she just needs a listening ear, an occasion nodding of the head to let her connect with her man. My husband and I sometimes go on long drives for an hour or so without ever speaking a word, we don’t have to. We’ve had our ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but through the years we have learned to speak and listen to each other’s language. The key to a any relationship, whether it’s with friends, colleagues or spouses is good communication skills. My husband and I have been married for 33 years, I think we’ve been successful in achieving just that.

Ellis Behaviour Therapy

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2852 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Active Suggestive Therapy View of Human Nature In the world, everyone is unique. They usually differ on the basis of family in which they grew up and the values, culture, unique experiences and the perceptions they have about their circumstances. I agree with the view of Adler that a persons perception of the past and interpretation of early events influence their behaviours (Corey, 2005). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Ellis Behaviour Therapy | Philosophy Dissertations" essay for you Create order According to Albert Ellis, the belief is that we contribute to our own problems and by this way; we interpret events and situations (Corey, 2005). The basic hypothesis of REBT is that our emotions stem mainly from our beliefs, evaluations, interpretations, and reaction to lifes situations (Corey, 2005, p. 272). Behaviour is learned. Cognitive behaviour therapy states that during childhood we learn our irrational beliefs form others (Corey, 2005). As it is learned, so I believe that we can learn new ways of thinking and behaving. All humans have free will. Adler also supports that the concept of a creative force enables people to make their own decisions and develop their own opinions (Oberst Stewart, 2003). Albert Ellis says that we can learn to control our emotions by avoiding irrational beliefs (Ellis MacLaren, 2005). I agree with Adler that the people are social, creative and can make their own decisions (Corey, 2005). I also believe that people also have certain limitations. I believe that biology and genetics play a role in our behaviour and that we are predisposed to some types of mental illnesses. I believe that some forms of depression like extreme anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can be the result of genetics or a chemical imbalance in the brain. Arnold Lazarus, the founder of multimodal therapy states that when any doubts arise about the probable involvement of biological factors, it is imperative to have them investigated (Lazarus, 1997, p. 28). I agree with William Glasser that we have basic needs. He stated that we have the need for survival, love and belonging, power and achievement, freedom or independence, and fun that drive our lives (Corey, 2005). These needs relate to some of the concepts of Adler. The need for love and belonging goes along with Adlers concept of social interest and community feeling. The need for power and achievement is similar to Adlers concept of striving for significance and superiority. Theoretical Orientation Multimodal therapy Multimodal therapy creates interests because of the concept of technical eclecticism. It states that the therapist uses a collection of techniques from many approaches and from different theories of therapy (Corey, 2005). I like this approach because Arnold Lazaruss concept of the seven major areas of personality is made up of BASIC ID (Corey, 2005). These are behaviour, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal, and drugs/biology (Lazarus, 1997). It looks at behaviour and addressing self-defeating actions, emotions and reactions; sensory complaints, such as tension and pain; fantasies and images, flashbacks; the persons attitudes, values, beliefs, and opinions; aspects involving relationship with others; and the health of the individual including medical conditions, sleep, exercise, diet, use of drugs, etc. (Lazarus, 1997). The reason why it appeals to me is that it explores many different aspects of our well-being that can affect our mental health. This type of therapy appeals to me because it uses concrete tests to simplify the process of therapy and get to the problem in an efficient way. The problem identified in the Multimodal Life History Inventory encourages the therapist and client to focus on specific problems; it helps to set goals for treatment (Lazarus, 1997). The multimodal assessment coincides with my view of human nature, as it implies that we are social beings who move, feel, sense, imagine, and think, and that at base we are biochemical-neurophysiologic entities (Lazarus, 1997, p. 3). This theory is brief and effective, which is very important in todays society with insurance issues. Lazarus states that perhaps one would agree that effective therapy depends far less on the hours you put in than on what you put into those hours (Lazarus, 1997, p. 6). This theory puts the emphasis on breadth more than depth. This theory applies to the unique needs and problems of the client. Lazarus says, In my estimation, we need bespoke therapy methods that are carefully tailored and custom-made (Lazarus, 1997, p. 16). The multimodal method uses several methods to find out what the problems are and the strategies to find out what treatments fit uniquely with each client. It is very flexible and open. Multimodal therapy has clear goals for therapy and focuses on current issues. It starts out with an initial interview, after this the client takes the Multi-Modal Life History Inventory and uses it to draw up a Modality Profile that lists the complaints and the areas of treatment that should be addressed (Lazarus, 1997). I like the systemic approach because there is a logical pattern to follow in order to find out the problem. Many therapies spend too much time just trying to figure out the problem, which can increase the number of sessions. Other Theories Some aspects of other theories that I would like to integrate when using multimodal and Adlerian therapy include some of the concepts from psychoanalytic therapy, such as ego defense mechanisms and Ericksons psychosocial stages of development. I can see the benefit of exploring defense mechanisms and seeing how they play a role in behaviour. Ericksons stages of development are a good framework for understanding development (Corey, 2005). REBT therapy is behaviour therapy, as is multimodal therapy. The A-B-C theory of personality is a concept that I would integrate with multimodal therapy. It is a common sense approach to show people how they can change their irrational beliefs into rational belief. It assists clients in recognizing their self-defeating thoughts, particularly the absolutist thoughts, such as the shoulds, musts, and oughts (Corey, 2005). With person-centered, I would like to draw on the empathetic relationship aspect of this type of therapy. The use of the concept of unconditional positive self-regard is essential. Adler describes social interest in terms of empathic understanding. Adler sums it by saying, To see with the eyes of another, to hear with the ears of another, to feel with the heart of another (Ansbacher Ansbacher, 1956, p. 135). Reality therapy is a lot like multimodal and Adlerian therapies in that it is directive, active and educational. The five basic needs of survival, i.e. love and belonging, power and achievement, freedom or independence, and fun is something that I would integrate into my own therapy (Corey, 2005). Some aspects of solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy appeal to me. Solution-focused therapy takes on a positive and optimistic view of the future and looks for what is working. I would use the three questions of solution-focused therapy; the exception question, the miracle question, and the scaling question (Corey, 2005). Narrative therapy is similar to Adlers concept of early recollections. This is a very interesting form of therapy and I would like to learn a lot more about it. I would like to take some of the aspects also of Asian therapy, such as aromatherapy and creating an atmosphere of relaxation. Multicultural Therapy It is extremely important to consider differences in culture when engaging in therapy with a client. Adler focuses on the person in their environment, allowing exploration of cultural issues. Behaviour therapys focus is on behaviour rather than feelings, which can be compatible with many cultures (Corey, 2005). Adlerian Therapy The concepts of Adlerian therapy state about social interest, birth orders and sibling relationships, fictions, and early recollections. Adlerian counselors educate clients in new ways of looking at their lives. The process of therapy used by me would be to foster social interest, which would help the clients to overcome the feelings of discouragement and inferiority, modify their lifestyle, assisting clients in feeling a sense of equality and help people to be contributing members of society (Corey, 2005). The four phases of the therapeutic process are a part of Adlerian therapy that I would integrate with other methods. These are establishing a proper therapeutic relationship, doing a Lifestyle Assessment, encouragement and insight into purpose, and reorientation and education (Corey, 2005). The Adlerian concept of the five basic mistakes people make developed by Mosak is of interest to me. These are overgeneralization, false and impossible goals, misperceptions of life and lifes demands, denial or minimization of ones worth, and faulty values (Corey, 2005). This is very similar to the core irrational belief concept used in REBT. The core irrational beliefs are awfulizing and I-cant-stand its over generalizing, jumping to conclusions, focusing on the negative, disqualifying the positive, minimizing good things, personalizing, phoneyism, and perfectionism (Lazarus, 1997). Therapist/Client Relationship The importance of the therapeutic relationship varies among different types of therapy. Some therapies focus on the personal relationship as crucial to therapy while other therapies do not give so much emphasis on the relationship. The importance of the therapist/client relationship in relation to my philosophy is that it is important, but is not the central focus. I agree with Adlers view on joint responsibility between the client and the therapist (Corey, 2005). My focus as a therapist is to engage the client in a learning process and to act as a teacher and consultant. I agree that there needs to be empathy and positive self-regard for the clients who want to change. The relationship needs to be a good working relationship. Encouragement from the therapist is essential. Two major theories that I am going to discuss in regards of the therapist/client relationship are cognitive behaviour therapy and person-centered therapy. With person-centered therapy, the main focus is on the relationship. It is the primary focus of therapy. Rogers emphasizes the attitudes and personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the client-therapist relationship as the prime determinants of the outcomes of therapy (Corey, 2005, p.85). With cognitive behaviour therapy, the therapist functions as a teacher and is highly directive. The relationship is important, but not as important as in the person-centered therapy. The success of cognitive behaviour therapy depends on certain characteristics of the therapist, such as warmth, accurate empathy, nonjudgmental acceptance, trust and rapport with the client (Corey, 2005). Both theories rely on the concept of unconditional positive self-regard and empathetic listening. The caring is unconditional; it is not contaminated by evaluation or judgment of the clients feelings, thoughts, and behaviour as good or bad (Corey, 2005, p. 172). Cognitive therapy describes it as unconditional acceptance. Ellis states that, In addition to modeling unconditional acceptance for your client, it is vital that you actively teach the theory and practice of unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and unconditional other acceptance (UOA) (Ellis MacLaren, 2005, p. 85). Therapeutic Techniques Specific techniques that I would use come from multimodal therapy, REBT, and Adlerian therapy. With multimodal therapy technique, I would use the Multimodal Life History Inventory. The Multimodal Life History Inventory is a 15-page questionnaire used for problem identification and patient history pertaining to the seven major areas of personality, or the BASIC ID, which I described earlier in the paper (Corey, 2005). I would also use bridging, which is used when clients do not want to talk about their feelings. The bridging technique consists of entering the clients preferred mode (cognitions) and then, asking about a different (presumably more neutral) modality (e.g., imagery, or sensations) (Lazarus, 1997, p. 48). The Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire would be a technique I would use when working with couples, which covers major areas of concern that most couples have. These concerns include communication, sex, money, togetherness, friendship, parenting, etc. (Lazarus, 1997). Some specific techniques that I would use from REBT are disputing of irrational beliefs which would include the REBT Self-Help Form, humor, rational-emotive imagery, role playing, homework and educational materials. (Corey, 2005). Adlerian techniques I would use are the Lifestyle Assessment, early recollections and The Question (Corey, 2005). I like the concept of The Question. It is a subjective question of, How would you like your life to be different, and what would you do differently, if you did not have this symptom or problem (Corey, 2005). This is very similar to the miracle question in solution-focused therapy. Early recollection techniques ask the client to talk about their earliest memories. Early recollections use an assessment tool to see how clients feel about themselves and others, in order to discover the clients strengths and assets (Corey, 2005). In contrast, cognitive behavioural techniques focus on tailoring the therapy to suit the individual and focus on changing the thinking patterns and behaviour of the client. There are several techniques available to use with this theory. With existential therapy and person-centered therapy, very few techniques are used. A history of the client, questioning and probing, and testing are not used in person-centered therapy or existential therapy, whereas in cognitive therapy it is the basis for the therapy. Existential therapy does not appeal to me because it is not technique oriented and there is a lack of direction from the counselor. As far as similarities between the person-centered technique and cognitive behaviour therapy are concerned, I really do not see any. They are completely different types of therapies. Self-Awareness As far as my strengths as a therapist are concerned, I am very insightful and in tune with how people are feeling. I am not afraid to be myself as a therapist. Realizing my imperfections, I do not feel that I need to be perfect in my style of counseling. Trustworthiness is essential to me regarding my role as a therapist. Listening is one of my strong points. Realizing my limitations and accepting the fact that I will not be able to help every client or get along with every client, it is important that I refer them to seek help from another counselor. Boundaries are crucial in the therapy setting. Taking on the responsibility of the clients obligation is something that I would be very aware of and try to avoid. Something that I would like to add to my role as a therapist and something that I feel very strongly about is the role of spirituality. Incorporating clients religious and spiritual beliefs in the counseling process is important, and I feel it needs to be addressed. Regarding my limitations as a therapist, I tend to give people advice and I need to be careful with this. It will be difficult for me to deal with certain types of clients. I would not be able to work with sex offenders, pedophiles, abusive men or severely mentally ill patients. Helping people who do not want to be helped is also a difficult issue for me. I would need to learn some techniques on how to deal with this problem. At times, I like to tell my own story and share my own experiences in an attempt to show others how my experiences have affected me. Getting off track in thinking that this would be helpful to the client is something I need to be aware of. I still question my ability as a counselor and feel I have not had enough classes to make this judgment yet. Conclusion In concluding the paper, I realize the importance of trying to find my own unique style. Finding what fits with my personality and what I feel comfortable with is a thing that will make me a competent therapist. Cognitive behavioural therapy (multimodal and REBT) and Adlerian therapy are concepts I want to work with, and I would like to do more reading and research into these theories in order to learn more about the processes and techniques used. Learning about the variety of theories, the techniques used, the goals of therapy and view of human nature has really opened my eyes to the vast amount of information about the theories of psychology. The reason I called my theory active suggestive therapy is that I want to take an active role as a therapist and make therapy a learning process. I would like to make suggestions to clients on how they can deal with their problems and offer concrete ways of learning that they can apply outside of therapy. Some would say that suggestions would be giving advice, but I feel that it would be beneficial to some clients. The suggestions are presented in a way as to make the client feel responsible and active in coming up with a plan on how to use the suggestions given. This class has given me a well-rounded view of the theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. References Ansbacher, H. L. Ansbacher, R. R. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. New York: Harper Perennial. Corey, G. (2005). Student Manual: Theory and Practice of Counseling Psychotherapy (7th Edition, p. 85). California: Brooks/Cole Corey, G. (2005). Theory and Practice of Counseling Psychotherapy (7th ed.). California: Brooks/Cole. Ellis, A. MacLaren, C. (2005). Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: A Therapists Guide (2nd Edition). California: Impact Publishers. Lazarus, A. A. (1997). Brief but Comprehensive Psychotherapy: The Multimodal Way. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Oberst, U. E. Stewart, A. E. (2003). Adlerian Psychology: An Advanced Approach Individual Psychology. New York: Routeledge.