Dystopai Society :: essays research papers

The Government and Total Human Control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, in George Orwell’s 1984, and in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World a unifying thread is present—the government must have total control of all aspects of society. It must control thought, it must control media, and it must control one’s usefulness to the totalitarian society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Fahrenheit 451, the government assumes total control by banning all books and other reading material. By banning and burning the contraband if necessary, the government can prevent philosophical thought. The government can also guarantee this by getting people to buy giant televisions, the size of walls, which play television sitcoms in which the family can star. Not only do the pointless programs discourage intellectual thought, but they also entertain the family enough so that the family has no reasons to read and/or think deeply about the meaning of the world around them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1984, the government is a bit more lenient as they will let everyone read, but they edit all reading material so that the materials favor the Party. For the party, revising old articles and other media will ensure that no one will revolt since the rewritten material always favors the Party. Even if a proletariat were to revolt, the Party could eliminate his existence from all forms of media. The Party vaporizes people’s existence to a point where most people do not even think about the vaporized person. By always making sure written history is pro-Party, the Party can ensure its totalitarian government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In A Brave New World, the government not only controls how one thinks, but it also controls one’s physical usefulness to his society. By genetically engineering one’s body, the government can make it infinitely useful to itself. To make that one body feel no pain, to make the soul feel like it belongs to the society, and to make the mind open to any ideas is a vital asset for this government. The people are not always worried about death and can always relax in this utopian society since other people pleasure them, and with a society of happy people, the government never fears a revolt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By controlling what an individual thinks, does, or feels, the government always prospers.

Freud, Adler and Jung: Founders of Psychoanalytic Research Essay

Introduction: There are three well-known influential thinkers who are considered to be pioneers in the field of psychology. It could be argued that without †¦. , the emergence of psychology as we know it might not have ever happened, at least in its present form. Freud is considered by his modern-day counterparts to be the founding father of analytic psychology, as he is the first to have come up with an albeit rudimentary, but nevertheless valuable model of the human psyche. Prior to his groundbreaking work, the nature of human consciousness was largely debated and theorized by medical doctors and theologians. Then there is Adler, (who was the first to have suggested the societal impact on emotions and thought processes and vice-versa, arguing that consciousness and culture have what could be termed as a symbiotic relationship. He emphasized, too, the importance of self-esteem and was the first to say that without a healthy self-esteem, an individual would develop an inferiority/superiority complex which would in turn affect many aspects of life. Last but not least, Carl Jung, who was a respected colleague of Freud in his earlier years, focused on the spiritual aspects of consciousness and saw the value it played on thoughts and emotions. We will explore in this paper the commonalities between these founding fathers of psychology as well as their differences, and explore the strengths in their theories as well as the weaknesses. By understanding the founders of this very subjective field of scientific thought, we can gain a better picture of how psychology has evolved over the years and apply it to our own research and studies. Sigmund Freud:  According to Freudian theory, the consciousness is composed of three opposing forces: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id (Freud used the German term Das es) which consists of our instinct-driven behavior. Governed by what he termed the â€Å"Pleasure Principle†, It is largely pleasure-seeking: when we are hungry, we seek to obtain relief from these feelings by eating. Because the id is a self-gratifying drive, it can, according to Freud, cause problems if left unchecked, since the person would have absolutely no self-control and wouldn’t be able to exercise the self-discipline necessary to function in society. In accordance with what Freud calls â€Å"The Reality Principle†, The ego (das ich) copes with the limitations of reality by putting into place coping mechanisms when one’s basest needs cannot be fulfilled. For instance, it is the ego which represses the needs of the id by waking up early for work when the id tells us to sleep in late. The Superego (uber ich) tries to rule over the ego and id with moral principles which are both conscious and unconscious. It can be described as one’s religious convictions and moral principles. The Superego can override the ego and id when something must be done â€Å"for the greater good†, i. . for moral reasons. Another Fundamental element of Freudian theory is his stages of psychosexual development, which categorizes each stage as follows: The oral stage where a child seeks comfort from suckling, the anal stage where the child is toilet-trained, the phallic stage where a child’s awareness of a penis (or lack thereof) plays a crucial role in early development, the latent period, and finally the genital stage. In each of these stages (aside from the latent stage where it is believed no crucial psychosexual development takes place) if there is a disturbance in normal development, a â€Å"fixation† can occur. For instance, if a child is weaned from breastfeeding too early, he or she can have an â€Å"oral fixation† which would manifest itself as nail-biting or smoking later in life. Last but not least, Freud was the first to propose that when we face situations we cannot emotionally handle, we have certain defense mechanisms such as repression, suppression, denial, displacement, sublimation, intellectualization, and rationalization, regression, and reaction formation. These mechanisms can be considered normal, especially during grieving periods. Much later, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross made shock and denial one of the first stages of the grieving process, and it has been well-documented that denial can be very common if not normal as long as it doesn’t become permanent. Defense mechanisms can become very unhealthy if they don’t eventually give way to directly coping with the emotions which are being denied or repressed. These defense mechanisms, in their most extreme forms can be very difficult to understand for those who haven’t shared the same experience. For example, it is very possible for a woman to be so deep in denial of a pregnancy that she will continue to menstruate up until the time of delivery. She could also attribute the normal symptoms of pregnancy with other possible explanations, i. e. morning sickness being stomach flu and the baby’s kicks being gas. A typical example of displacement can be seen with people who abuse animals or children. If a person feels they cannot express anger or aggression to a parent or significant other for fear of repercussions, they will channel the anger and direct it to the family pet or their child, who cannot fight back. Regression can be another common defense mechanism, and it usually happens when an individual is overwhelmed with anxiety and feels they cannot directly face the source of their emotions. A very common scenario is for an adult to remain in bed all day and sleep to avoid painful feelings shortly after a loved-one dies. Another example is when a child is afraid to attend school because of a bully, and becomes extremely clingy with the parent when he or she was very independent prior to the problem. Carl Jung  Jung and Freud became friends in 1906, after Freud had read some of Jung’s writings and invited him for a meeting in Zurich. Their first conversation was said to have lasted for 13 hours, with the two men exchanging ideas and elaborating on their theories. Freud saw Jung as somewhat of a protege, referring to Jung as his â€Å"crown prince and successor†. Their correspondence and friendship lasted six years, but Jung eventually expressed dissent with Freud over the role the unconscious mind played in human behavior. While Freud saw the unconscious as somewhat of a repository of repressed memories which could be manifested unbeknownst to the conscious mind, Jung believed that the ability to tap into the unconscious mind was possible and could contribute to emotional well-being. And while he agreed that it was important to understand past trauma and its influence on present behavior, he also believed that the future didn’t necessarily need to be determined by such things. The role spirituality played in his psychoanalytic theories also made him a pioneer in his own rite, though it was never something he and Freud could agree upon. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler was also a contemporary of Dr. Freud and even joined his analytic society in 1902. By 1911 however, he too expressed dissent with many of Freud’s opinions and left to form his own society, the ‘Society for Free Psychoanalytic Research’. It can be reiterated that while he agreed with Freud that psycho-social development could be affected by influential factors beginning early in life, he came up with theories of his own which contrasted with those of his colleague. For instance, he believed that a child feels inherently weak around his or her elders, and strives to become superior to them throughout the course of early life. This term, known as â€Å"striving for superiority†, states that if the need for personal accomplishment and success is not met, an inferiority complex can develop, causing many other problems later on. He also proposed the theory that birth order plays a crucial role in emotional development. For example, he stated that an oldest child has it the worst, as he or she starts off having both parents’ unlimited attention and time. Later on after other siblings are born, an oldest child isn’t given the same amount of attention and is left to wonder why. Childhood neglect and abuse also have a profound impact on psychosocial development according to Adler, and numerous case studies continue to arise which prove his theory to be valid even today. Conclusion While many of the theories of Freud, Adler and Jung have been either dispelled or refined by case studies and discoveries in the field of neuroscientific research, there is no doubt they were pioneers in the field of psychology. Freud’s concepts of defense mechanisms have withstood the test of time even though his theories of psychosexual development have been outmoded, and Jungian psychoanalysis is still relevant today. Adler’s views on self-esteem and childhood development have been verified by clinical research, even if some of the finer points of his research had been discarded. While there is continued debate and new findings which will always create dissent and result in new discoveries related to psychology, it is certain that the work of these three early founders will remain significant for decades to come.

The Importance of Logistics in Providing

Logistics involves controlling and managing the movement of goods and services, information and products from the point where they are produced up to the market place.   In other words, it deals with the information and physical flows of the raw materials to the final distribution of finished products.   Logistics also involves the management of information and storage of materials, parts of the finished goods in the chains of supply, through procurement stages, work-in-progress to the final distribution. According to cooper (1994), the goal of logistics is to maximize future and current profitability in order to acquire customer satisfaction and also satisfying their orders through the cost effective analysis (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). Customer service and Logistics Majority of today’s companies consider customer service as a very crucial phenomenon in their businesses.   In the past customer service was mainly based on the needs of the customer without taking in consideration what real requirements or even the perceptions of these customers.   It is therefore necessary to comprehend the customer requirements and service will always differ not only between industries and companies but also between the market segments that a business might seem to have (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). Complexity of the provision of customer service is also another important requirement that needs to be noted and understood clearly.   This is because customer service links the processes of logistics and distribution and many influences relevant to customer service may evolve within these processes; such as the range from ease of ordering stock that is available to the reliability of delivery. It is also important to balance the cost of provision with the level of service provided.   High costs of providing customer service that is even greater than what a customer actually requires has resulted in the downfall of many service offerings in companies. Therefore, the key to attaining quality and successful customer service policy is through the development of appropriate policies and objectives which involves liaison with these customers.   It is also important to monitor, control and measure all the set up procedures (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). The components of the logistics customer service may be identified as a transaction –related elements with emphasis being placed on specific service that is provided for instance on time delivery.   It may also be viewed as functional attributes related to the entire aspects consisting of the order fulfillment such as taking of orders. In order to reflect the timing and nature of particular service requirements transaction elements are usually put into three categories: Pre-transaction elements, transaction elements and post-transaction elements. Pre-transaction elements consist of customer service factors brought about as a result of the actual transaction that takes place. They involve: accessibility of order personnel, method of ordering, system flexibility, written customer service policy single order contact point, transaction elements organizational structure and order size constraints. Transaction elements on the other hand are the elements that are related to those other elements mostly concerned with logistics and distribution.   These elements include: delivery of complete order, delivery time, order preparation, delivery reliability, order cycle time, availability of inventory, condition of goods, order status information and delivery alternatives. The post-transaction elements consist of those elements that arise after the process of delivery has been fulfilled.   These elements include: call-out time, returns policy, availability of spares, product tracing, involving procedures, customer complaints and procedures, claims procedures and involving accuracy. Another classification of customer service elements is that one of multifunctional dimensions.   This classification has the objective of assessing the various components of customer service available across a range of the whole functions of the company so as to strive to gain a seamless service provision.   For instance, time is made up of a single requirement which covers the whole range of span from the placement of order to the delivery of the order – the order cycle. This approach has the impact of enabling the delivery of some very relevant measures of logistics.   The multifunctional dimensions include: dependability which means the guaranteed accurate and fixed delivery time, flexibility which is the logistics customer services ability to identify and respond to the changing needs of customers’ time that is usually order cycle time and communication which helps in the easy of order taking processes (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). There elements of customer service differ and their significance will also vary according to the company, concerned market and the product.   Therefore, it is important that a customer service policy exists which will help in the undertaking of the various segments of the market that exists. The customer service policy also involve the awareness of the needs of customers or those of the segmentation; identification of clearly defined quantifiable standards available for customer service, understanding any trade – off that may exist between the levels of customer service and that of the costs, measuring the service that is provided and lastly liaison with customers so as to enhance an appreciated and understanding of the provided service (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). How logistics customer service affect a company’s sales and customer loyalty Customer service involves ways in which an organization deals with its customers and it is mostly seen in sales and after-sale service.   Customer service in logistics should also include all the processes that are involved in the value chain.   To acquire customer focus, there is need to obtain a good customer service.   Poor customer relations on the other hand are as a result of the availability of poor customer service (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Increasing levels of competitive pressure and difficulty with the aim of maintaining and increasing profitability is what most of today’s companies face.   The management of these companies are being faced with the challenges of innovating and seeking strategies that could help in the advancement of the competitive advantage and profitability of their awareness of the significance of logistics in their organizations hence the need for a specialist. Logistics customer service plays a very crucial role in the overall outcome of a company’s sales and customer loyalty.   The outcome could be negative or positive depending on the quality of the customer service that is being provided by an organization.   Poor customer service in logistics could result in poor customer loyal.   The poor services include high costs, poor delivery time, and poor goods that the company could be offering, lack of enough inventory among other things.   This not only affects customer relations and loyalty but also the sales of the company (Peck & Christopher, 2003). The earlier on discussed elements of logistics customer service play a very crucial role to the buyers of the products in the company.   Lack of adherence to these elements by an organization often leads to the fall in the overall company’s sales and customer loyalty.   Profitability of the firm depends on how a company handles carriers out these elements. An organization is bound to gain loyalty from its customers when it strives to strengthen the relationship between them as this will enhance the company’s sales hence profitability is increased.   This relationship involves good communication and honesty from the logistics customer care service loyalty can only be enhanced through good customer service provision.   Customer loyalty is bound to deteriorate if they are offered with poor services or the company’s sales are such that they are too high as compared to their expectations of the goods and services that a company provides (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Customer service plays a vital role in logistics hence its major concern.   The level and quality of logistic customer service provided will directly impact on the company’s cost and implication, its profitability and the market share.   Poor logistic customer service will result in the company’s lose of customer hence losing their loyalty as well.   The end result therefore means that the company will have to incur high costs in trying to shape its image and also in the recruitment of other personnel. The company has also got to strive in order to increase its market share.   On the other hand effective logistic customer care will result in the improved market share, profitability and low cost incurred by an organization (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Customer service in logistics and be viewed as an activity which means what a company actually provides for its customer service department that mostly handles special orders, billing, complaints among other things.   Similarly the provision of customer service can also be viewed as a measure of a company’s performance.   For instance if a company can deliver completed orders at least 24 hours of the receipt and 95% on time, this means that this company provides good customer service. It is therefore, important that the logistics customer service provides quality service in the manner in which they handle customer’s complaints, handling their orders and the speed of delivery.   This will have a positive impact on the company’s sale and customer loyalty (Gourdin, 2006). In addition, if the logistics customer service system is managed in a way that it can provide the customers the level and standard of services that they require, this will   result into customer satisfaction hence accompany is able to reap maximum benefits and at the same time retain the loyalty of its customers. Another factor that determines how logistic customer service impacts on company’s sales and customer loyalty is honesty.   Honesty means that an organization should be able to fulfill its promises to its customers.   If a company pledges more than what it can guarantee, it means that the customers will get dissatisfied.   This as a result, will lead to the fall of the number of customers that a company has hence, losing the customer’s loyalty and this eventually leads to a fall in the company’s sales.   It is therefore important that manager do not overstate the services they intend to offer their customers (Gourdin, 2006) To conclude, in today’s market, competition is stiff and customers are more demanding with regards to goods and services that are offered by companies.   The expectations concerning service provisions and this therefore calls for the understanding of what is valued by the customers and also a company needs to focus on the processes so that this value is delivery consistently. References Gourdin, K., (2006) Glogal Logistics Management: A Competitive Advantage for the 21st Century. Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1405127139. Peak, H. & Christopher, M. (2003) Marketing Logistics. Elsevier. ISBN 0750652241. Rushton, A., Oxley, J., & Croucher, P., (2000).   The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Manage.   Kogan Page. ISBN 0749433655.